The Power to See

by Jennifer Anne Davis

  Dominic couldn’t believe what Salazar said, yet, somehow, it all made sense. He always sensed a connection to his mother that didn’t exist with Richard. Dominic never understood how he could be so different from Richard. He always thought of his father as a weak man. Not that Dominic admired anything about Salazar, but he’d always been able to understand him. There was some sort of bond with Salazar, although Dominic never realized what it was until now.

  “What about Brianna?” Dominic suddenly asked, horrified.

  Laughing, Salazar responded, “Don’t worry, she isn’t my biological daughter. She’s Christina’s daughter, not mine. Christina had an affair, and Brianna was conceived. I forgave Christina for what she did, and we brought the baby into the world together. Unfortunately, Christina died shortly after Brianna was born.”

  “Why are you telling me this now?” Dominic pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “Because it’s time you know the truth. You need to fully understand what you’ve done here today, and what you are capable of doing in the future.” Salazar stared directly into Dominic’s eyes.

  “Why would my mother keep this from me?” Dominic asked, more to himself than Salazar.

  “Marie didn’t want to lose Richard.”

  Dominic found it hard to believe his mom had an affair. She was always so strong in her convictions. “Why was it so important that I marry Brianna?” Dominic asked. Why couldn’t Salazar have told him the truth about his parentage, then let him choose someone to marry on his own?

  “Christina and I should’ve had our own child. Had Christina lived, we would have. But she was taken from me, and with her, any chance of an heir. Then I realized that if I was patient, I could have my biological heir. Once you and Brianna have a child, your child would be the heir I deserve, the heir I’m entitled to have.” Salazar sat on the couch opposite Dominic, the severed head still on the coffee table between them.

  Dominic closed his eyes. All his life, he struggled with an inner beast. His mother always tried to tame the animal within him, to prevent it from lashing out, to keep it under control. Dominic tried his hardest to please his mom—to be the man she wanted him to be. But he’d always been aware of the beast lying just below the surface, waiting to be set free. Now Dominic finally understood the animal fury and where it came from. He wasn’t sure who he was upset with: his mom for not telling him the truth? Salazar for allowing the secret to remain hidden?

  “Does Brianna know you aren’t her biological father?” Dominic asked.

  “No, her mother and I decided not to tell her.”

  Dominic realized that Brianna was in the same situation he was. She had been lied to her entire life by the people claiming to love her the most. Now that Dominic knew the truth, how could he keep it from her?

  He remained as calm as possible, aware Salazar was watching his every move. Dominic couldn’t allow himself to show any emotion until he was alone. Then he would sort through everything.

  “How do you feel about all of this, my son?” Salazar asked.

  “I don’t know. It’s a lot to take in.”

  “I understand.”

  There was a soft knock on the door and Phillip entered the room. “Sorry to interrupt, but Hector has been paid in full. We’ve received word that some of Chavez’s men are out looking for him. It’s time to leave.”

  “Tell Nick to kill Hector and give the body to Chavez’s men,” Salazar responded. Dominic’s eyes widened. Smiling, Salazar said, “He’s too dangerous to be left alive. Besides, he knows too much and he’s not very loyal. I demand loyalty from my employees.”

  ***

  Salazar took Dominic, Nick, and Phillip to his compound located in Santa Marta, Colombia. The house was located on a hill overlooking the Caribbean Sea. The white sand beach below was sprinkled with several small houses and boats.

  Once they arrived, Salazar prominently displayed Chavez’s head in an ice chest on the mantle. Several people were at the compound, along with dozens of beautiful girls.

  “What’s the matter?” Salazar asked Dominic. “Why are you sitting on the couch when everyone else is having a good time?”

  “I’m thinking about my mom and what you told me.” Dominic wondered why he wasn’t enough of an heir. Why did Salazar insist on creating a child with Salazar and LeBlanc blood? Nothing made sense.

  Placing his hand on Dominic’s shoulder, Salazar led Dominic to another room where several people were snorting cocaine. Dominic and Salazar sat down, and Salazar placed a mirror on the table in front of them.

