ARIA AND I join my uncle in his great dining hall. The room boasts high cathedral ceilings with a ridiculously large and expensive chandelier hanging from the center over a long table that can seat fourteen.
Domingo stands when we enter, and he holds out a chair for Aria to his left. Grumbling under my breath, I allow him to seat her next to him as I take the chair to his right.
We’re all dressed casually tonight. My uncle is wearing a tropical print shirt and khakis. Even I decided to forgo a suit and tie and just went with a black button-up shirt and trousers while Aria is wearing a strapless, sage green sundress that exposes her sun-kissed shoulders.
I watch closely as Domingo pushes Aria’s chair in once she’s sitting, and I don’t miss the way his hand brushes her bare shoulder before he goes to his own seat.
My eyes narrow on him before I glance around the room and notice something blatantly obvious and perhaps alarming. Ever since we first arrived here, Domingo has had guards stationed in every room of his home and almost every fucking inch of his property. It’s been so noticeable and suffocating. But tonight, I barely noticed anyone standing guard.
“No security detail tonight?” I question him.
He shrugs and waves his hand in nonchalance. “Sometimes even they need a break. Unless you’re planning on something happening tonight during dinner?” he throws back at me with a suspicious gaze.
I stare at him, watching him closely for any sense that something is off, but I see nothing. His face is relaxed, his demeanor calm. Sitting back in my chair, I allow myself to loosen up a little, but I’m still not totally convinced. Something is off; I just can’t put my finger on it. I’ve spent almost my entire life having my senses trained to be on high alert at all times. I am always prepared for the worst in all situations. And just because I’m in my uncle’s home and he’s the only person I have left to call family does not mean I will completely be at ease in his company. If anything, the fact that he is my only remaining family member makes me even more on edge. And suddenly, I’m wishing I wouldn’t have sent Ignacio back to Mexico early.
The first course is served promptly, consisting of a mixed green salad and gazpacho. I carefully take a bite of each, and then I, perhaps irrationally, wait to make sure it’s not been tampered with. But I know deep down if I really thought something was wrong with the food, I wouldn’t have allowed Aria to eat hers. Although maybe he would just poison me…
“Not hungry?” my uncle asks in between mouthfuls of his salad.
I shrug my shoulders. “I guess not,” I offer.
He wipes his mouth with a napkin and nods. “Perhaps we can talk then.” He gives me a pointed look as he questions, “So, you never did tell me the truth about how Aria magically appeared in your life almost overnight. How did that all come about, if I may ask?”
I cock a brow at him. He wants to bring this up tonight? I can’t help but question his motives behind it. Clearing my throat, I answer him with the partial truth. “A former associate of mine introduced us.”
“So, a blind date?” he asks, his eyes shifting back and forth between Aria and me.
I notice Aria growing uncomfortable across from me. She doesn’t have to speak or move. I know her body so well now. It’s like we’re connected on some kind of subconscious level. I hate that my uncle insisted we sit on either side of him. I want her by my side, so that I can calm her down. And I know just what would calm my little captive down — making her purr by stroking her soft pussy under the table.
“Rumor has it you bought her at an auction,” my uncle announces, pulling me from my dirty thoughts.
I glare at him, wondering how he could have heard that. “Rumors are simply just that. Rumors,” I quip.
“Aria, perhaps you will tell me the truth about my nephew acquiring you,” Domingo urges, turning his attention to her and causing my hackles to rise.
She stares at him with doe eyes before her gaze darts across the table at me. She doesn’t want to upset me, and I can see the fear in her eyes. Even after all this time she still fears me. And fuck, does that make my cock rock hard.
“Go ahead, Aria. Tell him the truth,” I urge her. I want to hear the origin of our story coming out of her pretty, little mouth. And then later, when we’re alone, if she disappoints me, I’m going to spank the hell out of her ass before I remind her of who she belongs to.
“We…we met at a…charity auction,” she says, and I can’t help but smile at her little fib.
“A charity auction,” Domingo repeats before laughter bursts from his chest. “I don’t believe that for a minute, my dear. The only thing charitable about my nephew here is how many women he has bed in his lifetime.”
I slam my fist down on the table, causing the crystal stemware to rattle against the force. “What game are you fucking playing at?” I ask him through gritted teeth. Why does he want to know the truth? And why now? That niggling feeling that’s been in the back of my mind ever since I got here is getting bigger and louder like a warning beacon.
“I just want to know how my nephew came to obtain such a beautiful woman,” he says with a soft chuckle, playing it off as if it’s all fun and games.
“Are you saying I can’t possibly get a beautiful woman? Are you calling me ugly?” I ask, my voice full of anger.
“Of course not. You look like your handsome uncle, after all,” he says with a salacious grin.
