Dominic
I can hear her sobbing in the shower, and it stirs something that I long thought was dead. Feelings deep inside of me that I had buried a long time ago with my conscious. I want to comfort her. I want to wipe her tears away and make her feel better.
I don’t feel bad about killing Carmila. I know what she did. She admitted it. But I wish it could have been different. I wish Carmila had been different, and we had avoided the whole situation.
I need to find a burner cell and contact Alessandro about what’s happened and who is involved. I need to let him know everything. Bruno is going to pay for this.
I also need concrete evidence that Carmila was involved. I feel like I should at least justify myself to Sofia. A part of me doesn’t want her to hate me.
I shouldn’t feel this way; it makes me soft, and soft is not something you can afford to be in my line of work.
She comes out of the shower and doesn’t say anything to me as she climbs into bed. I try not to watch her. I try to focus on the ceiling above me. I try to think about what the next step is in my plan of action.
I doze off, my mind constantly trailing back to the idea of Sofia naked in the shower.
When I wake up, it’s early, and I look over to where Sofia is snoring softly. She looks like an angel when she is asleep. The anger and worry are gone from her face. I look at the time on the clock on the wall and sigh. We need to get going.
There’s a safe house not far from here. We can probably walk. I stifle a groan as I sit up, the pain shooting through my body. I run my hand through my hair and go to the bathroom to relieve myself. I step into the shower. The hot water soothes my aching body but stings the open cuts.
When I’m done, I dry off, get dressed, and then shake Sofia gently.
“Princess, hey, Princess, wake up.”
Sofia’s eyes flutter open, and she looks around, confused. “What time is it?”
“It’s eight, but we need to get moving. Get up.” I say, stepping away from her bed and sitting on mine.
I wait for her to get cleaned up and dressed before I stand up, slinging my bag over my shoulder. I ache everywhere, but I’m careful not to let her hear me wince.
I take out my wallet and check the contents, not much money left after booking this room. I’m surprised they didn’t take it off me, but then, they hadn’t expected me to leave alive.
We check out, and I lead Sofia down the road. “Are we walking there?” she asks.
“It’s a couple of blocks. We won’t die,” I say. I keep looking around to check that no one is following us.
I don’t know. Maybe now that I’m awake, I remember how irritating she is. But a part of me still wants to protect her, not just because it’s my job but because I feel something for her. I frown at my thoughts.
After a few blocks, she starts complaining, “Can we at least get something to eat? I’m so tired. At least get us some water!”
I sigh and stop. “Relax, we’re almost there.”
“Are we going to spend the night there?” she asks.
“I’m going to contact my brother and see what the plan is and let him know about Bruno,” I explain. “And ask him to confirm how Carmila was involved.”
I shouldn’t have said anything. The minute I mention her friend’s name, Sofia gets a stony expression and shakes her head. “Just let it go. Let the poor woman rest in peace.”
“It’s you I’m worried about,” I say without thinking. There’s an awkward pause before I speak. “Come on. It’s about four blocks away.”
We walk in silence until we reach the house. A keypad is next to the gate, and I punch in my code so the gates open. I lead her inside, punching the code into the keypad by the front door as well. As we walk in, the lights turn on to reveal a well-stocked house.
“Where’s the kitchen? I need water.” She looks around, and I point down the hallway. “Wait there for me. I’ll come to tell you the plan shortly.”
She leaves, and I go to the study, where I get a burner cell and dial Alessandro’s number. “Yes?”
“It’s me,” I say. “I ran into some trouble.”
“Are you both okay?” he asks, sounding concerned.
“A bit bruised but okay,” I admit. “The assholes got what they deserved for it. We’re at a safe house. I won’t say which one over the phone, but there are some things you need to know.” “Tell me,” my brother says.
“Bruno, Facuno’s second in command, is the traitor. He planted a tracking device on Sofia before she was taken. It was a hair clip. Also, a girl, Carmila, was somehow involved, and I need you to find out how she is connected to all this.”
