by Celia Loren
“Jesus, kid, you almost gave me a concussion back there.” Dominic shoves his gun back in its holster and sweeps the teen up into his arms in a fierce long hug. His eyes are watering. “You’re alive,” he murmurs gratefully. “It’s okay. You’re okay. That’s quite a wallop you’re packing, you know? I can see you’ve been paying attention in those self-defense classes.”
Whoever this kid is it’s clear she thinks the world of Dominic, and vice versa. They seem to have forgotten that I am here, and I sense that I’m witnessing a private moment.
Finally the teenager sniffles and pulls out of the hug, wiping her eyes with the cuff of her sweatshirt.
“We heard them break in downstairs,” she says. “Dane was on night patrol, so he went down to check it out. I watched through the spy-hole. They shot him in the head: Dane, then Marie. She tried to sneak down to the safe and I heard the gunshot.”
“They got Dane and Marie? Fuck.” Dominic’s eyes flinch, giving me a glimpse of the same rage and defiant fury I remember seeing in them when we were younger. But he quickly buries it and the cool, calculating leader is back in place. “What about the others?”
River licks her lips, then hesitates, shooting a quizzical look my way.
“Oh, that’s Harper,” Dominic grunts dismissively, as if that explains anything. “Harper, River; River, Harper. You can talk, River. It’s fine.”
This surprises me as much as the girl, who frowns skeptically but continues.
“Well, after Marie got shot downstairs, Sue Ellen took charge,” River explains. “She ran the emergency evacuation protocol. Everyone knew what to do, we’d drilled it enough times: up over the rooftops to the next building, then out and down the block to Donovan’s basement. There were only the eight of us upstairs. I mean, the place was practically empty waiting for the new arrivals. It’s lucky too, because if we were full there’s no way everyone would have gotten out before the explosion. It happened really fucking fast.”
“Language,” Dominic growls, surprising me again.
River rolls her eyes. “We barely made it out in time. As soon as my feet hit the ground at Donovan’s, they blew the place up. You could feel the blast from down the street.”
As she talks, Dominic rubs her back soothingly. “And the others?” he asks mechanically. “Are they still at Donovan’s?”
River shakes her head. “Pete and Grindhouse came and drove everyone over to the Clubhouse.”
“That’s good,” Dominic grunts, with a paternal frown. “And why aren’t you at the Clubhouse with everyone else, like you’re supposed to be?”
River grins. “I ducked out and came back here to see if I could find my journal. I left it when we evacuated.”
“That wasn’t too smart,” Dominic says, roughing up River’s hair. There’s a wry admiration and affection in his voice. “Should have laid low and stuck with the group.”
“Yeah right,” River laughs. “Like you wouldn’t have done the same thing. All my songs were in it, man! But I can’t find it anywhere. It must have burned up. I’ll never think of some of those lyrics again. Shit.”
It sounds exactly like something Dominic would have said as a teenager, and the thought brings a soft smile to my lips. I remember his black moleskin notebook filled with song lyrics and chords. That summer at camp, he had carried it in the utility pocket of his uniform pants everywhere.
He’d even written a song about me.
Dominic seems to be thinking the same thing, because his eyes flicker over to mine and hold the gaze for a long moment. I blush, and Dominic looks away. His smile quickly fades as he glances back to his wrecked property.
“Shit is right,” Dominic grunts. “Dane and Marie, gone. I can’t believe it. They were good people. They didn’t deserve to die like this. Heath, Dane, and Marie are all dead now, and it’s because of me.”
River’s eyes are watery but sharp. “It’s not your fault!” She hisses vehemently, clutching Dominic’s hand. “You’re the only reason any of us are still alive in the first place!”
The way she says it, I know she believes it. It’s yet another piece of information I don’t know how to process: Dominic, the savior? I mentally add that to the list of the new characteristics I’m learning about him.
But Dominic shakes his head. His face is dark. “I’m the reason you’re all in danger. Now you’ve got no safe house to go to, and I’ve got no income.”
“So this really was a safe house?” I murmur. I feel like I’m like nineteen steps behind everyone and struggling to catch up.
