He watched with fascination as she pulled out all the stops, even going as far as boiling the milk into a rich frothy cream. Dominick had a Keurig, which made for weak, watered down coffee, and the coffee at the station was sludge. He was used to it, but the aroma Susan’s coffee gave off had him salivating as it hung rich and thick in the air.
He couldn’t help but ask as he watched in fascination as she strained the milk into the dark brew and slid the thick frothy cup his way, “Do you always take this much time and care into making one cup of coffee?”
Susan smiled ever so slightly as she sat down in the ladder back chair across from him. Dominick marveled at her brilliant white teeth, realizing that this woman didn’t seem to smile all that often. It gave him one more reason to despise Dalton even more. This woman needed to be free of him. “My grandmother swears by this method. It tastes so much better than artificial creamers, and it’s worth every effort. This process of making coffee was handed down to my mother, then to me.”
Dominick took care inhaling the rich decadent aroma. “Mmm, this smells delicious. Thank you, Susan.” Lifting an eyebrow in waiting, Susan watched as he took a sip, taking care not to burn himself, waiting for his assessment. “Oh my God, woman! You’ve got to be kidding me.” The authoritative man moaned, rolling his eyes back into his head. “What kind of coffee is this?” he questioned in awed reverence at all the mouthwatering flavors swirling around in his mouth.
Once again, the stunning woman smiled at him, this time a little wider as she enjoyed watching him take pleasure in her coffee. “It’s called Café Bustelo. It’s a dark espresso roast, my personal favorite.”
Dominick unceremoniously sucked it down in greedy gulps, not caring in the least that it scalded the roof of his mouth. “I think I’m in love.” He couldn’t help but gush.
Susan laughed light and heartily at his appreciative display. The melody reminded him of the subtle wind chimes his grandmother had that sang with the breeze on a hot summer day. It was music to his ears.
“I get that all the time. Once, I even received a marriage proposal. It’s the reason Dalton first hired me. I was working as a waitress at the diner in Franklin Square, and was quickly put in charge of the coffee at his office after he had sampled one of mine.” She shrugged, her smile disappearing. The eyes that had been full of life and laughter just seconds before suddenly glossed over as she was cast into a dark daydream.
Dominick took in the sight of her and nodded his head in understanding. “He is the reason I’ve come here to see you today.”
Susan closed her eyes and whispered wearily, “I figured as much.”
Dominick knew he was risking her safety by being there, and he knew she thought the same way. “Dalton is going down, one way or another.”
Susan nodded, pinching the bridge of her nose, and managed to ground out, “I knew it was a matter of time… I just wish it hadn’t taken this long to catch up to him.”
“I’m truly sorry. If I’d known, I would’ve come to get you out sooner. Dalton is very good at keeping his employees silent by imprisoning you with fear. But, I’m here now. Because of Joseph, his head foreman, we are building quite a case against him. He sent detailed documents of his extensive criminal activity over to his lawyer before he was murdered. The documents date back to include a decade’s worth of illegal activities ordered under Dalton’s authority.
“We have Ellora’s testimony, along with his hired gun, Dale Nordin, and Giddeon Cane, all of whom are ready and willing to take him down. I don’t want you getting caught up in the crossfire. I don’t want you getting dragged down with him. That seems to be his style—letting others catch the fall. It is all about winning to him. Even if he’s caught, he will try to ruin as many lives as he can.”
Susan began worrying her lip at the heavy weight of his words. Unable to stop himself, Dominick reached out and released her lip from the punishment of her teeth with the pad of his thumb. He grasped hold of her trembling hands and went on.
“I came here for two reasons. First, because I know you alone know of Dalton’s whereabouts. And second, to offer you protection for your testimony.”
Susan quaked at the mention of going up against the ruthless, unstoppable evil that held all that she loved in this world captive. She risked a frightened glance at the detective across from her. The terrified expression that passed over her pale face reminded him of what had happened to Vicky. Helping him would put her life at risk. And he couldn’t let that happen… again.
