He turned his back to her, going for the door. “I’ll make sure someone comes to get you when it’s safe.”
An eerie feeling hit her. “Don’t you dare lock me in here, Dominic.”
Not looking back or saying a single word, he opened the door.
“I swear to God, Dominic, if I go for that door when I think it’s safe and find it locked,” she warned him with a promise that would last a lifetime, “I will never forgive you.”
This was it—her ultimatum. She would never fucking look at him ever again or stand to be in his presence. He had to prove that she wasn’t a precious painting in a museum like her father thought, and that Dominic wouldn’t treat her the way he did.
Despite that face in turmoil giving her one last look, Maria stood still for two reasons: not wanting Katarina’s death on her hands, and to see what he chose. She would wait to find out until she was ready to leave, wanting to pretend he would never do such a thing, even though every man was the fucking same when it came to her.
Minutes seemed to already have passed when the alcohol she had consumed no longer warmed her body. That heat she had felt in her belly around Dominic was gone, too. The only thing of him remained was his jacket and his scent that it carried.
Putting her arms through the sleeves, she wore it properly to try to get warmer. She brought the baggy sleeves that were well past her hands up to her face, inhaling that fiery scent deeply. She had been surrounded by men in suits who wore strong cologne before, but she had never smelled one like this. Dominic smelled natural, earthy, like it came from his surroundings and not from a bottle. His scent was intoxicating, making Maria feel like a cat smelling catnip for the first time, for suck’s sake.
With the daze of alcohol finally fading, she remembered what he had been about to tell her. For the life of her, she didn’t know what would have given her heartless heart away. Remembering everything about her mother’s funeral, but strangely, also nothing at all. The thing she remembered the most was her dead mother in her favorite light pink dress, tucked away in her stark white casket.
At the time, Maria didn’t think the body looked very much like her mother. Death hadn’t suited her, nor the pounds of makeup they used to cover it up. Underneath, even at fifteen years old, Maria knew what was hiding under there—blood, bullet holes, and gray, lifeless skin. They might have succeeded in making her beautiful again, but her mother was never going to be as beautiful as she had looked alive.
What she couldn’t believe now, however, was that it was the last time she had seen Dominic, until fate brought them back together, both probably older than their years. Maria was sure she hadn’t remembered him because her mother’s death had brought in half the city to pay their respects to the Caruso boss’s late wife. She had met so many men that day—a lot of them creepily telling her what a beautiful woman she was becoming. Dominic had already been an adult, a young one, probably in his early twenties. Between their age difference and her dead mother, it wasn’t surprising her younger self hadn’t paid any attention to him.
She only remembered how tightly her father had held her shoulders from behind when Lucifer and Dominic had come up to pay their respects. The fakest apology of the night had been from Lucifer. Behind those black eyes, she had seen it—satisfaction.
Maria knew her father must have seen it too. But the peace they kept between the two families had been strong then and hadn’t shown any signs of breaking until Lucifer’s greed and sick mind had eaten away at him every day for almost eight years.
With Lucifer’s death, new peace was created with sacrifices from Dominic, and today, history was made with the uniting of their families.
Well … almost.
Someone in their midst, a man they were calling “One-Shot” was making it his life’s mission for the families to declare war once again.
Walking up to the freezer door, Maria decided she had waited long enough. It was time.
Her hand was almost on the handle when it was opened—before she had a chance to find out if Dominic had locked her in or not.
Thinking Dominic had come back for her, it wasn’t until the door was completely opened did she see the dirty blond hair and that cute little face.
“Leo! Thank God.”
Pulled into a tight hug, he asked the obvious while being slightly smothered, “What are you doing in here?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Whose jacket is that …?” he asked, becoming more curious by the second.