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Fifteen
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Domenico Sixteen
The weight of Domenico’s arm around my waist along with his chest pressed against my back gave me the best night sleep I’d had in a long time. The bed was shitty and hard, but the safety I felt lulled me into a deep sleep.I stared at the drab walls with the dirty, peeling wallpaper and waited, snug in his embrace, for him to wake up.His arm flexed, pulling me tighter to him.For days we’d been holed up in that small motel room.My strength had greatly improved with the increase in calories and fluid. My skin no longer looked like a corpse. My eyes were no longer encircled by darkness. Even my weight had begun to bounce back a little.After five days, the biggest secret had been revealed. We were both part of the same family organization, only I was a deserter. That was why my treatment was different.Later in the day, I was reading when a question that nagged at me sprang forth. “That Russian girl was only there a few days. Why was I given a rose and she wasn’t?”He lo
Domenico Seventeen
When we got off the interstate, we were still alone. The anxiety that one of them was going to suddenly pop out had me still clutching the door so hard my hand hurt, but I couldn’t let go.The area shifted, no longer dirty and run down—everything was pristine and well-manicured.The Northbrook neighborhood I grew up in was still marked by massive mansions with a few smaller, older homes mixed in. Many of them had been torn down to have the giant structures replace them.My stomach knotted at the wrought-iron fencing, and I took a deep breath before I stared up at the stone facade, noticing how little had changed in three years.My hands shook as we pulled up to the house that I had once called home. It was the property my father purchased when he’d climbed his way higher into the organization. A veritable fortress, a gilded cage.As soon as we stepped out of the car, there were half a dozen men outside, half of them with their hands on their guns. I recognized the man in f
Domenico Eighteen
It had been years since I’d been cut off from my mother’s family, and there was one man I knew who would help. My only hope was that I could reach him before his men opened fire on us. Thankfully we were only about ten minutes away.“Stay with me. Please,” I said as I bit back tears.Nearly a decade had passed since I’d visited, but I still knew the way. My mother had made sure of it. She’d even made a song of it, a rhyme. It was a little like “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” but with street names. Maybe she knew one day I would need him and that was how I would remember.The estate was larger than I recalled but held more warm memories than my father’s house. A tall stone-and-iron fence surrounded the property and the gate was open, one guard in the shack, but there was no time to stop.It had been so long since I’d last seen my grandfather. Would he recognize me? The years apart were not by my choice, but the tighter my father wound the leash around my mother’s neck, t
Domenico Nineteen
I followed Luca through the central hall with its large marble staircase. A glance down the extra-wide hall, and I was reminded of the sheer size of the estate.I’d forgotten that, though my grandfather was second, he’d raised his family here alongside my great-uncle. Both were great men who’d lost their wives and daughters early, and I could see the toll in his eyes.“You know, you could have at least told me who you worked for,” I said to Luca as we ascended the steps.“Would you have believed me?” he asked as we reached the top and continued down the hall.“Maybe.”We stopped at the third door down. There was no special marking—it looked just like the other doors, but when he opened it, a wave of nostalgia hit me.“Relax here. There will be a maid up soon to help you.” He closed the door behind him, and I was alone in silence.The room was familiar. One I’d been in long ago, one that hadn’t changed. There was a large four-poster bed against one wall, and a floral duve
Domenico Twenty
Amelia dried my hair, straightening out my waves as she did so, curling the ends as she went. While that was going on, the girl they’d sent to get me new undergarments returned, and we were able to get me fixed up and into my chosen outfit.It was strange, stepping into a dress that my mother once wore. It was a little large due to my weight loss, but thankfully it had a tie-up back. I think that was why Amelia picked it. Her shoes, however, were nearly a size too large, but we found a pair with clasps that would help keep them on.When I stepped out of the room, two men were stationed across the hall. They were my guards, but I wondered why I needed them. One started walking, and I fell in line behind him as the second followed me.As we walked, more staff and members of the organization stepped out of our way.The respect I was regarded with was both familiar and strange after years of no one showing respect as I walked among them. The men around me watched each step, but
Domenico Twenty-One
After dinner I lost the heels and walked barefoot through the marble-lined halls. Once again, I was in awe at the space held under one roof. Each room was huge and decorated with such opulence. Chandeliers hung from the ceilings, large fireplaces filled many walls, and hardwood floors were covered with plush area rugs.I pulled a throw from one of the couches in one of the many sitting rooms. Luca was a ghost behind me, unobtrusive in my perusal. Oddly, little had changed from my memories. A few new pieces of furniture, an updated kitchen, but for the most part everything was the same down to the small plaster details that decorated the walls and ceilings.I wanted to change out of the dress, but I had a feeling everyone would be aghast at the state of my clothes in the trunk of Domenico’s car.Winding down to the basement, I found the infirmary next to the spa. There were four guards outside the door, and they blocked me from entering.“You can’t go in,” one of them said.
Domenico Twenty-Two
It was officially me and la Bestia against the world. However, I had a feeling we had an ally in my grandfather—a grudging one that came about because of the cameras in the infirmary.He heard Domenico’s declarations, and though he still didn’t like him, it was his promise that struck him.“La Bestia doesn’t give false promises,” he said as we sat down for breakfast. “I will help you two.”I stared at my grandfather in disbelief. “Did you know who he really is?”He nodded. “I do. I’ve been around too long not to know. He was still using the Ferrante name when his brother gave him that scar. That is why his words struck me so. To go against your father is no easy decision. He loves you, more than his family or his own life.”I froze and turned to him. “Loves me?”A light chuckle left him. “Nipote, you are just as bad. Think of the way you charged in here demanding help. You assaulted a capo for questioning your allegiance.”“He was a capo?” That man had nothing on Domenic
Domenico Twenty-Three
I walked the halls, letting memories wash over me, giving me something to do while Domenico healed enough to be released. Dozens of doors lined the halls. Large wooden panel doors, some with intricate carvings, others plain, but all were heavy and solid.I stopped at the detailed tree sculpted into the thick wall of a set of double doors. They were familiar. They led to the best room in the house—the library.As a child, during the rare times we were allowed to go to my grandfather’s, I had loved visiting the library. It was one of my favorite places in the house, a place where I spent a lot of time—so much so that my grandfather kept a shelf of children’s stories for me, then later young adult novels.With a twist of the handles I was able to push the great doors open, exposing one of the grandest rooms I’d ever been in. It was one of the many rooms that dripped elegance and prestige. Dark, rich woods held vast volumes of books.It held both a cozy and expansive feeling. A
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