The Power to See

by Jennifer Anne Davis

  Sighing, Matt leaned back in his chair, contemplating the evidence. He’d been focused on the Chavez Cartel for years. The Chavez Cartel crossed paths with the Ramon Salazar Cartel on several occasions, but Matt didn’t know anything about the Ramon Salazar Cartel beyond general information. The cartel transported vast quantities of illegal narcotics into the U.S., they used bloodshed and violence to get what they wanted, and they’d been at war with the Chavez Cartel for decades. Yet, despite all the DEA’s work, no one had been able to infiltrate the Ramon Salazar Cartel. They didn’t even know who the leader was. Now they believed this notorious cartel was run by a U.S. Citizen who was living right here in the San Diego area. It seemed unbelievable and yet, everything Richard Bennett had told them checked out.

  Chris stood and went over to grab several napkins—their sign for Matt to wrap it up.

  Matt focused back on the file, turning the page. Phillip Shephard used to work for a large firm downtown. He was a tax attorney for a number of years and the legal guardian of Salazar until Salazar turned eighteen. At about the same time, Phillip left the firm. That was all the information.

  Matt turned the page. The last paper contained the surveillance orders. The DEA had Salazar, Phillip, Richard Bennett, and Dominic Bennett all being watched. There was a handwritten note at the bottom saying there were no photos of Salazar or Phillip yet.

  Shaking his head, Matt closed the file and slid it back into his briefcase. Salazar was certainly different from all the other drug lords he had come across. His appearance as an upstanding citizen, contributing to the community, certainly didn’t help their investigation.

  Chris pushed the napkins off the table and onto the floor, then reached down to retrieve them, along with the papers from Matt’s briefcase. Once Chris left, Matt finished his coffee, forcing himself to wait at least five minutes before leaving. When he got up to go, he noticed a napkin in his briefcase. Pulling it out, Chris had scrawled, “D-day is Thurs.” Relief coursed through Matt—the DEA was pulling him out in two days. He’d no longer be undercover at Eric Smith and Associates.

  Richard and Marie sat at the ends of the dining room table, waiting for everyone to find their places. Dominic sat toward the middle and his sister Cameron plopped down next to him. His sister Ashley, her husband Mike, and their two kids all sat across from Dominic, while his sister Brittany and her husband Jake, sat to the other side of Dominic. Even though it was a weekday, with everyone’s work schedules, this was the first chance they’d had to celebrate Dominic’s graduation.

  Instead of everyone being happy, though, tension filled in their air. Richard came home yesterday and announced he’d been laid off. To make matters worse, Marie was unable to resolve the mortgage situation with the bank, even with proper documentation. The usual smile she wore was gone and there were dark circles under Richard’s eyes.

  Ashley cleared her throat, getting everyone’s attention. “I’d like to congratulate Dominic on his degree.” She raised her wine glass. Everyone clinked their glasses together, toasting him. “I also want to apologize for not making it to the ceremony. But, I did get you a little something.” She handed Dominic an envelope.

  He opened it up and found a congratulations card along with a check for five hundred dollars. “Ash—this is too much!” Dominic couldn’t believe his sister was being so generous.

  “No, it’s not,” Ashley responded. “When you get a job, you’ll need a car. You haven’t saved any money. Hopefully this will help with a down payment.”

  “Didn’t you notice the Porsche parked across the street?” Cameron mumbled.

  Dominic prayed no one heard his sister.

  “I saw the Porsche,” Mike said. “Beautiful car.”

  Dominic shifted in his seat. Maybe if he didn’t say anything, the conversation would go away. He hadn’t said anything to anyone about it—except Cameron. She saw him arrive home with the car, so he couldn’t avoid telling her that it was on loan from a possible employer.

  “What about the Porsche?” Ashley asked.

  From the corner of his eye, Dominic noticed Marie’s head snap up. He refused to look at his mom.

