I snorted. "He was terrified you were going to tell Carmine."
"Exactly. I didn't know this until I talked with Margaret yesterday." Giordano finally looked in Carmine's direction.
"She's... alive?" Carmine placed his hand over his heart. "I went to her funeral."
"A product of Drummand's evil," I answered.
Giordano walked closer to his old friend, gripping his shoulder. "She's safe. I'm certain she'd love to see you."
"And I'd love to see her again. You know, I told my wife about her years ago, the affair not something I was proud of, but she understood." Carmine rubbed his jaw. "If I'd known about Caroline, I would never have left her in the hands of that... man. What are we going to do about him?" He hissed the question.
"I know exactly what we're going to do," Giordano stated, glancing from Carmine back into my eyes. "However, you're not going to be a part of this. Going to get messy."
"I'm already a part of this." If my father thought I was going to vanish, he had another think coming.
"Drummand Hargrove grew up in my neck of the world, Dominick. His father actually worked with me for years. We ran the streets of Southside under my father's direction. Now, as you can imagine, the good senator certainly doesn't mention that in any of his propaganda pieces or interviews. In fact, he ceremoniously disowned his entire family heritage, taking his mother's maiden name before moving to New York when he was barely eighteen. This is old business."
I knew better than to go against them, especially if they were working together. However, this was far from over in my book.
Giordano finally smiled, crossing his arms. "I had a chat with a few buddies of mine, including the lieutenant governor. He filled me in on what the Feds have been investigating. The shit is really going to hit the fan and in several states I might add."
I couldn't help but laugh. My father's influences were far more powerful than anyone realized. "And?"
"If she'll have me."
I knew there would be no additional comments, no laid-out plans detailing exactly what they were going to do. They would simply handle the situation in their own manner.
And New York would never be the same. Dominick
Five Days Later
The bright sun cast a shimmer down the length of her body as she stood at the window, her lovely copper hair smooth as silk. She seemed pensive, her eyes never blinking as she stared out at the parking lot. I stood in the doorway, watching her.
Bathing in her beauty.
I heard Bruno behind me, the larger than life man refusing to stay in the hospital for more than two days. He'd been my constant companion, rarely leaving my side. The days had been nothing but a blur of activity, including shoring the ranks within the family, but thankfully, today I was taking her home.
"I'll be waiting downstairs, boss." Bruno kept his voice hushed, his eyes twinkling from the sight of her.
I nodded, waiting until he walked away before taking cautious steps inside. She and I had talked for hours after she'd garnered her strength. Although I hadn't confided about the information in the box, only telling her that her mother was safe and in good hands, she needed to know. After she'd asked about Drummand three times, I'd been forced to tell her about his arrest and the reasons why. Since then, I'd refused to allow her to watch television, even going so far as to have the set removed from the room. She didn't need to be mired with the sweeping events that seemed to occur every hour. I would tell her the rest soon enough.
"You're late," she said, her tone the seductive purr I remembered.
"Five minutes." I inched closer, sliding my hands over her shoulders.
Caroline leaned her head against my chest, basking in the warmth of the day. "I missed you."
I kissed the top of her head, longing to have her safe in my arms and very much behind closed doors. "There were some things that had to be done. Are you ready to go?"
"More than ready."
I took her hand, grabbing her small suitcase and the moment we were in the elevator, I dropped the bag, palming both sides of her head and growling as I lowered mine. "I have you all to myself. All mine."
"You know what the doctor said. Rest. Quiet." Tipping her head, she moaned before pressing her lips against mine. She clutched my jacket, twisting the thick leather as she rose onto her tiptoes.
I darted my tongue inside, tasting her sweet essence, the scent of her even more intoxicating than it had been before.
Before the lies.
Before the deceit.
Before the truth.
I was just as obsessed with her as Carmine or my father had been with Margaret, perhaps even more so, but I was determined to do this the right way. Many would say that love wasn't enough, that my criminal activity would always keep her in danger. They might be right, but I was willing to risk all I had in order to savor this happiness.
She loved me. The why didn't matter and I wasn't going to ask.
The notion was one I hadn't been able to get used to. I'd been dominating, bordering cruel and she'd unraveled the steel bindings wrapped around me with ease.
The ping of the elevator was the only reason I eased away, but not before whispering in her ear, "The things I'm going to do to you."
She rolled her eyes, pushing my chest in an effort to sidestep me. Her defiance hadn't dampened even though she'd almost died. "Not yet."
I chuckled and kept my eyes sweeping the lobby as we walked toward the door. While I no longer feared being arrested or assassinated given the shakedown that had occurred in several phases of law enforcement, I would forever be cautious.