Chapter Nine
With a long sigh, Dominic rose and headed out to his car. All the way home, he planned how he was going to tell Gina it was over. He wanted to use the clichéd It’s not you, it’s me, but that was cruel, even if though was the truth. He couldn’t tell her the real reason. By the time he pulled into a parking space near his building, he decided to do it quickly. He’d say he didn’t want to hurt her, but he needed space.
As he walked up the stairs to the apartment he’d had for almost 20 years, he wondered what Claire would think about the man he became. Would she be happy he couldn’t leave? Would she tell him to move on? He had no clue. Since he couldn’t talk to her, he would never know.
Shock registered on his face when he opened his apartment door. Gina stood in the kitchen with Bethany. He had forgotten he gave Gina a spare key, just in case. That was the last thing he needed. They were supposed to meet in a few hours, alone. He took a few deep breaths and put on a fake smile.
“Hey, guys. What you doing here?” He hugged them both.
Gina saw the strain in his eyes. “Had a bad day?”
“Kinda.” He grimaced. “Hard to explain. Did you come by for something?” She knew he hated unscheduled visits.
She smiled. “Bethany wanted to ask you a favor.”
“Yeah, can you teach me to play?” Bethany was interested in a boy at school who played guitar. She hoped if she learned, he would pay attention to her. “Please.”
He gave her a genuine grin. “Sure. Come inside.”
They headed to his music room. Bethany had never seen the rear of the apartment. There were several doors back there. Dominic opened the second one and put out his hand.
“Come see my guitars.”
Bethany’s mouth dropped when she stepped foot inside. She had never seen so many guitars outside of a music store. “Wow.” She gently caressed the body of a custom Ibanez. “Did you really meet Mickey Vance?” She turned towards him.
“Yeah, at a music festival years ago. I told him I collected guitars, and he signed this one for me.” Most of the ones on display were signed by famous lead guitarists.” He picked up his favorite acoustic, after handing her his spare. “We’ll start out slow.”
Gina stood in the doorway, glad he was willing to be part of Bethany’s life too. The piano against the far wall was a surprise though, not knowing he could play it. She watched Dominic patiently go over scales with her daughter. He would make such a great father. Maybe he would like his own child.
Dominic tried to ignore the fact that Bethany was 15. Annabelle would’ve been 15. He imagined what she looked like at that age. Would she have long dark hair like him and her mother? Maybe she would want to play too. He could take her to concerts. Them being on tour with him would’ve been great.
After an hour, Dominic stood up. He couldn’t take the “what-ifs” in his mind anymore. “Take a break.” He set his guitar down and waited until both women were clear of the room. Then he opened a cabinet and looked at a picture of Claire playing one of his guitars. She was terrible, but she tried hard. “Help me do this.”
“What’s in this room?” Bethany asked from the hallway.
Dominic stuck his head out. Then his eyes opened wide. “Don’t go in there!”
She stood at the first door of the hallway, hand on the knob. “Why not?” She turned it.
“Don’t you fucking dare!”
Gina rushed to them. “What’s wrong?”
“She’s… She can’t…”
Not understanding, Gina scowled. “Why are you yelling at her?”
Bethany glared at Dominic and blatantly opened the door, throwing it open. Her mouth dropped when she looked inside. “Whose room is this?”
Gina looked at the pink walls, soft white furniture, then the crib. “You have a daughter?”
“Get out!” he screamed. “Get the fuck out!” He corralled them to the front door. “I never want to see you again. Get the hell out!”
He waited until they were gone and closed Annabelle’s door, not looking inside. Not once in the last 15 years had he been able to set foot in it without breaking down. Furious and feeling out of control, he hurried to the kitchen cabinet that held his liquor. He yanked out a full bottle of tequila. That had been his go-to memory-killer years ago.
After downing five shots, he carried the bottle to the couch and sat down. He turned on the television and pulled his phone out of his pocket. While he hit Tommy’s name, he took a long swig from the bottle.
“Ah, shit!” He gasped and coughed, no longer used to drinking so much.
Tommy was on his way home from the studio. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Tom?”
Concerned about the odd tone of voice, Tommy down shifted and slowed down, just in case. “Dominic, what’s wrong?”