  “The food’s getting cold,” Marie said. “Let’s pray so we can eat.” Everyone folded their hands. “Dear Lord, thank you for blessing our family. Thank you for this food on the table. Please watch over Dominic and guide him to do your work instead of the Devil’s. Amen.”

  Oh crap. His mom wasn’t going to let it drop.

  Cameron said under her breath, “Real subtle, Mom.”

  Glaring at Dominic, Marie said, “You went didn’t you? After I asked you not to.”

  Dominic decided to be as casual as possible and play down the interview. “Mom, it’s no big deal. I didn’t take the job.”

  “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” Ashley asked.

  Marie said, “Your father had a friend years ago who turned out to be crazy. Literally crazy,” she said tapping her head. “Once we figured this out, we ended our friendship with him. I never thought our paths would cross again. But the other day, this man offered Dominic a job interview. I begged Dominic not to go, and he promised me he wouldn’t.” Marie turned her attention to Dominic now. “Apparently Dominic went and was given a car. Or should I say the car was given as a bribe? Oh, and don’t let me forget to mention that this man is—”

  “Enough,” Richard said, pounding his fist on the table. “We’re not going to talk about him. I don’t even want his name mentioned in this house.”

  Everyone stared at Richard, stunned by his outburst.

  Brittany finally spoke, breaking the silence. “Of course you’re not going to take the job. And you’ll give the car back, right Dominic?”

  “I don’t know,” Dominic answered honestly. It wasn’t as simple as whether or not he was going to take the job. He had to think of his family.

  “Dominic, are you insane?” Ashley exclaimed. “If Mom and Dad say this man’s crazy, and won’t even mention his name, how can you think of working for him?”

  Dominic sighed and leaned back in his chair. Everyone watched him, waiting for his answer. “I’m just exploring my options,” he said. “I’ve gone on other interviews. I have a job offer from The Gilman Group, making twenty-four thousand dollars a year, but that’s not enough to pay for my own place, a car payment, and my student loans.” Not to mention helping with his parents’ mortgage. “Part of the reason Claire dumped me was because I couldn’t even support myself, let alone the two of us.”

  “So you’d work for someone just because the money’s good?” Brittany asked.

  “I make less than that and I manage to survive,” Cameron muttered.

  “Dominic,” Marie said, “let me ask you this. Do you even know what this man does?”

  Glancing at his dad, Richard was playing with his fork, his food untouched. Focusing on his mom, Dominic said, “I know enough to know that Dad used to work with him. In fact, Dad helped start his business. So at one point, it was good enough for the two of you.”

  Cameron cursed beside him, kicking his foot. But Dominic didn’t want to back down. He wanted to know why his parents kept all of this from him. He should’ve been told before he unknowingly walked into Salazar’s office. Not to mention the fact that Salazar had been following and investigating Dominic for years. If his parents had just been honest, maybe he wouldn’t be in this situation.

  “How dare you,” Richard seethed. “How dare you accuse me of being a part of his business. I’ll tell you this: I did work for him at one point, before I understood what is right and what really matters in this world. I made a lot of money working for him, and I’ll tell you that it isn’t worth all the money in the world. What matters is right here—family and God. Money is not a priority.” Richard’s face turned red and his hands shook.

  Dominic never saw his father like this before. “Dad, I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “I don’t mean to shift the conversati
on,” Ashley intervened, “but you and Claire broke up?”

  “Yeah, she dumped me right after graduation.”

  “I’m so sorry. Weren’t you going to propose?”

  “I was. You know, I don’t want to talk about Claire right now,” Dominic said. He was ready for dinner to be over. He thought tonight was going to be a nice and relaxing. So far, it was anything but.

  “Dominic,” Marie said, “promise me you won’t take the job. This man’s dangerous and I want you to stay away from him.”

  “I’m glad everyone has given me their opinion,” Dominic said. “I probably won’t work for him. I went to school and worked hard to graduate.”

