in the golden oak cabinet and slowly make my way over to the door. I look out the peep hole and I’m shocked to see him.
It’s him.
It’s Dominic.
“Hi,” he says as I open the door. He smiles at me, but I don’t smile back, and I can see it makes him a little uneasy. “How are you?”
“I’m okay,” I answer, before getting to what I really want to know. “How do you know where I live?”
He smirks as if to say “You didn’t really think you could hide from me, did you?”
“I had one of my guys look into it.”
“But I just moved in . . . this morning.”
“I know. I looked for you at River City and they told me you checked out, so I had my guy, Charlie, look into it for me. Charlie has ways of finding things out like that.”
“Umm, that’s a total invasion of privacy, but okay.”
“I know it is, and I’m sorry about that. I just really needed to talk to you. Can I please come in?”
I want to hesitate, but there’s something in me that wants to let him in. He looks amazing in his white button-up and light gray pants. It’s pretty casual but he makes casual look sexy as hell. I move aside and he brushes past me.
“Excuse the mess,” I tell him as I lock the door and turn to face him.
His face is serious as he steps around the scattered boxes. He’s been thinking about a lot, I can tell, and that expression of worry is still lingering. I try to not to get caught up in the look on his face and just focus on how I almost got shot the last time I was with him. I do my best I’m pissed off impression, and stand there waiting for him to speak. It takes a minute for him to realize I’m waiting, then he gets to it.
“Okay,” he begins nervously, gesturing with his hands. “Umm, I don’t really know how to say everything I wanna say, but I know I need to say it. I know that shit was bad the other night, and I didn’t expect all of that to happen, and I swear that’s not the kind of thing that goes on in my life on a regular basis. Before that night, everything was smooth. I’m a casino owner and a business man, but I don’t want to lie to you, or lead you to believe something other than the truth. It’s been ten years, and there’s things you don’t know about me, and I’d hate for you to get the wrong impression, so it’s important that I’m honest with you.”
He takes a deep breath and steadies himself, like his words are heavier than his body is ready for. I feel nerves in my stomach, but I let him continue without interrupting.
“The stuff you said you heard on the news is mostly true. I am a made member of the Giordano family, otherwise known as the St. Louis mafia, or the St. Louis crime family. My father was a made member as well, and he started prepping me to be a part of it when I was about eight years old. I’ve seen and done a lot since then, and a lot of that stuff has been bad. I’ve done things you probably don’t ever want to hear about, things I won’t tell you for your own safety. This thing is all I know, and I’ve managed to make it mostly legit, and I’ve avoided most of the stereotypical mafia bullshit they say on TV. Things went south before you got here, but there’s something you gotta know, Alannah. I’ve been waiting for you since the day you left.
“I tried to put on this tough guy act when I first saw you, and I tried to avoid how seeing you made me feel. I didn’t want you to think I was soft, but none of that matters anymore. The truth is, I haven’t been able to be serious with anyone because nobody could ever compare to you. The things I’ve felt for you since the day we met in 2001 could never be replaced by something new. Why do you think I’ve been carrying your letter around for the past ten years? It’s always been you, Alannah. Since I was eleven years old, it’s always been about you, even when we were in junior high and I was too chicken shit to tell you. My