✧

CLAUDIA

A gunshot rang in Claudia's ears, causing her to jump out of bed. At first, she thought she was having a nightmare, but when she looked around the room, Dominic wasn't in there. She slung her legs over the side of the bed as she yanked on her jeans.

On her way out the door, she stopped to listen.

Nothing—then a squishy crunching sound that made her stomach rumble, followed by a low grumble, and finally the sound of a body thudding to the floor.

She should have stayed in the room, but the worry for Dominic forced her downstairs. Were there more intruders at the mansion?

Cold terror pierced through her heart as she cautiously stepped into the hall.

Her pulse was pounding as she carefully descended the two flights of stairs. She wanted to call out for him, but she knew, deep down, that something terrible had happened during the night. It was the same emotion she felt the time they encountered an intruder.

She opened her mouth to say Dominic's name, but nothing came out her lips became instantly parched. Claudia walked forward, her legs numb.

She smelled the harsh afterburn of a fired gun as her bare feet met the cool wood floors. The atmosphere below was thick with oppression.

As she made her way to the kitchen area, Claudia grabbed the first vase she saw.

A shoe was the first thing she noticed.

A black trouser-clad leg cut across the entrance to the doorway. The shoes looked brand new and recently shined. She shuffled forward in a trance, her gaze following the length of his leg to the odd angle of his waist. The man's jacket revealed a gray weapon holster. The gun was beside his outstretched hand on the floor.

It was against her better judgment, but she had to look.

Rocco was lying on the ground with his neck twisted to one side. He wasn't breathing. At all.

Oh God . . .

Next to him, propped up against the kitchen island, was Alfonso.

His throat suffered from a wound. His frail bones gave way under the pressure. Both guys were dead, and Dominic... Dominic was nowhere to be found.

The vase slipped out of her hands and shattered on the floor into large pieces of porcelain. Her throat was working on a scream, but nothing came out. She staggered backward, putting a hand over her gaping mouth. This couldn't have happened. Her mind steadfastly refused to accept the complete loss of life.

Possibly she was only dreaming.

No.

Her heart was pounding, and the sights, smells, and sounds were all too vivid.

She felt a touch on her shoulder, and the scream that had been building in her throat finally came out.

Claudia tried to get away, but an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back into a firm, bare chest.

"Dia, it's me. It's okay."

Relief rushed through her at a rapid pace. She turned with her face to Dominic's chest. "Oh my God, Dom! What happened here?"

After a short pause, Dominic put his arms around her body. Even though the hug was tense and hurt, Claudia didn't care. She held on to him like he was a life raft designed only for her.

She tried to forget what was going on by taking a deep breath of his scent. "They were spying, right?"

"No."

It didn't take long for the full meaning of the word to sink in. When that happened, Claudia took a small step back and raised her head.

She looked at how striking Dominic was.

He seemed to have no emotions, which was odd. She couldn't figure out what about him reminded her of the man who had smiled at her and stayed in bed with her just days before.

Unease crept up on her. "What do you mean?"

Dominic's dark eyes met hers, and he said, "That's not why they were here."

Claudia tried to take a breath, but her lungs wouldn't open. Seeing the duffel bag on her kitchen table caused her fear to grow like a tangled vine and suffocate her. "Why then? Who killed them?"

"I did. There was no way around it."

Her breath caught again.

The room's temperature changed, and she wobbled a little.

"I need you to pack as much as you can upstairs," Dominic said in a whisper. "Now," he continued, his hands sliding slowly down her back. "We have to leave immediately."

Her heart sank as she moved away. Based on what he explained about himself and the Mafia, Claudia would have run away from Dominic years ago, but not this Dominic. Even though he had flaws and could be dangerous, he was still a great person.

So why were there dead bodies on the kitchen floor?

Claudia let out a long sigh. "You killed them?"

His face was both cold and angry at the same time. "I think that's been confirmed already."

