Twisted Obsessions (SIN CITY HEAT SERIES Book 2) (19 page)
“Okay. Keisha. Tell us what Rochelle has to do with all of this.” She paused. “Keisha. Please. Tell me that you didn’t sleep with her…again.”
Keisha jerked away from Aleesha as indignation washed over her. “
NO!!
No, Aleesha, I did NOT sleep with that bitch. If she were standing in front of me now, I would strangle her with my bare hands! If she were on fire, I wouldn’t waste my spit on her!”
Aleesha and Jerra breathed a sigh of relief. Good.
This
was the Keisha they could deal with. She was feeling anger which was a good thing. Jerra went into lawyer mode.
“What happened? Start from the beginning Keisha.”
Keisha told them about what a good time she and Dominick had last night and this morning. She told them how surprised Dominick had been when he saw where they were going. Aleesha and Jerra already knew what she'd planned for the night - they really didn’t have any secrets from each other. At several points during the planning stage, each of them had accompanied Keisha to the club and given her their opinion on different decisions.
When Keisha paused, Jerra gently urged her on. "Everything went good last night and this morning. So I assume something happened when you made it back home..."
Keisha’s face fell. Shredding the tissue she was holding into tiny, little pieces, she proceeded to tell them about the phone call from Rochelle, and then the email with the pictures and video of Keisha, Dominick, and Tia.
“
What?!”
Aleesha jumped up. “This bitch had you followed?”
“Aleesha, let her finish,” Jerra said quietly. She was making a mental note of everything Keisha was telling them and wanted every little detail. “Keisha, go on.”
Keisha told them Rochelle knew about Sam, and had befriended Sam’s mother, Justine, and threatened to give all of the information she’d gathered to Justine in order to help the woman gain custody of Samantha. She relayed to them that Rochelle also threatened to make the pictures and video public. She quietly told them the worst of it: that Rochelle hinted around that she would make it seem like Dominick was sexually abusing Sam and involving her in orgies.
“That bitch!” Jerra was beyond hot. She knew what it felt like to be a victim of sexual abuse because her scum of a stepfather had raped her when she was barely fifteen years old. For Rochelle to even hint around at accusing Dom of something so disgusting and vile made her furious.
“She wants me to leave Dominick or else she’ll carry out her threats, but I managed to buy myself a couple of more days. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“And just what in the hell does she expect to happen once you leave Dominick. She can’t honestly think you’ll want to be with her, can she?” Aleesha asked Keisha.
“Yes! Can you believe that shit? The bitch is crazy. You should’ve heard her, going on and on about how much she loved me, and she only wanted to make me happy, but it’s Dominick’s fault that she and I are not together…”
“But you broke up with her before you even met Dominick.”
“That’s what I told her crazy ass! Bitch is certifiable.” As Keisha told the story to her friends, the anger returned. And it felt good.
“Where’s Dominick? Have you told him yet?” Aleesha asked.
Keisha shook her head, not even want to think about telling Dominick yet. “I want to try and handle this first.”
“Keisha! You can’t keep this from him! You have to tell him….”
“Not yet, Leesh. When it’s all over, I’ll tell him. This is my mess and I’ll clean it up.”
“But it involves him and his daughter. You HAVE to tell him!” Aleesha’s tone let her know that this wasn’t up for discussion.
Keisha sat down and covered her face with her hands. Then she looked over at Jerra who'd been quietly staring out the front window.
“J?” Keisha went and stood behind her.
Jerra held up her hand to silence Keisha. Keisha knew this was the way Jerra operated when she was coming up with a plan of attack, so both she and Aleesha just stood there and waited.
Finally, Jerra turned around. “The club. They’re supposed to have strict security to insure the privacy of their guests, aren’t they?”
Keisha nodded. “Yes. They told me they frequently sweep for bugs and other electronic devices in the club as well as the rooms. And it’s required that the rooms are thoroughly checked before a guest uses them.”
“This had to be an inside job in order for that bitch to pull this off. When Tia came in….did she have a purse, or jacket or anything where she could hide a camera or recorder?”
Keisha thought back. “She came in with a small purse. She walked in then sat it down on the dresser, not far from the bed. I didn’t think anything of it…”
“There was no reason to. The surveillance equipment they have today is sophisticated and designed to be undetectable. But she didn’t do this alone. Somebody must have taken pictures of her on the floor of the club with you and Dom and also as she came to the room.”
