Dom
I hit the call button on my phone. "Need cleanup. Two bodies. One's dirty, Blackwood from the Feds." I keep my voice steady, clinical. No details needed.
My men know what to do.
Olivia watches me, her face a mix of conflict and resignation. The gun that took down Blackwood is now secured in my jacket. Evidence that will never see a courtroom.
"It's done," I tell her, guiding her toward my car. "Let's go."
The drive to my house is quiet. I can feel her processing everything. The federal agent she killed, the criminal she's chosen to love.
I want to reach for her hand but give her space instead.
When we arrive, I lead her through my home, to the kitchen where I make her a cup of tea.
When she’s sitting at the table, I say, "I need to call a meeting with La Corona."
Her eyebrows raise. "Because of us?"
"Because of everything. Blackwood, the baby..." I move closer to her. "You. I have a duty to them. I need to present you to them."
"And if they don't approve?" There's a challenge in her voice, a readiness to fight.
"They will." I sound more confident than I feel.
La Corona has survived for generations because of rules, traditions.
An FBI agent carrying the child of a Don isn't in the playbook.
I cup her face in my hands. "But it doesn't matter what they say. I've made my choice."
She searches my eyes. "You'd choose me over La Corona?"
"I'd prefer not to make that choice." I kiss her forehead. "But yes, if it comes to that."
I've never put anything above La Corona. But Olivia and our child, they're my family now too.
"When will you tell them?" she asks.
"Tonight."
I don't tell her that I'm worried. Instead, I hold her close and let myself believe that for once, I can have everything I want.
"I need to call Elena first," I tell her, scrolling through my contacts.
My cousin has always been my confidante, the one person who might understand this impossible situation.
Didn’t she say she’d support me if I loved Olivia?
Elena answers on the second ring. "Dom? Everything okay?"
"I need you and Luca to come to my place. Now."
"What's happened?" The concern in her voice is immediate.
"I'll explain when you get here. It's important." I pause. "And Elena? I need you on my side for this one."
After hanging up, I dial Marco. His gruff voice answers with typical Calabresi impatience.
"There's been a development with Blackwood," I say, deliberately vague. "Meeting at my house in an hour."
Leo is last. He grumbles, but he knows the drill. When someone calls La Corona, all have to attend unless they’re dead.
When I finish, Olivia approaches me. "Will they accept this? Us?"
I take her hand. "Elena will. The others..." I shrug. "They don't have to like it. They just have to respect it."
I don't tell her I'm preparing for war if necessary.
Fifteen minutes later, Elena and Luca arrive.
Taking Olivia's hand, I lead her to the living room to meet my cousin and her husband, not as an FBI agent, but as the woman I love.
Elena freezes mid-step when she sees Olivia. Her eyes dart between us, catching our clasped hands. The shock on her face is quickly replaced by suspicion.
"Dom, what's going on?"
Beside her, Luca's expression darkens.
"It's not what you think," I say, keeping my voice calm. "She’s not arresting me. Blackwood is dead."
Luca's posture shifts slightly. "That's good news. But it doesn't explain why there's an FBI agent in your living room."
I take a deep breath. This is the moment that changes everything.
I squeeze Olivia's hand. “She's the woman I love."
Luca’s mouth falls open. "You're in love with her? The woman who's been trying to put you in jail for years?"
"Yes." I don't elaborate. I don't need to.
He shakes his head in disbelief. "This is insane, Dom. Have you lost your mind?"
"There's more." I look at Olivia, drawing strength from her steady gaze. "We're having a baby. And as soon as she says yes, I'm going to marry her."
The silence that follows is deafening. Elena stares at us, processing what I've just revealed. Then, to my surprise, her expression softens.
“I asked you today how you felt and you acted all macho like ‘not me Dom Vitale. I don’t love anyone’,” she imitates my voice.
I shrug.
Elena approaches Olivia slowly. Then, without warning, she embraces her. "Welcome to the family.”
Over Elena's shoulder, Olivia's eyes meet mine, wide with surprise. But that’s Elena. It’s why I’m glad she’s here.
"The others won't be as understanding," Luca warns, still keeping his distance.
"I know," I reply. "But this isn't negotiable. Olivia and our child are my family now. La Corona will have to accept that."
Elena pulls back from Olivia, her hands still on her shoulders. "We'll stand with you," she promises, looking between us. "Won't we, Luca?"
Luca sighs deeply, but nods. "Family first. Always."
