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Which has me blurting out, “Roberto Ciro.”
His brows draw together. “Who is that?”
Gripping the front of his shirt, which I’m just noticing has blood on it, I pull him closer until our heads touch. “The guard who marked me is Roberto Ciro.”
I can already see his primal mind working out the best way to fit the man’s punishment into his busy schedule. Picking me up so my legs are wrapped around his waist, I capture his face in my slender hands, holding him until he meets my stare.
“Whatever you plan to do to him, you make sure you come back to me, Domino. I need you here. With me, always.”
“I’ll always come back to you,cara mia.” Leaning forward, I kiss him this time. Slowly at first, allowing him to hone into my feelings until he takes over and devours my mouth.
I viscerally vibrate with my desire to be taken by this man who holds so much of me in the palm of his hand. “Good,” I murmur. “Because I don’t want to lose you, Domino Cardarelli, I can’t.”
* * *
Domino
There’s a change in her.One I can’t accurately describe, but something is different about Nicola. She isn’t as hesitant or combatant when I give her an order or ask the simplest of questions. It has me wary about her motives. At first, I simply thought it was because she lied to my brothers and nearly went after Salvatore on her own, but she apologized and meant it.
Santi and Donato have been watching her closely all day, and I have to wonder if there’s something I’ve not been told. Pace and I spend the rest of the day waiting for the police to come bursting through the door after the way we dropped off the chief, but there’s been nothing as of yet.
As the evening news comes on, I turn the television up slightly to listen to reports of Santini’s kidnapping and torture, and I’m surprised when the confession wasn’t suppressed. The tape plays over and over.
“Is that where you were?” Nicola gazes up at me from where she’s lying with her head on my leg, tired.
“Yes.” I won’t lie to her. Not after all she told me this afternoon. Lying to this woman will only bring her a heartache I have no desire to incite.
Sitting up, I watch her swallow roughly, struggling to ask a question I don’t want to answer. “Did he tell you wh–why he chose my family?”
Pace stares at me, remorse in the pointed look as he gets up to leave the room. Maso and Donato do the same as Santi’s phone rings, and he follows suit. Alone, I pull Nicola into my lap and cup her cheek.
“He did. I don’t have to tell you, though. This isn’t something you have to hear right this minute.” I’d do anything to save her the heartache.
Chewing on her lip, I can see her rolling it over in her mind. “No, I need to know.”
“A few months before their deaths, a man was persistent in his pursuit of your mother. No warnings, no threats would deter him until your father beat him so severely, he was unconscious in the hospital for days.” Her sharp inhale precedes the tears in her eyes. “Pace and I believe Santini used the system to find attractive couples who in all likelihood had attractive children. Salvatore took over from there.”
Her shaking doesn’t stop her from asking the next, obvious question. “Why did they keep me? I saw everything...in my nightmares. I remember it now. The blood, so much blood. His evil eyes. I watched. Why would Vincenzo want me around?”
“That’s a question we’re going to have to ask him.”
“When?” Nicola gets to her feet, too worked up to remain still. “Why are you waiting?”
“His home in Cinisi may be heavily guarded, but we believe that the chief’s exposure will force him into hiding, away from his stronghold. Because the prick sure as hell won’t stay silent for long. He’s going to want to cut a deal with anyone he can after today.”
Chapter 11
Nicola
Ispent the night in Domino’s arms, exactly like I wanted, but I don’t think I slept more than a few minutes at a time. My mind was too worked up over all the information I’ve been given over the past few days. I’m on overload and can’t slow my thoughts down enough to sleep.
But being held in Domino’s arms after we made love long into the night, I feel rejuvenated as I slip from bed in the early morning light. Silently, I wrap a robe around my body and go to my room to grab one of the vitamins, then head down to the kitchen for water and to let Capo outside.
I would prefer to take him for a long walk in the dewy morning, but I promised Domino I wouldn’t go anywhere alone until he and his brothers took care of Salvatore. Apparently, Natale Morello sent out a message stating that anyone who helps the man escape justice would face his wrath. After the stories I’ve been told over the years, I suspect that’s not something a man wants to do.
The house is peaceful as I grab a water from the fridge and meet up with Capo outside. Sitting on the settee I’ve found most comfortable since coming here, I bask in the early rays of the sun as I listen to the sounds of the ferries in the bay. Barely discernable from here, but without the bustle of traffic, I can hear them enough to lull me into a sleepy sense of security.
With my eyes closed and my senses dulled from exhaustion, my only warning that something is amiss is Capo’s yelp of pain before a calloused hand is placed over my mouth.
