The Hermit (Mafia Empire Book 1)

The Hermit: Chapter 29



When Dominik stops the Hummer near the new private jet, I quickly get out.

With a happy smile on my face, I walk to Evinka and give her a tight hug.

We pull back, and hoping to God I don’t mess up, I sign, “I’m pregnant. Dominik and I are having a baby.”

Surprise widens her eyes, then her hands fly, and I struggle to keep up as she signs, “You can sign! You’re pregnant! This is fucking fantastic.”

“Dominik has been teaching me,” I say.

The next second, Evinka yanks me back into a hug, and she holds me tightly.

“I wanted to be able to communicate better with you.” Pulling back, I see how happy she is, and it makes all the hard work so worth it.

“Now we can gossip about Dominik,” she signs.

“No, you can’t,” Dominik mutters as he nudges me toward the plane. “Let’s get going.”

She shakes her head at him. “You’ve had her for months. It’s my turn to spend time with her.”

When we board the aircraft, Evinka pulls me toward a seat and takes the one beside me, which has Dominik shooting her a playful glare.

We put on our seat belts, then I say, “Just sign slower. I’m still learning.”

She nods, “How far along are you?”

Needing the practice, I sign, “I think around three months. I’m seeing a doctor in Chile, then we’ll know for sure.”

A soft smile tugs at her mouth. “I’m so happy for you and Dominik.”

“Thank you.”

God, she’s happier for me than Ciara was when I told her.

Thinking about my sister makes my heart squeeze, but it doesn’t hurt as much anymore. I’ve made peace with the fact that she’s chosen a different life for herself that doesn’t include me.

Evinka glances at Dominik, where he’s staring out the window, then turns her attention back to me. “I know he’s not an easy person, and he gets wound up real quick, but thank you for making him happy.”

I shake my head. “He’s the one who makes me happy. I’ve never felt so loved and safe in my life.”

She smiles again. “I’m glad to hear that.”

The plane takes off, and after we’re in the air, she signs, “Dominik told me you’re moving to Chile. How do you feel about that?”

“I understand why we have to move, but I’ll miss the mountains.” My eyes dart to hers before I look at my hands again. “Will you stay in Slovakia or also move?”

She lets out a silent burst of laughter. “I’m all over the world. Wherever Dominik needs me to be.”

“I love that you have each other,” I sign. “He told me about your time in the orphanage.”

Evinka glances at him with love in her eyes. “He was always covered in bruises from fighting to either get me food or keep a fucker away from me. Without Dominik, I wouldn’t be sitting here.”

Jesus. My heart.

Unable to stop myself, I pull Evinka into a hug and whisper, “I’m so sorry about everything that happened to you.”

When I let go of her, she shrugs. “That life made us who we are today.”

With a tender smile on my face, I sign, “Two people who I love dearly.”

Her mouth curves into a smile. “Two people who will kill anyone who threatens you.”

I feel so much closer to Evinka now that I’m able to communicate with her on a deeper level.

“I’m going to go sit with Dominik,” I say before unclipping my seat belt.

She nods, pulling out her cell phone while I get up.

When I cross the cabin to where Dominik is, the plane suddenly shakes as it hits a pocket of turbulence.

“Oh God.” I lose my balance and stagger to the side, then the aircraft shakes even harder, and for a second, my feet leave the floor.

I’m grabbed against Dominik’s solid chest, and a moment later, my butt is on a seat, and I’m being strapped in.

“My fucking heart!” Dominik snaps, his face pale with fright. He brings his hands to my cheeks, his eyes darting all over me. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

I sit stunned for a moment before managing to nod. “I’m fine.”

He slumps down beside me, and it’s only then I see Evinka return to her own seat.

“Christ,” he mutters while sucking in deep breaths of air, then he barks, “Never leave your seat while flying.”

“What if I need to pee?”

“Then I’ll take you to the restroom.” He grabs my hand, and leaning across the armrests, he places his other hand on the side of my neck. His eyes dart over my face again. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes.” I give him a reassuring smile.

He lowers his hand to my stomach and rests his forehead against mine.

“I’m okay, my hermit,” I murmur with love coating my voice. “Relax.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to relax until you give birth,” he mutters.

I let out a chuckle and lean closer to him. “Does this mean you’re going to be extra protective over me?”

“Definitely.”


DOMINIK

When we near the island, I get a view of the tunnel that’s under construction.

“They’re going to have to work faster. I want the island ready for when Grace gives birth,” I tell Evinka.

“I’ve already told them to employ more teams so they can work twenty-four-seven,” she signs.

“Good,” I mutter, turning my gaze to the shore where Santiago, once again, has a marquee up with a table covered in food and drinks.

The man is the complete opposite of me, but somehow, he’s starting to grow on me. I like that he just does whatever he wants.

When he spots us, he gets up from his chair and waves. “Ahoy, matey,” he calls out.

I shake my head while Grace chuckles.

