by L. P. Dover
“Faith!” Dominic shouted, rushing over to me. “What’s wrong?”
I burst out crying and flung my arms around him. By now, everyone had rushed over, but all I could focus on was the back door. “It’s Cadoc,” I cried, pointing to the wall. “He told me to open the back door.”
Reed, Micah, Isaiah and Marco pulled out their guns and rushed over to the door. Dominic cupped my face and tilted my chin up. “Stay here with Luca and Connor.” With his gun drawn, he ran over to join the others.
Connor grunted. “Cartwright’s a fucking cunt messing with a bloody woman. I’d like to rip off his wee dick and shove it up his arse.”
Luca stood in front of me, blocking me from the action. My breaths came out so fast I thought I’d hyperventilate. Everything moved in slow motion and I jumped when I heard the boom of the back door being kicked open. I knew Cadoc wouldn’t have mentioned it if he hadn’t had already done something bad.
“Fuck!” Dominic shouted. “Call an ambulance, now! We need help!” The sound of his scream gutted me. Someone was hurt, and again, it was all my fault.
Luca pulled out his phone. “On it,” he shouted back. With tears rushing down my cheeks, I ran past Luca and over to the back door. “Faith, stop!” Luca yelled.
Connor chased after me and grabbed me around the waist. “Whatever’s going on, you can’t go out there.”
And just then, Dominic and Micah pulled two bodies in from outside, both men unrecognizable by their mangled, bloody faces. Bile rose up the back of my throat and I rushed over to the trash can, puking up everything I had in my stomach. I looked over at the two men on the floor, and through the blood, I could see a familiar tattoo on one of them.
“Oh my God,” I cried, falling down to my knees. It was Taylor and Darius, the only two fighters who fought for the Corsino name.
Covered in blood, Dominic looked over at me and I barely recognized the man behind those gray eyes. It was war time and it wasn’t going to be pretty.
***
I’d cried so much I could barely see out the window. Everything on the bustling streets below was nothing but a huge blur. My body hurt from crying so much. Taylor was dead and Darius was barely hanging on.
Connor and Luca had escorted me up to Dominic’s suite before the ambulances and the police showed up. Reed and Micah stayed behind so they could talk to them. I was scared for my parents, and I didn’t know how to tell them they could possibly be in danger. I didn’t want them exposed to the kind of world I lived in, but there was no choice. Cadoc made it abundantly clear that he could do whatever the hell he wanted with no remorse. Hurting my parents would certainly not bother him in the least.
I didn’t want to give in to Cadoc, but I had no choice. He wasn’t going to stop until he got what he wanted. I just had to pray like hell the police could take him down before the fight. While Connor and Luca talked in the kitchen, I snuck away to the bedroom and shut the door.
I found Cadoc’s number in my phone and pressed the call button, clenching my hands into tight fists to keep them from shaking. It felt like all the energy had been zapped out of my body. Sitting down on the bed, I closed my eyes and waited for him to pick up.
Cadoc answered on the third ring. “I always knew you were a smart woman, Ms. Hilliard.”
“Obviously not. A smart woman would’ve figured out how to take you down.”
He chuckled. “No need to be harsh on yourself. Have you come to a decision?”
I swallowed hard. “Yes. I’ll work with you and your nephew. We can meet at the firm on Monday morning.”
The sound of his sinister laugh sent chills up my spine. “Oh, Faith, I love how innocent you are. That’s not how this is going to work. I call the shots. After the fight next Saturday, you’re going to have a late dinner with me and William. We’ll discuss everything then.”
“Dominic will never let me go,” I snapped.
He sighed. “I suggest you figure out a way. I may not have direct access to your parents at the moment, but I do see a certain friend of yours on occasion. What’s his name again? Oh yeah, Sam Hill. His girlfriend’s pregnant too. I’d hate to see something bad happen to them.”
When I thought things had hit rock bottom, I couldn’t have been more wrong. “You are such a bastard,” I growled. “I’ll leave with you and William after the fight.”