“It’s… It’s long… story.” Dominic took another drink from the bottle and his eyes watered. “I—I did it.”
“Did what?” Tommy heard the slur, though. “You drinkin’ this early? Dom, want me to come over?” He had a few more miles before he got to the Highway 73 exit. “I’m not far.”
Dominic slumped back, already quite drunk. He had not eaten anything in hours. “I—I made her leave.” He closed his eyes and sucked some more tequila down. The pain had not stopped yet. “Bethany went… went in… Annabelle’s room. The bitch.”
“Shit! You’re fucked up, ain’t you?” Tommy felt panic rising. Dominic had given up drugs years ago. “Tell me you ain’t high, man!”
Laughing, Dominic fell over. “Fuck you. This tequila’s good enough.”
Tommy hit the gas and got onto Highway 73. “I’m on my way. Dominic, don’t move.”
“Don’t think I can.” Dominic dropped the bottle on the floor. “Oops.” His eyes opened to slits. The room was spinning. “Fuck. I—I sh—should call No—elle. Miss her.”
“Don’t you dare hang up.” Tommy rolled his eyes. Dominic was beyond fucked up. If he called her, he would probably say something stupid. “Keep talking.” He listed to Dominic babble incoherently until he started snoring.
Once at Dominic’s place, he knocked on the door loudly. No answer. He tried the knob, which turned. That meant Dominic was more upset than he could imagine. He entered the apartment and locked the door. What he found was not a shock, but he shook his head. Dominic had passed out on the couch, one hand on the floor, his phone on his chest.
“Hey, I’m here.” Tommy picked up the empty tequila bottle. “Hope you didn’t drink the whole bottle.” He set it on the coffee table and crouched down by Dominic’s head. “Dom… Dom… Wake up.” He gently shook him.
Dominic stirred and groaned. He felt worse than when he started drinking. Then his stomach lurched. “Oh shit!” He jumped up and stumbled to the bathroom.
Tommy followed, but stood outside the room as his best friend vomited. “You need anything?” He didn’t get a response. When it got quiet, he stuck his head in. “You a’right?”
Leaning on the wall, Dominic looked up at him. “I’m… dying.”
Trying not to laugh, Tommy replied. “You did drink the whole fucking bottle, didn’t you? Idiot!” He gave up and burst out laughing. “Sorry. You’re supposed to be the smart one.” When he caught his breath, he put a hand out. “Come on. I’ll make you some coffee.”
“Tomato juice works better,” Dominic mumbled as he stood. He held onto Tommy until they got to the couch again. “Seriously… tomato juice.”
Tommy’s face screwed up. “OK, Doc. You know best. Tomato juice it is.” He walked to the kitchen and found a can in the refrigerator. After pouring a glass, he went back to Dominic and sat down next to him. “Now tell me what happened.”
Eyes closed again, Dominic saw Annabeth. “Why’d she open the door? I was doing fine till…” His hands clenched into fists. The last thing he wanted was to fall apart. “Tommy, I miss them.” His family meant everything to him.
Gritting his teeth, Tommy set the glass down
and hugged his emotional friend. “I know, man. I’m always here for you.” He felt Dominic fighting the urge to cry. It was hard not to feel his pain. “Dude, just tell me what happened.”
Chapter Ten
The day after, Dominic parked his Jeep next to the motorcycles in the far slot at Demonfire. He brought the SUV so he could pick up the tables Jon said he could borrow for his parents. After locking the doors, he looked the bikes over. Giovanni had fixed Jon’s Vulcan up real nice. It had been sitting in Jon’s garage for a year because he didn’t trust anyone to touch it. Giovanni’s Harley was smaller, but looked just as badass. Dominic didn’t know how to ride. The bikes’ gas mileage alone sometimes made him wish he did.
He walked into the studio with a smile on his face. Things were going back to normal finally, at least with Triple Threat. It took some time for all the tension to dissipate. Rosario’s visit seemed to help speed the process. He was still a little worried about what he had witnessed between Chad and Crystal over the weekend. At least it wasn’t the same as it was before.
