7. Dario #2
“Hey,” Vitya says, giving me a what the fuck look. Their twin boys are nestled in his arms, making it impossible for him to snatch the cake from his wife. He worries about her sweet tooth, insisting it’s not good for her health, but we all knew that was a battle he was never going to win.
“I’m not going to eat all of it,” Sveta insists while giving her husband a wink. “Besides, I need all the calories I can get. I’m nursing two babies,” she reminds him.
“It’s not the calories I’m worried about, pcholka, ” he tells her.
She leans in and kisses him. “I’ll eat extra veggies with supper.”
He winks at her. “You better.”
I step away, suddenly feeling trapped in the middle of all the happy, loving couples, and by the time I reach the other side of the room, Mia’s gone.
I catch a flash of her pink hair before she disappears again.
Tamping down my frustration, I start to make my way back across the room, but before I can get to her, Dominic steps in front of me.
“We need to talk,” he says, and then turns around, knowing I’ll follow him out.
Everyone else stays in the large kitchen, eating and visiting while I’m lead down the hall, past the closet I’d just been caught making out in, and into the office at the end like a kid being pulled into the principal’s office.
As soon as the door shuts, he turns to me and asks in Italian, “What the fuck is going on between you and Mia?”
“That was fast,” I mutter, taking the leather seat in front of his desk.
“Did you really think Nat wouldn’t tell me?” He sits on the edge of his desk, looking me over in that inscrutable way of his .
“No, I knew she’d tell you. I just didn’t know she’d be so quick about it.”
He rests his hands on either side of him, studying my reaction when he says, “Tell me what the fuck is going on.”
My cousin can be ruthless, but he’s fair, and I trust him enough to be honest. With my elbows resting on the sides of the chair, I open my hands in an I have no fucking clue way and tell him, “It’s very recent.”
“How recent?”
“She spent the night at my house last night,” I admit.
Dominic scrubs a hand over his face. “Jesus fucking Christ, man. My father-in-law is just now starting to tolerate me. After he hears about this, he’s probably going to shoot me again.”
“We haven’t fucked,” I clarify.
“But you’re planning on it,” he says, knowing that’s exactly where I’m taking this.
I nod, and he groans. “If you hurt her,” he starts to say, and I quickly cut him off.
“I’m not going to hurt her, Dominic. She wants this just as badly as I do. She’s made it very clear she wants a no-strings-attached thing.”
“And what about you?”
“What about me?” I ask. When he just raises a brow at me, I shake my head. “Don’t worry about me, cousin. I think I can handle an eighteen-year-old.”
He laughs, and when I scowl, he laughs even harder. “Whatever you say, Dario, but when this blows up, keep my ass out of it, and don’t you dare fucking hurt her. That’s Nat’s little sister.”
“I’m not going to hurt her,” I say again.
When he’s convinced I’m telling the truth, he says, “Fine, but this is definitely going to make things a lot more interesting.”
“What do you mean?” I ask the question, but before he can answer, the door opens and Sandro walks in followed by the Melnikov men.
I look back at Dominic, but his face is unreadable again.
Sandro takes the chair next to me while the others sit where they can or remain standing.
My brother shrugs when I give him a questioning look, letting me know that he’s just as clueless as I am about what’s happening.
“Thanks for meeting with me,” Dominic tells them. “I’ll make this as quick as I can. As you all know, my family still controls a part of Italy. We have an agreement with the other families, and everyone has always honored that agreement, but that’s recently changed.”
“Is the problem here or in Italy?” Lev asks, no doubt thinking of his daughter and grandkids.
Dominic holds up a hand to reassure him.
“In Italy. Everything is very secure here. I would’ve already told you if it wasn’t.
” There’s a slight reprimand in his tone, but Lev ignores it, choosing instead to cross his arms over his chest and hold Dominic’s gaze.
I hear my cousin sigh before he very briefly gives me a you see what the fuck I’m talking about look.
Ignoring his father-in-law, Dominic continues. “We were attacked and lost one of our men. I put everyone over there on high alert, waiting to see if my suspicions were correct. I just found out that we’ve been hit again.”
I turn and meet Sandro’s eyes. This is the first we’re hearing about this, and it must be serious if Dominic is choosing to tell us all together.
“What do you need from us?” Roman asks, reminding us all that our families are united and indebted to each other.
