Chapter 182
Chapter 182
Aria’s POV
I felt an unknown kind of fear.
Not the fear I’d felt when I first met Dominic, or when his enemies had threatened me before. This was different.
It clawed at my chest as I stared at the blood seeping through his torn shirt, at the way his face had gone pale beneath his olive complexion.
The fear that he…he may not have been here…oh my God. I took a deep breath to calm myself.
“What happened?” The words tumbled out of me before I could stop them.
Matthias looked up from his work, his hands still bloody from trying to extract the bullet. “Miss Montel, you shouldn’t be here.”
“What. Happened.” I stepped fully into the room, my voice harder now.
“It was an ambush,” Matthias said quietly, glancing at Dominic’s face. “Victoria set a trap. We lost four men.”
Four men. Dead because of whatever game Victoria was playing. My stomach churned, but I forced myself to stay focused. “And Dominic?”
“Bullet grazed his shoulder, but it’s deep. He’s lost a lot of blood.”
I moved closer, seeing the extent of the damage for the first time. The bullet wound was angry and red, still bleeding despite Matthias’s efforts. Dominic’s breathing was shallow, his eyes closed in pain.
“You should have taken him to a hospital,” I said sharply.
“No hospitals,” Dominic’s voice was rough, barely above a whisper. “Too dangerous.”
“So you brought him to a strip club instead?” I rounded on Matthias, my fear transforming into anger. “Are you insane? This place isn’t sterile. He could get an infection. He could-”
“Aria.” Dominic’s eyes opened, focusing on me with difficulty. “Enough.”
But I wasn’t done. “Matthias, how could you be so reckless? He needs proper medical care, not some back–alley first aid in a room where God knows what has happened.”
“Miss Montel-”
“Don’t ‘Miss Montel‘ me. This is your job. Protecting him is your job, and you failed.”
Matthias’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue. Maybe because he knew I was right, or maybe because arguing with the boss’s woman wasn’t worth the
risk.
Dominic struggled to sit up straighter. “Matthias, leave us alone.”
“Boss, you need medical attention-”
“I said leave.”
Matthias hesitated for a moment, then gathered his supplies and headed for the door. “I’ll be right outside if you need anything.”
The door closed with a soft click, leaving us alone in the dimly lit room. The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken words and the metallic scent of blood.
“What are you doing here?” Dominic’s voice was stronger now, but I could hear the pain underneath.
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Chapter 182
I crossed my arms, defensive. “None of your business.”
His eyes flashed dangerously. “Everything you do is my business, Aria. I thought I told you not to leave the hotel suite.
“I can go wherever I want, I am not a child. I thought we already had this discussion that you can’t keep me locked up like some prisoner
“Can’t I?”
The quiet menace in his voice made my spine stiffen. This was the Dominic that everyone feared, the one who ruled through intimidation and control But I was too angry to back down.
“You left me alone all night,” I said, my voice rising. “You went to meet that psychotic bitch despite my warnings, and you nearly got yourself killed. So forgive me if I don’t feel like following your orders right now.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I? Victoria set a trap, just like I said she would. Nico betrayed you, just like anyone with half a brain could see coming. And you walked right into it because you’re too proud to listen to anyone else.”
Dominic tried to stand, wincing as the movement pulled at his wound. “You think you understand this world? You think you know how to survive in it?
“I know more than you think.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I hesitated, realizing I’d said too much. But there was no backing down now. “It means I’m not the helpless little dancer you think I am.”
His eyes narrowed. “Explain.”
“No.”
“Aria.” His voice dropped to that dangerous whisper that made grown men tremble. “Explain. Now.”
“Or what? You’ll punish me? Lock me up tighter? I’m already your prisoner, Dominic. What more can you do?”
He moved faster than I expected, crossing the small space between us despite his injury. His good hand gripped my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze.
“I could do things that would make you wish you were just a prisoner,” he said softly. “Now tell me what you meant.”
