Chapter 17
I had calmed down since being shot at. When Dominic caught up with us at Wild Willy’s, I urged Katrina to let Anthony hold her, eager to leap out of the Escalade and crush Dominic in my arms. After we drove down the road to a more low-key spot and parked next to each other, crushing him was exactly what I did. The moment both of his feet touched the ground, I lunged and cried into his suit, refusing to let him go.
“I’m here now.”
His words carried such safety.
Katrina was snug in my arms in my and Dominic’s bed, sound asleep from taking a melatonin gummy. She wanted to sleep in our room with us. I offered for us to bunk in her bedroom, but it was a big fat nope from her. Dominic had no problem with it, telling me whatever either of us needed, we would get it.
She clung to me like I predicted—metaphorically and literally. The ordeal frightened her and shook her up. I stayed strong for her, soothing her however I could. Singing to her. Reading to her. I made a video call to Bianca, which turned out to be comforting for me, too. Once Bianca quit panicking at the news of what occurred, she told us if we needed her, she would fetch a cab to get here if necessary.
Dominic arranged for Bianca to be transported to a different hotel closer to us for tonight out of precaution, and tomorrow, he would arrange for her to have round-the-clock security until we figured all of this bullshit out. He wasn’t keen on his plan, telling me if his hand wasn’t forced, he would’ve left her in Tenafly. He did cave, however, to Katrina’s attachment to his mother and would tolerate her hanging around here if and when Katrina requested.
Three hours felt like days as I stared mindlessly at the door. I perked up slightly when someone turned the handle. Dominic opened the door and shrugged out of his suit jacket as entered the room. He closed the door, loosening his tie with his other hand while staring at me, reverence in his blues.
“How are you?” he asked, undoing his tie and taking it off. He tossed it on the chair in the corner and started walking across the room while unbuttoning his dress shirt.
I looked down at Katrina, feeling blessed.
“Better than I was.”
I heard him toss his dress shirt on our white, plush, two-seater sofa.
“Is there anything else you or the kid need for the night?” He undid his belt buckle, waiting for my answer.
“No.”
He headed for our massive walk-in closet, opening its door and walking down its stairs. He kept his belts there in their own section. His jewelry, his watches, ties, and other accessories were organized. So was my stuff, except my clothes weren’t arranged by color and type and size like Dominic’s. It annoyed him, which amused me.
Dominic was wearing one of his casual, basic T-shirts when he emerged from the closet. I listened to him walk to our dresser and get himself a pair of pajama pants. He then walked into the bathroom, finished changing, and tossed his slacks on the sofa.
“Did you find anything?” I asked him.
He rounded the corner of the bed and turned on his lamp. “Hold on.” He turned off the main light before walking back to the bed. “No.” He sat along his side of the bed, exhaling a defeated breath. He looked drained. Off. “Registrations were fake. Plates were useless—so were the witnesses.”
“Cameras?”
He flippantly moved his hand, shrugging. Something was definitely troubling him. It wasn’t just his body language. It was in the air around us.
“I have men combing through it, but without a solid visual on any of the fuckers, we have nothing. Whoever they are…” He let his words trail off, shaking his head as he looked down toward himself. “I don’t want you leaving this house until every one of them is in the ground.”
“I won’t let them win.” There was no way in hell I would become a hermit for days. Weeks. Running away and hiding gave them power.
Dominic slowly turned his head and looked at me, his expression telling me it was best not to test him.
“Don’t make me lock you in here.”
I raised my brow in defiance. “I’d love to see you try.”
His eyes widened, a dark chuckle escaping him. He then decided to stare off at the room.
“Dominic, what’s wrong?”
His brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“Baby, please talk to me. I can tell something’s been eating at you since we got home. I know this afternoon really shook you up. It shook all of us, but… There’s something else. Not just them shooting at us.”
He looked toward me and then focused back on the room. He raked his hand through his hair, blowing out a breath.
My stomach started rolling with nerves, like I was about to receive bad news.
“ Bellissima … Fuck.” He rubbed his face and let his arms fall, staring up at the ceiling. “Just spare me the yelling until after, alright?”
“This requires yelling?” I quipped. Finding humor, he let his arms fall, slowly turning his head to look at me.
“Deliso and Scioli lied to you on my orders.”
It was as if I were punched in the gut. How could he lie to me? Did he think he was protecting me? In the past with Vincent and Fabio, he tended to wait to bring me into the loop, but outright lie to me? Causing me to wonder what was, in fact, reality and what wasn’t? Dominic was quite fucking correct; I did want to yell at him. I wanted to fucking scream. I poked my tongue against my cheek, closing my eyes. The look on Dominic’s face told me he knew I was pissed. I opened my eyes, making a fist with my free hand, and forced a breath through my nose, mentally counting to ten. I should’ve called him out sooner. Releasing my fist, I slowly made a fist again and then released it, doing that until I felt it safe enough to calmly say something.
“Why?” I flatly asked him.
“There’s a connection between what happened to you at that store and at the park, but we don’t know exactly how just yet or who orchestrated it. I wanted all the dots connected first.”
“Bullshit. You didn’t want to stress me out, right? You think because I’m pregnant I can’t handle it!?” I whisper-yelled, careful not to startle and wake Katrina. “Am I pretty fucking close? Because I sure as shit handled my fucking emotions when you ran off at the hospital and left me to fend for my fucking self. So don’t you sit there and think I can’t fucking handle this!”