  “What kind of a business does this man have?” Cameron asked.

  Richard quickly responded, “I don’t want to talk about that man or anything related to him. Period. His business is not to be discussed, and I will not have anyone in my family associating with him.” Richard picked up his fork and pointed the tip of it toward Dominic. “Do you understand? You are free to do what you want, but if you work for this man, you will not live under my roof or step foot in my house.”

  Dominic couldn’t believe his father would disown him over a job. Richard was always so soft-spoken and he’d never even threatened Dominic before. “It’s nice to see you can be a man—usually Mom’s the one wearing the pants in this family.” As soon as Dominic spoke these words, he realized he shouldn’t have.

  There was a gasp from everyone in the room. Dominic turned to his father, who was seething with rage.

  Marie cleared her throat, claiming everyone’s attention. “I agree with your father, Dominic. That’s all we’re going to say on the matter.” Marie looked at Cameron. “Honey, tell us about work.” Cameron began talking, trying to diffuse the tension.

  Richard stared down at his plate, ignoring everyone. Dominic was pretty sure Salazar ran an illegal drug business. Not that Salazar came out and said so, but he’d left enough hints. How could Richard have been involved with a drug cartel? How could his father have even been friends with Salazar? Salazar was a commanding and authoritative man—the polar opposite of Richard.

  Dominic realized what Claire was saying when she broke up with him. Claire was afraid of Dominic turning out like his dad. She wanted a real man to marry, someone to protect her, to take care of her, to provide for her. Dominic thought he’d always done that. Still, Dominic was Richard’s son, and he had to be like him in some way.

  Although Dominic loved his father, he was a little embarrassed by him. Richard never coached soccer like the other dads; instead, he was always working or sitting on sidelines, watching. Dominic and his father constantly clashed. Dominic was never afraid to get into a fight at school. When Dominic did, his father was disappointed with him. Richard never understood how Dominic could fight—even if it was to defend one of his sisters.

  Dominic didn’t want to be like his father because Richard was too weak. Dominic wanted to be more like his mother: in charge and in control.

  As soon as dinner was over, Dominic jumped in the Porsche and headed toward the beach. When he arrived at Crystal Pier, thankfully the entrance was still unlocked. He quickly walked past the Crystal Pier Hotel, keeping his eyes down. Dominic refused to look at the blue and white cottage where he and Claire had stayed to celebrate their one year anniversary. As soon as he passed the hotel, the walkway narrowed and the pier continued out over the ocean. The night was relatively calm and there was a slight onshore breeze. The stars were out, but fog loomed in the distance.

  Reaching the end of the pier, Dominic leaned against the railing, looking out at the ocean. He allowed himself to think about Claire. Since their break-up, she hadn’t called, texted, or emailed him. Not once. Clearly she was sticking to her decision, and she obviously didn’t even want to be friends with him. So he’d lost his best friend, his future wife, and his sense of direction. And for what? Because Claire changed her mind? She found someone with more money? Well, then screw her. The more Dominic thought about Claire, the angrier he got. He would love to become a rich, successful man and have her come crawling back to him, begging him to take her back. Then she would know what it felt like.

  Salazar did offer him a job—if you could call it that. It definitely paid well and would give the appearance of being successful. Of course, it also meant marrying Salazar’s daughter. However, if his daughter was hot, he could always throw that in Claire’s face, too. Wouldn’t that be sweet revenge: rich, with a trophy wife.

  But could he actually accept the job? Dominic had been thinking about Salazar’s offer, but not really considering it. At this point, Dominic’s options were limited. He could take a poor paying job, eventually find someone to marry, have kids, and always be working, struggling to get by. Just like his parents. Or, he could accept Salazar’s offer, make a ton of money, actually have some control over his life, get a wife, and do whatever he wanted. But, what Salazar did was illegal and unethical, right?

