Her Dom's Lesson (Dominic Powers Book 2) (25 page)

The setting sun draws my attention to the scenic view outside and it reminds me of Sophia’s comment about just enjoying spending time outside.  Mentally chastising myself to reign my thoughts back into the task at hand so I can get home, I don’t hear anyone in the hallway until he’s already in my office.

“Dominic, my boy, what are you doing here so late?” Darren asks jovially.

“Hey Darren, I thought everyone was already gone.  I’m just finishing up some things here before going home.  What are you doing here so late?” I answer absently.

Darren walks to the other side of my office and pours two tumblers of bourbon.  He places mine on my desk and takes a seat across from me.  “You look like you could use a drink,” Darren says.

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” I say as I pick up my glass.

“It’s funny how things happen, isn’t it?  One day, you have everything figured out, then life throws a monkey wrench in all your plans and you think you’re fucked again.  But then, it just seems to all come together again in the end,” he says cryptically.

Furrowing my brow and narrowing my eyes in confusion, I ask, “What do you mean, Darren?  I’m not following you.”

“Let me tell you a story.  Humor an old man,” Darren says as he gets up and closes my office door.   I lean back in my chair, sensing I’m not going to like where this story ends.

“My youngest sister, Lex, was one of those
‘oops’
babies.  She was born the year I graduated from high school. She was a complete surprise to my parents, you see, but she quickly became our favorite.  As my only sibling, I was more than protective of her–she was more like my own child rather than my sister.

“She got married young and had a baby.  My niece, Hope, was more like one of my granddaughters.  I doted on her all the time.  She was so much like her mom.  Full of life, big heart, beautiful soul, and she was gorgeous.  She graduated high school at the top of her class and had a bright future ahead of her,” he pauses, overcome with emotion.

Was? Had? 
I can’t voice the question stuck in my head. 
Why is everything in the past tense?

“When I first met Sophia, I felt like the breath had been knocked out of me.  She reminds me so much of my Hope that it hurts to even be around her.  Honestly, that’s the main reason why I sent her back to work with you.  It was just more than I could bear.

“Anyway, I digress.  Hope went off to college and got mixed up with the wrong boy. You know teenagers, they think they know everything and anyone older than them is just
‘out of touch,’
so of course she wouldn’t listen to reason when I tried to tell her.  He was all hyped up on drugs and into things he shouldn’t be into, but she was in love and defended him.

“She got in the car with him one night and he was too drunk and high to drive.  When he wrecked the car that night, he killed our Hope,” he pauses as he reflects on what he just said.  “You know, saying that out loud, it resonates even more with me.  He killed our
hope
in more ways than one.”

“Darren, I had no idea.  I’m so sorry.  Why didn’t you tell me when this happened?  If I’d known that it was so hard on you, I would’ve never agreed to have Sophia report to you.  I feel like I added to your grief.”  I never knew any of this and now I feel like an ass for not realizing he wasn’t acting the same sooner.

“Don’t blame yourself for that, Dominic,” he replies.  “I’ve helped support Lex financially for the last seven years since her husband passed, but she always worked and contributed.  But, she just hasn’t been able to go back to work after losing Hope going on two years ago.  Money has been tight for my own family, and in some rash decisions, I made a few bad investments that has really cost me.  My wife, my sister, and I are all about to lose everything we have.

“I came across something interesting while I was researching ways to make my money back.  You authorized a life insurance policy on yourself, payable to DPS, upon your death to ensure the company keeps going.  Having that money would solve all of my problems at once.”

No, surely not.

“When I realized exactly who Sophia was, the stars just seemed to magically align right over my head.  Her brother was involved with the drug cartel in Austin and his best friend was the cartel boss’s son.  Her crazy ex-boyfriend had started all kinds of trouble for both of you.  Those connections were perfect to take any suspicion off of me,” he says ominously, but his eyes have glassed over and I’m not sure if he’s talking to me or to himself now.

“Suspicions of what, Darren?”

“Your death, Dominic,” he replies, his tone holds a hint of astonishment that I haven’t already figured this out.  “Shawn and Ramon tried more than once to make it look like a tragic accident, but you just wouldn’t cooperate.  When you survived the car wreck, I wasn’t too surprised.  Those two idiots couldn’t pull off something that sophisticated.

