Guns n' Boys: Homicidal Instinct (Book 2) (gay dark mafia erotic romance) (18 page)

“It’s
gonna hurt.” Seth slowly wrapped his arms around Dom’s neck and it felt so
right to b
e this support for
him
. To have all the
answers. Domenico closed his eyes and nuzzled Seth’s face. Country music was
coming from within the hotel, and he didn’t even know when they started moving,
coming closer with each tentative step.

“I
would like to dance with you. Even the girl steps,” Seth whispered into Dom’s
ear and swayed with him in a hug. Domenico slouched into Seth’s arms, grasping
his hand and pulling him close with the other arm. It felt so right to be chest
to chest, forehead to forehead. He could hardly breathe inhaling Seth’s natural
scent.

Seth
let Dom lead, keeping his eyes on Dom’s, and it was as if the world around them
didn’t exist. No Dana in the RV, no Frederico hunting them, no worries about
Seth being a liar.

Domenico
closed his eyes. “Who’s Frederico?”

Seth
stilled for a moment and stumbled, but Dom was there to keep him steady. “He’s
scum. What did he say to you?”

Domenico
narrowed his eyes, pulling Seth so close they couldn’t look each other in the
eyes. “Who is he?”

Seth’s
grip on Dom’s hand tightened, and he inhaled deeply through his mouth. “He’s
our uncle, and if I ever get to see him again, I will slit his throat. I’d take
more time with hurting him, but that would give him time to escape, so I
wouldn’t. I wouldn’t be that villain on TV, who leaves their nemesis to die in
some contraption instead of killing them quickly.”

Domenico
blinked, his stomach trembling. “Our uncle?” he asked in a pale voice, close to
pulling back. Frederico did not talk to him like an uncle should.

Seth
stopped dancing. “What did he say to you?”

Domenico
stepped away and fumbled with a cigarette, trying to get his head around what
he just realized. Had he been... molested? That didn’t feel right at all.

Seth
watched Dom with a frown, but hissed and touched his own face. “Dom?”

Domenico
shrugged. “Weird shit. What did he do to
you
?” he asked, glancing at
Seth without a smile.

Seth
licked his lips. “He-- He… well, he’s on our back, right? He sicced your
fangirl over there on us, right?” He pointed to the RV.

Domenico
filled his lungs with smoke, but despite all his efforts, his mind kept
wandering to the moment Frederico told him he had been too focused on his cock
to remember his face. Seth reached out to Dom’s packet to get a cigarette as
well.

“What
weird shit did he tell you?” Seth sat on the cold asphalt.

“Are
you sure he’s my uncle?” pressed Dom, already taking out another cigarette.

“Well…
if we’re, you know, then yes, I’m sure.” Seth held out his cigarette for Dom to
light it.

Domenico
switched on the lighter and stared into the flickering flame. It was a
reflection of the damaging fire in his chest. “And... was I close with him?”

The
smoke leaving Seth’s lips felt like a dark cloud over both of their heads. “No.
He’s a power tripping motherfucker. He was your boss. I bet he was the one who
had our father killed.”

“My
boss,” repeated Domenico. He didn’t want to disclose this if Seth didn’t know.
How humiliating.

Seth
looked up at him and gently nudged Dom’s foot. “Not anymore. And he never will
be again. You’re your own man now.”

Domenico
butted the cigarette. He knew they should go, but he didn’t want to get into a
cramped space. Knowing something probably happened but not being able to
remember was beyond unnerving. “Yeah. I guess I am. He wants me.”

Seth
got up and took a big drag of smoke. “Did he say that? Did the fucker say
that?”

Domenico
lowered his eyes and stuffed his hands down his pockets as soon as he put the
second cigarette into his mouth. He had the distinct feeling Seth knew. “More
or less.”

Seth
turned around and kicked someone’s car so hard the alarm went off. “Fuck!” he
screamed and threw the rest of his cigarette to the ground. “Fuck him! Why
can’t he just
die
?”

Domenico
leaned against their RV and dragged his hand down his face. He tried to breathe
calmly but it was incredibly hard for once. “What exactly do you know?”

Seth
pursed his lips and kicked the RV again. “Let’s go. He’s a scumbag, and I hate
him.”

“Tell
me!” Domenico didn’t know how loud he got until he saw Seth flinch.