More determined than ever to keep this girl safe, he vowed to keep a close personal eye on her. Dominick had to restrain himself from bringing the terrified girl into the comfort of his protective arms.
“Do… do you mean witness protection?” Her tiny voice quivered as she tried her best to look stronger than she was.
He nodded. “Yes. I want to keep you safe. I WILL keep you safe, Susan. He will no longer control you. You will have no reason to fear him any longer.”
She shook her head adamantly. Her eyebrows dipped, showing her serious concern. “I’ve never been frightened for myself. I don’t care what happens to me.” Hesitating for a moment when Dominick glared at her, Susan weakly demanded, “Promise me that they’ll be safe. I want it in writing. Swear to me that Dalton won’t be able to touch them, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” Susan began chewing on her abused lip once more. “Protective custody is when you’re given a new identity, new job, and new life… right? No one will know of our whereabouts, right?”
Dominick nodded sternly. “Yes, only a select few will know who you really are, and where you are. I will see this through, Susan. You have my word. I’ll keep you safe.”
The determined girl waved her hand dismissively at his statement, once again assuring him, “I’m not worried about me. I told you, I’m worried about my mother and little brother. Dalton has, on more than one occasion, threatened me with their lives. I don’t work for him because I want to… I work for him because I HAVE to. Dalton’s left me with no other choice. Their health and well-being rest solely in his hands.”
Dominick brought his hands up, trying to pacify the now hysterical girl panicking before him. He watched as tears spilled over the corners of her eyes.
“It’s okay. Tell me what’s going on. I want to help get you out. You can trust me.” Tears continued to roll down her cheeks as she willed herself to trust this brave man who was willing to take on the Devil himself.
“My mother is in a top notch hospital with gold star treatment. She suffers from an advanced case of dementia. Her symptoms started early on in life, and then a few years ago, she got to where I could no longer care for her all by myself. She was a handful. Dalton swooped in and sunk his claws into me, offering to put her up and fund her stay, so long as I worked for him.
“His offer seemed so generous at the time. Once he found out that my little brother, Alex, is a special needs child, he shipped him away to the best school available, where he’s receiving round the clock care. It’s all paid in full, courtesy of Dalton Ramsey Claiborne himself. He became the master of my life and has owned me every single day thereafter. If I go… they have to come with me.”
Yanking her hands from his tender touch, she crossed them over her chest. She stared at Dominick with a stubborn willfulness, daring him to deny her demand. Dumbfounded by the unexpected story, he wondered how many more lives Dalton had under his thumb. How many lives had he ruined? Shaking his head of that horrifying thought, he addressed the selfless girl sitting before him.
“They are immediate family, so I’m sure the District Attorney will have no problem with that. I will have them both signed over to you as their primary care giver. I’ll make a call to their office now and have the paperwork rushed. Do you have a fax machine? I think we can push to have this hashed out by tonight.” Susan nodded, ready for the change, and thankful for the opportunity to break free from Dalton’s tight grip on her life.
Life. What a jo
ke. This had been a prison sentence, and her time was now up. Thank God. “Yes, Detective. I’m in. Set it up now, and I’ll tell you everything.”
Twelve hours later, late into the evening, all the deals where approved, and all the details had been hashed out. The D.A. interviewed Susan via live web cam to save everyone some time. Now, she was tirelessly signing a mountain of paperwork. No going back now. The deal had already been set into motion. “What happens to my mother and brother now?”
Dominick scooped up all the papers, dialed the appropriate numbers into the fax machine, and began feeding all the documents to the D.A.’s office. “We already have an agent en-route to pick them up and take them to your new location. You can join them as soon as we are through here. They each will have a trained and licensed nurse to help you with their care. You’re free now, Susan. You can finally breathe easy.”
Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to breathe deeply for the first time in a very long time. Lifting her head, she sighed. “Thank you, Dominick. Thank you from the very bottom of my heart.” With one more deep cleansing breath, Susan stood up and walked with purpose over to a filing cabinet hidden inside the corner of her tiny office closet. Thumbing through several file folders, she stopped at one and pulled it out.
