The Dominator

by Prince, DD

  I continued to tell them that I knew nothing about what they were talking about. They started asking me personal questions about Tommy. They asked when his birthday was. I didn’t know the answer to that; we hadn’t gotten there yet but I said March 1st. They told me his birthday was April 5th (I was close. He’d told me that he turned 29 a few months ago when his father bought him the house) and then asked me if I’d think it was strange that two people were engaged but that one didn’t know the other’s date of birth. I shrugged and said he hated birthdays so maybe he lied when he told me his birthday.

  They suggested that perhaps I was afraid to reveal that I was really a prisoner, not his live-in girlfriend. I clammed up and told them that they needed to either arrest me or let me leave. That was when the door opened and Susie came in. My social worker. Shit. And then it went on and on with Susie trying to get me to talk.

  She sat beside me and put her hand on mine and then asked them to leave us alone for a minute. I hadn’t seen her since my graduation day. She was such a sweet lady, had always been nice to me. I knew we weren’t really alone. It was obvious that they were watching us through the one way glass.

  “Tia, they’ve told me that you’re saying that you’re with Tommy Ferrano of your own free will.”

  “Yes.” I answered.

  “That’s not what I heard; honey, are you scared? You don’t have to be. The police want to help. They can help you. I can help you.”

  “I don’t need their help, Susie. I’m fine. I told Rose and Cal I’m fine. I’m telling you, I’m FINE.”

  “I’ve known you for over half your life, Tia. Meeting some guy who’s known for being connected, for being the son of a crime Don? Moving in with him and cutting off contact with everyone other than a few quick conversations that are obviously designed to make people THINK you’re okay? Come on! This isn’t you. What’s really going on here?”

  I shook my head, “Susie, I’m fine. I love him. He’s not mafia, that’s ridiculous. His father may be, I have no idea. But he’s not. I know nothing. Can I go?” I got to my feet.

  “Tia, I’m here to help you. The police are here to help. Let us help you.”

  She finally relented, giving me her home phone number and her cell number so that if I needed her, I could reach her.

  An hour later, they finally told me I could leave. My cell phone was dead so I couldn’t call Tommy. I called a taxi. I didn’t know what the address of Tommy’s house was. I knew where it was, by intersection, so I guided the cab driver until we pulled up in front of the gate. I paid the driver with my debit card and stepped out in front of the gate and pushed the buzzer. Dex was already opening it to let me in.

  “You okay?” he asked, “Need me to pay the cab?”

  I blew out a long breath, “I paid already and yeah, I’m okay, thanks, Dex.”

  “Next time the cab gets inside the gate before you get out, okay, Tia?”

  “Okay, Dex.” I hoped there wouldn’t be a next time.

  I walked up to the house and he opened the front door with a key. The house was dark. I looked in Tommy’s office and he wasn’t there. I went up to the bedroom. He wasn’t there. I went downstairs and found him beating up the punching bag. I hesitated, “Uh, hi.”

  He didn’t hear me. Or he was ignoring me. I stepped around so he could see me. He did. He stopped and caught his breath and pulled the gloves off, “Baby!”

  “Hi,” I approached him cautiously and he grabbed me and pulled me tight to him. He was drenched in sweat. I didn’t care. I put my arms around him, relieved he was putting his arms around me, not angry with me.

  “You okay? How’d you get here?” He asked.

  I nodded, “I’m okay. Cab.”

  “Let’s go upstairs and you can fill me in. I’ll grab a fast shower. Join me?” He grabbed a bottle of water from the floor and took a glug, “I was going out of my mind not hearing from you so I was just killing time.” He motioned with his chin toward the punching bag. I was surprised he looked so calm.

  I followed him to the bathroom and got out of my clothes. He looked down at me, “So too bad about that Brazilian…”

  I looked down at my naked lower half and started to laugh. We both laughed hard and he pulled me into the shower and against his body. He got my face into his hands and was kissing me deeply. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pushed him against the wall and then I was devouring him. He reached behind us and turned the shower on, not breaking lip contact and at first the water was freezing. He adjusted the temperature, “At least we don’t have to wait till tomorrow,” he muttered, my earlobe in his mouth.

