Page 31 of Mafia Baby

“How do you know that?” I ask him, smiling through my anger with him. If I can just stay composed, things might not get too out of hand.

“What do you mean you’ve been talking to Dominic?” My father’s voice is raised an octave higher than usual. I look at my parents and their panicked faces.

“Okay, calm down, guys. It’s not like I’m about to marry the man.” I laugh, but no one looks like they’ve enjoyed the joke.

“No, you’re fucking not.” My brother pipes up.

“Gianna, we spoke about Dominic at your birthday.” My mother is frantically rearranging her cutlery and refusing to look at any of us now.

“Yes, Mom, I know. We just found that we had quite a bit in common and William must have seen us talking at the gala.” I shoot my brother a look, daring him to challenge me.

“He was at the gala?” My father looks thoughtful.

“Yeah, probably staking out his next kill.” I wince at Will’s words. I know about Dom’s “Reaper” side, but thinking about him actually killing someone — and a mutual acquaintance nonetheless — has my mind in a frazzle.

Will’s comment seems to be the last straw for my mother who starts lecturing me about hanging around “people who aren’t from our world” and my father starts yelling about how he’ll have Dom’s head if he thinks he’s going to be speaking to his daughter.

“Okay, you two can stop now! I understand that I am back in your home, and I respect that, but while I was living in London, I made all of my own decisions, and I did it just fine. Besides, you have all basically ignored me since I got home. What do you care who I see?” I stand up and push my chair away. There’s no way I can be in the house with them while they’re emotional like this.

“Gianna!” my father yells out as I leave the room.

Storming out of the house, I dial Dom’s number.

“Hello?” he answers.

“Are you busy?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Yeah, I was actually just grabbing a coffee…”

“Oh, I’m sorry to bug you.”

“No, it’s all right. You’re not bugging me. Is everything okay?”

I sigh. “It’s going to sound stupid, but my family has just pissed me off, and I need to get out of here. I was wondering if you’d maybe be willing to come and get me?”

I hear his breath on the other end and then add in quickly, “I’m sober, so no puking, I promise.”

He laughs. “I’d love to come and fetch you. Give me ten minutes to get my car, and I’ll head right over.”

***

Dom’s loft is almost exactly how I’d imagined it.

It’s dark, with just two windows, but both are covered by black-out shades. But it’s clean; meticulously clean. And there are pops of color in each corner, bringing a feel of artsy bat-cave to the loft.

It’s warm in here, though, and once he closes the door behind us, it feels like the rest of the world can’t get to us.

He offers me something to drink, with a choice between tea and whiskey. I go for the tea. He pours it into a mug because I guess bachelors don’t need to have multiple types of glasses for different drinks.

I cheers to him and walk over to his couch, sitting down.

“Are you on a drinking ban?” he asks me.

I blink at him, then remember that he doesn’t know why I’m abstaining. I cough and smooth the dress over my thighs. “I just want to be clear-headed about the decisions that I’m making right now, you know?”

He grins at me, and my heart flips over. “Like hanging out with me?”

I cough again, but then I smile. “Yes, like those decisions.”

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