Guns n' Boys: Homicidal Instinct (Book 2) (gay dark mafia erotic romance) (16 page)

“Do I look like I have a
vagina?” Seth groaned and took a handful of popcorn put on the table as an
appetizer.

Domenico’s hand on his
thigh was a calming presence that sucked out much of the gloom clouding Seth’s
mind. “You just... don’t act toppy. That’s all.”

Didn’t he? Seth looked
away. He thought he was really taking charge of things lately. He was not discussing
this any further, so he called the waitress over to order a burger with fries.
The hotel boasted about having good quality beef, so he could focus on that
instead. He would have juicy beef, fatty fries with lots of ketchup, and then
coleslaw to top that off.

He noticed Dom eyeing
him with a squint, but it was only after the waitress left that Dom voiced what
was on his mind.

“You’re as good as
dead.”

“Why is that?” Seth
rolled his eyes.

Domenico raised his
brows. “You know, the Ohio Crazy Bull Illness.”

“Nope, never heard of
it.” Seth had some more popcorn, trying not to think about Dom’s earlier words.
Was he really not butch enough or something? Had he become like this next to
Dom? Had he started relying on him too much?

He munched on the starter
as the music changed, and the tunes Domenico hated filled the room with a
guitar and a soft female voice singing a love song that was actually kind of
nice. Domenico didn’t think so.

“Does anyone actually
like this howling, or is it just tradition?”

“That’s what they all
came here for.” Seth pointed to an elderly couple slowdancing to the music in
the corner.

Domenico’s fingers
gently moved over Seth’s thigh. “
We
should do that.”

“What?” Seth looked at him
in surprise. When did that pop into Dom’s brain? He supposed he’d sway to the
music in the privacy of their bedroom or something. “You’re a good dancer
actually. I saw it at my wedding.”

His burger arrived in
all its greasy glory. It actually smelled nice too. Seth was eager to check out
the combination of flavors, maybe make his own version of it at some point.

Domenico sniggered. “We
should do gay ballroom dancing.”

“Where is that even
coming from? I am
so
not doing that.” He bit into the massive burger and
groaned with pleasure.

“Why?”

“‘Cause I’m not dancing
the female part.” Seth wiped some sauce off his chin.

“Sometimes the steps are
almost identical,” Dom said, sipping his Diet Coke.

Seth started on his
wine, happy to finally not have to be the one driving. “It’s the first time
I’ve heard that. Unless you wanna do square dancing.” He knew the answer to
that.

“No,” Dom muttered as if
it needed to be said. “How about waltz? You do know how to dance that?”

“Not really, no.” Seth
wasn’t even comfortable with the idea. He wasn’t a ballroom kinda guy.

“Don’t you think it can
set the right mood?” Domenico asked, gently petting Seth’s thigh under the
table.

“Doesn’t the waltz have
male and female steps?” Seth downed his wine and poured himself some more.

Domenico soured. “Just a
bit. But it’s not like the difference in Latin American dances. The man’s
taking the lead.”

And of course Dom would
be ‘the man’ and explain that as he knew the steps, he’d be leading. “I don’t
like that kind of music anyway.”

Domenico opened his
mouth but only spoke after the waitress brought him his food. Dom had chosen a
healthier option - steak with some salads and a baked potato. “I just think it
would be nice to have you so close.”

Seth looked up at him
and his lips parted. Dom rarely was this sappy. “Really?”

Domenico put some meat
into his mouth with grace. “Why are you so surprised? It’s what couples do.”

“And you’d dance the
female part?”

Domenico snorted. “No.”

Seth stabbed a fork into
a french fry. “Knew it. Even though you just said that you just wanna be
close.”

Domenico shrugged. “Why
are you so sensitive? You clearly enjoy it when I lead the way. There’s no
shame in that.”

“Well, looks like we’re
just not gonna be dancing,” groaned Seth, even though he remembered how good it
felt to be led by Dom. Even with no music, even just a few steps. But he was
not gonna have Dom think he was a pussy.

Domenico became less
chatty after that, and then ordered two desserts and ate them himself. If it
weren’t him, Seth would think he was eating his problems away. Seth could play
that game. He ordered more wine. He couldn’t believe Dom forgot just how well
Seth fucked him in that church. Dom had been all over it. Seth needed a way to
claim that prize again, or he wouldn’t be sleeping well till the end of time.

“How much are you gonna
eat?” Seth muttered.

“I exercise,” Dom growled.
“You think that wine’s good for you? I don’t think so.”