“He
fucked you, okay? And then strutted around like some fucking peacock.” With his
nose broken, Seth barely managed to take breaths quick enough. “And now he’s
fucking with your mind. That shitstain doesn’t deserve to live!”

Domenico
gritted his teeth and nodded. “I do want him to die.”

Seth
clenched his fists and hit his forehead against the RV. Domenico closed his
eyes and exhaled.

“I
want to remember so that I know why I’m breaking his neck.”

Seth
shook his head. “I don’t want you to remember. I want him to be out of our
lives…”

Domenico
swallowed. “He will be one day,” he whispered. All of a sudden all he wanted
was to sense Seth’s scent, so he reached out and hooked his fingers over Seth’s
hand. Seth squeezed it hard without hesitation. Dom found it difficult to
imagine that such raw emotion could be faked. Seth would need to be one hell of
an actor for that. But the logical part of his brain kept saying that as sweet
as the emotions were, faced with death and torture Seth might back away.

“I
want to trust you.”

“I
will always be there for you.” Seth slid into his arms.

Domenico
closed his eyes and buried his face in the folds of Seth’s leather jacket. That
was all he needed to know for now.

Chapter 12

“I like to have fresh
meat,” Seth said to Dana over the sizzling pan. “So sorry there’s not much of
it, but I wasn’t expecting to cook for another person. It kinda occurred to me
today that I might now have worse sense of taste because of the nose. You know,
like when you have a cold. But I have enough experience with the basic cooking
to know what kind of spices I’m adding anyway.” He looked over his shoulder at
the woman’s blank face covered in bandages in the same way his was. He was
wondering whose nose would heal better. He presumed it could be hers, since she
was the one to deal with the fractures, but then again Dom seemed happy with
what she did with Seth’s nose. It couldn’t be
that
bad.

“I can eat some veg, if
you have any,” she muttered absentmindedly. Smiling didn’t seem to come to her
naturally, which unnerved Seth more than he’d like to admit. It meant every
second of their interactions from before the fight was as staged as Dom’s fake
personas.

“Yeah, sure, I’ve got
peppers, tomatoes, onions. I could grill them for you, add some pasta. I mean,
I’m not that hungry anyway, I could give you some of my chicken. Dom’s very
specific about getting the right amount of protein.” Seth swallowed and looked at
Dom in the driver’s seat.

Dana frowned. “No pasta.
I’m gluten-free.”

Domenico let out a
rumbly laugh from the driver’s seat. “And what else? Do you eat soy sausages?
Like that hippie we met on the way,” he said, briefly looking back to flash
Seth a smile.

Dana lowered her brows.
“I do eat meat.”

Seth cocked his head to
the side and started chopping up the vegetables. “So is this an ideological
thing, or do you swell or something?”

“I just feel better when
I don’t eat any,” she said, gently adjusting her hands in the shackles. She was
unbelievably calm, which according to Dom meant they needed to watch her very
closely. Now though he seemed to have other things on his mind as they drove
through the countryside.

“So you
choose
not to eat good bread and pasta even though your digestive system isn’t
underdeveloped?”

Dana sighed and said
nothing.

Seth rolled his eyes.
“Jeez, I was just trying to make conversation.”

“This has got to be the
strangest kidnapping I have ever been a part of,” said Dana without a hint of a
smile.

“If you’re a good girl,
Seth might consider making you a
gluten-free
dessert,” shouted Dom,
clearly having fun while driving. He didn’t seem all that bothered about the
conversation with Frederico anymore. Which was good, because it still lingered
at the bottom of Seth’s gut. The last thing he wanted Dom to remember from his
past life was that their fucking uncle had fucking fucked him.

“Fuck!” Seth hissed when
he cut into his finger. Blood mixed with tomatoes, and they were ruined.
Fucking Frederico.

“He won’t make much if
he cuts off all his fingers…” Dana sighed.

“What is it?” Domenico yelled,
and Dana was quick to answer for Seth.

“He got distracted and
cut his finger.”

“All you all right,
Seth?”

Seth groaned and put his
finger into a glass with cold water. “I’m fine! I wasn’t distracted, there was
a bump in the road.”

Dana’s icy blue gaze
bore into Seth as if she wanted to grill him for dinner. “Is that how you lost
your pinky?”

Dom’s reaction was
immediate. “Shut up, woman! That’s none of your concern.”

