Las Vegas Sidewinders: Dominic (4 page)

“I don’t think we qualify as
strangers anymore,” said Dom. “We’ve lived together for two days, and you know
my life story.”

She managed a smile. “I
suppose there’s that.”

“I can help you,” he said.
“Let me help you.”

“I don’t know what you can
do. He’s a detective in Henderson. He knows everyone, has connections
everywhere, and he’ll find me. Then he will make you, and everyone you care
about, miserable, until he gets what he wants.”

“Which is what?”

“I don’t know,” she
admitted. “I don’t think he wants to kill me. He just has a temper, and there’s
no way for me to be perfect enough to make him happy. It started with the first
miscarriage. I talked to the doctor—it happens in about a third of first
pregnancies; so often that many women never even know they’re pregnant. But we
knew, and he was furious, convinced that it was because I was working and going
to school. So he made me quit, and we got pregnant again about six months
later. We had an argument when I was about 15 weeks along, and he shoved me
into a wall. I miscarried the next day.

“He made all the noises
about being sorry and how it would never happen again, but it did. Every time I
got pregnant, he got meaner and meaner, and I miscarried every time. The doctor
told me I should get my tubes tied—every miscarriage caused more damage—but Tim
wouldn’t allow it. He’s still saying he wants a son, but he beats me every time
I get pregnant. There’s nothing left for me. I’m so tired, Dom.” She rested her
head against his arm again. “And eventually I have to go back.”

“What?” Dom took her by the
shoulders, making sure he was firm but gentle. “Are you kidding? You think I’m
going to let you go back? Have you lost your mind?”

“What other choice do I
have?” Tears filled her eyes. “I have nothing.”

“No!” He stood and reached
down for her hands. “Come here.”

“Where?” She put her hands
in his without even realizing she did it.

He pulled her to her feet
and led her into the kitchen. He got his wallet off the counter, opened it and
pulled out a copy of the picture that had been on Andra’s mantle. He kept a
smaller version of it behind his driver’s license. “See this? This is Brian,
Cody, me, Suze, Sergei… this is us before everything changed. Brian’s death
killed all of us in a way, yet we’re still fighting to be here.
You
can’t
give up because
we
haven’t given up, and because if Brian was here, he’d
tell you to knock it off.”

“You’re young and rich and
successful,” she said, running her finger over the photograph. “I’m getting
old, and I have nothing.”

“You have me,” he whispered,
pressing his forehead to hers. “I don’t know why Cody and I found you in that
garage the other day, but we did. Now you’re a part of me. Somehow, for
whatever reason, you were brought into my life. I’m not particularly religious,
but if there is a god or a heaven, Brian is definitely responsible for this. We
crossed paths for a reason, and I’m not letting you go without finding out what
it is.”

“Dom, I have nothing to
offer you,” she said, her eyes meeting his.

“I’m not asking for
anything.”

“I can’t even give you sex.”

“Are you hurt?” he asked.

Her eyes widened. “No… not
like that. But I mean, I, uh, I’m probably old enough to be your mother! You
couldn’t possibly want to…” Her voice trailed off and she seemed wary.

“That’s not what I meant.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not looking for casual sex; you’re not anywhere near
old enough to be my mother; and how did we get into this conversation?”

They both burst out laughing
and laughed until they were on the floor again, side by side, holding their
stomachs.

“Okay, we have to stop,” she
pleaded. “I have some bruised ribs and it hurts to laugh.”

“I’m sorry.” Then they
dissolved into laughter again.

“All right, no more!” she
begged.

“No more,” he agreed. They
both nearly started to laugh again, but instead he reached out to touch her
bruised eye. “I’m sorry he hurt you. If you let me, I’ll make sure no one ever
hurts you again.”

For a moment she looked
startled. “That’s very sweet, Dom.
You’re
very sweet. You’re also very
good-looking. Why are you single?”

“I didn’t meet the right
girl in college, and then I was always afraid to get into a relationship
because of my temper. So I don’t do relationships.”

“Well, we’re quite a pair.
You have a bad temper and I’m apparently one of those women who make men mad
enough to hit them.”

“I don’t think that’s true.
The man I saw in that parking garage the other day was an asshole. I don’t
think I could ever treat a woman the way he was treating you.”