I stared into those dark eyes, seeing the dangerous man beneath the wounded exterior. For a moment, almost gave in. Almost told him everything about my plans with Carmen, about the network we were building, about the information I’d been gathering.
But then I remembered the blood, the fear, the four men who’d died tonight because he was too stubborn to listen to reason.
“I meant that I’m tired of being kept in the dark,” I said finally. “I’m tired of being treated like I can’t handle the truth.”
“The truth?” He laughed, but there was no humor in it. You want the truth? The truth is that Victoria Romano wants you dead. The truth is that she has information about your past that could destroy everything. The truth is that there are people in this city who would torture you for days just to get to
me.”
“I know all of that.”
“Do you? Do you really understand what that means?”
“It means I need to protect myself. And you.”
His grip tightened slightly. “You don’t protect me, Aria. I protect you. That’s how this works.”
“Your protection almost got you killed tonight.”
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“My protection is the only reason you’re still breathing.”
I pulled away from his grip, anger flaring hot in my chest. “Your protection is suffocating me. I can’t live like this, Dominic. I won’t”
“You’ll live however I say you’ll live.”
“No, I won’t.” I moved toward the door. “I’m done being your caged bird.”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Anywhere but here.”
His voice stopped me cold. “If you walk out that door, you won’t make it three blocks.”
I turned back to face him. “Is that a threat?”
“It’s a fact. Victoria’s people are everywhere. They’re looking for you specifically.”
“Then maybe I should find them myself. End this once and for all.”
The words hung in the air between us like a challenge. Dominic’s face went white, then flushed with rage.
“You’ll do no such thing.”
“You can’t stop me.”
“Can’t I?”
He pulled out his phone with his good hand, dialing quickly. “Luca? Where the hell are you? Your job was to keep her safe, not let her wander around the city… I don’t care what excuse she gave you. Get here now.”
I felt a chill run down my spine as the pieces clicked into place. “You’re having me followed.”
“Of course I’m having you followed. Did you think I’d let you run around unsupervised?”
“Luca reported everything to you.”
“Everything.” His smile was cold. “Including your little chat with Carmen about gathering allies and turning tables.”
My blood turned to ice. He knew. He knew everything.
“So,” Dominic continued, his voice deadly quiet, “did you really think you could plot against my enemies without me finding out? Did you think you could build some amateur spy network using strippers and bartenders?”
Hlifted my chin defiantly. “It was working.”
“It was stupid. And dangerous. And it ends now.”
“You can’t make those decisions for me.”
“I can make any decision I want when it comes to your safety.“”
“This isn’t about my safety. This is about your control.”
“Everything is about control, Aria. That’s the first lesson of survival.”
I stared at him, seeing clearly for the first time how different we really were. He saw the world as something to be controlled, dominated, bent to his will.
I saw it as something to be navigated, understood, influenced through intelligence rather than force.
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Chapter 182
“I was trying to help you,” I said quietly.
“You were trying to get yourself killed.”
“I was trying to be useful. To be more than just your weakness that Victoria can exploit.”
“You’ll never be more than my weakness.” The words came out harsher than I think he intended. “That’s exactly what makes you dangerous to keep
around.”
The honesty of it hit me like a physical blow. He was right, and we both knew it. As long as I mattered to him, I would always be a target. A vulnerability that his enemies could exploit.
“Then let me go,” I whispered.
“Never.”
“Dominic-”
“Never.” He stepped closer, his injured shoulder forgotten in his rage. “You belong to me, Aria. Your safety, your choices, your future–all of it belongs to me. And if you go behind my back again…”
He left the sentence hanging, but the threat was clear in his eyes.
I met his gaze steadily, refusing to back down even as my heart hammered against my ribs. Continue. Say what you want to say Dom.”
His hand shot out, gripping my wrist with surprising strength for a wounded man. When he spoke, his voice was a snarl that raised every hair on my
arms.
“If you go behind my back again, you’ll regret it.”
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