Chapter 4 - The Kingpin's Justice
Lorenzo scrambled backward across the hardwood floor until his back hit the heavy oak wardrobe, weeping hysterically like a child.
“It wasn't my idea, Dominic! I swear on our grandmother’s grave!” Lorenzo sobbed, pointing a shaking finger toward the doorway. “It was the Vance family from New York! They provided the synthetic poison! They promised to back my claim as Don if I eliminated you before the monthly territory meeting!”
Raphael let out a dark, cruel laugh from the doorway. “The Vance family? You sold your own blood to our fiercest rivals for a crown you’re too weak to wear?”
Dominic stood over his cousin, the suppressed handgun held loosely at his side. He didn't shout. He didn't strike him. The absolute, icy silence radiating from Dominic was far more terrifying than any outburst of rage could ever be.
“Take him down to the basement, Raphael,” Dominic ordered softly. “Lock him in the holding cell. The family council arrives at nine o’clock tomorrow morning. I want every regional captain to see what happens to a traitor.”
“And the chef?” Raphael asked, motioning toward Marco, who was still groaning on the floor.
“Dr. Ferraro will patch him up,” Dominic replied coldly. “He’s going to testify in front of the council tomorrow. After that... handle him accordingly.”
Two heavy-set security guards swept into the room, roughly hauling the weeping Lorenzo and the bleeding chef out of the master suite, dragging them down the private service stairwell.
The heavy bedroom doors were closed once again, leaving only Dominic, Raphael, and me in the room.
Raphael looked at Dominic, his eyes filled with immense respect. “Your fever trick worked perfectly, Boss. Lorenzo fell for the trap hook, line, and sinker. But what about the Vance family in New York? They’ll know the hit failed by morning.”
“Let them know,” Dominic said, a dark, dangerous smile spreading across his face. “Mobilize our strike teams at the docks. As soon as the family council meeting ends tomorrow, we wipe the Vance family's Chicago operations off the map permanently.”
“Understood, Don Moretti,” Raphael bowed his head respectfully, turning to leave the room to execute the orders.
Once Raphael left, the grand room fell into a heavy, quiet stillness.
Dominic stood near the center of the room, his white shoulder bandages slightly stained with fresh blood from the physical exertion of the shootout. He let out a long, quiet breath, his body visibly sagging as the massive adrenaline rush began to fade.
I immediately rushed over to his side, wrapping my arm around his waist to support his weight before his knees could buckle.
“You crazy, arrogant idiot!” I scolded him, though my voice was cracking with deep emotion as I guided him back toward the bed. “You just got shot at two days ago, you were poisoned yesterday, and now you’re jumping around firing handguns!”
Dominic allowed me to guide him onto the edge of the mattress. He looked up at me, his dark eyes soft, warm, and intensely focused on my face as I gently opened his linen shirt to check his shoulder bandages.
“You’re lecturing the Don of Chicago again, Lucy,” he murmured, his voice rich with quiet amusement.
“Somebody has to!” I snapped, tears finally spilling over my lashes as I pressed a fresh piece of sterile gauze against his bleeding wound. “Do you have any idea how terrified I was when that man stepped into the room?! You could have been killed!”
Dominic reached up, his broad, calloused hand gently covering my trembling fingers on his chest. He didn't let go.
“I was never going to let him hurt you, Lucy,” Dominic said softly, his voice thick with absolute sincerity. “When he raised that gun... my only thought in this world was making sure you were safe behind me.”
I stopped moving. I looked down into his dark brown eyes, feeling the intense, powerful beat of his heart beneath my palm.
“Why?” I whispered, my heart hammering against my ribs. “I’m just a maid, Dominic. I’m nobody in your world.”
Dominic reached up with his other hand, his warm fingers gently cupping my jawline, tilting my head up so I had no choice but to look directly into his soul.
“You’re not nobody, Lucy,” Dominic swore softly, his thumb gently wiping a tear from my cheek. “Seventeen days ago, you walked into this mansion and looked at me like a human being, not a monster. You laughed at me when I tried to act tough, you saved my life from poison, and you stood by my side when my own blood betrayed me.”
He leaned closer, his dark eyes burning with an intense, fierce devotion that made my entire body go warm.
“You are the only real thing in my life, Lucy,” Dominic whispered against my lips. “And starting tomorrow... you will never scrub another floor in this city again.”
Before I could draw a breath, Dominic leaned up and captured my lips in a deep, slow, breathtaking kiss that sent a wave of pure, overwhelming heat straight down to my toes.
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I melted into his touch, wrapping my arms around his neck, kissing him back with all the pent-up fear, passion, and relief that had been building inside me for days.
The terrifying Mafia Don had surrendered his heart to the maid who exposed his lie—and I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that my life would never be the same again.
