The cool weight of metal in his hand appeared as if on its own, and Mark’s eyes left Dom’s face to follow it. Domenico should have noticed how the boy had grown, how his shoulders had filled with muscle, or how his features had hardened. Even a few weeks ago, the never-ending onslaught of silly jokes always spilling from Mark’s mouth made it hard to notice the changes. But Mark really wasn’t the skinny teen they’d met in Louisiana all that time ago.
Domenico weighed the weapon in his hand but eventually handed it to Mark, grip-first. “This one will be yours from now on. Learn its weight, so you don’t have to count the bullets to know how many you still have.”
Mark’s pupils went wider, but he was eager to take the gun off Domenico’s hands. He was also quick to point it away from Domenico’s body, which was a good sign that even in an emotional moment, he stuck to the reflexes that would keep him safe.
Mark nodded. “I will. I promise.”
With his hand feeling somewhat empty, Domenico quickly touched his own Beretta. “I meant to give you one on your eighteenth birthday, but I see you’re already all grown up,” he said, smiling, and turned toward the nearby gate. In the faint light of the beam, the wall seemed enormous, but it was left unguarded by three men who’d fallen asleep at their posts.
Seth came closer and patted Mark on the back. “Once all this is over, things will get better.”
But Domenico wasn’t sure if Seth wasn’t cheering himself up.
Mark shook his head, looking between the two of them. “I will do whatever’s necessary.”
“You still have your knife on you?” asked Domenico and pulled out his own. There was no reason to make too much noise and risk waking someone up from their dreamless slumber.
Mark nodded and made sure the safety was on in the gun before sliding it into the back of his jeans. Good boy.
Domenico followed the movement of the glow cast by Seth’s hand and approached the guards. One was sleeping with his face on the desk beneath a roofing that protected the furniture from rain, and the cup of purple-colored punch stood right by him, like a murder culprit raising his hand to the police. Another rested on a bean bag, legs spread out for comfort, and with a sports magazine resting in his lap.
The third guard sat on a stool by the gate, head tilted back and resting against the wall. It was the closeted gay guard who had kept eyeing Domenico since they first met. It was a bit of a shame, and Domenico would have considered letting him stay and transfer into his own care once Toro had been dealt with, but the bastard had been nothing short of nasty since Domenico and Seth’s coming out, so that would be his loss.
Domenico slit his throat and watched blood drizzle from the wound, soaking the white T-shirt. The man coughed, shuddering in his sleep even as his skin started losing its color.
Seth gasped with clear unease, but Mark stepped closer.
“Are we getting rid of the others as well?” the boy asked, and when Domenico nodded, he turned around to the man who dozed off with his head on the desk. He hesitated, took his time, but in the end, he pulled the man’s head back by the hair for better access and let his blade tear through the skin of the neck and then dip deeper, spilling blood all over the countertop.
“Major blood vessels aren’t located right under the skin,” Domenico said, stepping closer. “We’ll need to go through some lessons on anatomy, but you’ll be fine for now,” he said, nodding when Mark drove the blade across the sleeping man’s throat once more.
“I want to know more. I don’t want to be helpless.” Mark finally pulled back the knife with his face as stiff as a mask.
Domenico smiled at him. It warmed his heart to see his adoptive son being so keen on learning the ropes. “From now on, you’ll always carry a weapon on you.”
It was only when they both turned that Domenico realized he’d forgotten about Seth’s presence. Still as a statue, Seth held the flashlight with a face frozen in a neutral expression Dom couldn’t read.
“You will always be able to count on me,” Mark said and wiped the knife against his T-shirt. Which meant he still had a lot to learn, because it was always better to wipe the blood off on the dead man’s clothes. Domenico decided there would be another time to teach him that lesson. It wasn’t like Mark’s shirt would be staying clean tonight.
With Seth being so quiet, Domenico decided to leave him be for now and deal with the third guard himself. He was relatively young, with the shadow of a beard on his cheeks and thick eyebrows, but neither age nor handsome features would earn him any favors tonight.
