The Hermit (Mafia Empire Book 1)

While I’m chopping the herbs, my eyes keep darting to where Dominik is rinsing the tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, and peppers.

Every time I learn something new about him, it makes my curiosity grow. There are so many layers to him.

He’s brutal and inspires fear in men like my father, but here in his house, he’s a quiet soul who gives off a peaceful vibe.

My hands slow their movements, and I forget about chopping as my eyes take in every inch of Dominik’s muscled body. With the T-shirt he’s wearing, the tattoos on his arms are visible.

My gaze lifts until it stops on the X and broken heart tattooed beneath his left eye.

My voice is soft as I ask, “What does the X and broken heart mean?”

He glances at me, and it feels intense having his eyes on me.

“Keep people out, and you won’t have your heart broken.”

I take in his handsome face, then ask, “Have you ever had your heart broken?”

He grabs a knife, and as he starts to slice the tomatoes, my eyes lock on his hands and the veins snaking beneath his skin and tattoos.

“Only once,” he murmurs, his tone low and deep.

There’s a weird tightening sensation in my stomach that has my heartbeat speeding up.

“The day my mother left me at a gas station. She kissed me goodbye and told me I would be better off without her, then got into the car of a man I didn’t know and left.” He inhales a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I never saw her again.”

Unaware of what I’m doing, I move closer to him as I ask, “How old were you?”

Dominik finishes chopping the tomatoes and wipes his hands on a paper towel before looking at me. “I was seven. The police came, and I was placed in an orphanage where I found Evinka. She was four.” The corner of his mouth lifts. “We adopted each other.”

With the food forgotten, I ask, “How did you become an assassin and arms dealer?”

“When I turned eighteen, I got kicked out of the orphanage, and I needed money. I checked ads and found one searching for a cleaner. Turns out it had nothing to do with actual cleaning.” He lets out a chuckle. “It paid well, and I was able to take care of Evinka.”

“And arms?” I remind him.

He shrugs, his eyes drifting over my face with a gentle expression. “I stumbled across an arms deal while assassinating someone and saw the amount of money that was being paid for a crate of guns.”

Dominik slowly turns to face me, then resting his hip against the counter, he tilts his head as if he’s patiently waiting for me to ask another question.

My tongue darts out to wet my lips, and my mind races until I finally manage to think of something to ask. “Why did you only demand fifty percent of my father’s business?”

“I was in a good mood, but after he slapped you yesterday, that changed. I’m now taking everything.”

My eyes widen. “Because he slapped me?”

Dominik just nods.

He saved my life. Twice.

He insisted on marrying me instead of Ciara.

He shot Dad for slapping me.

He gave me my own bedroom instead of forcing me to share his bed.

He’s assured me, again and again, that he won’t hurt me.

He’s patient with me.

My heart begins to beat faster, and caution trickles into my voice as I ask, “Do you like me?”

Without hesitation, he answers, “Yes.” The corner of his mouth lifts. “But that’s not what you’re really asking.”

No, it’s not.

Nerves spin in my stomach as I whisper, “Are you attracted to me?”

The expression on his face softens even more before he says, “Yes. I’m very attracted to you, Grace. You’re a beautiful woman with one hell of a temper who isn’t scared to fight for the ones she loves.” His smile turns affectionate, making my heart hammer against my ribs. “I had no interest in any kind of romantic relationship until I watched you protect your sister with a fierceness that earned my respect.”

My palms feel sweaty, and my breaths are coming too fast as I stare at Dominik.

Slowly, he shakes his head. “Don’t be scared, Grace. My attraction to you isn’t something you need to fear.”

When he steps closer to me, my entire body flinches, and I have to force myself not to backpeddle.

His movements are slow, as if he’s approaching a wild animal or baby deer. With my eyes locked on his, I struggle to control my breathing as he lifts his arm, wrapping his fingers around the back of my neck.

I’m trembling like a leaf in a shitstorm, and it’s becoming near impossible to keep still.

“You’re safe, miláčik,” he whispers.

Gently, he presses my face to his chest before his other arm wraps around me. It takes a few panicked seconds before I realize he’s hugging me.

His hand begins to rub up and down my back, and it’s so soothing my eyes drift shut.

I suck in a deep breath, smelling his cologne that mixes with his natural scent. Just like the night when he saved me from the Russians, I feel safe.

Whispering, I ask, “What did you call me?”

His voice rumbles above my head. “The Slovak equivalent to sweetheart.”

Liking the term of endearment, the corner of my mouth slightly curves up before the smile fades away.

With my hands fisted by my sides, my voice is hoarse as I ask, “Can I really trust you, or is this just a ploy to get me to let my guard down?”