Jerra continued to stand there with a thoughtful look on her face as her mind went through the legal aspects of the situation with the thoroughness of a computer chip. “The first thing I think we should do - after you talk to Dominick - is contact the club. They need to be made aware of the situation. I’m sure they won’t take kindly to someone, and one of their employees at that, filming and taking picture of their guests for blackmail purposes. Not only that, the contract you signed guaranteed privacy and discretion. The legal ramifications for them could be astronomical, not to mention the publicity. They’re going to have almost as much, or more, incentive than us to contain and get to the bottom of this ASAP."
Keisha felt her chest become a little lighter. A ray of hope began to break through the darkness for the first time since she’d talked to Rochelle. Before she could ask Jerra about their next step, her cell phone rang. She stiffened, and then let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was Dominick and not Rochelle.
“Hi, baby. I forgot to leave a note to ….”
“Where are you.” It wasn’t a question.
Keisha frowned at his tone. "I'm at Aleesha‘s...." The phone went dead before she could even finish the sentence.
“He knows,” Jerra said.
Keisha froze then shook her head. “He can’t know. There’s no way he could. That bitch wouldn’t tell him and risk her plan to get me going up in smoke.”
“Keisha. He knows.” Jerra repeated. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind.
Keisha hugged her body as chills ran up and down her spine. If he knew, then it was over.
Chapter 25
They wouldn’t have long to find out.
Ten minutes later, Dominick rushed into the house without knocking. Keisha tensed when she heard the door open. She stood with Jerra and Aleesha flanking her on either side. Dominick stormed in wildly looking around for Keisha until he spotted her, Jerra, and Aleesha standing in the middle of the room as a solid united front.
His gaze caught and held Keisha’s. She stared at him with large eyes then gasped when she noticed what he was holding in his hand. Her laptop. Her hand covered her mouth as her eyes leapt back to his.
“Keisha, what…” He stopped then looked at Aleesha and Jerra. “I need to speak to Keisha…alone.”
Jerra and Aleesha hesitated. They looked at each other, and then looked at Keisha. Aleesha took Keisha’s hand and squeezed it in encouragement. Dominick’s mouth tightened at the unspoken communication between the three women. Marcus and Darrell tried to tell him they were as thick as fucking thieves. Now he saw what they meant.
Aleesha stopped in front of Dominick on the way out. “Dom,” she said softly.
“Leesh. Not now. Please.” His eyes never left Keisha’s.
“We’ll be at my house in order to give you two some privacy,” Jerra said before she and Aleesha left.
Dominick stared at Keisha for a moment before he walked over to the coffee table and sat the computer down with slow, controlled movements.
“What is this? Who sent these to you?” Keisha tried to speak, but no words would come out; she was so scared. “Keisha, answer me!”
When Keisha jumped, Dominick made an effort to lower his voice. “Baby…talk to me. What’s going on? Who took pictures and made a video of us last night?”
Keisha cleared her throat. “An ex-girlfriend of mine.” Her voice came out in a low whisper. Dominick’s eyes narrowed, but he remained silent to let her finish. “She’s threatening to show them to your ex-wife - Justine - if I don’t leave you.” Keisha blinked, determined to keep the tears at bay.
Dominick became as still as a statue and tilted his head to the side. That was the last thing that he expected to hear. “What? Why would she do that? For what reason?
“She’s crazy Dominick. That's the only thing I can think of. She…she’s the one who was at my house that night you called and a woman answered the phone. When you and I hung up, I threw her out of my house…it wasn’t very pretty. Apparently, she’s convinced herself that you’re the reason why she and I aren’t together anymore. She hired someone to spy on me. And then last night...” She glanced at the laptop.
Dominick turned his back to Keisha, his hand on his waist frowning as he took all of this in. Keisha was dreading the moment when he put everything together, and a second later - he did.
He swung around and looked at her. “You said she was threatening to give this to Justine. What reason would she have to do that…?” He ran a hand that slightly trembled over his mouth. “The only thing Justine and I have in common anymore is….my daughter.”
Dominick closed his eyes.
Shit!
He opened his eyes and gave Keisha an intense look.
“Are…are you trying to tell me she’s blackmailing you? If you don’t leave me, she gives this trash to Justine, who in turn could take my daughter away from me? Is that what’s going on here, Keisha??”
