Page 17 of Until You Break

“Dominic…” I whisper, the name barely escaping my lips.

I’d tried so hard to let him go, to convince myself he was gone, a ghost from a part of my life that would never fully make sense. And here he is, frozen in time, exactly as he was. Not a ghost, not some memory haunting my dreams, but real. So real that I can almost hear his laugh, almost feel his warmth beside me.

But then a shadow of doubt creeps in. If Dominic made it out, if he survived that night, why didn’t he come to find me? Why didn’t he reach out? The questions twist in my stomach, but I push them aside. I can’t let the doubts stop me now. Not when I’m this close.

I scribble down the address from the search, my mind racing. There’s a chance, however slim, that they know something. That they can tell me what happened to him, whether he’s… whether he’s even alive.

My phone buzzes on the desk, and I glance at the screen, seeing a text from Mason checking in. He’s barely been gone a day, and already he’s making sure everything’s okay, that I’m handling life without him around.

For a second, guilt flickers in my chest, but it fades quickly. This is something I have to do, something Mason wouldn’t understand, no matter how hard he tried.

I type a quick reply, assuring him everything’s fine, then slip my phone back into my bag. I gather my things, the address scribbled on a piece of paper clutched in my hand as I head out of the office, locking the door behind me.

The ride to the garage feels surreal, like I’m in some kind of dream I can’t quite wake up from. The address leads me to an industrial part of town, tucked away from the main roads.

The garage is easy to spot, a large metal building with faded letters spelling out Romano’s Custom Auto on a sign overhead. A few cars sit in the lot outside, and the faint sound of heavy metal music and machinery hums from within.

I park my bike and sit there for a moment, gripping the handlebars as I take a steadying breath. This is it. This is the closest I’ve been to any part of Dominic since that night, the closest I might ever get.

I don’t know if I’m ready for whatever I’m about to find, but there’s no turning back now.

Chapter eleven

His Sinner

I climb off thebike and head toward the entrance, my footsteps heavy, the sunflower’s image still lingering in my mind like a ghost. I push open the door, the scent of oil and metal filling my nose, mixed with the faint smell of cigarette smoke.

Inside, the garage is a mix of organized chaos—car parts, tools scattered across workbenches, a few half-finished projects in various states of repair. A tall, dark-haired man stands near one of the workbenches, his back to me, engrossed in some engine part he’s cleaning.

“Excuse me?” I say, my voice steady, but my heart pounding.

He turns, and I know instantly that it’s Luca. He looks just like the photo—gruff, intense, with the kind of hardened expression that comes from years of living rough. His eyes narrow as he looks me over, suspicion flashing in his gaze.

“We’re not taking any new clients today,” he says, turning back to his work, clearly dismissing me.

“I’m not here about a car,” I say, stepping closer. “I… I’m looking for someone. Someone I think you might know.”

Luca glances at me, irritation flickering in his eyes. “Lady, I don’t know who you think I am, but I don’t have time for—”

“Dominic,” I say, cutting him off, the name slipping out before I can stop myself. “I’m looking for Dominic Romano.”

Luca’s entire body goes rigid, and he slowly turns to face me, his expression shifting from irritation to one of anger and disbelief. “Who the fuck are you?”

“My name is Aria. I… I was with him. Five years ago. We were—” I hesitate, searching for the right words. “We were both taken. He… he saved me. Got me out, but I… I haven’t been able to find him since. I just need to know… did he make it out?”

Luca’s jaw tightens, and he looks away, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “You’ve got some nerve, coming here and dragging all this up.”

I swallow, my chest tightening. “I’ve spent years trying to find him, trying to figure out what happened. And then today… today, someone left something in my home, something only he would have known about. No note, no explanation. I thought… I thought maybe it was him, or someone who knows him.”

Luca’s expression softens, just a fraction, and he lets out a rough sigh, running a hand over his face. “Dom always had a way of leaving pieces of himself behind. Guess he left one with you.”

The words hit me hard, and I feel a lump form in my throat. “So he’s… he’s alive?”

Luca hesitates. “That’s… complicated. He made it out, yeah. But he’s not the same. None of us are after what he went through. Dom… has been off the grid, handling things his own way.”

“Handling things?” I repeat, my voice trembling. “What does that mean?”

Luca shakes his head, giving me a look filled with equal parts pity and warning. “It means he’s not someone you want to find,not anymore. Trust me, Aria. You’re better off leaving him in the past.”

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