  “Yeah, and now I know when your birthday is,” I answered and he released my lobe and looked at me with a tilted head, “And I don’t think I could’ve waited. I need you,” I said and put my hands on his rear and ground my hips against him, up on my tippy toes trying to get better contact. He bent his knees and lifted me onto his shaft, sliding right in. He turned us and got my back against the wall and man, it was just what I needed.

  In bed a while later, lying face to face on our sides naked, one hand flat against his his chest, the other tracing the lines of the ink on the other shoulder, trailing down his arm, I told him all about my day. He listened, while sifting his hands through my hair and up and down my back, his lips against my forehead the whole time. I could feel his expression changes, smiles, lip tightening, soft kisses when I told him about meeting my cousin and how it felt really nice to have family, when I told him how much I liked his sister.

  At the end, I said, “At first I thought it was a test.”

  He loosened his grip on me and I saw his smile instead of felt it, “That would’ve been the ultimate test.”

  “Mmm hmm,” I answered with disapproval, “Don’t get any ideas.”

  “I’m done testing you, baby. And I never would’ve done that sort of test.”

  “My Dad, Tommy; that’s fucked.” I couldn’t believe how calm he’d been about all of this, how trusting he’d been of me. It was such a relief.

  “Yeah, you know what else is fucked?”

  “What?”

  He was thoughtful for a beat, then said: “Forget about it; you don’t wanna know.” He got up and got into a clean pair of boxers and then poured two glasses of wine.

  “What? Tell me, please. Wait I don’t think I should have a drink yet. I haven’t had a single thing to eat today.”

  “I’ll order pizza.” He reached for his phone, “Greg O’Connor just signed his own death warrant.”

  “No.”

  He raised his index finger to me as he started to talk on the phone and placed the order for an extra-large double cheese, pepperoni, bacon, and mushroom pizza with someone he obviously knew. When he ended the call, he resumed the conversation, “People’ll want him dead.”

  My expression dropped. He paused a conversation talking about my father getting dead so he could order a pizza? How messed up was his life to even make that sort of thing seem so casual?

  “Sorry, Tia, but this is it. When certain people get wind of this, that’s it.” Tommy motioned by drawing a horizontal line across his neck with his index finger.

  “Shit.” I put my hand over my mouth.

  “’Fraid so.”

  “Fuck!”

  I took the wine glass and I downed half of it, “I can’t let that happen.”

  Tommy looked at me like he felt sorry for me, “Easy with the wine. The pizza’ll be here in half an hour.”

  “He’s my Dad.” I passed the glass back.

  “Your father knows the price of what he’s done. It’ll happen.”

  “But Witness Protection…”

  “He has nothing. My Pop hasn’t let him near any family business since before you were born. They’re not gonna protect him when he has nothing to give them, babe. He’s goin’ to jail for the drug charges and then someone inside’ll get him. He was hoping you’d rat, that’s why he sicked the cops on you.”

  I hugg
ed my arms around myself and shook my head.

  “He knows the price of his actions, Tia.” Tommy shrugged.

  “Don’t be so cold.”

  “So cold?” Tommy started to look pissed, then “He just tried to fucking take you from me!” came out with a roar.

  I laid down and stared at the ceiling. Tommy downed his wine and then got his cell and dialed a number, “Pop,” he said as he left the room.

  I stared at the ceiling for a long time. After a little while I got up and washed my face and then plugged in the cell phone. As I did that, the house phone rang from my nightstand.

  I let it ring three times in case Tommy was going to get it but when the fourth ring started, I picked it up, “Hello?”

  “Tia, Sweetpea.” It was my Dad.

  “Dad?” How did he get this number?

  “You have to help me,” he whispered, “You have to tell the cops what you know about the Ferranos, about what they’ve done.”