Domenico turned his knife at an angle and prepared to stab it into the man’s throat when a sharp scream tore through the night. Dom drew his gun, but another shot first, the loud bang making the shadow cower.
“Don’t shoot, please don’t!” shrieked a high-pitched female voice.
Domenico watched Mark lower the gun he just used as the beam of light revealed Sara’s hideout in the same bushes where they had found Mark earlier. How she managed to sneak up on them unnoticed played less of a role than the reasons behind her revealing her presence all of a sudden.
Seth found his voice first. “Are you hurt?”
Sara broke into a sob and shook her head, but her knees gave up under her, and she slid into the grass, still in a colorful jumpsuit Dom saw her in earlier. “I didn’t do anything. I’m sorry.”
Domenico sighed and nodded at Mark, who only then lowered his weapon. His reflexes were on point, but much needed to be done in terms of efficiency. “Were you out of the house?”
Sara shook violently as she glanced at him with tears glistening down her cheeks. “N-no... did you poison everyone?”
Domenico met Seth’s gaze. “They’re asleep. Don’t worry. We will spare the women.”
Sara’s lips shook as she tried to speak, finally stuttering out, “T-that’s my b-b-rother. Please, d-don’t.”
“Shit,” mumbled Domenico, but Seth was rushing to his side before he could even make up his mind what to do in this situation.
“I know him. He’s not a bad guy. And he only joined recently.”
Domenico scowled, even though the pleading in Seth’s eyes was not something he wanted to be confronted with right now. “So what, am I to make an exception, because you like her? I don’t know what he’s worth.”
Sara wheezed as if she couldn’t get enough air but managed to pull herself up and wiped some of the tears off her face. “He could be loyal to you. H-he is a brave man, and he has no loyalties to Toro yet. He wasn’t initiated yet, not the right way,” she whimpered, and now even Seth clenched his jaw, obviously remembering the ordeal he himself had been pushed through that past day.
“She’s telling the truth. He won’t attack us, Dom. If anything, he’d run if he awoke early.” Seth’s hand was warm when it closed over Domenico’s forearm and squeezed it almost too hard. “Please, this one exception.”
Domenico glanced at Seth, in a sour mood. He now wondered how Seth could cope with the task that awaited them tonight if a few tears rendered him so emotional. “Fine. And you, come here,” he said, sliding his arm out of Seth’s grasp and making his way to the blood-stained desk.
Sara swallowed more tears but managed to stand up, slowly walking where she was wanted, with her back hunched as if she expected Dom to cut off her head with a saw.
“What did you have to drink today?” he asked, and she looked up, seemingly startled by this questions.
“W-water.”
“Water,” repeated Domenico, wondering if Sara hadn’t stayed in Toro’s apartment then, but Seth quickly came up with an answer to his unspoken question.
“She drinks this dietary water. It’s bottled.”
Domenico stared at Seth with utter confusion. “Dietary water?”
Sara sniffed, rubbing her face and looking everywhere but at the dead bodies. “I-it has those additives. T-they speed up metabolism.”
Domenico rolled his eyes. He had no time for this kind of made-up shit
. Picking up the half-empty glass of purple punch, he handed it to Sara. They shook so violently she barely kept the glass from falling.
“I want you ingest some calories then. Drink it all up.”
Sara trembled, but before she could beg for mercy, he raised his gun and pointed it at her.
“I promise we will not touch you or your brother, but only if you’re a good girl and go for a nap. Otherwise, say hi to my friend Beretta. It’s your choice.”
Domenico half expected Seth to protest but he gave Sara a faint smile and nodded. “Don’t worry. You’ll just fall asleep.”
She took a few more seconds before downing the whole glass. She even managed to keep the liquid down despite struggling. They used rope to keep her in place, bound to one of the wooden columns supporting the roofing by the gate, but by the time they left, the tranquilizers were starting to slur her speech. It would hardly take any more time for her to be completely out.
“Dana’s with Miguel. Let’s join them, grab some infrared goggles, and divide the grounds into sectors, so that we can deal with all this as efficiently as possible,” Domenico said, pulling on Seth’s arm to direct him toward the house. He didn’t like the way Seth melted into the shadows without a word, but as long as he followed, Domenico could help him through all that needed to be done. Maybe he just needed a nudge without Mark there to witness how difficult it was for him.
