The folder containing Lev Volkov’s business proposal sat on Dominic’s desk. It was like a homing beacon and Dominic had thought of little else the entire night. He read through it carefully and then he read Eris’s notes. The deal would be a lucrative one, especially with the imports. Taxes were ridiculously high on imports and it would help with the vineyard they owned in Italy.From a business perspective, it made a hell of a lot of sense to agree to Lev’s terms but Dominic didn’t necessarily like having the power to give his sister away. It was unfortunately the way of their lives. If he wanted to keep up the supply of their gun trades, profits from the imports and have a say in the drug trade, then he really didn’t have much choice in the matter.Lev Volkov had a firm grip on Dominic’s balls.The study’s door opened and Eris and Faro walked inside. Gage appeared from behind the secret doorway of the bookcase with a stoic look on his face. He prepared coffee for himself while ignori
Dominic stood up from behind his desk as Rocco Vittori and Alejandro Esposito walked inside. They were considered middle-aged but Dominic had regarded them as his elders and the role they’d played in his life weren’t lost on him.“Rocco, Alejandro, good morning,” Dominic said.“Good morning, Dominic,” Alejandro replied.Dominic nodded his head and Ethan busied himself making coffee for everyone. Dominic didn’t miss the fact that Rocco didn’t greet him and neither did his brothers. Neither of them had the official title of godfather and this was Dominic’s house, he deserved that respect.Gage’s eyes darkened and Dominic knew it was too late. “You don’t acknowledge Dominic’s presence? In his own fucking house?”“I do not have to acknowledge Dominic. He is not the godfather of the Vittori family,” Rocco said and Dominic got a glimpse of his uncle’s other side.Dominic stared at his uncle, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Rocco’s attitude was uncalled for and the realizati
The knock on the door was insistent and Isadora sighed. “Come in!”She gritted her teeth and her nostrils flared at the sight of Haverley and Halden. Haverley’s tie was loosened and he looked like he’d had a rough day. She didn’t have time for this, things between her and Dominic had been going well and the first two weeks had been a little stiff but four weeks later, she felt better.“What the hell do you want?”Haverley sat down in front of her desk and placed a brown folder down on it. It looked official and he raked a hand through his hair.“I’m going to level with you, Isadora. The witness we had recanted. He refuses to speak to us or to testify. I know Dominic’s dirty and I know you are party to his secrets. You’re a good person, I can see you are and I’m sorry for calling you a whore,” Haverley said.“I’m not going to talk to you,” Isadora said and crossed her arms over her chest.“I didn’t want to come back but I’ve been ordered to. I know I hurt you by flaunting that marriage
Rafaella looked up and smiled as Dominic leaned against the doorframe of their bedroom. She walked toward Dominic and stopped right in front of him, looking up into his eyes.“Are you ready to go?”Rafaella nodded her head. “I’m excited to finally be going to the city,” she said.Dominic walked ahead and Rafaella frowned slightly as Hudson held his arm for her and escorted her down the stairs. She held one end of the hem up so she wouldn’t trip on the floor-length gown she was wearing.“He had a rough day,” Hudson whispered.Rafaella gave him a smile. “Thank you, Hudson.”Hudson escorted her to the car and helped her inside where Dominic was already seated. He was typing out a message on his phone and didn’t even look up as Hudson closed the door. She smiled at Ethan when they locked eyes in the rearview mirror.Ethan pulled away from the house and another car followed behind them. Rafaella cleared her throat and Dominic locked his phone and put it away. He pressed a button and the pr
Dominic took the elevator up to the top penthouse and he stepped into the dimly lit foyer, twice the size of the one he’d shared with Isadora. He knew she was right. She deserved to be happy and he could never give her that happiness.He rubbed his hands over his head and walked deeper into the penthouse. The other SUV was in the parking lot so he knew Rafaella had returned safely. A sharp pain tugged in his chest and he knew he had to somehow make things up to her.He’d been a complete lunatic with her in the car. He’d promised never to hurt her and he had. He’d acted like a fucking savage. The elevator doors slid open again and Dominic turned and looked at Ethan and Cooper and the grim looks on their faces.“We need to talk, Dominic,” Hudson said from behind him and he turned to face him.“I know,” Dominic said.A few minutes later they were all settled in the living room. Dominic was sitting on one sofa and his men stood next to each other on the other side of the living room. Domi
Rafaella looked into his eyes for a long time and Dominic stood watching her, never breaking eye contact. He wasn’t sure what she was searching for but she finally relented and nodded her head.“I’ll be out in a minute,” she said.“I thought you were done,” Dominic said and narrowed his eyes as he looked at her.She swallowed and Dominic turned to the drawers of the cabinets near the door. He pulled the first one open and turned to look at her. Amidst the toothpaste, tampons and bottles of whatever shit was in there, lay the bloodied knife.Dominic turned to Rafaella and grabbed her arm. He pulled her sleeves up and inspected her arms but found nothing. She tried to back away from him but he held onto her. “What did you do, Rafi?”“Nothing,” she said but he could see the lie in her eyes.He pulled her into the bedroom and shoved her onto the bed before pulling her pajama pants down. Faint spots of blood marred her white underwear just under the elastic and he pulled them down as well.
