by Ginger Ring
“What about me?” Dominic tightened his fists.
“If I can trust you to remain calm, you will stay in here with me. I have a feeling this is going to involve you just as much as the girl. Take a seat over there.” Roman pointed at a chair behind the desk. “I want to hear what they have to say.”
“I’ll do my best, but if I don’t like what I hear, you might have to shoot to keep me from ripping their heads off.” Dominic turned his attention to Stephanie. “Don’t worry, everything will be just fine.” He kissed her forehead but it wasn’t enough. Stephanie stood on tiptoes and drew him in for a kiss. Everyone in the room would now know she was his and he was hers. And nothing and no one was going to pull them apart.
Chapter Twenty-Three
It was a good thing the chair was iron or he’d probably pull the arms off. His death grip on the chair was the only reason Dom didn’t rush across the room to rip the faces off the men sitting across the desk from Roman.
“Gentlemen, to what do we owe the honor of this visit?” Roman played the perfect host and offered them a drink, which both declined.
“We are here for his daughter and my fiancée.” The man named Maksim spoke first. “Her name is Anastasia Bravikova.”
“We have no one by that name here.” His guests didn’t want a drink but Roman motioned to Jasper to get him one.
“She goes by the name Stephanie Barclay. We know she’s here because we saw this photo of her and your man here.” Maksim nodded in Dom’s direction, pulled a photo from his pocket, and tossed it on the desk. Roman picked it up and handed it to Dominic. It was the photo taken after the fire. They’d tracked them here. The photo had gone more viral than they first thought.
“She was employed by my wife and is under the protection of this family.”
Stephanie’s father seemed withdrawn and not happy about finding his long-lost daughter. The smirk on the younger man’s face whenever he looked Dom’s direction made his blood boil. The jackass knew they were a couple. It was obvious from the photo.
“We made inquiries in town and were told we might find her here. You have no idea how much I’ve missed my daughter.” Mr. Bravikova wiped a tear from his eye and Dom rolled his eyes.
“Yet you failed to search very hard for her,” Roman said what Dom was thinking.
“She was distressed.” Her father shrugged. “I figured she’d just run off to clear her head. I knew she would come to her senses sooner or later. It just took longer than I thought.”
“Clear her head? You said you had people looking for her.” Maksim was clearly pissed. “Are you telling me you just let her run off? That you hadn’t been looking all this time when you said you were.” He grabbed Ivan by his lapels.
“Of course I didn’t let her run off. You know she’s not allowed to be without a guard. I searched everywhere for her.” He shook the younger man’s hand away. “I’m just stating the fact that she was unhappy about the arrangement. Who’s to say a little time away wouldn’t help her to see it was the right thing to do?”
Maksim’s face reddened. The guy looked like a fool. He had a future bride who would rather go into hiding than be trapped with him. “I want to see my fiancée now.” Maksim leaned forward. “If I have to wait any longer, I will tear this place apart piece by piece. Do you understand me?” He rose.
Roman laughed and leaned back in his chair. “You are a guest in my house for the moment, but the minutes till you are thrown out are ticking. Now sit the fuck down.”
Maksim narrowed his eyes but did as told.
“She’s contracted. I’ve heard of you and your wife. You know what that means just as much as I do.” Maksim beat his chest. “Stassi is mine.”
“Contracts can be broken,” Dominic piped up.
Roman didn’t say anything but his body language said it all. He was not to get involved and his boss wanted to kill Maksim just as much as he did, but this was business.
“This one has consequences. You see,” Maksim leaned forward and pointed to the man next to him, “Daddy here didn’t manage his finances too well. Our family has been keeping him afloat ever since the deal was signed. Now it is time to pay up.”
“Maksim! That’s not the truth and you know it. I thought it was a good match.” Ivan’s face was red as he focused on the carpet. “At least I used to.”
Maksim scoffed and folded his arms across his chest. “We have come to collect Stassi and leave.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Roman responded. Dominic knew that his boss didn’t like Stephanie and yet he was defending her on his behalf.
“Like I said, we have a signed contract and that cannot be broken. Ivan will lose all honor and respect with the West Coast families. He will be finished.”
Mr. Bravikova hung his head. Dom didn’t know if he should hate him or feel sorry for him.
“What if we bought the contract?” Roman asked.
Dominic inched forward in his seat. Whatever it took, he would find the money to buy it.
“It’s not for sale.” Maksim wasn’t budging. “We don’t need the money.”
“You obviously need something or you wouldn’t be here.” Roman stood up and rounded the desk. “I’m thinking that, at one time, Mr. Bravikova had something you needed and he thought he could benefit from the match also. I think the contract may have started out innocent enough but then something happened. Maybe Stephanie, or Stassi, whatever you wish to call her, found out what a monster you were and decided to get out of town before you prevented her from telling anyone about it.” Both men were silent and looked everywhere but at Roman. “And maybe Ivan here changed his mind and didn’t want his little girl mixed up in this either but it was too late. He didn’t want to get mixed up in your dirty business. Maybe left the cage door open so the little bird could get away.”
