“Mr. Powers, have you thought of anyone who may have wanted to hurt you or anyone in your house?” Chief Floyd asks.
“No one we are prepared to name at this point,” Shadow answers before I can say anything.
“Why is that?” Floyd asks suspiciously.
“They’re part of an ongoing Federal investigation that takes precedence. FBI protocol supersedes an arson investigation. When he goes down, the arson charges will be added on,” Shadow explains as the Chief and I both openly gape at him.
“Do you have any credentials on you?” Floyd asks.
Shadow pulls out his badge, showing he’s an FBI Special Agent. I try to get a look at his name but he flips the leather cover back over just as quickly as he opened it.
“I’ll need the official forms in my office first thing tomorrow,” Floyd says.
“They’re already waiting for you on your desk right now,” Shadow replies.
Without further questioning, Floyd takes us around the other safe areas of the charred remains of my house and I pick up the few personal items that are salvageable. A few pictures of my family are redeemable along with a few paintings. As I look around, unusual thoughts and feelings hit me.
There’s nothing in this entire house that I would really miss if I lost it.
Every single possession I own can be replaced, as if the original never existed.
This house has never been a home – except when Sophia was here with me.
For the next three weeks solid, my life consists of endless days at work and countless hours in the evening with the contractor to oversee the demolition and the beginning of building a foundation for a new house. Shadow has been, well, my shadow, every step of the way.
“You know you don’t have to be there to watch them work,” he finally says when he realizes I’m driving in that direction again.
“Yes, I do know,” I reply.
“You’re avoiding,” Shadow replies without emotion.
“I don’t avoid,” I deny. “I’m making deliberate calculations.”
“Keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day you’ll believe it.”
“Something you want to tell me?” I ask, fishing for information.
“I can tell you that before a sexual harassment lawsuit can be filed with the court, a sexual harassment claim is required to be filed with the EEOC. There is no claim on file with the EEOC. The paperwork Cheryl has looks real, but I’m ninety-nine percent sure it has been forged. Sophia may be telling the truth about not knowing anything about it,” Shadow reveals.
My mind is reeling at this news. I can’t form a complete thought, much less a response.
“But her signature was on it,” I contest.
“That’s part of what I’m still looking into, Dominic.”
Chapter Six
“I had an interesting conversation today,” my mom says as she walks into my kitchen.
“Well, hello to you, too, Mom,” I reply as I rise to kiss her cheek. “Yes, I have had a good day at work – thanks for asking!”
Mom laughs as she wraps her arms around my neck to hug me. She kisses my cheek and says, “Hello, my son. I’m so glad you had a good day at work. But my news is more important.”
“What sort of interesting conversation did you have? While you were out shopping…spending my money…on decorations for my house…that isn’t even built yet,” I tease her.
She narrows her eyes, playfully threatening me and trying to look as intimidating as possible. “Fine. I will never tell and you will spend the rest of your life speculating about what I had to say.”
I grab my chest in mock pain, “You wound me! I will never know the exact names of the many shades of blue, brown, and pink that you discovered today.”
“Have I told you lately that you are a smartass?” she asks while cocking one brow up at me.
Furrowing my brow, grasping my chin between my index finger and thumb, and staring intently at the floor, I respond, “You know, I don’t recall hearing that today. Fairly certain you probably told me yesterday, though.”
Mom playfully swats at me and I take the bags of decorations she bought and store them in my study. Walking back in the kitchen, I laughingly tell her, “You’ve been here all of two days and you’re already filling up my study with all kinds of stuff! You need to slow down, woman! I don’t have enough room here to keep everything you’re planning to put in the new house!”
She eyes me speculatively for a moment before saying, “You’re right. I think I should hold off on buying anything else for a while.”
“Wait–what?” Am I hearing things? My mother just agreed to stop shopping? With my money?
“What? I said you’re right. What’s wrong with that?”
Now I’m extra suspicious. “Maybe you should tell me about this conversation you had today.”
The smile that covers my mom’s face is one of pure wickedness. It says she knows something I don’t have a clue about. It’s the smile a woman uses on a man when she knows he’s been caught red-handed and has no way out. It’s the scariest fucking smile I’ve ever seen and my mom is giving me that smile now.
“Maybe it’s best that I don’t say anything yet, Dominic.”
“Oh no, you brought it up. Spill it,” I say as I step toward her and that damn grin of hers.
“I will tell you this, Dominic. I ran into Sophia today and it’s time for you to talk to her.”
I’m literally stunned speechless. This is the last thing I ever expected my mom to say to me.
“I told you what all happened. You were ready to let her have a piece of your mind a few weeks ago. Now you’ve changed your mind?” I ask disbelievingly.
She gives me a single shoulder shrug and holds my gaze with hers, “You. Need. To. Talk.”
“Why does it feel like everyone around me knows something I don’t?” I place my hands on my hips, draw in a deep breath that pushes my chest out, and straighten up to my full height. “I’ve been more than patient and way too calm. My anger has been simmering below the surface for weeks and I’m ready to unleash it. I’ve gone against my true nature long enough.”
