He waved his hand. “Semantics. I raised you, didn’t I?”
The server returned with our hummus. If she noticed the strange tension at the table, she didn’t mention it. “Can I get you anything else?” she asked in that same hostile tone.
“Some privacy,” Domenic said, shooing her away.
“What do you want?” I asked. “Why are you following me? Threatening me and my coworkers?”
He raised his brows. “Such ingratitude. I believe you should be thanking me for even getting you the job.”
My stomach clenched. “What are you talking about? You didn’t get me anything.”
“Dr. Davis requested you specifically becauseIasked him too, little one. I’ve been following your career. And that latest paper? I saw an investment opportunity, as well as a chance to keep an eye on you.”
I would not show him he was bothering me. I would be ice cold. Like Greta Garbo in the closing shot ofQueen Christina, sailing away to a new life without a care for the life she had left behind.
“I come with a peace offering. An opportunity to start fresh. If you come with me, I’ll tell you all about my excursion into the wonderful world of pioneering medical advancements.You see, I have a little problem that needs solving. And I promise I’ll leave yourfriendsalone,” he said when I didn’t respond.
Gabriel started to speak, but I cut him off. “I’m not going anywhere with you. And some of those friends are in the FPD. Now that I know you’re involved, they’ll… arrest you.”
“For what?” Domenic asked, with an ironic frown.
“For sending someone to threaten me and then try to kill Nathan.” My voice was louder than I intended. I took a deep breath. “Marco Lamont? They already have a warrant out for him. Is he really your son?”
For the first time, Domenic looked rattled, if only for a split second. He gave me a mocking, sad smile. “Well, that would be a great plan. If only you had any proof. But now, since I know where you’ve been hiding, I think you’ll be more cooperative.”
“You don’t scare me,” I said, but my voice betrayed me with a slight wobble.
“Bridget will not be going with you,” Gabriel said and there was nothing tentative in his voice. He reached for his hip and drew the gun, laying it flat on the table, his finger resting on the trigger as it pointed at Domenic’s chest. My panic doubled as my mother let out a small gasp.
Domenic laughed. “Put that away. As if you’d shoot me in a public place.”
“I promise you I will,” Gabriel said, staring him straight in the eyes.
“Give it to me.” Domenic didn’t need to raise his voice to bark. He could have whispered the command and it would have carried the same weight of dominance.
For all his faults, my father, Sebastian, had never barked at me. Even when he was livid at my misbehavior, he’d never forced me to do anything, mostly because I’d always submitted to his punishments willingly, knowing it would be worse if I fought back.
Domenic had only barked at me once, when I was sixteen. He’d found me hiding in a hallway at a party. I’d dragged one of the spindly, gilded chairs from the hotel’s ballroom into an employee corridor for some peace. I didn’t even have anything to read, so I’d been staring at the wall, picturingRear Windowwhich I’d watched enough times to play it in my mind from memory.
“There you are, little one,” Domenic had said, interrupting my mental movie.
I hated being around him. But I also knew that if I betrayed even a hint of disgust at his behavior, I’d only make things worse for myself.
That night, though, I hadn’t been able to curb my instincts quickly enough. Domenic’s musky, smoky scent had been threaded liberally with the antiseptic tinge of alcohol, and the expression in his eyes screamed at me torun.
“Sit,” Domenic had barked, arresting my movement as soon as I’d stood. I’d collapsed back on the chair, hard enough to sting the backs of my thighs. “Stay still.”
I’d frozen, unable to even flinch as Domenic leaned closer. He’d sniffed at me, an almost comically exaggerated huff. “So much potential,” he’d murmured. “And he wants to justgiveit away.”
My heart pounded furiously as Domenic studied me. When he’d reached for me and traced his finger along the edge of my dress’s pink bodice — high, lacy, and girlish to denote I was still unpresented — I had strained against my invisible bonds.
“Please don’t,” I’d whispered.
“Don’t worry, little one. Perhaps you just need a littleencouragementto fully bloom.”
I forced the memory from my mind, back to the present, as Gabriel fought the command. But Domenic easily slid the gunfrom his grip and tucked it into his pocket. “Don’t move,” he added as an afterthought.
Domenic smiled. “Now that we all understand each other, I’m eager to get going. Bridget, you and I have a lot to talk about.”
