Page 17

E very time the balcony doors were slid open, the smell of Miami’s salt from the ocean lingered around in the breeze.

He sat there shirtless and bleeding from the side as his skin glistened under the moonlight.

He smoked the blunt like it was more so soothing to him than anything else right now.

That bullet wound on his torso was and I could tell but he didn’t show any signs of pain, instead he looked unbothered like he was invincible.

However, I could see the weight behind his eyes.

“Dammit…” I whispered, rushing back inside.

I wasn’t a nurse by a very long shot, but I’d patched up enough wounds in my life to know when something needed cleaning and rewrapping.

Growing up the niece of El Blanca, I was raised around pain, so my hands learned how to be steady even while my heart raced, I had to remain calm when cleaning a wound because it was like a second nature.

I grabbed a clean towel, a first aid kit from the bathroom, along with a bottle of antiseptic, and some gauze, then returned to him.

Dom watched me, without saying a word to me at first. He was just holding that blunt between his fingers.

When I knelt in front of him, he looked down at me, as his chest rose then fell.

“I ain’t ask for a nurse,” he said.

“You didn’t have to,” I replied, gently pressing the towel to his wound. “I’m just trying to help you… you’ve done enough for me without even realizing it.” I explained.

The moment the alcohol hit his skin, he flinched just a little, but his jaws remained tight. “You’ve done this before?” he asked, glaring down at me through those thick lashes of his.

I shrugged. “More times than I actually wanted to.”

“You ever thought about going to school for this shit?”

I laughed. “Not unless patching up killers counts towards a degree.”

He nodded his head at that, but then his face got serious.

“If you stay here... you gon’ need to do somethin’.

I’ll give you a job at one of my legit spots…

the spa, salon, or whatever. But understand this…

you won’t be nowhere near the cartel business.

That’s not a door I’m openin’ for you. Not until you prove yourself… if ever.”

I nodded slowly while keeping my eyes on the bandage as I secured it. “Understood.”

“And you can’t stay here forever,” he added, in a low tone. “I’m married.”

I froze for a quick second. Yeah, I knew he was married when he told me even though he didn’t wear a ring but hearing him say it once again cut me deeper than I expected and I didn’t know why.

Dom never gave an indication that he would ever give me a chance.

It was me holding on to wishful thinking.

Everything about him screamed protection and I gravitated to it.

“I wasn’t asking to stay forever,” I whispered.

Dom stood up, towering over me now. He tossed the blunt off the balcony and his demeanor said he was done with this conversation. I rose to my feet with my hands still smelling like peroxide and blood. “You mad?” he asked.

I shook my head no. “I’m not mad. I’m just… tired.”

There was a long pause as he glared at me. I could feel my breath getting caught up in my chest waiting for his response. “Then go to bed,” he said in a low tone. “Ain’t nothing more for us to talk about tonight. I appreciate you dressin’ my wound.”

I didn’t move right away. I just stood there staring at him not knowing what to think because he was the man who was becoming harder to read by the hour. Dom wasn’t just ruthless, he was complicated.

I replied after a brief pause. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Dom. A least not anymore. I spent my whole life being told what to do, who to trust, who to hate… and now, none of it feels real.”

His eyes flicked to mine. “Then start over.”

I blinked. “Just like that?”

He stepped towards me again, allowing his energy to fill the space between us.

“Ain’t shit ‘bout this world easy, Victoria. But the difference between people who survive and the ones who die out here, is the ones who survive, learn when to let go. You either gon’ hold on to yo’ past and let it kill you… or let it go and build somethin’ new.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. He was right. And I hated how much I needed to hear that from him. “I want to build something,” I whispered.

“Then stop cryin’ ‘bout the foundation that crumbled and start layin’ new brick then.”

I just looked at him in the eyes of a man who stood on the edge of two worlds caught between violence and vulnerability as he turned and disappeared back into the penthouse, leaving me on the balcony under the moonlight, I realized something else.

Dom Royal might’ve been a monster… but he was the first monster who ever looked at me like I could be more than a legacy.

He looked at me like I could be free. I was tired of being babysat.

Every time I turned around, one of Dom’s people was lurking in the corner or watching me like I was gonna run or snitch.

I had nowhere to go and no family left. I no longer had any loyalty owed to El Blanca, but I still wasn’t free.

Right now, I was just tolerated and sheltered like some fragile little thing on house arrest. I walked through the penthouse barefoot, as my eyes bounced between two of Dom’s people posted at the front door.

They weren’t even trying to be low with it whenever they were watching me.

I rolled my eyes and not at them but at the whole situation.

I just wanted to feel like a regular person again.

I found Dom in the kitchen leaning against the island with a glass of water in his hand.

His gauze was looking intact wrapped tight around his side like a professional had done it.

He looked tired but still like a force to be reckoned with.

That was the thing about him, he was intimidating without even trying.

Even when I wanted to, I didn’t raise my voice and didn’t storm in or act out.

That’s not how I dealt with him, and he taught me that.

With Dom, respect was a two-way street, you showed it if you expected it. So, I kept it calm and cool.

“You know, you really shouldn’t be on your feet so much,” I said, stepping toward him.

“I know you feel like you’re made of steel or whatever, but even steel can get worn down.

” I told him. He looked at me with those deadly but sexy eyes and he didn’t say a word.

“I taped a piece of wrap over your gauze. That way it won’t get wet when you shower,” I added, holding it out to him.

“I figured you wouldn’t think of it… or wouldn’t care even if you did. Either way, here it is.”

He took it from me with a simple nod and eyes lingering for a second like he wasn’t used to someone thinking about the little stuff although I knew that wasn’t the case, that’s just what I wanted my mind to believe.

“I’m gonna cook something,” I said after a few more seconds.

“Nothing crazy. I just want to make something warm to give me a sense of normalcy. That way your chefs can sit this one out.”

“You don’t gotta do that,” he replied. His voice was smooth when he spoke.

“I know I don’t,” I said, glancing at him, “but I want to. Besides… I need something to do other than pace this damn house.”

Dom stared at me for a little bit longer before letting it go for now. What I was talking about was the least of his worries anyway. “Do what you want,” he said before heading off to shower.

I turned to the stove and felt alive again when I did.

Something about moving my hands, seasoning meat and sautéing onions made me feel grounded.

It reminded me of simpler times, before life just got this complicated.

By the time he came back out, his towel was slung over his shoulder and his sweats were hanging low on his hips.

I had the kitchen smelling delicious. I set a plate down on the counter and stepped back.

“I’ve been thinking…” I started as I wiped my hands on a dish towel, “about that job you offered. If it still stands, I want it. I know I’m not exactly at the top of your trust list, and I get it…

but I’m willing to prove myself. I don’t want your pity,” I continued, “and I’m not asking for handouts.

Just a chance to figure out where I fit in this new world. ”

Dom’s face didn’t change, but something in his eyes did. He set the towel down and walked past me, brushing my shoulder with his as he picked up the plate.

“I’ll think about it,” he simply replied and that was more than enough for me.