Chapter 88
Dominic POV
Dominic’s hands clenched at his sides as he stared down the hallway where the bedroom was, waiting for her to emerge anytime now. His relief at having her back should have been all-consuming, grounding him, but instead, it was like standing in the eye of a storm: destroying him with each second that passed.
She looked wrecked.
Her dress was torn, hanging off one shoulder in a way that felt more violent than accidental. Her skin was smeared with dirt and faint bruises, the angry mottling around her jaw making his blood boil.
She hadn’t said much since he pulled her from that alley, her sobbing had subsided once they were safely tucked into the back of his rental. He could barely get a single coherent sentence out of her before she’d almost gotten taken again, and now that felt like an impossible feat.
The panic at seeing her getting dragged away had worn off. Now rage clawed at his insides.
“She wasn’t supposed to be hurt,” Dominic muttered, pacing across the room for what felt like the hundredth time.
Romero, who had finally joined them, sat in one of the unoccupied chairs, tablet in hand while he scrolled through CCTV footage of the mansion. “Are you surprised? You denying Alek’s deal severely pissed him off. You’re lucky he didn’t kill her out of retaliation.”
Dominic turned, eyes flashing. “Is that supposed to make this okay? We had a deal. He wasn’t supposed to touch her.”
Romero raised an eyebrow in return. “Maybe while you were in the negotiation stage, but once you told him his offer was off the table, I’m willing to bet he considered that as permission to do what he wanted.”
“That’s not a fucking excuse,” Dominic snapped, scrubbing a hand through his hair. He was seconds from snapping, the high of adrenaline still pulsing through him from the gunfight earlier. “Just because we didn’t strike a deal doesn’t mean anything. I made it clear I wasn’t going to tolerate retaliation.”
“Well, clearly he doesn’t care,” Romero said, tone even. “And you’re not exactly thinking straight right now.”
Dominic shot him a look, but his second didn’t back down.
“I’m saying this for your sake,” Romero continued. “We got Aurora back. Isn’t that what matters to you? Let’s take it as a win and go home. We can regroup. Cut our losses.”
He sighed. “We can’t. We need to retrieve Gianna. She’ll never forgive me if I allow her friend to remain with Alek. In fact, I doubt she’d even get on a plane and go home at all.”
“Is she really that important?” Marco asked from the other side of the room.
He nodded. “She’s the daughter of the Caruso’s consigliere outside of being Aurora’s friend.”
Romero’s eyes flicked toward the bathroom door. “I don’t understand. Did we not come to the conclusion that Aurora has been turned? That this all might be some elaborate scheme? I distinctly remember that conversation.”
Dominic stopped pacing, turning to his second again
Romero gave a slow shrug. “You are letting your feelings cloud your judgement again. Dominic, we have already been through this. I’m only indulging you with getting her back because we can still use her in some way. And also because she managed to get out herself.”
“You were also willing to storm Alek’s mansion.”
“No. I told you I didn’t want to do that as it would’ve been a suicide mission.”
Dominic didn’t answer.
He turned away from Romero and stared out the hotel window. Mexico stretched out beyond the glass—golden dust, distant lights, and the heaviness of violence simmering just beneath the surface. There was always a game being played in cities like this. Always a hidden motive.
Just like what was staring him right in the face at this very moment.
“She shouldn’t have been able to get away,” Dominic muttered finally, the wheels in his head finally starting to turn again.
Romero straightened. “What do you mean?”
“Alek’s not stupid. He wouldn’t let her slip through his fingers unless it served some kind of purpose… She had no guards with her when she called from the sound of it. They only showed up when we did. That wasn’t an escape… that was a release.”
“You think he let her go?” Luca asked.
“What else would make sense?” Dominic stepped away from the window, a sick feeling coiling in his gut.
Romero cursed softly, sitting back against the cushions. “You think it’s bait? A trap?”
“Or a distraction,” Dominic answered grimly. “Make me think she got out in order to lower my guard. Keep me watching her while he makes his moves here or somewhere else. This could all be something he’s using to keep me occupied in order to move in on Guerrero territory since he wants it so badly.”
Romero’s brow furrowed. “We should keep track of the activity coming and going from that mansion, then”
“Yes. Luca, I want you to keep manning the CCTV while we’re here. Marco, keep tabs on who leaves and where they’re going. I want to know the second Alek books a plane to head to the States.”
Romero sighed, running a hand down his face. “He may just go back to Russia and regroup.”
“If he’s smart, he will.” Dominic’s jaw flexed. “However, he strikes me as the impulsive type. What he wants, he gets. I doubt no one has told him ‘no’ before. He most likely has no idea how to deal with not getting what he wants.”
Romero stood up from his seat, grabbing his phone and tossing the tablet onto the nearby table. “Alright. Since we may be stuck here for a bit, we’ll see if we can extract Gianna. Even if this is a giant set up, returning her to the Carusos will gain us something.”
Dominic nodded mutely, eyes slowly moving over to the hallway where the bedroom was.
As if summoned, the door creaked open a moment later. Aurora stepped out, face still slightly damp from washing it, skin scrubbed raw.
Her clothes had been changed. She wore one of the robes provided by the hotel. It nearly swallowed her whole, her eyes were still red-rimmed, but dry now.
She looked tired. Defeated.
Dominic was across the room in two long strides.
“Aurora.” His voice softened as he reached for her, his hand gentle on her waist. “Come, you need to rest.”
She didn’t protest and let him lead her toward the bedroom.
He helped her into bed, pulling the covers up and tucking them around her. She curled toward him instinctively but strangely didn’t reach for him. He sat beside her, brushing damp strands of hair from her face, wishing like hell he knew what to say to make any of this okay.
She closed her eyes, chest rising with each shaky breath.
There was so much he wanted to ask her—how she escaped, if she was hiding anything from him—but none of it mattered at that moment. She was here with him and Alek would pay for every second of her suffering.
Even if it was one big ploy to take him down.
Dominic eased onto the bed beside her, lying down without another word. She didn’t curl into him, though her breathing slowly softened until she drew in long, deep breaths.
While every part of his mind was still whirring with questions, his heart stayed grounded in one single, maddening fact: He almost lost her, and he still didn’t know if she was entirely back.
