“Her what?” Mom gasps. “What in the name of God are you talking about?”
Patty hops from foot to foot like an unhinged court jester. “So you didn’t know?” he laughs, eyes wide and crazed with something, I’m guessing drugs. “That’s right, dear. Your daughter here has made quite the connection with the Italian killer. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s already slurped on his cock by now. Tsk-tsk, bad girl.”
Mom turns to me, mouth falling open.
Fresh anger flares in me.
“Are you really going to judge my choice of partner, Mom?” I snap. “Is Cillian really that great of an example?”
She swallows visibly and looks at the floor.
“Are you really surprised that I’m surprised, Dallas?”
Stop being cruel to her.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
I just wish Poppet would stop barking, as though she’s tugging on wires attached to my heart.
“As much as I’d love to keep this family scene going, the Italian scum will be here soon. Gag the sluts, gentleman.”
Before we can protest, hands emerge from the darkness and stuff rags into our mouths. I gasp and splutter and then I can’t do anything. They wrap duct-tape around our heads to hold the gags in place, forcing me to breathe through my nose, feeling like I’m constantly on the verge of choking.
And then there’s nothing for us to do but wait.
And wait.
Patty strolls over to the corner of the cavernous room and makes snorting noises, confirming my suspicion that he’s on drugs. The other men just stand in the shadowy parts of the room, their hands on their guns, a few of them smoke. I try – and fail – not to think about what it means that now Mom, and most likely Dad, know about us. I’ve got no doubt in my mind that Patty would’ve told Dad as casually as he told Mom.
Dom is a killer.
And now my parents know.
And still, there’s this feeling inside of me, this pulsating need, a voice whispering that it’s all going to be okay and everything that’s happened is just a roadblock for us to overcome. My feelings for Dom are like a giant tower, and no matter how much the elements blast it and try to topple it, it somehow remains standing.
I want him.
I need him.
And deep inside of me I feel my womb give a furious flurry of acknowledgment, as though telling me she’s already taken his seed. This is all academic. I’m going to be the mother of his children.
Then he arrives.
He and Dad come walking through the front door surrounded by five guards, all of whom have their guns trained on them. Dom stands tall and proud in his silver suit, but when he spots me I can see the terror streak across his features. Dad’s face drops when he sees us, as though he didn’t actually believe it until this moment.
The armed guards lead them into the light in the center of the room, next to the four plastic tubs and us tied to the chairs.
“I didn’t want it to come to this,” Patty says, pacing up and down in front of Dom and Dad, as though he’s still scared of them even with five guards pointing their guns at them. “But you killed two of my men. And I can’t let that pass.”
“You killed two of ours first, you fucking idiot,” Dad snaps. “What did you think would happen?”
“What did you think would happen?” Patty counters. “You’re playing a game you can’t win, fellas. Because you won’t go to the places you need to go. Killing two men is one thing—”
“We didn’t kill them,” Dom says, speaking to Patty but looking at me, as though he understands how badly I need to hear this. “It was a fake video. We coached your men on how to behave and we used blanks and fake blood. They’re currently fleeing the country.”
“You … what?” Patty cocks his head. “Why? Why not just kill them?”
“Because we’re not like you,” Dom snarls. “We never have been and we never will be. We don’t kill when we don’t need to.”
“Maybe you’re just lying to protect this slut’s honor, eh?” he says, gesturing at me with the machete.
“Check your phone,” Dom mutters, sounding tired, almost bored.
But I don’t miss how his eyes keep scanning the room, the way his fingers twitch and he shifts his weight from foot to foot.
Please let this be true.
Patty takes out his phone and plays the new video, which they must’ve sent him. I listen to Dom’s speech, the same one I heard this morning. But this time the video goes on and I hear some rustling – the men getting up, maybe – and then Patty laughs and shakes his head.
“Do you think this changes anything?” he cackles. “All this proves is you’re even more cowardly than I thought. You should’ve just executed them.”
I feel a light blooming through my chest when I realize it’s true, Dom didn’t really execute those men. It was a trick to convince Patty he was just as much of a monster as he is.
But he’s not.
I freaking knew it.
I’d cry out with joy if it wasn’t for the duct-tape pushing the rag deeper into my mouth, choking my breath.
“You’ve got twenty-one men in here, Patty,” Dom says calmly.
Patty pauses, machete pointing down at the ground. “Well done.”
“Six of them are your men. Well, men left over from when your old man ran the Irish mob before you killed him. The rest are mercenaries hired from a company in Arizona called Always Vigilant, correct?”
“What does this have to do with anything—”
“If those fifteen men want to check their cellphones right now, they’ll see that they’ve just had twice what you’ve paid them deposited into their accounts, with twice that again being held in escrow for when they leave the city. They also have written instructions from the CEO of Always Vigilant to comply with my demand to leave the city.”
“Don’t touch
