My eyes grew wide with fear. Did they think I was related in any way to the crazy train that was pulling into the station at the moment? “Easy, Anna, we know you aren’t part of it,” Sophia said from her perch beside Antonio.
Marco opened one of the bags and began dumping money, bags of jewelry—which I suspected were stolen—credit cards, and IDs on the floor. “It looks like Corey was ready to leave the country with you,” Marco added tossing me a passport, which had my name and picture inside.
“Gia kept very detailed accounts of what was going on around her, and of the conversations she had with Miranda. Most of it was gibberish, but it was clear Miranda was getting close to Dominick, not to snag him as a husband, but to get closer to Antonio. Her intent was to kill him and place him in the vault as punishment for breaking her aunt’s crazyass heart.”
Courage and curiosity getting the better of me, I left Dominick’s side to pick up one of the letters. Marco was right; her words were all over the place. Then, as if she’d found a moment of clarity, the words became almost poetic. She’d believed she loved Antonio. The photos were of a young Antonio and younger boy, Dominick. Almost all of them had a picture of Gia taped into the group. There was the announcement of Antonio and Sophia’s wedding and again, Gia had placed her cutout face over the top of Sophia’s. The most disturbing, in my opinion, was the baby announcement for Karla. Gia had crossed out Karla’s name and written in Melody over the top.
“Does Miranda have any idea her aunt was like this?” I questioned before giving it a thought. As usual, my mouth hadn’t gotten permission from my brain before it spoke.
Antonio looked up from a photo of Karla and Gia, his face as cool and emotionless as I’d ever seen it. “No, but it doesn’t matter. I did for Miranda what I should have done for Gia.” The room grew quiet as Antonio’s eyes met Dominick’s, like they were communicating silently. “I helped her cross over to the afterlife.”
“Anna, swear to me you will deliver the flowers yourself.”
Gabby was many things, an excellent floral designer, an amazing friend, and not a half bad cook. The one thing she wasn’t good at was relinquishing control. Tomorrow was her special day, her and Logan’s wedding day. She had planned every detail, worried and lost sleep for weeks. Her biggest concern was that Logan was still on an airplane somewhere over the ocean. Apparently a massive storm had blown in when he was trying to take off, and it closed the airport temporarily. Last she’d heard, the runway was cleared to some degree, and the plane was due to be airborne soon. Too bad Logan’s cell battery had died during their last conversation.
“Yes, ma’am, you have my word. I will show up naked before I leave your flowers behind.” I had to lighten the mood, Gabby was driving herself crazy, and as her friend, it was my job to calm her. She smiled a watery smile and hugged me.
Since the Corey incident, things had returned to normal around here. Dominick had his men repaint my storeroom and refinish the floor. For several weeks, it had been hard for me to even go in there and look around without being a little jumpy. The first time I tried to go back upstairs into my apartment, I nearly had a panic attack. I’d called Dominick, who’d come with an army of his guys, packed up all of my things, and moved them to his new home.
Dominick had been listening when I mentioned his condo was cold and masculine. He had an associate of his find him a house a few miles from the shop. Then he preceded to hand me a black credit card telling me to, “Make it pretty.” I did just that and didn’t bat an eyelash or look at price tags while I shopped and shopped and shopped…
That first night we ordered take-out and slept on an air mattress Dominick had picked up on the way home. It was the worst night of sleep I ever got, but having him there in a house which hadn’t seen any of his “activities” was so… freeing. I woke him in the wee hours of the morning with what he referred to as my “signature” blowjob. Pleasing him came natural to me, like a missing puzzle piece making everything fit. Had I known my life could be like this, I wouldn’t have pushed him away so hard.
The next day, I approached Marissa and offered her the apartment upstairs. She nearly peed her pants as she ran up the stairs after hugging me with eyes full of tears, so grateful was she to leave the hotel. She and Caleb have Skype sessions. It’s exciting hearing the tones of their voices when they talk. I’ve had to reassure Marissa that Caleb isn’t the type of guy to spill empty words. In her smile I see the same joy and unending love I have for Dominick.
“Anna, he made it to London, but he missed his connecting flight due to the bad weather. We have to cancel the wedding.” Gabby was a shaking mess as she told all of us the news. We’d suspected he wouldn’t make the rehearsal dinner, but now it seemed he would miss the actual wedding, too. I felt absolutely helpless as I reached over to console a sobbing Gabby. Dominick squeezed my shoulder while making a phone call, and then preceded to talk in a language I couldn’t understand. Glancing at Sophia and Marissa over Gabby’s shoulder, I noted Sophia wore an all-knowing smile. Dominick’s tone was jovial, and ten minutes later he ended the call, and pulled Gabby toward him.
“Sweetness?” he began, speaking calmly, “I need you to dry your tears and call that Marine of yours. Have him go to Terminal F. Mr. Dobbins will be waiting for him there.” Gabby’s eyes grew huge as she scurried off to get her phone out of her purse. Thankfully Logan had been able to plug in his phone while he waited in London.
