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He's my safe place. My polar opposite who somehow balances me. Domenic makes me feel protected, worshipped and adored. He's intimidating, but I love that about him, and he gives me a reprieve from my past that I didn't even know I needed.
I open my mouth to tell him how much I love him when his father's huff of disbelieving laughter makes us both look over. The older man shakes his head.
"Youlovea hacker? She did just admit to being a hacker, so there's no denying it. Spare me. Have your fun with her and move on to something more serious. We've talked about this. You need to be established—I'm sure everyone here would agree that you being settled would be good for our image."
Again, the people at the table exchange looks. Most of them are Caputos, and I can see their reluctance to agree with the older don. But they're not sticking up for Domenic, either.
Well, fuck all of them. I've only known his father for all of three minutes, but I already know Domenic is the superior leader. This other man is vying for power that my mafioso seems to ooze without trying.
"I love you, too," I whisper, and Domenic's dark eyes bore into mine.
Before I can add to that or before he can tell off his father again, the lights overhead snap off. People in the room shout and get to their feet. Even with the conference center door closed, we can hear the muffled alarm of the customers at the Golden Flame Casino.
"The hackers?" Domenic checks with me in the dark, hands on my arms to steady me.
I can't see him, but I nod. "T—the Wild Seven. They're here, and they threatened Evie. They said they would find her, and if they find her, I'm going to—"
Warm, soft lips capture mine in the total darkness. This room either has no windows, or they're covered by blackout covers, but either way, I find myself kissing Domenic back hard. For just a moment until I break away and take a deep breath.
"Big Luck might have already gone after them. If he did, he's in danger because the two guys I've seen here are no joke."
"What the fuck is going on?" Domenic's father is complaining loudly, scowling.
Others in the room are murmuring, but I realize most of them have headed to the door with their phone flashlights, apparently okay with rescheduling the meeting. The only one who seems decidedly not okay with it is Domenic's father, but Domenic and I promptly ignore him as we rush from the room together, hand-in-hand.
Back in a space softly lit by daylight and nothing else since the casino has lost all power, he and I navigate the crowds toward the security room. Some people in the casino appear frustrated over the "no power" situation, while others are waiting patiently. Even more are simply walking out of this casino to find another with working games.
"They were in the electrical room?" Domenic asks me as we wind towards the entrance to the back halls where the security room is.
"Yeah."
"How did they get in?"
"I hacked my way in, and I imagine they did the same."
Just as we step out of the crowd and into the back hall, the lights come back on again. There's more commotion in the casino as people talk over each other about the sudden lack of power. But just as I'm beginning to feel relieved—because a power outage that brief has got to be merely the result of the total reset that I told Big Luck to demand—Domenic's phone rings.
He answers it without looking. "Yes?"
And then I run into him as he freezes in place. His jaw tics and he swears colorfully before hanging up and turning to me. I only take one look at his face before I know what it is, and I feel like my stomach just dropped out of my body. I'm going to throw up. My voice is weak and ragged.
"W—who was it?" I whisper anyway.
Domenic clutches my arm. I can see his careful composure chattering, despite his effort to soothe my terror. "Two of the Caputos I had stationed by my house were killed. The one remaining called to inform me that…the Wild Seven was there. They took…"
They took Evelyn.
He doesn't say it, but I feel it deep in my bones. A sob escapes me, and then he wraps me up tight to his chest as I fall apart.
"I know." Is it just in my head, or is he shaking too? But with him, it seems as if it's from anger instead of pure terror, as it is with me. "Shh. Breathe, Loren."
"They told me this would happen. If I'd just done what they wanted—I could have stopped this—"I choke, sobbing and shaking as I try to breathe.
“This is not your fault,fiore di ciliegio.Breathe and think. Why would they take Evelyn? Do you think they would try to ransom her? Why?"
That's just it. I don't know why they would take her. They told me they would kill my family. So what changed?
As if on cue, my cell phone rings. I sniff and frown, barely able to see through the blur in my eyes that it's my mom calling. More panic spikes my blood pressure as I scramble to answer, brushing my hair from my face.
