The Day When the True Mafia Queen Was out of Prison

Aria's POVThe day I walked out of prison, my sister was already living my life, wearing my name, holding my son, and married to the most dangerous man in the city, the one whose child I'd carried alone for nine months.Dominic Valentino. Head of the Valentino crime family. The man every cop in this state knew better than to touch.And Jasmine had just made herself his wife.Daniel was waiting outside the gate. Not Jasmine. Daniel, her boyfriend, the man I'd punched hard enough to break his nose, the reason I'd ended up inside in the first place. He looked at me, then looked away."She send you?" I said."She doesn't know I'm here."He talked on the drive over without me asking. The words came out like he'd been holding them too long. I stared at the road and let them land one at a time.Jasmine had taken the ring. The heavy silver band I'd worn on a cord around my neck for nine months, left in my hand by a stranger the night everything fell apart. I'd given it to her with the baby a

Aria's POVThe echo of his footsteps hadn't even faded before Jasmine was moving. She threw herself out of the nursery and into the hallway, catching up to him before he reached the top of the stairs."Dom, wait," she called out. The venom from a moment ago vanished, replaced instantly by a breathless, sugary whine.I stood in the doorway, Luca resting against my chest, and watched my sister go to his daddy.Jasmine reached out, wrapping her manicured fingers around his bicep. "I was thinking, since I've been so stressed with the baby... maybe we could go shopping downtown today? Just the two of us?"Dominic stopped. He didn't look at her face. He looked at her hand on his arm.The shift was microscopic, but I saw it. He withdrew his arm with a chilling, utter detachment, leaving Jasmine's hands grasping at empty air."I have business," he said. The tone wasn't that of a bloodthirsty monster. It was the tone of a man addressing a minor, inconvenient employee.He reached into his jacke

Aria's POV"Who," he ground out, his voice a barely restrained growl, "exactly are you?"My pulse hammered wildly. The grip he had on my wrist was bruising, his dark eyes tearing through my defenses, searching for the ghost of a woman he had met in an alleyway a year ago.Before I could force a single word past the lump in my throat, Jasmine thrust herself between us."Dom, stop, you're hurting her!" Jasmine wedged her hands against his chest, her voice pitching into a perfect octave of wifely distress. She glanced at my torn collar, her eyes widening for a second in sheer panic before her instincts kicked in."Oh," Jasmine let out a breathless, forced laugh, her hands flattening against Dominic's pristine shirt. "You saw her mark. Darling, I told you about my family."Dominic's gaze didn't leave my face. "What family?""The birthmark, Dom." Jasmine reached up, deliberately pulling the silk collar of her lounger down to expose her own right shoulder. "It's a Harrington family trait. I

Aria's POV"I told the police everything," I said, staring at the thick file on my bed. "I hit a guy who put his hands on his girlfriend."I refused to let Dominic dig into my past. A year ago, I walked into my cramped apartment after that dark alley encounter. I found Daniel pushing Jasmine against a wall. He tried to force a kiss. I swung hard and broke his nose. Jasmine panicked and kicked him in the ribs. Daniel ended up in the hospital. Jasmine was still in college. I took the blame so her record stayed clean.Dominic watched me. His dark blue eyes gave nothing away."The sleeping pill investigation is paused," he said with a flat voice. "I hired a team to recover the wiped camera data. The lab is pulling fingerprints off the plastic bottle."My chest tightened. "You still think I did it.""You are a suspect. But Luca screams if anyone else holds him." He tapped the folder against his leg. "You keep your job, Aria. For now."He turned and walked out.I stared at the closed door

Aria's POVThe space inside the SUV was suffocating. Dominic crowded me against the heavy leather door. His chest heaved. I looked up into his dark, searching eyes."You think Jasmine is just playing games?" I asked, keeping my voice tight.Dominic did not answer. His gaze dropped to my chest.I wore a plain knit sweater. It offered zero access. That did not stop him.His large, warm hand slid under the hem of my sweater. My breath caught in my throat. His rough fingertips brushed against my bare stomach. The heat from his skin sent a violent shiver down my spine. He traced the curve of my ribs, moving slowly, deliberately upward.He found the edge of my lace bra. His fingers followed the strap, sliding higher toward my left shoulder. Toward the birthmark."Was it you?" Dominic whispered. His voice was a low, rough scrape against the quiet hum of the engine. "Tell me it was you that night."My heart slammed against my ribs. I wanted to scream yes. I wanted to confess everything.Then