“What did you do?” I questioned, holding back the smile he deserved. Dominick turned on his sexy-as-fuck smile which got him anything he wanted from me, cleared the small amount of space between us, and wrapped his arms around me. “I don’t like the women in my life to be sad. It just so happens I know a few people who own their own planes, and who owe me a few favors.”
That was enough for me. I’d made a vow to myself—the less I knew about Dominick’s business dealings, the better off I would be. However, he did need a reward for his good deed, no matter what rule or law he’d broken to make it happen.
Neither Gabby nor Logan were particularly religious, and so had decided on an outdoor wedding. Sophia, being the eternal romantic, insisted the event be held in her backyard. She put Antonio to work getting contractors over to make their backyard wedding-ready. A gazebo was erected, new plants planted, and even trailers which held Port a Potties were arranged. She hired a cellist, a harpist, and several violin players. The tent housing the reception was made of sheer linen, which one could see in and out of. With more lights than the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, the wedding was all set to go, except for a still-missing groom.
Marissa and some of the girls from her class volunteered to do the hair and makeup for the bridal party; it took my breath away when I saw what a great job she’d done for Gabby. Once the bride was dressed, and half a bottle of champagne poured down her throat, I snuck off to see if the groom had arrived.
When I stepped out of the house, I spotted Dominick in the yard standing with a group of men, Ray Bans on and looking like homemade sin. I paused for a moment to drink in the sight of him. Whenever I’d questioned Dominick’s character in the past, I’d never questioned his appearance, or his handsome face.
Looking at him in that moment, and knowing beneath his chiseled chin and lips resided a man with a heart so big and generous it was bursting to come out, made my heart swell. Dominick was a dangerous man who had killed, and one who took what he wanted, but right then, he was just the man who’d made me love him.
A commotion from the side of the house did more than make me gasp. Dominick, along with every man in his circle, had their guns drawn and ready. Logan Hayes was not only a good Marine, but he also knew the type of people his soon-to-be wife surrounded herself with. With white-gloved hands in the air, one gripping his cover, and his uniform slightly askew, he sprinted around the corner to take his place at the altar Sophia had created. With a wink to Dominick, whose attention was now on me, I walked back into the house to tell Gabby her groo
m was indeed waiting for her.
With the business I was in, I’d found weddings are all pretty much the same. You have a bride, groom, and clergy or someone who can officiate. Friends of the couple, who agree to dress in clothes they wouldn’t choose on a normal day, stand in front of all who have gathered to watch two people bind themselves together for eternity. Or at least until a judge dissolves the marriage. After they say whatever words to one another, there is a celebration of sorts, and then the bride and groom go off to either fuck each other’s brains out or sleep off the alcohol their friends and family have thrust at them.
Gabby and Logan were no different; the words spoken between them had been repeated thousands of times. Logan stood proud in his uniform while Gabby glowed in the dress she’d searched months to find. The minister blessed the union and the coveted kiss displayed, food was served, and the cake was cut. Logan held onto his bride as the music played and the lights twinkled under the dark sky. However, as the alcohol was poured and the cake was passed, a sense of finality started to set in.
Gabby would go off to be with her new husband. I speculated a new duty station was in their future. Watching the couple sway to the strings of the instruments, their expressions ones of complete and utter happiness, I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. I wanted that look, wanted to feel the way she felt being held in the arms of a man who’d sworn to everyone in attendance that he had chosen the girl he wanted by his side for the rest of his life. I wanted to know what it felt like to have the man of my dreams willing to do just as Logan had done. Corey had wanted to marry me, but for all the wrong reasons. He’d wanted a possession and not a partner, something tangible to come home to when he felt the need. I wanted something more, something real.
“You’re too pretty to cry,” Dominick’s soft voice spoke from behind me. Startled, I turned into his embrace unaware I was crying. Embarrassed, I hid my face in his strong chest, allowing his scent to fill me with calm, a calm only he seemed to give me. “I didn’t even realize I was crying,” I admitted shaking my head, dismissing the tears. “Well, a good wedding will do that,” he responded, his soothing arms rubbing up and down my back.
I wouldn’t admit it to Dominick, not just yet, but I had made the decision. I was all in. All into giving him more than just the sexual part of me. I was ready to give him my heart and soul. And maybe, just maybe, if the stars lined up and the moon shone brightly, I would get to feel the love and devotion I so desperately wanted.
I WATCHED AS ANNA TWISTED vases, adjusted stems, and smiled at people when they passed her. Gabby was more than her employee, she was a good friend. While the guests danced and ate overcooked chicken, I held onto the hand of the girl who owned my heart and soul. She had walked in and changed nearly every aspect of my life. When the party was at its fullest, Gabby gathered the single women for the traditional bouquet toss. Anna tried to get out of it, but even Karla corralled her into the pack.
Women were peculiar creatures. They’ll complain the air is too brisk and it messes up their perfect hair, yet the second the bride tosses that bunch of flowers over her shoulder, they act like football players during the playoffs, leaping over one another to get the prize. Legends foretold the one who caught it would be next to marry. Even funnier to watch, were the men reacting when the garter belt was tossed, like it’s the bill for the entire wedding.
