“What happened to the baby?” Izzy wanted to know.
Dominic clenched his hands into fists. “Roxi called in the midwife when Janet went into labor. When she was in trouble, apparently you were stuck in the birth canal the midwife wanted to get both you and your mother to the hospital but Roxi wouldn’t allow it. She pulled a weapon and waited for the midwife to assist in the birth. The midwife did the best she could but it wasn’t enough. Just moments after she cut the cord separating you from your mother, Roxi hit her on the head and took you away. She told her sister you would be okay, then she took the baby and disappeared. Her sister was left unattended until the midwife gained her senses again. Janet begged her to call me and when I got there, she told me what happened. She told me I had a daughter but that the baby was gone. A few minutes later, she died in my arms.” Tears rolled down his face. “I searched the city for both you and Roxi for years but I could never find her. I buried my wife and lived for vengeance.”
“So what did she name me, my mother?” Izzy asked with tears running down her face.
“We named you Isabel Domianna Marconi,” Dominic replied. “A very long time ago, I put my daughter’s birth certificate and your mother’s certificate of death as well as some other things that belonged to your mother away in a safe. Then I locked that safe and carried a special key with me at all times.” He stared at her, “I’ve carried this key for well over twenty years. It helped having it close, almost as if it were a small piece of you and your mother. At least I always thought it as such.”
He turned to Stephan. “I never knew it but a person I trusted with my life, exchanged the key I had for another key, then he lost it.” Dominic reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a pocket watch. On the same chain was an old brass key. “The key I had taken from me was similar to this one but not quite the same.”
~* * * *~
Izzy stared at the key on the chain and she swallowed hard. Reaching inside her shirt, she pulled out a chain. On the edge of the chain was another old brass key. She had taken it out of its hiding place earlier and put it on a chain then hid it under her shirt. Now there was no longer a need to hide it. It was similar to the one on the watch chain. Pulling on the chain hard enough to break it, Izzy handed the chain and the key over to Dominic.
Dominic’s finger closed over hers for a moment, then he let her go. He held the key up and gazed at it for a moment. Then his fingers closed around it. Bringing it to his lips, he pressed a gentle kiss on the metal.
“So you think I’m your daughter?” Izzy asked.
“You look so much like my Janet, you have to be her child. There is no doubt in my mind at all.”
Boone rolled his chair up close to Izzy and took her hand.
“Are you the young man that took a bullet defending Izzy’s life eight years ago?” Dominic asked.
“Yes, I shot my own father and when we struggled with the gun it went off and a bullet lodged near my spine.” Boone told him. “My father went to prison for his part in the shooting and I went to live with his brother.”
Dominic turned to Izzy. “And what happened to you? Where did you go?”
Izzy stared at him. “Michael Clemends blamed me for his brother getting shot and then going to prison. He told me he would take care of Boone if I just went away. I had to leave and not come around and if I did that, he would watch over my brother. So that’s what I did. I lived on the streets for a while then I met Melora. Together, we made a life but it wasn’t always easy.”
Dominic turned to Stephan. “And did you know this? Did you know that she was living on the streets, just trying to survive?”
“I didn’t realize she was your daughter. Hell, I never knew you had a child. She was born and disappeared when I was a child myself and no one ever talked about this.” Stephan tried to defend his actions. “Michael Clemends told me she ran away from home. He told me he didn’t know where she was. He lied to me.”
“Michael lied to everyone,” Boone informed them. “He told me while I was still in the hospital that Izzy didn’t want me with her anymore. The truth was he told her to leave when she would have stayed given the choice. But then Michael is more like his brother than we ever knew. My father liked to drink and gamble and neither one of those actions work very well when you have a family.” He shrugged. “Michael liked to drink as well. I don’t think he gambled but he sure as hell didn’t take very good care of me. He let me lay outside for hours once. He ignored my medical needs for his own.”
“What about your father?” Dominic needed to know. “Have you had any contact with him over the years?”
Boone shook his head. “The police placed him under arrest on the way to the hospital after the shooting. The social worker who got involved in my case didn’t think I should meet with him while we were both in the hospital and after that, I went to live with Michael. Dad went straight to jail when they released him and then he went to prison when the trial was over. He’s due to get out in a few weeks.”
“Did he ever know about the key?” Dominic asked.
“Dad was the one who took it off Stephan about a week before the shooting. He thought it was going to be his ticket out of debt. He was going to blackmail Stephan for a large amount of money.” Boone shook his head. “The only thing with dad was the money never would have lasted long. But when he realized the key was gone, he tore the house apart looking for it. I remember him waking me and Izzy up. He was screaming about losing something but I didn’t know anything about it. He’s been writing Michael from prison asking if he’s found the damn thing yet.”
Dominic turned to his daughter. “You had the key all along, why didn’t you give it back to him?”