Seth frowned at him.
“Sure is healthy. It’s even good for the heart to drink some every day. And
it’s made out of freaking grapes.” Seth downed his glass to prove his point.

“I think I’ll just go
sleep some more,” Dom muttered, wiping his mouth with a napkin as soon as he
devoured the cake. “You can soak yourself in that.”

“Maybe I’ll order
another one, and you can have my dessert,” Seth shoved his plate of cake toward
Dom. He would not be lectured on fucking wine after not being able to drink for
over a month.

“I’m not fat,” Domenico growled,
shoving the plate back to Seth as if it were a glove for Seth to pick up. So
Seth did.

“Well, you’ve never
eaten so many sweets before, so maybe you’ll get fat.”

Domenico’s nostrils
flared. “Fuck. You.”

“You go take your nap,
and I’ll go figure out where I can do the laundry because someone has to do
that bullshit.” Seth made a point of pouring the rest of the wine into his
glass as he spoke.

Domenico frowned, and
his mouth curved into an unpleasant smirk. “Did I really leave my life for
you?”

Seth’s blood boiled in
the open wound Dom had created. He got up and looked right into Dom’s eyes.
“Maybe you didn’t. Maybe I’m lying,” he whispered and clenched his fists.

Domenico’s gaze was
unbreakable. “Are you?”

Seth spread his arms to
the sides. “I guess you’ll never know.”

Domenico stayed for a
total of ten seconds before walking off without a word, leaving a gaping hole
in Seth’s chest. Seth could already feel phantom blood draining out of him.

He left a hundred dollar
bill on the table and walked off with his glass of wine. He couldn’t believe
this was happening. Dom was questioning their relationship already.

He left the wine glass
on a buffet table close to the door and dove into the crowds in the lobby with
a grim face. He needed to at least prove himself by finding the freaking
laundromat.

It didn’t prove all that
hard. He just asked at the front desk, and after getting lost in a few
corridors he went downstairs. Not that he had the laundry with him, but he
didn’t want to see Dom’s face, so the least he could do was find out where it
was they could get their stuff clean later. His one consolation was that Dom
was behaving just like the hurtful bastard he used to be, so maybe it was a
sign of improvement.

The guest laundromat
smelled of washing powder and lavender, and it was deserted, which was expected
as most guests had just recently arrived. Seth had a look around, but then sat
down on one of the machines and hid his face in his hands. An argument with
Domenico was the last thing he needed. He’d actually thought they were inches
away from punching each other. In public.

He sat there, pondering
where this was all going. There was no way he would leave Dom after all he’d
done to protect Seth in the past. And where would he even go? What would he do
without Dom? Would he pretend to be this guy from the new IDs and just start
anew somewhere? No, he only had Domenico. No other man was like him. No other
person had this kind of fire burning within them, and Seth was hopelessly drawn
to it only to be burnt over and over again.

“Oh, it’s you,” said a
young female voice. When Seth looked up, he saw the same blonde girl he tried
to help earlier, now with even deeper cleavage.

“Hey.” Seth took a deep
breath, but his mind was a bit hazy with the alcohol. “Yeah, I was looking for
the laundromat. We’ve been on the road for a while.”

She crooked her head,
walking over with a small smile. “Why the long face? Is it because your friend
chased me away?”

 Seth faked a
smile. “Nah, just a little misunderstanding. He doesn’t like country music very
much, and I wanna stay here a day longer.” This was his life. No truth with
anyone but Domenico. Only then did he realize she stepped close enough to be
standing between his spread knees, one of her shoes touching his foot.

“Maybe we could have a
drink later?”

“Yeah, I feel like
getting smashed and doing some square dancing.” Seth got up with a sigh. Dom probably
wouldn’t miss him much.

She didn’t back away,
and so he ended up touching her breasts with his chest, the scent of her fresh
perfume mingling with his senses. “The cleaning area behind that door is way
more interesting. I used to work here,” she said.

“What do you mean
‘interesting’?” Seth frowned. Did he take this flirting thing too far? All he
wanted was some interaction with more than one human being.

“They have this secret
lounge with video games and a very comfortable couch.” She wiggled her
eyebrows.

“What? Oh God! I could
so shoot someone in the face right now--” He frowned. “You know, like, in the
game.”

The girl gave a pretty
laugh and casually opened the Staff Only door, slipping in first. “Sure. I
don’t suspect you’re a serial murderer out to get me.”

Seth sighed. People
could be so naive, completely unaware of the danger lurking around them. He
walked along the empty gray corridor. “Nah, I’m just a friendly cowboy.” He
tipped his hat at her.