“Wait, a girl called Carmila was shot recently. Was that you?” he asks.
“Yes, but I need proof that she was connected.”
There’s a moment’s silence. “Why? She’s dead.” Alessandro sounds hesitant.
I frown. “Just consider it a personal favor to me.”
“I’ll keep an eye on Facuno’s second in command, but it’s perhaps for the best if you tell him in person.”
“When should I come back?” I ask. “Is it safe?”
“I don’t think it’ll ever be safe, but give it another day or two and then call Facuno and arrange to meet,” Alessandro says. “We will need a plan of action now that we’ve managed to piss off Jose Catalan twice.”
I sigh quietly and nod. “Okay, we’re going to get out of here for now. I’ll be in contact later today.”
Alessandro hangs up, and I get supplies. I pack a bag with weapons, money, and some burner cells before going to the kitchen. Sofia has made herself a bowl of cereal and is eating it on the counter.
“This house is so quiet, and I still didn’t hear you coming,” she comments, spooning another mouthful to her face.
I pour myself some cereal and add milk. The milk is room temperature long-life box milk, but it’ll do. I start to eat. “We’re going to stay in Central Park tonight, a bit closer to home. I’m going to see about getting you back to your father soon.”
“Thank God,” she says after she swallows her food, not bothering to hide her bitterness.
I know if I can just show her Carmila was involved, she might change her mind, but I’m still a killer. That won’t change. Do I really want to drag her into my life?
Alessandro found a Mafia princess, and so did Frankie, but they’re different. They don’t kill. Instead, they order me to kill. It will never bother me because it’s just what is done, but it would bother her. It would bother Sofia.
I eat in silence, and once we’re done, I say, “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
I lead her out through the back to a Jeep and grab the keys from the locked keypad box outside. We both climb in, and I start the car.
Sofia
At least I’ve eaten something, even if it was just cereal. We’ve only been on the run for a handful of days, but it feels like forever, and I don’t want to spend any more time with Carmila’s killer than I have to, so I’m glad to hear that I’m going back to my father soon.
From there, my father’s men can protect me, and I don’t ever have to see Dominic again.
It feels like some errant feeling is tugging inside me when I think of leaving him. He disgusts me. He’s a killer, but at the same time, I’m starting to see a new, caring side to him, and it’s causing a conflict to stir within me.
I stay quiet as we drive out of the safe house and hit the freeway, heading back toward New York Central. I hate the silence, though, and my curiosity is irritating me, so I finally ask, “So, what are your brothers like?” “Excuse me?” Dominic says, slightly distracted.
“Your brothers, you mentioned you have brothers. What are they like?” I ask again.
“Alessandro leads our family now that our father has stepped down for retirement, and Frankie is very business-minded but on the run because Jose Catalan wants to kill him. That’s why we’re keen on bringing Jose down, aside from other reasons.”
“Do you all look alike?” I ask.
“We do, including my sister. Same dark hair and blue-gray eyes, and none of us take bullshit excuses,” he says.
I glance behind us to make sure no one is following us. I feel slightly paranoid being this out in the open again.
“You have a sister?” I ask. “What’s she like?”
“Arianna is a princess, like you,” he scoffs, but I’m not offended by how he says princess this time. “She’s fiery and hellbent on getting what she wants, and it drives both my parents and my brothers insane.”
“And you?” I ask. “Does she drive you insane?”
“Maybe I have a bit of a soft spot for her because she’s the baby of the family or maybe just because we’re closer in age, but I find her fun to be around.”
“You know how to have fun?” I ask, genuinely surprised. “What do you do for fun?”
He scowls. “Of course, I know how to have fun. I just work a lot.” He pauses, considering my question. “Mostly drink together, go dancing.” “You don’t dance, though,” I point out.
“Arianna doesn’t believe that, and she’s normally plied me with alcohol, so I’m more…. flexible.” He grins and indicates to change lanes.