I grab the wine glass in front of me and stare at the liquid. And when the thought that it might be poisoned crosses my mind, I put it back down without taking a single drop. The hair on my arms stands on end. The only thing I had after my family was murdered was my instinct. I never question it. Something is definitely not right here.
“Why did you want us to come to California? You were so urgent about it on the phone, but we have barely conducted business since I arrived.” I glance across the table at Aria. She shifts slightly in her seat. Perhaps she can sense that something is off as well. She’s so intuitive, my girl.
I turn and look pointedly at my uncle. “Is this about Aria?” Is he planning on trying to take her from me? He’ll have to pry her out of my cold, dead hands first.
“I’m just trying to make conversation,” he says, dismissing me. “Let’s just enjoy our meal.”
I push my plate away, untouched. “I’m not hungry.” I stand and look to Aria. “We’re going to return to Mexico. Now, in fact,” I say.
“Sit the fuck down, Mateo,” Domingo says through gritted teeth. “We are not done here yet.”
I tower over him and stare him down. He doesn’t fucking scare me anymore. When I was a little boy, he was a cruel man, and I feared him greatly. But now, he is nothing but a foot soldier underneath my boot. “Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to? I am head of the familia,” I remind him.
“Oh, I’m aware of that. Trust me, I think about it every fucking single day of my life. How you managed to survive and take my rightful place,” he scoffs.
I narrow my eyes at him and wave a hand in his direction. “Enlighten me, Uncle. Tell me again how you also managed to survive unscathed when the rest of my family was brutally raped, tortured, and murdered.” For years, I’ve been wanting to know the truth. “I still remember the look in your eyes the moment you realized I was still alive. It wasn’t one of relief. It was one of surprise.”
He glares at me. “What are you trying to accuse me of, Mateo?”
“I’m not accusing you of anything. I just want the truth.”
“I was out of town that day,” he starts, repeating the same story he has told numerous times over the past fucking decade.
“Enough! No more lies!” I shout. I rarely remember a day when he wasn’t by my father’s side. And then he chose that day to take a business trip. I might have been a naïve little boy back then, but he can’t pull the wool over my eyes anymore. Slamming my fist down on the table before pointing an accusing finger at him, I demand, “I want the fucking truth!”
“You want the truth?” he spits out as he stands, gripping the edge of the table until his knuckles turn white. “That empire should have been mine! Your father didn’t know how to run it! He ran it into the ground is what he did!” He’s seething now, and I can see the true hatred in his eyes when he stares at me. Maybe it’s always been there, but I never wanted to see it before now. “Your family deserved to die!” he blurts angrily, spittle running down his chin. “The men I paid were told to leave no survivors, but you made it. You survived,” he says with a shake of his head in disbelief. “I should have killed you myself back then with my own bare hands, but the doctors were so convinced you wouldn’t last more than a day.” He shakes his head with regret. “I should have twisted your little neck until it snapped. Then everything would have been mine, and I wouldn’t have been working for a sniveling little fuck like you all these years!”
His revelations hit me hard, but somehow deep down I think I always knew the truth. “You’re right,” I tell him with a wicked grin. “You should have killed me that day. Because I am going to be your reaper now, Uncle. I am death, knocking on your fucking door!” I yell before reaching down and grabbing a small pistol from its holster on my ankle. It’s not my Glock, but a bullet is a fucking bullet. It will still kill him.
I cock the gun and point it at him. “You shouldn’t have told your guards to take the night off,” I say with a sneer, relishing the fear in his eyes.
“Red,” he says, and I cock my head as I try to understand what he means.
Less than five seconds later, I realize it was a code word. I hear the metallic cling of the smoke bombs being thrown down the hallway and into the room before they explode. My only thought in that moment is to keep Aria safe as the room begins to fill with thick, gray smoke.
I clamber over the table, managing to find her in the sudden darkness. I grab her hand and pull her tightly to me. I force her to the ground, hoping that the smoke is less dense down there. Her panicked coughing fit has my heart beating in a terrible rhythm. If anything happens to Aria, my uncle will not only die, but I will make sure it’s slow and torturous.
It takes several minutes for the air to clear enough to see through it. And then that’s when I see the men in black filing in with rifles raised.
“FBI!” someone announces. “Put your hands up!”
In that moment I realize my worst fear has come true. They will no doubt take Aria away from me forever. They’re going to take my little captive, and there is not a damn thing I can do about it. I will never see her again after this night.
“Aria,” I groan as we slowly stand. I stare into her glittering, honey-colored eyes, memorizing every detail of her beautiful face. I wet my lips, wanting to tell her how much she means to me. How much I love her. But I realize that wouldn’t be very fair, confessing my feelings in a situation like this, giving her no choice in the matter. So, if I can’t say the words, I can at least show her how much she means to me.
Turning her in my arms, I force her back against my chest, and then I hold the gun in my hand against her temple. “I’m sorry, Aria,” I whisper in her ear.
