Page 15 of A Sinner's Virtue
Me:
Bring a towel, unless you want blood on your fancy leather seats.
The little dots tell me that he’s reading the message. His bullshit about him not being an Uber was just that. Bullshit. I know he’ll come and get me.
Dom:
Be there in five. If you bleed on my seats, you’re buying the car.
I laugh and then stop and pocket my phone when my eyes flick back to the building. I consider going back in there. I never did see Zoe. But then she walks out the door and starts down the street in the opposite direction. I know she’s connected to the Bratva. That doesn’t mean I have to like it. But seeing her walk into that club just made me realise how connected she really is.
I don’t care who her parents or adoptive parents are. I don’t give a fuck about that. Something happened to that woman and I want to know what it was.
I’ve been trying to dig into it all day, and I keep coming up empty. Zoe Petrov is an alias, and there are no records of whoever she was before that.
When I see the pretentious Rolls Royce roll to a stop in front of me, the number plates reading MCKINLEY in gaudy lettering, I push off the wall and gingerly approach the kerb.
The door opens from the inside, and I fall into the seat. “What the fuck happened to you?” Dom grunts.
“Careful, Dominic, you’re going to make me think you actually care about me.” I laugh, stopping short when my entire body hurts from the movement.
“It’s mere curiosity, asshole. There’s no caring involved,” he says. “Where am I taking you?”
“Home,” I groan.
It takes five minutes of driving in silence before Dom speaks up again. He eyes me from his peripheral. “You went after Zoe, didn’t you?” When I don’t answer him, he laughs. “Of course you did. You’ve no sense of self-preservation.”
“I’m alive, aren’t I?” I counter.
“Barely. I’ve fed people more alive than you to my pigs, Marcel.”
I shiver at the thought. Creepy fuckers, they are. Dominic has a farm a few hours out of town. It’s how he disposes of people who need disposing of. He doesn’t do it because he needs to. He could easily outsource his dirty work. Dominic is the heir to the McKinley family’s billion-dollar empire. But the crazy fucker enjoys feeding his pets. Guy definitely has more than a few screws loose.
“I know you don’t want it, but you’re getting it anyway,” Dom says out of nowhere.
“Getting what?”
“My advice. Dipshit.” He pauses and looks across at me. “If it’s not serious, like for the rest of your life type of serious, leave her alone.”
The glare I send Dom does nothing to wipe the smirk off his face. “Not all of us are the forever type, Dom.”
“Like I said, then leave her alone. That girl has gone through enough without getting mixed up in your family’s drama.”
“What does that mean? What has she gone through?” I shift in my seat to face him. As painful as it is, he has my full attention now.
Dom doesn’t answer me and I don’t push him for more. When he pulls into the driveway of my house, I turn to him again. “Thanks for the ride. And the advice,” I tell him.
“So you’re actually going to listen to me and stay away from Zoe?” Dom tilts his head at me.
“I didn’t say that.” I slide out of the car and slam the door before he can reply.
I enter the house and make it as far as the first step before Gio confronts me. “What the fuck happened to you?”
“You should see the other guy.” I laugh. I try to brush past him, but my big brother ain’t having it.
Gio places a hand on my shoulder, turning me around. “Follow me,” he demands before stepping in front of me. The thing is, he’s not just my older brother. He’s also the Don of the family, which means if he tells me to follow, I really don’t have an option.
Gio heads into the games room, where I fall onto the sofa, lean my head back on the top of the frame, and close my eyes. I really just want to jump in the shower and collapse into bed. Maybe sleep for a few days.
