Domenica’s father, in his benevolence, had granted her a short stay. A single day to get her businesses and personal life—such as it was—in order. She’d use the time the only way she knew how. She called her best workers together—including her general manager who she knew was more than capable of running the businesses for her for a few weeks if needed—and told them she was going on a long vacation.

A month, and a promise to her father to not pursue, or allow herself to be pursued by Giancarlo, and he’d let her come home. No matter how hard her father pretended to be, he wasn’t fond of having her gone for long. While he’d never be the huggable father she always yearned for watching sitcoms on TV as a child, he did love her. And when it came down to it, he was doing this for her. No matter how badly it pissed her off, she knew that was true.

Giancarlo was still on her mind, though, as she did her makeup and got ready for her forced vacation. She just couldn’t shake him. That wasn’t like her. She had enough things that kept her bound—she wasn’t about to find herself willingly bound to someone else. Restrict her freedom further. And yet somehow, he’d clawed his way into her mind and wouldn’t let go.

She fluffed up her dark-brown curls then shook her head. She was overreacting. A few surprisingly excellent, sensual minutes and she was acting like a hormonal teenager. This wasn’t her. And she wouldn’t allow it to become her. When had she ever lost her head over a guy?

Never. And she couldn’t start now.

She picked up her overnight bag and headed down the stairs. Tense voices growled at each other from her father’s study. Normally, that would be her cue to find something else to do somewhere on the property. But her curiosity piqued, and she edged closer to her father’s study.

“…Don’t care what you think, Tony. With the Don gone, I’m in charge. So you’ll think what I tell you to.”

“But if the boss—” Tony started.

“The boss isn’t here. I am.”

The voice of her father’s Capo made her shiver. His vile attitude, and the leer he saved for her when her father wasn’t looking, had always made Biagio her least favorite person. She’d never mentioned it to her father, of course. But he’d always made her skin crawl. Just the sound of his voice almost made her turn around and head back to her room. But what they were saying clicked together in her mind.

The boss was gone?

What the fuck were they talking about?

Unable to wait another instant to find out for herself, she opened the door to the study without knocking and walked in. She kept her chin up and her back straight.

Show no weakness, mia figlia. Her father’s voice echoed in her mind.

“What’s going on here?” she asked.

Behind her father’s desk, Biagio stood from the chair—unfolding himself limb by limb in such a manner it made him look more insect than man. And he greeted her with a slimy smile.

“Domenica, my dear. How beautiful you look today.” Like his hair, his voice sounded as if it was coated in some kind of greasy, oily substance. The man was tall—maybe even as tall as Giancarlo. But unlike Gian’s muscular build, Biagio was thin as a reed. And he always wore too much cologne.

“Where’s my father?” she said again, putting every bit of authority she could into her voice. She was a woman, which meant these men would never take her as seriously as a man. But she was also the daughter of the Don. And she would have her answer.

“That’s a good question,” Tony said. He glanced at Biagio. “She should know. She could be of some help.”

Biagio gave Tony a look that clearly said he’d pay for his interference later, but Tony was unruffled. Biagio technically outranked Tony, but Tony was a powerhouse unto himself. And not far down the ladder from the Capo. And he was a lot more popular with her father’s men, she knew that. It hadn’t escaped her notice that she wasn’t the only one who found Biagio creepy and off-putting.

“Your father is missing,” Biagio said, no longer acknowledging Tony. “I don’t suppose you know anything?”

Ugh. The patronizing smile he gave her was almost as annoying as the gross leer he’d shot her when she walked into the room.

Before she could answer, he glanced at Tony. “Leave us a moment, Tony.”

Tony didn’t move. Instead, he looked at her. She nodded. Even though the idea of being alone with Biagio was revolting. What would Biagio do with Tony out of the room? Not much. Even if her father was missing, she was still the Don’s daughter. Besides, Tony wouldn’t go far.