“No, I just fucking made that up as a joke,” Dominic snaps, clearly fried and frustrated. “Yes this really was a god damn half-way house. River lived there. She’ll vouch for me. Jesus Christ, is it so hard for you to believe that I give a shit about the needs of my neighbors, my home, my people? The club was always about the community around us, that’s why I joined in the first place—because they were the first people I saw really give a fuck about each other. A family. The Thunders bar was a major income stream for us, and a good front for the recovery center upstairs. It was Heath’s and my idea. The half-way house rehabilitated at-risk youth and rescued human trafficking victims.”
“Oh.” It’s all I can think to say. Well, fuck. He really is a goddamn savior. First love, killer, savior…what else can Dominic be for you, Harper? Friend?
Lover?
I push the thought away.
Dominic kicks at the rubble and wraps an arm protectively around River’s shoulders. “I’m sorry you had to go through this, kid.”
“You should be glad I was here,” she says, her voice suddenly strong. “I saw their faces. I saw them pour gasoline and plant explosives. And most of all, I saw Colt.”
Colt. That was the name of the man Dominic was looking for at the Depraved Club. My mind is racing, trying to fit all the puzzle pieces together.
Dominic’s hand drops to his side and balls into a fist. “You sure it was Colt, River?”
River nods. “Damn sure,” she hisses. “I’d recognize that bastard a mile away even if he was wearing Nicolas Cage’s face, like what’s that movie? Face-off. Anyway I am one-thousand-percent sure it was him, Dominic. He was here, giving the orders. He pulled the trigger on Dane himself. I saw it.”
“Fuck.” Dominic is pacing.
River’s eyes are burning with passion, almost pleading. “You can use me! You can use me and what I saw. We got enough to nail the bastard this time. Like, the real way—in a court or something!”
Dominic shakes his head and squints into the wreckage. “It’s too dangerous,” he says. “It’s not just Colt, River. Colt is just one ugly head of a many-headed beast.”
“You mean he’s working for someone?” I ask.
“That’s the understatement of the year,” Dominic mutters. “You’re damn right he’s working for someone, or rather, something. The Depraved Club is a sort of elite criminal franchise popping up all over the place, the black market wing of a huge fucking international corporation with more money than god. Like a sex-trade McDonalds for millionaire perverts. The last thing I’m gonna do is let a goddamn kid publicly stick her tongue out at an international organized crime machine, especially when she barely escaped from that world herself just a year ago. Do you know how easy it would be for them to make you disappear again, River?”
River presses her mouth together shrewdly, suddenly seeming wise beyond her years. It’s an expression that I’ve seen Dominic make before, both when we were younger and last night at the cabin in the mountains. It’s a determined, wry, worldly look.
“How easy would it be for them to make us all disappear, Dominic,” River asks, “Including you? Isn’t that what this attack was all about? Because that’s what Colt wants—to get rid of all of us, all of the Sons and their friends, so he can go on selling sex and people and destroying lives as a business in your borough. We can’t just roll over and die. He can’t win. We can’t let him win.”
Dominic�
�s eyes flash with violent emotion. “We aren’t going to do anything. You have to get somewhere safe, fast, and I will handle Colt.” Dominic whips out his iPhone and punches out a text message. “Grindhouse is on his way,” he announces. “That’ll give us enough seats to get everybody to the clubhouse. Once you’re safe, I can figure out what the hell to do about this mess.”
“Come on,” River objects. “Let me help you, Dominic! Besides—the clubhouse is, like, obviously the next place they’ll hit.”
“We’ve got more muscle and booby traps on that fucking clubhouse than they have at the Pentagon,” Dominic grunts. “You’ll be safe there. Now shut up.”
River rolls her eyes, a teenage cliché. “Give me a break,” she groans. “I can help!”
“You’re going back to the clubhouse, and you’re staying there out of Colt’s reach til this thing is over. Both of you.”
“Me?” I blink.
“But, Dominic let me just—”
“No.” Dominic growls. “No, River, and that is final.”
