Chapter 38
Thirty-Eight
DOMINIC
R ylan’s quiet in the passenger seat, his typical antsy movement gone. In its place is a somber mourning I can’t quite figure out. I pull out from the music studio, heading into the Saturday evening traffic.
“Thanks for picking me up,” he murmurs as he pulls out his phone and sets it on the dash of the Alfa Romeo, bypassing the built-in map for the one on his phone.
A message pops onto the screen, and Rylan curses, swiping the notification away after reading it.
“ Cosa c'è che non va ?” I ask.
He glances up at me, his scowl deep enough that a line appears between his brows. “You know I’m shit at Italian, man.”
“Sorry,” I grunt. “Habit when I’ve been with my brothers all day.”
He doesn’t ask why I spent the last twelve hours incognito with Victor and Lorenzo, and I don’t offer any specifics. The fact that my father already had to call in the bargain between us and use me to clean up Lorenzo’s mess is infuriating in the extreme. Add to it that the mess only happened because his mind is fuck all gone due to that Omega he’s fucking around with?
Fury doesn’t begin to cover my feelings over the whole situation.
The memory of Violet bent over the counter, her perfume surrounding me, dampens the thought. Fuck me, I can’t manage to get the feel of her out of my head. I thought maybe fucking her once would be enough. It always has been before. But the longer I’m away from her, the more I crave her the way I do Jasper.
If my brother feels anything near what I feel about my lover, maybe he’s justified in his idiocy.
And Violet? Maybe I’ve been wrong about her, too.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
Rylan blows out a breath. “Jasper says Violet’s feeling sick. He thinks it’s maybe because they didn’t have time to grab food before getting to the event.”
“She get nervous at these types of things?” I make the final turn toward the address, surprise lighting through me at it being in one of the newer upscale hotels whose only event space is outdoors.
Rylan snarls. “You’d fucking know that if you hadn’t spent the last four weeks avoiding her.”
I shrug, and he shakes his head.
“And then when you did finally interact with her, you fucked her and left her before your knot was even gone. You do realize that shit fucking hurts them, right?” His voice is low and dangerous, lethality woven through it. The threat is clear enough, and part of me wants to rise to the bait just to burn off the frustration of the last thirty-six hours.
I breathe slowly, counting to ten.
Was it my best moment? No. Definitely not. But I’m not about to waste my time trying to explain it to Rylan when he’s never struggled with being Alpha.
The moment I’ve pulled the car into the line for the valet, Rylan’s opening his door and heading toward the entrance. I hand off the keys, adjusting my suit jacket and tie before following after him, making sure to outpace him without actually running. There’s a small sign at the back of the lobby, indicating the event’s name and rooftop location.
The silence is tense between us and only grows worse once we’re in the elevator and the floors are passing by us. By the time we’re opening the glass door and stepping onto the rooftop, the need to punch something is so strong in me that my hands tremble.
“She’s signing the annulment,” Rylan whispers as we pause to look for Jasper and Violet.
She’s leaving. I should be fucking ecstatic. It’s what I’ve wanted this entire time.
No more hearing her snark with Rylan, hearing her giggle with Jasper, hearing her talk with her friend that moved to Denver. No more finding her things scattered around the house because Omegas need to make every little space their own safe haven. No more seeing her cold brew in the fridge or seeing her eyes light up when she realizes Rylan or Jasper made it for her. No more waiting for her to announce Rylan or Jasper knocked her up.
I should have relief flooding me. And yet…
My stomach twists.
Fuck. Me.
I do actually like her, don’t I? And not just because her body sings to mine. I want to see her eyes light up when I walk into the room. I want to see her shoulders drop away when I kiss her temple when she’s had a stressful day. I want to hear the noises she makes when it’s my knot that’s setting off her orgasm.
“I expected celebrating,” Rylan says, voice dry, his Tennessee accent heavier than normal. “Don’t tell me you’ve actually decided to like her after I had to spend last night saying goodbye. Let’s hope she hasn’t told Jasper yet, or he’ll probably throw you over the side of the building.”
“Has she filed it yet?” I ask, ignoring the jab. Jasper probably will throw me off the building. Out of his life at the very least. He begged me to make this work, to find a balance so he could have us all.
Rylan shakes his head and shoves his hands into his pockets. “Council isn’t open until Monday. Final paperwork is due Wednesday. She’ll probably wait for Faedra to get back from her trip.”
Cazzo . Her friend isn’t even home right now? How had I never noticed before just how fucking brave she is?
Because you only saw what you expected , that voice whispers to me. I shove it away along with my feelings over the whole mess and scan the rooftop, trying to find Jasper. He’s easy enough to spot despite the moderate crowd. His blond hair is a bit too ruffled to match everyone else’s perfectly polished appearance. Rylan blows out a breath and starts toward him. I follow half a step back, scanning the space for Violet, something dark twisting in my chest when I realize she’s not here.
