Marco said, “Wow. You really do hear things, don’t you?”
I smiled a half smile. “It pays to be the invisible one.” I heard a huff and turned to Dominic. He did not look happy.
I shrugged and rolled my eyes again. “Well, that and it doesn’t hurt knowing someone like Aria. To be fair, Lorenzo is a big gossip too.”
Dominic’s expression softened. “You really like Aria and Lorenzo, don’t you?”
I felt uneasy. Would he use that against me?
My voice dropped a bit. “Yes. They treat me more like family than my own ever had.” I looked down at my plate that was still in front of me and fiddled with a cracker that was half eaten.
His voice came out soft. “Good. You deserve to have good people in your corner.”
I looked up at him, surprised by his response. We stared at each other for a few moments before there was a throat clearing.
Marco popped in, “So who do you think Nico should trap into being his wife?”
And that broke our connection.
Chapter 8
Trigger warning: Violence and sudden death.
Dom’s POV
It had been two months since the kidnapping fiasco, and a little more than two months of meeting with Sophie once a week. I had tried to figure out a way to meet more frequently, to spend time with her, but I couldn’t think of any excuses without coming off like it was to get more information against her father or in general. I came up with the idea of working lunches and she didn’t seem to read more into it which worked perfectly. I still had not told Marco that I was starting to develop feelings for her. I should actually thank Marco. Whenever he started coming to the meetings, she began relaxing more in my presence. By the end of the two months, she was as casual with me as she had been with Marco. I was jealous of the fucker, that was for sure. I didn’t know how to approach her with my feelings for her. I didn’t think she would believe me with her track record and our history thus far within this arranged marriage.
Sophie had been phenomenal in the information she had provided me about her father. She knew schedules, business information, and illegal activity. She had given me a wealth of knowledge I had been able to share with Maximo that would help with our plan against the Don. Maximo had agreed to support my plan and provide whatever backup I needed.Basically, I would owe him a favor now. But it would be worth it in the end. I would make sure of it.
Maximo had been more supportive of me than I had anticipated. He had told me it was because I was a Don who actually earned my place, instead of being birthed into it. Maximo’s father was a Don, which was how he became a Don. The Don I replaced did not have anyone he wanted to take over for him, so he had encouraged me, from a soldier up, to become his next Don. Maximo even said I had done a better job than the previous Don of my clan.
I was in the middle of a meeting with Marco when one of my enforcers came charging in. He knew better than to interrupt us without knocking.
He looked tense and agitated. “Boss, we may have a problem.”
I leaned forward in my chair from behind my desk. I noticed Marco became alert as well.
“What’s wrong, Salem?”
“Gregor hasn’t responded to my text messages in the last thirty minutes, or phone calls.”
I immediately pulled up his tracker on my desktop.
I frowned in concentration. “This says he’s at the mall.”
He would be with Sophie, and he knew better than to not respond to contact with the Head Enforcer.
“Send a team. Now.” I suddenly felt on edge. Something didn’t feel right.
Marco and I continued to talk about business, even though I knew he could tell I was not focusing. After another 15 minutes, my phone rang. It was Salem.
“Tell me.”
“Boss, we found Gregor unconscious in a hallway in the mall. Miss Sophie is not here.”
Motherfucker!
“Find my wife! Now!” I stood and grabbed my phone.