Elena's eyes sparkle with mischief. "So, should we be worried about family dinners? Will you be taking notes to build a case against us all?" She's joking, but there's an edge beneath her words.
I tense, ready to defend Olivia, but she surprises me by stepping forward.
"Actually, I'm leaving the FBI," Olivia announces.
The room falls silent. Even I'm caught off guard. We hadn't discussed this.
"You're quitting?" I ask, searching her face.
She nods, meeting my eyes. "I don't know what I'll do next, but whatever it is, it won't be at odds with La Corona." She turns to Elena and Luca. "I'm not naive about who you all are or what you do. But I've seen enough to know there are worse monsters out there.”
Elena's expression softens. "Well, that makes things easier."
"Not entirely," Luca interjects. "The others will still have concerns."
I slide my arm around Olivia's waist, pulling her close. "Let them. Anyone who has a problem with that can deal with me."
Elena smiles, a genuine one this time. "Dom in love. Never thought I'd see the day."
Neither did I. But standing here with Olivia, I can't imagine any other path.
Marco arrives with Roman. Leo is last. “I was in bed.”
“Sorry, Leo. This won’t take long.”
Marco's eyes narrow at Olivia. "What is she doing here?"
"That's why I called you." I take her hand again. "Blackwood is dead. Olivia killed him when he tried to murder us both."
Leo whistles low. "An FBI agent killed her boss? That's... something."
"It's being handled," I say firmly. "But there's more. I'm in love with her. She's carrying my child. And I'm going to marry her." I’m waiting for her to say yes, or ask why I keep saying that we’re getting married.
"Have you lost your mind?" Marco asks.
"No. For the first time, I see things clearly." I meet each of their gazes in turn. "I'm not asking for permission. I'm informing La Corona of my decision."
Roman steps forward. "She's FBI, Dom. She's been trying to destroy you, destroy us all."
"She's quitting the FBI," Elena states, and I'm grateful that she's standing by me and Olivia.
It occurs to me that like me, Olivia has been alone, but now she'll have the woman of La Corona, if the others accept her as Elena has.
"She's proven her loyalty by saving my life."
Marco scoffs. "One action doesn't erase years of—"
"I don't care." My voice cuts through the room. "I've given everything to La Corona. My childhood. My freedom. My future. Now I'm taking something for myself. You can accept it or fuck off."
Leo raises an eyebrow. "You'd risk everything for her?"
"Yes." No hesitation. "You can remove me from La Corona if you want. The Vitale family will continue either way. But Olivia and our child are non-negotiable."
Marco's jaw tightens. "You can't possibly expect us to welcome an FBI agent into our inner circle."
"Ex-FBI," Olivia corrects, speaking for the first time. "And I don't need your welcome. I only need Dom."
I squeeze her hand, pride surging through me. "That's my final word on the matter. Accept it or don't."
The lines have been drawn.
For the first time in my life, I've chosen something above La Corona.
And somehow, I've never felt more certain.
Leo shifts his weight, drumming his fingers against his thigh. "What about the fallout from Blackwood? The FBI won't just let one of their senior agents disappear."
"I've got it handled," I say. "Carlson is already working on it."
I’m sure Olivia will ask who he is, but the rest of them know he’s a cop on my payroll.
"By tomorrow, there'll be evidence linking Blackwood to corruption, missing funds from forfeitures, and possibly even Rocco's kidnapping. The narrative will be clear. He was corrupt and finally snapped when he was about to be caught."
Marco's skeptical expression doesn't change. "And you're sure this will work?"
"It already is. The wheels are in motion." I glance at Olivia, whose face remains carefully neutral. I know she's uncomfortable with this approach, but she understands it's necessary. "The FBI will be too busy cleaning up their own mess to worry about us for a while."
Roman crosses his arms. "We still don't know everything he was planning or who else might have been working with him."
"True," I concede. "But with Blackwood gone, whoever else was involved will likely scatter. Without their puppet master, they're just loose threads."
Elena nods slowly. "So we go back to business as usual? Just like that?"
“The threats to La Corona should return to the normal, manageable kind."
Leo laughs. "Normal threats. Only in our world is that reassuring."
I shrug. "It's the devil we know."
For the first time since they arrived, the tension in the room begins to ease. We're not fully resolved, but we're getting there. One crisis at a time.
Marco's jaw unclenches first, his eyes moving between Olivia and me with calculation rather than hostility.
"If she's truly leaving the FBI," he says, "and if she understands our ways..."
"She does," I confirm, squeezing Olivia's hand.
