We spend the rest of the evening in the apartment, relaxing. For several hours, we can hear the music booming below us as the club carries on business as usual. We’d done the same, continuing our rounds of talking and lovemaking, pausing to eat and chat before our passions overtake us again.

Around two in the morning, Maggie mentions going downstairs to see Allie, but after the run-in with the Rivaldis, I’m uneasy. “Angel, I know Dominick seems to think this is all handled, and I’m hopeful he’s right, but sometimes, a cornered animal is the meanest, and I’m nervous Sal is going to be desperate enough to do something crazy.”

“But what about Allie and Dom and . . . well, everyone downstairs?”

I nod, hugging her tightly. “I know. But I can’t protect them all. I can protect you, though, and it’d make me feel a lot better if you had Allie come up here rather than us go downstairs.”

She agrees, and Allie’s actually willing to hang out a bit before she heads home so we can all grab some shut eye. Waking up at noon, Maggie and I eat a simple breakfast of Golden Grahams and tea before sneaking downstairs carefully to check in with Dominick.

I knock on his door, my usual two raps, and from inside, I hear him. “Come in, Shane.”

We enter, and he turns around from his desk, smirking that he knew simply by my knock. “Please, sit.”

He motions to the chairs sitting in front of his desk, and we sink into them. I notice Maggie has her knees pulled to her chest again, her arms wrapped around her legs. It makes me worry, but I know it’ll take her awhile to feel comfortable in Dominick’s presence now. “Thanks. Just wanted to check in.”

Dom nods, stroking his chin. “So you’ve heard.”

I furrow my brow, confused. I came down for a general check-in and to see if there was a way for Maggie and me to safely stretch our legs. “Heard? Heard what?”

Dominick leans back in his chair, relaxing. “Have you been in contact with . . .” He seems to be searching for a word, an uncommon occurrence for a man who uses words like sharp knives. “Your handlers?”

I look to Maggie and then shake my head. “I don’t really have one. An unofficial contact, but making official contact is . . . dramatic.”

Dominick smiles, seemingly laughing inside. “Perhaps you should check in with them. At least your unofficial contact.”

He doesn’t seem inclined to give me privacy for the call, so I reach into my pocket and speed-dial Chucky, putting the phone to my ear.

The line connects with silence, and I talk first, keeping Chucky’s name out of it lest Dominick get curious for more information. It may be a nickname, but I wouldn’t put it past Dom to find out Chucky’s real name and entire history in less than forty-eight hours if he was motivated to do so. “Hey, man. It’s Shane.”

Chucky sounds excited, panting as he greets me. “Damn, dude, you must have balls of fucking steel! Everyone here is talking about how Dominick walked into Sal’s house, in the middle of a fucking wake, told all his shit to the whole damn crew, including the Colombians, and then beat the shit out of a traitor. And you just stood there, sweet as you please, with no reaction.”

Interesting. Guess they didn’t hear about my kicking the shit out of Nick on my way out. Probably a good thing, considering everything else. I never actually met the man the FBI put in the Rivaldi family, but he must not have been present. The FBI wouldn’t ignore my beating the fuck out of Nick like that. The boot to the gut on a downed man was definitely past ‘appropriate use of force.’

“Yeah,” I reply airily, though, trying to play it off. “That’s pretty much what happened.”

“Weren’t you shitting your pants that Dominick was going to kill you?” Chucky asks, still panting a little. “I mean, I know you’re in Dom’s custody, but it would’ve been real fucking easy for him to say he was taking you to Sal’s and then dump your body in the river. Probably even keep the girl for himself.”

I look at Dominick, considering what happened in the car yesterday, and make up my mind. “No, if he wanted me dead, I would be. He’s a man of his word and said he’d help, so I trusted him to follow through.”

Chucky whoops like a teenager at a pop concert, and I have to pull my phone away for a moment to wince. “That’s some top-notch loyalty there, man. Not sure I’d trust anyone that that much, even if they were player one in the game.”

“It’s not a game, man. Any other updates? Word on the hitman?” I ask, getting irritated at Chucky’s casualness considering this is my life. Maggie’s life.

Chucky whistles, obviously surprised. “You haven’t heard about the hitman?”

There’s something to Chucky’s tone, a weirdness I can’t place. I look to Dominick, who’s eyes are crinkling a bit . . . in amusement? “No, I haven’t heard. What is it?”

“Sal Rivaldi woke up this morning to find the hitman dead . . . in his living room . . . sitting up in his fucking throne of a chair . . . and none of the guards saw a thing.” Chucky delivers the details with dramatic pauses for effect, and it works.

“So, he’s dead?” I ask, a little disappointed. The bastard almost killed my woman and put a groove in my left bicep that’s going to leave a wicked scar. I wanted to at least get a little bit of a receipt on that.

Chucky laughs darkly, obviously pleased, although I know if he found a dead body in his living room, someone would need to call an ambulance for his heart attack. “Yeah, you could fucking say that. That’s not even the best part, though.” I wait, knowing Chucky will tell me when he’s ready. Finally, he laughs. “The best part is that on the coffee table were a handful of bullet cases, presumed to be the brass from Carlos’s shooting, and an invoice . . . for the repairs to Petals’s private room!” Chucky is wheezing, laughter taking his breath away, and I can’t help but smile. Dominick is a twisted, manipulative son of a bitch and a damn scary motherfucker.

