Stolen Secrets

by Cayce Poponea

  I wanted to hate Karla and all of the things I had been exposed to since I walked in those doors, but she made it impossible with her honest eyes and compassionate smile. Karla Santos was a woman I would enjoy spending time with as a friend. A common bond formed as we looked at one another.

  “No one, including myself, has bothered to ask what you want.” I nodded as she had hit the bull’s-eye.

  “Oh, don’t get me wrong, Ari. I’ve thought of nothing else since my parents first mentioned they had you in their sights. I also know my brother objected to their meddling; although, he would never admit it to anyone. As I said, I know my brother, and I can tell you if he weren’t really interested. Let me just reiterate it right now…” She did this crazy swirl with her hand, which caused her shoulders to rock back and forth. “If he weren’t interested in getting to know you, his ass would have been in one of his clubs or at the house you already know he pays for. Instead, he has been holed up in a pile of rubble he calls a house. You may not know me well, which I certainly want to change, but please, please, look past his history and have a simple drink with the guy.”

  She’d given me a new angle to look at, one from a person who knew the true Dominick. I was finding he seemed to be a different person to different people. However, it was what I soon saw in the next room, which helped seal my fate.

  As I walked down the hall I heard Gabby’s unmistakable laugh. She was talking to Antonio and Sophia, and it appeared whatever was being said was hilarious. I strolled over and joined them. I hadn’t really spoken with her since arriving, and besides, I should wish Dominick a happy birthday.

  “Oh, Ari, I thought for sure the strip show had scared you off,” Antonio expressed as he pulled Sophia into his side. Sophia was a lucky woman to have a man who adored her. It puzzled me how Dominick could have grown up in an environment like this and still have the kind of lifestyle he did.

  “Oh, it would take slightly more to scare me off.”

  “I’m sorry to interrupt,” Dominick’s smooth voice came from behind me and I turned in time to see him come stand between his mother and Gabby. He placed his arms around both ladies, and Gabby leaned into him. “How you doing, love?” he questioned her.

  “I’m good, birthday boy,” she replied with a sigh. Her sadness was so thick you could feel it. I wished I could bottle it up and throw it away for her.

  “Listen, I know it’s been a struggle for you with Logan gone, but I have something that might bring a smile to your face.”

  To the side of the room a uniformed and handsome man was standing close by holding flowers and wearing a killer smile. He crossed the room while Dominick grasped Gabby’s shoulders and turned her around. I’m certain a dog three counties over heard her scream. She was in his arms and the flowers were forgotten. Dominick bent over to retrieve the delicate petals while Sophia had her hand over her mouth, her eyes overflowing with tears.

  Dominick crossed the circle of people and stepped around the couple, tapping his hand on the uniformed back of the Marine. Gabby had her legs wrapped around his waist, kisses and soft words being spoken between lovers, both wearing smiles of happiness, assurance, and comfort.

  “I take it this is Logan.” I had flashes of Caleb in his uniform, tails whipping in the moist breeze. I pushed the memory away, hiding behind a smile, while Dominick told me the story about helping Logan come home even though he’d have to head back in four short days.

  “He’s a great guy and Gabby is family. I couldn’t not help them.”

  When I looked into his eyes I saw, for the first time, another side of Dominick. A side without an agenda and nothing to win. He’d done this to make someone in his life happy. This was a side of Dominick I could get close to.

  TURNING TWENTY-SIX WAS A big bend in the road in my family. Where some cultures have a coming out party when their child reaches a certain age, this party, in a sense, was my coming out. Mom planned this down to the last detail with the significance of this particular year in mind. I watched my mother nearly have a heart attack, thanks in part to the naked girl in her foyer and to the fact that she knew exactly who was responsible.