“But, when you got out of the burning house after being drugged, I just couldn’t believe it.  I thought I’d lose everything I’ve worked my whole life to obtain.  Shawn outlived his usefulness when he figured out who I was.  He wasn’t going to live anyway.  His fate was sealed the day he killed my Hope, he just didn’t know it.

“Imagine my surprise when I found out that
Harrison
was also part of that same group, but he was a hit man for the cartel.  I thought I’d been given another chance at redemption!  Harrison and Ramon together would surely be able to take you and Sophia out, right?  There was already a clearly documented case between you, Sophia, Shawn, Harrison, and Ramon. 

“It was the perfect scenario.  All of you would die, the insurance policy would be paid to the company, and I would convince your grieving parents to give me control of DPS.  Rich Daltry made an offhand remark about wishing he could acquire a company like DPS during one of our calls, and that gave me the idea of selling DPS for hundreds of millions, and walk away with more than I ever imagined.

“But you killed them both, despite the odds.  You and Sophia both lived through it all!  How can that be?  A lowlife thug took Hope from us.  My sister can barely function now.  My wife and I are about to lose everything.  But, you and your little pregnant whore have it all–even after she betrayed you!

“So, I have to take this into my own hands,” he says calmly.  Too calmly.  “Your death will look like a cartel retaliation for you killing three of their own, most importantly the boss’s son.”

“Three?” I ask.

“Harrison, Ramon, and Shawn.”

“You killed Shawn?”

“Of course.  I just told you–he outlived his usefulness.”  He removes a gun from inside his jacket and levels it at me.  “Let’s go to the parking garage.  I don’t want to answer more questions about how someone got past security here.”

“You helped Ramon get in here,” I say, realization setting in.

“Yes, that was all part of Harrison’s agreement.  He wanted you to be publicly shamed for his sister’s death when your office was packed up after your death.  He really wasn’t that bright, but he was intent on destroying you in every way possible.  Now, move.”

Slowly walking to the door, I ask him, “Why didn’t you just tell me you needed help, Darren?  You know I’d help you.”

“I was going to, Dominic, until I realized that you were sleeping with the enemy’s sister.  I’ve really been conflicted over Sophia’s fate because her personality reminds me so much of Hope.  But, at the end of the day, it all comes down to family.  Hope is my family.  Besides, if Sophia’s left alive, your parents will want to give the company to her and your baby.  That means the cartel will retaliate against her, too.”

“You mean you will kill a defenseless, pregnant woman, who reminds you of your loved one,” I clarify, hoping the bluntness will shake his resolve.

“Family, Dominic.  It’s all about family.”

Yes, it is.

When I open my office door, I know we’re not alone.

Sophia

“Something is wrong, I can feel it.  Please go check on him,” I beg Shadow.  “Dominic told Tucker to stay with me in case of an emergency while I’m pregnant, so he won’t leave me.  I’m about to drive into downtown Dallas and check on him myself!”

“All right, little one.  Let me see what I can do.  You’re just lucky I’m back in the area this week,” he playfully chides me.  “Where are you anyway?”

“I’m at the main house looking at color swatches for the nursery.  Do you want me to meet you at the office?”

“No, ma’am.  You stay put.  Dominic would have my head if something is wrong and I put you in danger,” Shadow laughs.  “Leave it to me.”

“Thank you, Shadow.  Call me as soon as you can.  Dominic isn’t answering his phone.  He wouldn’t ignore repeated calls from me.”

“No, he definitely wouldn’t do that.  Give me a few minutes.  I’m not far from his office now.”

We hang up and I pace the floor, not knowing what else to do.  Over the past month, Shadow has called and checked on us a couple of times a week.  We really became attached to him when he was here all the time and missed him when he left after
‘the incident
.’  I knew we couldn’t keep him, but the big guy is really great to have around.

It’s killing me to wait and do absolutely nothing.  Pacing back and forth, wringing my hands, and looking at the clock every sixty seconds is not helping at all.  “Tucker!” I yell as I jog down the hall.

He steps out from the kitchen doorway.  “Are you okay?”

“No, something’s wrong.  I’m doing to Dominic’s office.  You can follow me if you can keep up or you can drive me.”

“That’s not a good idea, Sophia,” Tucker says, but even he can’t hide his concern for Dominic.

“Good idea or not, I’m going.”  I grab the keys and briskly walk to the garage door.

“Hang on,” he says with resignation.  “I’ll drive.”