Dominik pulls slightly away from me, and when he takes hold of my chin and tips my head back, my heart’s a thundering mess in my chest.

“You won’t believe anything I say, and that’s okay. Let me show you I can be trusted.”

I nod while slowly pulling my chin free from his hold. Taking a step backward, I lower my eyes to the floor while sucking in a deep breath.

“What if you change your mind and you want more?”

“Then I’ll just have to take a lot of cold showers,” he jokes.

I close my eyes as I shake my head. Up until now, there has only been disgust and hatred when I think of what Braden did to me.

But as I stand in front of the man who’s my husband, I begin to feel inadequate. Tears sting my eyelids, and I clench my jaw as I fight to keep them from escaping.

My voice is raw as I whisper, “He broke me.”

“I know.” Dominik sounds so gentle, and when he carefully takes hold of my shoulder, I’m a second away from losing the battle to keep the tears back.

Once again, his arms wrap around me, and this time, the hug feels so tender my body convulses, and for the second time today, the floodgates burst wide open.

His hold on me tightens, and he presses a kiss to the top of my head before saying, “I’m going to make you as strong as Evinka, and one day you’ll realize you’re not as broken as you think.”

When I nod, my cheek rubs against his shirt, and for the first time since I married Braden, I lift my arms and wrap them around a man.

Dominik practically engulfs me with his body, as if he’s trying to form a shield around me, and the kiss he presses on my hair is soothing and healing.

He holds me until I pull my arms away from him. When he lets go of me and starts to chop the carrots, I grab the head of cabbage and move back to my working space.

Silence falls between us as we continue to prepare our dinner, and every now and then, my body shudders as tension leaves it.

DOMINIK

Once dinner is ready, I lead Grace to the sliding doors. Pressing a button on the wall, the doors fold open, and we step out onto the veranda that overlooks part of the lake and trees.

I set my plate down on a table before grabbing two chairs from where they’re stored against a wall.

“Can you get two pillows from the cabinet?” I ask, gesturing with a nod of my head to where they’re held.

“Sure,” Grace murmurs.

I set the chairs down by the table so we’ll sit across from each other and head back into the house to grab two bottles of water.

When I return to the veranda, Grace is standing with her arms wrapped around herself, staring at the view below as the sun begins to set.

“Come eat,” I murmur while taking a seat at the table.

She joins me, and picking up a fork, she shakes her head at me with a look of disbelief on her face.

“What?” I ask before shoving a bite of the stir-fry into my mouth.

“I’m shocked out of my mind,” she admits. “Since the moment you shot my father, I’ve been struggling to make sense of everything.” She waves a hand at the house and view below. “And now this.”

“I’m not following,” I say between bites.

Her eyes lock on me, and a slight frown forms on her forehead. “You’re one hell of an enigma, Dominik. Every time we interact, you surprise me in some way.”

Hearing something akin to admiration in her tone, the corner of my mouth lifts.

Grace has no idea how much progress we’ve made today. She let me hold her without having a panic attack, and right now, she’s completely relaxed.

For the first time since I met her, there’s no tension on her face.

Warmth stirs in my heart as I look at my wife, hoping with time we’ll get to know everything about each other.

We eat in silence, and when I set my fork down on the empty plate, Grace asks, “Why did you attack me in my bedroom?”

The regret returns fast and hot, and I clear my throat before answering, “I wanted to test how much fight you have in you. I never would’ve done it had I known about your past.”

“That was an asshole thing to do,” she mutters.

“I’m sorry, Grace.”

She nods before staring at the view around us.

My phone starts to ring, disturbing the silence, and I pull the device out of my pocket.

Not recognizing the number, a frown forms on my forehead as I accept the call.

“Varga speaking.”

“Where are you?” a man with a thick Russian accent snaps angrily.

Climbing to my feet, every muscle in my body tenses as I growl, “Who is this?”

Grace’s eyes widen, and her relaxed demeanor vanishes.

“Pavlov,” he grits his name out.

I let out a dark chuckle, and murder coats my words, “You have guts calling me.”

“Want to know what else I have?” he growls.

“Sure,” I mutter, sounding bored. “Let’s play this game.”

“Devlin’s dead body lying by my feet. I killed your business partner, Varga. He begged me to give him a chance to find you.” Pavlov lets out a burst of laughter. “He was willing to betray you.”

“I want to see proof,” I demand as my eyes flick to Grace, who’s watching me like a hawk.

I hear another burst of laughter, and a second later, my phone vibrates. I check the incoming message, and it shows a photo of Ian lying in a pool of blood, his throat cut open.

Jebat! If I hadn’t insisted on marrying Grace and leaving this morning, she would’ve been at the mansion during the attack.