Knots formed in her stomach. Rocco and Alfonso's bodies flashed before her eyes for one frightening second. "Why?"

Dominic's face showed that he didn't think he had time to give a good reason for why he killed two of his father's men.

There was a dangerous mix of anger and fear. "Dom, I obviously didn't get the memo! The last time I checked," she said, pointing with one shaky hand behind her shoulder, "they were guarding your father."

"They were, but he sent them," Dominic said, running his hand through his hair. That same hand had ended two lives earlier in the night. "Rocco and Alfonso had a job to do."

She felt sick to her stomach.

Claudia started to move. She needed to get away from the bodies and into the fresh air.

Again, it felt like an elephant was pressing down on her chest, and this time the pressure was rising. Her ears were ringing.

He grabbed her, putting one arm around her and the other around the back of her neck. As Dominic's grip got tighter, her heart beat faster.

"You're not getting it, Dia." His attention went straight to her face. "They came here to get rid of you so you wouldn't tell anyone what you saw while you pretended to be my fiancée. Not to mention, this was my father's way of forcing me to marry Irene."

Claudia put her hand on the middle of her chest. She didn't understand and was afraid. Her chest hurt because her heart was beating so fast.

"My father decided he'd rather keep the Guarini family happy, and he thought taking care of you was a big part of that. The guards didn't care that I didn't want them to do their job, so we need to get the hell out of here. Now."

Dominic leaned in closer to her when she didn't react. "I know this is a lot to process, Claudia. You've been through a lot, but you're going to face more conflicts."

"More conflicts?"

The feeling of his cold hands on her face startled her. "I know we have some problems to sort out, but we need to stick together. Only until I get you somewhere safe. Stay calm. I will help you get out of this."

"You want us to be together?"

Dominic nodded. "Yes."

Now she knew what had been going on the whole time. More shocking than the raging criminals, the dead guards in the kitchen, and the other Mafia families who wanted to give her a cement swim was the fact that Dominic was protecting her.

He sighed. "Are you sure you can breathe? It appears like you're..."

"Why?" Claudia took hold of Dominic's hands. "Why would you do something like this? Protecting me meant going against your father and another family. Why would you take this risk?"

Dominic blinked thoughtfully and withdrew his hands. He shuddered slightly. "Claudia, we need to get moving. We can't afford to—"

"No!" Her skin tingled, and she clenched her hands. What if she was totally off base with her assumptions? "I need to know why you'd do this. Because, frankly, what do I know? Why should I trust you?"

He put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. She had no idea what she was getting herself into with him.

"I don't know," Dominic admitted.

Claudia tried to speak, but nothing came out of her mouth.

"I don't know," he said again, enraged. "Maybe it was because I didn't want anything bad to happen to you."

That didn't provide her much of an explanation. There wasn't a bombshell reason why she should have faith in him, but that wasn't the point. Dominic had never pleaded with her to believe in him.

She didn't believe he had ever done so. "I had planned to leave today, Dominic. To break up with you."

"Well, if it's okay with you, could you break up with me after I save your life?"

She looked up and into his eyes. The expression had softened. He seemed to be just as worried as she was.

She rubbed her hands together while they were trembling.

Trusting him to get out of this was huge, especially since they were about to move on from each other.

She could be making a terrible mistake. Was it possible that he planned to kill her? And all he was doing was putting on a show for her? Get her to have faith in him? The thought twisted her soul, but a little voice told her that wasn't true. If Dominic wanted to, he could have killed her by now. And she'd given him her trust before.

She needed to give him another chance at gaining her trust.

Claudia responded, "Okay," and instantly felt the impulse to jump off a cliff.

Dominic's lips twitched as if he wanted to smile, and the knots in her gut tightened even more.

She packed a few pieces of clothing while in a trance. He'd found a tiny suitcase that could hold almost everything.

It was only a matter of minutes, but the time flew by. Even though she grew familiar with surprises, this one still caught her off guard.

Dominic's dad hated her.

