Except the mafia.
Without thinking, the bag and change fall from my grasp and my body propels forward. Reaching the stairs which lead to our first floor room, I take two steps at a time. My gut churns with fear. It's such a familiar feeling, as if I’m back at the tracks, seeing her lifeless body on the ground, running to her to find out if she’s still in this world or not. In a split second, regrets fly through my mind:
Why didn’t I change cars? Why didn’t I park the car around the back? Why didn’t we just keep driving through the night?
I reach our room, and already I can see the door is closed, but the handle is turned at an odd angle and just below is a large booted indent that wasn’t there before.
My body tenses, ready for the fight ahead, but before I can get inside, the door swings open, and I’m met with a man a few inches shorter than me, mid-forties, and he’s aiming a handgun at my head. I recognize his expensive jacket and crew cut from the gas station; he’s Paulie's back-up.
“Get in the room,” he demands. His tone is low and dangerous. His eyes dare me to rebel as if he were desperate for a reason to kill me.
Stepping into the room, I search for Della and find her lying on the bed with her hands bound. Her shirt is completely ripped down the middle, exposing her black bra and bare skin. My eyes move up to her face, and I notice her lip is bleeding, and her features are marked with fear. My body goes into hyperdrive. I clench and unclench my fists, and my nostrils flare with rage.
Paulie's deranged laughter fills the room as he stands over Della with a butcher's knife. He swings it as he gestures to me. “Come on in, Dom. You’re just in time to see the show.”
Chapter Seven
Dom
Show?
This fucker actually thinks I’ll stand by and let him hurt Della.
“Greg, tie him up and put him next to this bitch. I want Dom to watch very closely what happens to those who fuck with the Lucini family.”
As Greg comes up behind me, I lift my left shoulder to trick him, but swing my right arm around and knock the gun out of his hand. It flies across the room and lands in the bathroom doorway. Greg attempts to throw a punch, but I duck and come up quickly, hooking him with my right fist. I then uppercut the prick. He falls to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
Sensing movement behind me, I spin and bend, assuming Paulie would be swinging the knife at chest height. Feeling the heat from behind, I shove my elbow backward as hard as I can and get lucky, striking one of his ribs. Paulie grabs at his chest, as anyone would, struggling to inhale and exhale from bruised ribs. Aligning with his head perfectly, I swing a right hook, striking Paulie in his right temple.
His eyes roll backward, and he slumps to the floor in a heap.
I’m breathing heavily, peering down at the two unconscious men on the floor. My heart races to the same beat my fists are thumping with pain. I stand still for a few moments making sure neither one of them gets back up. I need them out cold while I untie Della, and we get the hell out of here.
“Holy crap,” Della breathes, “that was incredible.” She gazes at me with awe in her eyes. “You were so fast.”
Breaking through the thick fog in my mind, Della manages to wake me up from my fight-or-die stance. Relaxing only slightly, I walk to her to remove her restraints and reply, “Once a marine, always a marine.”
Zip-tie.
Looking around me, I find the knife Paulie dropped and place it carefully between Della’s good wrist and her cast. I slice upwards until she’s free.
She tosses the thick plastic to the ground, sits up, and attempts to hop off the bed. However, I stop her, cupping her chin and turning her face left and right, checking out her cut lip. “Which one of them did this to you?” I’m barely able to keep my voice steady.
“Greg. Asshole didn’t like me kneeing him in the balls,” Della answers with fire sparking from her irises and a sly grin.
Quickly cupping Della’s cheeks, I kiss her forehead as pride and relief spread through my chest. Pulling back, I find Della’s lips parted, and her right hand lifted and softly touching my neck. Her eyes shine with a deep yearning, and it causes everything else to fade away, and my sole purpose becomes this moment, and fulfilling all her desires.
Her eyes flicker around us, and immediately, her desire turns to a brutal glare. Della yanks her hand back, and her face hardens, yet her eyes don’t change. The truth in her soul can’t be hidden, can’t be controlled, not like her features can be. I almost smile.
