Page 69 of The Obsession
I’m lying on our new sofa, Peach curled up beside me. After lunch, we came in here, and she dozed off while watching one of her shows. I didn’t want to wake her. My arm is draped over her little body, and the rhythm of her soft breathing somehow steadies me.
Dominic had to head out earlier, so I offered to watch her since I had nothing else to do. I’m on day three of my forced hibernation, and I’m already starting to lose my mind. I like to keep busy.
The TV is still on, but I changed the channel once Peach fell asleep because that dog cartoon, the one she’s obsessed with, is beginning to grate on my nerves. I can handle a few episodes, but back-to-back is a bit much.
Now I’m watching the midday news when the anchor’s voice cuts through the calm. “… in other news, police have just completed a major raid on the clubhouse of the Steel Reapers Motorcycle Club. It’s alleged officials have confiscated a large quantity of methamphetamine and related paraphernalia. We were able to obtain surveillance footage that shows several men being led out in handcuffs, heads bowed and arms bound.”
“Holy shit,” I mutter under my breath.
I recognise most of them, the leader standing out the most. He’s the club president and the guy Mick calls his best friend. I know him as Nathan, but his brothers call him King.
I reach for my phone on the side table. I need to text Dominic.
Me: Did you hear the Steel Reapers clubhouse was raided?
While I wait for his reply, I change the name I have him saved under from ‘Sonia from work’ to just ‘Dom’. I don’t have to worry about Mick seeing it and losing his shit anymore.
A good ten minutes pass before he messages back.
Dom: Yeah
Me: Does this mean I can go back to work now?
Dom: No!
My lips are pursed as I type my reply.
Me: Why not?
I wait, and wait, and wait some more, but no response comes through.
Ugh.
Chapter 23
Dominic
Iwitnessed the brute power of the Cosa Nostra this morning. I knew the ManciniFamigliaties ran deep, but even I was shocked by just how deep they ran.
The drugs that were in the possession of Emily’s ex the night I ended his life weren’t buried alongside him as I’d assumed. Dante held onto them, just in case they were ever needed as leverage. He used his connections with the police to organise the raid on the Steel Reapers clubhouse, planting said drugs in the process, in retaliation for the disrespect they showed when they turned up at La Riviera and threatened his staff.
Personally, it’s not the way I would’ve handled things, but that’s why I’d never make a good Don. I’m too hotheaded … too impulsive.
I lean back in my seat, crack my knuckles, and casually fold my hands behind my head, assessing my prey as I let it all sink in. Dante played it smart. The takedown was clean and precise. He took out the problem without any of it coming back on theFamiglia. It was the kind of move you couldn’t help but admire.
He’s our leader for a reason. He thinks with his head,not his heart, at least when it comes to business. He’s friendly, likable even, but fucking ruthless when he needs to be.
The two fuckers who threatened Emily were rounded up after the raid and left for me to deal with. What they did to her was personal, and I was going to make sure they never bothered her again, just like I did with her ex.
Dante wanted me to leave them for the law to deal with, but when I asked him what he’d do if someone pulled a knife onhiswoman, he just smirked.“Are you claiming Emily as yours now?”
That knowing smile of his was followed by a laugh when I groaned and rubbed the back of my neck instead of replying. In my mind, she was mine. A part deep inside me claimed her the first day I laid eyes on her, but I wasn’t about to admit that out loud.
Dante stared at me from across the table, waiting for an answer I never gave. Then he stood, buttoned his suit jacket, and nodded once as if my silence was enough.
As he passed me on his way out, he gripped my shoulder and squeezed it, leaning in close to my ear.“They’re all yours. If they pulled a stunt like that with my Arabella, they’d already be six feet under.”
Placing my hand on my thighs, I push myself into a stand. The two fuckers who came to La Riviera are currently tied to chairs in front of me. One eyes me with disdain as I slowly circle them, the other looks like he’s about to shit his pants.