“Channel it where it belongs, Dominic. Harrison deserves your wrath, so does Sophia’s family, but I believe Sophia deserves to be heard,” she wisely counters.
Sophia’s family deserves my wrath? A memory stirs and I grapple with it in my mind until it becomes clear. “Her mother kept calling her right before the fire,” I say. “You think they had something to do with it?”
“I think there’s strong reason to think they are somehow involved,” she responds. “Are you thinking of going to talk to them?”
I am thinking of doing that very thing now.
“Are you going to tell me about your little talk with Sophia?” I answer her question with one of my own.
“No, son. This is between the two of you. Sooner or later, you and Sophia have to sit down and have a long talk. Sooner would be better for you both.”
Sunday evening after my mom leaves from her extended weekend visit, I decide it’s about time for me to make a surprise visit to talk to Sophia’s family in Austin. Shadow has, no doubt, already investigated them, but my mind won’t let this rest until I hear it for myself. After a long and heated discussion, I told Shadow he can accompany me or he can watch my ass drive off into the sunset. Either way, he knows I am going so he reluctantly agreed to take a short trip as soon as we can.
“You know if they had anything to do with the attempts on your life, you are walking right into their lair,” Shadow admonishes me again on the way to the office Monday morning.
“That’s why I have you,” I nonchalantly counter.
He gives me a disgusted look and shakes his head.
“Look, I understand what you’re saying. Whether they are or not, I want this finished as quickly as possible. If they are, maybe I can find out why or change their mind. If they’re not, maybe I can get more information out of them that would help me figure
out what the fuck is going on,” I explain.
“I suppose it’s worth a shot, Dominic. You need to understand that Sophia’s father is not one to be fucked with, though. Dude has done some hard time in the past,” Shadow reveals.
“Prison?”
“Yes. Got sent up for being an accomplice to an execution-style murder and spent several years in a hardcore, maximum-security prison before he was released. He officially quit the cartel life when he was released, but we both know those ties are never really severed. They may have allowed him to lay low for a while, do a few jobs for them here and there, but if his skills were needed, they wouldn’t hesitate to pull him back in.”
“I guess that’s why Sophia said he disappeared for a while and they went hungry.”
“Could be. He was away for a long while, but with her being so young when it happened, she may not have fully realized the time span,” Shadow surmises.
I nod but I’m deeply engrossed in my own thoughts and memories. “Sophia told me once that she was really mad at her mother for welcoming her father back in with open arms after he’d been away for so long.”
We reach the office and my mind is still trying to put this jigsaw puzzle together with the pieces I have in front of me. Once I’m in my office, the business owner in me takes over and I put those other thoughts away, for the most part. Knowing that Sophia is back at work this week and on the floor below me stays in my thoughts nonstop.
“Good morning, Dominic,” Darren calls from my doorway.
“Good morning. Come on in.”
“Listen, I won’t keep you, but we do need to talk about Sophia,” Darren says pointedly.
“What about her?”
“You have to take her back,” Darren states emphatically.
“What?” His statement shocks me momentarily and I’m unsure of how to answer him.
“You hired her to be your right-hand person, your go-to person when you’re not around. She needs to do her job and not report to me. Whatever happened between the two of you needs to be resolved and she needs to report to you again. She’s not doing the job you hired her to do. And, well, hell Dominic, I’m just too damn old for all this bullshit,” Darren bustles.
“For what bullshit, Darren? What has she done?”
“Nothing! She’s a great employee and she handles that Rich fellow like he’s putty in her hands. Sophia needs to be working with you and learning all the ropes. Not hanging with an old bastard like me who’s closer to retirement than he is anything else.”
“Let me talk to Cheryl and see what I can do, Darren,” I compromise.
“You just need to make it happen, Dominic. I think it looks worse that you moved her away from you if none of that mess is true.” Darren leaves my office and my mind is spinning faster than when he walked in.
Does he have a valid point? Does it make me look guilty?
Dana walks in with my morning coffee as usual and I decide it’s time to have another conversation with Cheryl. “Dana, ask Cheryl to come to my office as soon as possible.”
“Yes, sir. Anything else?”
“No. Thank you, Dana.”
Half an hour later, Cheryl knocks on my door and I call for to enter.
“You wanted to see me?” Cheryl asks as she walks in and takes a seat.
“Yes. Darren was in here earlier and wants to move Sophia back to me. He says he’s too close to retirement to be responsible for her and that it makes me look guilty for moving her away from me,” I blurt out.
Cheryl takes a moment to process my words and think through the conversation. She is no doubt playing out every possible scenario in her head. “Do you want to move her back under you, Dominic? That puts you at a greater risk. If anything is said or done that can misconstrued or misinterpreted, you would have no recourse in the matter.”
“What if Dana were present during all of our meetings to monitor and be a witness?”
“It’s really not fair to put her in that position, Dominic. Besides that, she’s been a loyal employee for many years and that would most definitely be used to discredit anything she says in your favor,” Cheryl advises.
“Then we’ll record our meetings on video. That way, if anything is said, we will all watch it as it actually happened,” I offer.