“Pack up our stuff and go straight to the car. Do not check-out. The car keys are in the side zipper of my bag,” I instruct and Della nods stiffly and jumps off the bed.
Searching both men for more zip-ties, I find four more in fuck face Greg's coat pocket. I tie his legs together and then his wrists. My gaze flicks to Della who has both our backpacks on her shoulders, and she’s racing out of the hotel room.
Tying Paulie the same way and knowing a cleaner won’t come up and ask us to leave the room for another two hours, we will have a decent enough time to get the fuck out of Aurora. From there, I’m not sure what we’ll do. We might need a whole new plan now.
I’m about to reach the door when I hear a groan and glance over my shoulder to find Paulie waking up. He struggles and then realizes it’s useless. “You’re a dead man, Dom.”
I know I shouldn’t stay or talk but if there’s a chance Paulie thinks this chase will only be a dead-end, I have to take it. “The O’Connors are making a deal with Lucini for Della’s life, probably as we speak, so you’re on a fool's errand, Paulie. You may as well stay in Aurora and do some sightseeing and wait for Lucini’s call to head home.”
“Or maybe I’ll get to her first? That would be a shame, wouldn’t it?” Paulie's voice is calculating, as if he’s already thought of his next step.
Lowering my body and balancing on my knees, not caring the skin around my graze is pulling and stinging, I hover over Paulie in a threatening stance. “I’d never set out to take on a cartel, but for her, I’ll dedicate my life to wiping out the entire Lucini line if I have to. Starting with you.” Thrusting my hand around his neck, I squeeze. His eyes gape open, and his face quickly turns red. “The deal will be struck,” I growl. “If either of you motherfuckers come for her again, you’ll be meeting your maker.” I reluctantly release his neck and Paulie begins to splutter, gasping for air.
Not bothering to stick around for his reply as there’s no reasoning within his psychotic mind, I grab the Do Not Disturb tag and close the door, positioning the door handle as best I can to appear normal.
With fast steps, I make my way back to the stairs and find the bag with the items I bought still strewn across the carpeted floor. I pick it all up, leaving the change behind and exit the hotel, and race to the Dodge.
I spot Della turned in the driver seat staring out the window looking nervous. I also notice the Mercedes parked next to us now has four flat tires.
“Move over, Dell. I’m driving,” I request gently as I open the door. I notice she’s thrown on a jumper over her torn shirt, and quietly, I thank the gods I got to our room in time before Paulie or Greg could hurt her. My mind rebels at the thought that had I come even a few minutes later, Dell might not be sitting beside me right now.
I am an over-the-top control freak with most things in life, and that includes this woman, whom I class as my own. My body and heart urge me to touch and comfort Della, but I push those impulses aside because my first priority is showing her I respect her choices.
Patience and protection.
“Your leg,” Della states.
I shake my head. “It’s fine. Nowhere near as bad as your hand. You helped me out yesterday, but I’m good now.”
Della hops over the hand brake into the passenger seat.
“You knew that was their car?” I ask as I jump into the driver seat and start the Dodge. The engine comes to life, and already my body begins to calm from the vibration of this beautiful machine.
“Yeah, at the gas station I saw them running for their car and I took out the two front tires when you were in the back crying.”
I’m driving out of the parking lot when my head, complete with gaping mouth, instantly spins to Della. I knew she’d fired shots, but I couldn’t see what she was shooting at while I was lying down. The scene in my head just got a whole lot hotter knowing she blew out their tires.
She’s grinning, and her eyes are sparkling with mischief. I laugh loud and harder than I have for a really long fucking time. It feels good, as if it is cleansing all the dirt from my soul.
And the best part is seeing Dell with a smile on her face. No tears, no frown, no hard features or pain in her eyes. Della’s beautiful on any given day, but when she smiles, it’s as if the sun warms my skin for the first time after a long hard winter. And right now it seems too bright, but I don’t dare look away. I never want to miss a second of her attention.