“Good girl. We’ll see you then.”
He hung up and I sat on the bed, unable to move. What the hell had I just done? There was no way Dominic would let me go. If the police couldn’t bring Cadoc down, I had no choice. I didn’t want anymore blood on my hands.
A knock came from the door and then Luca’s voice. “Faith, you okay? Dominic’s on his way up.”
I cleared my throat. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be right out.”
Hurrying into the bathroom, I looked in the mirror at my red, swollen eyes. I barely recognized myself. The things I knew about the world had changed me. It wasn’t all cupcakes and rainbows like my parents wanted me to believe. After taking a few deep breaths, I left the bedroom and prayed to God I didn’t break down the first second I saw Dominic. Connor and Luca looked at me, but they didn’t say a word. Before I could sit on the couch, the door to the suite opened and Dominic stormed in. His hands were stained with blood and there were dark red stains all over his clothes. He marched over to Connor and Luca and said a few words to them before they walked out.
Not caring that he was covered in blood, I rushed over to him and he held me so tight I could barely breathe. “Are the guys going to be okay?”
His grip tightened. “No. They’re done fighting for a while.”
“What are you going to do? Who’s going to fight?”
With a heavy sigh, he let me go and looked right into my eyes. “One way or another we’ll have a fighter.” He glanced down at his bloody hands. “I need to take a shower. Reed and Micah should be up here soon. I’ll be out in a minute.”
Turning on his heel, he started toward the bedroom, but I grabbed his arm. “Wait. You need to hear this from me first.”
Dominic slowly turned back around. “First before what?” he asked, his voice dangerously low. I had to tell him before Cadoc did.
“Cadoc threatened to go after my parents,” I confessed. “And he also said he’d go after Sam and his pregnant girlfriend.” Tears filled my eyes. “You and I both know he’ll do it.”
His eyes blazed and it probably wasn’t the best time to tell him, but there was no other option. “When did you talk to him?” he demanded.
I swallowed hard. “Just a few minutes ago.”
It was clear Dominic only held on by a thread. “What does he want?” he growled, clenching his teeth so hard I could hear them grind together.
Deep down, I knew Cadoc wanted more than just my help with the firm. Threatening my parents was just the beginning. He’d keep threatening me until he had everything he wanted. I didn’t want to think of all the things he and his nephew wanted from me.
“Philip did give up his half,” I said. “Cadoc wants me to leave with him and William after the fight on Saturday to discuss business plans.”
Dominic fumed. “Over my dead fucking body,” he shouted. “You can forget that shit.”
“He’ll go after my friends and family,” I cried. “What else was I supposed to do?”
He ran his hands angrily through his hair and paced the floor. “I swear to fucking God, if the police don’t get him by then I’ll kill Cadoc and William myself.”
I threw my arms in the air. “That doesn’t do much good to me if you’re behind bars for the rest of your life.”
He stopped in front of me and grabbed my arms. “It’s better than the alternative, Faith. You and I both know what they want.” His eyes darkened. “You are not going with them. Understand?”
“Okay,” I whispered, my voice shaking.
He must’ve seen the terror in my eyes because his expression softened and he wrapped his arms around me. “C
all your parents and get them to the airport. Say it’s a surprise trip we wanted to gift them. I’m going to have my private jet there in two hours to take them wherever they want to go.”
Relief washed through me. I wanted them as far away from danger as possible. “Thank you. What about Sam?”
“We’ll get him and his girlfriend out of town tomorrow.”
There was no one else Cadoc could use to threaten me with once they were gone. Well, other than Layla, but she was perfectly protected in Wyoming. A knock rapped on the door. “Make the calls, Faith. I promise we’ll keep them safe. I’ll be in the study with Reed and Micah if you need me.”
I nodded. “Go.”
Dominic opened the door and Reed and Micah walked in. They went straight down the hall to Dominic’s study. I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and called my parents number. It turned out that both of their birthdays were coming up in a few weeks. I had the perfect reason to get them out of town.
