10
Chapter Ten
Shadow headsin the direction of the lake house, prompting me to turn to Dominic. “Is your house not finished yet?”
“No, not yet,” he says as he moves closer to me. “It will be another couple of months before we can move back in there. We’re still at the lake house.”
“Where’s your normal driver?”
“On his honeymoon. Shadow says he prefers to be in control of the car, anyway,” Dominic laughs.
“Don’t we need to get my things from the condo?” I question Dom, who opens his mouth to speak but I jump in first. “Let me guess–it’s already being taken care of.”
He flashes the first full on pull-me-in-and-melt-me smile that I’ve seen in way too long. “You’re learning,” he playfully replies and we both laugh. This is the easy-going man I love.
Oh, shit. With everything today has already brought, I completely forgot about my plans for an upcoming weekend. I have to tell him but I know he won’t like it at all. He may tell me I can’t go, but I have to make him understand why it’s so important to me to see this through.
“Tell me,” he says, interrupting my thoughts.
“What?” His statement catches me off guard since I’ve been in my own world. Did I miss something he said?
“You just tensed up and you left me here alone for a minute,” he explains. “Something’s on your mind and you’re anxious about it.”
“I just remembered my plans for the weekend after next and I don’t think you’re going to like it,” I admit, holding his gaze to convey I’m not withholding information from him.
“Let’s hear it,” he says reassuringly.
“I’m going to Austin to have dinner with my brother,” I state, purposely keeping my tone light and nonchalant.
Dominic doesn’t respond right away. He’s taking in my statement and weighing all the possible scenarios, risks, and outcomes. He’s probably also considering the way I stated it as a given rather than phrasing it as a question that would give him the option to say I can’t go.
When his eyes find mine, I second-guess my approach. There’s a mixture of hurt and anger swirling in his blue depths. The last thing I want is to cause him more pain.
“I would love it if you came with me,” I offer an olive branch.
Dominic inhales deeply and holds it for a few seconds longer than normal. Searching his eyes, I find the same mixture of emotions combined with a hint of suspicion. Regaining his trust will be a long, hard road and I have no misconceptions about it. I understand that I’ll have to prove myself many times over. It still hurts to see that suspicion in his eyes, though.
“No, you go ahead. You already had this trip planned and I know seeing your brother is important to you.” His voice is devoid of all emotion. Only his eyes give any indication that he’s nowhere near pleased with this.
“Dom,” my tone is submissive, and my heart is breaking, “please don’t be upset with me. This is the first time in years that he’s asked to talk to me. I’ve missed him so much. Even though he’s been in trouble, I still love him. Please try to understand. What if it were one of your sisters? Wouldn’t you do the same?”
He seems to soften at the thought of one of his sisters needing him. I haven’t met them yet, but after meeting his parents and seeing how close his family has been, I know there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for them. He nods slowly, understanding dawning in his eyes, and he relaxes his rigid body posture.
“I would definitely do the same for them, Sophia,” he says as he cups my face with his hand. “What you don’t seem to understand, though, is thatyour lifeis in danger now. You just told your family that you’re no longer helping to keep your brother out of trouble, possibly even going to prison. Then, out of the blue, he calls to invite you to dinner, and you’re just going to run to him?
“What if that’s just a trap? If you go, especially alone, it could all be a setup just to kidnap you, hold you for ransom until they get what they want from me, then they will probably still kill me, you, and our baby.”
“It’s definitely a trap,” Shadow chimes in from the front.
Hanging my head in shame, I feel like an idiot. “Dom, I was so excited to hear from him, I never even considered that. I mean, I know Harrison was holding this over his head, but I just assumed that made Harrison our mutual enemy, making us allies, and giving my brother back to me. I would never,never, put our baby in harms way. I feel so stupid.”
“Don’t,” Shadow replies before Dom can say anything. “They were counting on your love and concern for your brother. That’s been their M.O. from the beginning. You’re going to that dinner, but you won’t be going alone. We’ll be there and we’ll have you covered. Let’s get to the bottom of this.”
“The fuck you say!” Dominic roars. “She’s not your fucking decoy, Shadow, so you can forget that shit.”
“Where are you planning to meet him, Sophia?” Shadow asks calmly, as if Dom didn’t just bite his head off.
“Quattro Amore, the new Italian restaurant in west Austin.”