Keisha could only nod as tears rolled down her face. She wanted to die on the spot. Dominick must hate her now. She watched as he walked over to the couch and sat down as if in a daze.
“Dominick….I’m…so….sorry…"
Dominick slowly shook his head, still trying to grasp the ramifications of what this all meant. “You talked to her….when?”
Keisha sniffed, wiping her eyes, trying to compose herself. “She - she called me after you left. She told me she had emailed something to me. After I saw what she’d sent, I called her back. And that’s when she told me what she wanted. She’s truly crazy.”
Keisha still couldn’t believe it herself. She didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t lose Dominick, but...how could she stay and risk Rochelle making good on her threats. How could she risk being the reason his daughter was taken away from him?
“Okay, she called you after I left. And then you called…Jerra and Aleesha?”
Keisha quickly looked at him. He was staring at her with an unreadable expression, but if Keisha knew him the way she
thought
she knew him - he was angry, yes, but for a completely different reason. “I….yes. I didn’t know what to do….”
Dominick stood up. “And you didn’t think to call me? Were you even gonna to tell me Keisha?”
“I don’t know! Dominick, I don’t know! I could barely think, I don’t even remember getting here. I know you’re angry, and I know you must hate me, but I didn’t know what to do….!” By now Keisha was screaming and crying.
Dominick’s voice rose a couple of decibels, and this time he didn’t try to restrain his anger. “You didn’t know what to do?! You should’ve fucking called me! I should’ve been the first person you called! Instead, you hurry and leave before I come home, and run to Aleesha and Jerra?!”
“You don’t understand. We…”
“Oh, I understand perfectly, Keisha. I understand how close you are, I do. And I know you’ll always be close. But Jerra is married to Darrell now, Aleesha is engaged to Marcus, and you have me.” He stopped, waiting on her to look up at him. When she did, he continued, lowering his voice. “I know you three will always be close, and the bond you have in unbreakable - it should be but…”
He walked up to her and stared at her with a forthrightness that refused to let her look away. “Do you love me?”
Keisha met his eyes and without hesitation said, “Yes.”
“And I love you too. That means from now on, we come first with each other. If there’s a problem you come to me, then we’ll decide what to do - you and I. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
Keisha’s lashes fluttered down. Her mind wasn’t letting her believe what her heart already knew to be true. She looked at him again. “You’re not leaving me?”
Dominick stared at her and shook his head at her question. “Keisha, love is being there through the good times and the bad - and the unthinkable. This is definitely unthinkable, but I’m not going anywhere. I don’t intend to lose you and I
damned
sure ain't losin’ my daughter.”
Keisha let out a cry as he pulled her to him. She squeezed him tight as she broke down. “I’m so sorry, Dominick. This is all my fault. I should never have even set up anything like that for us …”
Dominick held her away from him so that she could see the truth of his words. “Don’t, Keisha. Stop it. This is not your fault. We didn’t do anything wrong. We’re consenting adults, and anything we choose to do behind closed doors is our business. I don’t care what it is. If this thing were to go to court, it should be thrown out without a second thought, but I know that wouldn’t be the case. The way our society is, people always want to judge and stick their noses into things that are none of their business. If I should be judged at all, it should be on the type of father I am, and how much I love and care for my little girl….that’s why we’re not going to let it get that far.”
Keisha looked up at him. At this moment he looked like a completely different person. She shivered at his cold expression. In fact, he looked like he was picking up the gauntlet Rochelle had thrown at their feet.
“I don’t know who in the hell this lunatic is, but she’s messing with the wrong person. If it were just me, I wouldn’t care if she chose to circulate those pictures around all of Las Vegas, hell she could send them to the fucking White House. But nobody - and I mean
nobody
- messes with my family."
Dominick turned to stare out the window with his arms folded. “If she wants to play in the big leagues, I hope she’s prepared for the consequences because it won’t be pretty….”
They were both silent. Suddenly, Dom’s cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and saw it was Darrell.
“Yeah…”
“Dominick. Jerra just told me what’s going on. I’m here at home. What do you need?”
Dominick was quiet for a moment. Darrell’s question was a sign of true friendship. He didn’t skirt the issue, or try to talk around the obvious with meaningless bullshit. Dominick knew he was gonna be right there for him, and Marcus too when he found out. They had his back, no questions asked.