She leaned back into the
pile of pillows they got at the thrift store. “Since when is curiosity a bad
thing in our profession?”

“Since we’re the
contract,” Dom said calmly

Seth swallowed. He
didn’t like to think of it this way, but there was no way around it. What if
they’d have to kill her in the end? It’s not like
she
would hesitate.
But then again, if they befriended a tiger, it would only be its nature to
attack if necessary. As much as they would enjoy the tiger’s company, it would
never be a real pet. Was this their future? They were bound to never have any
friends? Seth always liked having people around. It wasn’t like he was bored
with Dom, but it would be nice to have someone else to talk to every now and
then. He’d also love to have a big house in the future, cook large amounts of
extravagant food, try out new recipes, and serve up the dishes to guests
praising his talent.

Seth smiled to himself
as he stuck a Band-Aid on his finger.

“So what’s the town’s
name, Dana?” asked Domenico after a while of uncomfortable silence.

She groaned.
“Toblerwood. It’ll be right by the road. The only garage in town. Can’t miss
it.”

“Is it going to take
long?” Seth assessed the food prep stage. If there wasn’t enough time, he’d be
better off leaving it for now instead of reheating everything later. “Is there
a store nearby?”

“There is a small
supermarket,” said Dana. “Why?”

“I could get some
gluten-free pasta if they have it.” Seth took the pan full of chicken off the
small stove. She was their captive, but he was cooking anyway, so it wouldn’t
make sense to buy her shitty packaged stuff. It didn’t take much more effort to
throw in another portion.

“Seth, do you still
remember the moment when she broke your nose?” asked Domenico from the front of
the RV.

Dana gave a slight
smile, but didn’t say anything, hiding her appreciation from the big bad man
behind the wheel.

“I’m trying not to,”
Seth mumbled with a frown. He wasn’t comfortable with this situation at all.

“Well, you don’t owe her
pasta. She’ll eat whatever we get her.”

“I’ll make it for you
then,” Seth said to Dom, but when he smiled too widely, his face hurt, so he
gave up.

“I’m not eating some
wishy-washy gluten-free pasta,” Domenico growled, taking a rather sharp turn to
the right.

“Okay, whatever! Jeez!”
Seth put some of the grilled chicken pieces into a bowl of vegetables. He
drizzled some olive oil over it and sat down by the table. He’d just have it as
a salad and make a meal for Dom after the whole changing registration plates
thing. This day was so tedious already, and it was only noon.

Domenico stopped the
vehicle. “We’re here,” he said and slid out of the RV, leaving Seth with Dana,
who groaned.

“Finally. My bladder’s dying.”

“What? I--” Seth stuffed
his mouth full of salad.

Dana rolled her eyes and
poked his heel with her foot. “You know, I gotta pee.”

Seth got up and left the
food on the table. “I’m trying to be nice, but if that heel goes anywhere near
my foot again, I’m not gonna be the good cop anymore.” He looked at the
handcuffs with a frown, trying to assess how dangerous it would be to uncuff
her for a moment. Dom
was
outside after all.

“Really?” Dana sighed.
“Maybe you should up your game and use this dog catching pole Animal Control
wanted to buy yesterday.” She pulled on the handcuffs to make them rattle. “I’m
fed up with peeing into a fucking pot.”

“Okay, okay, but you’re
peeing with the door open.” Seth shook his head, loosing any will to be
friendly. This was his life now, having everyone around hate him, and/or try to
kill him. He got the keys to the cuffs and managed to get Dana up and back in
them without getting stabbed by some makeshift shank. He picked up the gun and
hid it in the sleeve of his oversized hoodie.

Dana squinted. “You two
can go wherever you want to fuck or do whatever. Where’s
my
privacy?”

“Well, you kinda lost
that privilege when you tried to kill me.” Seth pushed her out the door.

Their RV was parked in
front of an open garage shop. Men in overalls were busy with work, but the
presence of an attractive woman didn’t go unnoticed. Seth could only hope they
wouldn’t see the industrial-strength bracelets she was wearing courtesy of
Domenico. But she seemed calm and ready to cooperate. Seth presumed the toilets
would be somewhere in the back, so he went past the three repair spots, toward
a set of windows that seemed to belong to an office. In front of it stood
Domenico, with his back to them, probably waiting for the boss to see him. Dom
never liked to ask for service, so Seth stopped for a second and watched him
with a smile. These moments, when even without his memory Dom was like his old
self, were too priceless to ignore. He could see the slight tension in his
man’s shoulders, the way he kept shifting his weight in annoyance.