We reach the shore, and Santiago comes closer. When he holds his hand out to Grace, I jump out of the boat and slap it away.

“Don’t touch my wife,” I mutter while taking hold of Grace’s hips and lifting her out.

“Hi, Santiago,” she says, a wide grin on her face.

The fucker shoots me a glance, a mischievous look in his eyes, then he says to Grace, “If you grow tired of his grumpy ass, I’m available.”

“Not if I fucking kill you,” I threaten while struggling not to smile.

Unfortunately, Santiago sees the smile, and the next second, I have his arm draped across my shoulders. “Hardass. Mark my words, we’re going to become best friends.”

“Only because you’re forcing me,” I say while my eyes settle on the rest of the alliance.

Not seeing Ilias, I wait until I reach the group before I look at Cassia and ask, “Where’s your father?”

“At home. We both thought it would be better for the alliance if I acted in his stead,” she replies, lifting her chin.

Thank fuck.

I nod, and while I glance at the pathway that’s been carved out between the trees, I mutter, “I’m good with that.”

I take a moment to greet Leo and Enzo, then grabbing Grace’s hand, I jerk my head toward the path. “Let’s get the inspection over with before we sit down to talk.”

When Santiago falls in beside Grace, I let go of her hand and wrap my arm around my wife.

“I’m having an emblem designed that we can put up above the entrance to the tunnel,” Santiago informs us.

“What kind of emblem?” Enzo asks.

“You’ll see. It’s a surprise.”

As we near the facility, Leo says, “It’s coming along nicely. When can we expect everything to be ready?”

“More teams are being hired to speed up the process,” I tell them. “Grace is pregnant, so it’s important to get it done sooner rather than later.”

“You’re pregnant!” Santiago exclaims, and then I have to grit my teeth as the fucker gives my wife a sideways hug before patting me on the back. “Congratulations!”

“Yes, congrats. May your child only bring you joy,” Leo says.

“Congrats,” Enzo mutters, not really looking interested in the subject, while he walks ahead of the group to inspect the pillars at the entrance of the facility.

Cassia smiles at Grace, then says, “I hope you have a healthy pregnancy with no morning sickness.”

“So far, I’ve been fortunate,” Grace tells her, then glances at the men. “Thank you for the well-wishes.”

Evinka comes to walk on my right, signing, “I’m going to check on the security building.”

I nod. “Make sure the security cameras cover all areas without any blind spots.”

After she heads in the opposite direction from us, I notice Enzo walking into the construction site.

“What’s the deal with Enzo?” I ask no one in particular.

“From what I’ve gotten to know about him, he’s a lone wolf. I’m actually surprised he joined the alliance,” Leo answers. “Almost as surprised as when you called for an alliance to be formed.”

Being a hermit, I can understand that.

Our attention turns to the construction site, and while we inspect every nook and cranny, we discuss where something has to be changed or added.

The entrance hall will have a lot of light streaming in via floor-to-ceiling windows.

I take a few extra minutes to look at the East Asian architecture that will be able to handle strong winds on the island.

“So this will be our new sanctuary?” Grace asks.

“Yes. Once it’s completed it will have a serene feel to it.”

“Which I’ll disturb with parties,” Santiago chuckles.

“God help us,” Leo mutters, a smile tugging at his mouth. “Let’s see what the security building looks like.”

We head down the path and find Evinka giving orders via Alan, who’s translating for her.

“The wall needs to be three meters high,” Alan tells the site manager. “It’s going to be covered in monitors, so make sure it can take a lot of weight.”

Watching Evinka give one order after the other via sign language, my worry eases, knowing she’ll have the island up and running in no time.

“That’s one hell of a second-in-charge you have there,” Cassia mentions.

I nod. “I’m very lucky to have Evinka.”

As we stare at the area where the boardroom will be, I say, “We’ll get a round table.”

“Don’t you think it would be awesome to have chairs like the ones in Game of Thrones?” Santiago asks. “But instead of swords, the backrest can be made of machine guns.”

“Jebat,” I mutter while shaking my head. “No, definitely not.”

He gives me a look that says he doesn’t care what I say, he’s going to have the fucking chairs made.

When we all head back to the beach so we can enjoy refreshments, Enzo joins us again.

I wait for everyone to sit down, then ask, “Any sign of the bratva?”

They all shake their heads, then Leo says, “They’ve pulled out of Italy.”

“Greece, too,” Cassia adds.

“For the time being,” Enzo mutters. “They always come back.”

True.

“We’ll deal with them one war at a time because there’s no getting rid of the entire bratva,” Santiago says.

Turning my attention to Grace, I ask, “Do you want something to eat?”

She shakes her head. “I’m still fine after the huge lunch we had on the yacht.”

I lean in and press a kiss to her temple. “We’ll leave soon.”

“You’re doing much better being among people,” she mentions softly.

“It’s because I had a long break.” The corner of my mouth lifts. “And I have you at my side.”


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