33

Chapter 33
Arin
If I was bothered by the number of suited men outside the loan office that one day, I’m especially bothered today as I start toward Dominic’s new base. It looks like your run of the mill high-rise, complete with wide glass windows and a fancy revolving door, but the sheer number of people here makes my blood run cold.
Inside, it’s a maze of hallways and multiple floors. It’s quite the operation. If Dominic put this together, then it’s really no surprise why I haven’t seen him lately. It must be no small feat to achieve this level of organization and air of legitimacy. Any passerby would think this is a normal place of business, a fact I try my very best not to dwell on.
Johnny leads me to the elevator and takes me to the top floor. It’s a classy place, brightly lit with polished tile floors and cream-colored walls—a stark contrast to the dark and dingy loan shark office Dominic used to work in.
“Wait here,” Johnny tells me. “I think he’s in the middle of a meeting, but I’ll let him know you’re here. Don’t wander off.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
I linger, casually admiring the view from the fortieth floor. The people and cars look like tiny ants from way up here.
“I’m telling you, fratello, we’re good.”
The low murmur of a man’s voice reaches my ear. At first, I don’t pay it any mind. It could just be a conversation in passing, and it’d be rude to eavesdrop.
“No, he doesn’t suspect a thing.” Now that gets my attention.
I crane my neck a little, checking over my shoulder to see if I can identify the speaker. There’s no one in sight. I know Johnny told me not to go off on my own, but the little voice in the back of my head is what commands my feet to move forward. As silently as I’m able, I wander down the hall,
peeking carefully around the corner.
And there I see Milo.
He looks this way and that, keeping an eye out. Everything about him reminds me of a weasel, from his shifty stance to his little nose and missing tooth.
“It’s all going according to plan,” he says to someone on the other end of the phone. “No, he didn’t believe the pictures I showed him… I don’t know. I thought it was a pretty convincing fucking cadaver, but he apparently knows what you look like alive and dead.”
My ears burn. I don’t have enough context to figure out what he’s talking about, but I know it’s important.
Milo sighs, running his fingers through his gel-covered hair. “How are things on your end? Any idea what security is going to be like the day of the event? Hm, good. That definitely makes things a bit easier for us.” And then, after a brief pause. “Our tracks are totally covered. You have nothing to worry about, El—”
The sound of a door swinging open forcefully cuts him off. Somewhere down the hall come thunderous footsteps, growing louder and louder as they approach.
Dominic rounds the corner, startling Milo out of his private conversation.
He hangs up quickly, stuffing his phone into his back pocket.
“What’s wrong, boss?” he says with an easy chuckle. “What’s got you in such a bad mood?”
As swift as a bird of prey, Dominic rounds the corner and nearly bumps into me. He looks at me down the length of his nose, his expression hard and impossible to decipher. “What are you doing here, Arin?”
Milo appears at Dominic’s side, watching me suspiciously. “How long were you standing there?”
I swallow at the sticky lump in the back of my throat. I can’t imagine what his reaction will be when he realizes I’ve heard the better part of his phone call. Granted, I don’t know what he’s talking about, nor to whom, but I don’t think eavesdropping on a member of the Mob is going to go over very well.
“Not long,” I lie as calmly as possible. I’m pretty damn convincing if I do say so myself. “I was looking for the bathroom.”
Dominic takes my hand, pulling me along with him toward what I assume is his office. “You still haven’t answered my question.” He walks rigidly, a
pace or two behind myself like he’s using his body as a wall to shield me from Milo’s view.
“I wanted to see you,” I say easily.
Dominic swiftly whisks me to his office and closes the door firmly behind him. He does not look pleased.
“I finished with the show’s preparations early,” I tell him. “I know you must be busy—”
“Very busy.”
“But I haven’t seen you in days.”
“So you decided to drop by unannounced?” His question feels accusatory, his tone laced with an edge of something uncomfortable.
I frown. His demeanor is rubbing me the wrong way. “Is it really that big of a deal?”
“You asked me to keep my personal and work life separate.” “Yes, but that’s working out a little too well.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means,” I grumble, crossing my arms, “I never see you anymore. I asked you to keep those men out of our apartment. I didn’t think that would include you.”
“Things have been hectic around here, dolcezza.”
“So hectic you haven’t been able to make it to dinner for the last week?” “My work is important.”
“So is being there for me and your daughter!” “I am there for you and Felicia. I provide—”
“Don’t you get it?” I snap, throwing my hands up in the air. “We don’t need things, Dom. We need you!”
My skin feels raw. My head pounds and my eyes sting with angry tears. I didn’t realize how frustrated I was with our situation until this very moment, everything suddenly erupting to the surface. I’m sure we could have avoided this argument had we been given the opportunity to talk, but that’s very well impossible considering how little time I get to spend with him anymore.
“This is the longest we’ve talked in over a week, Dom. How is that acceptable?”
His jaw ticks. “It’s not.”
I huff, the air in my lungs burning red hot. “So what are we going to do about it?”
“What do you want me to do about it?”
“Take a day off.” “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“You know perfectly well why.”
“Because you’re in the Mob and the big bad Mob men will kill you if you dare to take a mental health day?”
“Do you have to be so damn dramatic?”
I pause, staring at Dominic in disbelief. I care for him. I really care for him, but sometimes it’s like I’m talking to a tree. Big, unmovable, and lacking the ability to hear.
“Is this it?” I ask slowly, my throat unbearably tight. “Is this what I can expect going forward?”
“I have given you a wonderful place to live, the connections you need to further your career,” he says sternly. “Our daughter has all the toys she could ever want, three square meals a day, and when she’s old enough, I’ll ensure she has access to the best education money can afford her.”
“And you really think that’s enough?”
“It was good enough for me. Why can’t it be good enough for you?”
I sigh, my heart twisting angrily in my chest. We’re going around in circles. He’s too stuck in his own ways, blind to understanding that I need more than material goods. Hell, I don’t even need material goods to be happy. All I want is his company, his laughter, his warmth. But Dominic is too hard and too proud to understand that.
He’s been molded by a world that taught him money is everything and vulnerability is a weakness. I thought I’d managed to get through his walls, but now I see it’s so much more complicated. These are hang ups that aren’t going to go away any time soon. Not unless something drastic happens, but I’m not going to hold my breath.
Taking a deep breath, I reach into my purse and pull out the all-access pass I intended on giving him. The date and time of my fashion show are printed on the back, along with directions on how to get there.
“This is for you,” I mumble, hating the bitterness coating my tongue. “If you have time.”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Home, to be with our daughter.” I turn on my heels and reach for the doorknob. I pause, my chest aching painfully. “Do you know that I try to stay up every night waiting for you?”
Dominic’s face falls, his brows knitting together. “Dolcezza, I—” “And every night, Felicia asks if you can read her a bedtime story.” “Arin…”
“I’ll get out of your hair,” I interject. “Wait—”
I’m already out the door.