There were shadows
moving behind the blinds in the windows of the office, but eventually the door
to the office opened revealing a rough-looking man with thick tattooed forearms
and a shaved head. The moment his eyes set on Domenico, Dana lunged forward
with a high-pitched shriek.

“Help! They’ve kidnapped
me!”

Dom turned his head to
look at them, his face a mask of indifference even as he reached underneath his
jacket, to where he kept the gun.

Seth felt himself go pale
under the bandage, and immediately put his hand over her lips, already
anticipating her teeth ripping out a part of his palm. A younger man in a
baseball cap rushed toward them.

“Hey you! Let the lady
go!” the fucking White Knight yelled, but the bald guy who came out of the
office stopped him with a gesture, and looked at Domenico.

“I’m sure the
lady
is just being silly. She’s with Mr. Schwangau.”

Domenico straightened,
and just before he faced the bald man Seth could see a grin bloom on his face.
“Ah, I see you remember an old friend,” Domenico said in an accent Seth had heard
him speak with before. Back in Berlin. It sounded so strange and unnatural
coming from him that it sent a shiver down Seth’s spine as he held on to Dana,
who struggled against him with weak jerks of her body. At least until her foot
smashed into Seth’s ankle again, and she got her mouth free.

“No, I’m serious… those
bastards are keeping me. They want to dispose of me!”

Domenico approached the
bald man and greeted him as he would an old friend. With a slap to the shoulder
and a strong handshake. “She’s on drugs.”

The man, who had to be
the boss here cast a glance at her, but all his attention was on Domenico. “I
didn’t recognize you at first without a suit.”

Seth kicked one of Dana’s
knees without mercy. Enough was fucking enough. She screamed, and Seth pushed
her forward, toward the garage, slightly at loss about what to do, yet not
wanting to make a scene. He needed to gag the bitch.

“Seriously?” Dana
screamed at the bald guy. “I fucking slept with you, you fucker! Do you have no
decency?”

As they passed, the man
in the baseball cap, who had previously tried to help Dana, pretended to polish
a car. No one made a move to come to Dana’s aid. Baldie shrugged, inviting them
into the office.

“Can’t help it. One
doesn’t mess with Mr. Schwangau’s business. I don’t want to be fucked over by
him
,”
he said, and Dom awarded him with another friendly slap on the back.

“We can make business
today, yes?”

Seth watched Dom,
completely hypnotized. He knew Dom was a good actor, but wow. It was as if he
became a new person. It wasn’t just the accent either, Seth knew Dom well
enough to notice little differences. A stiff walk, a tighter smile, broader
gestures. Not to mention that Dom couldn’t have remembered the garage owner,
yet he jumped head first into the situation.

As soon as they walked
into the office, Seth grabbed a dirty towel from the desk and stuffed it deep
into Dana’s mouth. He was so fucking sick of being considered the weakest link.
All he wanted was to be nice. Make some lunch, let her pee.

Baldie didn’t even blink
at the gag, and smiled at Dom as he poured him a cup of coffee from a thermos.
“I’m afraid our coffee machine broke down.”

Domenico sat down in
front of the desk and nodded, playing with the stray threads pulled out of the
armrest. “You remember. That’s good to know, but I will appreciate caffeine in
any form.” He looked back. “How about you, Marco?”

“Would be nice.
She
isn’t having any. Obviously.”

The glare it got him
from Dana told him they would never be friends.

Baldie looked at her,
but the glance only lasted a split second, and he wouldn’t spare her any more
of his attention as he walked over to give Seth a cup of black coffee.

“What can I do for you
this time?” Baldie asked Dom as he walked back behind his desk.

Domenico stretched,
completely at ease in his new role. “License plates and documents. We’re being
tracked so I want to change my face as soon as possible.”

Baldie chuckled. “I see
you already started on that.” He pointed to Dom’s face, but the blank look it
got him made the laughter die on his lips. “Yep, let’s get on with that while
you drink your coffee. I bet you’re in a rush.”

“Yes. Could we have Southern
license plates? Louisiana possibly?” asked Domenico, drinking the coffee
without any distaste resurfacing on his face.