“I knew you had to have a hand in that. You will pay, and so will Stassi, every single night as I—” Maksim’s words were lost as Dominic rushed the man and punched him in the face. Arlo and Jasper jumped in to keep him from killing him. Chairs were flipped over and papers fluttered from Roman’s desk.
“Stop!” Roman shouted as they pulled Dom to the side and Maksim slowly got off the floor. Blood streamed from his nose and he wiped it away with the back of his hand.
“I see you are not going to cooperate as I hoped. So I will make you a deal.” Maksim had everyone’s attention as he stood and placed a hand on Ivan’s shoulder. “You can’t buy the contact but you can win it. Are you a gambling man, Caponelli?”
“I’m listening.” Roman leaned against his desk. It killed Dominic to remain quiet as they talked about Stephanie’s future as if she were a horse they were trading.
“You have to fight for her. A fight to the death.” He pointed around the room. “Any takers?”
“I’ll fight for her.” Dominic shook off the hands of those holding him but they remained by his side.
“I thought you would.” Maksim had a sick smile on his face. “You survive, you keep the girl. You die, I get Stassi, Bravikova’s shipping contracts, and a piece of the action here.”
Dom’s heart sank. There was no way Roman would risk a part of his business. The business his father had spent years building. Yet Roman walked over and stood in front of him.
“Are you sure? This is to the death. Are you willing to die for her?”
“Yes. Anything to keep her from this monster,” Dominic declared, and then even Ivan agreed to the terms.
“Remember, you have to survive,” Maksim reminded him. “You die and she’s mine to do whatever I want with. Maybe I will have her rejoin her friends. If they’re still alive.”
“I will win and then I’ll kill you,” Dominic promised.
“Oh, no.” He waved his finger. “That’s not part of the deal. If by some lucky chance you do win, I want the promise that I will not be harmed.” He turned his head toward Roman.
“On my word, no member of the Caponelli family will harm you.” R
oman placed his hand over his heart.
“Good, then we have a deal.” Maksim stood and shook hands with Roman. “Tomorrow night, then. I’m anxious to take my bride and go home.” He threw a card on the desk. “You name the location and we’ll be there.”
“We have a spot. I’ll make sure it’s clear.”
“Good, and one last thing. No one touches my fiancée or the deal’s off, especially you.” He pointed at Dominic and Roman nodded. Maksim straightened his tie and left. Ivan trailed behind somberly.
“Jasper, make sure you see them off the property.” Roman sighed and returned to his desk.
“Yes, sir.” He left the room as Arlo picked up chairs and the papers littering the floor.
“I won’t let you down. I won’t let Stephanie down.” Never had he feared a fight but this had too much riding on it.
“Go do what you have to do to get ready. Whoever he has lined up will be tough. It won’t be Maksim in the ring.”
“What?” That would have been icing on the cake to punch the punk’s head into the ground.
“Maksim’s a coward. He’ll find someone good, don’t doubt it. I have no doubts you will win. You’ve done it many times, but this is different. Don’t lose focus.”
“I won’t. But if I do, believe me, I will come back from hell to take him home with me.”
“I’d expect nothing less. Do us proud. I know you will.”
“Thanks.” Dominic nodded.
Stephanie burst into the office, followed by Maddy. “We just saw them leave. What happened?”
“He wouldn’t sell the contract so we made a different deal.” Roman kissed his wife’s cheek.
“What kind of deal?” Stephanie wandered to Dominic’s side and Madison sat on her husband’s desk.
“I’m fighting for you,” Dom said.
“I know you are, but what happened?” She glanced around, but everyone was avoiding her gaze. “What is it?”
Dominic put both hands on her shoulders. “I’m fighting for you. A match to the death. You go with the winner.”
“What?” She shook her head and stepped back.
“It’s the only way.”
“No, you can’t do that. No. No. No. I couldn’t live with it if you died.” Her hand reached to twirl her hair and he took it in his.
“Don’t worry. I’ve never lost a match.”
“Match? This is to the death. I won’t let you.”
“It’s done.” He hugged her to his chest. “Just understand that I will win.”
“When is it?” Her voice was muffled by his shirt.
“Tomorrow night.”
Her sob hurt more than any knife ever had.
“I need you to do something for me. I have to get ready for this. As much as I want to spend the night with you, I can’t be distracted. It’s also part of the deal, I’m not even supposed to touch you. You have to stay here with Madison. Can you do that for me?” When he pulled her from his embrace, tears ran down her face. “Don’t cry. Okay?”
She bit her lip. “I can’t not cry. I have to be there.”
“No.” The last thing he needed was for her to see him kill or be killed.
“Yes. You are risking your life for me. I deserve to be there.”
“It’s not safe,” Dominic tried.
“Stassi will stay by my side,” Roman stated, and all eyes turned. He’d called her Stassi instead of Stephanie. “She is the daughter of Ivan Bravikova. We must respect her wishes.”
“Then I will be there also.” Madison stood. From the look on her face, she wasn’t taking no for an answer.
