Chapter Fourteen
Dominic
I heard the heavy, rhythmic thud of boots on the stone patio. I didn't have to look up to know it was Taz. He walked with a slight limp now—a permanent souvenir from the night at the meat-packing plant—but he was still the most lethal man on my payroll.
"He's at the gate, Dom," Taz informed me, his voice as dry as the desert, "looking like a dog that's been kicked one too many times. You sure you want to do this here? I can handle it in the city."
"Nah," I said, taking a long, slow pull of the smoke and letting it out in a steady stream, "I want him to see the palace. I want him to breathe the air of the life he tried to sell for a bag of chips. Bring him back."
A few minutes later, Taz returned, trailing a man who looked like a ghost of the person I'd snatched Donny from months ago.
Renny Taylor was thin. His clothes hung off a frame that had been ravaged by stress and whatever cheap liquor he was using to drown his guilt.
He stopped about ten feet away, his eyes darting from the infinity pool to the massive glass walls of the mansion, finally landing on me.
I didn't get up. I just sat there—the king on his throne—looking at the man who had almost cost me everything.
"Dominic," Renny whispered, his voice cracking. "I… I didn't think you'd actually let me come here. I heard about the wedding. I heard she's… she's happy."
"She's more than happy, Renny. She's whole," I responded, my voice dropping into that flat, dangerous tone that made the air feel heavy.
"Something you wouldn't know anything about.
You didn't just sell your daughter; you tried to sell a Masters, and in my world, that usually comes with a one-way ticket to the bottom of the river. "
Renny swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. "I know. I messed up, Dom. I was scared. The Vittis”
"Don't say that name in my house," I interrupted, slowly sitting up.
I leaned forward, my elbows resting on my knees, the gold chain around my neck swinging.
"The Vittis are under the dirt, and the only reason you ain't joining them is that my woman has a heart that's too big for her own good.
She wanted you to see her. She wanted you to know that she survived you. "
I pulled a thick envelope from the pocket of my tracksuit and tossed it onto the stone floor between us. It landed with a heavy thud—the sound of a fresh start bought with blood money.
"There's fifty grand in there," I stated, watching his eyes lock onto the paper.
"That's more than you've seen in your entire life.
You're gonna take that, you're gonna get on a bus tonight, and you're gonna head west. I don't care if it's Vegas, Cali, or the middle of the desert.
But if I ever see your face in Atlanta again—if you ever so much as breathe in Donny's direction—I won't send Taz.
I'll come myself. And I promise you, I won't be in a talking mood. "
Renny reached down with trembling hands and snatched up the envelope, clutching it to his chest like a holy relic. "I understand. I… thank you, Dominic. Tell her… tell her I'm sorry."
"Tell her yourself at the ceremony," I rasped, the words tasting like copper. "You're gonna sit in the last row. You're gonna wear the suit Taz bought you, you're gonna watch me take her hand, and then you're gonna vanish. That's the deal."
I waved my hand, dismissing him. Taz led him away, and I was left alone with the silence and the smoke.
I hated that I had to let him breathe the same air as her, but I knew Donny needed to see him one last time to realize that he didn't have power over her anymore.
I was the one with the power. I was her shield, her husband, and her king.
I stood up and walked toward the house, my bare feet silent on the cool stone. I found Donny in the kitchen, sitting at the island with a stack of invitation samples. She looked up when I walked in, her light brown eyes searching mine.
"Is it done?" she softly asked.
I walked behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and burying my face in the crook of her neck. The scent of her jasmine perfume instantly cleared the taste of the backwood and the bitterness of Renny from my system.
"It's done, baby," I murmured. "He's gone, or he will be after the 'I dos.' You don't ever have to look back again."
She leaned her head back against my chest, her hand covering mine where it rested on her stomach. "You did that for me. Even though you wanted to kill him."
"I do everything for you, Donny Rae," I countered, turning her around in my arms so I could look at her. "I'm a menace to the world, but I'm a servant to you. Remember that."
I picked her up, her legs wrapping around my waist, and I felt that familiar, electric heat skipped between us.
The wedding was weeks away, but in my mind, she was already mine forever.
I carried her toward the stairs, my steps heavy and purposeful.
The legacy was secure, the enemies were gone, and the only war left was the one I intended to win every night in that primary suite.
"Dominic?" she whispered as we reached the landing.
"Yeah, baby?"
"I love you. More than the diamonds, more than the house—just you."
I stopped and looked at her, the ginger curls framing her face like a halo. "I know, girl, and I love you enough to burn the world down just to keep the smoke out of your eyes. Now let's go. I got a 'thank you' I need to collect."
Donny giggled, her blush deepening, and as the door to the suite closed behind us, the rest of the world finally faded to black. The king had his queen, and the crown had never felt lighter.