  “I know nothing, Dad. Nothing. What the hell did you do this for?”

  “I needed to save you,” he sounded like he was crying.

  “You needed to save me? Save me? You needed to try to fucking save yourself, Dad. Like always!”

  Tommy was coming in the room, he looked at me on the phone, heard what I said and his eyes burned with rage.

  He snatched the phone out of my hand, “Fuck off, Greg. You’re done fucking with her life, you hear me?” he hung up and pulled me to him. I was bawling.

  He wrapped his arms around me, “Baby, he’s fucked.”

  “I know.” I said.

  “You don’t. Sit.”

  I sat.

  “I just got some info. He owed a lot of money to another crew, not ours. When he came here he was hoping to work for me for Ferrano protection against that other crew. Figured if he got in good with us he’d get off the hook with them. This witness protection bullshit has gotta be his last kick at the can to save his own ass. Pop won’t have to give any orders; Greg’ll be gone fast if he’s in gen-pop because of the shit he’s pulled with people that have zero to do with our family. He was determined to get into this life and he got in with someone else; in over his head.”

  The iPhone started to ring and it was an unknown number. Tommy picked it up, listened for a second after saying Hello, then said, “Fuck off, O’Connor.” And ended the call.

  “How did he get the stupid iPhone number?”

  “That’s what I’d like to fuckin’ know. No one outside of my family has that number. Stupid iPhone?”

  “Hate that phone. I’m a Blackberry girl.”

  He smiled a little and gave me a squeeze, “I’ll get you a Blackberry.”

  I gave him a half a smile. Something seemingly insignificant amid a day that was total chaos but it was sweet.

  We polished off most of that extra-large pizza; I was totally starved, ate four pieces, poured another big glass of wine, but then I crashed.

  ** ** **

  I woke up alone in the bed. The lamp was still on, the two wineglasses beside me, Tommy’s empty one and my full one. It was warm but I drank a few sips of it anyway. I got up and saw his black t-shirt on the floor beside the empty pizza box. I threw it over my tank top it and inhaled it deeply. I was wearing a pair of boy short underwear but the t-shirt covered my booty. I lifted the box to take it to the kitchen and went in search of my fiancé.

  I found him sitting in the backyard by the pool in just his boxers, his feet in the water, smoking a joint. I frowned. I’d never seen him do that before.

  “Hey,” he looked up at me and looked around, “Fuck, where are your pants? There are guys around.” He picked up his phone and dialed, “Steer clear of the pool area till I tell you; tell the guys,” he practically barked those orders.

  “Sorry,” I spun to head back in the house.

  “Don’t go; sit.”

  I sat beside him and put my feet into the water. It was warm; felt nice. He passed me the joint. I took a puff and then a second puff, then gave it back.

  “I don’t smoke much. Just once in a while at night when I can’t seem to chill,” he explained and took another haul off it and then put it out in an ashtray beside him. If pot chilled him out maybe he should smoke it more often. I decided not to share that info at that particular moment. I just nodded and put my head against his arm. He put his arm around me. I nuzzled into him, looking up at the sky. It was a nice night. Too bad so much was fucked up for both of us right now.

  “Why aren’t you asleep? It’s late. Trouble shutting your mind off, too?” he asked, kissing the top of my head.

  “I guess,” I said, “I think I’d sleep better beside you.”

  He leaned down and kissed me. I held tight to him.

  “Let’s go put you to bed,” he said softly and got to his feet. He touched his phone screen and then put his phone to his ear as we walked hand in hand back inside, “You’re good. Off to bed. Yep.” He ended the call.

  The pot definitely made me sleepy. My body felt all loose and gooey. I fell asleep running my fingers through his hair. It was so soft. He smelled so good.

  ** ** **

  Tommy was shaking me.

  “Baby, c’mon and move! We gotta bounce!”

  I sat upright in bed, feeling all groggy,

  “Huh?”

