33. Dominico
33
DOMINICO
I pace back and forth in my bedroom, my phone pressed to my ear as I listen to the ringing on the other end. Each unanswered tone feels like a knife twisting in my gut, a sickening reminder of the growing fear and unease that have been building in me ever since Sofia didn’t come home for dinner.
Finally, just as I’m about to hang up in frustration, the call connects. “Marino residence, how may I assist you?” The butler’s voice is calm and professional, a stark contrast to the chaotic pounding of my own heart.
“This is Dominico Sicura,” I say, trying to keep my tone level and composed. “I need to speak to Sofia. She’s not answering her cell phone, and it’s important.”
There’s a brief pause on the other end, a moment of heavy silence that feels like an eternity. And then the butler speaks again, his words like a punch to the gut. “I’m sorry, Mr. Sicura, but Miss Sofia isn’t here. She left shortly after lunch and did not return.”
I feel the blood drain from my face, a cold, creeping dread settling in the pit of my stomach. “What do you mean, she did not return? She has to be there!”
The butler’s voice takes on an edge of alarm that mirrors the panic rising in my own chest. “I can assure you, sir, that Miss Sofia has not returned to this house today. I would have seen her if she did. If you’d like, I can fetch Don Marino for you?—”
“No!” I practically shout, my heart hammering against my ribs. “No, that won’t be necessary. Sofia just walked in the door. Everything’s fine. Thanks for your help.”
I hang up before he can respond, my hands shaking so badly that I nearly drop the phone. This can’t be happening. It has to be a mistake, a misunderstanding. Sofia has to be safe, has to be somewhere out there, angry and hurt but unharmed.
But the truth is staring me right in the face.
Sofia is missing. And if she’s not with her family, if she's not answering her phone or responding to my increasingly frantic texts and calls… then something is very, very wrong.
I feel a wave of terror wash over me, a sickening sense of dread and despair that threatens to bring me to my knees. If anything happens to her, if she’s hurt or scared or in danger because of me…
I’ll never forgive myself. I’ll never be able to live with the guilt and the grief and the knowledge that I failed her. I should have gone after her. I should have prevented her from leaving.
Oh, God, what if that was the last time I ever saw her?
No. I can’t think like that. I need to think rationally and logically here, especially when every second counts and every moment wasted could mean the difference between life and death.
I have to find her. I will find her. And I will do whatever it takes to bring her back to me.
Reaching for my phone again, my fingers fly over the screen as I start making calls. I call our most trusted men, the shadowy network of informants and spies that my family has cultivated over the years. I call anyone who might even have the slightest chance of helping me find Sofia.
Rage grows within me and I can’t stamp it down. So I let it consume me, burning me from the inside out. I’ll tear this city apart brick by brick if I have to. I’ll fucking burn it to the ground to find her.
Because she’s everything to me. And once I find her, I will confess my soul to her, tell her how much I love her.
One of my father’s men bursts into my room, a tablet clutched in his hand and a look of grim determination on his face.
“We have footage from the cameras outside the house,” he says. “You need to see this, sir.”
I snatch the tablet from his grasp, my heart pounding as I press play on the video. And there, in grainy black and white, is a sight that makes me almost drop the device.
Sofia, storming out of the house and being stopped by Luca. There’s a brief struggle as Luca grabs her. Sofia’s face is contorted in fear and anger as she tries to fight him off. And then, the sickening sight of her body going limp in his arms, her head lolling back as he injects something into her neck.
White-hot rage surges violently through me. How dare he lay a hand on her? My hands shake with anger as I slam the tablet down. How dare he take her away from me?
I’ll fucking kill him for this. I will rip him apart with my goddamn bare hands, make him suffer in ways he can’t even imagine. And when he’s begging for mercy, I’ll grant it to him.
Slowly. Painfully.
This will be a murder I’ll happily commit.
I turn to the man. “Gather the troops,” I bark. “We’re going after her, and we’re not coming back without her.”
He nods and holds a phone up to his mouth as he barks orders into it. And in that moment, I feel a sense of power wash over me, a certainty that I was born for this, that I was always meant to lead and command and fight for what’s mine.
