23

Chapter 23
Dominic
I am not a man who runs and hides. This momentary retreat is simply a chance to regroup, recharge. The way I see it, there are too many moving pieces to keep track of. Maybe if I were younger and brasher, I’d storm ahead with my guns blazing, thirsty for retribution. Nobody gets away with harming my family. As a proud man, I cannot let this slide.
For now, however, taking a step back is a necessary move to get a better view of the playing board. I need to strategize, and with my right-hand man missing and likely dead, I can’t afford to make any stupid moves. If Milo is to be trusted — and that is a very big if — then I’ll be fighting a war on two fronts: one against Renato and one against my own captain.
Before I can act, I need proof. Until then, I’ll wait.
I can’t remember the last time I spent this much time at my apartment. Running Lorenzo’s territory meant I’d be home to shower and sleep, but nothing more. That man had me constantly on the go, ensuring his kingdom ran like clockwork. I think back to Milo’s words.
It could all be yours and he knows it.
That’s why he’s been ordering hits against you.
I’m in the kitchen, debating whether it’s too early to pour myself a scotch. I’m playing a mental game of chess, except all the pieces move on their own accord and they all have their own personal motivations guiding their actions. It’s stressful as hell. Surely nobody will judge me if I need a drink at four in the afternoon.
Can Milo really be trusted? The man’s been a snake for as long as I’ve known him. Why would Elio make such a fatal mistake? He knows as well as I do that SoHo is off-limits to us right now. Where in the world did Lorenzo get the idea that I’d ever betray him for his territory? I’ve given him nothing but my undying loyalty and devotion these past fifteen years…
“Up!”
I turn to find Felicia next to me, tugging on my pant leg. It’s taken a bit of getting used to, but I’m finally starting to feel at ease around her. Getting to see my daughter’s bright smile, hear her darling laugh, count those cute freckles on her nose and cheeks brings me so much joy that I sometimes don’t know what to do with myself.
I crouch down and chuckle lightly. “What are you doing, principessa?” “Mommy and me are playing hide ‘n’ seek.” She stretches her hands up
over her head. “Up, please!”
“Oh, I see. Are you trying to get me to help you?” Felicia nods. “Up, up, up!”
“I’m not sure that’s allowed.”
She bats her long eyelashes at me and pouts her lips. “Meanie!”
I chuckle. She reminds me so much of Arin it makes my heart melt. I sigh and pick her up, unable to deny her any longer. Felicia clutches my shirt and points toward the west wing of the apartment. “Run, run!” she orders.
Somewhere down the hall, I can hear Arin counting loudly and slowly to ten. She’s at five, which means we’re running out of time.
“Hang on tight, little one. Stay nice and quiet.”
Felicia puts her index finger to her lips as a vow of silence.
I don’t take her very far and pick a pretty obvious spot in the hallway linen closet, the door left open a crack to give Arin a clue. A few seconds later, soft footsteps pad across the floor. Felicia has a hard time keeping her giggles in when Arin calls out, “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”
Arin finds us without any trouble, Felicia bursting into a fit of laughter when her mother opens the door all the way. As beautiful as the sound of Felicia’s joy is to my ears, Arin’s dazzling smile is what captures my attention. She takes her little girl and presses a flurry of kisses to Felicia’s face, blowing raspberries against her cheeks.
“Mommy! Mommy, tickles!”
“Very clever, getting Dom to help you. I almost didn’t know where you went!”
“My turn to count!” Felicia proclaims. “One… Two…”
Arin giggles, setting Felicia down. “Wait a second. Don’t start counting, we’re not ready yet.”
I arch a brow. “We?”
Without another word, Arin takes my hand and pulls me with her while Felicia continues to count, hiding her little eyes behind her palms.
“Come on,” Arin says. “Let’s hide.” “But I have things to—”
“Aww, don’t be a chicken. Hurry!”
We duck behind the couch together, strategically positioned so we can keep an eye on Felicia while still giving her a bit of a search. Arin’s thoroughly invested in the game, practically climbing over me to stay out of sight. When she peeks over the cushions, her breasts brush up against my face, the sweet scent of her skin filling my nose.
I wonder if she’s doing this on purpose.
“How did I get roped into this?” I mumble. “I’m a grown man, Arin. I don’t play hide and seek.”
“Oh, shush,” she says playfully. “Look how happy she is.”
I’ll admit there’s something wonderful about playing with our daughter. I can’t remember the last time I felt this at ease. For years it’s been crunching numbers, collecting payments, negotiating business handoffs, protecting financial interests, constantly at Lorenzo’s every beck and call. This is… nice. Domestic. A taste of what I’ve missed out on.
A taste of what my future has in store.
I press my lips to Arin’s chest, just between the valley of her breasts. I reach up and grasp her gently by the waist, nipping at the fabric of her shirt. Arin glances down at me, her cheeks flushed.
“Seriously? You’re doing this now?” she whispers.
“Oh, shush,” I throw her response right back to her. My hands lower to her hips, encouraging her to move against me.
“D-Dominic—”
“Come to my room tonight,” I tell her, palming her pussy over her jeans. “Wear something pretty.”
“Stop it. Felicia’s coming.”
I remove my hands but life an eyebrow. “Is that a yes, dolcezza?” “Yes, now keep quiet or else—”
“Found you!” Felicia squeals, jumping into Arin’s arms.
