“I know he’s your girlfriend’s dad,” he says, “so you better not fuck it up if you wanna impress him. But on the flip side, I don’t think she is too, uh, in the know with all this. So it’s best not to mention the details.”
I shoot him a look.
“She’s not my girlfriend, Dad,” I tell him. He chuckles.
“She will be. I can see it now,” he says. But I don’t argue. I just swallow and smile, thinking about all of this. About this job, the start of my life—for real. But I also think about her and what this will mean for us. Whatever “us” is.
“I’ll give you the details tomorrow. It’ll just be you, Wes, and Mick, kid. I’ll be waiting if you need anything.”
I nod and stand up. Before I walk out the door, I turn back to him.
“Thank you, Dad,” I say. “For trusting me with this.”
He smiles and nods, and I feel a mushy Marlon moment coming on.
“You’re ready, Dominic. Make me proud,” he says.
The next few days drag by until, finally, it’s go time. It’s seven o’clock on a Friday, and I’m anxiously waiting for Mick’s call. Finally, it comes.
“We’re outside, and we’re ready,” he says. I hang up and walk out of the living room, grabbing my coat and heading out the door. Just as I slide in the back, my phone vibrates with a text.
Heard you’re going to be with my dad tonight. Please be careful.
I swallow.
Always am, I send as if I do this kind of shit all the time. I look down at the phone.
Especially for you, I add before tucking the phone back in my pocket.
“Alright, here’s the deal. The man’s name is Stu Brock,” Mick says. “Owes a pretty big sum to Sal. We’re heading to his club to collect. Could be a little bit of a scuffle, but he doesn’t have much backup.”
I nod and swallow.
“Now, look, Wes and I will take the lead on this one, kid. Take this,” he says, holding out a Glock that makes my stomach flip. I’ve seen guns in the house before, but I’ve never actually held one, let alone fire it. Now I’m thinking that’s probably something that should have been touched on before I went on my first job. “Only fire it if absolutely necessary. Don’t even take it out of your pants unless you have to.”
I nod.
Guess I’ll figure this out on the fly if I need to.
We pull up to the club a few minutes later, and I realize we’re pretty close to Sal and Scarlett’s apartment.
I wonder what she’s doing right this minute. If she’s reading or watching Golden Girls reruns. I think about the way her long blonde hair curls a little bit at the bottom. How round her lips are, how tiny her waist is, and I––
“Earth to the kid,” I hear Wes say as he waves a hand in my face. “This ain’t the time for daydreaming, boy.”
I shake my head and nod, tucking the gun in the back of my pants like they do. I follow them inside, and the bouncer doesn’t even stop me when he sees I’m with them. I kind of like that. They push through the crowd till they get to a door at the back of the room.
“We need to speak with Stu,” Mick tells the bouncer in front of the door. The bouncer is huge––his head is in line with the top of the door––and his biceps are bulging out of his tight black t-shirt.
“He’s busy,” he says then stands back up straight and looks beyond us. Mick moves to stand directly in his line of sight.
“I said, we need to speak with Stu,” Mick says, and he and the bouncer have a stare off. I see Wes’s hand slide down his back, gripping onto his gun, so I do the same. Only, Wes doesn’t pull it out of his pants, and I do.
The bouncer’s eyes widen when he sees it, but before he can make a move, it’s fumbling out of my hand and crashing to the floor, one deafening shot ringing out as it crashes to the wood.
“Goddammit, Dominic,” Mick grumbles as the crowd begins screaming and rushing for the doors. I bend down to pick it up, and as I stand, Mick and Wes are making a break for the side entrance. In the shuffle, I go out the front door, looking all over the place for them. But as the club empties out, I turn and run toward the only place I know I can find refuge.
I run down the sidewalk, turn block after block, weaving in and out of people on the streets, until I get to their building. I yank my phone from my pocket, dialing her with trembling hands as I burst into the building behind another resident and duck in the corner of the lobby.
“Dom?” she answers. “Everything okay?”
