“Pack your bags, Lena,” Dominic said quietly, stepping into the room. “You and Nora are moving to my home in Lake Forest.”
Lena looked at the guards, then back at Dominic’s rigid posture. Panic rose in her chest. “Why? Is… is someone coming after us?”
Dominic walked over to her, his large hands reaching out to gently grasp her shoulders. The warmth of his touch immediately grounded her frantic pulse.
“Listen to me, Lena,” Dominic said, looking directly into her eyes with unwavering intensity. “A man from my past—a very dangerous man—thinks he can use you to get to me. He doesn’t know who you really are, and he doesn’t care. But I will not let him put a single scratch on you or Nora. Do you understand me?”
Lena swallowed hard, her chest tight. “Is it… is it the men who took your family?”
“Yes,” Dominic said flatly. “And I swear to you on my life, Lena, I will not let history repeat itself. As long as you are in my house, under my roof, you are completely safe.”
Lena looked toward the nursery, where Nora was gurgling happily with a wooden rattle. She realized then that her life had become tangled up in a war she barely understood, but looking into Dominic’s dark, fierce eyes, she didn’t feel fear.
She felt an overwhelming sense of security—a feeling she hadn’t experienced since her father died when she was a little girl.
“Okay,” Lena whispered softly. “We’ll go with you.”
Dominic offered her a small, solemn nod. “Thank you for trusting me.”
The Lake Forest estate was a fortress. High concrete walls, high-tech motion sensors, and twenty-four-hour armed patrols turned the property into an impenetrable sanctuary.
For two weeks, Lena and Nora lived in the east wing of the estate. The mansion was breathtaking, filled with sunlight, grand fireplaces, and sprawling gardens hidden beneath blankets of snow.
During those two weeks, the distance between Dominic and Lena began to melt away completely.
Every evening, Dominic would return from his business in the city, strip off his heavy coat, and head straight to the family room. He learned how to warm formula bottles, how to change diapers without getting splashed, and how to lull Nora to sleep by humming old Italian lullabies his grandmother had taught him.
Lena watched him transform from a feared mob kingpin into a tender, devoted protector. And with every passing day, her heart drifted closer to his.
One evening, while Nora was sleeping upstairs, Lena was in the kitchen preparing tea. Dominic walked in, stepping quietly behind her.
“You don’t have to cook for yourself, Lena,” Dominic said softly, leaning against the counter. “We have a full culinary staff.”
“I like cooking,” Lena smiled, turning around to face him. “It makes this place feel like a real home.”
Dominic looked at her—her warm brown eyes, her soft smile, the gentle curve of her waist. His hand moved involuntarily, his thumb gently tracing the line of her jaw.
“It hasn’t felt like a home in three years, Lena,” Dominic murmured, his voice thick with raw emotion. “Until you walked into my office.”
Lena’s breath hitched. She leaned into his touch, her eyes searching his. “Dominic…”
Before their lips could meet, a sharp knock at the kitchen door broke the spell. Vincent stepped in, his face pale, holding a secure satellite phone.
“Boss,” Vincent said, his tone urgent. “We have a problem. Someone just breached the lower perimeter at Calloway’s restaurant in the city. The silent alarm was triggered.”
Dominic’s expression hardened back into ice instantly. “Who?”
“Julian O’Connor,” Vincent reported. “He thought Lena was still staying at the Regency. When his men realized she was gone, they went to Calloway’s to burn the building down—to destroy your home base.”
Dominic straightened his posture, his eyes flashing with lethal fury. “He wants a war? I’ll give him one.”
“Dominic, wait!” Lena grabbed his arm, her eyes wide with terror. “Don’t go! It could be a trap!”
Dominic turned to her, catching her face gently in both hands. He pressed a warm, firm kiss to her forehead that sent shivers straight down her spine.
“Stay here with Vincent,” Dominic instructed fiercely. “Lock down the estate. I’m going to finish this once and for all so you and Nora never have to live in fear again.”