  “This is the purest stuff you’ll ever get,” Salazar divided the cocaine for Dominic. “Here mi hijo,” Salazar slid the mirror in front of Dominic.

  “I thought you said we never do this stuff.” Dominic had been glad when Salazar told him he wasn’t allowed to use any of the drugs they sold. He never thought he’d be in this situation.

  “This is a celebration!” Salazar clapped Dominic on his back. “It’s something we do once in a while—not like the idiots we sell the stuff to.”

  Seeing that he had no choice in the matter, Dominic inhaled the cocaine quickly before he had time to think about what he was doing. Satisfied, Salazar did a rail.

  In no time at all, Dominic sensed something happening to him. Within five minutes, he knew he’d be doing this again. The line between right and wrong no longer existed. He wasn’t in control of his actions.

  Salazar smiled at Dominic. “I have a surprise for you. Come with me.” Salazar led Dominic to another room. “Here we are. Enjoy!”

  Dominic opened the door to find four beautiful young women lying naked on a bed. He turned back to look at Salazar.

  “It’s something we all need once in a while. I found two virgins and two experienced girls for you.”

  “What about Brianna?”

  “She isn’t here.”

  “I don’t want to cheat on her.”

  “You’re not. After all, didn’t she sleep with Matt? Now you’re even.”

  One of the girls slid off the bed and sauntered over to Dominic. She placed her hands on him, pulling him into the room. Smiling, Dominic shut the door and joined them. He couldn’t help but feel his power—all of the girls wanted him.

  ***

  Phillip came up behind Salazar. “Did he go for it?”

  “Of course. Is everything in place?”

  “All of the cameras are recording.”

  “Good. Make sure you get copies and file them away in your office with the nightclub video, in case we ever need them.”

  “Consider it done.”

  Salazar wanted insurance that he would always have the upper hand. He understood all too well the power Brianna held over Dominic. After all, Salazar experienced the same thing with Christina.

  A door slammed shut. Brianna bolted upright in bed. The moonlight shone through the windows, casting a soft light throughout the bedroom. She was alone. Laying back down, she glanced over at the clock. It was just after three in the morning. A metal scraping sound came from the balcony. Brianna was sure she was safe. The house was equipped with state-of-the-art security equipment, bodyguards, and a full-time staff. Even with Dominic and Salazar out of town, she was protected.

  Brianna tried to fall back asleep, but she had a strange feeling, like she was being watched. Was it Ben? Sliding her legs to the edge of the bed, Brianna stood, looking around the room. Everything was in order and there was no evidence of another person.

  Something flickered out on the balcony. There was a figure slumped over in a chair shaking. The person had curly hair—it had to be Dominic. Brianna opened the glass door and went outside. She sat next to him, softly rubbing his back. His business trip must not have gone well.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  Dominic rubbed his hands over his face. “I’m sorry if I woke you. You seemed so peaceful sleeping, I didn’t want to disturb you.” He stood and went to the railing, avoiding eye contact with her.

  �
�You seem upset.” Brianna was certain he was crying. “Did something happen?”

  “Only what Salazar planned.” Loathing seeped into his voice.

  “Dominic, please don’t shut me out. You can talk to me.”

  On their honeymoon, Brianna made her peace with Dominic. She apologized to him for sleeping with Matt and not telling him about it. Even though Dominic felt like a brother rather than her lover, Brianna made a real effort to get to know him. Something changed when they were alone and it was just the two of them. They became better friends. Dominic opened up about Claire, she opened up about Matt. They cleared the air and paved the way for a future—a future possibly without Salazar. After all, they were in this together, and they both wanted to be happy.

  ***

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” Dominic said, his hands gripped the railing so hard it hurt. “Can I please have a moment to myself? I’ll come inside in a second.” Once Brianna was gone, Dominic tried to forget the nightmare he just returned home from. He had to forget the four women he repeatedly fucked. He had to forget about Chavez’s decapitated head. He had to forget about Salazar being his biological father.

