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“Yes,” he admitted, and I was actually shocked.
I wasn’t sure that he even knew how to tell the truth.
“Once the Firenzis informed me that Trevor wouldn’t cut it and that it had to be you going forward, it was the only thing I could think of to do. Trevor didn’t need to even be convinced. He was on board the second the idea left my mouth.”
I let out a disgusted sound. “Of course, he was. And of course, the first thing you’d think of was how to manipulate me instead of actually communicating with me.”
He scoffed. “First of all, I never thought the wedding would actually happen.” He focused his attention on Dove. “I had no idea what Trevor said to get you to go along with it, but I was certain Dom”—he looked back at me—“would reach out to me when he heard the news. Then, we’d work out a deal to get Dom into the business, and then the fake engagement between Dove and Trevor would go away, and we’d put it all behind us.”
I shifted my weight from foot to foot, taking it all in and letting it simmer until I boiled over. “You could have just talked to me. Told me what was going on. We could have come up with a better plan. One that didn’t involve Dove at all!”
“You have no idea what goes on behind closed doors, Dominic. How many people want and need things from me that I’m not capable of giving, but I have to figure out a way to do it anyway. I thought you’d go ballistic when you heard about Dove, but instead of reaching out to yell at me and blame me, you cut me off and went radio silent,” he explained before shaking his head and wiping at the spit forming at the corners of his mouth. “I should have seen that one coming. Anyway, I never thought you’d let Dove go through with it, so the threat of her actually marrying Trevor was never real in my mind. But it had to be real in yours. I was using Trevor to get you to do what I needed. What the family needed. But I guess Trevor had his own agenda.”
“He just wanted to hurt Dominic and make him suffer,” Dove said without any real emotion. “He hates Dom so much. He’s fueled by jealousy, envy, and rage. Marrying me so that Dominic couldn’t was the beginning and end of his plan.”
“So, heisas stupid as he looks then,” my father said with a bit of a chuckle, but neither Dove nor I were laughing.
“So, this whole thing was just to get my attention? To try to trick me into doing what you wanted me to do and make me feel like I had no choice in the matter?”
The very idea infuriated me. People had been hurt for no good reason, and it all could have been avoided.
“Yeah. I guess I read you wrong. Or I read Trevor wrong.”
My mind instantly busied itself, thinking of ways to fix this mess, that I didn’t care about who my father did or didn’t read right. “Tell us about Dove’s dad,” I said, wanting total clarification so I could make my next decision wisely.
My father’s features twisted, and he dropped his sunglasses over his eyes. “There’s nothing to tell. I tried to get him on the payroll years ago, but he’s too righteous and good. Even with your life threatened, Dove. That only worked once. And it was a long time ago.”
The time she’d overheard back in high school. Dove and I shared a knowing look before her eyes started to water.
“My dad would let you guys kill me?” she asked, her voice shaking with disbelief.
My father stepped closer to us. “No. He would have eventually caved if kept pushing, but I convinced the Firenzis that we didn’t need the chief on our payroll. That it would be too risky to have him anyway, too obvious if someone started asking questions. We just needed one person in the station as an extra precaution, just in case. It really didn’t matter who. The Firenzis agreed, and it’s worked out fine ever since.”
“You protected Dove?” I wanted to believe that so badly, but I wasn’t sure that I could.
“I knew you’d never recover if anything bad ever happened to her, son. You’d go off the rails, and I’d never get you back. This was years ago—when I still held out hope that your ambitions toward politics would shift and you’d grow up and see how important it was,” he explained before adding, “Now, you don’t have a choice.”
“I disagree,” I said before reaching for Dove’s hand and clasping it in mine. “Let’s go. All three of us. Now.”
“Where?” Dove asked before reading my mind.
She knew exactly where we were headed.
HAVE TO FIX THIS
DOVE
We all piled into Dominic’s car. He’d insisted on driving, and I knew why. It would have been too risky to ask his father to follow us. Once he realized where we were going, he most likely would have turned around and bailed. Plus, if the Firenzis were as dangerous as he’d hinted at, we couldn’t have his car sitting in front of my dad’s house for anyone to see or rat out.
Dominic’s car being there wouldn’t draw anyone’s suspicions. He was always there, apparently even when I wasn’t.
“Where are we going?” his father asked from the backseat as we made a left turn onto my street. “Let me out.” He must have realized where we were headed.
It was better than going to the police station and talking to my dad there.
“Father,” Dominic said, “this is the only way. I’m not getting into the game, so we need his help, or this is never going to end.”
“What if he throws me in prison? Or arrests the Firenzis? You think this will end then? That their family will just stop? This doesn’t end, son. It doesn’t end with you, or your son, or your grandson.”
