Chapter 15
Dominic
Emily’s hand has been clutched in mine the entire drive, despite her gaze being fixated on the passenger side window. She hasn’t spoken a word, but I’m okay with that. I think we’re both lost in our own heads.
How the fuck did we get here?
I left Romeo and Lucia’s to see if she was okay. I never expected to return with her.
Her fingers twitch against mine, just slightly, but she doesn’t let go, and neither do I. Maybe this is the first time she’s allowed herself to lean on someone, and I don’t want to ruin that.
She turns her head from the passenger window to face the windscreen, and I chance a glance at her profile. Even bruised, battered, and afraid, she’s still devastatingly beautiful.
I want to be the one who keeps her safe, to be everything he never was. I want her. No complications, no excuses. And that truth unsettles me more than anything.
I hate how much she’s been hurt, but she’s stronger than she realises. Walking away from that clusterfuck with a man she barely knows wouldn’t have been easy. The fact that she trusted me enough to do that speaks volumes.
She has no real idea who I am. As they say, it’s better the devil you know, so what she just did took guts. The trust she’s put in me is something I hope I never, ever betray, because she deserves so much more than what she’s been given. She deserves better than a man like me.
“I’ve got you, Em,” I say, trying to ease any concerns or doubts she may have.
She doesn’t reply, but she squeezes my hand, acknowledging my words.
I flip on the indicator as I approach the De Luca’s driveway, and as soon as Emily realises where we are, she shakes her hand from mine and sits up straighter in her seat.
“This is where the party was yesterday. W-why are we here, Dominic?” The panic I hear in her voice tugs at my black heart.
I come to a stop behind the other luxury cars, noticing everyone who was here when I left is still inside. Once I’ve switched off the engine, I turn in my seat to face her.
“I left Peach with Lucia so I could check on you.”
“I can’t go in there, Dom. Not like this,” she says, pointing to her face.
“I’ll only be a minute,” I tell her. “You can wait in the car.”
I know for a fact that the people inside that house would rally around her, especially the women, if they saw her in this state.
She’s been doing it alone for so long, she probably doesn’t know any other way, but in time, I’m hoping she’ll let herself lean on someone again.
And I hope more than anything that person will be me.
I’ve spent most of my life doing it solo, so I know firsthand what it’s like to shoulder everything alone, to think no one else cares enough to help. I don’t want that for her.
She grips the seat belt strap lying across her torso as I exit the car. I jog across the lawn and up the front steps before pressing the doorbell.
I don’t have to wait long for Lucia to answer the door. “You okay?” she asks as her eyes scan over my face. “How was Emily?”
“She’s in the car.”
Lucia gasps as she moves to look around me. “You stole her from La Riviera?”
“She called in sick.”
“Bring her in.”
I run my hand over the short dark stubble on my head. “Umm …”
Her eyes widen when I don’t say anything else. “Did he hurt her again?”
I nod as she pushes past me. “Lucia,” I say as she heads for the stairs.
“I’m just going to make sure she’s alright.”
“She doesn’t want anyone to see her like that.”
My words fall on deaf ears as she rushes towards my vehicle, heading straight for the passenger side.
“Fuck,” I grumble under my breath.
By the time I get to them, Lucia has already opened Emily’s door and is leaning slightly into the SUV, her short frame stretching just enough to reach her.
“Hey, Emily,” she says softly, careful with her words. “Come on, come inside and let me help you clean up. I can call the Famiglia’s doctor to check you over. Don’t stay in the car like this.”
Emily’s panicked gaze flicks to me. “I … umm.”
“You’re safe here,” Lucia says, in a soft, gentle voice. “Let me clean you up before Peach sees the dried blood on your face.”
Emily grips the seat belt strap tighter as her eyes flicker to me again. I give her a look that hopefully conveys the choice is hers. I’ll go along with whatever she decides.
Lucia glances at me, then back at Emily, her expression gentle but firm. “It’ll be quick, I promise. No one’s going to make you do anything you don’t want to. Just come inside. Let me help you, and then you can go wherever you need to go.”