“I don’t think you could
either,” she whispered, realizing that she actually believed it. Maybe that
made her naïve, but somehow she didn’t think so.

“So stay and let me help
you.”

“What am I going to do? Stay
locked up in here for the rest of my life? You might want to get married or
something someday, and what’s your new wife going to say? ‘Oh, sure, the
strange old lady in the guest room can stay’?”

He began to laugh again. “Of
course not. We’re going to find a way to get you away from him. Being a cop
doesn’t make him above the law. I’m a professional athlete, and I know people
too. We just have to lay low for a while: let you heal, and give me time to get
through my probation with the league. In the meantime, we can do some research.
We’ll figure out if you can get a divorce without going to court, see about a
restraining order, stuff like that. You probably will have to stay here in the apartment
for a little while, but we’ll go out on the weekends—we can drive to L.A. or
Reno and just hang out. You can help me work through all this shit I’m dealing
with, and I’ll help you get away from that creep you’re married to. Deal?”

She smiled at him, her one
visible eye sparkling in the pale light. “Deal.”

“And one day,” he added
mischievously. “If you wanted me to, I would make love to you. Because no one
should go through life without having an orgasm from Dom Gianni.”

Her eyes widened and she
almost felt young again. “Why would you want to do that?”

He laughed again, now
completely in his element. “Because I’m a guy?”

She couldn’t help it; she
laughed too.

Molly knew she was going to
have another miscarriage even before it happened. Sitting on the floor of the
bathroom in Dom’s apartment, she practically felt the life of the baby inside
of her draining out of her as she bled. Emotionally raw after so many other
miscarriages, this one was almost a non-event. She’d long since stopped wanting
Tim’s baby, and it was almost a relief to know there wouldn’t be one. Her only
regret was that this had probably been her last chance; there would be no more
babies for her at her age.

She cleaned up as best she
could and found a washcloth she could stuff in her panties to absorb the blood;
Dom would have to take her to a clinic for a D&C. Then maybe this would be
over. She didn’t know where she could go or what she would do, but being away
from Tim was liberating. She could breathe again, despite the strange
circumstances. She didn’t understand what had happened, or how she’d fallen
into this bizarre arrangement with a young, incredibly hot and somewhat
messed-up hockey player, but this was the hand she’d been dealt. Looking at it
from the perspective of an outsider, it was definitely strange; but it was the
only interesting thing that had ever happened to her.

Nothing in her life before
this would have prepared her for the gentle, tortured soul that was Dom Gianni,
yet listening to him tell her his story made him human and showed he was almost
as broken as she. Despite his money, success and good looks, he had as many
demons as she did. She didn’t understand it at all: it was foreign to her, the
idea of having friends and money but being unable to get past the things that
haunted you. He was living proof, though, and something about his
little-boy-lost persona melted her heart. If she’d never had a reason to get up
in the morning before, she had one now.

When she heard his key in
the lock, she tried to get up but it took too much effort. She was weak from
lack of sleep and probably from blood loss as well, so she leaned back against
the sink and waited. He would find her; she had no doubt of that. She sensed
that about him, even after knowing him just a few days, and it was comforting.

“Molly?” Dom tapped on the
door.

“I’m not feeling great.” she
called back.

“Can I come in?”

“Yes,” she replied, and the
door opened.

“What’s happened?” he asked,
dropping to his knees in front of her, his dark eyes narrowed with concern.

“I had another miscarriage.
I need to go to a clinic—I know of one that will treat me for free.”

“I have money. I can take
you to a hospital.”

“No.” She shook her head.
“This clinic deals with a lot of abused women. They won’t call Tim. That’s
what’s important.”

“Can you get up?”

“I don’t think so,” she
admitted.

He lifted her in his strong
arms and she closed her eyes. For now, she would lose herself in his strength
and the security he provided. Later, when she was physically healed, she would
find a way to leave Tim for good. Even if she only had a few days to figure
something out, it was better than anything she’d ever had before. She still had
nothing, but Dom made her remember that she had herself. Maybe that was enough.

