Page 37 of The Dominator

Tears welled up in her eyes and she covered her mouth with her hand.

As we stepped out Earl said, “Take my arm, Miss O’Connor.”

I did. He ushered me directly out of the store and to the Jeep he’d driven us there in. He opened the back door, and I got in. He got into the driver’s seat, then dialed a number and held the phone. Then he hung up and dialed again and held the phone and looking pissed off, punched at the screen to dial again. Then he dialed yet again.

“Sir, there’s been an incident. It’s under control, but the foster mother followed us to the supermarket and got Miss O’Connor into the bathroom and I broke up a conversation.”

He was quiet for a minute and then stepped out of the Jeep and closed the door. He moved several feet away to finish his conversation. By the look on his face he looked like he was getting raked over the coals. He made another call and talked with a cold look on his face and then seemed like he was getting in an argument with someone.

When he got back into the car he dialed another number. “Miss. Martinez, we’re in the car due to a problem, security breach; you’re almost done there? Wrap it up immediately. No, per Mr. Ferrano. It’s urgent. Or, I take Miss O’Connor home and you either wait until I have relief to come back for you or you take a cab.”

He paused, then continued by biting off. “No, I will not ask her that…. fine...” He leaned back and asked me, “What kind of ice cream?”

I let out a half laugh, half cry. He shrugged kind of apologetically. I shook my head.

“She says surprise her,” he snapped, ending the call.

He pulled out and left Sarah at the supermarket and drove me back to Tommy’s house. That phone started ringing from my pocket. I took it out.

“T” calling. Great. I stared at it. After the third ring, Earl cleared his throat. After the fourth ring, he said, “I’d answer that, Miss.”

I didn’t. I couldn’t do anything but stare at the screen. It stopped at five rings. Then Earl’s phone started ringing and he said a mix of Yes Sirs and No Sirs all the way back. When we pulled inside the gate, which Earl appeared to have engaged somehow from within the vehicle, he stopped in front of the gate and sat there for what seemed like the longest time. He dialed the phone and said, “What’s your ETA? Shit. Can’t do it. Won’t work. No, that’s not the plan. Can’t. We’ll have to reschedule.”

He growled a sound of frustration into the phone and then hung it up and finally drove in through the area between the gates.

“You can go ahead, Miss. O’Connor. I’m instructed to come with you, keep you company until Mr. Ferrano returns.”

I nodded and opened the car door and followed him into the house.

I sat at a stool at the kitchen island and folded my hands in front of me. I was dizzy.

Please don’t hurt them, please don’t hurt them. It was a chant inside my head, and I said it over and over and over.

“Do you want something to drink? Some tea?” Earl asked me. He seemed really uncomfortable.

I nodded. He put his suit jacket on the back of the chair, loosened his tie, and then rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and filled the kettle.

“I didn’t have anything to do with that,” I whispered. “They’re good people. Please tell me they won’t be hurt.”

“Tommy will find a way to get them to back off. Don’t fret,” he said softly, then put the kettle on its base and turned it on.

He stepped into the dining room when his phone vibrated. I couldn’t hear his conversation. A moment later, he returned and then filled a tea pot and put it on the island with two cups, the sugar, and the milk.

A few minutes later we were drinking tea and saying nothing. Finally, he fetched a newspaper from another room and handed me the entertainment section and opened the sports section.

After just a few minutes I heard noise and it wasn’t what I’d hoped for, which would’ve been Sarah coming in with the groceries. Instead, it was Tommy who was leaned in the doorway of the kitchen, eyes narrow and on me.

“That’s all for now,” he said.

Earl left the room.

“Upstairs,” Tommy said to me very calmly and then turned on his heel.

I was frozen in place. He looked back over his shoulder at me. “Now.”

I slowly rose and then followed, taking slow and shaky breaths, wishing I could disappear.

Inside the master bedroom, he sat on the bed and untied his black leather shoes. When he took them off, he then took his tie and his blazer off, followed by taking cufflinks out.

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