The first thing Dominic noticed when he entered the main room was Crystal bent over her guitar case. Unlike usual, she had jeans on. Her ass still looked good, though. He was not like the other guys, but admired women from afar. He did feel more fatherly toward her, though. That helped him keep his distance.
“Jon, you need anything while I’m here?” Dominic shouted.
Turning away from Giovanni, Jon waved Dominic over. When he was close enough, he said, “Nah, but Dean got the vocal tracks done for “Heart’s Revenge,” “Fight or Flight” and “Blown Away” at my place last night. So we’re all caught up. I wanna do “Reign of Fire” next, OK?”
“Sure, fine with me.” Dominic smiled and turned his head. “Crystal, you OK?”
Crystal turned at his voice. “I’m fine.” She closed her eyes, as she stood straight. Her back and abdomen ached. “Tommy was looking for you.” She grabbed her purse and quickly headed for the ladies’ room.
Dominic looked around for Tommy, not finding him. Then he headed for Jon’s office. Tommy was sitting in Jon’s chair, working on his laptop. “Why don’t you make an office for yourself? You’re here every day, anyway.”
“True.” Tommy didn’t look up from the email he was writing to Shane Martin, lead singer of Silverblade. “But, then I’d have to be all responsible and shit. I like being the fuck-up.”
Dominic laughed. “You’re not the fuck-up. You know who is.” He looked around to make sure Dean wasn’t lurking nearby.
“You OK?” Tommy had not left until past midnight, when Dominic had finally fallen asleep again. “Did you sleep?”
Shrugging, Dominic looked down. “Some. I kept having weird dreams about all three of them… Claire, Gina and Noelle. Kinda freaked me out.”
“Mmm. Foursome, huh?” Tommy cocked an eyebrow. “Didn’t know you’d go for that.”
Dominic’s mouth dropped. “You ass. I don’t have wet dreams anymore. Only you seem to have that issue.”
“Fuck you.” Tommy laughed. “Did you need something?”
Shaking his head, Dominic smiled. He liked how Tommy took everything with a grain of salt. Sometimes he wished he could. “Did you talk to Jake?”
“Yeah, he texted me last night.” Tommy hit “send” on his phone. “I think he said this leg of the tour is over in October. Brandon still lives in Baltimore. Maybe he could come up here and work on the schedule with us. We gotta get it all mapped out.”
“I thought it was already set.” Dominic felt like he missed something.
Tommy sighed and glanced up. “Most of the dates are set, but we’re trying to fill in some of the blanks and not let the new dates take us too far out of the way. We worked it out pretty well so far; not too many paths crossed.”
Although he would never admit it, Tommy was the best at setting up tour dates. He knew geography so well he rarely had to consult a map to know where a city was. They didn’t even need a manager and hadn’t had one for years. Their old manager always wanted the band to do things that didn’t make sense, so they fired him.
“Hey.” Tommy didn’t look up. “I told Jon you have two more songs for the album.”
Dominic’s mouth dropped. “Why?”
“So you’d record them.” Tommy glanced at his nervous friend. “They’re both good.”
Exhaling loudly with frustration, Dominic scowled at him. “You should’ve asked.”
“If it was up to you, no one would ever know what was in your heart. Jon said he wants to hear them tomorrow.”
Dominic shook his head. “Whatever. If it’ll shut you up.”
When music started playing over the speaker on the wall, Dominic turned to the door. He would have to wait a while to grab the tables since they were in the storage room. Quietly, he made his way to the edge of the main room. Triple Threat was playing “Why Can’t You Love Me?” From the lyrics and the look on Chad’s face, he obviously wrote it about Crystal.
He watched as they played it again. Jon wanted Chad to play with more grit. Something he was known for, but that song must have gotten to him more than any other. He felt bad, but didn’t know how to help.
Chad looked Crystal’s way, although he couldn’t see her. The song was killing him. He wrote it when he was at his lowest in their “relationship.” He was frustrated she didn’t love him back and saw her getting closer to Giovanni. The day after the threesome with her and Giovanni, the words came to him. He could feel her pulling away. It took him a few days to get it right, but it was a great song. He had hoped to show it to her, but then she left him.