She breaks eye contact with me and fidgets in her seat. We had a moment and again, it’s freaked her out. I grin and check the traffic before pulling onto the main road.
That’s okay, baby, one step at a time.
Chapter Eight
Della
Dom and I agreed to head west. He’s worried Paulie may have an idea on where we’re going and I think he might be right since he’s found us twice already. After looking around on Google maps, we decide Iowa City is our next stop. That’s where we’ll stay tonight. It’s only three hours out from Aurora, but if the enforcers do decide to go west or somehow find out we did, they’ll think we would drive all day to get as far away from them as possible. So stopping after only a few hours will hopefully cause them to go straight past us, and tomorrow, we’ll head north again for Hastings.
Driving past Iowa City gateway sign, I glimpse at Dom for what feels like the millionth time. Ever since we decided on a new direction, he’s been quiet, and when he has spoken, his voice is flat as if with sadness. I’m confused by his sudden change of mood. I shouldn’t care, but while he has a new name, the man still broods the same. It unsettles me as I need clear definitions of who Brett was and who Dom is.
I want to be able to tell the lie from the truth, except he keeps blurring the lines. When I can sense my own vulnerability… it scares me. History has proven to me that heartbreak and torment follow exposing yourself to those you trust. I can’t let those feelings revert or evolve. My mind screams to throw up the strongest walls I can muster and look the other way, anything to strengthen my resolve. Closing my eyes and fighting down the desire to comfort Dom, I send a promise through myself, restoring the weak spots.
I’ll never fall prey to lies again. I’ll protect myself and my heart at all costs.
Opening my eyes, I look out the window and admire the historic buildings as we drive through the city of Iowa. It’s large and beautiful. When I spot colorful trees, I sit forward, my head almost all the way out the window. My mouth falls open. The trees have colorful sweaters wrapped around them. I’m stunned and awed. It’s a sight I doubt I’ll ever forget.
Dom and I choose to stay at the Country Inn, but he drops me off with our bags and his credit card again, while he drives the car two blocks away and parks it at the large MainStay Suites. Dom thinks if Paulie does come to Iowa and searches motel car parks and if by chance he finds the Dodge at a big hotel and the wrong one, it would give us the time we need to get away.
Stuffing my face with chips in the hotel room—starving from having missed breakfast and it now being close to lunchtime—Dom walks in with the same frown etched on his face. His eyes don’t search me out like I’m used to them doing, and a weight hits my chest from the sensation of missing his attention.
Stop caring.
Stop playing games with yourself.
Dom drops the car keys on the dining table and turns back toward the door without a word. He pauses at the door and speaks over his shoulder to me, “Heading downstairs for a while. Stay up here.” Never looking back at me, he exits the room and locks the door.
I swallow roughly, not at all liking this side of him. Or how it makes me feel: weak, as doubts race through my mind. Does he regret helping me? Is he remembering why he hurt me in the first place because I’m not worth saving?
My stomach rolls and nausea tumbles through me like a storm.
I hate the way I think of myself.
Deep down I know I’m worth so much more, but it’s hard to believe such a small and insignificant voice who no one else can hear but me. I can steel my resolve to shoot a gun, but having belief in myself as a woman, a human being has moved out of reach, always seeming too far away to grasp.
Remembering back to Jae and that fateful day, where only moments before he stole my right to choose, my freedom to say no, that girl had so much potential. She’d overcome so much. At the prime of her life, when things were finally falling into place, he'd taken my future and marred it. He'd destroyed that woman who had so much potential in only minutes. It only took seconds of realizing what he was going to do for that same scared little girl to come screaming back, yet there is no door for her to return through. No way to push her back to the past where she belongs. She has to stay with me forever now because there is no hope in this world for either of us, girl or woman. We’re doomed for shattered hopes and broken dreams.