I couldn’t wait to get Anna alone to confess my intentions for the future to her. While Gabby and Logan made their way through congratulations from their guests, I had a brief opportunity to slip an envelope into Logan’s jacket pocket. I would feel better if he could take his new bride to a proper hotel, have a five-star dinner, and share a bottle of good champagne. It wasn’t long after I caught Anna rubbing her foot while she sat and visited with my mother. I knew she was tired, but I had plans for her.
The house I’d procured for Anna was payment for a debt my Family was owed, but she didn’t need to know that. She felt safe there, which was all I cared about. She floated around the house like it was an extension of her. While she loaded clothes into the washer, I headed into the bedroom to set up my surprise.
“What’s all this?” Anna stood in the doorway with a stack of folded towels in her hands. Removing them from her arms, I placed them on the dresser before reaching out for her hand, encouraging her to come further into the room. On nearly every surface were small tea light candles illuminating the rose petals scattered on the bed and surrounding a black box sitting in the center. The candlelight reflected off the large diamond, causing a brilliant shimmer. When Anna’s eyes found the ring, her hand flew to her mouth in surprise.
“I love you with everything I am, and I know you may not be there with me yet, but it doesn’t change how I feel about you.” I walked over to the bed with her hand in mine, picked up the black box, and then dropped to one knee. “Marry me, Anna?”
She looked from the ring to my face, and back again. My heart pounded with the thought she held my happiness on the tip of her perfect pink lips. The next word she spoke, although it held no malice or aggravation, would challenge me for the next four months.
“No.”
“Do you, Demetrius Constantine Martelli, take Karlina Maria Santos to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
With our hands intertwined, much like our hearts and the hearts of those around us, I rubbed the back of Anna’s hand as we watched my friend marry my little sister. I’d never seen my sister look more beautiful, or more in love than she did in that moment. Anna shifted in her seat as Demetri winked at Karla mouthing a silent, “I love you.”
After Anna declined my proposal of marriage, she’d gone on to explain she nearly married one man she wasn’t in love with and she didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. Deep down somewhere I knew that would be the answer I would get. I had never been a patient man, persistent, but never patient.
Three weeks later I was in the middle of a meeting with some land developers who wanted to buy several plots of land the Family owned, when Anna came bursting into the meeting with red eyes and her face damp with tears. I asked the men to wait in my game room while I held her, giving her time to calm down, before I took the life of the sorry motherfucker who had made my girl cry. The story she shared with me was one I would never forget.
An older gentleman had come into the shop looking for a single stem rose. His wife had died several years ago and he visited her grave every day. He told Anna he wasn’t ready to let her go yet and he would give anything to have just one more kiss, or be able to hear her say she loved him one last time. He’d left the shop with a final word of advice for her. That if she ever found someone she couldn’t live without, she should tell them she loved them every single day, since you never knew when it would be the last.
“Since you do what you do,” she emphasized by waving her hand around the room, “…you need to know I didn’t want to love you. I wanted to hate you for being just a larger version of Corey, but then I got to know you. The real you, not the badass motherfucker persona you’ve created, but the soft-hearted, wonderful man who is holding me right now instead of making millions with those greedy bastards out there.” Anna placed her warm hands on my face, her big, red-rimmed eyes shining from her recent melt down and whispered, “I love you, Dominick Santos.”
Once Anna had been kissed within an inch of her life, I helped her into her car, one I had finally been able to give to her, and sent her back to work. That night Anna insisted on grabbing take-out and meeting me at the house. When I was pulling into the driveway, I received a call from Marco letting me know he was thinking of asking London to marry him, then taking her off to Vegas for an Elvis wedding. I gave him my best wishes and permission to use the Family jet.
In the still of the night, we were wrapped around one another with the television on some reality show we’d lost interest in. With her back to my chest, I could feel her breathing while she played with my fingers. This was one of my favorite positions to be in, with my
nose buried in her hair, the smell of her shampoo still lingering. I had shared with her Marco’s news. Her face said it all, from her bright eyes to her toothy grin, she was happy, and she wanted everyone around her to be just as happy.
I was nearly asleep when my phone started ringing. With a kiss to the back of Anna’s head, I quietly answered my phone and listened while my father gave me the news, which would be all over the media in the morning.
“Everything okay?” she questioned while sliding her hand across my face, concern replacing the smile which had been there moments before. Tossing my phone onto the nightstand, I turned her onto her back and placed kisses to her cheek, jaw, and neck causing her to moan my name.
“Alex Gallo was found dead in his cell tonight.”
She didn’t need an explanation as to the importance this was for our Family. We now had total control over the city of New York. Her face bore a blank expression as she stared directly into my eyes. Flashes of emotion flickered in her eyes, yet she remained silent. Placing a soft kiss to the end of my nose, she turned over and went to sleep.
I wanted to say something, felt the need at reassure her things would be okay. This news was a shift in our Family, in our business dealings. We would, by right, inherit more territory, and more men would be needed to work.
Sleep did not return to me like it had for Anna. I rose from her warmth to find my office as cold as the rest of the house. Sitting in the leather chair, I recalled the day Anna’d met me at the garage door, bouncing in excitement because she’d finished decorating my space.
Stolen Secrets Page 32
