years. Abram watches them from four houses down as they caress one another, leaning against the BMW for support as they engage in a proud public display of affection.
Not too many cousins kiss like that.
It takes a while, but they manage to pull themselves apart, and the two of them playfully walk inside and shut the door behind them, totally unaware that they just gave Abram Baskov everything he was hoping for. He stomps on the gas and drives away, burning rubber as he speeds down the road. He knows they can hear the screech of his tires and the roar of his engine, and it makes him chuckle, because they don’t know it’s him. They don’t know what their carelessness has done.
They don’t know Abram finally has a plan.
Alannah
“If you put that dress on, we might not make it to dinner.”
I giggle as I zip up my favorite black dress and Dominic stands in the doorway grinning. He took the time to go home and change while I was at work, and he’s a tall glass of water to a woman dying of thirst as he stands with his hands in the pockets, wearing a navy blue suit with sky blue pinstripes. He dresses like he has a tailor living in his closet at River City, so I had to break out my favorite dress just to keep up.
“Hey, I thought the same thing when you picked me up wearing that suit,” I respond. “So, you started it.”
“Oh, I see. You’re one of those people?”
“What? What people?”
“A one-upper.”
“I am not,” I snip, as we laugh together. “There’s just going to be a lot of girls checking you out, so I have to step my game up so they know you’re with me.”
“Okay, I get it now. Trying to protect what’s yours?”
I fight back a smile and glare at him, because it sounds so good to hear him say he’s mine. He’s right, but I won’t tell him that.
“So, I think I’m ready. You?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Am I ready? Fuhgeddaboutit.”
The bright city lights of St. Louis shine into the car and help to keep a continuous smile on my face. The speed at which all of this has happened is crazy, and it’s a bit surreal to be driving on the highway in St. Louis with Dominic in the driver’s seat. It’s all so much different than the cold of Alaska, where it’s either bright most of the day or dark most of the day, depending on the time of year. I’m here with him, instead of there with my parents and my friends of the past decade. It’s a drastic change, yet I don’t feel out of place or afraid like I expected. I guess that’s because being with Dominic makes me feel so comfortable, plus I lived in this city a while, so it’s not completely foreign to me. Nonetheless, it’s a trip being here with all of this going on, but my excitement-to-worried ratio is two-to-one. I feel like there’s a great adventure ahead of me, but I’m going through it with Dominic, and it’s all okay. I’m okay.
We decided on Red Lobster this time, and we made sure to not make reservations. The last thing I could handle is another Isle of Capri situation. So, we park and walk into the restaurant hand in hand like a real couple ready for the long haul of commitment.
To be honest, at this point in time, I don’t really know what I’m doing. Dominic and I are together, but there’s a lot of other stuff that’s going on under the surface. I haven’t forgotten that he’s in the mafia, or that he has a checkered past that probably includes hurting people in the name of “family business.” I also haven’t forgotten that he has ongoing drama with the guy from Lumiere Place—the one he thinks sent the guy to shoot him. I know things aren’t picture perfect with him, so if you’re wondering how I’m holding his hand as we walk, I don’t have an answer that even I understand. The only thing I do understand is that I want to be with him, and how I feel about the other stuff is the same as I felt about it when we were kids. Dominic treats me the way every woman wants to be treated by the guy she’s with, so that’s what I’m trying to focus on. I know I have to figure out if I