If The Seas Catch Fire(94)

Dom gulped. The now-defunct Commission had only given their blessing for one boss hit in all of Mafia history. There were plenty of hits, all sanctioned within individual families, but Carmine Galante had pissed off so many people, the Commission had unanimously agreed that the bastard needed to go.

Corrado came around to his chair and put a hand on his shoulder. “I know this is a great deal to take in. Particularly after what’s happened to Biaggio and after my son turned on us.”

Dom gritted his teeth. He’d quite possibly killed an innocent man today. Did Corrado know? Did it change anything?

“This is all a tremendous responsibility.” Corrado patted Dom’s shoulder. “One I hope you won’t have to take on for many, many years, but these are dark days for us, Domenico. This is war. Anything could happen. And there’s no one I trust more with the legacy of the Maisano name.” Corrado sighed, and as his expression fell, he looked older than he ever had. Old, tired, even frail. “Perhaps this is a lesson for me. That I should have scrutinized my own boys more than I did. I nearly left the family in the hands of a traitor.”

A lump rose in Dom’s throat, but he didn’t let it show.

“I scrutinized you the way I should have my sons,” Corrado continued. “You proved everyone wrong, time and again, and to be frank, even if my son hadn’t turned out to be a traitor, I think I’d have eventually named you the way I am today. You’re not your father, Domenico. He could never have amounted to half the man you’ve become.”

The words replaced the lump in Dom’s throat with bile. Knowing how much blood was on his hands, and what blood in particular was on Corrado’s…

He clenched his jaw to keep from getting sick.

Corrado put a hand on Dom’s shoulder. “This means we need to think seriously about this arrangement with Brigida.” He squeezed firmly. “Your image will be even more important now.”

Dom’s mouth went dry. “Are you that convinced someone is going to take you out?”

“They can try, Domenico. They can try.” He chuckled, but it faded. “It’s the reality of our situation. I fully intend to retire from this business an old man, but for the sake of the family, I have to make sure provisions are in place.” He smiled broadly. “At least now I will know for certain that the organization is in good hands.”

Dom forced himself to smile back, but he was dying on the inside.

Because now, more than ever before, there was no escaping this life.





Chapter 25


The text was benign enough: Can I see you tonight?

Sergei had hidden his enthusiasm behind a response of Sure, see you after my shift, and then struggled to make it through the night. He half-assed a few dances to save energy. Let Jesse take over his table a couple of times. Counted down the minutes.

And then he’d walked into the motel room, and in an instant, his heart had fallen into the pit of his stomach.

Across the room, as Sergei toed the door shut with a quiet click, Dom watched him from the bed where he sat. If he could’ve devoured him with those desperate, hungry eyes, he probably would have. He seemed even needier than he had the very first night. Not just excited, not just turned on, but almost vibrating with something that went deeper than the craving for an orgasm.

Slowly, Dom rose. Sergei came closer. They inched toward each other, as if they were skirting the edges of some dangerous chemical reaction that would level the building to their feet.

In the middle of the room, they held each other’s gazes. Any other night, Sergei would be in his arms by now, demanding access to his mouth and rubbing this insistent erection against him. But he was still. And so was Dom.

Finally, Dom reached for his face, and the soft touch sent a shiver through Sergei. They drew each other in, still moving slowly, still being cautious and hesitant for reasons Sergei didn’t understand.

“This might be the last time I see you for a while.” Dom brushed his lips across Sergei’s. “For…” Sighing, he shook his head, and then moved in for a kiss that said he wasn’t going to elaborate on what exactly “for a while” meant. And Sergei… God, he didn’t want to think about that.

“If tonight’s the last time I’ll see you for a while,” he whispered, “then let’s not waste it.”

“Agreed.”

They drew each other in for another kiss, and this one didn’t stop. Though it had taken them an age and a half to get across the floor to each other, now they couldn’t get close enough. Belts jingled. Fingers fussed with buttons and zippers. Sergei was glad they’d both worn button-up shirts tonight. It meant fiddly buttons to deal with, but clothes that could be removed without breaking this addictive kiss.

Naked, they sank onto the hard bed. The cheap, rough motel sheets beneath Sergei’s back emphasized the warm softness of Dom’s skin against his chest and between his thighs. He ran his hands over smooth muscles, pressing his fingers into the grooves and contours as if he needed to memorize every plane of Dom’s body.

Dom broke away for a moment. Before Sergei could protest, he was back, and he pushed a bottle of lube into Sergei’s hand. Sergei wanted to ask who it was meant for—who’s f*cking who tonight?—but he couldn’t form words anymore, and he hoped Dom wanted the same thing he did anyway.