Dom turns my hand over and presses a kiss against my wrist. “Come on, Angel. Let’s go say hi to your brother. Then I’ll show you your new home.”
My heartbeat doubles, and I don’t know if it’s from nerves or excitement. So I just nod my head.
Dominic turns off the engine, and I’m still working to undo my seat belt when he walks around the SUV and opens my door.
He keeps a hand on me as I climb down. And keeps his hand on the back of my neck as we walk up the sidewalk.
I don’t know why I can’t just calm down. It’s not like King had someone else in mind for me to marry. We aren’t an arranged marriage type of family, so this isn’t going to be a big deal. He might be disappointed in my decisions, but they’re my decisions.
I reach out with the hand closest to Dominic and hook my fingers into his pants pocket, needing the extra contact.
“It’s going to be fine,” Dom whispers before pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
Then, before I can delay any more, Dom pounds his fist against the front door of King’s house.
CHAPTER 15
Val
Nearly a minute passes before the door swings open.
But it’s not King; it’s his housekeeper.
“Hey, Val,” Ginger greets me before she does a double take of Dom. “Come on in. King’ll be just a second.”
“Thank you,” I try to say normally as we move into the grand entryway.
Ginger smiles, then heads up the grand staircase to the second story to continue with whatever she was doing.
The entryway is large and echoey, and from here, the house goes off in a few directions. It’s an absurd home, but it proves that I wasn’t lying when I said King was really rich.
I turn to face Dominic, wondering if there’s something I should say to prepare him, but movement down the hall behind him tells me we’re out of time.
Because King is walking toward us.
“Val?” King’s voice fills the space.
Dom closes his fingers around my wrist as I step around him so his bulk isn’t blocking King’s view of me.
“Uh, hi.” I put on my brightest smile.
King smiles back at me. “What’s—”
Then Dominic turns so we’re standing side by side, still holding my wrist, and King’s smile disappears.
Oh god, he’s not gonna take this well.
“King.” I hold up my free hand. “This is—”
“What the fuck are you doing in my house?” King’s voice booms through the space.
I start to stumble back a step. I’ve never heard King so loud before. But Dom slides his grip up my arm to steady me.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, not understanding why he’s so angry. And not sure who I’m apologizing to.
But neither man hears me.
“Don’t raise your voice around my wife.” Dominic’s tone is cold. Ice to King’s fire.
King stops walking just a few steps away. “What did you just say?”
“King.” I try again. This is spiraling out of control. “Please don’t be mad.”
“Mad?” He takes another step closer. “You bring Dom Fucking Gonzalez, the head of the Chicago mafia, into my home, and you don’t want me to be mad?”
“I…” My breaths are coming fast now. “What?”
I look up at Dominic.
He’s still standing next to me. Still holding my arm. But there’s an expression on his face I don’t recognize.
“Dominic?” I blink up at him.
That can’t be true.
Dom can’t be that.
They can’t know each other.
King’s furious gaze holds me in place as he points a finger at my husband. “Tell me he’s lying. Tell me you didn’t marry this piece of shit.”
Head of the Chicago mafia.
With Dominic still gripping my upper arm, I bend my elbow and bring my left hand before me, the beautiful ring glinting in the light.
Dom makes a clicking sound with his tongue. “Is that any way to welcome me into The Alliance?”
Everything slows.
In one awful, horrible second, everything slows.
The Alliance.
Dom knows about The Alliance.
He knows King.
He’s in the mafia.
Something tightens around my throat.
It’s a coincidence.
It’s some terrible coincidence.
“Dominic?” My voice is weak, but I know he hears me, because his fingers flex around my arm. “What’s going on?”
Please, let this be some sort of mistake.