“I need to come up,” I tell her. “I’m here, in your building. I need to come up. I need to lay low.”
“Come on,” she says, hanging up. I get on the elevator and take it up to the top floor. When I get off, she’s waiting for me, waving me in quickly to the apartment. She brings a finger to her lips to tell me to stay quiet then takes my hand and leads me down the long hallway and into her bedroom.
She yanks me in and closes the door behind me. And once I realize I’m with her, safe, my body starts to react physically to the intense situation I almost just found myself. Failing my dad, and Mick, and Sal. The innocent people I could have killed when my gun went off.
Or killing myself.
She walks toward me when she sees me shaking and reaches a hand for me, but there’s a knock on her door.
“Hon,” her dad says.
She puts a finger to her lips then motions to her floor on the other side of her bed. I jump across the room and duck down on the floor just as Sal opens the door. She sits on the bed and looks up at him, draping her leg down on the floor next to me.
“Hey, Dad,” she says, her voice calm and drowsy, like she’s been lying here the whole time. “What’s going on?”
“I, uh…I need to run out. Got to meet with Marlon. Have you heard from Dominic tonight?”
“Earlier,” she says. “Nothing lately. Why?”
“He, uh…no reason. If you hear from him, let me know, okay?”
“Sure,” she says. Then he walks out and closes the door. We wait another beat until we hear the front door close, then I slowly push up from the floor so that I’m on my knees next to her bed. She turns to me and throws her other leg off so we’re just a foot or so apart, facing each other.
“Thanks for covering for me,” I say, looking up at her.
“Of course,” she says, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. I was in such a frenzy getting in here that I haven’t gotten to really admire her yet, so I take a moment to do just that. Her hair is a little damp from her shower, her face is fresh from makeup, and she smells like a damn meadow. She scoots a little closer then leans over her knees a little bit so that we’re eye to eye. I feel my heart skip a beat, and I swallow. “Dominic?”
“Yeah?” I ask. She clears her throat, her eyes dropping down to her hands in her lap.
“I...I know it’s not my place. But I don’t want you mixed up in whatever it is they’re getting you mixed up in,” she says, her voice just above a whisper. I swallow and scoot a little bit closer to her. I reach out and tilt her chin up to me, and finally, our eyes meet. Her big green eyes are full of worry, and I have to admit, it sort of feels...good.
“You worried about me, Melucci?” I ask, giving her a little smile. She doesn’t say anything; she just nods slowly. I put my hands up on her cheeks, stroking her bottom lip with my thumb. “I kind of love that,” I say, and before we both know it, my lips are on hers like magnets. She tastes better than I could have ever imagined, and when she reaches her hand up to run through the back of my hair, I feel my dick jump in my pants, pulling my body toward hers. I push up to my feet and gently nudge her back on the bed, crawling on top of her as she lies back against the pillow. She tugs me down toward her, her fingers weaving through my hair. When I gently tug on her bottom lip with my teeth, a soft moan escapes her lips that makes me lose my mind.
“Dominic,” she whispers as I move from her lips, to her jaw, then to her neck. “Don’t do whatever they want you to do. Do what you
want to do.”
I smile against her neck, careful not to leave a mark.
“All I want is you,” I whisper, and I feel her grip on my hair tighten.
“If you stay out of their mess,” she says, tugging me up by the collar of my shirt then sucking my lip into her mouth, “you have me.”
My eyes practically roll back in my head as I press my groin into her so she knows what she’s doing to me. But I regain the last little bit of control I have, pull back, and look down at her.
“I know what I’m doing, Scar,” I whisper. “How about this: you don’t ask, and I won’t tell you. Just trust me, okay?” She pauses for a moment, her eyes fluttering open to look up at me.
“I can’t explain why, but I did the moment I met you,” she says with a smile that would bring me to my knees if I wasn’t lying on top of her. I lean down and kiss her again, my hand sliding up to the bottom of her shirt. She squirms under my touch, her body bucking against mine as my fingers crawl up her stomach. I hold my breath as I cup her breast, her nipple peaked against my palm. She moans again, and I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven already. I can’t imagine what will happen if we actually get naked together. I’ll probably explode where I stand.
