Dominic (Made Men 8)

He bent over, meeting them eye to eye, getting their full attention. “And we have to protect her. Can you help me with that?”

Angel was the first to bravely nod, then Matthias followed.

Dom picked her up and placed her in the old crib that all the Luciano brothers had used. He figured she was about a year old, remembering how the twins had looked when they were younger.

He’d been trying to keep his brothers alive since he was five years old, and he hoped he could do it again, but something told him this time was going to be different, considering the baby was a girl. Lucifer wanted an army, grooming his boys into men, who would one day control the city. The only women in his life were the many he used to try to fulfill those dreams, throwing them away when they didn’t get pregnant or had a girl in their bellies.

There was no place for a girl in Lucifer’s world, let alone a baby girl. Just like he had told him a year ago.

Angel looked up at him with almost the same dark eyes that she carried. “What’s her name?”

Reaching down when she twisted the blanket open, he touched the chubby baby’s onesie that was light pink and covered in cute little cats.

He’d heard a name somewhere before, unsure if it was on TV or in a book, but he had liked it, thinking from time to time of the beautiful name when he had been reminded of it.

“Katarina.”

Sometime early in the morning, Dominic groggily went up the basement steps, leaving the twins and their new baby sister sleeping downstairs. When he reached the top and entered the main room, he rubbed his eyes, then saw his father still in the same chair at the kitchen table like he hadn’t even left or slept last night.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Squinting, he couldn’t make out his father’s expression due to the morning sun that was shining through the dusty blinds behind him. He could only make out his silhouette, but his grim voice told him all he needed to know about his expression.

Dom looked down at what he was carrying in his hand. It was the old, light blue bottle he had found in the basement, along with the other baby stuff that Lucifer had saved to raise his army.

Bravely, he stuck his chin out as he squeezed the plastic and headed to the fridge. “I’m making her a bottle.”

Lucifer took a sip of his coffee. “I told you you’re getting rid of her right now.” He emphasized that morning had come.

Picking up the milk from the fridge, Dom then slammed the door shut. “No, I’m not.”

Within moments of the coffee cup hitting the table, Lucifer’s grip encircled his son’s wrist. “What the fuck did you say?”

“Go on …” Dominic’s hazel depths traveled to his father’s hand that was squeezing his shooting hand’s wrist even harder. “Break it.”

Lucifer squeezed slightly harder until the pressure eased a bit.

“You can’t, can you?” Dominic looked into his father’s cold, black eyes. “My wrist is worth more to you than I do, and you know it. When you crushed it the first time, it made my wrist stronger. That’s why I can hold the heavy guns perfectly straight.” A corner of his lip turned up at his taunt. “Straighter than you.”

Lucifer’s mouth didn’t move but his silent, black eyes did.

“If you break it again, it either won’t heal this time, and you’ll lose the best shot you got against the Carusos, or it will heal even stronger again, making me that much stronger than you.” Dom flashed his teeth as the corner of his lip went up higher. “Your choice.”

Lucifer released his wrist.

With his hand freed, Dominic began pouring the milk on the counter. “If she leaves”—he kept his face stoic as he made the hardest choice of his life: choosing between his twin brothers who he’d known for five years or his baby sister who had stolen his heart with one look just hours ago—“I leave. If anything, and I mean anything, happens to her, I’ll walk out that door and won’t ever come back. Then, the only army you’ll have is Angel and Matthias.”

He hoped Lucifer believed him when he didn’t even believe himself that he could leave his twin brothers behind.

Lucifer stared at him thoughtfully for several moments before he walked back to the table. “I don’t want to see it or hear it. You got me?”

“Katarina.”

Lucifer stopped before taking a sip from his coffee. “What did you say?”

“Her name is Katarina.” Dominic announced not only to the father of the baby but to the world.

Putting the milk back in the fridge, he managed to keep it together as his heart began to shatter.

He was heading back downstairs when he stopped, unable to turn around as a tear rolled down his cheek. He hoped his brave-sounding voice held his secret as he made one last demand. “And you will not lock me in the closet anymore.”