Immediate regret for my outburst hit me when I watched Dominic’s shoulders sag with the same outward defeat as heard in his breath. My chest and throat tightened. Tears threatened my eyes. I had a right to be angry, but I felt I had gone too far. My tears spilled over, trickling down my cheeks. My bottom lip and chin quivered.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized.
Dominic looked at me, staring for a moment before he talked.
“Don’t be. I underestimated you—again.” His smile was slight, but it was loving. Warm. “I know I should’ve told you. It’s just…” Letting his thoughts trail off, he sighed and focused on the lamp at his bedside.
I extended my arm, resting what I could of it on the mattress and wiggled my fingers like I wanted him to hold it. All I wanted was his touch, even if it were only his fingertips.
“Dominic,” I strained, swallowing in hopes to vanquish what I felt were a fresh round of tears threatening me.
He turned off his lamp and laid on the bed, pulling the sheets and comforter over him. He brought himself closer to me, taking hold of my hand. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing out tears. Quietly, I inhaled a sharp breath of air, blowing it out.
“ Bellissima , please don’t cry. It’s okay.”
Shaking my head, I said, “I hurt you.”
“You’re wrong. I knew you would be angry. I didn’t want to scare you; that’s why I hid what’s going on.”
I nearly choked on my tears on my next breath, wishing time travel was real so I could erase my outburst. He gave my hand a squeeze, moving the pad of his thumb back and forth along the skin of my hand between my finger and thumb.
“When I got the phone call telling me about the shooting, my heart stopped beating. All I could think about was you, our unborn—everyone. I couldn’t drive fast enough. When I heard your voice, the world started spinning again. Life beat back into my heart.
“We will find out who did this, and when we do, I’ll personally gut and filet every one of them.”
I sniffed. “And you said you weren’t a romantic.”
Our chuckles were hushed but lighthearted. I held his hand tightly.
Was he still holding back regarding the shooting? I had a gut feeling, although I wasn’t upset. In my heart, Dominic wouldn’t intentionally hurt me. He was constantly protecting me and acting on what he thought was in my best interest. It was frustrating, but with how Dominic was raised and what he endured in his life, he was the way he was, and I had to remember to understand that.
“You didn’t find anything ?”
“All we know is that a Lada originates from Russia. I called Andre, and he’s on the case. I’ve also involved Guido. It’s a waiting game until all of us touch base again.”
My stomach knotted, a sort of dread creeping in. Russia. That car came from Russia. It was all I processed. All I repeated in my head as panic found me.
“Relax,” Dominic said. “People drive foreign cars all the time. Don’t read too much into it. Just breathe, please.”
But I did read too much into it. Russia? We had enemies in fucking Russia? Well, the mafia was everywhere… But Russia? My stomach wrung tighter with anxiety. Dominic could’ve been right; maybe the make of that car was a coincidence. Then again, we both scoffed at coincidences.
Dominic deeply inhaled and then slowly let it out. I copied him, knowing that was what he wanted me to do—breathe with him. We breathed again. And again. And again until I calmed down.
“Do you have enemies in Russia?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
Seriously, Dominic.
“Yeah, that’s reassuring.”
“I promise, Lilith, no foreign enemies are on our radar. Like I said, until I hear from my contacts, it’s a waiting game.” He brought my hand to his lips, kissing it. “I’m sorry I lied to you, and I’m sorry for what happened today. Whoever they are, we’re on their radar, and I’ll find out why. They made a grave mistake today.”
“Did Hector have foreign enemies?”
He kissed my hand again, exhaustion in his eyes, but it wasn’t the tired kind. Hector hid Fabio from them until he struck. Was it the same in this case with the shooting? Those two strangers? Were those guys connected to the shooters? Thoughts swirled.
“We’re exhausting that avenue, too.”
“I don’t suppose you could let me in on those findings, too?” His eyes flitted down to the bed as he breathed in through his nose, his chest expanding before he released his tense breath. “Dominic, look at me.” When he did, I pulled his hand toward me, giving him a pointed look. “It’s clear to me you don’t want me as your consigliere, but I am carrying our child, and because of that, I don’t expect to be a spectator on the sidelines anymore and definitely not after being fucking shot at. I was ready to go to war then, and I’m ready now because it wasn’t just mine and our son’s lives on the line.” I blew out a short, steadied breath at the memory. “You didn’t see and hear how scared Katrina was. The panic in our brothers’ eyes, no matter how much they fought to hide it.” I hardened my stare. “No one pulls shit like that against us, against me and our son, and gets to go back home and drink and laugh about it at the fucking round table.”
Dominic took me in for a few heartbeats before asking, “When did you turn from a mouse to a lion, Bellissima ?”
I freed my hand from his and rested it on Katrina’s sleeping form.
“When you gave my life purpose.” I looked down at Katrina, her arms around me, one of her hands on my belly. My son moved against that spot. I smiled, growing more tired.
Dominic rolled over, fixing the sheets and comforter to his liking. A peaceful silence took over until his low, gravelly voice hugged me in its warmth and seduction in the darkness.
“For the record, amore mia , I never said no.”
I lifted my head and looked up at him. His eyes were closed.
“You’ll be sworn in from your acting position as consigliere after our son is born. I want him there to witness it.”
A small, breathy chuckle escaped me. “Dominic, he won’t remember that.”
“I’ll have security save the footage.”
I smiled cheekily. “Of course.”
He smiled smugly.
“Goodnight, amore mio .”
“Goodnight, amore mia .”
I waited two heartbeats.
“What was the vote?”
Dominic waited two heartbeats.
“It was unanimous.”