  My party was geared toward my age, with adult beverages and food on real china. I’ve seen monkey shit fights turn out better than what the clowns I call friends chose to bring as a gift, turning this into a circus. Their ringleader Frankie, one of Antonio’s legitimate business associates, was throwing money at her and laughing. He might not be involved with the Family business, but his attitude and the way he was conducting himself told a different story.

  Ari had no idea the message she’d sent to rest of the room when she wrapped the blanket around the main event. Marissa had nailed the final spike in her coffin when she disrespected my family. I sent a text for one of my guys to be ready in the morning to move her things out of the condo. I would give her a couple of days at a motel to find somewhere else to live, but things between her and I would be changing.

  Ari had shown me my mother was correct in her insistence; she had the type of character I needed to be around. She’d stood against the crowd when she ushered Marissa out of the room. Ari would be worth the sacrifices I would need to make in order to have her around me.

  My mother wasn’t the type of woman to be trifled with. She took her role as my father’s wife seriously, showing everyone in the room what happens when you interfere with her carefully laid plans. My mother, who was holding his ear and shouting at him in Italian, calling him a pompous ass, was dragging Frankie out of the room.

  Sophia was from an Italian background and from an early age she had only spoken it when she was upset or trying to be romantic with my father. There was no doubt she was beyond mad, or rather, pissed as fuck right then.

  I motioned for Marco to follow her and Frankie out of the room. I knew she kept a gun on her, but didn’t want to give her a reason to use it.

  “She’s going to want to completely gut that bathroom tomorrow.”

  My poor dad. He’d been pounding down the scotch as he’d watched, alongside me, the events unfolding around us. He was right. My mom would want to have everything stripped out of that bathroom along with its current occupant. Marissa, not Ari. I wanted so bad to go in and make sure everything was alright, but knew deep inside that Ari was more like my mother than I gave her credit for. She would handle the situation, defusing the friction and making sure Marissa removed herself from the house.

  When my sister approached Ari, I tried to get away from the conversation going on around me about a shipment scheduled for tomorrow. Of all the people in my world, it was Karla I trusted the most. She was the one person who could tell when I was lying and when I was telling the truth. She was always there when I was in a bad situation, and the first one to help me. Also the most protective of me, she was either going to sing my praises or give Ari directions on how to get rid of me once and for all. There was no point in trying to stop her, since she wasn’t afraid of me in the least—a trait learned early in life, when we fought like cats and dogs. Now, I dared any motherfucker to mess with her. Karla didn’t allow me to get lost in the life we had. Always able to pull me back, she reminded me I was made of flesh and blood. Right now she held the power to help or hurt me by speaking privately with Ari.

  Frankie came by and apologized before he left, wishing me well and saying he would see me in a couple of days. He knew he would pay for the shit he’d pulled. My mother’s humiliation of him was the least of his worries. It was time for a good distraction from the drama. Logan and Gabby had been separated long enough, pulling my cell from my dress pants, I called the man I’d hidden for the past few hours.

  “You ready to see your girl?”

  “I was born ready.”

  Logan and I had gone over what would happen once he got in the room. I told him not to worry about Gabby having to work, that Mother and Ari would insist she take time off. Watching Gabby jump into his arms made me feel something I never had: jealousy. Another change since the
green-eyed girl came in like a freight train and derailed my world.

  Staring down at the brown liquid in my glass, I tried to understand the changes which had taken over me in such a short period of time. Hell, it was only a few weeks ago I’d been calling Marissa a stupid cunt and tossing her out of my bed. That was the kind of shit I did all the time. The thought of degrading Ari made my blood boil, though; I never wanted her to doubt me. I shook my head trying to rid myself of these thoughts and returned my attention to the happy couple.

  “Dominick, I’m told you helped get me my Logan back. Thank you so much!” Gabby’s arms wrapped around me. Her tears were staining my shirt, but I didn’t give a shit. I had lots of shirts, and only one Gabby.

  “I’d do anything for you, you know that. Now, no more tears, this is a happy time.” I kissed her forehead while looking at the happy face of Logan. His need for her could be felt across the room.

