Page 35 of A Seed Of Peril

“By then, I was on the floor, begging him to stop. Luigi carried me back to my room, and Nadia tended to my wounds. The pain was unbearable those first few days.” Dominic collected his empty glass and bottle of Walker and brought them over to the mini-bar, saying on his way, “That was the day I lost every shred of respect for Hector I had.”

While he cleaned the dirty glass in the sink, I wished for nothing more than to resurrect Hector just to chew him out myself. Lord, rest his sinful soul. I couldn’t have imagined what ran through Dominic’s head as the man he highly regarded, and maybe even loved like a father, beat him so savagely. The fear he felt when Lorenzo first turned abusive—did Dominic hold that same fear the first time Hector beat him?

As he dried off the drinking glass, I said, “I’m surprised you didn’t take out his knee sooner.”

Dominic’s shoulders shook under his tense blip of laughter.

“You suffered for your art,” I thought out loud, heartbroken. Dominic stood at the bar after putting the glass away, staring at the counter. I talked on. “You were an innocent little boy that was involuntarily swept up into a world of so much evil… People who hated themselvesso muchthat they made you their victim, when all they did was end up becoming theirownvictims of their evils and failures…” Dominic looked at me, something in his eyes screaming for me to keep talking, like he was grateful I understood. Like my words were a hug in itself.

“You molded yourself into someone able to survive on their own if push came to shove,” I added. I briefly closed my eyes to release some tears. “Sure, Hector trained you to defend yourself, but you already knew how to do that and how to fight.” I looked down at the piano keys, saying, “You once told me your drawings and paintings and writing those poems helped pull you through Lorenzo’s abuse.” I looked back up at Dominic, voicing my sudden realization. “Did this piano carry you through Hector’s?”

“It gave me the peace that a person’s words and touch couldn’t.” Dominic walked away from the mini-bar and headed toward me, more relaxed. He soon stood behind me, and with his arms at my sides, he delicately touched the piano keys, like they’d bite if he wasn’t careful. I put my hands over his, letting him take the lead. “Until I heard your voice and felt your soul.”

I leaned into the crook of his neck, nuzzling against his smooth skin. The blend of his cologne and the hint of aged cigarette smoke lulled me into a feeling of tranquility that only Dominic supplied.

“I’ll never forsake you,” I murmured. Dominic planted an affectionate kiss on my head. “I’ll never break your heart.”

“I know,” he breathed.

“Play us a song.” I looked up at him. “Please?” I nuzzled my face once again into the crook of his neck, soaking in the soft notes he played. Our son calmed as the music swelled. “You have a new fan.”

Dominic paused his melody and sprawled his hand on my belly. In the silence, the baby moved and kicked. Dominic then played a new melody the best he could with just his left hand. He became amused when his son once again relaxed. I caught a peek of the sweet smile I loved so much.

“I found out he likes the classics after I played him your favorite song.”

Foregoing playing anything else, Dominic cradled my belly in his hands, capturing me further into his arms. “Vi amo entrambi così tanto.”

I tenderly kissed the skin of his neck. “We love you, too.”

Sunday, February 5, 2017

“Are we almost there?”Katrina asked from the back seat. For most of the drive, she had kept her headphones on while she watched a movie on the DVD player hooked up in the Escalade.

“Almost,” I told her. We had another twenty minutes—give or take—until we reached the Aristos Hotel. Katrina knew I had a surprise for her today, she just didn’t know what, and that was making her impatient.

We reached NJ-17 and headed north, Anthony driving. Angelo tagged along, sitting in the back with Katrina. I hadn’t forgiven Sonny and Lucas yet for lying about the man at the park, and frankly, I wanted nothing to do with them right now. Like I told Dominic—after what they did, I didn’t trust them to keep me safe, and I didn’t want them as my personal security until they confessed the truth. Dominic couldn’t talk me out of it. After I suggested Anthony and Angelo escort me and Katrina today, Dominic agreed to the trip. Not to mention, an outing like this would’ve been great bonding time between me and my brothers.

I looked in my mirror, seeing Katrina get sucked back into her movie. I was excited to see her reaction once we made it to Aristos to visit Bianca. It was going to be a surprise until the moment Bianca opened her door. I couldn’t wait to see the expression on Katrina’s face.

As usual, traffic was thick, even on an overcast afternoon. My head was still on a swivel. Thinking more about the park, I wondered if there was any way that the man watching us at Saddle River Park and the man at Consign Hive were in any way connected. It was too weird for bothnotto be.And why would Sonny and Lucas lie? Was Dominic lying?I sensed I was being fed bullshit, and I fucking hated it.

“A penny for your thoughts?” Anthony asked me, pulling me out of my head.

Watching Angelo using his cell phone in the passenger mirror, I replied, “Too many thoughts and no pennies.”

Anthony chuckled. “Okay, then how about just sharing what’s going on up there.”

“I’m that obvious?” I looked at him.

He glanced over at me as he switched lanes. “You didn’t see the smoke?”

Pretending to be offended, I laughed and playfully pushed on his shoulder. “Very funny. You know, you and Dino should look into stand-up comedy.”

“We’ve actually discussed it.”

“I bet you have.” I laughed again.

Looking back at my mirror, I let out a silent, tired breath. I could hear the smile in Anthony’s voice as he spoke.

---