ABstood at the center of this mark, large and decorative. Spears protected that B and theFamigliabeneath. A lion’s mane acted as backdrop and anchor of the design.
I leaned down to have a closer look, confused. What the hell kind of mark was this?
Would Dominic know? He seemed to know a lot about the mafia world. He’d called it “our world.” He was an insider. I had assumed a foot soldier at first, then maybe a mercenary later, after I had gotten to know him a little more. He’d know what it was.
“Gia?” Dominic called out sharply from the bedroom.
I startled, grabbing a nearby towel and holding it up against me when he came into the bathroom, fully dressed in jeans and a tight-fitting, black-cashmere sweater. My eyes fell to the edges of the tattoo the V-neck left exposed. He stopped when he saw me, his blue-gray gaze sliding over me then rising to meet mine.
“What?” I asked once I could get my voice to work. I sounded annoyed, like him. It was an act, though. Was it an act for him? Did he act tough and cruel when he wasn’t?
No. It would be a stupid mistake to think that.
“I want to go,” he said, walking inside. He stopped, and it seemed to me he had to force himself to keep his gaze on mine even though he wanted to act like he didn’t give a damn. Like he was unaffected. I knew he felt it too, this insane physical pull charged and sparking like a live wire between us.
“I just have to get dressed. Give me a minute.”
His eyes narrowed a little, and I turned as he moved, keeping myself covered as best as I could, realizing the mirror exposed everything to him when his gaze slid to it.
“Please,” I said, no longer able to help the dropping of my head. I needed to manage this, to figure out how to be around him. Fucking like we had last night, it didn’t help. Only blurred the already fuzzy line.
He nodded, but I noticed how his gaze settled on my hip as if he too were trying to get a good look. I could ask him. I should. He’d know. But I pulled the towel over it instead. He turned to walk out the door, giving me room, letting me breathe as if he stole all the oxygen out of any room he entered.
I dressed quickly, brushed out the mess of my hair, pulled it into a ponytail, and headed out, stopping at the vanity in the bedroom to smear lip gloss on my lips and mascara on my lashes, not sure why I did. Not like I was trying to look good for him. He was my jailor. It’d be good if I could fucking remember that at some point.
Dominic stood in the hallway, keys in hand, impatience clear on his face.
“Can I eat something first?”
“You eat a lot.”
“It’s breakfast time.”
He sighed, but his stance relaxed a little.
“I saw granola bars. They stay good forever, right? I’ll just grab a couple.” I walked away before he could stop me.
“Fine. Hurry up,” he called out to my back.
In the pantry, I found the bars—dark chocolate and sea salt, my favorite—took two, grabbed two bottles of water, and went back out into the foyer, where I found him holding the door open for me. I walked toward the SUV. Dominic followed.
“I changed the code, so don’t bother with another escape attempt.”
“Wow, I warrant you having to change your security codes.” I went to pull the SUV door open, but he pushed it shut, making me jump, making my heartbeat pick up. I looked up at him looming inches from me.
“I could just chain you to the bed if you prefer? Maybe I will, when we’re back.”
He stayed like that, his gaze burning into mine until I had to look away, conceding his win. Dominic pulled my door open and walked around to the other side without waiting for me to climb in. Once we were settled, he started the engine. A momentary panic came over me.
“What if someone’s there? They see me?”
“Scava thinks you’re at the cabin. No one’s looking for you. I called already. Told them all was well. That we were on schedule.”
I nodded as he drove out of the driveway, but my fear of Victor Scava—as nauseous as it made me to know I feared that man—was very real.
“Why didn’t he kill me? Wouldn’t that have been smart, in case I did know something?”
“You make a mistake if you think Victor Scava smart.”
