Until You Break (The Devout and the Damned #1)

11. His Sinner

Chapter eleven

His Sinner

I climb off the bike and head toward the entrance, my footsteps heavy, the sunflower’s image still lingering in my mind like a ghost. I push open the door, the scent of oil and metal filling my nose, mixed with the faint smell of cigarette smoke.

Inside, the garage is a mix of organized chaos—car parts, tools scattered across workbenches, a few half-finished projects in various states of repair. A tall, dark-haired man stands near one of the workbenches, his back to me, engrossed in some engine part he’s cleaning.

“Excuse me?” I say, my voice steady, but my heart pounding.

He turns, and I know instantly that it’s Luca. He looks just like the photo—gruff, intense, with the kind of hardened expression that comes from years of living rough. His eyes narrow as he looks me over, suspicion flashing in his gaze.

“We’re not taking any new clients today,” he says, turning back to his work, clearly dismissing me.

“I’m not here about a car,” I say, stepping closer. “I… I’m looking for someone. Someone I think you might know.”

Luca glances at me, irritation flickering in his eyes. “Lady, I don’t know who you think I am, but I don’t have time for—”

“Dominic,” I say, cutting him off, the name slipping out before I can stop myself. “I’m looking for Dominic Romano.”

Luca’s entire body goes rigid, and he slowly turns to face me, his expression shifting from irritation to one of anger and disbelief. “Who the fuck are you?”

“My name is Aria. I… I was with him. Five years ago. We were—” I hesitate, searching for the right words. “We were both taken. He… he saved me. Got me out, but I… I haven’t been able to find him since. I just need to know… did he make it out?”

Luca’s jaw tightens, and he looks away, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “You’ve got some nerve, coming here and dragging all this up.”

I swallow, my chest tightening. “I’ve spent years trying to find him, trying to figure out what happened. And then today… today, someone left something in my home, something only he would have known about. No note, no explanation. I thought… I thought maybe it was him, or someone who knows him.”

Luca’s expression softens, just a fraction, and he lets out a rough sigh, running a hand over his face. “Dom always had a way of leaving pieces of himself behind. Guess he left one with you.”

The words hit me hard, and I feel a lump form in my throat. “So he’s… he’s alive?”

Luca hesitates. “That’s… complicated. He made it out, yeah. But he’s not the same. None of us are after what he went through. Dom… has been off the grid, handling things his own way.”

“Handling things?” I repeat, my voice trembling. “What does that mean?”

Luca shakes his head, giving me a look filled with equal parts pity and warning. “It means he’s not someone you want to find, not anymore. Trust me, Aria. You’re better off leaving him in the past.”

I stare at him, unable to process what he’s saying. I spent years looking for him, hoping, believing he was still out there somewhere. And now, hearing this… it feels like losing him all over again.

“Please,” I whisper, my voice barely holding. “I just… I need to see him. Just once.”

Luca’s face hardens again, his gaze distant. “If my little brother wanted you to find him, he’d be here. But he’s not. Take that for what it’s worth.”

He turns away, effectively ending the conversation, leaving me standing there, feeling like I’ve been dropped back into that cell, surrounded by the same emptiness, the same sense of loss that’s haunted me since the day I left him behind.

I turn and walk out of the workshop, my mind spinning with Luca’s words. My heart aches with the loss all over again. A dull, hollow pain that feels sharper after hearing that he made it out but isn’t someone I’d recognize anymore.

The gravel crunches under my feet as I head toward my bike, feeling as if a part of me is still back there in the workshop, clinging to every word Luca had said. But as I reach the edge of the lot, someone steps out from around the corner, blocking my path.

I stop short, heart skipping a beat as I take him in. He’s tall, towering over me, built like he spends half his life in a gym, with tattoos covering his arms. His hair hangs past his shoulders, eyes cold and hard, assessing me with a hostility that makes my pulse race. I don’t need to ask to know who he is.

Matteo.

He doesn’t speak at first, just looks me over, his gaze sweeping up and down, and I feel like I’m being sized up, judged, like he’s searching for a reason to toss me out on the street. I swallow hard, feeling the tension coil tighter in my stomach.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” His voice is rough, with an edge that makes it clear he’s not interested in whatever answer I give.

