Page 51 of Corrupted Heir (Mafia Kings: Corrupted 1)

Were these the men who’d shot up my apartment? We were out in the open. Nothing could stop them from killing us right here and now. My shoulders slouched like my body thought it could make itself small enough to disappear.

Dominic followed my gaze then barked out a laugh. “They’re my men, Fallon. They’re not ‘watching’ us. They’re watching outforus so I can focus on more… enticing distractions.”

Some of the cold chill began to evaporate, but it had been enough to shock me to my senses. This man was part of the mob. He was keeping me against my will. What the hell was I doing making out with him?

“We should go,” I said even though my body railed in objection.

He muttered something under his breath. It sounded an awful lot like “sweet and sour”, but I had probably heard him wrong.

When he stepped back, I slid my feet to the ground and made a beeline for the passenger side door and practically tumbled into the front seat. It was so much easier when the line was drawn clearly in the sand, and we stayed on opposite sides of the battle. It was too confusing when he crossed the line, when he touched me and kissed me and made me forget about everything but the feel of his body against mine. It made me soft, it made me weak.

Those were dangerous things to be in the company of a killer.

Chapter Eighteen

Fallon

Dominic was silent on the drive back to his apartment. Despite the electricity that seemed to buzz in the air all around us, he seemed completely unfazed by it.

Could anything rattle this man? I wondered.

He pulled up in front of his condo and handed his keys over to a valet. I followed him out of the car, but I lingered outside the passenger door, staring up at the building. It had no bars on its windows or guards patrolling its perimeter, but it was a prison nonetheless.

Myprison.

I wasn’t ready to go back in yet.

“Come on, Fallon,” he said after a moment, but I ignored him. I had no doubt I was just as much a captive outside as inside, but at least out here, my walls were invisible.

“Now,” he said in that tone that seemed to make my feet move of their own volition.

Maybe my feet were just smarter than the rest of me. The man probably knew a hundred different ways to kill me without anyone being the wiser. Really, after all the times I’d fought with him, it was a wonder he hadn’t put those skills to use. All those mobster guys in movies seemed to have perpetually short fuses. It was strange then, that Dominic had never lost his temper. Strange, and disconcerting. It would have been easier if I could have fit him neatly into a mold I recognized. Much less confusing, and at least then I could know what to expect.

He led me to the elevator and up to his condo.

“SignoraLuca is here,” one of the men who guarded his door like a Doberman said as Dominic moved to turn the handle.

He paused, and his shoulders stiffened. He turned to look at me, eyeing me warily.

Suddenly, I knew what could rattle the unshakable Dominic Luca: his mother.

“You can say whatever you want about me, Fallon. She’s off-limits,” he’d said my first morning in his home.

It was a strange side of him to see, and it bothered me. Not because it somehow made him more human. In any other situation, it would have been a relief to see he wasn’t just a coldhearted killer. But because, on the other side of the door, stood a woman to whom he was loyal. A woman for whom he’d do anything. He’d murder for her. He’d die for her. He’d take away my life for her.

Something about the way he was looking at me pulled at my stupid heart. This woman mattered to him, and he worried I would mistreat her. It stung that he would think I’d lash out at the woman to spite him, almost enough that I was tempted to do just that. Almost.

But even though he was just as stuck with me as I was with him, he’d tried to soften the blow today. He’d taken me out of my cage and put a weapon in my hand. I had no doubt his intention had been to make me feel more empowered… even if we both knew I didn’t have a hope in hell of outgunning him.

I nodded, though I was sure it wasn’t necessary. The man seemed to be able to read my thoughts all on his own.

Then he flashed me a small smile and opened the door.

I wasn’t quite sure what I’d expected—maybe a woman with cold eyes and a hard-set jaw—but the beautiful woman who sat in the plush armchair in Dominic’s living room definitely wasn’t it.

She was tall and slim with high cheekbones and the most soulful dark eyes I’d ever seen. Her dark hair was lightly streaked with silver, and she wore it up in a simple knot at the crown of her head.

She stood when we entered the apartment, smiling first at Dominic and then at me. There was something so genuine about her smile, it sent a comforting warmth through my veins.

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