Page 144 of The Dominator

“I try.”

“Hmpf.”

Bianca and Tessa came into the room at the same time. They both looked freaked out.

“The police are here for you, Tia,” Tessa said.

“What?”

“Tia!” Tommy boomed. He’d obviously heard them.

“The police are here for me,” I whispered. “I didn’t call them, Tommy. Honestly, I didn’t.”

The girls were looking weirdly at me.

“Go see what they want. Don’t hang up. Give the phone to my sister.”

“Kay.” I passed the phone to Tessa and then walked stiffly out to the salon where two uniformed officers stood at the front desk.

“What’s going on?” I asked my sister.

“Two cops came in and they asked for her.”

“Where’s Nino?”

“Sitting out front, reading a magazine. What could he have done?” Tessa was snarky.

“Fuck. What’s going on now?”

“I’m in the back room, hang on while I go see. They’re leaving with her.”

“Hang up and then give her the phone. Nino’s calling on my other line. I’ll call you back.”

I linked over. “Nino!”

“T, the cops have her. They told her they wanted to ask her questions at the station. She said they should ask her here, but they insisted. She said she programmed my number in her phone and will call me to come get her when she’s done. Tessa just gave her the phone. They asked who I was to her and she told them I’m her cousin’s husband. I’m following the squad car to the station and I’ll wait there for her.”

“I’m meeting you there. Which one?”

I hung up after he told me and got into my car.

Was this another test? It couldn’t be after our talk last night. Couldn’t be. Could it? Let me out of his sight and then arrange for me to sit down with the cops to see what I’d say? I knew that the Ferranos had some cops in their pocket because of what Rose had said to me at the grocery store that day.

When I got into the station, the male and female officer led me to a small, windowless interview room, containing a circular table with chairs around it.

“Is Tommy Ferrano holding you against your will?” the male cop, who’d introduced himself as Officer Francis, asked. He was a tall, older Black man. His partner was a thirty-something pretty blonde named Officer Spence.

“Tommy Ferrano is my fiancé,” I said, looking at them like they were crazy.

“He’s not holding you against your will?”

“What? No!” I exclaimed.

“Is Tommy Ferrano involved in illegal activities, organized crime?”

“Huh?”

“Mobster-like activities. You know: guns, prostitution, drugs, loan sharking? That sort of thing?”

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