never wanted to leave, so when I got my degree, I decided to apply for a job in the place I always wanted to live. It was a longshot, but it worked out.”
He smiles like he already knows there’s more to it than that.
“That’s awesome. So, what have you been up to the past decade? I mean, I figured you would’ve been married with kids by now.”
“Me? No way.”
“Not even a long-term boyfriend after all this time?”
“I mean, I’ve dated, but nothing too serious. What about you? Girls must be flocking to you, Mr. Casino Owner.”
Dominic smiles humbly.
“I haven’t been interested, and I haven’t had the time to really care about anybody else. I’ve been busy with work.”
The mention of “work” sends a sharp tingle down my spine.
“Busy with work. You talking about the casino business, or the other kind of work?” I ask, doing my best to tread lightly but failing. I’m thinking about it too much to just let it go, so I go for it. “Like the kind of work you used to do with your dad when we were kids?”
He doesn’t look pissed, but he doesn’t look happy either. He shifts in his seat a little and clears his throat like he’s uncomfortable, which isn’t something he used to do when I knew him all those years ago.
“Getting right down to it, huh?” he says. “You seem genuinely curious, but I’m not sure you actually want to know what you think you want to know.”
“I do want to know,” I reply. “What do you have to hide?”
“I have no need to hide,” he snips, frowning a little. “You only hide when you’re afraid, and I’m not afraid of anything or anybody, so I don’t hide or lie. I just don’t know what you actually want to know.”
“I learned a lot while I was gone,” I answer, just as the hostess delivers our drinks. “A byproduct of growing up, I guess. One of the things I was really interested in was the kind of stuff you used to tell me about. The things you and your father were into were things the police put a lot of effort into getting rid of in this city, so I’m just curious.”
“The police can think that they got rid of something if they want to,” he says, avoiding the word mafia. There aren’t many people in the VIP Lounge, but it’s better to be careful. “I’d prefer they think that, actually. But the thing my father was a part of will always be around, it just operates differently now. Quieter.”
“And you’re a part of that now?” I sip my drink to try to prepare myself for the answer.
“I always have been.”
My heart picks up pace. I knew it, but now I really know it. Dominic is still in the mafia. It’s easy to think about the rumors and misconceptions of what people say about the mafia, but I don’t really know what that means, in all honesty. I think I want to find out, but maybe now isn’t the best time. I think confirmation of Dominic being a member of the St. Louis mob is enough for the first night.
A waiter comes over to the table and takes our order—I order a steak, Dominic gets the most expensive lobster on the menu—and I use the interlude to change the subject.
“I tried to write you, you know?”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, twice,” I tell him. “The letters came back both times. I just figured you moved or something. Which kind of reminds me of something else. So, I have another question.”
“Uh-oh. More questions.”
“Nothing bad. I was just wondering if you got my letter.”
He looks confused.
“I thought you said the letters got sent back.”
“Those did get sent back, but this is a different letter,” I reply. “I wrote it before we moved to Alaska, and I left it in your mom’s mailbox. I guess she decided not to give it to you. Or maybe she never got it. I don’t know. Never mind, I guess.”
“Hmm. Nah, I don’t know nothing about no letter,” Dominic says, as he starts devouring his lobster and digging into the baked potato that came with it. As he chews, he leans over so he can reach into his back pocket, then he places a folded piece of paper on the table and looks at me with a grin.
“What’s this?” I ask as I reach for it. He doesn’t answer, so I unfold the paper and I’m shocked to see that