  On their way home from Colombia, Salazar asked Dominic how he was doing. Dominic decided to be honest. He told Salazar it was a lot to stomach, and he didn’t know if he could handle it. That’s when Salazar leaned in close and threatened him. The gist of it was: if Dominic didn’t fully cooperate, his family would suffer.

  It was like Dominic was in quick sand. No matter what he did, he was going under. And the nightmare was only just beginning.

  ***

  The next morning Brianna rolled over in bed and found Dominic already dressed.

  “Where are you going? I made plans for us today.” After seeing Dominic’s state last night, she was eager to spend some time alone with him. Hopefully he would open up and let her in, or at the very least, they could do something fun to alleviate his tension. Brianna could only imagine the atrocious things her father was asking Dominic to do.

  “I have to work,” he said coldly.

  When Matt’s identity was revealed, Salazar forced Brianna to resign at the firm and he refused to let her get another job. To make matters worse, Dominic wouldn’t allow Phillip to train her either. Dominic said he didn’t want his wife associated with the business. So what the heck was she supposed to do? When Brianna asked Dominic, he looked at her like she was crazy. He told her to go shopping or relax by the pool. Seriously? She was going to go stark raving mad being so useless.

  “You’re working on a Saturday?”

  “Salazar needs me. People’s drug habits don’t take a break just because it’s the weekend. There’s always something that needs to be taken care of,” Dominic replied bitterly.

  Brianna had a feeling this was how things were going to be—her father and husband always together, working, and she would be left behind, alone.

  “Can we at least have dinner together?” she asked.

  Dominic kissed her on the cheek. “We’ll see.”

  Leaving the County Recorder’s Office, Brianna quickly slid into her car and locked the doors. She was dying to look at the documents in the manila envelope, but it would have to wait. She didn’t want to garner any attention from Ben or her other bodyguards in the car behind her.

  As soon as she hit a red light, Brianna opened the envelope and pulled out the papers. Salazar and Christina’s marriage certificate was on top. Brianna was only interested in one thing—Christina’s maiden name. The light turned green and she laid the documents on her lap.

  At the next red light, she looked down at the marriage certificate. Her mother’s last name was LeBlanc. Funny. It was a name Brianna used quite often. Maybe that’s why Salazar chose it as one of her aliases. Brianna had a social security card and a driver’s license with the name Brianna LeBlanc. One time she was curious who the social belonged to, and she discovered it was some old woman living in Carlsbad.

  Scanning the rest of the certificate, Brianna noticed two things. One: her mother’s address was in Carlsbad. Two: Christina’s mother’s name was Brianna LeBlanc. The light turned green. Instead of veering onto the freeway, Brianna turned down another street with several lights. At the next red, she found her birth certificate and read through it. Her place of birth should have been Sharp Mary Birch. That’s what Salazar told her, time and time again. But it wasn’t. Her place of birth was listed as a homebirth with Salazar’s La Jolla address.

  Brianna read through the last document—her mother’s death certificate. Brianna was told her mother died in a hospital a few months after Brianna was born. The light turned green. It took three more lights before she caught another red. Quickly scanning the document, the cause of death was listed as an intentional injury—as in murdered. The date was exactly one week after Brianna’s birth, and the location was also in Carlsbad.

  A car honked. The light had turned green. Brianna glanced in her rearview mirror at Ben behind her. Then she shoved the papers in the manila envelope, tossing it onto the passenger seat. Aimlessly driving, Brianna tried wrapping her mind around what it all meant. Her mother had been murdered? Analyzing the situation as an attorney, she tried to think about the information objectively. Matt’s letter said that Salazar murdered Christina. If her mom had been killed by a rival cartel, as Salazar’s parents had been, then Salazar would’ve told Brianna. She knew the details of her grandparents’ murders and how Salazar had been hunting down Chavez to extract revenge on the man responsible.

