As I’m driving to the condo, I catch a glimpse of Tucker’s truck a few cars behind me. This isn’t by chance. If he wanted to remain unseen, I would never know he was back there. I have to talk to Dominic. He has to hear me out and let me explain everything that’s happened and why. He needs to know about the baby. I don’t want him to find this out from anyone else – not even Tucker.
When I pull into the parking garage, Tucker pulls in and then parks beside me. I quickly stuff my pregnancy gift bag into my oversized purse and grab the prescription bag off the front seat. Tucker opens my door for me and I climb out of the car with a confused look on my face.
“We haven’t been able to find Harrison. Have you heard from him?” Tucker asks. So, this is his ‘hello’ now.
Giving him a disgusted look, I shake my head but never move my eyes from his.
“I have some things to do so I won’t be around anymore.” He’s trying to be indifferent, but I hear the concern in his voice. He’s been pulled off watching my every move, which also means he won’t be there to protect me if Harrison shows up. “I just thought you should know.”
My heart is breaking because I know this directive came from Dominic. Tucker must have talked to him and Dominic pulled him off watching me. Was that intentional so that Harrison has a better shot at me? The worry must be evident on my face because Tucker’s hard stare softens.
“Sophia,” he says, exasperated and unsure of how to proceed.
“Fine,” I whisper. Fine that he’s off my detail. Fine that I’m alone. I. Am Fine. Or, at least, I will be eventually. The look I leave him with before walking off to the elevator tells him everything I can’t verbalize.
I let you down–but you’re letting me down, too. Guess we’re even now.
His frustration is obvious and we both know his hands are tied. He knows I’m not out of danger but he’s following orders. He’s loyal to Dominic and I’m the traitor. But I didn’t deserve what Harrison did to me and Tucker saved me. It’s all so very fucked up and I’m way too tired to deal with this shit right now. I leave him to wallow in his own annoyance. My bed is calling my name.
After a long and restful nap, I awake to my stomach rumbling. Realizing I skipped breakfast, I rise and make a soup and sandwich for a late lunch. With Tucker not following me, I have an opportunity to go to Dominic’s lake house and try to talk to him without him having advance knowledge that I’m coming. As I’m in the bathroom freshening up, the first wave of nausea slams into me like a freight train. Maybe I should look into “morning” sickness sooner rather than later.
My heart is pounding as I pull into his driveway. Nervously, I walk up to the large, double door and ring the doorbell. The chimes sound throughout the house but there are no other sounds coming from inside. Table lamps illuminate various spots throughout the house, but it doesn’t appear that anyone is actually here. I try the bell once more, just because I can’t bear to leave without seeing him, but to no avail.
Over the next two weeks, my days are spent working from the condo and my evenings are spent watching for my Dom to appear out of thin air. With saltine crackers and Sprite to help settle my stomach, I wait for any sign of him. My body has mended. The bruises have faded away to the point that only a few are still barely visible. My voice has returned to its normal tone and pitch. The only thing left to heal is my heart that is still shattered.
My daily routine has been unchanged over the past two weeks – working and waiting for Dominic. With the exception of today, when I finally feel well enough to go shopping in the middle of the day and run smack into Kayla Powers, Dominic’s mother.
Chapter Five
Dominic
“Follow her. I want to know her every move,” I bark into the phone at Tucker.
“You got it, boss,” he replies before we hang up.
Shadow is in the car with me but he doesn’t say anything. I haven’t exactly been the best company since all this shit went down with Sophia. I still can’t believe what all the facts are showing me. The nagging feeling that a vital piece of the puzzle is missing lingers and that makes it hard to concentrate on anything else. Being back in Tennessee this week doesn’t help either.
The best of my programmers are at the facility now and are working their magic. The install has had the expected glitches but we’ve planned carefully for this entire project. I’ve found myself wishing, more than once, that Sophia were here with me to manage the project milestones and deliverables. We’ve been here three days this week and I’ve had to take over the conversations too many times.
Today will be another long fucking day. Another long fucking week.
Somehow, we make it through the first step of the installation without me killing Jason, our current project manager. He has none of Sophia’s best qualities and it thoroughly pisses me off that he makes me think of her at all. Shadow and I climb into the back of our car just as my phone starts ringing.
“Powers,” I answer.
“Boss,” Tucker says tentatively and I’m on instant alert.
“What is it, Tucker?”
“Dominic,” he only uses my name when he is reminding me to keep my shit together. “She’s on her way to Harrison’s house.”
“Cut her loose, Tucker. That’s all I need to know,” I instruct him and quickly hang up.
“Son of a bitch!” I yell for probably the hundredth time this week. Our driver doesn’t even flinch at my outbursts anymore.
“Problems at home?” Shadow asks, as he arches one eyebrow and one side of his mouth quirks upwards. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear there was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
“What would give you that idea?”
“Just a hunch,” he says with a nonchalant shrug.
“She’s on her way to Harrison’s house right now,” I growl.
“You knew that could happen,” Shadow chides.
