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“They can. But getting you into the right position ensures that once I retire, you’ll continue the shared legacy that we’ve created. That legacy includes doing things for this family as they do for us. I need you to carry that on, or who knows what they’ll do?”
“I literally have no idea what you’re talking about, and I don’t care.”
This was beyond ridiculous. Some over-the-top dramatic-movie bullshit that couldn’t be real or true. Being so far removed from my family and the circles they moved in the past handful of years had kept me in the dark. I liked it that way. Wanted it to stay like that.
“Dominic, I have a contract that only you can fulfill.”
“What kind of contract?”
Dove squeezed my hand once more, reminding me that she was by my side and wasn’t going anywhere.
I could do anything, stand up to anyone, as long as I still had her next to me.
“One that’s been in effect for hundreds of years. It’s not a big deal. We simply approve their permits and requests without question or police involvement, and they make sure we’re protected and stay in power.”
“Protected how?”
“They remove any potential threats, and they assure we get elected to whatever seat we seek. Have you ever known a DeLuca to lose any office they run for?” he asked and waited for me to respond.
I didn’t realize it wasn’t a rhetorical question.
I thought back over our family history. We’d never lost. At least, not that I was aware or ever told. “No.”
“They ensure that we don’t.”
“Who are we talking about? What other family?” Dove asked that question before I had a chance to.
Only one other family in our town wielded as much power as ours did, but I’d never seen my father so much as acknowledge any of them in public, let alone overheard him talk about them in private.
“The Firenzis,” he said, and my blood went cold.
I guessed he did interact with them after all.
The Firenzis were one of the richest families in the county with investments spread across multiple ventures, going back generations. Their wealth had always added up from my perspective, but everyone else in town wholeheartedly disagreed.
Even Dove didn’t like them. She’d said that the men in the family always creeped her out, and she knew they were as dirty as everyone claimed. She’d made me promise once when we were just starting our businesses that I’d stay away from them and never get involved with their dealings, no matter what. I trusted her judgment, so of course, I’d told her yes.
The rumor mill had continued to run rampant over the years. Everyone claimed that the Firenzis’ various businesses were nothing but fronts for a slew of illegal activities. They were accused of selling drugs and guns and money laundering, but as far as I knew, there was never any proof. If the Firenzis were as bad as people said they were, wouldn’t they be rotting away in a jail cell somewhere?
Then, I remembered seeing the whiteboard in Bob Tryst’s office and hearing his words.“Someone’s always working that case.”
Dove let out a soft breath before asking, “Is that where my dad comes in?”
My father looked caught off guard. “Your dad? What do you mean?”
I swore Dove’s knees almost gave out, and I reached for her just in time to stop her from falling.
“I’ve got you,” I said as I held on to her, but her voice didn’t come out.
Her green eyes looked at me, silently pleading for help.
“Trevor said he had information on Bob taking bribes and that he’d have him arrested and thrown in prison.” I filled in the blanks, so Dove didn’t have to.
“Oh Jesus. Is that how he got you to say yes?” My father sounded almost incredulous. “I always wondered. Trevor never told me the specifics.”
I swallowed hard as a gust of wind blew between us, making Dove’s hair wrap around her face. “Hold on.” I tucked the strands behind her ear, holding them in place. This day kept getting more and more messed up. “Let’s back up for a second. Did you plant proposing to Dove in Trevor’s head?”
I’d always thought it was my father’s idea, orchestrated by him and for his benefit alone. That Trevor never would have had the balls to do something like that without my father’s backing.
