I don’t even hesitate to look to Dario, positive Dominic won’t like this. Only Johnny doesn’t give me or Dario the chance to say otherwise. His hand is around my arm and he’s dragging me behind him. Dario attempts to follow us, texting fast to Dominic. Dario might work for Dominic, but Johnny was his Don, and he didn’t dare tell Johnny otherwise.
Johnny frowns. “No, you stay. I got my own men. She’s not going anywhere.”
Dario opens his mouth to argue then glances down at his phone to read his text. Clenching his jaw, he stares me down. “Dom is trusting you.”
My stomach twists at what he’s really telling me, the warning behind his words. Even though I nod, it’s a lie. This time it won’t affect Dario and Marco—I’m taking my chance. “Of course,” I look to Johnny, “I need to grab my purse and my phone.”
Johnny nods. In my room, I grab my purse that Dominic had given me back minus my wallet, ID, and passport. When I went through my books I had found the photocopies I had stashed in one of them. It was a common thing suggested for travelers—in case the items were stolen, it made replacement easier. I’d kept them hidden, and thankfully they hadn’t been found. I leave my phone, aware it’s tracked by Dominic. I’d also hidden close to three hundred dollars in a few of my books while I was in New York for no other reason than it was a habit I had in Italy. I moved the money into the lining of my purse. It’s not much, but better than nothing.
Downstairs a pinch-faced man is waiting in a black Suburban. He begins a spiel on the houses we’ll be looking at today. I’m barely listening as my mind starts racing. It has to happen today or I won’t get another chance.
It’s the fourth house of the day when Francis has given up and stayed outside at the front of the house. Johnny is harping on there not being a fence around the backyard, considering the house has a grocery store behind it. When Johnny goes inside, he assumes I’m right behind him. I’m not, I’m already on the edge of the backyard, and I take my opening.
This is meant to be is all I can think as I manage to catch a cab dropping off someone in front of the grocery store. I tell him to take me to the train station as I check behind me, shocked at how easy it was.
I’ve been researching and plotting since the day Dominic laughed at the idea of love. The safest, quickest way out of Chicago is the train. There is a branch of my bank at the train station. I’m hoping they’ll let me pull out cash. Even if they won’t I can afford a train to Kansas City. Once I’m there I’ll figure out where to go from there.
For the Midwest, Kansas City seems to be the next big hub of travel after Chicago. I don’t know a hundred percent where I’m going, but I’m sure it needs to be far away from Chicago and New York.
As the cab pulls up outside of Union Station, I don’t understand why my stomach is twisting in fear as I get out. The fear isn’t of Dominic coming after me, it’s from the fear that he won’t. Tears blind me as I stand on the sidewalk, unable to move from where I stepped out of the cab.
A hand comes around my arm, instantly I know it’s him. “Regina.”
Thank god is all I can think as I throw my arms around him and cling tight. “I’m sorry. I had to do it. Then I couldn’t.”
His arms are tight around me. “Silly girl,” he whispers as he presses a kiss to my temple.
He picks me up, swinging me effortlessly into his arms, then gets into the back of a car.
In Dominic’s arms I’m home. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
***
Dominic
Regina sniffles as she presses her face into my neck. In the twenty-four minutes it took from me getting the call she had run to the time it took to get her back in my arms, anger had grown to fill every damn cell in my fucking body. Bringing up her tracker on my phone, I had stared at it unblinking as Vincent sped after her.
It took a moment for me to realize she hadn’t stopped out of necessity, she simply wasn’t moving. I spotted her crying on the sidewalk, unaware of everything going on around her. Her face buried in her hand. Relief at the sight of her safe and sobbing with regret was the only thing that allowed me to put my hands on her without worrying I was going to hurt her.
I understand she felt the need to run, she owed it to the last part of herself to take the chance. If she hadn’t it would have hung over her, over us—the what-if. The way she threw herself in my arms then clung to me soothed the worst of my anger. That doesn’t mean I can allow it to go without her suffering the consequences of running. Not a chance in hell. Boundaries were set, she broke them. If I don’t mete out her punishment now, then she won’t respect them in the future. Regina needs it ingrained into her that she belongs to me in every fucking way.
Back home, Vincent opens the door for me, and I slide out with Regina clutching my neck. I carry her inside. She weighs nothing in my arms, she fits perfectly. It’s been too damn long since I touched her, not trusting myself to stop, to wait for our wedding night for those stupid sheets Johnny wants. Every time I slept I dreamed of her in my bed, and woke hard and hungry for her.
I walk us into the library she loves so much. At the end of the long leather couch I set her down slowly. Her face is buried in my chest, I bring my hand up under her chin. Those eyes are soft chocolate. Even red around her eyes and nose, her face swollen, she’s so damn beautiful she makes my cock ache.
Regina doesn’t see that though, thank goodness. Her intake of breath is loud as she tries to take a step back from me. The couch is right behind her, I send my hand into her long, silky hair. Stopping her from moving completely.
New tears are in her eyes at the way I tighten my grip when she tries to get away. “I told you not to run. You promised me you wouldn’t. Johnny was so fucking stressed at the shame of you running he’s in the emergency room getting checked out.”
Her eyes widen even further.
Bending her neck back I get as close as I dare, needing her to see every ounce of my fury. “I told you. You belong to me. I will always come after you. I will always find you. Whether it’s tomorrow, ten years from now, fifty fucking years from now. There is nowhere you can run and hide from me.”
She swallows, her long, beautiful neck working. I barely restrain myself from nipping at the base of her neck. Instead I put my lips against the shell of her ear and whisper what I need her to know. “I would follow you into hell itself. Nothing will keep me from you, until I breathe my last fucking breath.”
Before I lose all control, I yank her away from me, then use her hair to bend her over the arm of the couch. I don’t give her time to think; with my other hand, I pull her dress up. Sonofabitch. She’s in a white lace thong, her plump, perfect ass on display for me. My cock turns to steel, raging to be there between those globes of soft flesh.
“No, Dominic—”