Chapter 352 Ain't That Different, You and I

Chapter 352 Ain't That Different, You and I
Lou came walking back in, her steps a little more lively than they were when she first got there from work.  She sat down on the couch, leaving about two feet of space between them and turned towards him putting her elbow on the back of the couch and resting her chin on her fist.  Rueben looked up from his gummy bears and gave a soft snort before wiggling off of Dominic’s lap and crawling over to curl up on Lou’s.

“You fluffy little traitor.”

Dominic muttered while Lou just laughed and scratched the critter behind the ear.

“Can’t blame the guy for havin’ good taste.”

Dominic rolled his eyes but smirked, good taste, indeed.  He sipper his bourbon, semi-hoping she didn’t do what he thought she was about to.

“So, Cowboy, tell me about this more you mentioned.  I know you’ve spent at least a few years in Italy based on your slight accent, you work in some kind of security for a famous mob don, have a master’s in chemistry from Harvard, make similar money to me based on your home and your many toys in that garage over there, and evidently, have a soft spot for strays…”

She gestured to her lap and Dominic couldn’t decide if she was pointing at herself or Rueben.

“By strays, do you mean my furry little Benedict Arnold there or a certain Dragon Lady who convinced him to defect?”

Lou narrowed her eyes at him and then gave him a soft smile.

“Why not both?”

Dominic chuckled and shrugged his shoulders as if asking her why not?

“Alright, so tell me more about yourself.  Why do only five people know about that degree?  Why do you have to keep things secret?”

Dominic ran a hand through his hair and looked into his glass as he swirled his drink.  He had no clue what he was going to say.  Just then, Lou hopped up and, still carrying Rueben with her, ran to the kitchen, calling over her shoulder.

“I’ma forget if I don’t grab it now!  Thanks for reminding me, Rueby!”

She came trotting back in carrying an orange pill bottle in her hand, tossing it into Dominic’s lap as she sat back down.

“Two a day, you know the drill.”

Dominic held the bottle up, turning it in his hand to read the label.  Antibiotics.  Filled in her name.

“You filled them in your own name?”

“I may not know a lot about you, Cowboy.  But I got enough brains to know not to put your name in a system.”

“You know, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask you about, Lou.”

“Shoot yer shot.”

“I obviously wasn’t awake for half of it, but from what I heard, you didn’t ask many questions before agreeing to come help when Valerie called you.  She wasn’t more than a friend of a friend to you at that point and we both know you’re intelligent to realize gun shot wounds with a refusal of going to the hospital can’t mean anything on the right side of the law.  Why does none of it seem to bother you?”

“Should it bother me?”

“Doesn’t it bother most people?”

She scratched Rueben’s belly as he laid down on his back next to her.

“Supposin’ it’s just in my blood.  Or my DNA.  I’m sure y’all deal with politicians a lot.  Have you ever run across my dad?”

“Armonn Harris?  No, the Fiore family doesn’t even have a docket on him and I would know, I make the dockets.”

“Well, daddy did it the ole’ fashioned way.”

“I’m guessing you don’t mean shaking hands and kissing babies?”

“Hell no.  He greased palms and kept promises that would make ya blush.”

“How involved were you in that?”

“Daddy made sure we all knew our job was to make the right connections in the right professions and not embarrass him.”

“How did that work out for him?”

“They don’t exactly complain that I never come home for the holidays.  My six siblings make it so the puff pieces always sound good without me.”

Dominic’s forehead creased.  He knew she had six siblings.  He actually knew everything about her family from a demographic and factual point.

“But, your career is, arguably, the most impressive one.  I know of your siblings, there are two attorneys working in mediocre practices, neither have made partner yet.  One is in the FBI which, arguably makes sense given what you're telling me about your dad.  Another owns a construction firm and two others are low level local politicians in Georgia.  None of that comes near what you’ve accomplished by thirty-one.”

“It’s not the career.  It’s the fact that I don’t wear the mask.  I mean sure, I can maneuver my way through a ten course dinner at a country club and a waltz or two.  I can sip champagne with my pinky up and smile, demurely, while old men play grab ass under the table with their wives sitting next to them in their pearls. But…”

“But…?”

“But when yer the youngest of seven and the house staff raises you to believe you can be anything you want to be, including yerself…it’s hard to be anything else.  When you can make yer own money and chart yer own way, you don’t always care about going against the rules.”

“So, your siblings play the part.”

“Yessir.  My parents never gave much of a care about me, always too busy molding the clay of my siblings.  Now, this may shock you, Cowboy, but I was never the typical southern belle my two sisters have always been.”

Dominic put a hand over his heart in shock.

“Gasp!”

“Har, har.  Anyways, growing up, they had no clue what to do with me.  So they did nothin’.  Whenever I found a hobby I wanted to pursue, they threw money at it and had the staff take me until I could take myself.  They figured since the other six turned out perfect, eventually the software would kick in and I’d wake up one morning actin’ like little Miss Emmilou Harris, clutching my pearls and gettin’ the vapors over afternoon tea at the golf club.”

She mock fainted dramatically on the couch to prove her point and Dominic laughed.

“Tell me about those hobbies.”

“Nah, all stories for another time.  We sat down to talk about you, Cowboy.  I get the feelin' that’s somethin' you rarely do since yer dancin’ around it like a cockroach at a bonfire.”

“That obvious, huh?”

“We ain’t so different, you and I.  I grew up bein' told to be anyone but myself which meant stay silent and invisible.  It’s soundin’ to me like you know that feelin’ all too well.”

Dominic hadn’t realized it when she was talking but damnit, they were pretty similar.  He was floored for a moment.  She got it.  She got him.  She also recognized the need for secrecy to keep people safe, after all, she told him enough about her dad without actually telling him anything at all.  That only comes from someone who knows how to play that game.