Jasper swallows as we approach, a wariness in his gaze I haven’t seen before. The man next to him is older, his light brown hair fading into gray along the sides. His green eyes are sharp, though. I recognize him at once. Johnathan Fallon is incredibly well-known, after all. Even in the mafia.
“Johnathan, you’ve met Rylan,” Jasper says as we stop in front of them.
The man nods and shakes Rylan’s hand easily. His gaze grows cold as he looks me over.
“This is Dominic,” Jasper says. His gaze is full of warning that’s unneeded right now.
I offer my hand and the man takes it, tighter than necessary.
“I’m Johnathan Fallon,” he says quietly. His voice is calm, but his eyes flash with the threat of violence. “Violet is my daughter.”
Cazzo .
“Nice to meet you,” I say, letting my hand drop.
He nods once before turning as his name is called across the space. He claps Jasper on the shoulder in wordless apology and then heads toward whoever needs him.
The moment he’s out of earshot, Jasper says, “You had better not be here to make a scene, Dom. The literal worst thing that could happen right now is you doubling down on refusing to make this permanent.”
His voice is cool. Not quite cold with hurt or anger, but the careful neutral used between strangers. Even on our first date, he never sounded like this. Regret slices through my chest, and an apology sits perched on my tongue.
But it’s not him I owe it to, is it? Not really. It’s Violet.
I shake my head. “ Devo scusarmi, Tesoro .”
“You’re here to apologize?” Jasper asks slowly. He shoves his hands into his pockets, but it doesn’t hide their trembling. “During a large public event like it’s some third act moment in a romance book? Who are you and what have you done with Dominic?”
I shrug.
“Where is she?” Rylan asks.
“Bathroom. She left a couple minutes ago to see if she could figure out why she was feeling sick.”
I nod and start back across the roof. Jasper grabs me, his grip digging into my elbow.
“You cannot make a scene here,” he says, his voice biting.
The unspoken command is clear.
I force my feet to still as I focus on my lover.
“It’s not just her dad that’s here,” he whispers, leaning closer to me. “Her mom is a goddamn piece of work. Even worse than she was when we lived in Seattle. She’ll use every single thing we do against Violet if she thinks it’ll serve her best.”
Rylan frowns, his throat rippling with a swallow.
Jasper squeezes my elbow. “ Tread carefully .”
I palm his face, running my thumb across his cheek. “All right, Tesoro . Starò attento .”
He nods and leads us across the space, letting his hand slide down my forearm before lacing his fingers with mine. Some of the weight in my chest lessens.
Rylan pulls the door open.
Honeysuckle slams into me so fast and completely that my knees buckle and a growl rips up my throat. I barely manage to bite it back, but the telltale haze starts settling over me.
“What the fuck?” Rylan whispers. He closes the door behind us, the glass muffling the noise of the event. “Why is she perfuming like she’s in heat?”
Jasper glances between us. “What?” His voice fills with dread. “How can you tell? It just smells like her out here.”
Rylan shakes his head. “There’s a… Fuck, I don’t know how to explain it.”
I start down the hallway, noticing the sign for the women’s restroom, the door standing open. Was that normal here?
“We need to find her,” I say, my voice low enough it rumbles through the space. “She’s not safe if she’s had a breakthrough heat.”
“We shouldn’t even be able to smell her,” Rylan mutters, shoulder brushing mine. “She would have worn scent blockers when she left the house. She doesn’t go anywhere without them.”
That weight settles heavier on my chest.
Jasper stands in front of the event’s entrance, his hands shoved in his pockets, worry etched on his face.
Rylan knocks on the threshold of the bathroom, leaning against the wall. “Violet?”
There’s nothing from inside. He glances at me, frowning. His hand is poised to knock again when I hear it: the soft rustling of fabric.
It’s not coming from the bathroom.
I turn, trying to figure out where it’s coming from when there’s a muffled cry from several feet down the hall.
“ Tesoro ,” I call.
The moment Jasper has my hand, I start down the hall, trying to figure out which door the noise is coming from. As we pass the third, the rustling of fabric turns into blatant tearing, though I can’t tell if it’s out of excitement or something worse.
A man’s irritated voice carries over the din of ripping fabric.
“Why are you fighting? Omegas need knots when they’re in heat.”
There’s another muffled cry. Rylan’s eyes go wild, and he grabs the handle. He swings the door open, forcing light into the dim room, just as the man speaks again.
“I’m just helping you. You could be grateful.”
I get a look at Violet. Rage burns through me, emptying my mind of everything but the trained lethality instilled by my father.