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DOMINIC

Working alongside Vinny, Dominic waited outside of a warehouse from a distance because he thought Matteo, one of his men, started the gunfight. After being betrayed at the jewelry store, he wanted to investigate and warn his men. He found monitoring to be tedious and became preoccupied with thoughts of Dia.

Taking pictures with her was fun, but he hated formal pictures. Despite Claudia's influence and affection, he remained skeptical that he would ever change his ways. The relationship between them enhanced his outlook on life, but it was too late. Getting out of the Mafia was a difficult process.

"Boss, you missed it. You're not even looking."

Vinny was always observing. When Dominic's man called him out on his lack of focus, he became annoyed. Because two guys were in the back, Matteo needed a clear angle. And Vinny openly criticized Dominic.

He stared at his guard and said, "You have some nerve talking to me like that. I'm not as deep in my thoughts as you believe. I notice everything."

The question now was: What did Dominic overlook? Did he miss Matteo meeting a rival? Or did he miss the traitor doing something suspicious?

"Vinny, come outside with me."

Dominic knew what to say but kept it civil. He wanted to emphasize to his man that leaving the car would expose their cover. That was wise to think but not express. Vinny was right, of course. No one needed to spot them, but he had to correct his man.

"Okay, boss," Vinny said. "What's up?"

Both men left the car. Dominic whispered, "Listen. Claudia is on my mind. My perspective is off. Take command. You're my eyes now. Listen when I can't. I'm not going to criticize you in front of Dante and Max, and I didn't want to hit you. When your fiancée is going to be shot, your focus wanders. Don't take my behavior personally. What stood out about Matteo? Was he acting suspicious?"

Before looking at Dominic, Vinny breathed deeply and looked at Matteo's house. "He had a long conversation with the police officer who stopped by. I believe the cop is the dirty one who works for your father."

Dominic exhaled. It didn't seem long enough. "All right. Now I know. Get back into the car and watch Matteo. He is doing something shady."

Dominic wondered what his father wanted from his guys as he watched Vinny return to the driver's seat. Discovering that his friend of four years had been talking to Damian upset him. He stayed away from doing something about Matteo since he knew his dad would find out about it. He had to weigh his options like a chess player.

He later sat beside Claudia and gazed at her round eyes. Her lower lip biting was seductive. She soothed him in his tumultuous environment. He despised using the phrase "safe space," as it felt like a millennial version of tenderness.

Dominic became emotional when he said, "I have an end date in mind for the contract, but it won't be until after a few more weeks." Someone on his team had betrayed him, and he couldn't say much without endangering both of them. "Once the Mafia and my family are in order, we can discuss it further if you are comfortable."

Claudia looked at the screen and nodded. "Let's not focus on it. Being together now means everything."

"It does."

Dominic concluded that neither of them cared about their issues. He didn't care where they ended up, and he enjoyed her company. Hopefully, this comfortable feeling will continue. His intelligence, family, and environment shouldn't overwhelm him.

He only wanted her at the end. It was never about a contract with her, but something deeper within him, and expressing it was the problem. He had never been accepted for who he was before, and falling in love after Amelia's death changed his life. He had to be cautious with his words and actions in order to avoid alienating Claudia, which proved difficult.

❖ ❖ ❖

Another night of surveillance was tiresome.

This shit was getting old.

Dominic hid the spy from Claudia for her safety. Despite her eagerness, he couldn't take her to work on Monday. He liked how her camel toe looked in her white pants after work. Not touching her irritated him. She rested on the couch, reducing their sexual tension. After continuously checking his phone, he searched for evidence against Matteo.

Wanting to fuck somebody's face up, Dominic went into the kitchen. Cooking . . . Cooking calmed him.

Gio and the family constantly teased him about it. However, they were wrong, as Dominic was an excellent cook.

His actual intention was to find and punish more betrayers among his men. They should reconsider that tactic.

Claudia appeared five minutes later, rubbing her eyes. She bent over in front of the fridge and grabbed a water bottle. The thin material of her tight leggings strained over her ass.

The sight of her made him want to kiss her deeply and then exercise. Ease this sexual tension between them. His relationship with her hasn't progressed to that point, which was unusual because many women wanted something from him but not Claudia. She only wanted his company.

"You're making dinner?"

Her voice scattered his thoughts.

Dominic blinked. He held a knife, chicken cutlets, and noodles. Huh. He had completely forgotten what he was about to cook.

"Yes," he said.

"Chicken and pasta. Sounds great." Claudia slid the water bottle across the island. "Can I help?"

