Page 21 of Claimed By The Devil

“Just my head. He knocked me out,” she says through her tears.

“We’ll get it checked out. Let’s get out of here,” I put my arm around her and help her down the stairs.

At another time, I would have taken pleasure in finishing Jimmy off myself, but I saw the look in Deirdre’s eyes when she asked me if I was gonna kill him. Part of protecting her is going to include shielding her from the parts of me that she doesn’t need to see. When she looks at me, I don’t want her to see a killer. I want her to have only good memories of me.

13

TO THE FUTURE

DANNY

Word spreads quickly of Jimmy’s downfall, and since he had no second-in-command, his crew folds overnight. Some look for a place with my crew, while others gravitate to Bobby Vito. They can try to stay in this life, but they’ll have to do a lot to prove themselves first.

Bobby and I haven’t seen each other since the day that I took Deirdre to the motel. Our mutual enemy has been eliminated so there’s no reason for us to join forces or share our territories. Still, I’m not foolish enough to think that I can be with Deirdre and never come face-to-face with her father, so when I see his car in the driveway, I don’t hesitate to go up and ring the doorbell. The snarky maid answers the door and shouts, “Senior Vito,” before moving aside so that I can step across the threshold.

She smirks at me, proving that she knows I’m here for Deirdre and not her father, but Bobby saunters up to the door before I can curse her for her pettiness.

“Danny Dimarco, you must be here for my daughter.”

“I am, Bobby. How are things with you?”

“Better now. I never got a chance to thank you for handling that matter so quickly and without any intervention on my part. Now that we’ve been to the table face-to-face, maybe there won’t be so much animosity between our crews. If you stay in your territory, we might just keep this thing civil.”

“We didn’t move into your territory. As I recall, you moved into ours,” I remind him.

“That, my friend, was a difference of opinion, but it’s in the past now. Here’s to the future,” he claps his hands and walks away just as Deirdre comes down the stairs.

“How are you feeling, baby girl?” I ask as she leaps into my arms.

“I’m good, daddy. Just very glad that you’re here,” she bats her eyes at me causing that all-too-regular twitch in my pants.

“Dinner in the city?” I ask her.

“And, maybe the planetarium?” she tilts her head to the side.

“We’ll see, kitten. We’ll see,” I take her by the arm and lead her out to the car.

* * *

Tommy opensthe kitchen door for us and greets us with his regular charm, “Good evening, Boss and Ms. Deirdre. You look lovely as always.” He leans into her and whispers, “Very happy to see you safe and sound.”

We make our way to my regular table and Deidre smiles, “You told them that we were coming this time. The wine is already chilling at the table.”

“I did let them know this time because this is a special occasion,” I tell her. “Tommy’s already got our dinner order, too.”

“More special than our first night together?” she teases.

“I don’t know if I can top that one, but I’m gonna try,” I secede.

“What’s so special? The suspense is killing me,” she squeezes my arm.

“Sorry, you’ll just have to wait. For now, I’m going to enjoy a bottle of good wine and good food with the most beautiful girl in the world.”

“Then I guess I’ll just enjoy a good meal with the most handsome man in the world,” she grins.

The waitress arrives with Deirdre’s salad and pasta, and the appetizers that I preordered. She smiles at Deirdre when she sets down her plate. “Wow, remember the last time she served us? She looked at me with such disgust.”

“See, everything is changing. Didn’t I tell you that you were going to have a bright future?”

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