Destroying Dominic (Genoa Mafia Series Book 3)

by Ginger Ring

  A gasp startled him. There was no reason to turn around, he knew who it was.

  “What happened here?” Her fingers wrapped around his arm as she stood behind him. “Who are they?” The fact that she didn’t start screaming or calling the police was a good sign.

  “Bad people.”

  “Worse than the ones who killed them?” She squeezed his arm and he turned her way.

  “Yes.” He slipped from her grasp and looked down at her face. “They were the ones who got your friend’s son into drugs and were selling around the schools. It was also these guys who blew up your home. If you would have been there, you’d have been killed.” He pointed to the bodies on the floor. “They would have killed you. So, yes, they are worse.”

  Stephanie swallowed and twirled her hair around her finger. “Did you, you know, have anything to do with what happened to them?”

  Dominic narrowed his eyes. Stephanie just proved again that she was not naïve to this lifestyle. She didn’t mention Dominic by name in case the place was wired but the place was clean. “No, but I will now. Roman wants his family and the town to be safe, but it was someone else who did this.” The Mayhem Tribe took this group out but it was his job to dispose of them. “We just have to make them go away.”

  Stephanie nodded and stepped back. Not like she was appalled but more like she was just getting out of the way.

  “Stay here and I’ll back the van in.” Dominic hurried to the van, turned it around, and backed it into the shed. Stephanie stood near the open door, probably to breathe some fresh air. When he got out and opened the back of the van, she was by his side again.

  “How do we get them in there?” she asked.

  Dom’s heart skipped a beat. Not only had she not freaked out but she actually said “we.” “You’re not upset?”

  “I should be, but these are bad people. Killers, drug dealers, and who knows what else they’ve done. Does this make me sick to my stomach? Yes. But if it is them or me? Or you?” She glanced at the bodies and a shiver rippled through her body. “I’d rather it be them. Let’s get this done and get out of here.”

  Dominic tossed her a pair of leather gloves. Fingerprints could still be left at a scene through latex gloves so he only used leather on a job. They would be too big for her but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that she was here and helping. She understood that there was evil in the world and sometimes you had to be as bad as them to get rid of it.

  Stephanie helped him lay out the body bags, while he rolled the corpses on to them. He had a ramp that pulled out of the back of the van and lay on the floor. If the guys were too big, he had a pulley system. He was strong but he didn’t want to lift three hundred pounds of dead weight if he didn’t have to. They gathered all the plastic and stuffed that into another bag that would be going to the funeral home to burn also.

  Everything went smoothly and they were on the road back to his place in no time. The woman who’d worked so hard by his side was quiet the whole way. As soon as they got home, she went back to typing at her laptop.

  He set an iced coffee on the table near where she sat. “Are you ever going to tell me what you’re writing?”

  “I usually write romances that all have a happy ending.”

  “Usually?”

  Sighing, Stephanie sat back in her chair and looked up at him. “It’s about me and what happened to get me where I am today. I want to get everything out of my system and move on. I can’t keep hiding.” She shrugged. “It will be fiction and I won’t use anyone’s names.”

  “Am I in the story?” He stared down at her and her cheeks blushed. The image of his photo in the center of her board came to mind.

  “The most recent parts.” Her gaze returned to the screen.

  “And how does this one end?”

  “I guess we’ll find out.” There was determination in her eyes. Somehow, things had changed with her in the last week. Right after the fire, she was unsure and withdrawn, but now, Stephanie seemed to have recovered from the loss of her place. Was maybe even a little stronger because of it. Sometimes you had to lose everything to find out what you truly needed.

  “Can I read it?” It was a sure bet that she would say no but he had to ask anyway. Time was running out and he needed to know what options they had. She brought out the defender in him. He cared about her. Something he said he’d never do again, but some things were worth fighting for.

  They’d skirted around each other for the past year, both trying to ignore the other, yet he caught her staring his way every time he dared look in her direction. In the last few days, they’d shared just about every meal and spent every minute of the day together as if they were a couple. He liked being alone yet he couldn’t imagine being here without her. She belonged here, with him.

  Stephanie still hadn’t answered all of his questions. Her fingers toyed with a pen on the table before she slipped it into the jar that held others. “How about I just tell you?” Dominic nodded, too shocked to answer. “I just want to finish it up and then we’ll talk. Okay?”

  “Yeah.” He took a step back. “Yeah, I’ll be out in the shed when you’re ready.”

  It was like opening an oven door when he stepped outside. The temperature had to be ninety-six in the shade. It would be a bitch in the shed but it was important that Stephanie finish what she needed to do. After waiting so long to hear what had happened in her life, it would finally be out in the open. Was he ready for it? Nothing she could say would shock him, at least he hoped not. Whatever it was, they would figure things out together.

  There was no way he would be welding or starting the hopper this afternoon. Even with all the doors open and the strong breeze, it was still toasty. Dom decided to use the rest of the afternoon to organize his tools and put things away. Before he knew it, the sky had darkened, not from the late hour but from the approaching storm. The radio crackled several times with weather warnings and he could hear the storm siren going off in Genoa.