I like him. Too bad we officially have to be enemies when this is all said and done.

Chucky is winding down, getting himself under control while I study Dom, who’s openly grinning now. “You know, I gotta ask. Everyone knows Dominick either did it or had it done, but you’re the inside guy. You know anything?”

I grin back at Dominick, who’s watching me with interest, and lean back before forming a casual reply. “Nope, Dominick came back here after we went to the Rivaldis’ and was here all night. It was business as usual at Petals.”

“Yeah, figured he wouldn’t have you in on any of the dirty work,” Chucky says. There’s a rustle on Chucky’s end, and he seems to messing around with something on his computer from the clicking sounds. “The office thinks you’re clear. Word I’ve got here is that you can make official contact, mission accomplished, and you can exfil now. Report in when you’re out.”

“Understood,” I reply before hanging up the phone. I look over at Dominick, who’s still watching me. “Seems the hitman has been taken care of, rather spectacularly. Better than anything I could’ve done for sure.” Dominick tilts his head, a pleased smirk on his face as he accepts the compliment and understands that I’m thanking him while not saying that he actually did anything because that would be dangerous. “We’re clear.”

Maggie stutters, her voice a near-whisper. “Really? We’re safe?”

And then she turns to Dominick, the question in her eyes, knowing he’s really the one who decides if we’re safe or not. He nods once, his face schooled back into tightly a controlled blankness. “Yes. “Yes, you’re safe. But do not forget our agreement. If I have need of you, I will use you as a resource. Otherwise, you will not return.”

Maggie nods, then opens and closes her mouth like she has something to say. Dominick waits patiently, not encouraging her but not dismissing her either.

“What about Allie?” she asks desperately. “Can I still talk to her?”

Dominick smiles, and I think I see a bit of melt in that frost behind his eyes. “If Allie wishes to speak with you, I would not prevent something that makes her happy. I personally think you two have had a good effect on each other and make good friends. However, if she doesn’t want to talk, I will support her choice to cut you out of her life.”

Maggie nods, still encouraged. “Thank you, sir.”

Dominick smirks at the turn of phrase and gives me a knowing look. “Maggie,” I say calmly, “can you wait outside for a second? I need to talk to Dominick.”

She bites her lip, uncertain, but nods. “Yeah, I’ll go backstage and see if Allie is here yet. Maybe she can show me her new move again.”

She leaves, and both our eyes follow her out. When the door closes, Dominick turns back to me with a look I’ve not seen before. It’s like he’s showing me a glimpse behind his mask, to the real man he is underneath the mob boss persona. “She is an unusual find, Shane. I told you once that a man like you would break her, and then I’d be forced to break you as well. I find that perhaps I was wrong. She is stronger than I gave her credit for, although if you hurt her, I think I’d still find myself inclined to take the offense out on you.”

“No need. If I hurt her, I’d punish myself more than you ever could,” I reply honestly. “Even with your . . . creativity. I do appreciate the way you make a statement, that flair for the dramatic when warranted,” I tell him, smiling as I envision the brass balls it must’ve taken to pull off a stunt like that.

Dominick inclines his head, smirking. “And I appreciated your company last night while I was at the club.” The lie is crystal clear, but only because Dominick allows me to see it. He could lie to me easily, but he’s telling me in just a few words that he’s approving the lie I told, giving him an alibi.

“So, we can leave?” I ask, moving things along. “No offense. Your apartment is nice, but we’ve stopped the war, sent Sal scampering back to the dark, stopped the threat of the hitman, and you know the truth about everything. It seems our agreement has been met. And I’d like to be able to get some fresh air and sunlight with the woman I love.”

Dominick nods, his mask coming back into place. “Yes, same as I told Miss . . . as I told Maggie. I’ll reach out if I need you. However, for you in particular, Shane, there is something else. You mentioned that you were placed in my organization, and another FBI agent into Rivaldi’s. Is that agent still in play?”

I nod, already seeing where this is going. “Yes, that agent is in place. I don’t know his name, though. It’s standard FBI procedure. That way, if one of us got outed, we couldn’t be tortured to reveal the other.”

Dominick nods in understanding. “I thought so. A policy I’ve used myself when I’ve had to send men . . . undercover. But, if any information comes up that would be either potentially beneficial or harmful to me, I trust that you will reach out to share?”

He’s smiling, but there’s an implied threat to his words, and I know that he would see a lack of information sharing as an insult. “Of course. I assume your phone number won’t be changing?”

Dominick laughs softly. “Well, it might, but even if so, the number for Petals won’t. I’m sure you’ll keep that number around.”

I nod, then rise and offer him a hand. “You are an interesting man, Dominick Angeline. Regardless of the initial reason for my placement, I have enjoyed working with you. I like you.”

Dominick shakes my hand, pulling me closer to his desk. “I like you too, Shane Guthrie. Hope to not see you around my town.”

I chuckle at his slickness, a compliment tied up in an ‘I know who you are’ threat with a bonus order to get out of dodge. He’s one of a kind.