Molly awoke and blinked
groggily in the semi-darkness. Spying Dom in a chair at her side, tapping at
his phone, she watched him for a few minutes. He was so good-looking she
couldn’t help but stare. She hadn’t thought about men being attractive in years
but Dom wasn’t just attractive, he was downright hot. With his rakishly long
dark hair and brooding dark eyes, it was hard not to just reach out and touch
him. The cleft in his chin gave him a dangerously sexy look, and his full, wide
mouth was the kind you wanted to kiss. Not that she thought about things like
that anymore, but she could still appreciate the man he was.

He looked up. “You’re
awake,” he said. “How are you?”

“Tired, but okay.”

“The doctor said he stopped
the bleeding and cleaned everything out,” he told her. “But your body won’t be
able to take another miscarriage. If you have another one, you’re going to have
to have a hysterectomy.”

“I know.” She swallowed
hard. “Thanks for being here. You didn’t have to stay.”

“Of course I did. No one
should wake up from surgery alone.”

“They take good care of
people here, even when you don’t have money.”

“I’m paying for everything.
Don’t worry about that.”

“I can’t take money from
you!” she said, tears pooling in her eyes. “You barely know me!”

“I thought we made a deal
that I would help you get through this and you would help me get through my
issues?”

“But your issues don’t cost
money!”

“My issues could cost me a
$25 million contract,” he said mildly. “I would say they cost quite a bit.”

She choked back a sob. “Why
are you doing this? I’m just a messed up, abused woman who stumbled into your
life. Helping me isn’t going to bring Brian back, Dom.”

“I know.” He took one of her
hands between both of his and gently rubbed it. “If I can make a difference in
someone’s life, everything I’ve worked for is actually worth something other
than money. Maybe Brian’s death wasn’t a freak accident that ruined me forever.
Maybe you’re my second chance. Maybe saving you makes up for being three
minutes too late to save him. In my heart of hearts, for whatever reason, I
truly believe that Brian sent you to me to take care of. Maybe it was his time
to go, but I refuse to believe it’s yours.”

For what seemed like
forever, they just looked at each other. Finally, she smiled faintly. “You know
that I have nothing? I have a purse and a driver’s license and there might be
some loose change in the bottom of my bag, but that’s it. Even the clothes on
my back are ruined.”

He shrugged. “Suze can take
you shopping.”

They looked at each other
for another long moment before she spoke his name. “Dom?”

“Yeah?”

“If I agree to this, I go
from being an abused prisoner to being a pampered one. I still have to hide
from him.”

“Not forever.” He squeezed
her hand as the doctor came in. “We’re going to take care of it. And you’ll
never be a prisoner with me—you can walk out that door any time you like. But I
want you to stay and get well and let me help you. Okay?”

“Okay.” She looked deep into
his long-lashed chocolate-brown eyes. For a moment, she was entranced by his
good looks and realized she couldn’t remember what it was like to feel that way
about a man. She smiled again. “Thank you,” was all she said.

“You’re welcome.”

Molly woke up the next
morning feeling disoriented. This wasn’t her room at Dom’s, and for a moment
she felt panicked that she might be home again. Then she remembered, and
settled back into the comfortable bed. They’d decided she might be more
comfortable at Suze and Cody’s house, so now she was getting charity from even
more people she didn’t know. But they’d made her feel welcome, and both seemed
easy-going and sweet. She’d been a little nervous about coming here, but Dom
could talk her into almost anything. When she’d gone to bed, he’d lain next to
her and promised not to leave until she was asleep.

He was gone now, and she
looked around for some clue as to the time. The clock on the nightstand said
ten-forty-six, and she realized she’d slept for more than 12 hours. She got up
and went into the bathroom, staring at herself with growing alarm. She was
wearing a pair of Cody’s old sweats and a t-shirt, with a pair of Suze’s
maternity underwear. Her right eye was finally open, though the bruise was
still dark purple and ugly. The cut on her lip was beginning to heal, but it
hurt if she didn’t keep it moisturized. Dom had bought her some lip balm, but
it was back at his apartment.

Suze had given her a new
toothbrush, toothpaste and a hair band so she could pull her hair back out of
her face. She washed up the best she could and then padded downstairs.

Suze was sitting at the
kitchen island working on her laptop. She looked up at Molly with a smile.

“Good morning! How did you
sleep?”

“Pretty well,” Molly said,
sitting on one of the stools.

“Would you like some coffee?
I kept it on for you.”