  Dammit, he had better go check on Stephanie. After shutting the doors and turning off the lights, he set off for the house. Lightning flashed and he glanced to where it still lit up the sky over the lake.

  He stopped in his tracks. There standing alone on his dock was Stephanie. She was too close to the edge. His heart stopped. Was she going to jump?

  Chapter Twenty

  Stephanie

  The water felt wonderful on her toes. Tossing her shorts and top to the side, she jumped in. Slipping below the water felt heavenly after the hot day. Even the air conditioning in the cabin couldn’t keep up. Coming to the surface, she reached for the dock. Out of nowhere, a hand grabbed her and pulled her out of the lake.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Dominic yelled.

  “Cooling off. It’s stuffy inside so I felt like jumping in the water.”

  “I thought…” He briefly closed his eyes and then seemed to relax. “Are you ready to talk?”

  “Yeah, let’s go inside.” A crack of thunder sounded in the distance but for the first time in forever, it didn’t bother her. It was as if she’d been reborn. Purging the words from her mind and then cleansing the heat from her body was like a rebirth.

  Dominic poured them each a glass of brandy and then they sat on the couch. It felt like he walked on eggshells, not wanting her to bolt or change her mind, but she was done. Her life started over today and there was no more looking back.

  “Is the storm going to bother you?” Thunder was sounding closer.

  “Not anymore, but it was what triggered the nightmares.” She took a sip of the brandy. It burned as it slid down her throat. His gaze never left hers. “Like I said, I’m from California. I was the daughter of a mob boss.”

  Dominic nodded as if to verify the confession. He knew she was from their world even if it was the last thing she ever wanted to admit to. “Not just any boss but the boss. I thrived on being his only daughter, the princess, so to speak. I grew up very wealthy and anything and everything
I wanted was delivered to the complex where I lived. Private schools, rich friends, and expensive cars. I thought of myself as royalty even if no one else did.” Twisting, she lifted her hair to show the tattoo on the back of her neck. It was a crown with her initials entwined in it.

  “Are those your real initials?” Dominic brushed a thumb across the tattoo and goosebumps rose on her arms.

  “Yes. Well, the S was for a nickname.” Stephanie let her hair drop and she leaned into the couch. “I considered myself, like I said, a princess, but I wasn’t anything. I was just a tool for my father to use to further his ambitions. He contracted me to marry Maksim, the son of a high-ranking member of a rival family. Silly me, I thought of it as romantic and doing my duty.”

  Dominic remained quiet and unmoving except when she mentioned the contract. He went to interrupt but she shook her head.

  “One night, I decided I wanted to have a little fun. Escape my bodyguards and get out of the mansion that I had spent almost all of my time in. I’d found a business card for a new, very private club one of the guards had left lying around. I called my friends from school and we snuck out one stormy night. We had to meet a limo at a secret location, surrender our phones, and then we were taken to the club. But there was no club.”

  Dominic’s fist tightened on his thighs.

  “We were surrounded by members of what looked like a biker group. Handlebar was one of them. My friends screamed to be let go and we all had no idea what was happening. Then a man with a mask on came in and looked everyone over. He pointed and said where this one or that one would be taken. I couldn’t move yet I was running a hundred miles an hour in my head. It couldn’t have been true. Things like that don’t happen, but it did. My friends wouldn’t be there if it hadn’t been for me. Bags were tossed over our heads and I remember the look of fear on Marina’s face.” She shook her head as the memories flooded back. “I will never forget that as look as long as I live.”

  “What happened to them? Do you know where they were sent?” Dominic reached for her hands and held them tight.

  “No, but they were taken by human traffickers. I’m sure they were out of the country in a matter of hours.”

  “I’m so sorry. We’ll tell Roman and try to find them.”

  “It’s been years.” The pain in her heart would never go away but she’d survived. She had to get over the guilt that had been eating her alive for so long. “From what I’ve read about what happens to these people, I doubt any of them are still alive.”

  Before she knew it, he gathered her in his arms. His thumb gently traced up and down the back of her neck. “How did you escape?”

  “Someone recognized me. After all the others had been led away, I remained there with that hood over my head. They called another man over and someone showed them the tattoo on the back of my neck.” She looked him in straight in the eye. “I could see his shoes and I recognized the voice. It was Maksim.”

  “He was the trafficker? The bastard.” Dominic cursed.

  “Yes, he was the head of it, and I was to marry this monster.” The betrayal, the hurt, the anger, all those memories had been put to words in her novel. Her pain was now shed from her body and onto a page. Sure, she didn’t want to marry the man, but he’d lied about everything. She’d had no clue that was what he was into.

  “Did he admit it? Say anything to you?”

  “No, I was just shoved into the back of a car and sent back to my father. He was furious with me for putting him in that position.”

  “Your father was mad at you?”