  “Move!” He pulled me by the hand and was throwing a bundle of clothing at me, “Pack a couple changes of clothes for both of us and bathroom shit, whatever you can fit in that bag. And your laptop and phone and charger. Hurry.”

  “What’s going on?” I felt so groggy.

  “I’ll explain on the way, we gotta hurry, Tia. Hurry!”

  I sprang into action, trying to shake off the grogginess and grabbed underwear, socks, jeans, t-shirts, shorts, bras for me then jeans, socks, underwear, t-shirts, long sleeve shirts for Tommy. Then I grabbed my train case in the bathroom and threw our toothbrushes and toothpaste and Tommy’s razor and shaving cream into it. In 3 minutes flat I was ready, wearing sweats and flip flops. I threw a pair of sneakers into the bag. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and he grabbed the bag, my train case and purse, and then he ushered us to the jeep.

  “Something’s fucked up,” he said, as we pulled out onto the street.

  “What do you mean?”

  “My guards disappeared. Jimmy is AWOL. We’re going to the safe house.”

  “Jimmy disappeared?”

  “He took off. Or got taken. Don’t know yet.”

  “What?”

  “He didn’t show up tonight for a dinner thing with Tess. She hasn’t heard from him. He was supposed to be here at midnight to pull night duty and relieve Dex. Dex had to split so I got someone in to cover when Jimmy didn’t answer his phone but he’s been acting weird. It’s possible he’s flipped. Or someone has him. It could have something to do with the cops picking you up today. That he didn’t tell me about the weapons you gave him isn’t cool, doesn’t look good. He didn’t know I was armed under the bed. No one but you knew that. Did you tell him where you got them?”

  “No, I just carried them out to him in a plastic grocery bag and said, can you please put these somewhere? Tommy left them. He just took them from me and said okay.”

  “He has all the codes to get in the house and I’ve changed everything but I won’t have us be sitting ducks. I don’t know where the guards are all gone. I woke up out of nowhere, feeling like something wasn’t right and no one’s here. Shoulda been two guys. Phones all go to voicemail.”

  “And you think it’s James?”

  “I dunno.”

  “But he’s your brother in law, he’s…”

  “Dare’s moving Tess and the boys to his place while we figure it out. He’s either been taken or gone rogue. My guards are gone, Tia. Gone. Two guys just vanished and the gate was closed but unlocked. Something is fucking very wrong and we’re not sitting around to wait to find out what that something is.”

  We pulled into the driveway of an indu
strial plaza and then behind to a gated mini storage place, Tommy’s cell blooped and he looked at it, “Fuck. Luciana’s in labor.”

  “Should we go to the hospital?” I asked.

  He shook his head, “No, Ed’ll text me with news.”

  Tommy stopped at the storage place, a big long alleyway of orange garage doors. He replied to his text then got out, leaving the car running, opened one of the orange doors and shut the door behind him. Then he came back out with a black backpack slung over one shoulder. He drove us the rest of the way to the farm and when we got there we headed up the stairs in the barn and dropped our bags and I flopped into bed. It was 4:20 AM. I wasn’t sure I could sleep, though. He wasn’t sleeping. He sat at the table texting or doing something on his phone, drinking a beer, the backpack on the floor beside him. I didn’t wanna know what was in it but I could guess.

  I laid there for a long time watching him and eventually he got in beside me and pulled me to him and we both fell asleep around the time the sun rose.

  He woke me up, “Baby, let’s go get coffee.”

  I groaned, then asked, “Is the baby here yet?”

  “No. Get up; I have to talk to you.”

  I sat up, “What time is it?”

  “8:15.”

  “Argh, didn’t we just fall asleep?”

  “Tia.” The seriousness of his tone snapped me out of my sleepy grumpy haze. I got to my feet and reached for a pair of yoga pants in the bag I’d packed, which was lying open on the floor beside the bed.

  He continued, “Luc isn’t in labor. That was a fake text. Someone was trying to coax me to the hospital.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah.”