“I… I was just talking to your brother,” I say, forcing my voice to stay steady. “I came looking for Dominic. I… I didn’t mean to intrude.”

Matteo steps closer, his eyes narrowing as he watches me, and I instinctively take a step back, the cold look in his eyes making my skin prickle.

“Dom’s business isn’t yours,” he says, each word clipped, his tone warning me to stay away. “It hasn’t been for a long time. You shouldn’t be here after leaving him in that shithole.”

I feel the defensiveness rise up, but I keep my voice level, calm. “I spent years looking for him. I just wanted answers.”

“Well, now you’ve got them,” he says, his lip curling slightly, like he finds the whole situation amusing. “And you’re not gonna like what you find if you keep digging. Trust me on that, lady.”

There’s something in his tone, something that chills me to the core. I take a breath, steadying myself, but the way he’s looking at me makes me feel exposed, like he can see right through me, into all the memories I’ve held onto for so long.

The memories of Dominic, of what he meant to me, what he saved me from.

“I wouldn’t have made it out of there if it wasn’t for him.”

“Yeah? Well, that was five years ago,” Matteo snaps, his tone laced with sarcasm. “People change. And Dom’s not someone you’d want to know now, trust me. The best thing you can do is walk away and forget about him.”

The bluntness of his words hits me like a slap, and I take a shaky breath, fighting back the hurt. “It’s not that simple.”

Matteo’s eyes flash, something darker and sharper in his gaze. “It is that simple. Whatever you think you know about him, it’s in the past. I’m telling you right now, for your own sake—you don’t want to be dragged into whatever Dom’s dealing with. So do yourself a favor and stay gone.”

I stare at him, feeling the tension building between us, the way he towers over me, his presence alone enough to make me feel small. There’s a hardness to him, an edge that Dominic never had, and it makes me feel like I’m in over my head.

But I can’t back down, not after everything I’ve been through to get here. “You don’t get it. I just want to know if he’s okay. If he’s—”

“He’s not fucking okay,” Matteo cuts me off. “And if he was, he wouldn’t be wasting his time thinking about you after you left him there to die.”

The words sting, but before I can respond, Luca steps out of the workshop, his gaze darting between us, taking in the tension in Matteo’s posture, the hurt in my expression.

“Matteo,” Luca says, his voice a quiet command, like he’s used to reigning his brother in. “Enough.”

Matteo doesn’t look away from me, his jaw clenched, the hostility in his eyes making my stomach twist. He’s not trying to be cruel for the sake of it; he’s warning me. He wants me gone, and it’s clear he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure I don’t come back.

Luca steps between us, his expression softer than his brother’s but just as firm. “You’ve got your answer, Aria. Dominic’s gone and he wants it to stay that way.”

I search his face, hoping to see something else there, some hint of understanding, some crack in the wall they’ve put up. But his gaze is steady, unwavering, and I know there’s nothing left to say.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper. “I didn’t mean to… to bring up old wounds.”

Matteo snorts, folding his arms over his chest, his eyes cold and unyielding. “Save the apologies for someone who gives a shit. Just don’t come back.”

The finality in his voice makes my stomach twist, and I feel the last sliver of hope slip away. I nod, turning on my heel, heading back toward my bike with my heart pounding, every step heavy with the weight of what I’ve lost all over again.

Just as I reach my bike, I hear Luca’s voice behind me. “Aria.”

I turn, meeting his gaze, the sadness in his eyes making my chest ache. “I know he meant a lot to you,” he says quietly, his tone softer now, almost apologetic. “But he’s not the same man. Whatever you remember… hold onto it. Because that’s all you’ll get.”

I nod, unable to find the words to respond. There’s nothing left to say, nothing that will change what they’ve told me, what I’ve known deep down all along.

Dominic’s gone, and even if he’s alive somewhere, he’s a stranger to me now.

Without another word, I climb onto my bike, the engine roaring to life beneath me. I don’t look back as I pull out of the lot, feeling Matteo’s hostile gaze boring into my back, Luca’s quiet, resigned sadness lingering in my mind. I drive, my thoughts tangled, the ache in my chest settling into something cold and hollow.

I came looking for answers, hoping for closure, but I’m leaving with nothing but more questions and a bitter reminder of everything I lost the day Dominic disappeared.