I’m just about to give him the tongue lashing of a lifetime when three sharp knocks suddenly sound at the door. I yelp, my heart shooting straight into my throat. Are we under attack? Are Dominic’s enemies here to finish the job? No, that makes no sense. Why would they announce their presence if that were the case?
“It’s me!” a man’s voice shouts from the other side of the hall. I haven’t known him for very long, but I recognize Elio’s voice.
Despite being in obvious pain, Dominic answers. “About fucking time you showed up,” he grumbles.
Elio flashes a charming smile, shrugging casually. He’s got a hefty first aid kit in one hand. “I came as fast as I could. Those assholes tailed me for twenty city blocks before I was finally able to lose them. How are you holding up?”
“Fine,” Dominic says, even though he doesn’tsoundfine.
“Do you want me to stitch you up?”
“After you left a nasty scar the last time? Fuck no. I’ll do it myself.” Dominic snatches the first aid kit and turns on his heel. “I want you to call an emergency meeting with the other capos. And get me Lorenzo on the line.”
“Sure thing, boss,” Elio answer dutifully. “Anything else?”
“Have some of the boys move Arin and her daughter into my place —”
“Hey!” I interject. “You can’t just make that decision for me.”
“I already did,” Dominic replies coolly, not bothering to ask for permission as he enters my small bathroom at the very end of the hall. “Get it done, Elio,” he calls over his shoulder before locking himself inside.
I’m fuming. Where the hell does he get off telling me what to do? The only reason I’m in this mess isbecauseof him. If Dominic really is adamant about protecting me, then the smart thing to do is leave Felicia and me the hell alone. Now that I know he’s some top-dog mobster, there’s no way I’d be comfortable letting him into my daughter’s life let alonemove inwith him.
“This is ridiculous,” I mutter bitterly. “He’s lost his damn mind.”
Elio offers me a sympathetic smile. “He means well. Try to go easy on him.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Go easy on him? Are you fucking kidding me?”
He scratches sheepishly behind his ear. “These last few months have been really hard on him. He lost his brother last month, and now with everything that’s going on—”
“Wait,” I say with a frown. “Dominic has a brother?”
“Had,” Elio corrects.
“What happened?”
“I’ve already said way too much.”
I grasp him gently by the arm. “Please, I have to know.”
Elio pauses. I can practically hear the gears turning inside his head. I wonder if he’s weighing the consequences for telling me the truth.
“Tommaso was his kid brother,” he explains finally. “He’d just finished college with plans of shipping off to medical school in the fall.”
“He wasn’t a part of the Mob?” I ask.
“No. Dom wouldn’t let him join.”
“Why not?”
“Because once you swear your life to this lifestyle, the only way out is death. Dominic didn’t want that for his little brother. Say what you want about Dom’s mean mug, but deep down he’s a good man. At the end of the day, he only wants what’s best for the people that matter to him.”
My stomach rolls. I can practically hear the admiration and respect in Elio’s tone. “So… what happened?” I press on, my curiosity burning a hole in my lungs.
Elio lets out a heavy breath. “They were out and about. Went to lunch. On their way back, they were ambushed. There was a shootout in broad daylight.”
I bring a hand up to my mouth in utter dismay. “Don’t tell me…”