Like a snake, Biagio slid toward her. The second the door shut behind Tony, he crossed into her personal space.

Her foot almost slid backward of its own accord, but she held herself firm. No way was she backing down before this creep. She’d choke on his cologne first.

“Did your father say anything, my dear?” Biagio took her hand in his and pressed a kiss against the top of her fingers. Just barely, she managed not to shudder with revulsion. “About leaving?”

Her father. Shit. Her father was missing. Gone.

How was that possible?

She looked up and met Biagio’s gaze, and he gave her that slippery smile.

Surely, he couldn’t have—he was her father’s Capo. His right-hand man. Her father trusted him above all others to keep his business running smoothly. Especially with the particularly messy sides of the business. That was something she wasn’t supposed to know. But she’d always been a nosy child.

Hell, she was still nosy.

“Where’s my father?” She kept her voice low. But even with all her effort in it, she couldn’t keep the rage in her voice from showing.

“My dear,” he said, his smile widening, “how would I know that?”

He still held her hand that he’d kissed, and she yanked it away. But she still didn’t back down.

Back down in this world, and you die. Fatherly advice that Don Todaro had never given her. But she’d overheard him give it to Tony when was a young man.

Besides, Biagio had always backed down. He wasn’t the kind of man who could stand up to her father.

Biagio reached for her, moving quickly. And she still couldn’t believe he was doing it even as she saw. He grabbed the back of her neck and held her firm. Then he lowered his mouth to hers.

“What the hell are you—” Her mind still denied that this was even a possibility as his lips touched hers. Finally, she cracked. She shoved him, slapping her hands against his chest as hard as she could.

To her shock, Biagio not only moved, but he also flew a good three feet back, saved only from landing on his ass by her father’s desk.

Eyes wide, he stared at her.

“Stay away from me,” she said, her voice carrying confidence she didn’t feel.

His eyes narrowed. “You might want to think about your place now that your father’s gone, little one. You might want to think hard. As my wife, you’d inherit a similar place to what you have now. A… respect.” He spat out the word like it tasted foul. “As an ex-Don’s daughter, there’s no one to keep you safe.”

Before she could formulate a response, before she could even comprehend his words, he called for Tony.

The big man entered the room, giving her a questioning glance.

“Please escort Miss Todaro to her room, Tony.” Biagio wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “I believe she may know where her father is.”

She looked at Tony, but his gaze was shuttered off. He escorted her back to her room, not saying a word.

The door shut behind Tony. Then locked.

She sat heavily on her bed, suddenly drained both of energy and ideas. No matter how she and her father disappointed each other, he had always been there for her. Really, more so than she wanted him to be. But no matter how she rallied against him and his restrictions to her freedom, she’d always known in the back of her mind that he kept her safe.

And he was gone.

Where could the powerful Don be? He wouldn’t have just taken off, not of his own accord. Sure, it was his right to do so. And it was his men’s obligation to keep things running smoothly while he was gone. She’d heard of Dons— other Dons—taking advantage of that right. Although none without some sort of word to their men. But her father… He was too much of a control freak. The man wouldn’t just leave his businesses to his Capo to manage, not without setting things up first. And certainly not without checking in.

Then where could he be?

Her mind shied away from answering the thought. If her father hadn’t left of his own accord, that meant someone else had forced him to leave. That’s the word she would stick with. Her father had left. Perhaps someone had taken him. But he was still out there, somewhere.

She had to believe that.

But Biagio, the man who should be scouring heaven and earth for his Don, seemed happier to simply step into his shoes. Take over his empire. And without her father to step in, no one would stop him. Some, like Tony, wouldn’t like it. But they wouldn’t argue with it—not without someone else to follow. The mob rankings were sacrosanct.

If she were a son… Well, a lot of things in her life would’ve been different if she’d been born a boy.

But woman or not, she couldn’t just sit here. She had to do something. She glanced at the window and narrowed her eyes.

Step one, she had to get the fuck out of here.