“That could work. If Sophia is wiling to return to working with you and is willing to consent to being recorded while she’s in your presence, that could be a useful tactic.”
Hitting the button on my phone, I instruct Dana to have Sophia come to my office. Since Cheryl is here, we can get to the bottom of this right now. As we are waiting for Sophia to make her way up, Shadow enters my office and has a seat on the couch on the far wall. His eyes assess the situation and I know he must have heard Dana call Sophia.
Several minutes later, Dana’s usual three-tap knock alerts me and my back unconsciously straightens as I wait for Sophia to walk through the door. It’s been two months since I’ve really seen or talked to her. Two months of hell. Two months of uncertainty. Two months of wondering what the fuck happened and how we lost everything I thought we had together.
Two months of being so fucking mad I could spit nails.
Dana opens the door and I see the concern etched in her motherly face. Her eyes find mine and she silently conveys her worry to me, but I have no idea what she’s worried about. Until Sophia appears in the doorway, and then I have no doubt of what was on Dana’s mind.
Sophia’s once radiant skin is now pale and lackluster. Her smile has disappeared, as have the supple curves of her body that I knew intimately. She’s lost weight–I can tell that her cheeks are somewhat drawn and her eyes are slightly sunken. It wouldn’t be evident to others who didn’t know her so well, unlike Dana who saw it immediately. But the subtle changes in her are definitely there. Even with these minor changes in her appearance, she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen and I have to keep myself rooted in my seat to not just take her in my arms.
Sophia looks around nervously and I watch with curiosity as she places her hand across her abdomen. “You wanted to see me?” she asks tentatively, her eyes darting from me, to Cheryl, and back to Shadow.
“Yes, Sophia. Please, have a seat,” I offer cordially and she sits in the chair opposite Cheryl.
“What can I do for you?” she asks, her voice strong and determined to not show any fear.
“Darren came to me this morning and shared that since he’s so close to retirement, he’d prefer to not manage other people. Before we move you, I wanted to ask your thoughts about you coming back to work directly with me,” I state without emotion.
Sophia’s mouth hangs open from the shock and her eyes search mine. I can only imagine all the thoughts that are racing through her mind. I hold her gaze while giving nothing away. She won’t see my anger over her betrayal. She won’t sense my confusion over her conflicting actions.
“Yes, I would love that,” Sophia finally answers.
Cheryl pipes in, “Your interactions with Mr. Powers would be recorded on video cameras. In the event any further claims are made, the video would be used to either substantiate or negate your claim. Do you understand?”
Sophia’s eyes hold mine for a moment longer. She doesn’t answer Cheryl’s question right away. She acts as if her eyes are physically attached to me and she can’t turn her head away. I continue to study her reactions, her body language, and try to ascertain what is going on in her head.
“Yes, I understand and I agree to that. Although, it’s not necessary,” she finally turns to Cheryl. “I’ve requested a meeting with you every week for the past eight weeks, except the two weeks I was out after my accident. I’ve been trying to tell you that-.”
“Miss Vasco,” Cheryl interrupts. “I think I’ve made it clear that we are not discussing the case without your lawyer present.”
Sophia looks completely exasperated and opens her mouth to blast Cheryl, if the look on her face is any indication. Shadow speaks up from acro
ss the room and stops Sophia’s impending tirade.
“Can the two of you excuse Miss Vasco and me for a minute?”
Cheryl and I both look at Shadow like he’s grown a second head. He wants me to leave my office so he can talk to Sophia without me. What the fuck? Shadow rises from the couch and walks over to where we’re seated. He stares at me until I finally get up and walk toward he door.
“Cheryl, let’s get some coffee,” I say and walk toward the door. She rises and follows me out without saying a word.
Cheryl and I stop in front of Dana’s desk and wait for Shadow to finish his talk with Sophia. Dana gives us each curious glances but settles her gaze directly on me.
“You should treat her better, Dominic.”
Before I can respond to Dana’s provocation, Shadow pokes his head out the door and calls for us to come back inside.
“Now, Sophia, tell Dominic what you just told me,” Shadow instructs.
“I don’t have a lawyer,” Sophia speaks clearly and concisely.
I sense a change in her. She started out as a feisty, all-business assistant. When she became my submissive, she also became much more emotional and dependent on me. She now seems to have returned to the confident, mature lady that I first met and I can’t help but question how the change came about.
“What do you mean, you don’t have a lawyer?” Cheryl narrows her eyes suspiciously at Sophia. “I’ve been talking to your lawyer and I have the sexual harassment lawsuit your lawyer filed on your behalf.”
“No, you haven’t been speaking to my lawyer, because I don’t have one,” Sophia punctuates each word in response to Cheryl’s tone. “I didn’t file a sexual harassment lawsuit because I wasn’t being sexually harassed and I don’t have a lawyer to file it for me anyway.”
Cheryl looks at me and huffs, “Dominic, I don’t know what ploy this girl is up to. She’s young, inexperienced, naïve, and really needs to take responsibility for her actions. I’m not sure she’s the right one for the job.”
Her Dom's Lesson (Dominic Powers Book 2) Page 6