With renewed strength, the determined girl walked over to join the detective. For the first time that day, she was able to look him right in the eyes. Sucking in a deep breath, Susan steadied her nerves while blowing the rest out forcefully… finally ready to tell all.
Knowing that this was extremely difficult for the girl, Dominick did his best to ease her fears. “It’s okay. Take your time, sweetheart.” Dominick didn’t mean to let the endearment slip from his lips, but once uttered, he had to admit to himself that he was attracted to the girl. The thought of her leaving and never coming back left him feeling hollow inside.
Every time he let himself even think he might be able to start something with a woman, she was soon after ripped away from him. Dominick appreciated the beauty of her eyes for a little while longer while Susan collected her thoughts. They were a rich hazel with almost transparent green flecks in them. When she finally cleared her throat, he quickly glanced away.
“These are all the files of Dalton’s ex-employees that he wanted dispatched when they displeased him in one way or another. He hired men to make sure that happened. I’m not sure where or what was done to them, but I’m sure you all can investigate that.” She handed them over slowly.
Dominick gripped them, then slowly pulled them out of her trembling hands. “Why’d you hang on to these, Susan?”
Lifting her head in defiance, she declared in a stern voice, “Dalton’s not the only one who can blackmail. I was collecting them, hoping I could find someone to pass them off to… someone I could trust. A man who wasn’t under Dalton’s control. I’ve dreamed of breaking free from him for a very long time, Detective, just biding my time, serving my sentence under his rule. Waiting for the day I’d be freed.”
Shaking his head at the desperately distraught girl, he couldn’t imagine what her life must’ve been like working for that bastard. “That was very brave, risky, and incredibly stupid of you, but I’m glad you did it. For both of our benefits.” They both let out a forced laugh.
Susan allowed herself one good appraisal of the detective who’d come to her rescue. He was handsome, domineering, and a very brave man. His physique was in fine shape, most likely a requirement for the job he took so seriously. She appreciated his impressive masculine features and smirked at him, wishing that she’d met him under different circumstances.
“Well, someone had to do something, no matter how small, to try to stop him before he ruined more lives.” Her blonde waves bounced as she shook her head in disgust. “I just wish I could’ve done something sooner. I was horrified by what happened to Ellora’s father, Joseph. He was a really kind and wonderful man, always very respectful.”
She stopped mid-sentence, parting her perfectly glossed lips, and hesitated for a second before continuing. “And that brings me to this file.” Susan placed the folder in the detective’s waiting hands.
Glancing down, his eyes bulged at the words as they stared back at him. “What’s all this? Where is he?”
She bounced her knee up and down nervously. “The day you caught Giddeon, Dalton booked a flight out to Scotland the next day. He acquired a car and property there. He has been there ever since. He hasn’t come back, not that I know of anyway.”
Dominick pulled out his phone immediately. “That was months ago! He’s got his sights set on Ellora. He won’t come back without her. Fuck! She’s in serious danger.”
Susan’s trembling intensified, and she began to bite her fingernails roughly, not knowing what else to do. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know who to tell. I didn’t know who I could trust.”
Pacing the room, Dominick grew increasingly more anxious. After a few long rings, the other line finally picked up. “Gavin ‘ere. Who’s this callin’?”
Dominick froze at the sound of a familiar voice, the tread on his shoes squeaking on Susan’s linoleum floor. “Gavin! This is Detective Antonelli. Listen, Dalton is there in Portree. He’s the man who sent Giddeon after Ellora. Yes. He’s there.”
Shuffling through some paperwork that he held in his hands, Dominick finally found the correct one. “Yeah, he bought that old abandoned warehouse a month ago…” Dominick skimmed down the page, “the umm… The Armadale House on Bank Street. Wait, what? Well, where’s Ellora? Go get her! She’s in danger,” Dominick roared into the speaker. “I’m on the next flight out. Stay together.” He ended the call, his body rocking with a flood of adrenaline.
