Share
Twenty-Six
Related chapters
Domenico Twenty-Seven
I awoke gradually, and awake was entirely subjective at that point.My eyes were heavy, but I felt the familiar cold sinking into my bones.Bars. Cold steel. The stale smell of decay.My head pounded and my body ached. I wasn’t even sure the words at least I’m alive were relevant. The sinking in my stomach confirmed that, because things were about to turn out very differently than before.The scene before me was familiar, eerily so. A sort of déjà vu.I sat up, and darkness enveloped the room. My heartbeat skyrocketed because I knew Domenico wasn’t hiding in the shadow. A fate worse than death slithered in the black.“Awake now?” Roman said as he emerged from the shadows.“Let me out of here,” I growled.“Oh, kitty got her claws, huh? A little bit of freedom and suddenly you’re a badass?”My lip twitched up into a snarl. “I always was. You were just too stupid being nice not to notice.”“You bitch!” He slammed his hand against the cage, but I didn’t flinch. I wasn’t g
Domenico Twenty-Eight
Domenico’s arm swung out as he stepped forward, putting himself between me and the men storming in. The arm pinned me to his back and a hissed “fuck” slipped between his lips.I couldn’t see around him, but I knew it wasn’t good.Thankfully my coat was long enough to cover my ass as my jeans were across the room, and also still able to close.“Domenico,” a smooth voice said. The tone was stern, reprimanding.“Father,” Domenico replied.I drew in a breath and pulled back, but he kept me tightly to him. I was able to peer around his arm to see the near-dozen men with their guns pointed straight at us.In the center was a man in a crisp charcoal three-piece suit, his expression pulled tight and framed by short salt-and-pepper hair. His eyes were the same silver as Domenico’s, and his gaze was just as piercing. His eyes locked with mine, and I stared back before sliding fully behind Domenico again.“You’ve been causing quite a stir,” Giovanni said.“And? If you’ve come to k
Domenico Twenty-Nine
The house was grander in design and opulence than my father’s, but different than the ornate details of my grandfather’s home. The grounds were much larger and secluded, the halls wide, and there was a flurry of staff walking around.Domenico kept me close to him, hugging me tightly to his side, glaring at anyone who even glanced at me. I was practically naked, my coat barely hitting my thighs. There hadn’t been time to grab my jeans as we’d been practically pushed out the building. Thankfully I had been able to grab my panties, and Domenico had zipped up my coat, concealing my destroyed shirt. I was thankfully covered, but my legs were cold and on display.The looks could also have been due to the blood that covered us both.We followed his father into a room walled with dark wood, a fire glowing in the fireplace, and bookcases filled with antiques and books. It was similar to my grandfather’s office, and that fact put me somewhat at ease.Giovanni strode across the room a
Domenico Thirty
Once everything was settled, Giovanni released us to clean up, assuring us he would send the physician to tend to our wounds. I didn’t even want to look at myself in a mirror. In twenty-four hours I’d been hit by a car, had my head slammed into metal bars, and had been beaten with a belt. Domenico didn’t look much better. I hadn’t really gotten to focus on much but the presence of him, and I had a feeling there was more to be seen under his clothes.When we stepped out of his office, a woman in slick black heels and tears streaming down her face stomped toward us.“You murderer!” I recognized her as Renata Ferrante, Giovanni’s wife. Domenico stepped in front of me, but when I watched her pull her hand back to strike him, I moved in front of him and grabbed hold of her wrist.“Don’t you fucking touch him, you witch,” I growled.“Get your hands off of me, maggot!” she screeched.In her heels she was easily six inches taller than me, so I turned her wrist outward, bringing he
Domenico Thirty-One
It felt like whiplash—and quite a role reversal. At my grandfather’s Domenico had been heavily guarded, and as we walked down to the dining room I couldn’t help but notice all eyes were on me.When we arrived, Giovanni was sitting at the head of the table. He looked up from his drink and smiled. “Much better. You no longer look fresh off the battlefield.”The rest of the table was empty.“Where is everyone?” I whispered to Domenico.“They like to be fashionably late,” Domenico said with a sigh of annoyance.A chuckle came from Giovanni as he stood and pulled out the two chairs to his right. “Sit here. They’ll be in shortly.”“Has Manetto or Renata spread the word about Roman?” Domenico asked as he pushed my chair in for me.Giovanni returned to his seat and swirled the brandy in his glass before taking a slow sip. “I forbade them, so it is possible, though I think Manetto returned to his line of cocaine, and Renata is probably plotting some manipulation.”Just then ther
Domenico Thirty-Two
The days passed quickly as Domenico and I took hold of our new roles. The Ferrante household was strained, to say the least. The uneasy acceptance from his siblings ratcheted up the tension, and my presence didn’t help.The household held a buzzing energy that I was desperate to get a reprieve from. I knew it would take a while for everyone to accept Domenico’s new position as well as our marriage, but I also knew it was only going to get worse when it was announced to the rest of the organization.Giovanni didn’t seem concerned, especially not after his ultimatum.After my encounter with Salvatore, I knew we were going to have an uphill battle of trust with the Vitale side. They didn’t know me, and to some it mattered that my mother was a Vitale, but to others it didn’t. Salvatore was going to be a problem that would have to be dealt with if my grandfather hadn’t already.I didn’t wander the house without Domenico or a guard, so while I waited for Domenico to finish his me
Domenico Thirty-Three
From the moment Giovanni showed up, our lives had been nothing but a whirlwind. From the choice we’d had to make, which was really no choice at all, to getting retribution on my father and releasing him from service, to pulling up to the Vitale stronghold in a Ferrante vehicle.My life was no longer the standard life by which I was accustomed to living.For the last several years, I’d stripped to put a roof over my head and food on my table just to be out from underneath my tyrant of a father. For the first time in my life, I was free.Now, I’d willingly traded my freedom for a cage—one that would give me a lifetime with the man I loved. My father was dead, and the structure of the organization was a little unstable. Time was critical, and all moving parts had to be settled before we would be given even a moment to adjust to our new roles.For Domenico, there was less of an adjustment. He already knew everything the Ferrante organization was doing, as he had orchestrated ma
Domenico Epilogue
A year and a half later…The whirlwind that was our marriage didn’t allow for things like a honeymoon, even after our wedding for the masses. However, we both needed a break. Desperately.For a year I’d gotten an in-depth schooling of the inner workings of organized crime. It made me realize all I’d gleaned before was just the tip of the iceberg.There were so many pieces constantly at play to keep track of.My grandfather was wonderful in reminding me of my Vitale lineage and history, and I was ready to carry on our dynasty as a Ferrante.Four weeks ago we boarded a plane and left Chicago, bound for a boat and the sea. Domenico once told me his dream, and I’d wanted to make it come true.While I had a feeling the three-hundred-foot yacht we chartered was not the sailboat Domenico had envisioned, the size was necessary due to the amount of staff we were required to travel with.Business never stopped, and it was difficult for Domenico to relinquish control, but w
Latest chapter
