Tainted Hearts

31 | Boston

✧

CLAUDIA

I will feel the need to kill. Again.

Claudia was at a loss for words. Dominic's words were so accurate and harsh that they were almost horrifying. Beyond that, it was unclear if he intended to kill or not. It was confusing to piece together the full scope of his medication use.

It was like being in the eye of a tornado and trying to hold on for dear life.

Dominic had already lost it, but not since that night when she asked him to stop. He paused, and she had an inkling that he would stop again. She hoped she didn't turn out to be the biggest moron ever for believing that.

Losing Amelia was traumatic enough for him, but adding drugs and alcohol made things worse. The thought of all the demons he had faced made her stomach tighten up. Dominic's life had never been straightforward.

As they traveled for the rest of the afternoon, Dominic looked at her and opened his mouth. "The news I told you back there was frightening, but it was information you needed to know."

"I get it, Dom." When she met his eyes, Claudia cracked a grin. "You've been through a lot in the last few years. Nobody expects you to act as if nothing happened."

"My father did. Or he still does."

She shook her head and scoffed. "Oh, well, he's irrelevant. What matters is how you feel."

He looked directly at her and said, "That's true. I understand if you feel this will be too much for you and want to back out, Dia. I won't hold it against you if you leave me when this is all over."

The thought of abandoning him made Claudia sick to her stomach. That's not something she'd ever do. Not in a million years. "Dom, don't even talk like that," she said, holding his hand while traveling through the surrounding high trees under the bright sky. "Nothing you do can ever make me stop loving you. Nothing."

He nodded and gave her a little smile. "I honestly don't know what I'd do without you."

"Mm. Get into more trouble, probably."

Dominic chuckled as he moved to the right lane.

"So, tell me more about who you're meeting. I'd like to know what I'm getting myself into," she said.

He explained that they were going to a club to meet a man named Stefano. Since Dominic didn't say anything else about him, Claudia assumed he was a Mafia member—hopefully a good one.

When they got closer to Dorchester towards dusk, the highway lost its lush greenery and deeply wooded parts, and traffic increased.

They entered from the south, passing by malls and several restaurants, which awakened her stomach. She was hungry, but she was too busy focusing to even eat. A few miles later, Dominic took the Dorchester/South Boston exit and turned right, headed for Carson Beach.

Her insides twisted as she remembered the time she went swimming with him—oh, how she missed that day.

A mile from the exit, Dominic came to a stop when he saw an abandoned car wash. Her brow furrowed as she examined the overgrown weeds.