“This isn’t some MMA match on TV. Someone will die and it won’t be pretty. I don’t want you to see me like that.” The last thing he wanted was for Stephanie to watch him die trying to save her. It would haunt her forever, just as Angelia’s death had haunted him. It would be easier to just take Maksim out and kill him, but there was a code in the mafia. Honor and respect were everything. Someone would show up to avenge his death even if the man deserved it. This had to be done the right way or there would be consequences.
“I will be there to cheer you on and to celebrate your win.” Stephanie wiped the tears from her eyes. She wasn’t taking no for an answer either.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Stephanie
Her stomach had been in knots ever since she heard about the fight.
“You need to eat.” Madison hovered like a mother hen.
“There’s no way I could eat anything.” Stephanie typed as fast as she could on the keyboard. Somehow, her laptop had showed up and her story just got another twist. Never had she expected this turn of events and it helped to get her emotions down before she forgot. Tomorrow, if things didn’t go well, she’d be forced to leave. Go back to living a nightmare that she would never wake from. Would living even matter if Dominic was dead? Her life would be over also. She’d be empty, a ship adrift in a crazy sea.
No matter what, if Dominic was killed, she would not rest until Maksim was dead. Stephanie would pretend to be the dutiful mob wife and then when he least expected it, she’d drive a stake through his cold, evil heart.
“Then how about a protein shake or something?” Maddy’s voice brought her back to the present. “You have to be strong for Dominic. I’ll go make one and I’m not leaving until you drink it.” Frustrated, she left, only to soon be replaced by Roman.
He knocked on the open door. The man seemed to have changed his tune since finding out about her background, or was it because of Dom? He certainly couldn’t be happy about the change in events. “Can I have a word?”
She kept typing but nodded to the vacant chair by her side. He was silent until she shut the laptop and sat back in her chair. “What?”
“How are you doing?” What the hell? He was concerned about her? Where was this guy when he talked about having her killed just a few days ago?
“How am I doing? How do you think I am doing? My god. Dominic is out there somewhere doing who knows what to get ready for this fight.” Stephanie broke down. “I can’t lose him.”
Roman took her hand but she pulled it away. “You won’t lose him.”
“Can you promise that? Make it come true?” She was angry at both men. How dare they gamble with her life and theirs.
“Did he ever tell you how we met?”
“No.” She shook her head and some of her hair came loose from the knot she’d haphazardly put it up in. “Just that you saved him. From what I haven’t a clue.”
“I’ll tell you, then. I was in Italy when I heard the story of Dominic. He was a legend in the underworld there. A fighter. When I dug a little deeper, I found out why he was so successful.”
Stephanie wiped the hair away from her face and listened. “Go on.”
“Dominic was just an ordinary guy who worked out at a local gym, but everyone knew he had talent. Dom could have been very successful as a fighter. He knew boxing, karate, every kind of mixed martial arts you can think of. So why would a man like that end up in an illegal fighting ring?”
“I don’t know. Money?” She’d seen him spar in the gym but couldn’t picture him in some fight club.
“It wasn’t just any fighting ring. Many of the main events were to the death. No amount of money is worth dying for.”
“And yet many people do.” It was a somber thought.
“Like I said, he was a normal guy and one who could have been very successful. Yet he fought, won, and killed for years,” Roman continued.
“Years?” Steph still couldn’t picture him covered in his opponent’s blood, but tomorrow she’d see it firsthand.
“Yes.” Roman patted her shoulder.
“So why did he do it?”
“The girl he loved had been taken by the same ones who organized the fights. If Dominic didn’t do what they said, they threatened she’d be raped and then murdered. He sold his soul to save hers.”
“So you rescued him and she was spared?” The thought of him
with another woman was unsettling, but everyone had a past.
“I could only save one, but I knew a man with that much loyalty and heart would be an asset. I also won’t tolerate anyone that harms women. We rescued him out of that hell hole where they held them. He didn’t want to go at first. Dom was worried about what would happen to her, but by then it was too late.”
“What happened to her? Where is she?”
“She was taken, the same time as he. Sold into some sex trade in Eastern Europe. When we finally tracked her down, it was too late. She’d slit her wrists with a razor blade. They tossed her in a ditch out in a field. The bastards. We made sure she was given a decent burial in her hometown.”
“Oh no.” She couldn’t help but feel pain for the both of them.
“We got him cleaned up and brought him to the States. It took a long time for him to get over everything. The loss. The never-ending fights. The death.”
“I can’t imagine. I’m so sorry for what happened to them both.” It brought back the horror of what had happened to her friends. Maksim would pay for this. She’d make sure of it.
“That’s one of the reasons he doesn’t like crowds and closed in places.”
“Then I can’t let him do that again. It would destroy him. I can’t be responsible for destroying Dominic.”
“It’d destroy him if you went with Maksim, especially after knowing what kind of monster he is and what he’s done. Dom never wanted to fall in love again after what happened but he did. He loves you. Anyone can see that. As they say, love conquers all. Believe in him. Believe in the both of you.” Roman got to his feet. “I do.” He left the room just moments before Madison returned with a protein drink in one hand and a wine glass in the other. She placed the shake beside Stephanie and then took a seat on the Davenport.
“I have no clue what’s in it but it’s one of the protein things that the guys buy in a huge jug. It’s supposed to be good for you so drink up.”