Dominick was muttering under his breath in disbelief. “I can’t believe he didn’t send someone else. Shit. I can’t believe I have to fly all the way out there… again. Fuck!” As he was gathering all his belongings, the sight of Susan stopped him dead in his tracks. Her expression looked grave, her complexion having paled. “I’m sorry if I scared you. I hate the idea of leaving you here while I rush out like this. I wanted to see you safely placed, but you’ll be in safe hands with people I trust… I will reach out to you when I get back. Shit, I’m sorry it has to be this way.”
The detective was by her side in two quick strides, placing a chaste kiss on either cheek. “I have to go, Suzie Q.” Reaching into his back pocket, Dominick retrieved his card and placed it gently into the palm of her hand. “If you need me for any reason or don’t feel right about… something, don’t second guess yourself. Call me. I will come, I promise.” With one more longing glance, he rushed out the door.
Dominick debated on telling Giddeon, but thought it best he clue him in on his return, instead. As he raced his car through lights, he made his way to Hancock Airport, thinking about what he’d find once he set foot back in Portree. The very idea that Dalton could get his sleazy hands on the girl at any moment had him pressing the accelerator to the floor. “I’m coming, Ellora.”
Giddeon was surprised when the detective agreed to let him stay at Eva’s for dinner. He must be losing his edge because nobody seemed to be worried about this girl’s well-being. Either that, or Giddeon was as transparent as water and everyone knew that he couldn’t… wouldn’t hurt his Angel. That thought had him wondering what that could mean. He’d never cared about anyone. No matter, he was excited to have a hot, homemade meal, and thrilled that he would get to spend some extra alone time with a goddess.
Dominick was headed back over to Dalton’s high-rise to talk to Susan some more. He seemed to be anxious to bring down his empire. The man never rested. Giddeon sat back on Eva’s overstuffed couch, running his hands through his floppy mess of hair, deep in thought. He hoped the detective could convince the scared girl to cooperate. They needed to find Dalton. He needed to find him.
Anger continued to course its way through his veins, causing a prickling sensation to crawl across his skin. The longer Dalton remained unfound, the more anxious Giddeon was to
get his hands on him, to finally put an end to all this.
A black cat hopped onto the couch, bringing Giddeon back to his present surroundings. The cat glared at him, his tail twitching in annoyance. “I don’t think your cat likes me very much, Angel.”
Walking in the room from the kitchen wearing an amused smile, Eva approached her lounging visitor with a loaded wooden spoon. “D.K. is used to being king of this castle. Plus, he’s claimed that couch you’re camped out in as his throne.” She laughed loud and hard when she observed the stare-off between the two dark males.
“Here, try this.” Eva crouched low, bringing the hot spoon to his salivating mouth.
“This smells fucking fantastic.” Leaning forward, Giddeon slurped down the scalding hot bite, groaning loudly as the food traveled down his throat and into his empty stomach. “Oh my God. What is this? It’s gotta be the best tasting thing I’ve ever had!”
Eva wore a proud smile as she retracted the spoon from his lips before he took a bite out of her utensil. “It’s chicken Riggies. I made meatballs to go along with it, and I’ve got fresh garlic bread baking in the oven. My Grammy showed me how to make this. It’s a family recipe and my favorite dish.”
Closing his eyes, Giddeon savored the smell and reveled in the creamy sauce left behind from his bite. “I’m starved. I hope it’s almost ready, now that you teased me with a taste.” When he opened his eyes, he had two sets staring back at him. The first belonged to Eva as she gazed down at him with an expression he’d never seen coming from a beautiful woman like her… adoration.
The second belonged to her cat, D.K., who had crawled into his lap. Curiosity got the better of him as he watched the furball pace in circles on his lap before settling in. “What does D.K. stand for?”
Eva’s smile grew wide as she sauntered back into her open kitchen. “Why, Dark Knight, of course.” She hummed an unknown melody that stirred something deep down inside the pit of his stomach as he zeroed in on her curvaceous hips, which were swaying side to side as she prepared to set the table.
Beyond Redemption (Marked Series Book 2) Page 15
