INSATIABLE CRAVINGS
Insatiable Cravings – Episode 83
Subtitle; {Loving You Is A Loosing Game}
TAGS: Age-gap, Mafia, Forbidden Love, Drama, Tragedy and Betrayal.
Settings: United Kingdom, Russia and others.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
~ Genevieve ~
“Hmm, I don’t know. Perhaps by sending your case file—containing all the evidence that you’re not merely involved with the Bràtva, but that you’re actually its head—to the FBI and CIA, who, by the way, I happen to work for.” My brother-in-law, whom I am gradually getting accustomed to, remarked with a smirk so large and wicked that one might think he was the devil himself. “How about that?”
All the air was knocked from my lungs, my jaw dropped, and my eyes flitted across the faces surrounding me, searching for any glimmer of hope
Heavens, I am in trouble. A right pickle, in fact.
Or perhaps she hadn’t actually heard it, and I might just be alright.
But no, luck was decidedly not on my side, as she swiftly turned her head towards me and snapped, “He is in the what?”
“Adrianna, for heaven’s sake, calm down.” I attempted to speak in the gentlest tone I could muster, despite my own heart racing like a wild stallion.
“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down!” My sister yelled, causing me to flinch. “He is in the mafia? Not just any mafia, but the Russian Mafia Bratva, and you’re aware of that and yet you still haven’t left him.”
“Ria…”
“Does he have something on you? Is he threatening you? Is that why you’re in a relationship with him?”
“What? No. I…”
“I am telling Mother.”
For heaven’s sake, there she goes again, wielding the Mother card like a weapon. There are simply no words in the entire universe that could describe the depths of my disdàin for that tactic.
“Jesus Christ, what is wrong with you? Can’t you bear to see me happy?!” Now I was the one shouting. “Is my happiness a burden to you? I am your sister, for Pete’s sake, Adrianna—don’t you want me to be happy?”
“Are you genuinely doubting that?”
“Yes!”
“Really? So what must I do to prove to you that I want nothing but the absolute best for you, huh, Genevieve?!”
“Let me be with the man I love.”
“The man you ‘love’ is a crimị́nal.” Her words sent Dominic stepping closer, fury blazing in his eyes. Adrianna met his gaze head-on, as if the new revelation didn’t faze her in the slightest. “What? You don’t like being called a criminal for what you are? Well, boo-fucking-hoo, I couldn’t care less!”
My fist curled tightly around Dominic’s arm as I tugged him away from my sister. “Can we not just have a calm, civilised conversation, please?”
“But there’s nothing calm or civilised about him, so why should we bother?”
Dominic let out a dark chuckle, followed by a stream of Russian expletives that hung in the air like a storm cloud. He ran his fingers through his meticulously styled hair, ruffling it in frustration.
I shifted my gaze from Adrianna to him, noticing the tension radiating from his posture. He looked as if he was clinging to the last thread of his composure, and we all knew that wouldn’t end well.
He needed an escape, and with a reluctant nod, I agreed to step outside with him.
Dominic pressed a brief kiss to my forehead before striding through the front door. I watched him leave, a knot of unease twisting in my stomach.
I had thought that coming here would resolve our issues, yet it seemed to only complicate matters further.
And how the héll did Xavier find out about Dominic?
“Don’t touch me.” My head turned slowly towards my sister as I heard her sharp retort. “You knew about his involvement with the Mafià, and you said absolutely nothing to me. How could you do that?”
“Darling, I—”
She cut him off, her voice cold. “Don’t.” He sealed his lips, letting out a heavy sigh, leaving us to our own devices.
I braced for another tirade from her, but instead, she seemed lost in thought, staring down at her fingers, particularly her ring finger, where she absently twisted her wedding band.
“I’m worried about you, Genevieve. As your sister, it’s my right to be concerned when I sense something is amiss. There’s something about him that doesn’t sit right with me.” Adrianna’s voice had softened, taking on a gentler tone.
“Maybe it’s because you despíse him. Give him a chance; I promise he’s a good person. Please, Ria, I really like him a great deal.”
“And what if he húrts you?”
“He won’t.”
I sounded so resolute, so utterly convinced that Dominic would never do such a thing. I trust him implicitly.
“And if he does? What then?”
I couldn’t respond to that. The right words eluded me because deep down, I knew the answer. What would happen if Dominic shattered my heart?
That thought had haunted me for the past fourteen months. Yet, he hadn’t broken my heart; in fact, I felt as though we were destined to be alright.
On our one-year anniversary, he whisked me away on a week-long trip to Honolulu, Hawaii. Oh, how I adored it!
The love I felt for him intensified with each passing day, each breath I took, growing beyond what words could express—almost unfathomable.
Everything in my life was going smoothly, so smoothly that I should have been more alert, more suspicious of what lay ahead.
“Have you found him?” Echo’s voice broke through my thoughts as she approached from behind. I shook my head slightly, turning to face her. “I just saw him and Dexter enter his office.”
I nodded and murmured a quick “thanks” before darting off. I was at the Base because Dominic had informed me he wouldn’t be home, which was why I was here.
As I approached the door, my hand gripping the knob, I caught snippets of a conversation inside that made me pause.
“What was so urgent that you demanded to meet immediately?” That was Dominic’s voice, and since Echo had mentioned Dex was with him, I surmised that question was directed at him.
“Do you trust me?” There was a long, pregnant pause that I assumed was meant for Dominic’s response, but silence reigned. “Dominic, do you trust me?”
“That’s a peculiar question.”
“It’s not. I’m about to tell you something very important for your mission.”
His mission.
I felt a rush of anticipation. Perhaps I would finally discover what it entailed.
TBC