“I’m on my way over to your house to drop Keisha off. I’ll pick you up when I get there.” After Dominick hung up, he put a finger over Keisha’s lips as she began to protest. “Keisha. I don’t want you at home by yourself, and you can’t come with me. Baby, don’t argue. We only have forty-eight hours to take care of this. Trust me. Okay?”
Keisha hesitated then nodded. “I do trust you, Dominick. With my life.”
Dominick looked at her for a moment, then leaned down and softly kissed her before taking her hand. “Let’s go.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were outside of Darrell’s house. He swung the door open before they could ring the doorbell and stepped aside to let them in. He gave Dominick a quick hug and pulled Keisha to him. She clung to him for a moment, before moving back, then looked over and saw Marcus, who walked over and enveloped Keisha in his arms.
“I thought you had to work tonight.”
“I did, but Darrell called me and told me I needed to get here right away. I told them I had a family emergency. Someone’s covering my shift for a couple of days.” He squeezed her hands as he looked at her. “Everything’s gonna be okay. You know that, right?”
Keisha looked over at Dominick who was talking to Jerra. She believed in him implicitly and had no doubt he would take care of this mess. She looked back at Marcus and nodded. “I know.”
Dominick walked over to Keisha. “Jerra’s going to get started on the legal end of this with the club. She’s already made some phone calls and will be there first thing in the morning to meet with their lawyers. Apparently, they’re as anxious as we are to handle this quickly and quietly.” He looked over at Marcus and Darrell who were waiting for him. “I want you to stay here
until I come back.”
“Dominick, where are you going? It’s almost midnight. Don’t you think you should wait until morning?”
Dominick was shaking his head even before she finished speaking. “We don’t have time to wait.” An inscrutable expression settled on his face. “Besides, the people I’m going to see never sleep…" He kissed her before she could ask any more questions, then they were out the door.
Aleesha and Jerra came over to Keisha and put their arms around her. “Don’t worry sweetie. They’ll be okay. They’re together and will make sure nothing happens to each other.”
As soon as they got in the car, Dominick pulled out his phone and dialed a number. When the call connected, he said, “Its Dom. Let me speak to Angel…”
A few minutes later a familiar voice came on the line. “Hello. Nick??”
Dominick paused. It had been over ten years since he’d heard this voice but he would have recognized it in his sleep. “Yeah, it’s me. I need to see you. Now.”
“Of course. I’m at….”
“I know where you are. I’ve always known…”
There was a pause on the other end of the phone. “Yeah. Same here. I’ll be waiting.”
Dominick hung up the phone then started the car. He was disturbing a part of his life he swore he’d never touch again. But under the circumstances, he didn’t have a choice.
Chapter 26
For the most part, the three men rode in silence. There wasn’t anything to say. Marcus and Darrell knew this was Dominick’s call. They were there to back him up no matter how he decided to handle this.
They drove on the interstate for about forty-five minutes. Dominick took several exits and turns until they entered Southwest Las Vegas. A little while later, they drove up to a set of security gates. Beyond the gates they could see multi-million dollar homes nestled safe and secure within.
Dominick pulled up to the gate with his ID ready. When the guard saw three young black men in the car, he cautiously walked over and peered inside. His hand slipped to the butt of his gun…just in case.
Seeing the gesture, Darrell muttered under his breath, “Stupid mutherfucka…”
The guard leaned down and suspiciously gazed through the window at each one of them. “Can I help you?”
Dominick handed his license over. “I’m here to see Angelo Lacroix.”
The guard's expression immediately changed to one full of respect. “Oh! Mr. Spain…yes sir! Mr. Lacroix told me to be expecting you.” He returned Dominick’s license and walked to the guard shack to open the gates. “Please. Go right in.”
“Damn,” Darrell said. “His attitude changed real quick…” He looked at Dom for an explanation, but Dominick just gave him a quick smile and remained quiet.
As they entered the wealthy gated community, Marcus whistled softly through his teeth. “So this is how the other half lives.”
Dominick quietly answered. “Nah, man…this is beyond the other half. This is the select few.”
As they continued driving, to the left they saw a world class golf course behind a gigantic building that looked to be some type of clubhouse. It was huge. Dominick estimated that it had to be over 40,000 square feet. He knew it included several dining rooms, a gym, and Golf Pro shop - all the amenities. In fact the whole community was designed to be self-sufficient. The residents need never leave this safe haven if they didn’t want or need to.
Dominick shook his head. He could never live isolated and cut off from the real world like this.