His instant reaction was no, but this could be handy. He had wasted enough time fooling around, staring at food, stealing kisses and touches, and daydreaming about being physical with her. Yeah, it was time to move forward. "You can grab a pot and olive oil."

She picked a pot from the rack, put it on the stove, and started searching the cabinets. Claudia carefully examined the oil container.

"How often do you cook?"

"When I need to."

She laughed. "I've only seen you cook four times in twelve days. Otherwise, you order out."

"I have a housemate and someone to provide for now."

Claudia smiled and held the oil after tossing her thick hair over her shoulder. An image of her longer, darker, wet hair that matched her flawless brows came to his mind.

Flawless brows?

What the fuck was happening with my brain?

Dominic smashed the knife through the last chicken portions, nearly piercing the cutting board.

"Cooking is a good way to release stress," she replied tentatively after his samurai chop. "I'm not that good. I accidentally fried my whisk while making cherry pie. It wasn't great."

He arched a brow. "That's why cooks must be attentive."

"I was only fourteen at the time and not very skilled with cooking. For months, my foster mom wouldn't let me near the stove."

Claudia drifted across the island and fiddled with the water bottle again. He saw the excitement in her eyes.

She smiled while playing with the bottle. "I've always liked microwave foods and takeout, but I also want to cook like the TV chefs."

Dominic's gaze slid over her down-turned face. She blushed slightly. "You like reality TV, so watch their cooking series. They're not scripted."

"Ha-ha."

Claudia glanced at him with thick lashes, then looked away. She pursed her lips while tucking her hair behind one ear. She was staring at the bottle's label as if she were trying to discover something different about it.

"Here," Dominic said, pointing the knife at the chicken and then the bowls. "First dip the chicken in the eggs, then roll it in the bread crumbs."

Her chin lifted in surprise. She paused before nodding. "I should wash my hands first."

Dominic appreciated his cooking time with her. She hadn't taken much interest in how he cooked since she moved in. It was refreshing. After returning to the kitchen island, Claudia squeezed in next to him to arrange the bowls—eggs first, then flour. He smiled as she understood his method.

"Like this?"

"Yes," he said as her hands were over the chicken. "Dip them. I won't even turn the TV on for you. Learn to cook naturally."

She snorted. "I'm not a teenager anymore."

Dominic lowered his lips to her cheek. "I bet you're just as easily distracted as you were at fourteen."

Claudia dropped the chicken piece in the bowl. As her cheeks turned scarlet, yolk splashed across the cutting board.

"You did that on purpose," she said.

He laughed. "I think I proved my point."

Claudia dutifully dipping the chicken strips was oddly amusing.

She talked about her biological mother's cooking and occasionally glanced at him to see if he was listening while he turned on the burner and watched the oil bubble.

"So you were a child when your parents died, correct?" he asked.

She nodded and took the breaded chicken to the stove, narrowing her eyes. "Yeah. My father got into the wrong hands. Someone who needed to send a message to anyone who crossed him the wrong way."

"You mean someone who was in the Mafia?"

Claudia nodded again, staring at the plate. She turned to face him. "Something like that. The loan shark helped us get into the country for a business proposition. My parents later became citizens."

"Have you ever visited Guatemala?"

"Nope. I might visit to see if any family lives in the capital. But I don't know. Going there would be strange. My parents aren't here to show me where they grew up."

Dominic moved to the other kitchen island to grab the salt and pepper. He sprinkled both spices on the chicken as he neared her. "I can imagine how difficult it would be," he said. "It'll be a different experience for you."

Claudia grinned, messing with a fork. "That's one way to look at it. What about you? Your family is from Italy, and I'm sure you've been there."

"I have," Dominic answered, sipping his water. "I was in Florence last winter and plan to return later this year."

Picking up a chicken strip, Claudia's brows furrowed. "You like to travel during the winter?"

He took the skillet from her. "You'll burn."

Dominic added the chicken to the pot.

Grease cracked.

"So will you, Dom."

"But I can handle it. Pain is nothing to me." He took another slice. "I'd rather go on vacation in the spring. But my uncle's death brought me to Italy."

"I'm—" came after Claudia took a quiet breath.

"Dia, don't apologize. You didn't kill him." He grabbed the food from her and dropped the last piece into the oil. "Our family's enemy killed him. Don't worry about saying you're sorry. There's no need."

She snapped her mouth shut and then opened it. "What is your thing with apologies?"

"I hate apologies for nothing."

"I understand that, but most people say they're sorry because they know you're going through grief. It's sympathetic."

Dominic replied, "It's okay. Rinse your hands again to avoid contracting salmonella."

"Yes, sir." She whirled toward the sink.

