The cut on Dominic’s eyebrow had required two stitches. He had four cracked ribs, and thankfully no internal bleeding. The backdoor clinic he’d used had patched him up, and sent him on his way with painkillers and a throbbing forehead. He’d gone without the local anesthesia.It was barely 8 PM, and he gingerly opened his eyes when Ethan parked the SUV in the underground parking lot of his building. He was pissed off, and now Conrad knew exactly where they all stood.His last words hadn’t been as cryptic. “You are more ready than I was, Dominic.” His words kept playing in Dominic’s head, over and over. Ready to take over? Ready for Conrad to leave him the fuck alone? He could only wish.Dominic walked into his penthouse alone, having dismissed his men. He wanted to take a shower, have a drink or ten, and climb into bed. Somewhere in between those things on his list he should eat as well.“Where the hell were you?” Isadora’s voice came loudly from the direction of the kitchen.“I was bu
The police officers parted as Dominic walked toward the house. There were more police officers inside the foyer, and at the bottom of the stairs stood Detective Williams, the one that had made the call.“Mr Vittori, Captain Wilson’s waiting for you upstairs in the main bedroom,” he said.“Thank you, Detective,” Dominic said.Cooper and Ethan joined them in the foyer, and Austin led the way upstairs. It had to be bad for Jimmy Wilson to make the call and ask him to come to Conrad’s house. Dominic wasn’t sure he wanted to see it.“Dominic,” Jimmy said, and he snapped out of it.“Jimmy,” Dominic said and nodded his head.Jimmy nodded his head and Dominic followed him down the hall where they had more privacy. “It’s a fucked up way to die, Dominic. Whoever did this … this was personal. I know you and the old man didn’t always see eye to eye, so I wanted you to see what we’re working with here. This was fucking personal.”“Conrad had security cameras, inside and outside. Have you spoken to
Dominic sat in his study for two hours before he picked up the phone, and dialed Inara’s number. She’d be awake by now, and he closed his eyes as the line rang. She was going to be devastated.“Dominic, this is a nice surprise.” Her voice was light and sweet, innocent like her.“I have some bad news, Inara,” Dominic said gently.“What’s wrong? What happened?” Her voice had taken on a worried note, and Dominic signed.“Someone killed Conrad last night.” Her gasp had him pause, and he could picture her sitting on her bed, tears streaming down her face. “I don’t have all the details yet. Thomas will pick you up soon.”“Okay,” she said through her tears, and Dominic felt like shit for having had to do it over the phone.“I’ll see you soon. I love you, Inara.”“Love you too, Dominic.”Dominic ended the call and took a deep breath. The door to his study opened, and the rest of his siblings walked in. Eris and Faro looked confused at being summoned so early on a Saturday morning.Gage looked
Inara’s homecoming was a tear filled one. She’d gone straight to Hunter, the two sisters hugging and crying together. Inara had been Conrad’s favourite, and he’d never even raised his voice when she was around.Hunter had been his little princess until Inara was born, though he’d never treated Inara better than Hunter, but his eyes never lied. His eyes held more love when he looked at Inara, and Dominic was convinced that Conrad had despised him.“Oh Dominic,” Inara said as fresh tears welled up in her eyes and she flung herself in his arms.“Shh, it’ll be okay, Inara.” Dominic held her against him, her feet dangling in the air. His hand smoothed over her hair, and he closed his eyes.She went to Gage next and whatever he whispered in her ear had her nodding her head and wiping her eyes. She hugged Faro and Eris last, not nearly as long as she’d hugged Dominic, and by that time her tears were under control.“Do we know who did this? Do the police have any leads?” Inara asked.“They do
On Monday morning, Dominic was ready to leave by 8 AM. He had breakfast with Inara and left the house before he strangled Eris. He wasn’t happy with Dominic tending to business during this time. They were supposed to mourn as a family. Dominic had only scoffed at him.“Straight to Winsome Ads?” Ethan asked as he started the SUV.“Yes.”Cooper shifted in his seat and grinned at Hudson. “Did you know that ostriches also have clits?”Hudson frowned as he looked at Cooper. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Why would you even know that?”“It was part of the article I read. Women don’t pee from their clits, did you know that?”“Everyone knows that, Cooper,” Dominic said with a chuckle.“Spotted hyenas do,” Cooper said.“Again … Why are you interested in animal clits? And you call me a sick fuck,” Hudson murmured.“Well since you’re the only one that’s actually taken a girly dick in the ass, I wanted to read up on it,” Cooper said.“I did not take a girly dick in my ass! I’ve taken a finger
Dominic spent the day in various meetings, meeting with investors, and checking up on his businesses. He’d left Isadora at Winsome Ads along with a bookkeeper and an associate lawyer who would go through everything.Dominic wasn’t worried, the company was small in comparison to his other empires, and he’d only bought it so Isadora could have a safe working environment. He had no interest in the company other than her, and now it seemed that even that wasn’t good enough.He hated the fact that she was lying to him. He’d given her enough time. He hated the way he’d fallen hard for her already because even though he knew some of her secrets, he didn’t know them all and he wanted to.He’d fallen in love with a woman he could never fully have. He could never marry her or settle down with her, he could never have children with her, and it was selfish of him to keep her, but he also knew he wasn’t letting go of her until she walked away.Dominic finished his last meeting at seven pm, and by
On Thursday, Dominic, Gage, Faro, Eris, Hunter, and Inara stood in the foyer and welcomed family and friends to their home. They were all clad in black, and Dominic had emptied his conference room to house Conrad’s casket.The bottom half of Conrad’s casket bore the Vittori family crest, just like the mausoleum at the cemetery where they would all be buried one day. The casket gleamed under the lights of the room, and bouquets of lilies, roses, and daisies adorned the surfaces.Tables in the living room were already full of gifts from the mourners gathered together. Fruit baskets, prayer books, beautiful rosaries, cash envelopes, platters of Italian pastries, bottles of wine, candles, and crosses seemed to be in abundance.“Dominic, our condolences to your family.” He was already sick of hearing it, and it would continue throughout the day, until the sun set and they started the vigil. His expression remained solemn, and he nodded his head at each person.People filed in and out of th
Dominic stood in his bathroom, and shaved before getting dressed in another black suit. He’d sat vigil the whole night, remembering odd things about Conrad. They were mostly horrific memories but there were a few good ones, mostly after Hunter and Gage were born and then also Inara.Mist had descended over the countryside. There was no wind, and the mist hung like a bad omen. Dominic’s SUV drove behind the hearse towards the city and the church where the funeral mass would be held.Thunder cracked in the distance and Dominic wondered if it was heaven rejoicing at the death of his father or if it was hell, celebrating that he had finally joined their ranks. Conrad Vittori had breathed his last breath on Friday night.He was surrounded by a sea of grim faces, and he wished the mourners would come to an end so they could finally go inside and get the day over with. It was still early but he knew that he wouldn’t get much rest, not until he’d met with everyone that had a seat of power.“M