“Yeah, I knew. It’s just hard to accept that she saved my life and then did all this shit to me.” I lean my head back and close my eyes. I’m so fucking pissed off right now I could take someone’s head off. Like Harry Dick-man’s head.
“Look, I’m not trying to get involved in your personal life. But, I saw her when she realized you were still inside that burning house. That was no act, my friend. She was frantic and she didn’t stop to think about her own safety for a second. I know people, man. There’s more to this story.”
“Have you found out anything else about her and Harrison? What they’re up to?”
Shadow turns his head away from me and looks out the window. “I’m working on a couple of leads. I’ll know something certain soon.”
This guy is the master of vagueness.
“What the hell does that mean, exactly? How are you working on a couple of leads if you’re with me all the time?” My voice deepens as I challenge him.
“I’m a man of many talents, Dominic. One of my best talents is knowing when to relay information,” then he turns his head and looks me in the eye, “and when not to.”
“What-the-fuck-ever. I’m done. Stick a fucking fork in me–I am done. In fact, I’ve been considering some secrets of my own. I’m going to make them both fucking pay for this. I’m going to thoroughly enjoy watching them squirm.”
“Remember, ‘he who seeks vengeance should dig two graves.’”
Looking Shadow dead in the eye, I reply. “You’re right. Thanks for the words of wisdom. One grave for Harrison. One grave for Sophia. Got it.”
Shadow chuckles lightly and shakes his head. “Whatever you say.”
“You know something I don’t?” I ask incredulously.
Shadow’s smirk is honestly the only answer I need, but I continue to stare him down and wait for a verbal response. “I know plenty, Mr. Powers. Like I said, I know when the show my cards and when to play them close to the vest. This is how I operate and it’s not negotiable. There’s a reason you hired the best. Take my advice and it’ll be fine. I will update you as soon as it’s time
to update you.”
“You’re right in that I hired Steele Security because of the agency’s reputation. But this is my life and if you have information, I deserve to know it,” I demand.
Shadow turns his huge frame to face me in a covertly aggressive manner. His voice deepens, the corners of his eyes narrow, and his gaze hardens. “I have contacts working on this case that you wouldn’t dare even look at, Mr. Powers. The information they get comes in small bursts and then we have to piece it together to get the full picture. Our intel says your life is still in danger,” he pauses for effect, and I am instantly filled with dread. “The most recent chatter says Sophia’s life may be in danger and she is possibly the primary target at this point. So maybe you should get to digging that grave a little faster.”
“You just let me pull Tucker off of following her knowing that?” I bellow.
“My job is to protect you and yours. She’s not yours anymore, now is she?” he asks pointedly.
“That doesn’t mean I want her to be hurt or killed!”
“This is exactly why I don’t share information until I’m absolutely certain it’s time. Now you’ll second-guess your every decision, trying to determine what’s best for everyone else. You’re already distracted. You didn’t even notice that we’ve been sitting in the hotel parking lot for the last five minutes. Leave the security concerns to me and you focus on running your business,” Shadow demands.
He’s right–I wasn’t paying attention to anything else. I know I won’t be able to get this veiled threat against Sophia out of my mind now. Jumping out of the car, I call Tucker’s phone. It rings several times and goes to voicemail. After several more attempts, my aggravation has increased one thousand fold.
“Tucker!” I yell into his voicemail. “Call me as soon as you get this message.”
Pacing back and forth in my hotel room, I oscillate between worry and anger. I’m worried that something has already happened to her and I’m angry that I care about it at all. She sided with my fucking enemy. She helped to try to bring me down. Then, she filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against me and has been demanding an extraordinary amount of money to keep it out of court and out of the press.
Cheryl, my lawyer, has reminded Sophia’s lawyer many times that there is a motion filed for a gag order. We both know that won’t mean shit if it goes to court, though. It’ll be a media circus and every aspect of my life will be torn apart for the world to make snap judgments. I have no doubt that my whole lifestyle will be called into question and used against me by those who don’t have a clue of what a real Dominant/submissive relationship even looks like. I’ll be portrayed as an overbearing, heavy-handed man who uses my position and authority to abuse women.
On the off chance that Christine, my housekeeper, has heard from Tucker, I quickly call her. “Christine, have you seen or heard from Tucker? I can’t get him on the phone.”
“No, I’m sorry, Mr. Powers, I haven’t been to the lake house since you told me to stay away. I haven’t heard from him. Should I go to the house and check?” she asks, her voice filled with concern.
“No, I’m sure he’s fine. I’ll try him again later. Thank you, Christine.” We say our goodbyes and I sit heavily on the bed. When everything became so dangerous, I told her to stay away from the lake house. I didn’t want her to become collateral damage in anyone’s attempt to get to me.
Shadow and I have dinner together, but in my distracted state, I’m not very good at keeping up my end of a conversation tonight. Tucker still hasn’t returned my call and that has never happened. Never.
“Would you stop worrying? This is exactly why I didn’t tell you anything. Tucker is a professional and he’s fine. He’s just busy and he’ll call you when he can. He knows you’re with me and that you’re safe. Whatever he has on his hands is his priority right now,” Shadow scolds.