  “Come on, let’s introduce Ari to Logan.” Gabby’s voice was so happy I couldn’t tell her no. I wanted her to take Logan back to her apartment so they could stay naked and happy for the next four days. When we got closer to the group, I caught the tail end of Logan talking to Ari about her name.

  “Is Ari short for anything? I mean, it’s not a name you hear every day. Although a guy in my unit has a friend back home with the same name.”

  Ari kept her eyes on Logan while he spoke; she was great that way. My father always said if a person was looking away when you were talking to them, chances were they weren’t listening very closely. Logan had Ari’s full attention.

  “Really? That is unusual.” It didn’t slip past me that Ari didn’t answer his question and I was instantly on guard. I moved closer in hopes of asking the question for myself.

  “Caleb told me he had managed to get a last minute flight out so he could visit with his father. He didn’t think he would, since he’d flown home recently, when his brother died. Sad story there…”

  It was slight, but I caught it. The clench of her fist when Logan spoke of his friend. Gabby reminded Logan it was getting late and they needed to head home. He agreed, shook hands with everyone and then thanked me again. I noticed he’d left his hat on the sideboard and purposefully waited for him to get outside before excusing myself to return it. He was heading back up the walkway when I was walking out the door.

  “Hey, man, thanks. It would have sucked to have to replace this damn thing.”

  “No problem,” I responded handing him his hat. “Remember what I said, I don’t want to see her at work until you’re back on that plane.” His laughter assured me I had him in a mindset where he wouldn’t question what I was about to ask.

  “Hey, I heard you mention your friend…” I trailed off snapping my fingers, giving him the impression I’d forgotten his friends’ name, like he’d given it already.

  “Caleb?” he responded.

  “Yeah, Caleb Smith,” I added.

  “Did I say Smith? Hell, that’s my Sergeant’s last name. No, Caleb is actually Caleb Winters.” I laughed with him before I covered my tracks. “Well, let your buddy know if he needs anything while he’s back, to feel free to call me.”

  “I will, and thank you again.”

  I waved goodbye to him while he backed Gabby’s car out of her parking spot then waited until I saw the taillights disappear before digging my phone out of my pocket.

  “Demetri, get me everything you can on a Caleb Winters, currently stationed in Afghanistan.”

  WHEN I FIRST STARTED WORKING for the flower shop in Townsend Parish we had a customer come in looking for potted plants. He’d had on stained jeans and a shirt full of holes. When he presented a shiny black credit card, I questioned if it was genuine or stolen because he looked like a homeless man. As he was leaving, one of our regular ladies came in all a gush. Seemed the gentleman who’d just left was the third richest man in the country. He had a house outside of town and often came here to get away. Having that experience should have taught me you can never judge a book by its cover, but reality proved I was still learning.

  After the time I’d spent with Corey, who had the entire town snowed by his good deeds, I still managed to pass judgment based on situations. I had to stop this. Dominick and his family had proven to be good people, despite his sexual proclivities, which I hadn’t seen firsthand. I was basing my opinion of Dominick on conversations I’d overheard and the words of people who had yet to prove their worth. Still, in my gut I felt like I was missing something.

  Dominick had asked nicely if he could escort me home. When I declined, he trumped me with the birthday boy card. After Dominick dropped me off and made certain I was behind locked doors, I had time to evaluate what had transpired at his party.

  Marissa was a product of her environment. She had chosen to place her ability to take care of herself on the desires of men. Desires that had a history of changing frequently. Still, I found no real reason not to be a friend to her. She clearly had feelings for Dominick, feelings which, sadly, he didn’t seem to return, and yet she was loyal to him. At the end of the day, loyalty like that is rare; I don’t think Dominick has a true idea of how fortunate he is. She seemed quite adamant he was in pursuit of me for the purpose of finding a wife, and I had to chuckle at the thought. Men such as Dominick, with the kind of reputation he was rumored to have, don’t settle. As I told Marissa, I expect the man I choose as my forever to love me with a passion I deserve. I’m not certain a man like I have pictured even exists. My Mr. Perfect will have to do something to show me he is all in, something completely unselfish, even if said action risks losing me.