Dominic stared at her incredible backside and wanted to sneak up behind her, gripping her hips. And... His thoughts would accomplish nothing today. He needed to focus on cooking and nothing more.

Claudia cleared her throat. "What happened to your uncle?"

And his intimate fantasies disappeared. "Like I said, mafia stuff."

She gently turned, clutching the counter's rim. "You rarely discuss it."

He saw her parted lips and knew he was the cause of them. That pleased him. "You want to know how we work?"

"I'm involved now, so yeah!"

Dominic carefully stared into her eyes.

He ignored his need to keep quiet about the Mafia and used the tongs to flip the chicken. His actual self—the darkness—didn't understand why he was struggling with discussing anything. He didn't think much about the consequences, whether Claudia left him alone afterward or not.

Being as open as possible with her will help them become closer.

He took a deep breath. "I will try to explain what we do as clearly as possible. The Mafia is a powerful organization. We confront opposing threats and find a way out. My guys protect me. If one falls, we all fall together. When the sun sets, we leave traitors, spies, and everything in between lying on the ground. And all is well in the world. We take action against our threats."

"You make it sound so ... so heartless."

"Don't misinterpret me, Dia. Some of us do have hearts. We hate our work, yet it's sometimes necessary." 

He proceeded to pour water into a pot and let it boil.

"Have you had to take care of people who have done you wrong? You know, kill them?" Claudia's brow raised as she waited. "No judgment. I'm just curious."

He flipped another chicken. "I think you know the answer, but I'll elaborate." Before adding spices, Dominic changed his posture. "We manage by taking out the garbage when it stinks. We're perfect hunters who don't mess around. I hate traitors who want to ruin me in disguise." He exhaled and stared. "So, yes, Claudia. I've killed in self-defense. It's not my favorite hobby."

"I didn't think it was."

"And my involvement in the Mafia doesn't appear to scare you."

Claudia's eyes stayed on him as she shook her head. "I have witnessed and dealt with worse."

"Okay." Dominic inhaled a breath, then added, "One of my men is betraying me now."

Her mouth fell. "You might have to get rid of this guy?"

He frowned. "That's not my plan. But the man is a risk. He is disclosing private information."

"Have you confronted him?"

Adding pasta to the pot of water, Dominic laughed. "That's not going to work. My men and I have to be discreet on stakeouts. This traitor won't fess up. We could throw his family over his head, and he'd still be loyal to the one he is speaking with."

Claudia tucked her hair behind her ears. "How do you know he'll do that?"

Dominic answered with a scowl. "Because this person is siding with my father. I believe he is questioning our relationship."

All the color in her cheeks faded. "You don't think he knows anything, do you? You know about our contract?"

"What my father has uncovered is uncertain. If Matteo crosses me, things won't look pretty for him. Few of my men know about our contract, but I've kept quiet for others."

"Oh." She balanced herself on the counter while watching the stove. "So, you haven't told Giovanni about us?"

Dominic could tell Claudia was considering everything from her neutral tone. He may have misjudged her or overreacted. He felt lighter after speaking with her about everything. She listened and didn't judge him.

"No," he replied. "And it would be best if no one in my family found out."

In silence, Claudia nodded, then pointed to the trees from the sink window.

"I think it's about to storm again," she said. "The trees are swaying pretty violently out there."

Dominic stepped beside her and peered through the dense bushes, spotting two sets of eyes and a tiny silver reflector around someone's neck.

His instincts tingled.

He turned off the stove and sped across the kitchen, taking Claudia with him. "Stay back."

"Why?" Fear cut off her voice. "Did you see something?"

Dominic stared, squinting. "Don't go near the windows."

"I won't." She gripped the pantry knob. "Something is going on, isn't there?"

Dominic turned to face her. "Be quiet and stay out of sight."

She stood as he hesitated. Shit. He thought she would ignore him once he stepped away from her.

Dominic whispered, "We have an intruder. You need to hide."

"What? Where are your security guards?"

"I will find out." He shoved her into the pantry's back corner. "Keep all doors locked and all lights turned off. Once you close this door, no one can open it from the outside. The pantry is my panic room. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, but shouldn't you call the police?"

"It will take them thirty minutes to come out here, and I think they killed my guard."

Claudia trembled in front of him. "You think somebody will get inside and attack us?"

He shook his head. "I will not let it get that far, and I need to look into this. Stay inside. I'll be back."

"And if you're not...?"

He didn't answer as he made his way to the side door.

Dominic walked outside, closed the door, and locked her in.

He beckoned Claudia through the glass. The silence between them ended when she retreated into the pantry and shut the door.

He smiled and turned toward the trees.

It was time to hunt.

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