Their passionate bickering has gotten me thinking.
“You know, she might be on to something,” I say slowly, laying my arm on Dominic’s bicep. The gesture seems to surprise him, and he glances searchingly into my eyes. “If River can identify the men who did this, she’s a material witness in what sounds like a clear a case of arson and murder. If you bring an indictment against Colt to the grand jury and go to the authorities—”
“No,” Dominic cuts me off. “No cops.”
I’m tempted to roll my eyes like River, but instead I take a deep breath and point at the caution tape around the perimeter of the site. “Dominic, there are already cops. There are going to be more cops. Your building exploded in a busy commercial area, you think that’s just going to get swept under the rug? There’s going to be an investigation. You might as well face that now.”
Dominic groans and kicks some debris.
“With River’s eyewitness account,” I reason, “You can build an airtight case proving that you had nothing to do with it. And you can nail this guy Colt, who you’ve been after. If you take this to court, I guarantee you can collect maximum insurance money for your damaged property and put Colt behind bars. That would solve a lot of your problems, wouldn’t it? You’d keep your business afloat and end your little gang war in one fell swoop. With the law on your side.”
Dominic is giving me a searching look. “What the hell are you talking about? How airtight could the case be coming from an outlaw like me? Besides, even if I tried to use River in court, you’re conveniently forgetting that Colt has a material witness too, one whose testimony could bury me in the can.”
River blanches. “Colt has a witness? Shit! Who?”
Dominic unceremoniously jerks his thumb at me. River swerves, eyeing me like I’ve just grown another head. “You’re Colt’s witness? You’re with him?”
She lunges at me, but Dominic’s arm flashes out to hold her back. Still, my adrenaline spikes and I stumble backward, startled.
“I—well—no, I mean, yes, that is, I saw things, but,” I rub my temples, fighting for calm and clarity. “Well, what I am saying is, no one has to know that. I don’t have to tell anyone what I saw.”
Now it’s Dominic’s turn to look wry and worldly. “Oh! Now you’re saying you won’t rat me out, all of a sudden? Gee thanks, that’s swell. It feels just like Christmas. I’m thrilled. Magic and Santa Clause are real after all. Maybe there really are fairies too. I’ll have to re-think my stance on Bigfoot.”
Now I do roll my eyes. “Come on, Dominic.”
He sighs, as he glares at me through a knitted brow. “No, you come on, Harper. Tell me your price for your generous offer to keep your mouth shut, and I’ll think about whether or not I can afford you.”
Angry heat rushes to my cheeks, but I forcibly will myself to remain calm. River is blinking at me with confused, young, wounded eyes. I see so much hurt in her, and yet so much hope—just like Dominic used to be. It damn near breaks my heart. Somehow, I don’t want to let her down.
Or Dominic.
“I just want to get us out of this mess, Dominic. Let’s make a deal.” I sweep my arm out, indicating the apocalyptic landscape of his ruined business. “You’re at rock bottom here. Listen: River has testimony that proves that you are the victim of a criminal act, which would entitle you to insurance money as well as probably a sizable settlement. We can legitimately prove this Colt person is a murderer and a felon. Let the system work for you for a change.”
“That’s all very interesting,” Dominic says through gritted teeth. “How does it apply to you and me?”
I straighten to my fullest height and look him dead in the eyes. “I happen to be a damn good lawyer. Let me take the case. In exchange, you let me go free. That’s it. We both get our freedom.”
For a few seconds, both Dominic and River stare at me as if I’ve suddenly started speaking Chinese.
“What?” I say. “Come on, it’s so simple. I’m telling you, Dominic, I can get you a shit ton of money to rebuild and move forward with your business, and I can make Colt disappear without killing anybody or burning anything down or kidnapping. A novel concept for you, I’m sure—but it’s true. I can do it. I can make this happen. Will you let me?”
I stick my hand out to seal the deal, but Dominic ignores it. He hasn’t moved, and the intensity of his stormy green eyes is raising goosebumps on my arms. River is watching us silently.