They’d left for the country house the next morning and Rafaella had promptly gone upstairs and Dominic headed to his study. He made coffee for himself and sat down behind his desk. There were two folders waiting for him and he opened the first one. It was the dossier he’d requested on Lev Volkov.Lev Volkov was twenty-six years old, six foot three inches and around two hundred pounds. He was the same height as Dominic but he was a bit bulkier. He’d been born in Russia during a blood moon, which apparently held some mystified significance and he’d disappeared from sight at age fifteen. He kept his dirty blonde hair longish, about two inches below his ears and sported bright blue eyes, much like Gage’s.At the age of nineteen, he resurfaced in the city as the head of the Volkov clan. There was no information on those four years and Dominic’s curiosity was piqued. How the hell did a nineteen year old head up an entire clan? The bigger question though, was, what had happened to the reigni
Fifty minutes later Allesio Conti was led into Dominic’s study and he was surprised at the worry that he could see in Allesio’s eyes. “Thank you for coming, Allesio.”“I was not surprised by your summons,” Allesio said.“Why is Rocco pushing for the seat?” Dominic didn’t beat around the bush and he knew that neither did Allesio.“He wants to be in control, to control you. You are a wildcard, Dominic. You think outside the box and the proof is in the way you do business. You were the first son to branch out into real money making legitimate businesses and your brothers followed your lead. Even though this is a family, you will take the seat and run it like a business.”“We are family but it is essentially a business,” Dominic said.Allesio nodded his head in agreement. “Rocco wants the De Santis connection to the whores, the low risk ones.”“Our clubs are doing well, in fact, they’re doing extremely well.”“Yes, but your clubs are high class. Your girls aren’t really prostitutes but ra
The sniper teams had dealt with the men sent to the house so swiftly that Rafaella hadn’t even known it had happened. Hudson had given them the all clear and she’d asked about Dominic first.“He’s fine, Rafi, I spoke to Cooper, they’re all fine,” Hudson said.“Then this is the perfect time for us to leave,” she said.“You got what you need?” Hudson asked her.“Yes. Let’s go before they know we’re gone,” Rafaella said.Hudson led Rafaella out of the house and into the garage. He took the smaller SUV and they sped away from the house. The other men were busy dealing with the dead bodies and the women were all safely in their quarters.“You did everything I asked?”Hudson looked at Rafaella in the rearview mirror. “I did.” She nodded her head. “Are you sure you want to do this, Rafi?”“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life, Hudson,” she said as her hands cradled her pregnant stomach.“Dominic’s not going to be happy about this.” She knew Hudson was right. Dominic’s temper was lege
Twenty minutes later, Cooper slowed the SUV down and Gage looked at Dominic. “See you soon, brother.” The door opened and Gage was out of the car. Cooper sped up again the moment the door closed and Dominic could feel everything inside him settle.Tonight everything would end, one way or another.Cooper pulled the SUV up at the specified warehouse. Three men stood outside the door and watched them warily. Their hands reached for their weapons as the doors opened and Dominic climbed out.“Mr. Vittori is waiting inside,” one man said.The other two men stepped closer to them and started patting them down. Dominic had expected it and neither he nor Cooper were armed. Ethan had been somewhere on a rooftop since the sun set with his sniper rifle and he’d start taking the men out when Gage gave him the signal.Dominic walked into the warehouse first, Cooper following close behind him. He hadn’t liked the idea of bringing any of his men with him, but they’d argued and Cooper had told him tha
Sniper teams were waiting at the compound, Agron’s house and Dominic’s country house. Each woman had three men with her and security at Dominic’s house had been doubled. Austin and Hudson were in strategic places on the ground floor of the house.Dominic sat in the rear while Cooper drove the SUV and Gage sat next to Dominic. He had his head resting on the headrest with his eyes closed and Dominic had no idea how he remained so impassive.The trip to the warehouse took them forty-five minutes and Dominic was itching for a fight. He wanted to feel his knuckles split open on Rocco’s face and see the fucking bastard bleed. He could even feel it in the tightening of his groin.“I get it now,” Dominic said.Gage opened his eyes and turned to look at him. “Get what?”Dominic chuckled. “I get why Hudson gets aroused by blood.”“Fuck,” Cooper muttered from the front and Gage laughed.“I’ve always been aroused by it. I just hide it better than Hudson,” Gage said.“There’s a difference between
