Page 72 of Queen Of Dark Money

Thiswas a dream.I’dwake up in a few minutes and be in my bed, safe and sound, preparing to go off on one of my many shifts to pay the bills, with a kiss onMama’shead and a nod to the cat.

Iheard someone call my name–not my sister’s name, but mine, his voice vaguely familiar and slightly domineering.Mygaze turned away from the street to find a door of the club cracked halfway open, and standing there behind it was the man who’d tried to keep me from throttlingGatt, or offering to let him kill me.Ithink they’d called himDominick.Whenour eyes met, he motioned for me to come to him, andIshook my head no, eyes wide.

Didthis guy want me dead?

“You’vegotta get off the street,” he said quietly, his hand resting on the door handle. “Theglass is bulletproof.Justwait until he shoots again and make a break for it.Idon’t think his rifle is an automatic.”

“Ican’t,”Ispat, my hands shaking now.Iwas probably going into shock. “I’mnot ready to fucking die.AndIcan’t risk my life on ‘maybes,’ you asshat.”

“Trustme,” he said, eyes scanning the road and the buildings beyond. “Iwon’t let them hurt you.”

“Youaren’t really in a position to save my ass,”Ipointed out, feeling my heart race in my chest.Breathingwas becoming more difficult, andIcould feel the edges of a panic attack setting in.Shit.Ofall the times to panic, now made the most sense, butIdidn’t have time for hysterics.Ineeded to focus.Icouldn’t fall apart now.

“Kerenza, you’re going to get your ass over here when that next bullet leaves his gun, and you’re going to run like you ran fromus,do you hear me?”

Myeyes shot up to his again, distracted by the tone he’d used on me.Thisman, for all the gray hair peppered in his thick mane of black locks, was a beastIwas familiar with.Heexuded power and commanded respect.AndwhenI’dinsistedIcouldn’t do something, he demanded it of me, and ordered me to follow his commands.

Hewas a dom, through and through.Beingthe switchIwas, my submissive side called to him, and he answered in kind, knowing whatIneeded to hold myself together.

“I’mnot chancing it,Dominick,”Ireplied, though with less fight in me than before. “I’mnot fast enough–”

“Listen, sweetheart, you can brat til your heart’s content later, but now, the important thing is getting to safety.SowhenIsay go, you go, and you don’t look back, do you understand me?”

Inodded slowly, knowing when it was time to take an order and listen without argument.Hewas right; standing out on the sidewalk against the building only gave my assailant another chance to line up a better shot.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, andIrealized he’d waited too long to take another shot.Somethingflashed in the distance atop the building across the street, andIdidn’t wait forDominickto say go.

Iwent.

Ishot away from the wall like a frightened deer, struggling not to fall over my own feet asIscreamed in panic and flung myself at him.He’dabandoned the open door and met me halfway, tucking me behind himself to rush us both back to the door.Iheard the ping of a ricocheting bullet, but it thankfully missed us both as we slid into the safety of the club, the door slamming closed behind us.

Dominickhad his strong arms wrapped around me, and honestly, that was the only thing holding me together.Iwas a strong woman, fearless, and brave, selfless to a fault.Butright now,Iwas a scared-ass girl who’d almost been shot in her attempted flight from five criminal men who were now the only safe havenIhad.

Iclung to the little thread of sanityIhad left, laced with an anger that fueled me.Icouldn’t fall apart as long asIheld onto that line of pure rage that someone who’d created me could possibly kill me without a single second thought.

Ibelatedly realized someone was talking to me and shook my head, stepping out of the single-minded emotions just in time to make out what they were discussing amongst themselves.

“Ithink she’s in shock,”IheardRiversay, his voice to my left, laced with concern.

“She’snot hurt.Isay we cut our losses and leave her to the streets,” saidRafe, his somewhat angry voice on my right.

“She’sa liability, for sure, but we can’t just throw her to the wolves,” saidGatt, his voice a whisper on the wind. “Someoneneeds to keep her safe untilIcan touch base withKing.”

Stonehuffed in annoyance. “I’mstill finding shit fucked up all over my house from her short stay.I’mnot it.”

“I’lltake her.”

Allthe other voices stopped as the words reverberated through my body.Irealized belatedly thatIwas still inDominick’sarms, and my face was pressed against his chest,my breathing ragged and uneven.Oneof his hands was pressed against my head, keeping me there, and his other wrapped itself around my waist, keeping me upright as we walked, shuffled, whatever, over to the nearby lounge couches.

Imelted into him, a whimper escaping my lips asIbroke, finally.

Itwas all too fucking much.Kidnapping, assault, abandonment, and now this.

Iwas not superwoman.Iwas just a fucking woman with a sick mother who’d done everything to make my life good, who needed me to help cover the cost of her medical procedures.

Iwas here for her.

AndnowIhad almost died for her.

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