  With Christina, there hadn’t been a single word about revenge for her death. Not only that, but Salazar had told Brianna she died naturally. The only logical reason for him to lie would be if he was involved with her death. Brianna knew, without a doubt, that Salazar loved Christina, so how could he do something like that? Yet, somewhere in her gut, Brianna knew it was not only possible, but likely. After all, Brianna saw what Salazar was capable of. If her mother did something to illicit his temper, she could’ve easily been caught in the crossfire.

  Brianna couldn’t fathom why this was a shock to her. Salazar lied to everyone else, so why wouldn’t he lie to her, too? Brianna was reaching her breaking point. There was only so much she could handle and something had to change. But what? She couldn’t escape. At this point, she couldn’t go to the DEA, and Dominic was no help. He was turning into a younger version of Salazar.

  Ben was watching from the car behind her. Brianna needed to keep her emotions in check. She had all the pieces to the puzzle, she just had to put them together. Brianna decided to go to the library, to check the archives for more information. Now that she had her mother’s maiden name, correct date of death, and the location, she should be able to discover the truth from an old newspaper article.

  At the library, it took just under an hour for her to sort through enough facts to know that Salazar killed Christina and set another man up for the crime. Christina was killed alongside an unnamed man, who was identified as her fiancé. There was a reference to Christina filing for a divorce nine months prior to her death. Brianna sat in the library, staring at the computer screen for hours. Who was the unnamed man? An eerie chill consumed her. Nine months. Brianna was born one week before Christina’s death. Was Salazar even her father? It seemed too unbelievable, but this was Salazar, and he was capable of anything.

  A plan began forming. Before she hashed out all the details, Ben came to check on her. He suggested she head home. There was a hitch in his voice that meant he was hiding something. When Brianna pressed him further, he finally said, “Dominic got a call. Claire’s mom died yesterday.”

  “Is Dominic okay?”

  “Go home and find out.”

  She didn’t want to face Dominic right now. He needed time alone to work through his emotions. Claire probably needed him right now.

  “I want you to take me to see Claire,” Brianna said with determination. She was positive Ben knew where Claire lived.

  He just stood there star
ing at her, his eyes unreadable, his expression blank.

  “Please Ben. This is something I need to do for Dominic. I can guarantee you Dominic’s going to want to see Claire. I don’t think Salazar would be too happy about that, do you?” That seemed to do the trick.

  “All right. As long as it’s for Dominic, I’ll drive you there. The other bodyguards can wait here.”

  Brianna nodded.

  As predicted, Ben knew exactly where to go. He pulled into a small driveway, leading to an equally small house. It reminded Brianna of Dominic’s home. She caught Ben’s wrist as he turned off the car.

  “I’m going in alone. Wait for me here.”

  Ben smiled condescendingly. “I don’t think so.”

  “I do. Otherwise, I’ll let Salazar know some of our dirty little secrets.” His eyes narrowed and it looked like he was about to call her bluff. “But it’s not Salazar I’d be worried about if I were you. It’s Dominic. He doesn’t know about our past. It’s not too late for him to find out.”

  Ben leaned back in his seat. “Thirty minutes—no more.”

  Brianna got out of the car and walked up to the front door. What was she thinking? She didn’t know Claire. What sort of mindset would Claire be in after just losing her mother? But if Brianna could get Claire and Dominic back together, Dominic would leave Salazar. Then Brianna would have a chance of escaping too. If her plan was going to work, she had to act fast while emotions were volatile.

  Brianna knocked and a dog started barking. A few minutes later, Claire opened the door with a golden retriever at her side. She looked the same as in the picture in Dominic’s room, except for her red eyes.

  “I’m Brianna, Dominic’s wife. I need to speak with you.”

  “This really isn’t a good time,” Claire answered with a hard edge to her voice.

  “I know, and I’m so sorry. But it’s important.”

  “So talk.” Claire crossed her arms.

  “Is there someplace private we can go?” Ben couldn’t overhear this conversation. Glancing at the car, Ben was sitting in the front seat with the window down.