At their first break, Dominic walked into the room. “Sounds good, guys.”
“Thanks.” Chris nodded at Dominic. “We’re almost done. Finally.” He was glad the long, stressful days would be over for a while. He was exhausted most mornings. It was hard to bring girls home, and then tell them, “I gotta get up early.” They always thought it was a line.
Chad gave Dominic a half smile, then sat on a chair against the wall. He watched Giovanni put his arms around Crystal and tried to be happy for them, but that day it was just too much. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. It was impossible not to think of what Crystal had told him the night before.
“Hey, what’s the matter?” Dominic sat next to Chad. “You look like someone punched you again.”
Chad exhaled slowly. “It’s complicated.” His body shuddered. “You don’t even wanna know.” He had shed many tears that day and was trying not to start again.
“We can talk later if you want.” Dominic put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m like a doctor. I keep it confidential.” He chuckled softly. “If you need me to.”
Chad banged his head on the wall. “It’s long story.”
“Let Phil or Chris take the van. I’ll drive you home.” Dominic offered. “I can see it in your eyes—you need to talk about this. It’s killing you.” He hoped it would explain things.
“Yeah, it is.” Chad shrugged. “As long as you keep it to yourself, that sounds good. Thanks.”
Dominic stood. “You can help me unload when we get to my parents, then I’ll drop you off.” He smiled. “It’s Crystal again, right?” He glanced at her hanging on Giovanni as if she had no strength. They both looked in bad shape.
“Of course.” Chad was angry with himself for getting his hopes up, but that was what he did. The crash was much worse than he expected. It was hard to breathe at times that morning.
Knowing he would have to wait for hours, Dominic tried to think of something to pass the time. The only thing that came to mind was computer games. Jon had a few in his office. They all used to play when off tour, until Demonfire had gotten big.
“Don’t leave without me.” Dominic put a hand on Chad’s shoulder. “I’m gonna put you to work.”
Chad smiled, slightly, then slumped down. Maybe talking’ll help.
A few hours later, Chad and Dominic got the tables into the Jeep. Then they sat i
n the front seat for a few minutes, until Dominic started the engine. “You’re coming to Tommy’s party Saturday, right?”
Chad nodded, “Yeah, alone… As usual.”
“There’s no law against dating with a broken heart.” Dominic understood, though. Dating, while thinking of someone else was complicated… to say the least. “So what’s going on?” He pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street.
With a loud sigh, Chad blurted out, “I fucked Crystal again.”
“What the fuck?” Dominic almost crashed into the vehicle stopped in front of him. “You gotta be kidding me.”
Chad groaned. “No. I’m not. I was drunk, again, and… I kinda held her down and fucked her in Rosario’s car.”
“How could you do that to her?” Dominic wanted to look at Chad badly, but kept his eyes on the road. “Why isn’t she pissed at you? Or scared of you?” A hundred thoughts flew through his mind. “Giovanni’s gonna kill you. How could you force her?” Since he learned more about her attack, Chad doing that sounded insane and could make her regress. “Shit.”
“Wait, wait.” Chad struggled to control his emotions. “I didn’t exactly force her. Well, I guess I kinda did, but she came, and then I…” He closed his eyes and looked away.
Dominic glanced at him. “What else did you do?” He waited, but only got silence. “What the fuck, Chad? Did you fuck at their place again after?”
“No… I came in her,” Chad said flatly.
Dominic slapped his forehead. “Shit! Now the whole fucking thing’s gonna start all over again. That’s why she looks so off lately? She’s pregnant?”
“No.” A few tears fell down Chad’s cheeks. “But I wanted her to be. She told me last night. You can’t tell Giovanni. She doesn’t want him to ever know.”
Dominic huffed. “I can see why. Damn, you two better figure this shit out. Either she’s with you, or Giovanni. He doesn’t wanna share her with you.”
“I know. I know.” Chad leaned his head on the window. “She’s everything I ever wanted in a woman. It’s so hard. I don’t know how to let her go.”
Dominic took a few minutes to respond. He was trying to see it from Chad’s side, which wasn’t easy, since he had not been in love for a long time. “First of all, you have to stop fucking her. That makes letting go harder.”
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