As I move my hand, massaging her, kneading her nipple between my fingers, my phone vibrates across the floor, sending us both shooting up. I scramble out of the bed and snatch it up when I see Mick’s name flash on the screen. We both look down at it then look up at each other. And I think we both become aware that our night is coming to an end before it even got started.
I draw in a breath and slide my finger across the screen.
“Mick,” I say.
“Where the fuck are you?”
I look up at her. She doesn’t want me involved in this; there’s no way in hell I’m involving her.
“I ran out. Pick me up at Deckton and Park,” I tell him. He hangs up without another word, and I look up at her. Her eyes have dropped again, and she’s tucking that same piece of hair behind her ear. I reach out and grab her hands, pulling her into me for another kiss.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, pressing my forehead to hers. “This isn't over, right?” I ask, motioning between us. She gives me that smile again and leans up on her knees, kissing me again.
“As long as you’re safe,” she says, “we’re just getting started.”
I smile at her before slipping off the bed and walking toward the door, taking a mental picture of her before I leave.
8
Dominic - Present
I help her get her bag up to the guest suite and put it down on her bed.
“Thanks,” she says, and as she stretches across to open it up, all I can think about is throwing her down on the bed and touching her everywhere. But when she turns back to me, I shake my head and look up at her. “Have you heard from my dad any more? He’s not answering my calls or texts.”
I sigh and shake my head.
“Not much. I’ll let you know if I do, though.”
I fucking hate lying to her. I swore I never would, but if it’s between lying and keeping her safe, I’ll lie every goddamn time.
But I want to punch her father for making me decide between the two.
“I need to go to work on Monday,” she says, looking up at me. I shoot her a look.
“Scarlett––”
“Dominic, I’m not missing work. I will not have this bullshit upend my entire life,” she says. “I’m not asking you. I’m letting you know. So, you can let my dad know that he needs to have this shit wrapped up by then.”
I sigh, my eyebrows knitting together. I forgot about the fire she has in her. And I forgot how much it turns me on.
“You’re gonna make my life difficult, aren’t you, Melucci?” I ask, stuffing my hands in my pockets. She looks up at me and raises an eyebrow.
“You can bet your ass on it, Castiano,” she says. I chuckle and shake my head as I walk toward the door.
“I have a few things I have to do today, but one of the guys will be here. Call me if you need anything,” I say. She drops the shirt in her hands and walks toward me.
“I’ll be okay,” she says. “I’ll just be settling in here at Hotel Castiano,” she says, making a grand gesture with her hands. I smile. “I’ll just unpack a few things, maybe read a little.” Then her eyes meet mine again. “Maybe take another bath.”
I feel the flames course through my veins, and my breath shallows, picturing her naked. Last night it felt intimate—sacred, almost.
Right now, it’s just fucking hot.
But before I can say anything, she shoves me out of the room and closes the door, leaving me with a bulge in my pants and a bruised ego.
An hour later, I’m walking into Birk’s, and I spot Sal sitting in the very back, up against the corner. His eyes jump from person to person, and he reeks of paranoia.
“Dom,” he says, nodding in my direction as I pull the chair out across from him.
“Sal,” I say.
“How is she?” he asks.
“She’s fine,” I tell him. “Tell me what the fuck is going on.” There’s sweat forming on his brow now, and he wipes it away and looks up at me with beady eyes. His hairline is receding more than it was the last time I saw him more than a decade ago, and he’s definitely put on some weight.
“Remember when your father and I...when he...when your father and I stopped talking?” he says, rubbing his temple. “It was because your father had found out that I, uh, made a deal with, with, uh…”
“Johnny Dexter,” I say, and the name makes his eyes bulge out of his head. He looks all around the restaurant again.
“Yes,” he says barely above a whisper. “He offered to do a job for me for a minimal fee, but I owed him for it.”
