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"No. Messes like this are well within the Caputo family's ability to clean up and gloss over in the eyes of the public. Trust me,fiore di ciliegio.I'll take care of everything for you. Always."
Trusting Domenic is getting easier and easier, but I'm still impressed by how he resolves the entire chaotic, terrifying ordeal with practiced ease and authority.
We leave the scene of the fight for the police to investigate since there were so many witnesses, but he assures me that he has connections and corrupt cops in his back pocket and nothing will come of it. They'll release some statements about the alleged Wild Seven being caught in an unfortunate "rival gang" fight, and it won't mention the Caputos.
Big Luck took a beating from Roulette, and it seems he also caught a bullet in his left leg. The giant of a man complained to Domenic the entire time we drove away from the fight, but he also begrudgingly told me that if I'm his "boss's girl" now, then he'll call me Loren instead of just "hacker." Which I suppose means we're on our way to being friends.
Evelyn is unharmed. She's resting deeply in the guest room of Domenic's house, which now has about ten Caputos guarding it. Despite the danger passing, Domenic insisted on heightening their guard until he can bulk up his security to a level he's satisfied with. He's even mentioned possibly moving to a new address that hasn't been compromised. I tried telling him that with the Wild Seven gone and the dark web hacker also no longer around, there's no more looming threat to us—but my overprotective mafioso didn't listen to a word. He's a bossy, dominating asshole like that…which I love.
Domenic is currently away from home, dealing with the cleanup of all the shit that just went down in the Caputo family and at the casino.
Now I'm with my mother. Besides being tied up and traumatized by seeing two Caputo mobsters killed right in front of her by Ace and the Wild Seven, she was otherwise unharmed. She does seem to be in quite a bit of shock, though.
To be fair, a large part of that might be my fault. Since I just came clean about everything.Everything, everything.
"You're…a hacker?" she repeats.
"Yes."
"And you worked with thisWild Sevengroup," she swallows and shivers, clearly remembering them. "The ones who killed Domenic's men—and he's a mafioso…."
She was slightly freaked out over that part for a bit. My mother has seen enough of dangerous people greedy for money to last a lifetime, thanks to the sorts of people my father borrowed far too much from before leaving us to deal with the fallout. But she must have liked Domenic more than I realized because she seems confident that while he's not necessarily agoodman, he just protected us all. He has points in her book as Evelyn's father since she knows I never told him about Evie.
But she's really struggling with my confession of whoIused to be.
"Yeah. I did. I wasn't really like them, not the way you saw them today," I tell her, taking her hand and giving her an earnest look. "But Mom, we needed money. After Dad…you know, I needed to get cash quickly. I learned fast and gotreallygood at hacking, especially slots. Do you remember how we were doing a bit better financially over three years ago? I told you I had a good job at a bank, but I was working my ass off to get cash quick from scamming the same institutions that ruined Dad. I needed money to pay off debt collectors as fast as possible."
Her gaze softens. "Sweetheart. You've always worked so hard, but I wanted more for you. You're brilliant—you should have gone to college, started a tech startup, or done something elseyouwanted. Your father's debts—"
"You needed me," I tell her. "I wasn't going to just leave you with all that."
"It wasn't your responsibility," she says gently, then hugs me tightly. "But…I don't know what I would have done without you. Thank you for staying. I'm sorry it hasn't been easy, Loren."
I smile and hug her back. "No, it hasn't. But it'll get better."
"Yes, it will," Domenic's voice says.
My mother and I pull away and glance up to see him leaning against the doorframe of the guest bedroom we're in. He looks effortlessly dashing and powerful, despite the overtly taxing day. His tie is loose around his neck, and his suit is unbuttoned, a small show of disarray, unlike his usual sleekly groomed appearance. He changed out of his bloodied clothes earlier and must have washed off all traces of his "interrogation" and the ensuing fight, so now he just looks like the most gorgeous casino owner alive as his eyes hold me in place.
"I'm going to go check on Evelyn and try to get sleep," my mother says and leaves the room with a small thank-you to Domenic.
He sits beside me on the bed, and then his lips are suddenly on me—on my mouth, my cheek, my neck. His hand smoothes over where I bandaged up the cut Chloe gave me using his stash of First Aid supplies earlier.
"They shouldn't have hurt you. Ever," he growls against my lips. "I'd kill them again if I could."
"Maybe I deserved it," I whisper, kissing down his jaw.
Domenic pulls back with a fierce look. "What the fuck would make you say that?"
"I was one of the Wild Seven, Domenic. I mean—I was never as bad as the rest of them. I just hacked for them, paid up, and kept my head down for the most part. But I still benefited from their protection and connections. I stillworkedwith people who were capable of some really fucking horrible things. I was so blinded by my need for money and revenge that…God, I'm just so ashamed."
He tilts my chin up so I'll look at him. "You were trying to survive any way you could. Desperation makes people do a lot of things they regret. I fucking hated the Wild Seven, but I still wish you had told me about your connection with them."
I shrug and swallow. "I was already trying to win enough of your trust, with you knowing I was a hacker in the first place. I didn't want to give you another reason to…take Evelyn away from me," I admit, trying to look away.
Domenic doesn't let me, but his gaze softens. "No one will take her from you. Or from us, ever again. I promise."
"Do you really want this?" I check nervously. "To be a parent? A dad? I know it came as an unpleasant surprise—"