Emily hesitates, her shoulders stiff, but something in Lucia’s voice, the calm, steady insistence, seems to reach her. Slowly, she lets go of the strap.
“Okay,” she whispers.
Lucia took Emily straight into her bedroom so she wouldn’t have to face the others. But when she didn’t come back out, of course, Romeo went searching for his wife, and it all snowballed from there.
Romeo stormed back into the main room and summoned Dante and me outside. The anger radiating off him was intense, and at first, I wasn’t sure if it was because of the state Emily was in or because I’d brought her here.
As soon as he said, “Was it that Steel Reaper cocksucker who did that to her?” I had my answer.
“Did what to who?” Dante asks.
“Messed her up.”
“Who?” Dante growls. “The waitress from La Riviera?”
“Yeah,” Romeo and I answer in unison.
“Are we talking about the bruise you saw on her yesterday?” Dante asks, shifting his focus to me.
“No. Lucia has her in the bedroom patching her up now,” Romeo says before I can speak. “He fucked her up worse this time.”
Dante’s eyebrows pinch together. “The girl is here?”
“I brought her,” I say.
“Jesus, you didn’t waste any time. I only gave you her address this morning.”
“I went to the restaurant to see if she was okay and to apologise for my outburst yesterday. When Massimo told me she called in sick, I thought I’d drive past her house.”
“I told you not to do anything without running it past me first.”
“As I said, I was only going to drive past, but when I saw how angry that woman-bashing cunt was when he got on his bike to leave, I decided to knock on the door.”
“You have balls made of fucking brass,” he states. “How’s she going to explain being here if he comes back and finds her missing?”
“She’s not going back,” I growl.
“Good,” Romeo chimes in. Dante frowns as his eyes move from me to his underboss. “When you see what he did to her, you’ll agree.”
“What do you even know about her … about their relationship?” Dante asks. “Can we even trust her?”
“Emily opened up to me while she was packing her things. She told me he wasn’t always physically abusive toward her. Over time, his moods worsened. The verbal abuse eventually turned into violence. She says he’s a different person when he’s under the influence.”
Dante lets out a low curse as he scrubs a hand over his jaw. “The Reapers deal in meth, that shit rots your brain and turns you into a rabid dog if you’re using it long enough. Wouldn’t surprise me if her boyfriend’s been sampling his own product regularly.”
“Possibly,” I agree.
Dante tilts back his head and groans. “So we’re going to war with the Reapers then, I presume?”
“Looks like it,” Romeo replies, rocking back on his heels with a smirk, like it’s something he may enjoy.
I stay quiet, with my jaw locked so tight it’s a wonder my teeth don’t crack.
I don’t need help to take that bastard down; I’ve got enough rage simmering in my veins to handle him with one arm tied behind my back.
But I’m not na?ve enough to think my actions won’t have repercussions, and I’m grateful to know I’ve got the backing of the Famiglia if push comes to shove.
I went into the bedroom to check on Emily when we re-entered the house, and I got to witness how tender Lucia was with her. It was something I didn’t expect, something I know I’m not capable of giving her.
It twisted something in my chest, seeing her let someone else in like that. She was a nervous fucking wreck when I brought her here, but I knew in that moment she’d eventually be okay. She had an army of people around her now. She just needs some time to heal and learn to trust again.
Dante, his brother, Alexander, and their wives and kids are gone by the time I move back out to the main room.
Lil’ Peach is crashed out on the sofa, completely exhausted from living her best life. Her curls are a wild mess around her face, and one tiny fist is tucked under her cheek, the other hanging off the edge like she fought sleep until it finally won.
The sight grounds me, reminding me there are good things in this world. Safe things. Things worth protecting. And now Emily’s part of that, whether she realises it or not.
Romeo’s elbows are leaning on the kitchen island as he types something on his phone.
“Dante has one of our soldiers heading over to Emily’s place now,” he says.
