The Beautiful People (18 page)

“You
have to be hurting,” he said as he handed me the pills. I nodded. It felt like
I had been through a tornado. I couldn’t even imagine the agony Brittany was
going to be in when she woke up.

“Your
bath’s ready.” Dominic took the glass from my hand and left me alone in the
room. When I walked into the bathroom my eyes started to water again. Dominic
had made me a bubble bath, lit candles and laid out a change of clean clothes.
I took off my skirt, struggled with the corset top and my underwear. They all
got tossed into the garbage. I caught a glimpse of my reflection and gasped.
Blood was dried and crusted in the corner of my swollen mouth; scratches
covered my legs and stood out bright pink against my fair skin. Marco’s
handprint was still visible on my throat. That would explain why it hurt to
swallow. Feeling faint, I forced myself to look away. The bath beckoned to me
and I sunk in. The hot water relaxed my aching muscles. First I scrubbed every
inch of my skin, trying to erase the feel of Mr. Genovese’s hands. If I could
have scrubbed my nasal passages to get his smell out my head, I would have.
Drained, I sunk in deeper so the bubbles covered my chin.

I stayed submerged
until the water started to cool and slowly stepped out. The combination of the
Advil and the bath had eased a lot of the pain. Exhausted, I stumbled back into
the bedroom and curled up in bed with the covers pulled over my head. Just as I
was drifting off, Dominic yanked the covers off and I screamed.

“Oh
Jesus, I’m sorry!” Dominic apologized as he tried to calm me down. “Dr. Russo
said I needed to keep you awake.” He picked up a mug of coffee from the night
stand and handed it to me. I sat up wearily and took the mug. He sat down cautiously
on the bed next to me, but careful to keep a safe distance.  We sipped our
coffee in silence.

“Dom?”

“Yeah
baby?”

“I
want to know. How come you and Grant didn’t do anything, back at Crimson?” I
asked, more rational this time around.

He winced and stared
out the window unable to meet my eyes. “We couldn’t…” his jaw clenched
slightly. “Even Marco is terrified of them.” I had a hard time believing Marco
was terrified of anything. “It’s always been that way. They come down here and
do whatever. Had I bashed Genovese’s head in tonight like I wanted to…we would
all be dead right now.”

I took another sip of
coffee before I continued with my questions. “Why didn’t Uncle Marco do
anything?”

            “Because
Uncle Marco is the most like them, it’s like he understands them.” I recalled
how quickly Marco could switch emotions and detach himself from the situation.
The handprint on my throat burned and I reached up to gently massage the skin.
Dominic followed my movement and stared at the handprint. “Jesus, Nat. What did
that guy do to you?”

I smiled weakly at him.
“Your uncle did this.”

            “What?” he
yelled and threw his mug against the wall. It exploded upon impact and pieces
flew in every direction. I jerked away from his reaction. Coffee sprayed onto
the beige carpet and dripped down the white wall.

            “He forced
me to join Mr. Geno – that guy.” I couldn’t bear to say his name, “upstairs.”

Dominic seemed to
vibrate with rage. He clenched and unclenched his fists as he paced the room. The
nostrils of his straight nose flared and his chiseled jaw was clenched tight.

            “Dominic,
your uncle is not a nice guy – you just said he’s more like those guys from the
five families.”

            “I know
Nat, but I can’t believe he went that far.” He walked over to the window and
rested his forehead against the glass. “You’re practically family.” His back
was to me and I could see his breathing beginning to slow. When he had calmed
down he came back to the bed and sat next to me.

            “Natalie?”
he looked at me. “Did you and that guy…um, you know?”

            “No.” I
could hear Dominic let out a sigh of relief. “He came really close…” I started
to cry again. My hands were shaking so badly I had to quickly set the mug down.

            “How did
you know where to find me?”

            “My dad
called me once he was by himself. He did not like what went down at all. I had
no idea how bad it was. I mean, my God, look at what they did to Brittany…” It
went unsaid, but we were both thinking how it very easily could have been me.
Dom’s cell phone started to ring in the kitchen. He got up to go answer it. I
was suddenly very tired and didn’t want to talk anymore. I lay down on my side
and closed my eyes. I had just dozed off when Dom shook me awake. I cringed
away from his touch and he dropped his hands to his side. “Sorry baby, you need
to stay awake.” I moaned and rolled over so my back was facing him. “Grant and
Miranda are on their way over. Are you hungry? They’re bringing bagels.”