“Hey, honey,” my mother answered. Hearing her voice made my eyes burn. The thought of Cadoc hurting her or my dad made me boil.
“Pack your bags,” I exclaimed. “You and dad are going on a birthday trip to wherever you want! The jet will be ready to pick you up in two hours. Dominic and I are paying for everything.”
She gasped. “Seriously? How am I supposed to pack in two hours?”
“I don’t know, but get it done,” I said, trying to sound happy. “You always wanted to go to Australia. Now’s the time to do it.” She squealed and hollered at my dad to tell him. It didn’t take long to convince them, but it made me feel a lot better to know they were going to be across the world from Cadoc. Now all I had to do was convince Sam to leave town.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Dominic
“We have a huge fucking problem,” I said as I shut the study door. I walked over to my desk and sat down. There was blood still on my hands and I could smell it on my clothes. I was so goddamn pissed I wanted to hit something … or better yet, kill it. Cadoc would do. Reed and Micah sat down in the chairs in front of my desk and waited for me to continue. “Faith talked to Cadoc again,” I told them.
Reed lifted his brows. “You mean after everything that just happened?”
I nodded. “Yep. Philip signed over his half of the firm before they killed him. Cadoc’s threatening to go after Faith’s parents if she doesn’t agree to his terms. He’s expecting her to go off with him Saturday night after the fight.”
Micah shook his head. “I’ve been with the FBI for six years now and have never encountered someone as fucked up as that motherfucker.”
Reed huffed. “We can’t let her go with them.”
“We’re not,” I stated. “She’s getting her parents out of town and somewhere safe as we speak. But I’m telling you now,” I said, glancing back and forth at them, “if your people can’t take down the Cartwrights I’m going to do it for you. This has got to end.”
Reed was a play by the rules kind of guy, but Micah wasn’t. I didn’t care if Reed approved or not, I was going to take Cadoc out. They both looked at each other and nodded, and then Reed turned to me. “All right, we’ll help you. This has gone too far. I’ll do anything to keep Faith and her family safe.”
He stood and so did Micah. “I’m in,” Micah agreed, cracking his knuckles. “It’s been a while since I’ve killed someone.”
It felt like for once we were all on the same page, especially me and Reed. “I owe you,” I told them.
Micah snorted. “Now that Taylor and Darius are out you should let me fight. I can kick some serious ass.”
It wasn’t a bad idea, but I had other plans. “Thanks, Perry, but there’s someone else I have in mind.”
“Who?” Reed asked.
I stood and spread my arms out wide. “Me. If it’s my name on the line, there’s really no other choice. I’m going to fight for it.”
A look of respect passed across Reed’s face. “Gotta hand it to you, Corsino. You really do have balls of steel.”
Micah chuckled. “He’ll need them after Faith hears what he’s doing.” That was for damn sure. “Do you want me to help you train?” he asked.
I nodded. “I want to bring someone else in too. We used to fight together years ago in a place where losing wasn’t an option. If you lost, you died.” It was a dark time in my life, but now it’d gotten even darker. I couldn’t lose.
***
Once Reed and Micah left, I checked on Faith and she was asleep on the couch. I was going to tell her the plan, but there was plenty of time for that later. I wished I knew what was going through her mind. She wasn’t used to my world like I was. I dealt with constant threats every single day of my life. There were some people you needed to take seriously while others were just full of shit. Cadoc Cartwright was not. His threats were serious and he always followed through. The Corsinos had the fear too when my father was still alive, but I wasn’t about to kill everyone in my path that crossed me like he did. It was a strike against me. That was why I needed everyone to see me fight.
After taking a quick shower, I went back into my study and quietly shut the door. The man I was looking for was Paxton Emerson, professional UFC fighter. We had become friends during our time at the Dark Side, but when it got shut down, we separated ways. I hadn’t spoken to him since then.