I toss him the keys and we jump into the car.  Tucker floors it when we turn on the main road.  Time seems to stand still as we fly by the other cars.  The miles are longer and longer the closer we get.  The usual forty-minute drive might as well be a three-day cross-country excursion.  Dominic still hasn’t called me back and my imagination is running away with terrifying scenarios.  This hasn’t happened since the day I thought he’d been shot.  I’ve had nothing but good thoughts and good feelings.  But this just isn’t like him, at all.

“Hurry, Tucker,” I plead.  “I’m sorry.  I know you’re doing all you can do.  I’m just scared.”

“I understand, Sophia.  You don’t need to apologize.  We’re almost there.”

When the building is finally is sight, my heart is beating even faster than Tucker was driving.  When we pull into the parking garage twenty minutes after we left the house, my pounding heart comes to a halt and tears spring to my eyes.  I can’t believe what I’m seeing. 
No, God, please!

An ambulance and several police cars are in the parking garage and their emergency lights are still going.  The paramedics are rolling the stretcher toward the open door in the back and Dominic is lying motionless on the stretcher.  Shadow is following closely behind them, his ear glued to his cell phone, and a cop is putting Darren Hardy in handcuffs.  Tucker screeches to a stop and I jump out of the car in a mad dash to my Dom.

“Dominic!” My scream echoes through the empty parking garage.

Dominic’s head jerks up off the stretcher in search of my voice.  “Stop!  Let me off this thing!” he demands. 

He sits up and swings his legs over the side and that’s when I see his blood-soaked shirt.  I finally reach his side and all I want to do is wrap my arms around him, but I don’t want to hurt him.  “You’re bleeding!  What happened?  Where are you hurt?”

“Calm down, love.  You’re scaring my son,” he smiles.  “I’m okay, thanks to Shadow.”

“I knew something was wrong!  What happened?  Tell me,” I demand, not feeling the whole submissive thing right now.

“Seems our friend Darren was behind most everything,” he says and my mouth literally drops open.  “Anyway, he came to my office tonight to finish what he started but he wanted to do it here in the garage to look like a cartel retaliation.  He said he was coming after you, too, so he could get my company and the money. When I opened my office door, I saw Shadow hiding in Dana’s closet.”

“He only saw me because I
wanted
him to see me,” Shadow clarifies.

“Anyway,” Dominic grins and cuts his eyes to Shadow, “
when Shadow let me see him in the closet
, I made a break for it to get away from Darren.  He fired his gun and it grazed my shoulder.  Shadow’s scared of you, Sophia, so he called an ambulance to take me to the hospital.”

“She’s scary as shit, man.  You should’ve heard her on the phone earlier,” Shadow replies and shivers exaggeratedly.

“Why do you think I insisted on driving here?  Her driving is even more terrifying,” Tucker chimes in.

I know what the guys are trying to do.  They’re trying to make the moment much less scary by being light-hearted and funny about it.  And I love them for it.

“Very funny, guys,” I say with a smile as I wipe the tears from my eyes. Looking at Shadow and Tucker, I add, “And thank you, both, so much.”

Sitting on the stretcher beside Dominic, I peek inside his shirt to see the wound.  “You should go on to the hospital and let them check that.  At least let them clean it so it doesn’t get infected.”

“Okay, but I’m riding with you and Tucker.  No need for an ambulance.”

“I need just a minute, Dominic,” I say as I make eye contact with Darren.

“Sophia, don’t,” Dominic says softly, his eyes silently asking me to comply.

“I need to say something to him, Dominic.”  Waiting for his nod out of respect, I lean over and kiss him before I get up.  “Thank you.”

Slowly walking over to the police car where Darren’s just been frisked, I stop when I get directly in front of him but stay out of his reach, just in case.  “You knew I didn’t have much of a family life, how I lost my parents and my brother when I was younger, and how that hurt me.  You told me once that I reminded you of your niece and you talked about how much you loved and missed her.  How could you disgrace her memory like this?  How could she be proud of the man you’ve become?”

His face falls as my words take root in his mind.  I turn my back to him and walk away before he has a chance to respond.  There’s nothing he can say that would make up for this now.  He tried to kill the love of my life– the man who is my whole life –and then he was going to kill our baby and me.  And for what?  Money? 

Dom is standing now, watching Darren with an alarming intensity as I put him behind me and set my eyes on my future.  There’s a veiled warning in Dom’s eyes that I think Darren completely understands.