  Something out of the corner of Dominic’s eye caught his attention. A young woman about his age leaned against the railing, shivering as she gazed out at the ocean. She was about five-feet six-inches tall, her long brown hair flowing in the breeze. Dominic stood staring at her. She turned and smiled. Dominic’s breath caught—she was beautiful. The girl had an oval face, mesmerizing blue eyes, and well-defined lips.

  A man dressed in rags, carrying a bottle, stood a few feet away from her. The guy kept inching closer to her, and she cringed, scooting further away. When she hit the end of the pier, she moved next to Dominic.

  “If you don’t mind, I’d like to pretend that I know you. The man over there is giving me the creeps.” She glanced up at Dominic. Her eyes were captivating.

  “No problem,” Dominic said, glad to have a reason to talk to her. “Are you alone or are you meeting someone?”

  “I came here to think. I have a lot going on right now and I wanted to be alone. I guess it was stupid of me to come here so late at night by myself. What about you?”

  Dominic glanced back at the guy, but he was standing toward the middle of the pier now. “I just needed to get away to clear my head.”

  They stood in silence for a few minutes, each leaning against the railing.

  “I’m already calmer,” the girl said. “The ocean always has that effect on me.” She grinned. “So what’s on your mind, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  Feeling drawn to this woman, Dominic answered, “I’m trying to decide which job to take. I’ve had several offers but I don’t know which one’s best.”

  “Ah, yes, graduation time. Well, be thankful that you have options. There are a lot of people out there who would love to be in your shoes.”

  “I guess you could look at it like that,” Dominic mumbled.

  “So, which job do you want?” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure which job would be best for my future.”

  She smiled. “That’s not what I asked. I asked which job you want—not which path in life you want. Two very different things.” This girl was very direct and articulate. He liked that.

  If only Dominic could tell her about his real job offers, what would she say then? She’d probably think he was the one she should be scared of, not the creep on the pier. Sighing, Dominic answered, “It’s hard to look at each job independently of where it’ll take me in life.”

  “Perhaps that’s why this decision is so complicated for you,” she said, turning toward him. “Maybe you should focus on which job you really want first, and let the rest fall into place. If you choose something based upon where you think it will take you, you’ll be disappointed when things don’t happen the way you expect. Then what will you have? A job you don’t really like and a life that somehow feels empty.”

  Looking out over the ocean, Dominic said, “So, pick the job I really want?”

  “Yes,” she said confidently.

  “What about you?” he asked. “
What do you do?”

  “I’m an attorney.”

  Figured, by the way she talked and how much she had to say. “Are you happy with your choice?” Dominic asked, turning back to face her.

  “I am,” she answered. “I’ve wanted to be an attorney since I was a child.”

  “Really? When I was a kid, I wanted to be a firefighter.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “It always looked like a cool job. And you get to help people.”

  “Why don’t you become a firefighter now?” Dominic shook his head. “You should choose a job that you’re passionate about. You’re the one who has to wake up and go to work every day for the rest of your life. Why not do something that excites you?”

  Dominic laughed. For as long as he could remember, his mother had been pushing his education, assuming that a degree was his golden ticket to a high-paying, successful job. Not once had she ever stopped to ask him what he wanted. “You certainly have offered a different perspective than what my family and friends have.” Looking over his shoulder, Dominic noticed that the man was no longer there. “It looks like the guy left.”

  “Good,” she said. “Thanks for letting me chat with you. It’s nice to think of someone else’s problems for a change.” Her lips curled into a smile.

  “Thanks for the company,” Dominic replied. He didn’t want her to go.

  “I need to get home before I’m missed.”

  “Significant other?” Someone like her would be taken.

  “Sadly, no. I’m embarrassed to say that I’m back home with my father. I just sold my condo and I haven’t bought a new one yet. I’m living at home until I can find a place of my own.” She turned to go, then stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “If you don’t mind, I’d feel more comfortable if you walked me to my car—just in case.”