  Then there’s the issue with Logan. Could his friend be the same Caleb? Corey’s brother. Would it matter if it were? Surely, his Caleb won’t come here without warning? If that situation ever comes to fruition, I could head out of town or find myself with unavoidable plans, leaving the chance for meeting his Caleb impossibility. My Caleb could never know where I went off to.

  I enjoy getting to the shop first thing in the morning, long before most people have their first notion to get out of bed. I’m at my happiest with my hands dirty from working. However, this morning I found the shop wasn’t its usual quiet retreat, because both Sophia and Dominick were sitting in her office. I had no choice but to stop and say hello.

  “Good morning,” I said sticking my head in, and then as quickly ducked out.

  “Oh, good morning, sweetheart. We were just discussing you.” Sophia’s sweet voice and honest words acted like a Wurlitzer, punching large holes into my wishes and causing them to tumble to the ground.

  “Oh? Is something wrong?” Her presence this morning was a bit of a surprise considering how late the party had run.

  “Of course not. Dominick gave me a ride this morning. It seems he was eager to have coffee with a certain someone.” Sophia’s eyes were bright and she winked at Dominick.

  He turned and formed a shy smile on his face, one he must have perfected.

  “Good morning, beautiful. I heard you have a weakness for hazelnut.” He lifted a takeout cup, which I presumed was full of coffee.

  We all have our vices and hazelnut flavored coffee was at the top of mine. I reminded myself I needed to give Dominick a chance to show me who he really was, behind the rumors and bad gossip. Yet it didn’t settle well with me how he knew I preferred this flavor of coffee.

  “Well, you would be correct. I adore hazelnut coffee.”

  Standing, he walked toward me, his outstretched hand passing me the cup of liquid gold. As soon as the cup was in my hand, I closed my eyes and breathed in its bold fragrance. Before I took a sip, Dominick kissed his mother on her cheek and whispered something in her ear. When he turned in my direction, I took a moment to take him in. Every time I saw him, he wore a tailored suit with matching tie, and his expensive shoes were always polished.

  Today he looked different dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. I could make out a tattoo o
n the inside of his left wrist, just above his watchband: Keep your secrets in your heart and trust no one. For me this was a contradiction in terms, as the suits he normally donned called for a more reserved individual.

  Unless said man was a member of organized crime.

  I pushed the thought to the side; Dominick Santos and his family didn’t seem to fit that bill. Sophia was far too refined and cultured to have ties to such things. Although, I’ve never questioned what Dominick did for a living.

  “Care to take a walk with me?” As Dominick turned his head to look at me, I noticed on the right side of his neck, normally covered by his shirt and tie, a purplish scar in the shape of an S with a filigree pattern around it. The scar was too precise to have been caused by an accident; unless it wasn’t.

  With a tight-lipped smile and embarrassed at being caught thinking such crazy thoughts, I nodded my head like an idiot. Dominick gestured to the front of the shop and I fell in step with him. The store wasn’t due to open for a few more hours, but I didn’t want to be gone long. Gabby was going to be out with Logan home, and we were usually busy on Saturdays. A few remaining streetlights still glowed, the early morning rays not yet reaching the sensors. The street was still damp from a late night rain shower, and the air thick with moisture, leaving behind a cool and refreshing breeze.

  “I wanted to thank you again for coming last night. I’m sorry things turned out how they did. I hope you believe me when I say, I had no idea Marissa had anything like that planned.” He spoke with such clear conviction; there was no pretense in his words or indication of ulterior motives. “My mom was direct in not inviting her to begin with.” He took a sip from his own cup casting a side-glance at me.