Scrolling through my phone, I found his number. I didn’t know if it was the same, but it didn’t hurt to try. The line rang and rang, but then he picked up.
“Hello,” he answered.
“Paxton Emerson,” I said.
“That’s me. Who’s this?”
“Dominic Corsino.”
“Holy shit,” he exclaimed, “never thought I’d hear from you again. What’s going on? Been seeing you on the news a lot lately.”
I sighed. “Yeah, it’s been a real clusterfuck over here. Had someone frame me for murder, but the police don’t have enough evidence to convict him.”
Paxton huffed. “Sorry, man. It’s that mobster life you got going on. Don’t know how you do it.”
Closing my eyes, I rested my head on my hand. “I’m about to get out of it.”
“Really?” he countered, sounding surprised. “I’d wondered what you were going to do after your dad died. I’m sorry about that, by the way. It was all over the news.”
I scoffed. My father’s death was on the news way longer than I wanted. “It’s good he’s gone,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “The man was involved in too much shady shit.”
“Which brings me to my question,” Paxton explained. “Not that I’m not happy you called, but I have a feeling you need something.”
I turned my chair toward the window and peered out. “I do. I wanted to see if you’d help me.”
Paxton chuckled. “For what? A fight?”
“Yes,” I said, getting to my feet. “A few weeks ago, I started up my own underground fighting ring. It’s by the rules kind of fights, not to the death. The winners get a fuck ton of money.”
“I can’t do those kinds of fights anymore, Dom. I’m married, and for once in my life, doing things right.”
“No,” I replied quickly, “I don’t want you to fight. I want your help to train me. I’m the one getting in the ring. The guy who framed me challenged my family to a fight. He’s stalking my girlfriend and threatening her. For that alone, I should’ve just killed him.”
He snorted. “I know how that goes. Had to deal with the same shit with Gabriella. You remember that, right?”
“I remember,” I agreed. Gabriella was still one of the best women’s UFC fighters in the country. Years ago, she was forced to fight men at the Dark Side because she was threatened with Paxton’s death. “Anyway,” I continued, “this bastard not only has been threatening Faith’s family, but he tried to mess me up by beating the shit out of my two fighters. One died and the other’s in the hospital. What better way to say fuck you than to win it myself? It’s something I should’ve done in the first
place.”
The line went silent, but then Paxton groaned. “I swear, it never ends. One day when I have kids, they better not get into the same shit we have.”
“Does this mean you’ll help me?” I asked. “If it makes you feel any better, I have two FBI agents in my circle. They’re helping me. You won’t get into any trouble coming here.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. Never thought I’d hear you say you’re working with the FBI,” he said, chuckling.
“Kind of hard not to when your sister marries one of their agents.”
Paxton kept chuckling. “All right, I’ll come out there. Is your girl going to be around?”
“Hopefully,” I grumbled, “I haven’t told her yet that I’ll be the one fighting.”
He whistled. “Good luck with that. I’ll bring Gabriella with me. She can smooth things over and tell her some stories. Maybe even teach her some moves. We can only stay until Friday though.”
That was fine with me. “Thanks, Paxton. I’ll pay for all your expenses. Just come to the hotel and I’ll take care of everything.”
“Sounds good. You better have a kick ass gym at that hotel of yours.”
That made me smile. “Just you wait and see.”
We hung up and I heard footsteps coming down the hall. “Faith?” I called out.
The door opened and she slowly walked in, covered in a blanket and rubbing her eyes. “I can’t believe I passed out.” She lifted her phone and smiled. “My parents called and said they’re headed to Australia. They wanted to tell you thank you, but I told them you were busy.”
Having them out of Cadoc’s reach was for the best. Australia was as far away as you could get. “I hope they have fun.”
Her lips pulled back in a sad smile. “Me too. Once Sam and his girlfriend are safely away, I’ll feel a lot better.”
“They’ll be fine,” I promised her. “We’ll have them gone tomorrow. Right now, there’s something I need to tell you.”