“I appreciate the offer,” Dominic says. “I’m going to be sending Dario and Sandro to Italy with several of our men. I know Leonardo Fontana is responsible for the attacks, and I want him taken out. I can’t just go in there and kill him, though,”
“Why the hell not?” Vitaly asks.
“Because this isn’t a Bratva,” Dominic says, and the tone makes it clear they’ve had this discussion before. “The other families will turn on me if I do that. I don’t have solid proof it’s Leonardo. Things have to be done in a certain way.”
“Our way is easier,” I hear Vitaly say with a soft laugh.
“So what’s your plan?” Matvey asks .
Dominic looks over at his father-in-law and says, “You’re not going to like it.”
“You’re not taking Nat to Italy,” he says, and there’s a definite end of discussion tone to his voice.
“No, I’m not,” Dominic agrees, and then he looks over at me, “But I’d like Dario and Sandro to take Mia.”
Too many people talk at once, and I’m left too stunned to get a single word out.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Lev shouts, raising his voice above all the others. “You’re out of your fucking mind, Dom.”
Dominic calmly waits for everyone to settle down before he says, “She’ll be perfectly safe.
You have my word on that. I just need someone who’s going to catch Leonardo’s attention, someone that he’ll go after, and someone who I know can protect herself for the very brief time that she’ll be left exposed. ”
“Fuck no,” Lev says, shaking his head and looking like he’s about to murder someone. “Get some other woman to do it.”
“I don’t have anyone as trained as her,” Dominic says. He turns to me. “Can she hold her own? Would you trust her to take down a threat?”
“Definitely,” I say, not even having to think about it.
“She’s better trained than some of our new recruits.
She has a huge advantage because men see her and underestimate her based on her size, but she could kill anyone you put her up against. She’s smart, quick on her feet, and she’s good with weapons. ”
“No,” Lev says again.
“They will protect her with their lives, Lev,” Dominic tells him. “I need your help with this.” He looks at all the men who fill his office. “I’m asking for help from the Melnikov Bratva, and I’m hoping that you’ll give it.”
“No,” Lev corrects. “You’re asking me to let you use my daughter. That’s not the same thing. Your family has helped us in the past, and we’re grateful for it, but this is not the same thing. ”
“It’s different,” Dominic admits, “but it’s necessary. I don’t have anyone else I can use.”
“We won’t let her out of our sight,” Sandro says.
“She’ll be safe,” I say, knowing it’s true because I won’t fucking allow anything to happen to her.
“If you take her, then you take me too,” he says.
Dominic shakes his head before he’s even finished speaking. “Absolutely not. That would draw too much attention, and you’d ruin the plan before we can even put it into place.”
“I’m not letting her go by herself,” Lev says and then he runs a hand over his face. “I can’t believe I’m even fucking talking about this like it’s a possibility.”
Matvey looks at his brother. “You know she’d fucking be all over this, Lev.”
“Would you let Yelena go?” Lev asks.
I can see the hell no written all over Matvey’s face before he says, “No, but we both know that Yel and Mia are two very different people. Yel wouldn’t want to do this, and Mia would be the first to raise her hand and volunteer for it.”
“Maybe this will work in your favor,” Danil says. “She still wants to join the Bratva. Maybe when she’s actually out there doing something dangerous, she’ll realize it’s not what she wants.”
I can see Sasha biting back a laugh at his uncle’s words, knowing full well that won’t be the case.
The others are quiet while Lev thinks about it, but it’s Sasha who tips the scales when he says, “I’ll go with her, Dad.
” He looks at Dominic and adds, “I can blend in. No one will know I’m there unless you want them to, and I’ll be able to make sure Mia is safe. I won’t let anything happen to her.”
Lev doesn’t look thrilled, but he meets his son’s eyes and nods. “Fine. I’ll agree to it, but only if Sasha is with her every step of the way.” Then he shakes his head and says, “I can’t believe I just agreed to this. Jolene is going to fucking kill me.”
“Maybe we should ask Mia if she wants to do it first?” Luka suggests. He laughs at the look Damien gives him. “Yeah, I know, she’ll most likely say yes, but shouldn’t we at least ask?”
“Thanks for making us all look like a bunch of domineering dumbasses, Luka,” Vitaly says while his nephew grins at him.