“What? I want to be the one to dish out that fucker’s punishment.”
“Don’t fret, big boy, he’s all yours. He’s just going to let us know when that woman basher gets home so we can pay him a visit.”
“We?” I ask, cocking an eyebrow.
Romeo drops his phone onto the marble countertop and raises both hands in front of him. “I’m just coming along for the ride in case you need me.”
“I won’t,” I grumble.
“The boss wants us to make sure he disappears. He wants a clean job so nothing can come back on us. He said the last thing he needs is those crazy fuckers breathing down our necks.”
“I have no problem with that.”
I’m sitting on the sofa beside a sleeping Peach, and Romeo is opposite me, nursing his son, Gabe, when Lucia comes out. She’s been in there with Emily for a good hour.
“Hey,” I say, sitting up in my seat. “How is she?”
“I’ve set her up in one of the spare rooms. The poor thing was exhausted.” She closes the distance between us, leans down, and places a soft kiss on her son’s head before her lips meet her husband’s. “You hungry?”
“For you, yes. For your cooking, also yes.”
He reaches around and palms her arse, and I’m suddenly feeling like a voyeur. It’s no secret these two are disgustingly in love. I saw this coming before they were even officially a thing.
I never thought this would be something I’d want, but watching them together, hits a place in me I didn’t know existed.
Maybe it’s the way Lucia looks at him, like he hung the moon just for her; it’s full of devotion and fire.
I’ve never had anyone look at me like that, never had someone choose me with that kind of certainty.
And maybe I want it more than I’ve ever admitted.
Lil’ Peach deserves it, too. She deserves softness.
A constant. Someone who’ll be there in all the ways I can’t replicate, no matter how hard I try.
I can give her safety, a roof, a future where she never has to worry about the stuff I grew up worrying about.
I can protect her with everything I am. I can make sure she never goes without.
But I’m not wired like a woman. Hell, I’m not even sure I’m wired like most people. The nurturing and delicate stuff doesn’t come naturally. I’ve been in survival mode too long. Peach needs someone who can be gentle, someone who can hold her with soft hands instead of calloused ones.
And maybe I need that, too.
I place my hand on the armrest of the sofa and push up onto my feet. “Maybe I should get the girls and go,” I say. “You’ve had a house full of people for the past two days, so you’re probably itching for some alone time.”
“Don’t be silly,” Lucia replies. “Your girls are asleep. Let them be. I’ll make us all something to eat while you wait.”
Your girls.
“Are you sure?” I ask. “I feel like I’m intruding now.”
“You’re family, Dom. You’ll never be intruding. Besides, I’d like to get some pictures of Emily’s injuries when she wakes … if she’s okay with that, of course. I think it’s important to document things. She may need them in the future.”
“Why?” Romeo asks, frowning. “You can’t prosecute a dead man.”
My eyes narrow at Romeo, and Lucia’s widen simultaneously. “You’re going to whack him?”
“I never said that,” he replies.
He basically fucking did.
“Yes, you did,” Lucia snaps as she reaches for the throw blanket that’s draped over the back of the sofa and covers Peach with it.
Something in my chest tightens when Lucia gently skims her hand over Peach’s curls. This is what I mean. This is what my little girl is missing. That soft, feminine touch. The nurturing side that men like me are not equipped with.
“You know I can’t discuss family business with you, babe,” Romeo says.
Her hands go to her hips, and I can tell her sass is coming. “I’m your wife, I believe that makes me family.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Can I at least help get rid of him? He has a kneecap with my name on it.”
Romeo barks out a laugh. “I’ll tell you what you can do.”
“What?” she asks.
“Make us something to eat.”
“Ugh,” she groans, dramatic as ever. This woman never fails to entertain.
Romeo reaches out with his free hand and slaps her arse as she turns towards the kitchen.
“Luc,” I say.
“Yeah.”
“Don’t say anything to Emily about this.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know. What happens in the Famiglia stays in the Famiglia.”