Finally, he lifts his eyes to me.
“I needed him to shake someone down for some money they owed,” he says, “and he barely charged for it. But he told me that he’d need me in the future. He came back a few months later with some smaller jobs––getting my boys to run some, uh, contraband for him, things of that nature.” His Brooklyn accent is thick as he speaks, and his eyes won’t stop bouncing around.
“And?”
“Well, we did a few jobs like that for him, and I thought we were finished. Didn’t hear from him for a while,” he says. “But then he, uh…he wanted more from me.”
I cock an eyebrow.
“Like what?”
Sal looks down at his hands, and he twists his fingers around each other.
“He wanted me to get rid of your father,” he whispers, and I feel my hands ball into fists. “But I didn’t, I didn’t,” he says, holding his hands up. “And I let Marlon know. But that’s when your father cut me off, because I had to tell him that Johnny was after him, so he knew I’d been working with him.”
I swallow, my eyes narrowing on him. I contemplate doing Johnny Dexter a favor and getting rid of him right now.
“But after that, Dexter kept coming back. He said my debt hadn’t been repaid, and he’d send men to watch the house, things like that. To this day, I’m not, uh…” He pauses, running a finger across his lips. “I’m not completely convinced my wife and daughter died in an accident. The detectives said later that there was evidence of tampering with her brake line.”
I sit back in my chair.
“Jesus,” I say. “Does Scarlett know this?”
He shakes his head.
“No. And she can’t know,” he tells me, his eyes wide. I nod.
“So what now?” I ask.
“Well, I hadn’t heard from Johnny in a while,” he goes on. “But a few days ago, he called again, saying he needed me to redeem myself. He told me that your family was making themselves known again. I told him I was out, but he told me there’s only one real way out. Then he mentioned Scarlett.”
I feel the heat rush through my body.
“What about her?”
“He said he knew she had something to do with y
ou all being in on his plans,” he says. “And he told me she should watch herself. He said the next time he called with a job, I needed to do it, or she wouldn’t be safe.”
I swallow, my fists clenching again.
“I don’t know what to do, Dominic,” he says, and I see his bottom lip tremble. And for a brief moment, I think of my own father, the night we found my sister beaten, broken, and never the same.
The guilt he carried until the day he died.
“She’s all I got left,” he says, “and she’s never wanted anything to do with any of this. She’s always wanted me out of it, and now I’ve gone and dragged her into it. I don’t know how to stop him.”
I lift my eyes to his.
“There’s only one way we can.” I push myself up. “Keep a low profile,” I tell him, “and keep your phone on you. I’ll have one of my guys tail you, but you can’t come to the house. Not while she’s there. I won’t have you leading them right to her.”
He nods.
“Thank you, Dominic.”
“Don’t thank me, Sal,” I tell him before I turn. “None of this is for you. It’s all for her. And on that note, call her. Tell her not to worry, but convince her she needs to stay with us until we figure this out.”
Sal nods, and I push my chair in and walk away. As I walk out of the restaurant, I scratch the back of my head, trying to figure out what the fuck I’m going to do. I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial Gio.
“Hey,” he says.
“Hey. We gotta have a meeting tonight. Call Carter,” I tell him.
“About what?”
“About Dexter,” I say.
“Done.”
Click.
When I get home, I drop my keys on the entryway table and hang up my coat, trudging across the foyer as I swipe a hand down my face. The same question that’s been plaguing my family for decades is back to haunt us again: how do we deal with Johnny Dexter?
He’s taken so much from my family. I won’t let him take her, too.
I walk through the foyer toward the back of the house and into the kitchen and grab a glass from the cabinet above the sink, filling it with water. As I’m gulping it down, I look out the back window, and I freeze when I see her in a bright-pink sports bra and matching leggings, bending down toward one leg and holding it. I stand up straight as I watch her, my jaw to the ground. She stands up, putting her legs together, then bends over to the front and touches her toes, and I feel like I’m going to implode.
The King Page 5