After a few more turns, Dominick finally came to the address he was looking for. The mansion was a three story monstrosity…the largest in the area. Behind it, mountains and the Vegas skyline provided a perfect, picturesque background.
Unable to hold his curiosity in any longer, Darrell turned to Dom. "Who in the
fuck
lives here, bruh??” Dom still said nothing.
After they were buzzed through the black, wrought iron gates, they drove up a paved road. Towards the back of the compound, a large man-made lake had been beautifully created. Trees and a garden grand enough to be in a state part surrounded the lake.
As they pulled up the winding, circular driveway, Dominick brought the car to a stop and turned the ignition off. Darrell and Marcus followed Dom's lead and started walking up to the large wooden double doors of the mansion, but before they had taken two steps, four men called out for them to halt.
Dominick bristled as they came forward and tried to pat them down. He shoved the man's hand away. “Hold up, get the fuck back…”
The one in charge stepped towards Dominick. “We either pat you down or you get back in your car and leave. I don’t give a fuck
who
you are.” The other men placed their hands under their jacket…waiting.
Dominick looked the man in the eye refusing to back down. “Johnny, we ain’t leavin’ and hell fuckin' no you ain’t searching me or my friends. What you
will
do is move the fuck up out of my way.”
Johnny glared at Dominick with dislike clearly evident on his face. “Look Dominick, you may think you can just stroll back in after all these years and order people around, but you ain’t in charge here. Don’t make me…”
“Johnny! Step down!” An older Hispanic man walked towards them with long, angry strides. “I told you Dominick was on his way! What the fuck is wrong with you!”
The man got up in Johnny's face and pushed him in the chest. Johnny’s mouth tightened, but he remained silent. Finally he averted his eyes and took a step back. The man gave him a cold stare which told Johnny he would definitely hear more about this later before turning to the three men.
“Nick…good to see you. Come here.” He pulled Dominick to him and gave him a long hug. “It’s been too long, my friend.”
“How are you, Oscar?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine. Come on. He’s waiting on you.” With his arm still around Dominick, he turned towards Marcus and Darrell and gestured for them to proceed to the house.
As Dominick passed Johnny, he slowed down. “Good boy,” he goaded. Dom smirked as Johnny sent him a furious glare.
Oscar laughed. “Same old Nick. Come on.”
Once inside, Oscar led them through the long, vast foyer. There was a grand, circular stairway which went up to the second floor and ran the length of the entire room.
“He’s waiting for you out here.”
As they
followed Oscar, they went through one room after the other, the next more grand and opulent than the previous until finally they came to an indoor pool area. Beautiful, scantily clad women frolicked poolside on the loungers
, while others laughed and played naked in the water.
Oscar stopped at a table where a man sat surrounded by another set of stunning women even more beautiful than the last. Darrell and Marcus looked around, taking note of the men scattered throughout the room who looked much the same as the ones who met them outside.
Marcus and Darrell exchanged looks. Could have sworn dude’s last name was Obama the way he had security scattered all over the place.
The man stared at Dominick with an intensity which was almost palpable. A dangerous aura surrounded him, alerting them to the fact that he didn’t take any shit.
He was very handsome and looked to be about ten years or so older than Dom and was very fair skinned. His dark hair was straight and cut low, his build athletic and muscular, yet not bulky.
But his most arresting feature were his eyes. At first glance, they were hazel, brown with flecks of green buried in. However, as he stared at Dom, they slowly changed colors to become a warm, greenish brown. Without taking his eyes off of Dominick, his finger quickly and imperceptibility lifted. The small movement would’ve been missed by anyone else, but the women quickly got up and left them alone.
The man stood up and enclosed Dominick within a tight embrace and after a moment, Dominick returned the hug. The man moved back to look at Dominick.
“Nick. How are you?”
Dominick hesitated. He wasn’t here for pleasantries. “I’m fine Angel. These are my friends...”
“Marcus and Darrell.” Angel cut him off. “Yeah. I know who they are. Sit down…please.”
Marcus and Darrell’s wore identical expressions of confusion. Dominick could sense them staring at him but kept his attention on Angel. Grimacing, he didn’t even have to ask how he knew who they were. He was sure Angel made it a point to know everything about Dom.
After they sat down, Dominick got right to the point. “I need your help. I have a…situation, and not much time to resolve the problem.”
Angel immediately leaned forward with a concerned look covering his face. “What’s wrong?”
