He could tell she was becoming uncomfortable.
“Excuse me,” a deep, deadly voice said behind him.
Dominic turned to see one of the Macleans as he walked past him, over to the woman, and wrapped a possessive arm around her waist. He was one of the scariest men he’d ever seen.
“Hello, I’m Dominic Russo.”
“I’m Alastair Maclean.”
They shook hands, but Dominic would be able to tell if he had made the wrong move. This guy wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in his brain.
“I don’t think we’ve ever met,” Alastair said.
“No. I don’t think we run in the same circles,” Dominic joked and chuckled. He felt his nerves spike when the man just stood and stared at him.
“Well, it was nice to meet you both. I think I’ll mingle a bit.”
The woman smiled, but the man just narrowed his eyes at him.
Dominic could feel a bead of sweat roll down his back, and the hand that held the glass trembled, which pissed him off. He stopped and started to talk to one of the daughters when they were interrupted.
“Excuse me.” One of the men who had been by his mother at the front door stood before him, and by the look on his face, he knew his time was up.
“Can you come with me, please?”
“Sure.” Dominic followed behind the two men and woman into an office. The door was closed behind him. If he wanted to bail, this was his last chance, but he decided he needed to see the expression on her face when he told her who he was.
Chapter Two
“I have been told you’re curious about me,” Aria said. “You can ask me anything, Dominic. I’m sorry I can’t place you, and it is driving me crazy.”
“We met a long time ago,” Dominic said.
“When?” she asked.
“The day I was born.”
He could see the confusion on her face.
“I don’t remember being in with a woman in labor. Are you a distant cousin?”
“It wasn’t another woman. You’re the one who gave birth to me,” he said. He watched the confusion, and then the color seeped from her face. One of her men grabbed her arm when she swayed.
“What? How? I only had four children, and one was stillborn.”
“Father told me you couldn’t stand the sight of me, and you told him to take me away. I’ve lived with an aunt about an hour away from here.”
“But… You’re telling me Lorenzo took you from me?”
“Yes. He told me that you despised boys.”
“Oh, God, that’s the farthest thing from the truth, honey.”
A spear of anger raced through him. “Don’t call me honey,” he yelled.
Dominic watched Aria race into the bathroom and then listened as she vomited and sobbed. One of the men followed her and closed the door behind him.
“Where do you live, son?” the man named Trent asked.