Tainted Hearts

16 | Intruder

✧

DOMINIC

It didn't take him long to spot the person hiding in the trees. Dominic moved faster than the wind could take him under the light of the moon. He ended up on the other side of the lake, deep in the woods, and behind the enemy.

As a man with creamy skin and a sleeve of tattoos walked out from between two large bushes, he slowed down and walked quietly. He was wearing all black, which made it look like he was trying to hide.

It was funny, though, because the silver chain around his neck gave him away.

Dominic uttered, "What a surprise to see you here. Especially since it's only three miles from my house."

When he turned around, he couldn't tell who the intruder was. That set off warning signs.

Shock splashed across the man's face. "It's you."

"It's me," Dominic mimicked. "Who are you?"

The man said, "I'm nobody," stretching his hands at his sides. "How could I not have seen you?"

"I don't know." As Dominic confronted him, he smiled. "Maybe because you weren't paying attention as much as you thought."

The intruder moved forward one step.

He took risks. Dominic admired that. "I've been keeping an eye on everything you do. I have no idea how I could have missed Dominic Beretta."

"Yeah, well, I'm slick like that," he replied, clenching his hands at his sides. "Allow me to ask once more: who the hell are you?"

Now, the man's brows were almost as high as the stars. Dominic's lips twitched as he got ready to beat the snot out of him.

The man tossed a glance behind him toward the cabins on the opposite side of the lake before returning his attention to Dominic. "How did you get here so quickly, right next to this park? It's quite a distance from your place."

How Dominic got there didn't matter. He'd go anywhere he darn well wanted, but that was beside the point. "You haven't answered my question. If you don't tell me who you are, you won't make it the next morning."

The man rolled his eyes and shook his head. "It doesn't matter who I am. The important thing is that I got a job to do."

"Which is?" Dominic stepped closer. "Talk. Now."

"You think you can threaten me?" The stranger's legs were spread about two inches apart as if he were ready to tackle him and take him down. "You think you're big and bold because you're Dominic Beretta, the son of the great Damian Beretta, but compared to my people, you're nothing but a pushover."

Men like him were so full of themselves. Dominic had to deal with a lot of idiots in his life. They all tried to talk down to him, but he always stood up to them and proved who was in charge.

He did know that this man worked for a boss who competed with him, but he didn't know who that boss was. Most likely, it was because Claudia was new to the Beretta family, and he was sure the Guarini family wanted to learn more about her. Things began to make more sense.

Dominic had enough of him. No one had ever crossed to this side of the lake as long as he had lived here. Most people in the area didn't come this far because they were afraid of the wild animals that roamed the woods. There were bears.

If this mysterious stranger was shadowing Dominic, he was undoubtedly also watching Claudia. Dominic was curious about the man's motives, but he refused to be stupid enough to think that he was overjoyed to have met him.