“Have you talked to him?” I ask.
“Have I told you that I’ve talked to him?” Shadow retorts.
The waiter approaches and I order bourbon on the rocks to help me relax and take the edge off. There’s nothing I can do from here anyway. Two more days of installation hell and I can turn the rest of the project over to my team to handle from here on out.
On the way to the worksite the next morning, I don’t mention anything about Tucker not calling me back. Shadow isn’t concerned about his whereabouts so I drop it for now. Tucker and I will have a major conversation when I get home. There’s nothing I can do with my cellphone locked up in the security office all day anyway.
Friday afternoon is finally here and we are on our way back to the Knoxville airport where my private jet is waiting. My cellphone’s ringtone breaks the silence of our ride. Glancing at the screen to decide if it’s a call I want to take or not, I can’t hit the green button fast enough when I see the name.
“Tucker! Where the fuck have you been?” my voice booms through the car.
“Dominic,” Tucker tentatively says and every muscle in my body freezes as I wait for him to continue. “It’s Sophia. Do you want to know?”
Do I want to know about Sophia? That’s a loaded question if I’ve ever heard one.
“Tell me,” I state and ready myself for the worst.
“I’ve been with her for pretty much the last twenty-four hours. This is the first chance I’ve had to call you back. I followed her to Harrison’s house night before last, like I told you. Right after we hung up, she came running out of his house and he was close behind her.
“By the time I got to them, he had already beaten her up pretty badly. He was hitting her, tearing at her clothes, and choking her, but I knocked him off of her. He took off on foot just before the police arrived. He had another girl tied to the bed inside the house. That girl had been drugged, most likely with ecstasy or maybe even ruffies.
“The ambulance took Sofia to the hospital and they kept her for a twenty-three hour observation. There’s no permanent damage, but she has a lot of facial swelling and bruising. She’s not supposed to talk for the next week or two while her throat heals. I dropped her off at her condo yesterday.”
Rage. Fury. Anger. Wrath. There is no word to describe the intensity of my feelings toward Harrison. His depravity knows no limits. The very fact that he calls himself a Dom is an insult to me. This is all the reason I need to track his ass down, beat him to a bloody pulp, and remind him what it’s like to tangle with someone his own size.
“How was she when you left her?” Part of me needs to know. I don’t know what I plan to do with the information.
Tucker sighs heavily and I hear his frustration in it. “She was sad, Dominic. Very sad. I went back this morning to tell her I had some things to do so I wouldn’t be around. There’s no doubt she saw right through me, though. You should know, she told me she loves you. Damn near completely lost her voice trying to tell me.”
“Then why the fuck is she suing me for sexual harassment and why the fuck is she demanding so much money to hide everything that happened between us?” I shout.
“She looked surprised when I asked her about that, man. I don’t know what to tell you.”
Drawing my fingers and thumb across my jawline until they meet in the middle, I consider his words. “Stay on her, Tucker. I’ve felt like there’s something missing all along. I don’t know what it is, but make sure she stays safe.”
“Will do, boss.”
In my peripheral vision, I catch a glimpse of Shadow’s smug look. Narrowing my eyes angrily, I ask, “What’s the smirk for?”
“No reason at all,” he says casually.
“You already know what happened,” I state.
“I wouldn’t be a very good spy if I didn’t already know.”
“You would’ve been a better spy if you saw the sexual harassment lawsuit coming ahead of time,” I quip.
“You would have a good point there…if you weren’t wrong,” Shadow smirks again.
“You knew about it and didn’t tell me?” I roar.
Two hours later, we land in Dallas and I think I’m home free when Fire Chief Greg Floyd calls.
“Mr. Powers, Chief Floyd here. Can you come by your house? I’m here finishing up my investigation and there are a few things I need to talk to you about.”
“Sure, Chief Floyd. We will be there as soon as we can,” I tell him and then we disconnect. Shit, this is not what I wanted to do tonight.
Forty-five minutes later, I’m walking with the Chief into the charred remains of my house. It has taken several weeks for their thorough investigation and all the test results to come back. I suspect that’s what Chief Floyd wants to talk about now.
“We’ve marked the area where it’s safe to walk. We had to reinforce some of the flooring, so don’t step outside the taped off area,” he says as we enter the house.
I follow in his footsteps and ask, “Why am I here?”
“For this,” he says as he points to an area of the floor that’s noticeably darker than the rest. “The fire started here, in the middle of the floor.”
“Arson then,” I state flatly. I already knew it but having it confirmed is somewhat eerie.
“Exactly. A fire doesn’t naturally start in the middle of the floor. There were also traces of gasoline as an accelerant. Whatever was used to start the fire completely burned up.”
“This is just down the hall from my office,” I say to Floyd. “He must have heard me in here when he was getting set up. He came prepared to knock me out.”
Shadow takes a couple of steps away from us and mumbles a few words into his phone. Seconds later, he rejoins us without saying a word. Chief Floyd and I both look at him expectantly, but he remains stoic and silent.
Her Dom's Lesson (Dominic Powers Book 2) Page 5