“I don’t. I just don’t like being made fun of.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “This is good. I haven’t had McDonald’s since I was a kid. My mother only allowed it when we went on vacations.”
I glanced at him. It was hard to imagine him as a kid with a mother. The SUV bounced over a dip in the road just as I brought the cup to my mouth. The scalding liquid burned my tongue. Damn.
“How many girls have you sent to auction?”
He only glanced my way but didn’t answer. Instead, he turned his attention back to the road.
“Let me ask you something else. This isn’t Victor’s first time hiring you, is it?”
He shook his head.
“Does his uncle know?”
“I don’t know.”
“He doesn’t like him much.” He didn’t. Angus Scava could hardly stand Victor, but he had to put up with him. There was no one else to take over the family reins. “He’d been readying James to take over the family. But then James was killed.”
“He was shot, correct?”
I nodded. “On his way home from a meeting he’d gone to in place of his father.”
Dominic’s eyebrows seemed locked in a permanent furrow, but he seemed to be a man used to shielding his thoughts. The momentary flash of vulnerability I saw in his eyes was gone like it had never been there in the first place.
“The Scava’s are a powerful family. James’ grandfather was killed much the same way as he was. He had a sister who died ina car crash. I know Mrs. Scava had miscarried twice. James was the only direct survivor. Bad luck.”
“Not bad luck. They’re a leading crime family. They have enemies. The more powerful you are the more hated you are.”
“You seem to know a lot about this.”
He glanced my way. “I’ve been around. What about your family?”
“The men have been foot soldiers for as long as I can remember. I don’t think many make it past fifty. So fucking stupid. Such a waste.”
“How did you meet James Scava?”
“At a party being used as cover for a meeting. My father had gone as Mr. Benedetti’s bodyguard. I’d been invited to come along. Mateo hadn’t been there. He’d been at school. He was getting out of the life, making a new start.”
“Go on.” he said.
I realized I’d stopped talking. I didn’t know when I’d stopped missing James. He’d been so good, so caring, so protective of me.
“I’d just turned twenty. His birthday was one day after mine. He was thirty, older than I usually dated, but we hit it off.”
“And you knew who he was, what he did, and still fell for him?”
“He shielded me from that side of things. So had my father. I never saw it. And it’s easy to pretend it’s not happening when it’s someone you love whose hands are bloodied.”
Dominic took a bite of his sandwich. “They never found his killer.”
“How do you know so much?”
“It was in the news.”
“Mr. Scava believed it was a rival family, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Victor had his dirty hands in it.”
“That’s quite the accusation.”