As Claudia packed her last pair of jeans into the bag, her heart sped up. What hope did she have with a group of angry mobsters hot on her trail? There would be no way out for her. Never again would she be in charge of her own life. They were after her so Dominic could marry the woman he despised.

The seriousness of the situation had a chilling effect on her. She swore again as she felt the unmistakable catch of her breath.

Claudia closed her eyes and took a long breath. She trusted Dominic wholeheartedly. And he was all she had to rely on right now.

She hurriedly picked up her bags and looked around the room for other necessities.

Nothing was left behind, and time was of the essence.

Dominic had waited for her in the hall. He stopped suddenly when she took a good look at him, his duffle bag bursting at the seams beside the entrance.

Wow.

Something had shifted in him. It wasn't the clothes alone.

Underneath the skintight black shirt, Dominic's rippling muscles flexed with sinewy strength. His thighs, covered in leather pants, looked like timber. His new boots were very badass. He didn't look like the man who sat on the couch in the mornings, covered in jogging pants and sipping coffee. What Claudia surveyed was an overbearing display of power that went beyond just testosterone and was intimidating. The unpredictability extended to the uncontrolled tumbling of his dark curl.

Dominic was dangerously attractive, but that wasn't all he put out into the atmosphere. Adventure and excitement. The threat of a man who could keep things under control even when they escalated and who could and would fuck a person senseless when everything boiled over.

Claudia felt her cheeks heat up.

Knowing that her ovaries were still producing eggs like they were going out of style was reassuring. Jesus. Her head shook. "You look like Alessandro. Like, a lot."

His eyebrows furrowed.

"I mean, you have the same blood and everything, but you look like him." Claudia froze. "You are Dominic, right?"

He cracked a small grin.

"I love how you came onto me in my office."

"Yeah, you're Dom."

Dominic chuckled while smiling.

Claudia indicated his bag with her chin. "Where are we going?"

"We need a car. Something that is untraceable. Vinny is handling that for us."

"Can you trust him?" she asked. "Everyone seems to be turning on you."

"I know, but my guard is legit." Dominic motioned to the kitchen. "If you want anything to eat or drink, the kitchen is clear. I took care of the bodies."

A tremor ran through Claudia's veins. She didn't care what Dominic had done to them. As callous as that made her feel, she didn't want to give the two men a second thought.

"I'm fine," she replied. "I'm going to go take my bag outside."

He nodded firmly.

Surprised that he hadn't made any remarks about her wandering around, Claudia dragged the suitcases out onto the terrace.

It was a dark and cloudy morning, but the cool breeze made it tolerable. As Claudia propped the luggage up against the chair, she felt the tension in her muscles ease.

A black Mercedes, possibly the guards', sat in the driveway. A chill ran through her again.

Unable to understand why Dominic had stopped the men from doing what they were there to do, Claudia grabbed the luggage handle and pulled it toward the front of the house. Her head was spinning as a result of this circumstance. Maybe she'd figure it out later if there was such a thing. Perhaps Dominic will talk about his feelings and explain why he was willing to die for her.

When she turned to the back door, something blurred past the vehicle. It resembled the silhouette of a tall man. However, no one was in sight. It was only her.

For an instant, a shudder ran down her spine and then her breath caught in her throat, transporting her back to the moment Dominic was on the staircase, just on the verge of losing control. She held the column in her grasp as she swayed and moved her head away from it.

Holy shit . . .

Her adrenaline caused her to twist, but she lost her footing after her heel got stuck in a gap. She fell and cracked her knees on the concrete. The agony in her legs was excruciating.

"Dom!"

A cold hand gripped her exposed ankle and yanked her back. She tried her best, but she wasn't able to hold onto the column anymore. Her cheek smacked the ground as she rolled onto her side. Her face and lips erupted in pain again. There was a sudden intake of air, and she tasted blood.

Two tall, cloaked figures sprinted through the dense bushes, surrounded her, and reached for her shoulders.

Claudia screamed.

✧