Page 134 of The Dominator

I shook my head. “Not sure.”

“What’s the problem? You not sure about her now?”

I shook my head. “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.”

He frowned at me.

“I want it to be right. We’re almost there. It won’t be long.”

“You’re keeping me from my Valhalla.” He wagged a finger at me.

“Naw, Pop. You go. We’ll be good. We’ll get married soon.”

“Maybe. The new house is still bein’ built so not a major rush. We’ll talk more later.” He slapped me on the back and then headed down the front stairs toward his car. His driver jogged over from the gate and opened the car door for Pop. I followed the car out and stared at the sewer in front of my house. My mother’s necklace was gone. No way I’d get it back. Just as well, maybe. I needed to learn to control myself without it, anyhow.

I heard Nino call out, “T?”

I looked over my shoulder to see that suddenly Tia was beside me, staring at the sewer.

I gave her a sad look. She grasped the cameo necklace around her neck and yanked hard, breaking the chain. She looked at the necklace in her hand for a second and then she dropped it over the sewer grate, it caught for a second and then slid down between the slats. She turned on her heel and walked back toward the house. I let out a slow breath and followed her.

I walked up to the bedroom and kicked off my shoes and crawled into bed, the soft gray cashmere throw Tommy had put over my shoulders still wrapped around me.

The shit my father had pulled in my life all pointed to him being a weak and broken man. But what I saw today was like an addict swindling to get his fix. He was looking for an in with this family and thought I was it. And he turned on me. Tommy had said he was still using drugs. Was he imagining working for this family and getting wealthy and having access to all the sins he wanted? Drugs, gambling? Notoriety? Was he that out of touch with reality?

Tommy came into the bedroom a few minutes after I did, looking stressed. He took the navy-blue suit jacket he was wearing off and climbed in beside me and pulled me to his chest. I was going to cry again. It couldn’t be helped. So much for my tough, hardened self that I thought I was after my conversation with my Dad.

“Your necklace,” I whispered, rubbing my hand up his chest.

“I know,” he sighed.

“That was really fucked up,” I said.

“Yeah,” he replied.

“But what did he mean?” I asked.

“Hm?” he asked distractedly.

“He said you cleared my father’s debt. That didn’t make sense. Don’t I clear it by marrying you?”

Tommy’s eyes focused on me and he said, “I paid your father’s debt.”

“Huh?”

“Pop gave you to me as a gift. But I paid it anyway.”

I shook my head and frowned, not understanding.

He continued, “I paid it. Despite the gift, I wanted the debt paid. So when we got back from Mexico I paid it, with interest. To make it done.”

I started to feel spinny. “You paid for me?”

“Not for you, for the debt. To end it.”

“You paid money for me.” My fingers were at my temples.

“Tia, listen–”

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