“What is your family like?” he asks suddenly. “And why do they hate the Catalans so much?”
“Well, I told you a family member married into the Catalan family, and, well, it was forced,” I explain. “Our family really didn’t have a choice, and we’ve been Jose’s slaves ever since.”
“I’m surprised by how much you know,” he says.
“I eavesdrop a lot. My father mistakes me for a pretty face, everyone does, but I know a lot about what goes on. More than my sisters, but probably less than my two brothers.”
He nods. “My sister wanted to be involved with the family business as well. My father put his foot down and refused flat out. The family business is no place for women. It gets really messy.”
“Women can handle messy, I assure you,” I say, raising an eyebrow. His comment irritates me.
He chuckles. “Wait until you meet my brother’s wife. You’ll see I know that better than most.”
There’s silence again, and I’m thinking about what else we can talk about when he asks, “So, what did you say you want to study in America?”
“I want to become a digital artist,” I explain, and when he scoffs, I frown. “What’s wrong with that?”
“You get irritated that I say women have no place in family business, but you want to study something that cannot help your family. Why not become a lawyer or doctor?” He glances at me.
I shake my head. “I said women can handle messy. I didn’t say I wanted to.”
He grins. “Ah, I see.”
“What did you study?” I ask curiously.
“I didn’t. I trained with private elite forces to hone my skills to assist the family.”
“Is that what you wanted to do?” I ask curiously, wondering if he had always wanted to be a killer.
He shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter what I wanted. My life was chosen for me from the day I was born. Every decision made throughout my life was to groom me to be a good family member, and that’s what I am.
A good son, a loyal brother, and a soldier.”
I look at him, and for a moment, I feel pity for him. I imagine it must have been such a lonely life growing up.
“I’m sorry,” I say quietly.
Dominic shakes his head again. “Honestly, it’s what I’ve always known, so it doesn’t bother me. You wonder why I don’t let killing get to me? Because I was surrounded by it my entire life. When I was seven years old, I saw a man get executed for crossing our family.”
“That’s horrible,” my eyes widen, and my mouth drops open.
Dominic shrugs. “It is what it is. It wasn’t exactly on purpose, I was spying on my father, but he knew and didn’t chase me away. So it was accidentally on purpose, I guess.”
As we join city traffic, I look at the road ahead. “You must need therapy, and like tons of it.”
“I deal with it my own way. Mostly, I compartmentalize.”
I’m surprised by his honesty, and we fall into a more comfortable silence. His honesty makes me reconsider what he has already told me, including Carmila’s involvement. What if he was speaking the truth and she had betrayed me? Would I want her dead? I mean, if she did, it’s her fault we got captured and my life nearly ruined.
I honestly don’t know what to think now, but Dominic seems to be a bit softer with me now, as though he’s afraid I’ll break.
“Can you teach me how to shoot?” I ask quietly.
“I can, but we’ll have to do it later,” he says, sighing as traffic slows to a crawl.
“Do you honestly think Carmila betrayed me?” I ask, the question almost gets stuck in my throat, and I feel as though my chest is being crushed with emotion.
Dominic doesn’t look at me, not even a glance, but he does say, “I do. She had this smile about the whole situation, and she just… I can’t explain it, but I’ve dealt with enough evil people to know one when I see one, Sofia. I’m sorry your friend betrayed you.”
The fact he uses my name and doesn’t call me princess makes me want to believe all the more. He is being genuine with me, and if it were different circumstances, I know I could probably fall for a man like him with his piercing eyes and no-nonsense attitude.
I sniff and wipe my eyes, looking out the window to my right to hide my tears.
We don’t speak again as Dominic pulls into a parking garage and finds a spot. Once we’re parked, we grab our bags, and Dominic holsters his gun. “You ready?”
“I’m ready,” I say, trying to sound braver than I feel.
I follow him toward the park, unsure of how I feel.