Dominick told him how Keisha was being blackmailed, and about Rochelle threatening to use the information she had to make him lose custody of his daughter. When Dominick mentioned that his daughter was involved, Angel’s green eyes turned a cool, mint color and his face contorted in rage.
“Samantha. Someone is threatening to hurt her?” he asked in a controlled voice.
“Inadvertently, yes.” Again Dominick wasn’t surprised that Angel knew about Sam. It had been over a decade since they’d seen each other, but he’d always known in the back of his mind that Angel was close by and watching.
“What‘s this woman's name and where does she live,” Angel demanded.
Dominick hesitated. Seeing this, Angel stabbed him with a piercing gaze. He started to continue but paused and shifted a guarded glance towards Marcus and Darrell.
Interpreting the cause of his hesitance, Dominick responded, “It‘s okay. You can speak freely in front of them.”
“This woman is threatening your family. Now is not the time to second guess your decision in coming here. This needs to be dealt with swiftly.”
“Angel. I just want you to find her and bring her to me. I'll deal with her myself.”
Angel stared at Dominick for a long, unsettling while before a mocking smile crossed his face. “You never did have the stomach for this life, did you?”
Dominick’s face hardened. “This was never my life, it was yours. That is until you dragged me into it.” Dominick held Angel’s stare until Angel dropped his eyes and looked away. When Dominick stood up, Darrell and Marcus did the same. “Just do what I’ve asked you to do….” Dominick’s eyes narrowed. “You owe me.”
“Fine. But afterwards, we put the past behind us.” His tone was clipped and clearly perturbed. Sitting back he raised his chin and the women came back over to drape themselves over him like beautiful accessories. “I’ll be in touch.”
“Angel…”
“Nick, I said I’ll be in touch.” His tone told Dominick it would do no good to argue.
Still Dom hesitated then nodded. Oscar led them back to the front door, and once again hugged Dominick. “It was good to see you Nick. You look good.”
“So do you Oscar.” As if torn by emotions he had yet to deal with, Dominick reluctantly asked, “How is he?”
Oscar shrugged. “The same as always. You know.”
Dom nodded. When they passed Johnny, Dominick's expression dared him to utter a word. Johnny turned his head, ignoring him.
As they were pulling out and driving back down the long driveway, Darrell fixed Dominick with an unwavering stare. “Alright. Who in the hell was that.”
“And how do you know him?” Marcus chimed in.
Dominick seemed reluctant to answer, but he knew he owed them an explanation.
“He’s my brother.”
Chapter 27
Dominick stood looking out the window of one of Darrell’s guest bedrooms. He glanced at his watch and saw it was almost 4:00 a.m. He knew he should lie down beside Keisha and try to rest for an hour or so, but he also realized he wouldn’t be able to sleep. Right now, he was running on pure adrenalin; his mind and his body wouldn't let him sleep.
He walked towards the bed and stared down at Keisha. Poor thing. She was exhausted. When he, Marcus, and Darrell had walked in from seeing his brother, she’d been asleep on one end of the couch, and Aleesha had been asleep on the other. Jerra must have been sitting on the floor in front of them looking through legal books and paperwork because she was sound asleep with her head on the coffee table in front of her. The three men had collected their women. Marcus and Aleesha were in one of the other bedrooms.
Dominick sat down in a chair by the bed. He leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to shut out the memories seeing his
brother had awakened, but he couldn’t…
Dominick grew up idolizing his big brother, Angel, who loved and spoiled him like everyone else in his family had done since the day he was born.
Both Dom and Angelo were extremely intelligent boys. Dominick loved school, but Angel looked at it as a waste of his time. He wanted things fast. Now. He didn't have the patience to sit in someone's classroom day after boring ass day. In his junior year, he dropped out and started hanging on the corner, but while his friends were drinking and smoking weed, Angel was on his grind. He loved money and the things money could buy which included cool clothes, nice kicks, and hot women. Money equaled power.
Angel knew his friends bought drugs the
moment money
touched their hands, and it didn’t escape him that the money went straight into the dealer’s pockets. Wanting a piece of that action, he made connections with the right people and got his own hustle going. He started off selling weed and eventually graduated to cocaine. The streets became his education and the game his teacher. By the time he was twenty one years old, he was very well known as the man to see if you wanted top grade shit.