“The only way Colt will disappear is if you use silver bullets,” Dominic grunts. “This isn’t possible. There’s no way you can just wave some magic wand and make the puppet masters behind the Depraved Club go away.”
“Dominic,” I groan, exasperated. “Let me take the case. Trust me, I can do this.”
“I don’t trust you,” he says bluntly. “How do I know you’d actually go through with the case if I let you go? How do I know you wouldn’t turn me in?”
“Well I don’t trust you either,” I retort. “How do I know you’d really let me go if I take the case for you? Guess we’re even.” He stares at my hand, still outstretched. “This seems to be the only way out of this situation, as far as I can tell. Or do you really intend to drag me around on the back of your motorcycle for the rest of our lives?”
He gives me the ghost of a smile. “Beats the subway, don’t it?”
A strange nervousness fills my stomach. Oh god, what if he had planned on dragging me around for the rest of our lives? What if this really is my only way out?
And what if finding a way out of this crazy situation means I’ll be out of Dominic’s life again, this time forever?
Suddenly I’m shaking. He starts to reach for my hand just as I start to retract it, but River suddenly grabs both of us by our wrists, jarring me out of my dizzy thoughts.
“Wait,” she says, turning conspiratorially to Dominic. “This concerns me too, if I’m going to be the star witness. Make her stay with us until the case is finished, Dominic. We’ll have a lot of work to do together, and you’ll have to protect us and make sure she doesn’t pull anything weird with Colt or anything. Then let her go if we win. Only if we win. Not until we win.”
Dominic raises his eyebrows, their arches impossibly devilish and dangerous, and grins at me.
“She drives a hard bargain,” I murmur.
Dominic nods. “I taught her everything she knows.”
“So it’s a deal then, right?” River asks, studying us. “Until we win?”
Sighing, I shrug. “Ok. I’m 100% confident that we will win, but you’ve got to let me work my way. Use my office. Sleep. Shower like a human. Maybe even change my damn clothes. If you’re gonna be there with me the whole time, you’ve got to cooperate and behave and let me do my job.”
Dominic inclines his head, a parody of an old fashioned gentleman. “Whatever you say. I’ll let you take the case, Harper, and then I’ll let you go. If we win.”
“Great!” River chirps. “It�
�s a deal!”
With sudden teenage glee, River jams my hand and Dominic’s hand together, wrapping hers over our tangled fingers. The shock of Dominic’s skin on mine makes fire rip up over my arms and down to my toes. His skin, my skin—I wish I could touch more of him. He’s so tantalizing close, but so, so far away.
“Let’s get out of here,” River says with a yawn. “This place is depressing. Grindhouse must be close now, yeah?”
She skips away, leaving Dominic and me standing together in the wreckage, hands clasped. My heartbeat seems to be in my mouth, it’s pounding so hard. Somehow I can’t let go of his hand or look away from his eyes. He’s staring at me, hard. Like I’m naked.
“Why are you doing this Harper?” He whispers, his lips moving softly. “Why are you suddenly acting like you’re on my side?”
“I told you,” I said. “I want to get us both out of this mess.”
“You mean you,” he says. “You want to get you out of this mess.”
“That too.”
He jerks on my hand, making me stumble forward until I’m smack up against his chest, off-balance. I can feel the hard muscles of his abdomen and chest holding me steady like a wall, his breath warm against my face in the morning chill. Warmth and nervousness curl inexplicably in my belly and between my legs. His eyes on me are so unflinching, so hard to read.
Those eyes. God, they’re beautiful. I could stare into his eyes forever.
No, Harper. Stop. Forget the past. Forget your desire.
My eyes flicker up to his lips, remembering what they felt like on mine, and suddenly it’s hard to breathe.
What if he kissed me now? Would it be like it used to way back when he loved me and didn’t know who I was, or would it be the same strange, quick torrent of confusion as last night—the cold, controlled biker king proving a point?
Or was that more than just a kiss for him, too?
“You think you can buy everything don’t you?” Dominic says, snapping me back to the present. His voice is gruff. “That’s what you’re trying to do now, isn’t it—buy me off, buy your life back.”
