26

Chapter 26
Arin
The apartment becomes a fortress of sorts. A command center. Men I’ve never met come and go, arriving for their fittings before promptly leaving without a word. I’m not particularly worried, though. If Dominic trusts them enough to be a part of his inner circle, then I trust them, too. Things are moving far too quickly and urgently around here to spare any time for doubt.
I work around the clock, creating suits with Kevlar linings from scratch. It feels good to use my hands again, the rhythmic sound of my sewing machine a comforting metronome helping me keep up with the pace. The more suits I make, the faster I get. Before I know it, I’m churning out special orders like I’m a factory instead of a one-woman show.
“Mommy?” Felicia calls out from the play area I’ve set up in the corner, the same way I did in my small dress shop.
“Yes, sweetie?” “Wanna snack.”
I glance at the time. It’s been a while since we had lunch, and knowing my daughter, she’ll throw a tantrum if she doesn’t have something to tide her over for dinner.
“Let me guess,” I say with a smile. “Do you want pudding?” Her face lights up as she bounces up and down with joy. “Yay!”
I laugh, standing and stretching before holding my hand out to her. “Okay, sweetie. But you have to be quiet, okay? Dom’s in a meeting.”
When I briefly leave my studio with Felicia in tow, I find Dominic in the middle of yet another meeting with five other men. I recognize Johnny because he’s been on guard duty the past couple of weeks, but the rest of them I’m unable to put a name to. It’s only upon further consideration that I realize the guy standing opposite Dominic looks strangely familiar, though I can’t quite figure out why. What is it about his gapped front teeth that unsettles me?
“We need to hit him all at once,” Dominic says. “That way we’ll leave him no time to recover.”
“Are you sure you want to do it in the middle of the night, though?” the familiar man asks. His voice… Where have I heard it before?
“I want to minimize the risk of civilian casualties. This is between Lorenzo and me. No sense in involving innocents. That’s how Lorenzo likes to do things, but I’m different.”
“Plus,” Johnny notes, “it’s less likely we’ll have a run-in with his loyalists. Not that he has very many to begin with.”
“We’ve only got one shot at this,” Dominic says. “The second we follow through with the plan, Lorenzo and Renato will be on high alert. We move at midnight.”
The familiar man exhales, scratching behind his ear. “This is crazy, Dom.”
“It’s necessary,” he corrects.
“Are you sure this is how you—” Gap Tooth stops, noticing me and Felicia. There’s a glimmer of mutual recognition in his gaze. “Wait a second… Do I know you?”
That’s when it hits me.
Five years ago, there was another man on the plane. He had assumed I was a prostitute Dominic had hired for the trip. He freaked me out so much that I left in a hurry, unwilling to subject myself to his atrocious behavior.
My stomach churns. I don’t like the look on his face. Everything about him screams treachery and deceit. So what the hell is he doing here? Is this asshole seriously a part of Dominic’s inner circle?
Dominic notices my discomfort. “Arin?”
I shake my head. “Please, continue. I just wanted to grab Felicia a snack.” “Don’t let us stop you,” Gap Tooth says with a grin. “We’re in your
home, after all.”
His tone gives me the creeps, goosebumps crawling down my arms and the back of my neck. I don’t like this. I don’t like this one bit, but I’m not sure if I can say anything. My gut is telling me this guy’s trouble, but surely Dominic has his reasons for bringing him here.
I move quickly, grabbing Felicia a pudding pack from the pantry before quickly retreating to our side of the apartment. I lead my daughter to her room, swallowing my fear. Am I overreacting? Why am I on the verge of a full-blown panic attack?
“Arin?” I yelp at the sound of Dominic’s voice. He enters Felicia’s room, concern written all over his face. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” I lie, forcing myself to smile. “Totally fine. Everything’s good.”
He steps forward and places his hands on my shoulders. “That’s not going to fly with me and you know it, dolcezza. What did Milo do to you?”
Milo. That’s right. Milo… I remember now. After all these years, the sound of it still makes my skin crawl.
“He…” I glance at Felicia. She’s too distracted by her chocolate pudding to pay us any mind. “He was the reason I left before. On the plane.”
Dominic’s jaw ticks. “What did he do? If he laid a hand on you, I’ll—”
I shake my head quickly. “He didn’t touch me, Dom. He just… said some really creepy stuff. It freaked me out, so I left.”
His face hardens. “What did he say?” “I don’t remember.”
“Are you lying to me again?” “Look, it’s not a big deal.” “I’ll be the judge of that.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek, knowing if I tell Dominic what Milo said to me, there might be bloodshed in the living room. “What’s he doing here?”
“Milo’s the one who tipped me off about Lorenzo.”
I swallow at the sticky lump lodged in the back of my throat. I can’t shake this feeling that having Milo here is a massive mistake. I could be overthinking. My first impression of him definitely left a sour taste on my tongue. This is bigger than that, though. Call it a mother’s instinct, but that man is bad news.
“I don’t like him,” I whisper. “I don’t trust him.” “To be honest, neither do I.”
I blink up at him, confused and alarmed. “Then what is he doing here?” “Milo and I are the farthest thing from friends, but right now, we’re on
the same side. I need as many allies as I can get, even temporary ones.” Dominic cups my face and presses a kiss to the tip of my nose. “He’s not to be trusted, but I promise you, you can trust him enough to have him in our home.”
Our home.
God, that has such a lovely ring to it.
I take a deep breath, though it comes out shaky and thin. “Alright. If you say so.”
“Our meeting is almost over. I’ll let you know when they’ve all gone.” “I couldn’t help but overhear. You’re making your move tonight?”
He nods. “I don’t want you to worry.”
“You do realize that only makes me worry more, right?”
Dominic smirks, kissing me softly on the lips. “I’ve got everything under control. After tonight, Lorenzo and Renato will be too busy fighting each other to bother dealing with me. That’s when I swoop in for the kill.”