            “I’m not
hungry.”

“I
can’t let you sleep, if you stay in bed that’s all you’ll want to do.” He urged
me to get out of bed and I complied. He was just trying to look after me.

            “I don’t
want to talk about last night anymore.”

            “Okay,
whatever you want.” I don’t think he wanted to hear the details either. I
crawled out of bed and followed him out into the living room. I curled up on
the end of the sectional. Dominic went into the kitchen to make more coffee. I
zoned out on the sound of the coffee brewing and Dominic moving around in the
kitchen. Normal sounds. Normal was good right about now.

There was a light knock
on the door and Dominic let Grant and Miranda in. They had both changed out of
their work clothes. Miranda wore yoga pants and a t-shirt, her sleek black hair
was pulled up in a twist. Grant wore jeans and a button down shirt that was
rolled up at the sleeves, exposing his muscular forearms. Dominic still wore
his work clothes. He had been too busy fussing about me to change. Had he been
wearing a light shirt, bloodstains from Brittany would probably be visible.

I was too tired to move
from the couch, so they all joined me after they had made their bagels.
Ordinarily I wouldn’t pass up fresh bagels, but my appetite was nonexistent. It
didn’t go unnoticed.

“You’re
not hungry?” Grant asked, sounding surprised.

“No.
I’m not.” I answered defensively. “Would you be?”

“Probably
not,” Grant muttered. They ate in silence, which I embraced. I wasn’t in the
mood to talk.

Miranda set her bagel
down and looked at me. “Natalie, I am so sorry. What my father allowed to
happen…it’s, it’s unforgiveable!”

I shrugged my shoulders.
“It’s not your fault.”

“I
should have seen it coming – had you work the gun check and not VIP, this could
have been prevented.” Miranda’s face scrunched up and she started to cry. Grant
reached his arm behind her and rubbed her back.

“It
happened and we can’t change that. Let’s just move on!” I snapped. Exasperated
I stood up. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” I stomped off to the
bedroom and slammed the door. The room was cool and dark, the bed inviting.
Despite Dr. Russo’s warnings I was going to sleep. My body and especially my
mind needed a break.

I could hear Dominic,
Grant and Miranda talking about me, but I tuned them out and slipped into a
deep, dreamless sleep. When I woke up the sun was beginning to set. Dominic was
getting ready for work.

“You’re
going in?”

“Yeah,
Miranda needs as many hands on deck,” Dominic answered before he pulled a black
t-shirt over his head. It clung perfectly to his muscular torso. “How are you
feeling?”

“I’m…I
don’t know just yet.” I gave him a weak smile. “Is Brittany still here?”

“Yes,
she got up for a few minutes and then fell back to sleep. She looks like hell.”

“I
bet she feels worse.” I shivered at the image of her with the gun shoved in her
mouth.

Dom walked over and sat
on the edge of the bed. He placed his hand on top of mine. The expression on
his face when he looked at me was a combination of concern and sorrow. “Are you
going to be alright tonight?”

“I’ll
be okay. I’ll probably just sleep. Are you going out after work?”

“No.
I’ll come right home,” he promised.

            “You’ll
lock the door behind you?”

            “Absolutely.
Your cell is on the nightstand. Call me if you need anything, okay?”

I nodded and struggled
to keep my eyelids open. Sleep was ready to claim me again. I felt Dominic’s
lips brush against my forehead. “Love you Nat,” he whispered.

            “Love you
too,” I mumbled as I drifted off.

A noise woke me up. The
condo was quiet and pitch black. I heard the sound again and froze, afraid to
breathe. Someone was in the room with me. My heart pounded in my chest as I
strained my eyes in the darkness. I focused on the noise, a faint clicking, it
was familiar.

Curious, I flipped on
the lamp. Brittany was standing next to the bed visibly shaking, her teeth were
chattering together at a rapid rate – like a woodpecker against a tree. Alarmed,
I inched back in the bed and lifted the down comforter. “Brittany, come lay
down next to me.”