Leo shrugs with his characteristic nonchalance. "Well, it's not like we haven't all made questionable romantic choices."
Roman remains the most guarded. "Trust is earned, but for Dom's sake, I'm willing to give you the chance to earn it."
It's as much as I could hope for. They'll watch her, test her loyalty in a hundred small ways. But I know Olivia. Her strength, her integrity. She'll win them over just as she won me.
"La Corona has survived worse than a love story," I remind them. "And she's carrying the next generation of Vitale blood."
That, more than anything, seems to settle it. Family is everything to us.
"Welcome to La Corona," Marco says to Olivia, his voice still stiff but sincere. "God help you."
I laugh, feeling the weight lift from my shoulders. My worlds are colliding, but they're not destroying each other.
“Now. We’ve had a long day. Can we resume any further business tomorrow?” That’s their cue to leave so I can be with my woman.
Marco, Leo, and Roman file out of my house, leaving only Elena and Luca behind. My cousin embraces Olivia, whispering something that makes her smile, then gives me a knowing look before dragging her husband out the door.
When it's finally just the two of us, relief washes over me. I turn to Olivia, taking in the sight of her, strong, fierce, and somehow still standing after everything that's happened today.
"So," I say, closing the distance between us. "Do you still have your handcuffs?"
She arches a brow, intrigue flickering across her face. "You get off on being handcuffed, Vitale?"
"I hope so." I smirk, enjoying the way her cheeks flush. "Never tried it before, but I'm willing if you are."
She reaches into her jacket pocket and pulls out her cuffs, dangling them from her finger. "I didn't think mafia dons surrendered control so easily," she teases, her voice dropping to a husky tone that drives me wild.
"Only to you." I take her free hand, bringing it to my lips. "And only behind closed doors."
I lead her through my home, our home now, to the master bedroom. The enormity of what we're doing, of what we've decided, should feel terrifying. Instead, it feels inevitable. Like everything in my life has been leading me to her.
"You know," I say, pausing at the threshold of our room, "this is the first time I've brought a woman here."
Her eyes widen slightly. "Your bedroom?"
"My life," I correct her. I push open the door, revealing the space that will now be ours. "Welcome home, Agent Ricci."
She holds up the handcuffs, a wicked smile spreading across her face. "It's just Olivia now. And I think we should celebrate properly."
Moments later, we’re naked and my wrists are secured to the headboard, arms stretched above me. Vulnerable. Exposed. A position no don should ever find himself in.
Yet here I am, willingly at her mercy, and I've never felt more alive.
"You look good like this," she says, trailing her fingertips down my chest. "The great Dominic Vitale, completely at my disposal."
"Only for you," I manage through the intense desire. I feel like my dick is about to come out of its skin. "Don't get used to it."
She laughs, straddling me. "Oh, I think I could get very used to this."
When she leans down to kiss me, I strain against the cuffs, instinctively wanting to touch her, to pull her closer.
"Patience," she whispers against my lips.
“Touch me, baby.”
Her hands explore my body with agonizing slowness. I close my eyes, surrendering to the sensation.
"Look at me," she commands, and my eyes snap open. The authority in her voice sends heat coursing through me.
She moves above me, lightly rocking her pussy over my aching cock. "Olivia," I groan, pulling at the restraints. "Please."
A smile curves her lips. "The most powerful man in New York, begging."
“You love it.”
“I love you.” She sinks over me.
“Fuck…Yes…”
The world narrows to just us. Her body joined with mine, her hands braced on my chest, her eyes holding mine captive as she rides me, taking me to pleasurable places I’ve never been before.
"I love you," I tell her, opening my heart to her.
Her rhythm falters for just a moment. Then she leans down, pressing her forehead to mine as she moves. "I love you too."
And then she’s moving again. Faster. Faster. Her head is thrown back. I’m with her, teetering on the edge as her body trembles against mine.
“Olivia!” Her name escapes on a roar as my orgasm whips through me.
“Yes. Oh yes.” Her pussy squeezed my dick, and I swear to God, I’m coming again.
We ride out the pleasure, until she collapses onto my chest, her breath warm against my neck.
"Going to uncuff me now?" I need to touch her. Hold her.
She raises her head, mischief dancing in her eyes. "I don't know. I kind of like you this way."
"Just remember," I say, grinning up at her, "payback's a bitch."
Her laugh fills the room, and I know with absolute certainty that whatever comes next, we’re going to be okay. It might be hard. We might butt heads. But we’re going to make it.