They walked toward the main door and the terrace in silence, but Mark finally found his voice. “Domenico?”
“Yes?” Dom frowned.
“Can I get a horse? I mean, when, or if we stay somewhere for longer.”
Mark’s question came so out of the blue that for a moment Domenico just stared at him. Seth snorted.
“That’s... unexpected. Why not a motorcycle?” Dom asked.
“Can I get a motorcycle too?”
Domenico shrugged. “Sure.”
Mark flashed him a bright smile and rushed up the marble steps to be the first to enter the house.
“Remember to get the goggles!” Domenico shouted.
Seth leaned closer as soon as they were alone again on the grand set of steps leading up to the fake palace. “Can I get chickens?”
Domenico turned around, happy with himself when he noticed that Seth stood lower, which made him appear a tiny bit shorter than Dom. “Are we starting a farm?”
“Fine, fine. It was just an idea.”
Domenico smirked and grabbed Seth’s arm. “Don’t be so gloomy. You think only daddy’s boy is getting presents now?” he teased, leaning closer.
It squeezed a small smile out of Seth. “I don’t know. Is he? I thought I’d give it a shot. I’ve always wanted chickens, but you hated Lucrezia. I mean, the hen.”
“I had no idea she had a name, but I guess since she died for our sake, we should honor her and name another hen after her,” Domenico said, crooking his hand to turn the blade he was holding away from Seth’s face when he stroked the stubbled cheek.
Hey, if it meant fresh organic eggs, Domenico didn’t mind Seth having chickens at all. As long as they wouldn’t have to share one room with poultry again.
Seth gave Dom a sweet, almost innocent kiss on the lips, as if he was trying to counteract all the gore they’ve seen today. “Is that a yes then?”
“When do I ever say no to you?” asked Domenico with a playful smile and pulled Seth’s warm body closer. It would be just the two of them tonight. With Mark, Dana, and Miguel dealing with their sectors, he and Seth would finally have an opportunity to spend time together without interruptions.
Seth’s warm hand trailed up the side of Dom’s body, his smile growing as if they were being enclosed in a bubble of happiness. “All the time.”
Domenico licked his lips as he watched the cold blade glint so close to Seth’s neck, and he couldn’t stop himself from kissing the warm flesh. “Well, I only do it for your own good. You can’t be too spoiled.”
Seth dug his fingertips into Dom’s skin through the shirt, kissing back slowly, not letting their connection end, but it was Mark who burst their bubble.
“I found the goggles. There’s only three pairs though. Should I go with Dana? Or Miguel? I kinda feel shit I didn’t get to say goodbye to him, and now I’m back, and… yeah.”
Domenico pulled Seth closer, relishing the embrace he denied himself for so long. Even after their coming out they hadn’t dared to act too softly, for fear of it being turned against them. Now, he was finally free to touch his man the way he wished to.
“Go with Miguel. You two make a good team. Tell them both that we’re taking the western side of the property, from the pool, all the way to the walls.”
Mark passed Dom a pair of the goggles. “These are actually really cool.” He put a pair on top of his head. “You think Dana would even show up in thermal?”
Seth raised his eyebrows. “Because she’s so cold-blooded? You still need to work on your jokes, Mark.”
Domenico stifled a laugh. “If you see a floating fetus somewhere, it means she’s there.”
Both Seth and Mark’s faces wrinkled into sneers.
“I take that back,” Seth said. “Dom’s jokes are worse.”
“I’m gonna go wash that image out of my brain.” Mark turned around and went back up the steps with his newly acquired handgun firmly planted in his hand. It did look like a good fit. Unlike Mark’s T-shirt. Dom still needed to work on Mark’s sense of style.