“That would be great.” Molly
gratefully accepted a steaming mug and took a sip.

“No cream or sugar?”

“Nope. I like it black.”

“Sugar is my weakness,” said
Suze. “I love sweets. Luckily, I exercise enough that I don’t have to watch
everything I put in my mouth.” She laughed.

“Is Dom working out?”

“Yeah, and then they had a
meeting because the two assistant coaches arrived, plus a new trainer. There’s
a big meeting with them and the GM and the owner.”

“I know close to nothing
about hockey,” Molly admitted. “It’s embarrassing.”

“We’ll watch some videos on
YouTube. I’ll show you Dom and Cody’s most shining moments. Watching Dom fight,
when he’s not angry, is actually a beautiful thing, because—”

“You think fighting is
beautiful?” Molly looked confused.

“You have to remember that
fighting is a tradition in hockey,” Suze said slowly. “Yes, sometimes it gets
out of control and guys do things they shouldn’t, but in general, when a couple
of guys drop the gloves and throw a few punches, it adds momentum, it boosts
morale on a team that’s struggling. It’s rare that anyone gets hurt. After the
game, a lot of these guys are friends, or at least acquaintances with respect
for each other. Fighting isn’t usually serious. Of course, there’s always a
jerk out there who goes after everyone and intentionally tries to hurt guys,
but that’s the exception, not the rule.”

“What does Dom do?”

“Sometimes he can’t stop
himself. He gets caught up in whatever it is that haunts him and then…” Suze’s
voice trailed off. “Anyway, hopefully this anger management stuff and us all
being together again will help.”

“It must have been a
terrible time.”

Suze glanced at her. “Did
Dom tell you our history?”

“Most of it. I know about
the night Brian died and how you and Cody got pregnant and all that. I know how
close you all were and how everything fell apart when Brian died.”

“It’s never been the same. I
thought I knew exactly how my life was going to go. Brian and I would get
married—he’d already been drafted—and we would have babies and a wonderful life
with our family and friends. But then…” She paused, biting her lip. “One freak
incident changed everything. I wound up married to a guy who was great but I
didn’t love, with a beautiful baby boy who became my whole world.”

“At least you’re married to
a man who cares about you,” Molly said after a moment. “It may not be perfect,
but it’s better than a man who can’t stand the sight of you, who drinks and
calls you names, then forces you to have sex night after night in the hope of
producing a son, but then beats you until the child is dead.” She looked away
sadly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No.” Suze reached out and
covered one of Molly’s hands with her own. “You’re right. I have a pretty great
life. Cody and I don’t have a perfect marriage, but he’s kind and gentle; he’s
a wonderful father and a great provider. He’s smart, funny and good-looking,
and it would never cross his mind to hit me. I can’t complain, although
sometimes I still do.” She shrugged sheepishly.

“Brian’s been gone a long
time,” Molly said. “Don’t you think you could ever love Cody?”

“Oh, but I do!” Suze shook
her head. “It’s so complicated. When we first got married, the guilt almost
killed me, and of course we were both mourning. I was pregnant, and there was
no sex during that time. After CJ was born we tried to be a “couple,” but Brian
was always the elephant in the room. Eventually, I just couldn’t do it anymore,
and after a while Cody started looking elsewhere. I finally told him it would
be a marriage in name only, and if he wanted a divorce, I was okay with that.
But he said no, we were going to raise CJ together and if I didn’t want to
sleep with him that was okay too. He was determined to take care of me and be a
family with CJ. He said Brian would have expected that of him. So here we are.”

“But if you’re in love with
him, and he’s always been in love with you—”

“What are you talking about?
Cody’s never been in love with me! We had drunk sex the night of Brian’s
funeral and when I found out I was pregnant, we immediately got married because
he knew Brian wouldn’t want me to do it alone. Cody never loved me.”

Molly looked at this woman
who was practically a stranger to her and frowned. “Look, I’m late to the
party. I wasn’t around back then, and I don’t even know what I’m doing here
now—but I can tell you, based on what I’ve seen and what Dom’s told me, Cody is
one hundred percent in love with you. He always has been, but you’ve never
loved anyone besides Brian and Cody couldn’t compete with him. Not when he was
alive, and even less now that he’s dead.”