Angel was extremely cautious about his business - obsessively so. He chose his people carefully and ruled his growing operation with an iron fist. He quickly became respected - and feared. The fact that the authorities couldn't get anything on Angel pissed them off more than him selling drugs. Angel became enemy number one - and they were determined to bring his ass down.
Dominick’s parents washed their hands of Angel long ago, but he would never turn his back on him. They were family...brothers...and loved each other no matter what.
The summer before his senior year, against his parents’ wishes, Dominick decided to spend his vacation with his brother. He enjoyed that time with Angel to the fullest. They visited some of the most exciting cities: Miami, L.A., New York….it was a never ending party. Because of Angel, Dominick was able to get into the most exclusive clubs, but he especially enjoyed the women. Angel always had pretty girls accompanying him and there were plenty for Dominick. They taught him things he would never learn in the sex education classes at school, and before the summer was over, he knew how to please a woman better than men twice his age.
The morning Angel and his right hand man, Oscar, were driving him back home, Dominick overheard them talking about a meeting they had scheduled with one of Angel’s lieutenants. Normally, Angel didn’t dirty his hands, but this was a simple drop off and he wanted to go over a few details with his man before he left. Afterwards, he and Oscar were headed straight to the airport. The two of them were flying out to South America to close a deal with the Columbian cartel; a deal which would, without a doubt, push Angel up through the ranks and enable him to sit at the head of the table as the unquestionable boss for the entire territory.
But a knot began to form in Angel’s gut, and when it persisted and grew stronger, he knew something wasn’t right.
His instincts never failed him. He told Oscar to reschedule their flight for one day then call the Columbians. Although the man they were meeting was one of Angel's most trusted soldiers, Angel learned long ago to listen to his sixth sense when it spoke to him – and right about now, it was screaming out to be cautious.
Silent throughout the entire conversation, Dominick spoke up and told his brother he could keep the briefcase until Angel got back.
"No, Nick." Angel's response was quick and without hesitation.
But Dominick was insistent. He wanted to show Angel he wasn't a kid and could handle something as simple as keeping a briefcase safe.
"Think about it. This way you and Oscar won't have to miss your flight. It won't be for long, you'll be back by the end of the week."
Angel continued to stare at Dominick with cool, piercing green eyes. Although there was no mistaking the fact that the two of them were brothers, their physical appearance was like night and day. Dominick's complexion resembled darkened buttered toast and his warm, brown eyes always seemed to dance with laughter.
Angel was the exact opposite. He was very fair skinned with arresting hazel eyes that changed colors depending on his mood. When he was calm and relaxed, they were light brown with green flecks. Times when he was upset or trying to control a particular emotion, the greenish pigment took over and became a cool, mint shade - like now. Dominick knew what that meant, so he changed his strategy.
"You don't trust me?"
Angel’s eyes flickered at the hurt Dominick interjected in his voice, and seeing this, Dominick knew he'd won. Although Angel and his parents were estranged, they
still had one thing in common - their overwhelming love for Dominick. They hated to see him sad or upset which usually meant they gave him whatever he wanted.
"Nick, you know that's not it..."
"Then let me do this. Oscar, tell him." Dom turned pleading eyes to the man who was like a surrogate uncle and spoiled him the same as everyone else did. Oscar was a good twenty years older than Angel and was loyal to a fault. Angel trusted his advice without question. The two men exchanged a look before Angel reluctantly agreed.
“
Nicky, listen to me and listen well. The only thing I want you to do is slide it in the back of your closet. That's it."
Trying to suppress his triumph, Dominick quickly nodded. "I gotcha, Angel."
But Angel reached over and grabbed Dominick's chin and made sure he kept his gaze hard and steady with his little brother's. "I'm serious. This is only between us. Don’t tell your friends, your bitches, nobody. And especially don’t tell Mom and Pop. You understand me?" Dominick vigorously nodded again. Angel held his eyes for a minute then exhaled before giving Dominick a conspiratorial grin. "And you sure as hell better not tell them about all the bitches you fucked."
Dominick ducked his head and laughed. "Uh uh! But I can’t wait to tell my friends. They’re gonna be jealous as hell. Thanks again for everything, Angel. This was a cool summer."
“
No problem, baby boy. I enjoyed having you with me. You’ll be a college man next year and probably won’t have as much time for your big brother, so I’m glad we got to spend these couple of months together."