She giggled and walked
into the quiet industrial corridor with dirty walls where people probably
touched them a lot. She was swaying her hips as she walked, which in turn made
the fringing on her vest sway from side to side at a lazy pace.

“I’m kinda looking
forward to going to Texas actually. I’m sick of this snow. If I never see
another snowflake in my life, it will be too soon,” Seth said, and held on to
the wall when his feet got too sidetracked.

She led him into a tall
room that smelled sterile, with several deep containers of linen, towels, and
other things the hotel might be changing on a daily basis. “That’s how it is
where you’re from?”

Seth’s mind drifted off
to lying on the grass with Dom. Even in November it was warm enough to go out
without a jacket back home. Or like when he was a kid and he’d ride his bike
all the way to the neighboring village to get a porn mag, then read it at the
beach before watching the tide take it away. Sometimes he imagined some elderly
lady walking down the beach and finding an old, sloppy gay mag.

He smiled to himself.
“Yeah, sunny and happy.”

A punch in the gut wiped
all traces of a smile off his face. The pain that came with it was so shocking
he saw stars as he fell to the floor, no doubt with a gaping hole where the
girl struck him with the heel of her shoe right after her fist.

The pink hat was now
off, and her blonde mane floated in the air like a fucking Charlie’s Angels’.
Seth looked to the girl he considered some country bimbo, and avoided her shoe
hitting his face by only a fraction of an inch.

“What the fuck?” he
yelled, but ducked and reached for her ankle. His moves felt like they were too
slow. As if he were drowning in tar.

The girl rushed toward
him like a well-trained predator, her hand delivering a powerful hit to his
throat. It felt like she broke something in there, and he couldn’t help the
tears that clouded his vision. He grabbed a sheet off the floor and threw it at
her, giving himself a second to get up. The bitch was too quick though, Seth
tried to punch her, and she managed to duck.

There was a glint in the
air as she jumped past him, but it was only when something thin curled around
his neck that Seth registered what was going on. She had him now. With a push
to Seth’s back, the girl launched herself at him from the side while pulling on
the wire around his neck and cutting off his oxygen supply. He kicked her with
the spur on his boot, but even though he could feel it sink in, it wasn’t
enough to make her lessen the hold on his throat. His vision went out of focus,
and then everything went dark.

Chapter 11

Domenico banged his
forehead against the mirror in the elevator and rolled his head from left to
right, leaving an impression on the smooth surface. He spent the last twenty
minutes or so walking in circles around the hotel after the argument with Seth.
Domenico couldn’t understand his partner’s stubbornness. It was like being
slapped in the face only to get a kick in the balls. And there he was, still
trying to calm the fuck down.

He swiftly moved to
their room upon arrival on the right level, but as soon as he passed through
the door, an unfamiliar scent assaulted his senses. It was lucid as a phantom,
but definitely there, sweet as strawberry pie washed down with plenty of water.
Would a cleaner have been in here? They specifically requested no room service.
Dom looked around the room to find the socks Seth had left on the floor to be
on the chair. Seth wouldn’t come back to the room to clean up his shit. And if
he’d come to make another scene, he’d pack all his stuff and take it to the RV.
Dom had more right to be angry though. From the moment he’d seen Seth flirting
with that glitter-nailed bitch, he knew this day would go wrong.

He scanned the room with
a frown. It didn’t make sense. Room service wouldn’t just tidy up one thing only
to leave everything else in a heap on the floor. Domenico’s heart stopped when
his eyes fell to the bedside table. He left the tube of lube on top of it, and
now it was gone. Did Seth take it? Did he go off to fuck that blonde bitch? But
as soon as Dom approached the bed, it became clear the lube was still there but
hidden in the partially closed drawer. Why would Seth touch it? It made no
sense.

Someone had been here.

This realization made
Domenico’s lungs constrict, and he quickly fell to the floor, scanning the
space under the bed. A brief examination of all the potential hideouts proved
useless, which meant that whoever invaded their privacy was gone. Along with a
cigarette from the extra packet he kept in the room. The audacity of the
motherfucker.

Would this be someone
who had followed them, or just Seth messing with him? Whichever it was, he
needed to find Seth to make sure the fucker was fine. He could just watch him
from afar and make sure he didn’t get in trouble. Dom noticed that hiding and observing
people came to him like second nature, even more so when Seth was involved. At
least the money was still where he’d hidden it the day before.

He stormed out of the
room after making sure the gun he was wearing under the jacket was ready to
use. He had no idea where to look for Seth, but after asking around, one of the
receptionists directed him to the laundromat. Would Seth still be there? And
why would he be searching for a washing machine when all his clothes were back
in the room?