Domenico pulled Seth close by the waist, toward the bluish solar lights that dotted the area around the pool. “So, where were we?” he asked, sliding on the goggles and putting them to the correct setting. There were some dots of warm color all around them, but Domenico decided it would be best to deal with the biggest gathering of them first, in case the tranquilizers worked for a shorter time than Dana anticipated. It wasn’t like she’d measured the exact dosage for every single person here. Some would wake up earlier, and some would die in their sleep. Seth shook his head and gave Domenico a kiss before leading the way. “Here.”
Domenico stopped twice to off men sprawled on the ground as if they’d intended to fall asleep and just hadn’t woken up from their nap for a long time. But it was when they neared the pool that the red and yellow shapes started piling up. Domenico urged Seth to join the deathly quiet party first while he approached several bodies lying in the shadows by the sauna like a graveyard of old mannequins. Slitting their throats was easy enough, and he took a deep breath, following Seth to the pool area. He was well aware that he took the easiest job, leaving the laborious search for anyone who didn’t join the pool party to Dana, Mark, and Miguel, but wasn’t that the perk of having minions? Even he could allow himself to relax every once in a while, especially after weeks of keeping up the fake persona. Tonight, he and Seth wouldn’t have to hunt and gather, because there was a buffet of enemies that were already ripe for their knives to dig in.
“Jesus Christ! There’s a body in the pool. This shit just won’t end.” Seth raised his arms into the air, pacing along the edge of the pool. From behind the goggles, he looked like a big blob of red and orange.
Domenico laughed and pushed up the goggles. “Is there? Can’t believe someone would fall asleep while swimming,” he said and approached Seth, spotting a topless woman lying on the bottom of the pool. He didn’t immediately see her in the goggles at first, so she must have already cooled down. “Maybe she was snorkeling,” he joked but already scooted down to reach an inflatable mattress which floated by the edge of the water, carrying a man who lay face-down, still alive.
It took Domenico a moment to recognize Felipe, as the rat tail hid in the crook of his neck. He exhaled, watching the pathetically sunburnt back. It would only take a single stab with the knife to deal with the problem, but Domenico looked between Felipe and his weapon and ended up pushing the mattress away from the edge of the pool.
Maybe there was a method to the madness and each king really needed a court jester?
Domen
ico was back to looking through the goggles, even if just to spy on his lover, who somehow appeared even cuddlier now that Domenico could see the physical manifestation of Seth’s body heat.
Seth groaned and reached the other side of the pool where a man must have fallen off the nearby chair, as it lay on top of his leg. “It’s not funny.” He scooted down, and his body was getting redder by the second, so much so Dom could almost hear the blood pounding in Seth’s veins.
Domenico kneeled next to a picnic blanket where several people curled up with their bottles of purple punch, put to sleep so efficiently they wouldn’t even stir. He meant to deal with them quickly, but his gaze stayed with Seth, and he ended up taking off the goggles.
Seth was leaning over David. The young wolf of the organization, out for power and wealth, determined enough to have sex with Nero Moreno in hope for a piece of the pie. Now he was defenseless like a baby, and he’d go without even making a peep.
Dom stayed silent, watching Seth raise the knife above David’s chest. It twitched up and down several times, in tune with an ugly tension spreading through Seth’s face as he stayed motionless, still hesitating.
Domenico could see why. Seth had killed many times, but never in cold blood. And while none of the sleeping goons was a threat at the moment, they would turn into beasts the moment they woke up. They’d be agitated that someone put them to sleep as if they were farm animals, and their thirst for blood would only be sated with murder. Domenico couldn’t have that. If he was to take over this place, he’d do it meticulously, without any half measures.
“You can do it,” he said in silent encouragement, but there was something cold and unpleasant gathering around his heart as he watched Seth’s struggle. It was oddly sweet that even after all that Seth had done, he still had qualms about plunging the knife into David’s heart. Even though David was a homophobic douchebag.
Domenico wasn’t sure how he felt about that part of Seth disappearing.
When he was younger and still aimlessly searching for someone to give him more than physical relief, wasn’t this exactly what all the men he’d fucked didn’t have? This balance of accepting Domenico’s life while also not really being a part of it? That softness which he found so endearing in Seth in the first month after they found one another would inevitably be gone if Domenico kept pushing Seth’s hand.
Bloodbath Page 31