Bringing the device back to my ear, I make sure there’s zero emotion in my voice as I say, “You did me a favor. Now I own one hundred percent of the market.”

“Only until I slit your throat open,” he threatens me.

“Not if I kill you first,” I chuckle darkly.

“I’ll find you, Varga,” he says, and I hear him moving around. “Devlin said you married his daughter.”

I fist my hand, the need to rip the fucker through the phone so I can beat him to death flooding my chest.

“The blond or the redhead?” he asks. “They both look fuckable.”

“How about you wait at Devlin’s place, and I’ll come to tell you in person,” I growl.

His annoying as fuck chuckle comes over the line again. “Nah, the place is a mess, and the cops will be here soon. Don’t worry. I’ll be in touch.”

The call ends, and I take a moment to breathe through the anger burning in my chest before I look at Grace.

“Are you okay?” she asks, her eyes filled with caution.

Knowing I must look fucking dangerous right now, I crouch beside her chair so I’ll seem less threatening to her.

“I have news,” I say, my eyes searching hers for any sign of a panic attack.

“What?” she whispers.

“The Russians killed your father.”

Shock tightens her features, and a weird mixture of emotions plays out over her face.

Unable to tell how she feels, I ask, “Are you okay?”

Slowly, she nods while her eyebrows draw together. Seconds pass then sadness fills her gaze.

Rising to my feet, I take hold of her shoulders and pull her up. I wrap my arms around her and vow, “I’ll kill Pavlov.”

“Is he the same man that kidnapped me?” she asks.

“Yes.”

She pulls back and shakes her head. “All for a couple of missiles?”

“Which they want to use against me so they can take over the arms market,” I explain.

“This is insane,” she mutters, then I watch as the blow of her father’s death hits. “Oh my God. Dad’s dead?”

“Yes.” I rub her shoulder.

She pulls away from me and walks closer to the clear banister around the veranda from where she stares at the nature below.

“Ciara will be safe now. He won’t search for her so he can force her into an arranged marriage that will line his pockets,” I hear her say. “Shit, I have to tell Ciara.” She pats over her pockets and glances at the sliding doors. “Where did I leave my phone?” Her frown deepens. “Dad’s dead.”

I close the distance between us and yank her to my chest. Wrapping my arms tightly around her, I say, “I’m sorry for your loss, Grace.”

Jebat, Pavlov really did me a favor. Had I been the one to kill Ian, I’m not sure where that would have left Grace and me.

I didn’t think she cared about her father, but from her strong reaction, it’s clear I was wrong.

“He wasn’t always a crap father,” she whispers with a trembling voice. “Before our mother died, he loved us.” She pulls back, and I watch as her features harden. “But then he traded me twice, and that destroyed everything good there was between us.”

Not liking her words, I say, “You weren’t traded to me, Grace.”

“I was part of a deal you had with him,” she snaps.

“No, Ciara was.” I lift my hand and wrap my fingers around the side of her neck. “I took you. Ian had no choice in the matter.”

She stares at me until I let go of her.

Unlocking my cell phone’s screen I send a quick voice message to Evinka. “Pavlov killed Devlin. Contact all the buyers immediately and let them know I’ve taken over the business.”

A moment later, her reply pops up on my screen.

Evinka: That solves one problem. How did you find out?

Dominik: Pavlov called me. Be careful, and never go anywhere without your guards.

Evinka: I’m sending guards to you.

Dominik: No. I’ll kill them if they breathe too loud. I’m safe on the mountain. Don’t worry about me.

Evinka: I’ll always worry. How’s Grace holding up?

Dominik: Surprisingly well.

Suddenly, Grace rushes in the direction of the sliding doors, and I go after her while shoving the device into my pocket.

“Grace?”

“I need to call Ciara. I don’t want her to hear the news from someone else,” she says as she hurries up the stairs.

When we enter her bedroom, I notice she hasn’t unpacked any of her bags.

She digs her cell phone out of her bag, and it reminds me her device isn’t secure.

Before she can unlock the screen, I grab the device from her, which has her eyes flying to my face.

“Your phone isn’t secure. Come.” I grab her hand and drag her to my office. Keying in the code, I shove the door open and bark, “What’s your phone number?”

I stalk to my laptop and open the device. When she rambles off her number, I type it into the system and check which cell towers it’s pinging off.

The signal is weak, but it shows a town two hours away from where we’re situated.

“Thank fuck,” I mutter.

“Can I call Ciara?” she asks.

I get up and dig a gadget out of a cupboard. After sliding the cell phone into it so it will scramble her location, I hand it to her. “Keep the call as short as possible. I’ll have to get you a new phone, so tell her your number will change.”

While I watch Grace make the call, my thoughts turn to Pavlov.