“Because by that time I hated Sonny Clemends.” Izzy shrugged. “He was a pig and he didn’t deserve his payday. Like Boone said the money would have been gone before long and his children wouldn’t have gotten the benefits. Sonny only ever worried about Sonny.” She looked over at Boone and sadly shook her head. “If I would have realized the extent he would go to, I would have given it back to him. I never thought he would shoot his own son.”
“And the bet?” Dominic wanted to know. “What did he say about that?”
“He told me he’d lost a card game the night before and that I had to go with the winner. He told me he traded me for a hand of cards and lost. But it would only be for three days.”
Dominic turned his head slowly to glare at his nephew. “And you were the man who won the hand?”
Stephan paled and nodded. “Uncle, forgive me. I was very young and stupid eight years ago. I was also very wild.”
“You have been out of control for some time now but that stops here and now.” Dominic glared at his nephew. “I will deal with you when we get home.” He looked over at Boone. “I am sorry you we injured but I’m very happy you stepped into to protect your sister. Your father and his brother will answer to me for their part in this travesty. I will also have a meeting with Roxi.”
“What are you going to do about me?” Izzy finally asked. She reached out and took Mountain’s hand.
Dominic walked over to her. “You are my daughter and you have been lost to me all your life. I’ve missed so much. I would like the chance to know you, if that would be possible. I want to hear all your stories. He paused then motioned toward Mountain. “I know you and he are together but I just found you. You don’t realize it but I’ve been looking for you all your life and now that I found you, I don’t want to let you go.” He hesitated then suggested, “I would like you to return to Chicago with me, so we can get to know each other.”
Izzy shook her head. “I can’t leave Boone right now. He needs me and I have a wedding to plan. All my friends are here. I can’t just leave.”
“But I’m your father, your true blood and I insist that you come home with me.” Dominic glowered.
Izzy stood up and wrapped Mountain’s arms around her waist. “You may be my father, but I’m grown up now. I’ve been living
on my own for a long time. You may not care but I love this man, and I hope very soon, to be carrying his child. A child I will love and care for with him by my side. You have explained what happened before I was born and while sad, I couldn’t help what happened any more than you could.”
Dominic wanted to say something but Izzy held up her hand. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but while my life had some up and downs, I lived through it. I survived everything that happened. I found a very good friend in Melora and she shared her life with me. I survived because she was smart and taught me to be smart.” She glanced over at Melora and smiled. “Her and me we’ve been through hell and we survived. Hell, we thrived and made friends with some very interesting people along the way.”
She paused and looked around the clubhouse. “Then she came here. She found a life here and a man she could love. When I came to join her, I stayed. These people are the best friends a girl could ever have. They work hard and they play hard and most of all, they love hard. You may not understand that but I do. I’m sorry Mr. Marconi but I’m not going anywhere. I finally found my home and I will not give it up.”
Dominic looked around the room. Each and every face bore the same expression. They would fight any suggestion of him taking her away from them. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
Izzy stepped forward and taking his hand she told him, “We can get to know one another but it’s going to take time and it doesn’t have to be right now. We have the rest of our lives. I hope you’ll be there for the rest of my life because it’s really only beginning. Yeah, I had a childhood from hell but that’s over now. I found a love that I hope will last forever. I hope you can be there when I get married. I have my brother back and I hope you will get to know him too. He means the world to me, always has, always will.”
Dominic reached up and wrapped his hands around her arm. Pulling her forward, he pressed his lips on her forehead. “I can do that. It’s not what I want but I can work with it. Your friend has been your guardian angel and if there is anything she desires, I’ll see she gets it but I have a feeling her man wouldn’t like that. Your brother deserves a good life and with you around I know he’ll have it. You are my daughter and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you. I hope you understand that I may not always be patient but I will always be there when you need me.” He turned to Mountain. “When I first met you, you impressed me with your loyalty. You spoke of your brotherhood and mine being similar and I guess they are but they are so different as well. We both stand back to back with one another and we both fight for what we believe in, but in my brotherhood, violence is more prevalent. My wife couldn’t live that life. When she left me, she tore my heart out. My daughter is doing it too, but she’s also giving me hope that one day I will know her. And for now, that is good enough.” He stepped forward and leaned closer to the other man. “But if you hurt her or break her heart, I will hunt you down and kill you slowly. Is that understood?”
Mountain nodded. “Sir, I love her and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her. I would die for her and I would kill for her. I told you that once and I meant it then, same as I mean it now.”
Dominic stepped back and nodded. Turning to Leon, he smiled. “I think I will be seeing more of you in the near future, old friend.”
“You will be more than welcome any time as long as you respect their rules.” Leon nodded. Then he chuckled. “I find myself in the same position and it blows. Our Peaches was taken away from us when she was five. We spent sixteen years searching for her when she was returned to us. I wanted to keep her safe for the rest of her life but she wanted to live her life. She found a very good man and is building a good life with him.”