I’ve spent so long running from my responsibilities, desperately wishing I could be normal and not the heir to a crime syndicate family. But now, with Sofia’s life on the line, I know I can’t hide anymore. I can’t pretend I’m not exactly where I’m meant to be, doing exactly what I’m meant to do.
And I’m meant to get my wife back.
Because I love Sofia. I love her with everything I have. I loved her when I saw her for the first time at that funeral. I loved her when I broke her heart and walked away from the best thing that ever happened to me.
And I love her now, love her with every fiber of my being. I love her in a way that’s raw and real and all-consuming, a way that makes everything else fade into significance. She is my everything. And she is mine .
And I always get back what’s mine.
I’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back to me, to keep her safe and make sure that nothing or no one hurts her ever again. Even if it means embracing my role as the Sicura heir.
I’ll do it for her. I’ll walk backward into hell for her.
“Sir, the men are ready.”
I look up, my face cold and impassive. “Let’s do this.”
* * *
As we approach Luca’s estate, I feel a sense of grim determination settle over me. This is it, the moment of truth. I don’t give a fuck that this showcases my ability to step up and take my place as the heir to the Sicura empire. I don’t care.
All I need is Sofia.
I turn to the men gathered around me. “Listen up,” I say, my voice ringing out with a strength and authority that surprises even me. “Our objective is simple. Find Sofia, and bring her back safely. Anyone who tries to stop us, anyone who gets in our way—you shoot them. Understood?”
“What about Luca Strambo, sir?” someone calls out.
“You leave him for me,” I snarl. “Do whatever you need to incapacitate him, but the death blow is mine . Am I clear?”
“Yes, sir!”
We move forward as one, silent and swift as shadows. I take the lead, my gun drawn and my senses on high alert. The estate is impressive, all sleek lines and modern architecture. It’s clear that Luca has done well for himself as our Family rival.
Luca always had ambition and drive, and it’s obvious that’s propelled him to new heights of success and power.
But at what cost? Luca could have made something of himself. Instead, he’s fixated on destroying me, destroying my Family. And that fixation has grown twisted and extreme over the years.
Christ, the man needs therapy.
As we breach the perimeter and storm the main building, I feel a sense of unease in my gut. Something’s not right here. Something’s off in a way that I can’t quite put my finger on.
And then we barrel around the corner to come face to face with Luca’s men.
Ah, I see. This was a trap.
But I’m not afraid. I’m not backing down, not when Sofia’s life hangs in the balance. Luca hates me so much that I have no doubt he would kill her just to spite me.
I lead the charge, my gun barking and my fists flying as we battle with Luca’s men. I shout orders and rally my men, directing them with a clarity and a precision that feels as natural as breathing.
“Flank left!” I yell. “Fire, now !”
They obey without hesitation, laying down a hail of bullets that sends the enemy scattering like rats. I press forward, my eyes scanning every nook and cranny for any sign of Sofia.
Where are you? Where are you, my love?
I’ll tear this whole place down to find her. There will be nothing left when I’m done.
Suddenly, I hear a scream, high and piercing and filled with terror. It’s coming from a room just down the hall.
My blood turns to ice and my heart hammers against my ribs like it’s trying to break free. My breath comes in spurts.
I know that scream. I know it like I know my own breath.
It’s Sofia.
I don’t hesitate, plunging forward before I even realize what I’m doing, my men following behind me.
I don’t even care that we don’t have a plan. All that matters is her. All that matters is getting to her and saving her. To have her in my arms again…
Luca is a dead man. And I'm going to be the one to send him straight to hell, to make him suffer in ways he can't even imagine.
I reach the door in a matter of seconds but what feels like an eternity. Please, let nothing have happened to her. My heart is in my throat and my gun drawn. I don’t even bother with subtlety or stealth. I don’t even try to ease the door open or peek inside to assess the situation.
Fuck being cautious. All that matters is action.
I kick the door down with all the strength and fury I possess, the wood splintering and cracking beneath my boot.
And the sight that greets me on the other side… it’s like something out of my worst nightmares.
My vision turns red. All I can feel is a rage that consumes me from the inside out until there’s nothing left but the need to destroy, to put a bullet right between his eyes and watch the life drain from him.
Luca is a dead man. And I’m going to be the one to send him straight to hell.