Gage’s eyes snapped open as a door opened on the far side of the building. He’d been in the ceiling for two days, waiting for the perfect moment. The plan was a fucking good one, even he could admit it.They’d spent three weeks going over the details. For the first time in their history, three crime families were working together to take out the godfather of la famiglia. Rocco Vittori had surrounded himself with soldiers.It was a good thing that he was afraid, because Gage was pissed off and his patience was wearing thin. He wanted Rocco’s blood so much that he could taste and smell it. The women were at the country house, being watched by their men.Dominic would take Cooper with him, Lev would take Sasha and Agron would have Granit with him. Gage worked alone, he didn’t need back-up, he was first in line, back-up and the middle man.Gage closed his eyes again and listened intently as footsteps neared the office. “All I’m saying is, tonight’s meeting with Dominic will end in blood.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” Dominic growled. The documents in front of him told the same story Faro just did, but he didn’t want to believe it. He was pissed that Eris kept his problems to himself.Dominic would have helped him, he’d always help all of them, blood was blood and they were bound by it. They all had the middle name ‘Rose’ for a reason. It was their mother’s maiden name and for them it was as strong as the blood that made them family.Faro sat in the chair in front of his desk, the proof spread out over his desk. Fucking Eris. “Sihana found it. She said he was broke, Dominic. He had a few grand in his account, the others were empty.”“Drugs. That’s the only explanation,” Dominic said, sounding a lot calmer. No matter how angry he felt now, Eris would always remain his brother, even in death. He should’ve seen the signs of Eris’s freefalling earlier, but he hadn’t, Faro had.He also blamed himself. If his relationship with Eris had been better, he might have bee
Sihana woke up to light kisses on her bare shoulder. She shifted onto her back and looked at Faro’s face. His hair was tousled and she could see it was still dark out. “What’s wrong?” Her voice was thick from sleep and she cleared her throat.“Why did you leave?” Faro’s voice was soft but he sounded wide awake.“Because you were being an asshole and I wanted to sleep peacefully,” Sihana said and turned away from him.Faro moved up right against her. “You know how I feel about waking up without you. It’s our bed for a reason.”“Then don’t be an asshole to me right before you go to sleep,” she said.“I wasn’t being an asshole. I just disagreed with you,” Faro said.“The truth is still the truth, you’re not a bookkeeper, I am. Eris was skimming money from the strip clubs. I showed you the proof,” Sihana said. “You have to tell Dominic.”“Fuck, Sihana. Do you have any idea what that’s going to do to him?”Faro’s arm snaked over her hip and his hand cradled her stomach. She felt sorry for
Inara clamped her hand over her mouth and retreated away from the kitchen. Her heart was thudding loudly in her chest. She’d woken up half an hour earlier and pulled on her robe, wondering where Agron was.He never left without waking her and she’d gone downstairs for some water when she’d overheard something that might get her killed. She took a deep breath and quietly made her way upstairs again and slid back into bed.By the time Agron joined her, she had her eyes closed and her heart had stopped betraying her. She tried not to stiffen when his arm encircled her waist and his mouth nuzzled her neck. She felt like an idiot. Agron had played her, had played her whole family and it was all her fault.She must have fallen asleep at some point because the sun’s rays woke her and Agron was still wrapped around her. She hated the fact that she’d given herself to him willingly. Hated that she’d fallen in love with him.She understood the saying better now, there really was a fine line betw
The trial had dragged on for two more weeks and Dominic was glad that the end was in sight. The jury was deliberating the outcome but he wasn’t focused on that anymore. They were back in the city and headed to Rafaella’s gynecologist.Hudson had accompanied her to her other appointments while he was stuck in court and they’d decided to wait until he could be with her to find out the genders of their babies. Dominic couldn’t remember a time he’d been more excited about something.“Mrs. Vittori?” The nurse called out their name, and Dominic stood up to help Rafaella to her feet.Dominic had his hand on the small of Rafaella’s back as the nurse led them down a hallway and into an examination room. She took Rafaella’s blood pressure and made notes on the chart for the doctor.“You can get comfortable on the examination bed with your shirt up. Dr. Rehmeyer will be in shortly,” the nurse said and left the room.“After this trial, I think we should go away for a bit, someplace you can relax,
Isadora had taken the stand and sworn to tell the whole truth. Dominic’s rage flared up again the moment she opened her mouth and started lying. He knew Halden had coached her. The things she was testifying to hadn’t been made public knowledge and he’d never said a word to her about it.It took all his self-control not to lash out at her or call her a lying whore in front of the whole courtroom. She was a woman scorned but Dominic could see himself wrapping his hands around her neck and choking the life out of her. He could almost understand Hudson’s fascination with it.Mitchelson stood up with a stoic look on his face. “Miss Watkins, would you say that you were close to Mr. Vittori during your relationship?”“Yes,” Isadora said. “We were very close.”“Mr. Vittori shared things with you, personal things?”Isadora shifted in her seat. “Yes.”“Can you tell the court what the name of Vittori Ads’ sister company in Japan is named?”Isadora blinked and Dominic’s lips twitched but he fough