“What is it, Dom?” I ask, knowing there’s always more to the story than what he told me.

Dom looks over the top of head and locks eyes with Darren again.  When I turn around and look at Darren, he opens and closes his mouth a few times as if he wants to say something, but he’s too ashamed.  Dom wraps his arm around me protectively and possessively.

“Sophia,” Dom says softly as he leans his mouth to my ear.  “This won’t be easy for you to hear.”

I brace myself, tightly gripping Dom’s arm that’s around me, covering our baby, but I can’t tear my eyes from Darren’s.  Whatever Dom is about to say, I have a feeling it involves what Darren said to him. The cop stands behind Darren, holding his handcuffed hands to make him listen.  Holding my breath, I wait for Dom to continue.

“The girl that died in the wreck Shawn had was Darren’s niece, Hope.  Sophia,” he pauses, his voice full of dread and pain, “Darren murdered Shawn.”

The screams and tears come simultaneously as I’m overcome with sorrow.  I know I’m shouting
‘NO!’
over and over, but no other words come to me.  NO–he can’t be dead.  NO–he can’t be gone.  NO–we never reconciled.  NO–he is only nineteen.

Just. NO.

Dominic is holding me up, as he’s always done and as he will always do.  He is my rock, my shelter, and my white knight in a cold, black world.  He cradles me in his arms and comforts me, letting me feel everything and deal with it in my own way.  Darren watches with tears streaming down his face.  He took my brother’s life in revenge for his niece, thinking only of the suffering his family has endured.  It’s only now that, as he watches the grief consume me, he realizes Shawn also had a family who loves and misses him, regardless of his mistakes.

“Get him out of here, Officer Jordan.” Shadow says with a cup to the officer’s shoulder, showing his gratitude.

“You got it, big guy,” the officer responds and pushes Darren’s head down as he gets in the backseat of the cruiser.

Shadow walks over to me, his eyes full of compassion.  “I’m so sorry, little one,” he says as he wraps his big arms around me.  I squeeze him hard, conveying my gratitude for everything he’s done for us and step back into Dom’s arms.  “Let’s get Dominic to the hospital to be checked out now.”

Hours later, we’re back home after Dominic’s shoulder injury has been thoroughly X-rayed, cleansed, stitched, and bandaged.  They said he will be sore for a while, especially the next few days, but it really was “only” a flesh wound.  Now I have the horrendous task of calling my parents to tell them their son is gone. 

Gone.
  I overheard a couple of paramedics talking with the nurses in the emergency room while Dominic and I waited.  One of the paramedics said they were trained to never use the words
gone, passed away, passed on
, or anything like that when delivering the worst news a family can hear.  They’re trained to say
dead
so that there’s no confusion, no misunderstanding, and no hope. 

He’s dead.

“Do you want me to help you?” Dominic asks.  There’s no need for elaborating, we both know what he means.

“Just be there with me?” I ask as my voice breaks.

“Of course, baby.”

Opening FaceTime on my MacBook, I call my Dad’s cellphone.  It’s late, way too late for them to be up, but I can’t hold this news until morning.  After a few rings, Dad’s sleepy face fills the window.  “Sophia?  Dominic?  Are you two okay?  What’s going on?”

When the phone rings at nearly three in the morning, it’s never with good news.  “Hi Dad,” I say, now comfortable with calling him that again.  “I hate to wake you but this can’t wait until morning.  Is Mom up?”

“I’m here, honey.  What’s wrong, Sophia?”  Mom replies as Dad extends his arm so I can see them both now.

Taking a deep breath, the tears streaming down my face, and Dominic’s arms wrapped around me from behind, I look into my parents’ eyes and tell them that Shawn is dead.   We cry together as I recount the details of the evening and Dominic fills in the blank spots for us.  After talking and crying for the last thirty minutes, we disconnect with promises to try to get some rest and talk again later.

We all need time to process this. 

Dominic made sure that Shawn’s funeral was beautiful. No expense was spared as he tried to help us find closure and come to terms with the gaping hole left in our lives.  Mom and Dad wanted him buried in Dallas, close to Dominic and me, because they plan to move here with us soon.  Dominic’s parents and his sisters, Emma and Stephanie, also came in a show of emotional support.  Kayla and Rick hugged Dominic and me a little longer than usual after the funeral ended.