“What the fuck do you mean Agron Makolli claimed Inara?” Dominic yelled into the phone as he climbed into the back of the SUV.“She’s wearing his ring, and says she signed the marriage contract,” Gage answered him.“Fuck!” Dominic yelled again and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ll be there in two hours. Keep an eye on them. If he makes one wrong move, shoot him in the head.” Dominic ended the call and gripped his phone tightly in his hand.“We should’ve killed the Albanian when we talked about it,” Hudson said. Hudson was alone with Dominic in the back with Ethan driving and Cooper sitting up front. He’d left Austin at the house with Rafaella, not wanting to leave her alone again. Austin had volunteered, he was pissed off as all hell.“Shit’s getting real too fast, Dominic,” Cooper said as he cocked his gun and placed it between his legs.“I fucking know, Coop. Rocco must have made an alliance with the Albanian fucking bastard and promised him Inara in return. It’s a done fucking
Inara walked into the living room and looked at her brothers sitting there. Dominic turned his head and stood up immediately. His arms wrapped around her and she hugged him back tightly.“Are you okay?” He cupped her face and looked into her eyes.“I’m fine, really.”He nodded his head and let go of her hand. Dominic sat back down and watched as Inara hugged Gage and walked to sit with Agron. Their movements seemed so effortless and Inara’s smile was genuine.Fuck. She had feelings for the man. Dominic knew he had to make this work, for her sake, if for nothing else. “There will be a condition on your continued drug trade.”“I’m open for negotiations,” Agron said.“If you are going to be our only supplier we will also be your only buyer. There will be no drug distribution in my city. Understood?”“That is fair,” Agron agreed.“Now tell me about Rocco’s plans,” Dominic said.“Rocco killed Conrad Vittori,” Agron began.“I already know that.”“The Elders approved his murder. All three of
Rafaella opened the door of their quarters that led to the hall connecting them to the rest of the house and smiled when she saw Austin standing there, guarding the door. She’d almost walked right into him.“You’re up,” Austin said and smiled at her. “Dominic will be gone for a few hours. He went to Mayberry View to find Inara.”“I hope she’s okay. Dominic will lose his mind if something happens to her,” she said and sighed.“Fuck yeah, his head will explode and he’d kill every last motherfucker involved,” Austin agreed.“How do you feel about a makeover, Austin?” she asked him.“A what now?”“You have great bone structure, Austin. I’ll just trim your beard a little, your hair might need some TLC too,” Rafaella said, her voice fading as she got lost in thought.Austin looked at the tiny woman in front of him. He liked her, more than he’d liked Isadora or any of Dominic’s other women. Dominic had given strict orders not to let Rafaella out of his sight and he wouldn’t have, even if Do
Gage unzipped his jacket and hung it in the foyer closet and put his helmet on the shelf next to his gloves. He closed the door and looked at Anya where she leaned against the wall of the hallway leading to the sitting room.“Did you get settled in alright?” Gage asked her.“Yes. I have settled in,” Anya replied.“Good, we should talk and get the awkwardness out of the way.”Gage walked towards the kitchen and opened the fridge. He took out the bottle of juice and turned towards the cabinets to find Anya behind him holding out two glasses. Seems like she also made herself acquainted with where everything was.“Thanks,” Gage said and filled both glasses. It was nearing lunch time and he was hungry. Anya must be hungry too. He’d left her last night at midnight and he had no idea if she’d eaten or not.“Are you hungry? Did you stop to eat?” Anya asked him instead and he looked at her with intrigue. Everything about her surprised him and he was most surprised that her presence didn’t irri
“What the fuck are you doing, Hudson?”Dominic stood with his arms crossed and looked at Hudson where he lay on a sun lounger with cucumber slices over his eyes and his face covered in green muck. Rafaella was in a similar position on another lounger.Hudson lifted his head and took the cucumbers off his eyes. “My skin needs to rest, Dominic. Life is stressful.”“Is he high?” Cooper asked.“Rafi said that if I don’t take care of my skin now, I’ll regret it when I’m older,” Hudson said and laid back down.“Rafi knows what she’s talking about,” Austin said and stroked his beard.“Fucking pansies,” Ethan muttered.“Isn’t it your turn tomorrow, Ethan?” Rafaella asked him and his smile disappeared. Dominic chuckled as he turned and walked back inside the house.“You’re not cutting my hair or putting stuff on my face,” Ethan said and turned on his heel as Austin and Hudson laughed loudly.Dominic made his way to his study and sighed when he sat down behind his desk. He still hadn’t told Far
Gage walked around Dominic’s desk and sat down in the chair Faro had occupied earlier. “Speaking about jobs, I’m going to torture and kill Alejandro.”Dominic closed his eyes briefly and looked into Gage’s eyes. “Why?”“He was part of the Bratva men that raped Anya. He carved his fucking initials into her shoulder. She never told Lev because she wants her own revenge.”Dominic sighed and emptied the glass of Scotch in front of him. “And you’re going to give it to her?”“She wants to see him bleed and I will make her dream come true,” Gage said.“You do realize it is a fucked up wedding gift, right?”Gage barked out a laugh and relaxed in his seat. “Well, the sex after that discussion was pretty hot, so fuck the wedding gift. I’d kill whoever she wanted me to kill.”“Fuck, Gage.”“I don’t care about la famiglia politics, Dominic. I’m going to kill him and I’m going to make it hurt. Anya’s someone I didn’t see coming. I don’t even know what I’m saying,” Gage said and dragged his hand ov
“The fuck is this?” Hudson asked angrily as he shoved the phone in Rafaella’s face.Rafaella looked up at him and took a deep breath. She’d planned on telling them about those agents in the basement parking lot, but so much had happened since then that she completely forgot about it.“I meant to tell you guys,” she said softly.“Tell us what?” Dominic asked as he walked into their living room, still buttoning his shirt.“Haverley and Halden were waiting for Rafi at the penthouse. He called her your new fucking whore,” Hudson said. His eyes were wild and manic and Rafaella looked away from him. He scared the shit out of her when he got like that.Dominic fists clenched tightly. “Is this true? Did he call you my whore?”“Remy made a video and I was going to tell you, but then that shit with Matthew happened and Remy died and I forgot,” Rafaella said as tears gathered in her eyes.Dominic moved to her and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s okay. I’ll handle it. He won’t bother you again.
Hunter strolled down the hall and headed to the large kitchen of the compound. She hadn’t emerged from their private rooms for the whole day. Lev hadn’t been kidding, he hadn’t waited. She’d been too sore to walk properly and no way would she show weakness to anyone.It was barely six a.m. and she’d left Lev snoring softly on his side. She hadn’t yet explored the compound and she was curious as to who else lived there. She needed coffee desperately. She’d kill for a good cup right about now.The kitchen was large and had a restaurant feel to it with the industrial ovens and stainless steel counters. Pots and pans hung from one wall and two large fridges stood side by side. Directly in front of her were five different coffee machines.Hunter smiled victoriously as she found the coffee pods in the cabinet above the coffee machines. She found a large cup and switched the coffee machine on with the pod nestled safely inside. She smiled again as the machine hummed to life.“You’re very pre
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