When they pulled up in front of their parent's house, Angel and Oscar got out of the car and helped Dominick get his luggage. Angel put the briefcase securely in Dominick's hand.
"I’ll be in touch the minute I get back to town. Now if you're not too old, come and give me a hug.”
Dom laughed and threw his arms around his brother. Angel looked over Dominick's shoulder and saw his parents anxiously waiting for their youngest son. Angel swallowed hard at the disapproval and disappointment which showed on their faces when their gazes switched to him.
Pulling away from Dominick, he looked him deep in his eyes once more. “I love you Nick. And remember. Tell no one.”
But someone did tell. And it wasn’t Dominick.
Angel's instincts had been right. His lieutenant had turned over on Angel to save his own skin and was now an informant. Dominick’s parent’s house was raided days later. When they found the briefcase stashed in the back of Dominick’s closet, they opened it in the living room where Dominick was being kept along with his parents. It was filled with bags of pure cocaine. Dominick never forgot the look of devastation on his parent's face.
“
It’s not mine. I swear.”
“
Then whose is it, son?” the detective asked. He knew the drugs belonged to the kid's brother. He just needed Dominick to rat him out and then they’d finally have that son of a bitch exactly where they wanted him. His ass would never inhale a breath as a free man again.
But Dominick remained stubbornly silent. He would die before he snitched on his brother.
His mother cried, screamed, and begged. “Tell them, Nick! Tell them it belongs to your brother! Dominick, please!”
Tears trailed down Dominick’s face. His eyes showed his torture at hurting his parents but he just couldn’t - he wouldn't.
His mother ran up to the detective. “Those are not his drugs! Dominick is a good boy!" Her desperation and fear made her West Indian accent more pronounced. "Those drugs belong to my son, Angelo! You have to believe me!”
But without the words coming directly from Dominick, there was no way to charge Angel. They didn’t care, though. Dominick would have to do. They’d get his brother another time.
As they led him out in handcuffs, Dominick felt as if the events were unfolding in slow motion. He could hear his mother screaming and his father trying to comfort her as her tears made a journey of sorrow down her beautiful ebony cheeks.
“
Don’t take my baby! Please! Don’t take my baby! It’s his brother, Angelo! Dominick TELL them! Tell them!”
Dominick kept his head down as they walked him through the crowd that had gathered out on the street and pushed him into the squad car. Because of his age, he was taken to a juvenile facility until his trial began.
Angel was still out of the country when he heard about his brother's arrest. He became filled with blinding rage as well as a terror more powerful than anything he'd ever felt.
His first instinct was to go to the authorities and turn himself in. He wouldn't let his brother be prosecuted for something that wasn’t his fault. He'd always been Dominick's protector; he'd been an unseen protector of his entire family and they didn’t even know it. Angel had stopped using the surname Spain years ago. He wanted the streets to have as little connection as possible between himself and the people he loved. He went by his mother's Caribbean family name, Lacroix, which her father had dropped when she was just a girl after they came to the states. He still needed that connection to them even though his parents had publicly disowned him years ago.
Barking orders, he told Oscar to make arrangements to charter a private jet to fly them back to Vegas as soon as possible, but for the first time ever, Oscar opposed his decision and refused to carry it out.
"What's wrong with you!" Angel shouted. "We have to get back home! You know better than I do what'll happen to Dominick, what those sons of bitches will do to him to get at me!" Angel stared at Oscar as if he didn't recognize the man who'd guided him for the last seven years.
"Angel, wait! You're not thinking straight."
Angel's green eyes flashed molten fire. "Wait?! What the fuck do you mean wait....!"
Shaking his head, Angel dismissed him with the flick of his hand; he didn’t have time for this shit right now. He had to get to his brother. When he reached for the phone to take care of it himself, Oscar jerked it out of his hand and slammed it back down. He grabbed Angel's face between his palms, forcing him to focus on him in almost the exact way Angel had done to Dominick in the car.
"Listen to me!" When Angel began to protest, Oscar vehemently shook his head. "No, listen! Have I ever steered you wrong, Angelo?! Have I?!"
Anguish was etched over Angel's face. "No."
"Do you trust me?" Angel blinked then nodded. "You're not turning yourself in.”
The moment Oscar’s words sunk in, Angel wrenched away and stepped back. Disbelief clouded his eyes. “What?” he whispered. “What are you saying…?”
“
We can get Dominick a slap on the wrist, but if you come forward, you’re looking at life.”