“Then there is hope that I will get to know my daughter eventually.” Dominic nodded. “But first, I have some things to take care of back home.”
Izzy nodded. “The last time I saw Roxi she was working near the Pier as a stripper.” She shrugged. “That was a couple of years ago though.”
“I will find her this time.” Dominic assured her. “I can’t promise to let her go without some measure of penalty but I can promise not to kill her.”
“That’s all we can ask.” Boone nodded. “You know I almost feel sorry for her.”
“Why is that?” Izzy asked.
“She had something good and she threw it away, now she has nothing. No family, nothing. Family is the most important thing a person can have. Real family that is. People like Mike aren’t real family.”
Izzy went to her bother and hugged him close.
Dominic watched and felt something deep in his soul begin to heal. Something he thought had died when Janet died in his arms and he knew his baby was gone.
He looked over at Stephan and noted the bored look on his face. Well, he thought, he won’t be bored for long. He had a lot to make up for and Dominic was going to make it very difficult for him to earn back the trust he broke. “Come along Stephan, we have to get back to Chicago,” Dominic called out. He grabbed Izzy up in a hug. “I hope you will call me even if it’s just to talk.”
“I will and now you know where I am, please come back often. I would like to get to know you.”
“Just say when and I will be here,” he promised.
“Then you should know I plan to make this woman my wife next week.” Mountain wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
Dominic grinned. “Then you’ll need her birth certificate. I can bring it back with me.”
Izzy laughed.
Dominic turned and nodded at his men.
Two came to stand behind Stephan.
Stephan stiffened when he seemed to realize what was happening but he didn’t fight it.
One of the men reached for the weapon in the holster behind his back and Stephan was escorted to the door.
Then Dominic walked toward the door.
When the door was closed behind them, Izzy turned to Boone. “I’m sorry about your mother.”
Boone shrugged. “Maybe I would feel something if she hadn’t just thrown both of us away like we didn’t matter. Maybe I would actually care if she had shown us just a little love over the years but she couldn’t bother then, so why the hell should I bother now?”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Two days later, Mountain, Izzy and Boone sat in a waiting room of the Albany hospital waiting for Dr. Ethan Bright.
Boone looked over at Mountain and asked, “Why exactly are we here again?”
“Because I want to find out exactly what is wrong with you,” Mountain replied in a firm tone. “I think someone has been lying to you for a long time now, lying or just not getting you the care you needed. Either way, its neglect and I think it needs to stop. This may not be the doctor you need to see but he can recommend someone who can help you.”
“Help me do what?” Boone asked.
“That’s what we’re here to find out.”
Just then, Boone’s name was called and all three got to their feet.
In the office, Dr. Bright searched their faces and asked, “What can I do for you?”
“Eight years ago this young man was shot,” Mountain explained. “The bullet lodged in his back and he was paralyzed. Two years ago, he fell and since then he’s had severe pain in his legs. He hasn’t seen a doctor in all this time but I think there is something going on and it’s high time, he found out what that something is.”
Dr. Bright looked over at Boone and asked, “Was the bullet ever removed?”
Boone shook his head. “From what I remember it was too close to my spine. The doctors I saw then didn’t want to mess with it. But that was eight years ago.”
“Well then, let’s begin by getting a better picture of what’s going on.” Dr. Bright called in his nurse and recommended getting Boone down to x-ray.
Three hours later, they were right back where they started. When Dr. Bright came into the exam room, he had a smile on his face. “Young man today is your lucky day.”
“How is that
?” Boone frowned.
“I got the x-rays from the night you were shot and compared them to the x-rays we took today. Apparently, when you fell two years ago the jolt you took, dislodged the bullet embedded in your spine. The bullet never penetrated the spine but there is still some damage there. It didn’t move far but far enough we can operate and remove it.”
Izzy gasped. She took his hand and held it tight. “Is there a possibility that he could walk again?”
Dr. Bright sat down and studied his notes for a moment. When he looked over at them he said, “It might take some time and some hard work on his part but I think there is a real possibility he could walk again.”
Boone crushed her fingers in his excitement. He turned his head and stared at her, then excitedly glanced over to the doctor. “How soon can you get the bullet out?”
“Can you come back tomorrow morning for a pre-op physical and blood work?”
“You bet.”
“If things check out, we can do the surgery tomorrow afternoon.”
Boone turned excited eyes to Izzy. “I will be able to walk again. I can have my life back!”
“Damn that sounds good.” She beamed at him.
“It won’t be as easy as you think,” Mountain interjected. “You’ll have to really work for every inch toward your final goal. There are going to be times when you’re screaming in pain and just want it to go away. Are you ready for that? There are going to be times when you don’t think you can take another step? Are you going to be ready for that?”
Izzy just stared at him like he was crazy. “Why are you telling him that?”
Mountain turned to look at her for a moment then gazed at Dr. Bright. “Because it’s going to happen. And that’s just the beginning, isn’t that right doc?”
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