The laundromat was
located in the quiet corridors of the basement, dark and windowless. It all
could be just Domenico being paranoid, but he was trying to put two and two
together, and the results he was getting were making him apprehensive.

People were running
around like headless chickens on the first floor, but as Dom went downstairs,
the hotel seemed almost deserted. With no people around, a part of Domenico’s
brain started itching. If Seth really was gone, what would he do? He’d probably
walk on. Maybe becoming a farmer in some godforsaken place wasn’t such a bad
idea if he was being chased?

Then again, deep inside
he knew Seth wouldn’t leave. Not after going through all this for Dom’s sake.
He didn’t worry about that.

Dom knew he was
approaching the laundromat as soon as the smell of detergent masking mold
reached his nose. Slowly, he put his hand under his jacket to grasp the cool
metal that could make everything better.

The room was empty. Six
huge washing machines and dryers stood in two rows, with two plastic chairs in
between. That was all. No stray clothes. No empty bottles. Just that and the
dirt on the floor. No one here.

Dom slowly walked around
the empty space. Was he missing something? He even looked into the washing
machines, but then a thud somewhere made him straighten back up. It was as if
his senses were sharpening on their own accord. His eyes instantly zeroed in on
a door marked as ‘Staff Only’, and he walked over without a moment’s thought.
With his ear against the wood he listened. There was another thud, possibly
coming from the laundry shaft. Dom’s body was tense, but he was pretty sure
there was probably a rat trapped inside.

He looked to the rubber
floor, and his stomach clenched at the marks that reminded Dom of the ones made
by those stupid spurs Seth got. Did the idiot go sulk somewhere in a staff
area?

Still, what was the
worst that could happen? Dom could be asked to leave if someone caught him
entering. He pulled on the handle, and the door opened just as that thud
resonated throughout Dom’s head again. Now he knew it couldn’t be a rat. There
was real force behind it.

He sneaked into a dark
corridor and closed the door, looking ahead, toward the pale light awaiting him
in the distance. It was blinking, unstable as he moved step by step, with all
his senses on high alert.

He was approaching the
mouth of the laundry shaft when it gave another sound. Domenico had one more
look around and held his hand firmly on his gun as he opened the round door
with the other. Something shuffled on the bottom of the shaft, and Domenico
leaned in to have a closer look. He stilled when his eyes met Seth’s.

A level lower, Seth lay
tied up like a hog ready to be roasted and with a gag in his mouth. He was
pale, with traces of blood marking his perfect cheek, but he was alive.
Domenico’s legs and hands warmed up just as his head became lighter. He
mouthed, “Safe?”

Seth shook his head in
panic, and Dom shut the shaft door to have a second to think.

“Stop fucking hitting
the wall, you dick,” said a female voice, muffled by the metal. “I’m not
wasting my drugs on you. Everyone’s at a concert, and it’s not laundry day. How
bullheaded can you be?” Dom could almost hear her rolling her eyes. Something
slammed shut downstairs.

Female. He could
overpower her. He’d go for the gut or straight for the head. His mind was
bursting with activity, and yet he was so calm. All he needed now was for Seth
to shuffle back to make room for him. He did have to take into account that if
she managed to take Seth down, she had to be at least semi-proficient. Then
again, Seth had been drunk just half an hour ago. When Dom opened the door to
the shaft again, it was completely dark, but he did hear movement, so Seth was
still there.

He pulled off his shoes
and pushed them under a table nearby before crawling inside. The hole was big
enough for him, and even with the stench of sweat coming from below, it was
good to feel his whole body tense in readiness. It was tight and strong. There
would be no accidental movements.

He was slowly stretching
inside the pipe of the shaft, his muscles contracting as he supported himself
with the metal digging into his hands.

Seth’s raspy nasal
breaths sounded like a broken nose, but they were also proof of Seth being
alive, so it was good enough. Dom shifted lower and slid deeper into the
darkness. Each time something that tested his body happened, it was exciting to
feel his capabilities. Really
feel
them. He was ready to deal with that
bitch downstairs, and so he let go, landing on the soft pile of clothes. He listened,
and when his left hand stretched, there was hot flesh to be felt. He squeezed
Seth’s thigh and pulled out the gun, ready to jump his enemy when she was least
expecting it.

Seth shifted slightly,
and then kicked the metal wall, sending an unpleasant vibration up the shaft.

“For fuck’s sake! You
really do want the needle, don’t you?” said the woman outside and opened the
door.

