Page 26 of Disavowed

Alex threw up her hands and rolled her eyes to the ceiling in defeat, and they all laughed.

Luckily, Nicky’s intervention saved Dom and Gray from having to answer Daisy’s question, and before he knew it, dinner was over and they were clearing the table.

A phone dinged with the muted sound of an incoming text, and Daisy pulled her cell from her purse to read the message. “My ride’s here,” she announced and began rolling up her drawings. She donned her coat, then hugged and kissed Alex. “Thanks for dinner.”

“Anytime.” Alex hugged her back. “Nicky, give Aunt Daisy a kiss good night.”

Nicky obliged, then Daisy gave Gray a quick hug and headed for the door.

“Hey!” Nicky shouted, looking from Dom to Daisy. “Aren’t you two going to hug and kiss g’nite, too?”

The room went silent. Gray’s mouth twitched. Alex looked at Daisy, who licked her lips, a shocked, panic-stricken look on her face.

“Well?” Nicky prodded, and when neither Dom nor Daisy made a move toward each other, Nicky grabbed Dom’s hand and dragged him over to where Daisy stood.

When Nicky nudged her with his elbow, a look of resignation replaced the panicked, shocked expression, and she took a quick breath and held it. Her body went rigid, and her hands fisted at her sides just before she turned her head to offer him her cheek.

Dom clenched his jaw. That she couldn’t stomach so much as a chaste good-night kiss angered him. Not at her, but at himself for making her feel such overwhelming disgust at his touch.

He gently rested his hands on her upper arms, then leaned in to touch his lips to her cheek. His heart thumped a little faster, as did hers. He could see the quickening pulse beat at her throat. Unable to stop himself, he let his mouth linger a moment on her warm skin before pulling back. When he did, he caught the low sound of her exhaling, telling him she really had been holding her breath.

She opened her eyes and met his gaze. Her expression was all but unreadable, but he couldn’t miss the pretty pink flush that crept to her cheeks. “G-good night,” she stammered, then rushed out the front door.

For several long seconds he stared after her, confused. Initially, the prospect of being kissed by him seemed to make her want to puke. Then she’d seemed almost afraid.

What the fuck?

He jammed his hands into his pockets and turned to find three sets of bewildered eyes on him. Gray’s brows were raised. Alex’s were drawn together, her lips twisted with concern. Nicky giggled, looking entirely pleased with himself.

“What?” he said, glancing first to Alex, then to Gray and Nicky.

“C’mon, Nicky.” Alex shook her head. “Let’s finish your homework while Daddy and Uncle Dom take their coffee in the office.” She put her arm around Nicky’s shoulder and propelled him toward the living room, but not before giving Dom a meaningful look that clearly said she wasn’t pleased with him.

Fuuuck.

A few minutes later, Gray closed the door behind him, and they both sat on a long, black leather sofa in Gray’s office. Dom quickly gave his partner the rundown, including the identity of his assigned target.

“I know we expected an initiation hit, but now that it’s here…” Gray set his mug onto the table and let out a harsh breath. “How to murder someone, but not really kill them?”

Dom took a long drink of coffee, sorely needing the caffeine jolt. “My plan has at least a fifty-fifty shot at success.”

Gray shook his head. “I don’t like those odds.”

“Too late. Plan’s already approved.” He shot Gray a look intended to broach no argument, although he knew his friend was only concerned for his safety. “The circle of people who know about the plan is tight. Only four other people besides us are in the know. Cassie, Lieutenant Frye, Captain Fazioli, and the commissioner himself. For the last twelve months I’ve researched and strategized how to pull this off. We’ve always known there’d be an initiation hit. The only missing component was the target. Now that I have one, we can move forward.”

Gray frowned. “This is one crazy-ass plan.”

“I know.” Dom nodded. “I’ll handle the hit, you take care of Smith. I don’t trust him, and he doesn’t trust me.”

“Consider it done.” Gray ran a hand through his dark hair. “This better work or—”

“Yeah,” Dom said. “I’m a dead man.”

Chapter Seven

The second Lt. Frye’s office door shut behind him, Dom’s stomach felt like he’d swallowed a bottle of battery acid. Everything that was about to pass was part of a carefully choreographed plan, one designed to help keep him alive.

If this doesn’t turn into a total goatfuck.