Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69945 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69945 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
I called Val back.
“Corey, where are you?”
I tensed. He sounded worried. “In my room.”
“Thank God. We were worried our father might scare you into running.”
“He just told me to leave him alone, like he did you. I can’t leave without someone else to take care of me.”
Val sighed. “Pops is wrong about needing backup, but he won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“No, apparently he’s just going to sacrifice himself so everyone can be safe.”
“He’s….”
“Stubborn. Demanding. Terrified.” I would say it even if Val wouldn’t.
“Yes. You really do see him for who he is.”
“I do.”
“And you’re willing to stand up to him. Vito and I were impressed.”
“I’m not afraid of him. I’m just…disappointed.” And so fucking sad.
“I get that. We’ll see what we can do, but don’t leave, no matter how mad he makes you.”
I wanted to, but I didn’t have the nerve. “I won’t. I don’t think he’ll talk to me again unless he has to.”
“We’ll see. He may surprise you.”
I wasn’t going to get my hopes up.
28
DOM
My chest ached as I watched Corey leave me. If things went as they needed to, it might be the last time I ever talked to him. I was going through with my plan tonight. Lisa needed to die. And Corey deserved to be away from me. He deserved someone who could care for him better, but I wouldn’t hand him over to anyone else until Lisa was gone. Without her, I had no doubt the others in the organization would fall easily. X could take care of that, and he could find someone else who could keep Corey safe until the trial.
You’re really going to let him go? You’re really going to leave him when anyone else in Lisa’s organization could come after him?
X has plenty of qualified people. More qualified than me.
I thought you were the best.
I’m not the best for Corey, not once Lisa is gone.
You’re going to miss him. You’re going to regret letting him go.
Not as much as I regret keeping him with me. Denying him the chance to have the kind of life I could never give him.
You really trust someone else to keep him safe?
I couldn’t think about that. Not now. It was too painful to be in the same house with him. I’d thought he trusted me. I’d thought he believed I could protect him.
He cares about you. You know that’s why he told your sons.
And I care about him, but I can’t do this.
You could tell him how you feel.
No, I can’t do that.
I managed to make it to my office without breaking down. I wanted to yell, to cry, to break my whole world apart. How had I started to believe we…. No. I was meant to be alone. That’s just how it was.
Once I was at my desk, I called X.
“Dom, what’s up?”
“I need this to happen tonight. Are we ready?”
“We can be, but it would be better to give me more time. Why the urgency? Has something new happened?”
“I need my house to myself again.”
There was a moment of silence. “I thought you were insisting on being Corey’s bodyguard until the trial.”
“That’s changed.”
X sighed. “What happened, Dom?”
“Nothing. I told you before that I didn’t want anyone in my house. With Lisa out of the way, Corey can be safe somewhere else.”
“There’s still the rest of her organization out there.”
What was I doing? Could I really trust someone else with Corey? “She’s the one calling the shots.”
“That’s likely true, but who’s better than you to protect him?”
“There has to be someone.” Didn’t there? Lucien? X himself?
“Dom, I wish you’d tell me what’s actually wrong.”
“I can’t have Corey in my house anymore, and I’m tired of sitting here waiting for Lisa to make another move. I want to go on the offensive.”
“I still don’t like this plan.”
I barely stopped myself from slamming my hand down on my desk. The more out of control X thought I was, the more likely he would be to refuse to set everything up. Then I’d have to do it myself. “I don’t like any of this, but it’s happening, and I’m going to stop it.”
“Do you want to die?”
“No, but Lisa has to.” Ending her was more important than my safety.
“Dom, are you sure you’re thinking clearly right now?”
“Yes.”
X sighed.
“I’m going to send Giorgio in as backup.”
“I told you I have to go in alone.”
“No. You go in with them, or you don’t go in at all.”
I was so done with people refusing to listen. “Are you saying you’ll try to stop me?”
He snorted. “Someone should.”
“My sons have already, and I told them no, just like I’m telling you. We’re doing this my way.”
“You’re doing this with backup. Giorgio is a professional, you know that. Let him have your back.”
I let out a long breath. At least he wasn’t trying to send in a whole army. “Fine. You’ll contact her and set this up? Tell her where I’ll be so she thinks it’s essentially a reenactment of what happened ten years ago?”