  “I begged him to help my friends but he said if anyone inquired about the last time I had seen them, I was to lie. That I hadn’t seen anyone since school. My father took everything away. I had no computer, no newspaper, no TV, nothing that I could check to see where they’d gone. A week later, I overheard a few guards talking and I knew it was hopeless. They said they’d been sent overseas, never to be seen again. I guess their families had searched everywhere and there were rewards but they never found them. After all of that, I was still expected to marry that creep. He made my flesh crawl. I couldn’t spend the rest of my life with him; I would die first. But I kept up appearances, waiting for my chance to get out of there.”

  “So you just left and changed your name?”

  “It wasn’t that easy. I had help. Al Handy—he worked on the family vehicles. Father didn’t trust anyone else as they might add a tracker or bomb. They called him Jeeper because he loved Jeeps and drove one.” She smiled thinking of the guy who ended her old life and gave her a new one. “He’d show up every day with this white dog. It looked like a boxer mix, but I don’t know what kind it was. It was just a big white dog with a red nose named Willy Dawg.”

  “He helped you escape?”

  “Yes. After that happened, my father forbade me from leaving the place. I even had dress fittings for my wedding at the house. Then one evening, my dad had to leave and took a lot of the men with him. It was some big meeting with the heads of all the other families in the area. They left only a new guy there to watch me.”

  “That seems odd.” Dominic took another drink from his glass.

  “I know. Al knew what happened to me and offered to make me some new IDs. He also gave me a key to a car that would be sitting in a nearby parking lot if I could get away. I packed some clothes and ran out the back door as soon as everyone left.”

  “That seems a little too easy. Do you think your dad arranged it? You would be free but he’d still save face for the contract?”

  That had crossed her mind once or twice. No one wanted to believe a parent would be so cruel as to give their flesh and blood to someone with such a disregard for human life. She searched the papers many times to see if anyone had been searching for her but there was nothing. He either didn’t want her back or didn’t want to be embarrassed by the betrayal.

  “I don’t know. I just knew I had to disappear. If Maksim ever found me, I don’t doubt for a minute he would kill me. Trafficking probably isn’t the only thing he does with that biker gang. Handlebar would have turned me in and I’d be dead. But I couldn’t involve Roman. Maksim is from a very powerful family. One you don’t want to mess with. I can’t trust my father either after what happened.”

  Dominic seemed to ponder her words. What was he thinking about all of this? Did he question getting involved with her? If they found her, it would put everyone in danger and he’d be smack dab in the middle of everything.

  “That’s a lot for anyone to handle.” He encouraged her. “What made you decide to tell me this now?"

  “After my place blew up, I finally came to terms with my life. I didn’t want to hide anymore. I wanted to live. If telling my story gets me killed, so be it. I can’t live in the shadows anymore. I’m dying a little every day.” She’d used a pen name but there was always a chance someone would recognize the characters in her story for who they really were.

  “We need to tell Roman. He will know what to do.”

  “I guess.” It might be the best thing to do since she wanted to stay.

  “And the storms?” Dominic removed his arm from around her shoulder and took her hand in his.

  “They will probably always bring back memories of that night. And seeing Handlebar a couple months ago caused the break down I had the night I was here.” A flash of lightning caused the lamps to flicker.

  “Do you know how to get rid of bad memories?” He cupped her chin with his palm.

  “No.” His eyes shone darker than normal and she flushed under his gaze.

  “You replace bad memories with good ones.” His lips lowered to hers in a gentle kiss. It was first a tender, light kiss that turned into a more passionate one. This man may have had wounds as deep as hers, but in her heart, she knew they were just two lost souls that had been waiting to be united. He tasted of the brandy they shared. He tasted of hope and compassion. He tasted of love. For the first time in a long time, she felt at peace. She felt like she was f
inally home. She felt loved.

  When his mouth left hers, she leaned in for more but he stood up.

  “What’s wrong?” She’d just bared her life to him and now he was leaving?

  “Nothing, but I need to cool off. Take a shower.” He took a step and headed toward the bedroom. What the hell was wrong with the man? As if reading her thoughts, Dominic stopped by the door and turned around. “Care to join me?” The wide smile caused her knees to weaken. If she wasn’t already sitting down, she’d probably be on the floor.

  He stood with his hand out for her. Waiting. If she took it, it would mean only one thing. She’d be his for now and always.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “I, uh, yes.” Stephanie snapped out of the shock. Dominic wouldn’t ask twice so she wasn’t about to wait for him to change his mind. When she reached his side, the man pulled her close and caressed her cheek. His eyes were the color of milk chocolate and she leaned in closer. When their lips touched, the lights flickered. Whether it was the storm or their electricity, she didn’t know, didn’t care.

  Dominic was an amazing kisser. Her eyes closed as his lips took sweet advantage of hers. He always seemed to start tenderly, as if fearful she might change her mind. As she relaxed in his arms, his tongue slipped between her lips and he tightened his hold. The evidence of his desire for her pressed hard against her belly.

  When his mouth left hers, the room spun. He did that to her both physically and mentally.

  “Follow me before I take you up against the wall.” He took her hand and pulled her his way.

  “Maybe I want you to do that.” She pulled back and grinned.

  “I have that planned for later.” Dominic picked her up in his arms and carried her into the bathroom. “As well as a few other places.”