Maria (Made Men 7)

Maria didn’t know if Dominic had accepted his fate yet—he could have. However, he could also be here to tell the truth of what really happened yesterday ….

…“What are you doing here?” Kat asked.

From the second she walked in through the door Maria was locked in eye contact with Dominic, and after another moment she broke it and shifted her gaze to Kat. “I thought you might want a wedding dress for when you walk down the aisle.”

“I have a white dress, but it’s shor—”

“Absolutely not.” Maria stopped her before she could finish the word, flat-out offended. “I am taking you shopping right now.”

“O … Okay.”

“I’m going with you,” Dominic announced, grabbing his coat. “Matthias, you stay here with Cassius.”

Matthias, who was grabbing his jacket, looked defeated but stayed silent.

“That won’t be necess—”

Dominic raised his hand, cutting her off. “I’m not having Lucca find out I let you two go alone with this fucking idiot.”

Again, it took Todd forever to figure out Dominic was talking about him. “Excuse m—”

“Fine,” Maria blurted, maybe a bit too eagerly; she wanted to see where this went.

After Kat picked up her jacket, they all headed out the door, leaving Cassius and a heartbroken Matthias behind.

When Dominic saw the Cadillac that they had shown up in, he stopped in his tracks. “You know what, Ted—”

“Todd,” Maria corrected, trying hard not to laugh.

“Todd,” he corrected, getting the Caruso’s guard’s attention. “How about you go home, and we can all just pretend Maria snuck out by herself? I think we both know I won’t touch a pretty blonde hair on her head because of what Lucca would do to me if he found out. I’m sure it’s going to be similar to what he’s going to fucking do to you if you don’t leave.”

Her bodyguard’s face went pale as Maria waved him off. He left, running.

“Bye, Todd.”

Well, this should be fun.

“Aren’t you cold?” Kat asked her, seeing that she was only wearing a dress under her coat.

“You can’t feel cold if your heart is dead.”

It shocked her to find Dominic had been the one to answer. She would never forget that deadly smile he gave her as he opened the passenger door of his blacked-out Mustang for her, before he continued with, “Isn’t that right, princess?”…

…Getting into that car, she had felt that there was a man who could finally see her for what she truly was, and he hadn’t been threatened or seen just her looks. Even today, when the roles were reversed and he was the one to barge in on her home, he still seemed to see her. It was like she felt … equal to a man in this crazy mafia world.

Both Maria and Dominic were more important than the others, and second only to Lucca, as it was clear they both wished to be him. Each wanted the power Lucca possessed but it was a power they could never hold.

She hoped Dominic wasn’t here to tell the truth; otherwise, the lies and promises she told Lucca would have been wasted breath. If Dominic knew she went to the shit side of Kansas City and took a step into the Luciano home, instead of the strong exaggeration she told him of taking a cab to the mall to meet Kat, then Todd might as well be making peace with God, because he wasn’t going to make it to the end of the week.

Hearing footsteps hit the foyer, her green eyes met the green in hazel ones that were much calmer now. Dominic’s fiery presence subsided after his meeting with her brother. However, the closer he got to her, the more she saw the hurt, which he was trying to hide.

Regret.

Knowing why he was here, she stayed right where she was on the steps.

Maria had never felt sympathy before, but she was sure what she felt looking at him in this moment was exactly that.

She didn’t expect him to say anything to her, knowing with the burden he carried he could only walk out the door.

“See you at the wedding.” He spoke the words grimly from over his shoulder as he went to open the door, but before he walked out, he gave her one last look. “I’ll be wanting a dance, princess.”

Watching him disappear behind the big door and into the night, she realized that hadn’t been a request, but a demand. She would have sworn he was hopeful, and if she knew what being hopeful felt like … Maria would have realized she felt the same.

Six

Ken was Kind of Ugly, and Barbie Could Do Way Better

“If my men see you dancing with him, then everything Dominic has sacrificed will be for nothing,” Lucca warned her, only letting his presence known when he blocked the view of the front door right before he passed by her going up the stairs for the night.