\She silently complied
and climbed in. Her shivering made the bed shake. I curled up behind her to
help warm her up. She flinched and tensed up at my touch, but as my body heat
warmed her she relaxed. Eventually her shivering stopped and she fell asleep. I
was wide awake.

Dominic came home and
was surprised to see us in bed together. Probably, under different circumstances,
this would be a fantasy of his. “You guys okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,
Brittany was freezing. She’s warm now though,” I whispered.

“She’s
probably still in shock. Dr. Russo said that’s one of the signs.”

He went into the
bathroom to brush his teeth and change. He walked out wearing cotton pajama
bottoms and a t-shirt. I wasn’t used to seeing him wear clothes to bed, but
since we had company, it was only appropriate. There was plenty of room for all
of us on the king bed. Brittany was more petite than I was and didn’t take up
much space. Dominic curled up behind me and I suppressed the flinch. I knew he
wasn’t going to harm me. He slung his arm over me protectively.

Brittany woke us up
with a start, screaming and thrashing in her sleep. Her hands clawed at the air
in front of her.

“Brittany,
wake up! Wake Up!” I lightly shook her. Her eyelids flung open, as far as the
swelling allowed, and her crystal blue eyes stared at me, not recognizing me at
first. “You’re safe. It’s me, Natalie.” Relief and recognition flashed across
her face and she calmed down.

“Oh
Natalie, it was awful…” she trailed off and broke down into sobs. Dominic sat
up in bed watching us, not sure what to do.

“Shhh,
Brit. I know.” I spoke to her in a soothing voice. Two days ago, if someone had
said I’d be consoling Brittany in the same bed I shared with Dominic, I would
have told them they were fucking crazy. But, here we were. Brittany choked back
her sobs and tried to get her breathing under control. When she looked up and
saw Dominic she jumped and started shaking again. Her eyes filled with fear.

“Brit,
it’s Dom. He won’t hurt you. You’re safe here,” I reassured her. Her shaking
slowed and her eyes became more relaxed.

Brittany’s face was
mottled with bruises and her eyes, although still swollen, were more black and
blue than anything else. Her shoulder length platinum blonde hair stuck out in
all directions and she still wore her uniform; the skirt was torn at the seams
on one side. Bruises and scratches ran up her legs, like they did on mine.

            “Dom, can
you run Brittany a bath, like you did for me?” He didn’t hesitate at my request
and scooted out of bed. I rolled slowly out after him, my body still sore, and
went to the dresser to pull out a change of clothes for Brittany. Even though I
was petite, my clothes would still be large on her, but at least they’d be
clean.

I went into the
bathroom and saw that Dominic had put a spare robe out for Brittany. I went to
the linen closet and set out a new toothbrush, a comb and a new stick of deodorant.
I used the toilet, brushed my teeth and used mouthwash. My mouth still tasted
like that chain smoker, like the smoke was stuck to my taste buds. Even though
I had slept for close to twenty-four hours my eyes had dark circles underneath.
My lips were still puffy and the split was an angry red against healthy pink,
at least the handprint around my neck had faded.

I looked up in the
mirror and saw Dominic in the background watching me. The expression on his
face was startling. He looked murderous.

            “What? What
did I do?” I asked his reflection.

            “You didn’t
do anything.”

            “Why do you
look like you want to kill me then?”

            “Not you.
Mr. Genovese. I want to kill him. He needs to pay for what he did to you!” His
eyes flashed. “I should have stopped him at the club.” God, how I wished he
had. “And those assholes who did that to Brittany…they need to be punished too.
You just don’t treat people like that!” I could feel the anger emanating off of
him in waves. I stepped away from the vanity, shut off the faucet to the
bathtub and walked over to Dominic. I grabbed his hand and led him out of the
bathroom. Brittany had rolled over to face the bathroom door. She stared
vacantly in our direction with lifeless eyes. The spark and energy that usually
lit up Brittany’s ice blue eyes had been extinguished. Brittany and I had had
our differences, but no one should have to go through what she had just
endured. I agreed with Dom, they all needed to be punished.