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Using his shoulder to close the apartment door, he pressed the gun at the base of Anthony’s skull. “Don’t fucking move,” Dominic warned, using his other hand to lift Anthony’s coat and take out the weapon that he always carried on him. Unloading them, he tossed the pieces across the room.

Now with only his gun in hand, he shoved Anthony to the side of the living room before carefully walking backward to the table in the middle of the room, keeping the bastard within his field of vision.

“You’re making a mistake. Your old man won’t be happy with you taking out his strong arm.”

“Everyone’s day comes,” Dominic mocked him, enjoying the spurt of fear that came to his so-called friend’s eyes. “Tell me, was it Lucifer’s idea to get me to trust you enough to tell you my deepest, darkest secrets, or did you just betray me all on your own?”

Anthony swallowed hard as sweat began to bead on his brow. “Would it matter?”

“No … I suppose not,” he admitted callously, laying his gun down on the table before slowly backing away. “Out of respect, I’m going to give you a chance to keep your title.” Dominic halted with a smile, giving Anthony an advantage to the table that held the gun by a couple of inches. “Don’t you think the man who deserves to be the Luciano enforcer should be able to get to the gun first?”

Anthony’s eyes widened in understanding that Dominic was giving him a chance to save his life and legacy.

Dom let Antony make the first move, but when he took off, Dominic reached the gun first, sweeping it up into his hand, and pulling the trigger before the soon-to-be past enforcer had even reached the table.

Uncaringly, he watched Anthony fall backward from the bullet hole placed neatly between his eyes. Then Dom moved around the table, coldly jerking the coat off the still warm body, desensitized to the drops of blood on the huge collar.

Dominic slid the thick, brown leather jacket onto his broad shoulders before going to the door.

Turning the lights off, Dom slipped out, walking slowly down the steps, in plain view of anyone who had looked out their window or down below after having heard the gunshot. No one would be brave enough to snitch on him, especially with the mantle of protection he was wearing.

He had just taken out Lucifer’s enforcer, becoming the third most powerful man in Blue Park.

Fourteen

Blue Park Definitely Has Its Perks

Dominic, Age 23

Hangin out with Luke tonight.

Dominic read the text message he had received from his ten year old brother Cassius before sliding his phone back into his pocket and getting to the task at hand. Placing the nozzle into the gas tank of his car, Dom clicked the handle instead of watching the pennies flip away on the meter.

Screeching tires had him looking over as a city bus came to a grinding halt and a sixteen-year-old kid who he recognized getting off the bus.

As the boy walked across the parking lot, he sighted him.

Keeping his face aloof, Dom didn’t return the infectious grin the boy treated him to as he drew closer.

Please, not toda—

“Hi, Dom!”

“How’s it going, Marco?” He decided to be polite to the kid, even though he wasn’t particularly in the mood for small talk.

Marco grimaced. “Would be better if Dad didn’t need me to come stock the cooler before I got home, but I can’t complain.”

The boy didn’t know how lucky he had it to have a father like Carlos. Dom would freeze his balls off in Siberia if he was given a choice of parents.

“I better get inside before he runs out of cold beer during rush hour.”

Giving the boy a slight nod, Dom removed the nozzle from his tank, following the lanky teenager inside and leaving Lucifer’s car unlocked. No one was stupid enough in this crime-infested neighborhood to touch the car that Lucifer rolled around his domain in. The only reason he was allowed to drive it was because his father thought fueling the vehicle was beneath him. Soon though, Dominic would have a car of his very own.

He had seen an ad in the local newspaper for the body of an old Mustang and bought it. All his spare time and extra cash went into fixing it up to get it back to its mint condition, and now he was really close. Then his days of walking all over Blue Park or hitching a ride from his father would be over.

Entering the gas station, Dominic picked out an assortment of candy that his brothers and Kat would divide between them and even grabbed an extra bag for Cassius to take to his friend’s when they hung out at the park down the street. With his hands full, he made his way to the front of the store to get in line to pay, using his own money. Lucifer studied every purchase on his card. If he didn’t approve the charge, then he would take double the amount of the purchase out of his paycheck.