Domenico’s body moved
with the speed of a viper attacking a mouse. The handle of the gun smashed into
the woman’s jaw so hard she fell back, dropping something to the floor as
Domenico dove behind her with a powerful punch to her uncovered stomach. Time
slowed down while he sped up, crashing her into the wall with a loud crack. He
took half a second to register the woman was the same sparkle boot wearing
bitch Seth talked to before. She had this planned. She had been in their room.

What Dom didn’t expect
were the sharp nails pushing right into the wound healing on his face.

With a growl, he pushed
the barrel of his gun between her legs, pushing so hard he made her rise to her
toes. “Bitch, I’m gonna shoot!”

Their eyes met. There
was tension, but no fear in hers, and so he punched her face as hard as he
could, pushing her nose unto her skull. The skin on his knuckles broke, but so
did the bone in that pretty bridge.

She let out a pained
moan and slid down the wall lifelessly, but just when Dom thought she lost
consciousness, she lounged herself at his still-weakened thigh, and bit into it
so hard pain went all the way down his leg.

It was in the last split
second that he chose not to break her neck and hit her in the back of the head
instead. This time she did slump all the way to the floor, with her hand all
too close to a fallen syringe.

Domenico let out a low
breath and kicked her off his sore leg. “Fucking bitch,” he muttered, grabbing
her by the hair and dragging her off to one of the huge industrial-sized
washing machines. This needed to be dealt with
now
.

Her face bled all over
the floor and laundry, and a grim part of Dom’s mind was looking forward to see
her thoroughly washed. It was a strange feeling of excitement, still mixing
with the pain in his leg and face. He
won
.

After a brief search
through her clothes to remove her gun and two knives, Dom put her into the
machine as she started mumbling something and waking up.

He ignored her for now,
enjoying the whisper of water being pumped into the machine as he helped Seth
out of the shaft, so high on the win he could kiss him. But he only managed to
untie Seth’s hands and legs before the woman started punching the washing
machine from the inside and screaming.

Seth got up, a little
wobbly on his legs, his face a mess just as bad as his assailant’s. Blood was
all over the gag he just took out, and his nose was swollen. The now purple
bruise on his cheek where Dom had hit him a week ago was adding to the mix like
blueberries served with raw beef.

Domenico pulled him
close, the touch of Seth’s warmth giving him much needed peace. He gently
lapped at the bloodied chin and sighed, knowing they would need a doctor, or
someone with similar skills to take a look at that nose. Muffled screams became
louder in the background as the washing machine started rolling its load.

“Fuck, Dom… What would
we do with the body?” Seth whispered, and looked at the machine which once
again stopped rolling.

The woman inside looked
at them wide-eyed and put a ringing phone against the glass door as she punched
it again.

Domenico stilled,
something dark crawling up his spine as he let go of Seth and walked over to
the machine only to scoot down and look at the screen. The woman’s long blonde
hair streaked like a wet mop, and she punched the hard glass again, but the
phone kept ringing. It was an incoming call from someone called ‘Frederico’.

Domenico switched off
the power button, then raised the lever blocking the door. He reached out his
hand for the cell phone as soon as the machine opened. There was something
familiar at the edge of his mind, behind a thin door he couldn‘t budge.

The woman backed off,
with the phone that was still drilling a hole in Dom’s head. “I’m not dying
like this,” she hissed with determination.

Seth picked up a gun and
pointed it at her as Dom slowly sank down to look into her eyes. “We’ll talk
later,” he whispered.

She pursed her lips, and
handed over the phone in silence. She wanted to live, and she’d do a lot to
achieve that, Dom was sure.

He picked up the call
without a word, bringing the receiver to his ear. It was hot, slightly damp.
The touch of it made him shudder even before anyone spoke.

“How are things?” asked
a voice so familiar Domenico’s breath hitched. It was dark and low, with a
strong accent that made Domenico’s heart clench in longing. That was how he and
Seth spoke. How his mother must speak.

“I know you,” he said,
looking at the assassin cowering in the pool of water inside the washing
machine like a leopard ready to bolt.

“Domenico.” Frederico
paused. “Should I cross Dana off my list of contacts?” he switched to Italian
and let out a short laugh.

Domenico took a deep
breath, shivering. He didn’t know who this man was, but his body’s reaction to
that tone was completely visceral. He looked at the woman. “I would,” he said.

“I didn’t think your
honeymoon needed an extension, but I’m willing to forgive that.”

Domenico stayed silent,
hoping for the man to say something, anything that would let him understand.
Was this man the new Don?

“You know this chase
won’t end, right?” There was no more humor in Frederico’s voice. “Either
we
get to you, or the cartel does.”