27. Dominico
27
DOMINICO
I slump against my bedroom door, my heart still racing and my hands trembling with the adrenaline coursing through my veins. It’s been a long, grueling day—the kind of day that makes me question everything I’ve ever known, everything I’ve ever believed about my place in this world.
Today, I was reminded of exactly why I’ve always shied away from the responsibilities that come with being a Sicura. Why I’ve run from the weight of my father’s legacy, the burden of the crown that will one day be mine to bear.
Because while the Marinos may have the power and the influence to outsource their dirty work, to send faceless foot soldiers to do their bidding… we Sicuras have always prided ourselves on handling our own business. On getting our hands dirty, no matter the cost to our souls.
And today, that cost was higher than I ever could have imagined.
I close my eyes, but I can still see it all playing out in vivid, sickening detail. The look of shock and betrayal on Gaspare’s face as I leveled the gun at his head. The way his eyes widened in horror, in a silent plea for mercy that I couldn’t grant.
The sound of the gunshot, echoing through the abandoned warehouse like a clap of thunder. The smells of blood and gunpowder, thick and cloying in the air.
And the worst part? The sickening thud of his body hitting the ground, the way his eyes stared up at me in glassy, unseeing accusation.
I’ve killed before, more times than I can count. It’s part of the job, part of the life I was born into. But something about this hit, about the cold, calculated way I carried out my father’s orders… it’s different. It feels like a line has been crossed, a point of no return that I can never come back from.
I’m still not even sure whether Gaspare was truly guilty. But in this world—in my father’s empire—it doesn’t matter. Even a whisper of disloyalty gets you a bullet.
I strip off my clothes with shaking hands, stumbling into the shower and turning the water as hot as I can stand it. I scrub at my skin until it’s raw and red, desperate to wash away the blood and the guilt that cling to me like a second skin.
But no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get clean, can’t seem to shake the feeling of filth and darkness that seeps into my very bones, tainting everything it touches.
Is this what my life is going to be from now on? An endless cycle of violence and death, of sins that can never be washed away? Is this the price I have to pay for the power and the privilege of being a Sicura?
I don’t know. I don’t have any answers, any way to make sense of the chaos and the carnage that seem to follow me wherever I go.
All I know is that I’m tired. Tired of the blood on my hands, the weight on my shoulders. Tired of the constant struggle to keep my head above water, to find some shred of light in the darkness that threatens to consume me.
I just want to be normal. I just want to travel and escape my responsibilities.
I step out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around my waist and my hair still dripping from the shower. All I want is to collapse into bed and forget this whole goddamn day ever happened, to lose myself in the oblivion of sleep and pretend, just for a little while, that the blood on my hands isn’t there.
But when I see Sofia sitting on the edge of the bed, her brows furrowed in confusion and her lips pressed together in a tight line… I know that rest will have to wait. Something’s on her mind, something that’s got her puzzled and on edge.
“Hey,” I say softly, crossing the room to take her hands in mine. “What’s going on, baby? You look like you’ve got something weighing on you.”
She looks up at me, her blue eyes filled with a mix of curiosity and concern. “I ran into someone today,” she says, her voice steady but tinged with confusion. “Someone who claims to be an old friend of yours. Luca, he said his name was.”
I feel my jaw clench, a sharp spike of anger piercing through the exhaustion that clouds my mind. Luca.
How did he find her?
“What did he say to you?” I ask, my voice rough with barely suppressed rage. “Did he try to spin some bullshit story about me and my family?”
Sofia shakes her head, her expression more puzzled than frightened. “Not exactly. But Dom… he said some things that didn’t make sense to me. He kept going on about how much he hates you, how I should watch my back around the Sicuras. I don’t get it. What's his problem with you? Why does he despise you so much?”
I feel the weight of the day pressing down on me, the memory of Gaspare’s lifeless eyes boring into my soul. The last thing I need right now is to deal with Luca’s mind games, to have to defend myself against his lies, to delve into painful memories.
“Sofia, please,” I say, my voice strained with exhaustion and barely suppressed emotion. “I can’t do this right now. I can’t talk about Luca, about why he hates me so much. Not today, not after what I’ve just had to do.”
But Sofia isn’t deterred, her expression set with a stubborn determination that I know all too well. “Dom, you can’t keep shutting me out like this. I need to understand what’s going on, what Luca’s deal is with you and your family. How can I support you if you won’t let me in?”
I feel my frustration mounting, my temper fraying at the edges as she continues to push and prod. “I said not now , Sofia. Why can’t you just drop it, just give me some fucking space to breathe?”
But she won’t let it go, her voice rising with each word. “Because I’m your wife, Dom! Because I’m supposed to be your partner, your equal. How can I do that if you’re constantly keeping secrets from me, constantly pushing me away?”
Something inside me snaps, the exhaustion and the guilt and the anger boiling over into a white-hot rage. “You know what? I’m done,” I spit out, my voice harsh and biting. “I’m done trying to prove myself to you. If you want to believe I’m a monster, then go ahead.”
Sofia’s eyes widen, shock and hurt flashing across her face. “Dom, what are you talking about? I never said I thought you were a monster. I just want to understand?—”
“Understand what ?” I cut her off, my tone mocking and cruel. “I told you to leave it alone for now, but you just won’t fucking do that. You keep pushing and pushing. So fine, believe whatever Luca told you about me. I don’t care.”
I laugh, the sound bitter and broken even to my own ears. “So if that's what you want to believe, if that's the man you think I am… then go ahead. Run. Run as far and as fast as you can, and don’t look back. I won’t try to stop you.”