We’re a certified dogpile turned ticklefest, but I can’t say I mind. I’m quickly realizing that getting to hold these two close is the absolute best feeling. They’ve only been living with me for a week, but if anything ever happened to either of them, I’d set the whole world ablaze.
All the more reason to resolve my problems. Quickly.
Felicia jumps around the perimeter of the coffee table, an untamable ball
of energy. “Your turn!” she declares, pointing one of her little fingers at me. “You have to count to ten. Mommy and me are gonna hide—”
There are three sharp knocks at the door, followed by the sound of muffled voices. Arin shoots me an anxious look. Getting up quickly, I head to the door. I’ve had Johnny stationed on door duty every day this week, and he knows not to let any uninvited guests in without my prior knowledge. When I get closer, I recognize the voices. One of them is my associate, and the other…
My mother bursts in like she owns the room, fury in her eyes. “Dominic Alessandro Teodore Costello! Why is this numpty at your door telling me I cannot enter? What’s all this about you getting shot at and nobody informing me? And what’s this I hear about a woman moving in to—Oh!” She eyes little Felicia, the biggest of smiles stretching across her face. “And who might this little darling be?”
I clear my throat, waving Johnny away. “This is Felicia, and her mother, Marina Wilson.”
My mother’s face lights up like the Fourth of July. “Marina?” she echoes. “As in Marina, the girl from five years ago? The one you obsessively searched for? The woman who you proclaimed was the love of your—”
“You’re being dramatic, Mother,” I cut her off quickly. It’s true I spent a great deal of my free time looking for her when I returned from my trip to Italy, but I don’t recall ever saying something like that.
Arin walks over, smiling bashfully. “Hi, lovely to meet you. Just call me Arin.”
“And you may call me Isabella,” Mother says, shaking Arin’s hand. “So, you’re the woman I’ve heard so much about.”
Arin’s face goes from a light pink to a bright red. “You… have?”
“I happen to make rumors my business now that I’m retired. When I heard my boy was shacking up with a young woman, I knew it had to be serious.” Mother smacks me across the arm. “When were you going to tell me, cuore mio? Were you going to keep this lovely little bird a secret all to yourself?”
I grit my teeth. It’s one thing for rumors to be floating around. I can’t have Arin and Felicia’s safety compromised. The fact that these rumors have gotten back to my own mother is a problem in and of itself. “I was definitely trying,” I grumble.
My mother glances between me and Felicia, and then between Felicia and
Arin. She squints at the three of us, going back and forth until her expression shifts, a realization dawning on her. I can practically smell the gears burning inside her skull.
“You two… Which means she’s…” There’s a question in her eyes, unsaid but loud and clear.
I nod. “Felicia is your granddaughter.”
“Oh!” Mother gasps, tearing up as she drops to her knees to hug Felicia. “Mia nipotina!”
The little girl hugs my mother back, simply happy to be getting so much affection and attention. “You smell nice,” she mumbles happily, rubbing her hands over the fur lining of my mother’s expensive coat. If it were anyone else, I’m pretty sure Ma would swat their hand away. She appears to take it in stride, too overjoyed to care.
“You should have told me sooner, Dominic,” she chastises, but her smile remains in place. “I would have brought over my famous homemade tiramisu.”
“What’s that?” Felicia asks.
“It’s dessert, sweetie,” Arin answers softly. “I like dessert!”
“Everybody does,” I say.
“Would you like to stay for dinner, Isabella?” Arin asks. “I was going to make burgers.”
“I’d love to!” Ma exclaims before I have a chance to interject. “Wonderful. I’ll get the table set. Felicia, go wash your hands please.” “Okay, Mommy!”
The moment we’re alone, Mother smacks me across the arm again. “Were you ever going to tell me?”
“There was never a good enough time,” I answer with a wince. There are only two things I fear most: God’s wrath, and my mother’s ring-clad backhands.
“You and I are going to have a nice, long talk after dinner,” she warns. “And not just about your secret family. My sources tell me there’s trouble brewing.”
“Are your sources saying the same as my sources?”
“If it’s that Lorenzo’s a disloyal son of a bitch, then yes.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, praying the dull ache behind my eyes dissipates. “Please tell me you have something concrete.”
“I’ll do you one better,” my mother says, reaching into her purse to pull out a thick yellow envelope. “You’ll want to give those documents a good read.”
Curious, I open the envelope and slip the pages out. They’re printed on crisp paper, the ink still fresh. It’s page upon page of private correspondence, all from Lorenzo himself to Renato.
Help me get rid of my problem and half my territory is yours. Consider it done.
My jaw drops open. Lorenzo isn’t fighting against Renato. That’s just a cover. They’ve been working together this entire time.
“Where did you get this?” I ask.
“Have you forgotten who I am? I may be retired, cuore mio, but I still have plenty of influence. A handful of people who are close to both Renato and Lorenzo are ultimately loyal to me.”
“Are you sure these are legit?”
“Straight from their own servers,” she confirms. “All of them timestamped and IP address-verified.”
Anger churns in the pit of my stomach.
“Dom?” Arin calls sweetly from the kitchen. “Dinner’s ready.” “We’ll be right there,” I reply, keeping my tone as level as possible. What the fuck am I supposed to do now?