Chapter 81

Dominic POV

“Shall we sit?” Alek waved a hand toward the conference table in the middle of the room, completely ignoring the obvious tension that had settled over them all.

Aurora sat on the far end of the table, her shoulders tight and her hands folded rigidly in her lap. She didn’t look up at him again, refusing to make eye contact. That alone was enough to make Dominic’s pulse spike and his stomach turn with unease.

Looking her over, he saw no bruises littering her delicate skin, thank fucking God for that, but the way she kept her head down as Alek took the seat to her right told him more than any injury ever could.

But even with that small bit of relief coursing through him, there was no denying the vacant look in her eyes as she stared down at her lap, hands clutched together while she seemed to shrink into herself more and more as the minutes ticked on.

Dominic wasn’t sure what he’d expected. Gratitude maybe? A flicker of relief to see a familiar face? He wasn’t naive enough to think she’d throw herself into his arms, not after what they’d been through, but this? This complete detachment?

It didn’t sit right.

Which begged the question: what the hell had Alek done to her?

“Dominic,” Alek said smoothly, smile all teeth with none of the joy reflected in his eyes. “I’m so glad we could meet. Shall we get started?”

With effort, Dominic finally moved to the chair opposite of Alek, ignoring the way the Russian’s guards subtly shifted outside of the door. He dropped into the seat without a word, every muscle in his body drawn tight. Aurora sat not even five feet away from him and yet it felt like there was a goddamn canyon between them.

“Let’s skip the theatrics,” Dominic said coldly.

Alek chuckled, leaning back in his chair with lazy confidence. “Always straight to the point. But sure, we will skip the pleasantries. As I said in our phone call, I want what we discussed: fifty percent of Guerrero territory and a seat at your table permanently.”

Aurora flinched, just barely but Dominic noticed it immediately in the way her spine straightened slightly and how tightly she twisted her hands in her lap.

Was it surprising to her to know the man that had been holding her captive was more of a shark than he was?

Fifty percent wasn’t ideal in any sense but it would at least give him some semblance of control over what his family had been building for generations. Allowing for a foreign entity to be one of the executive heads at that same table?

It was suicide.

Even if Aurora wasn’t aware of most of what went on during her father’s business discussions she was smart enough to gather that the deal being put on the table currently was abysmal. Even now hearing it out loud again, Dominic found it ridiculous he could’ve considered the possibility of going along with it in the first place.

Yes, he did want Aurora back but what good would that do if he was ultimately bringing her home to a city soon to be drowned in turmoil? If not with his own family, hers would soon become involved, ending in a possible civil war none of them would end up winning, let alone surviving.

As desperate as he was to take her from Alek, Dominic also knew how foolishly impulsive he would be acting if he agreed to this deal.

He needed to get out and regroup—think about what his next steps were instead of doing exactly what Romero warned him not to by coming here, guns blazing, in the first place.

“No.”

Alek’s smile faded. “No?”

“You’re not getting half the city or a seat at my syndicate’s table.”

The silence that followed was intense. Oppressive in a way that forced him to sit still even if the nagging urge to shift in his seat was practically screaming inside his head.

Aurora shifted in her seat then, that tiny movement drew Dominic’s attention once more. She was still staring down at her hands, but he caught the faint movement of her eyes as she looked up at him through pieces of her hair before quickly darting away.

His chest ached.

Alek leaned forward in his seat, lacing his fingers on top of the table with an exaggerated sigh. “You disappoint me, Dominic. I expected you to be more… pragmatic.”

Dominic’s eyes slid back to him. “You expected me to hand over what my family has spent generations building. That’s not pragmatic, Alek, that’s suicide.”

“It is business,” Alek countered. “While your family may not know the truth, they just survived a coup. What would happen if, say, word about it would get out? Think carefully before you make a decision that costs you more than just your ego.”

He didn’t take the threat that was obviously being dangled in front of him as bait. Alek may sound convicted in outing their conspiracy to take out his father but revealing such a truth would cost him more than just a seat at the Guerrero’s table.

It would put a target on his back for the rest of his life.

No self respecting Bratva boss wanted to deal with a nuisance like that for the rest of their life.

“I’m not handing you fifty percent of anything. Or letting you become entangled with my family’s politics. As you’ve said, it’s just business.”

Alek’s jaw tightened. And there it was, the crack in the facade.

“You’ve taken what doesn’t belong to you,” Dominic continued. “You’ve crossed borders, stolen two women, and made demands like a child. You think that entitles you to a seat at my table?”

“From what I hear, they were quite eager to leave. Were they not?”

His hands slowly drew into fists before he could stop them from doing so. “Don’t twist this.”

“There is no need for me to twist anything. Your girl ran, Dominic. You cannot deny that. Maybe it would be wise for you to ask yourself why that is. Perhaps she will be better off with me in Russia.”

Dominic’s voice dropped, sounding cold. “If you touch her… if you so much as try to take her out of this country, I will gut you in front of your men. Do you understand me?”

Alek’s eyes gleamed. “Oh? Is that a threat?”