Long Live the King (An Italian Mafia Romance Duet #2) (21 page)

He doesn’t say anything, choosing only to stare out the window at the house like he hates it. I’m not sure what to say at the moment, but I want to be whatever he needs me to be, so I decide to break the ice.

“You okay?” I ask, then immediately regret it. That’s a stupid question, of course he’s not.

“Definitely not,” he replies, confirming the idiocy of my inquiry.

“What are we gonna do?” I ask, a better question this time.

“I wanna hear her admit it,” he answers, nearly snarling. “I wanna hear it come out of her mouth—that she tried to have me killed. I wanna know why.”

The darkness of the night mixed with the orange glow of the streetlights casts a shadow across Dominic’s face, making him look even more menacing and sending chills careening up my back. I wonder what could happen tonight. I just watched Dominic break his best friend’s neck without thinking twice for kidnapping me, so I’m starting to ask myself if Dominic is capable of killing his own mother for her part in this. La Cosa Nostra is not something to be fucked with, and when Gloria got herself involved with Tommy, she fucked with it. In fact, when she told Tommy to kill me, she involved me in it as well. I’ve always tried to stay on the outside of Dominic’s business with the Family, but Gloria has pulled me in, albeit inadvertently. So what justice would I want carried out for her? What justice is there for trying to have me killed and my body disposed of without anyone ever having a chance to find me? What’s the payment for disregarding my life and my parents’ need for closure when they never hear from me again? How would I want her to pay for that? As we exit the car and start up the sidewalk to the house, I’m still not sure of the answer, but I’ll know soon.

When we reach the door, Dominic hesitates momentarily, looking down at the welcome mat on the ground in front of us—brown with thick black letters. He seems to be in shock from all of this, and I’m in shock too, so I’m not sure what to say to him.

He slowly lifts his hand and presses the doorbell, and it chimes throughout the house loud enough to be heard across the street where the car is parked. At first, there’s nothing. It’s nearly three o’clock in the morning now, so surely Gloria is asleep, but that won’t deter Dominic. This is happening now.

He presses the doorbell again, this time followed by his fist pounding on the door. Still, there’s nothing. So Dominic bangs on the door like he’s the police, then rings the bell while he continues to knock loud enough to wake the entire street.

Finally, there’s movement inside. A light comes on in the back of the house, then another closer to us as Gloria makes her way to the door. I hear Dominic exhale as the deadbolt turns, steadying himself for whatever is about to happen, preparing himself for what he’ll feel when he sees her.

The door swings open and my heart explodes into a flurry of quick, erratic beats, caused by extreme nervousness. Gloria Giaculo stands at the door wearing a black robe that she holds closed with one hand. Her long black hair is somehow still wavy and beautiful, even though she just got out of bed. Her face is beautiful and soft, especially for a woman in her fifties, and I can see so much of Dominic’s face in hers. But her expression when she sees us tells me she isn’t as soft and gentle as her face would have me believe. She looks astonished that the two of us are here, then her demeanor shifts to something else. Fear.

“Dom?” she says with a bit a shakiness in her voice that she can’t hide. “Wh . . . what are you doing here?”

Dominic tries to respond, but the words catch in his throat. He takes a second to shake it off, even smoothing out the wrinkles in his suit before starting again.

“Just wanted to come and see you,” he says with surprising placidity.

“Oh,” Gloria says, unsure of how to hide her nerves. “Why?”

“Why?” Dominic snips quickly. “Why not? A son can’t come see his mother once in a while?”

Gloria clears her throat. “Of course you can, sweetie. It’s just that it’s three in the morning. It’s a little bit of a strange time.”

“Were you asleep?” I interrupt, feeling my own anger building up inside of me. I’m usually silent when Dominic meets with people, but like I said before, Gloria pulled me into this, and I’m a part of it now.

“Of course,” she answers, glaring at me.

Of Course
. How could she possibly be asleep when she knows she told Tommy to kill me just over an hour ago? Either she’s lying about being asleep, or this innocent-looking woman is cold enough to order someone to be killed and then turn around and take a nap after. My life meant that little to her.

“Why are you talking to us through a crack in the door?” Dominic says, breaking the eye contact between Gloria and me. “We can’t come in?”

“It’s three o’clock in the morning, Dom,” she pleads with the name she called Dominic when he was a kid, the one he told me he always hated.

“I know, but I’m here now, and I won’t be able to come back later. Business is especially busy right now,” Dominic says, spitting the words at her.

I can see it in Gloria’s face that she’s scared. After talking to Tommy on the phone and telling him to kill me, the fact that I’m standing here has to send up red flags in her head. But, I can also see she’s struggling with something else. She’s a mother, and her son is standing on her doorstep, asking to be let inside. It’s something she can’t bring herself to say no to. Regardless of whatever has been going on behind the scenes, she’s a mother who loves her only child. So, she opens the door.

“Okay, sweetie,” she says, sidestepping so we can pass her.

Dominic leads the way, turning on more lights as he walks through the house he spent so much time in as a child. He leads us through a beautifully decorated dining area with a wooden table that looks like it’s been cleaned every day since its existence. Then we turn a corner and we’re in the living room. The furniture is all black leather, with white rugs in front of the couch and loveseat, and one of the walls in the room seems to be a dedication to Dominic and his father. Pictures of Dominic and Donnie Collazo are nailed next to each other like a collage, showcasing Gloria’s undying love for her boys, Dominic and Donnie. The boys she lost to the mafia.

Dominic glares at the wall like it offends him, then he swiftly turns and sits down on the loveseat. I take my place next to him, while Gloria sits on the couch.

“So, to what do I owe the surprise, especially at this hour?” Gloria asks as she settles herself and tightens her robe.

“I just wanted to come see how my mother was doing. So, how are you?” Dominic asks, leaning back.

“I’m fine, Dom. I’m glad to see you. It’s been a while.”

“Yes it has. But you seem to be doing well. Are you happy?”

“Am I happy?”

“Yeah, with your life, are you happy?”

Gloria’s eyes shift to me briefly, then back to her son.

“Sure. As happy as can be expected, I guess. Why do you ask?”

“How about
my
life,” Dominic says, ignoring her question.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Just what I said,” he snips, and I can see the anger building up in him now. He’s starting to look like the boss of the Giordano crime family. “My life. Are you happy with
my
life?”

Gloria’s expression hardens a bit. “It doesn’t matter if I’m happy with your life, Dom. All that matters is that you’re happy with it.”

Dominic nods his head in agreement. “Right. That’s how it should be. As long as I’m happy, right? So then why’d you try to have me killed?”

“What?” Gloria snaps, her eyes bulging. “What are you talking about Dom?”

“Stop calling me Dom,” he says with a bit of bite in his tone, but he doesn’t go overboard. He’s holding back. Out of respect for his mother. “What do you know about Victor Fronzo?”

Gloria’s eyes grow even wider at the mention of his name. “I don’t know who that is.”

“Yes you do,” Dominic says.

“I don’t, Dom.”

“Stop calling me that. My name is Dominic, and Victor Fronzo is the guy you wanted Tommy to put the blame on for Alannah’s death.”

Her eyes are so big I think they’re going to fall out of her face. Gloria tries to hide the fact that her breathing is getting out of control, but it’s no use. Dominic and I can both hear it, and everything about her demeanor is laced with the fear of a woman who’s been caught red-handed.

“I don’t know . . .” she starts to say, but I’ve had enough. I’ll be silent no more.

“Just stop it, Gloria,” I chime in. She looks offended that I’ve even spoken at all, but I couldn’t possibly care any less about how this woman feels—the woman who told Tommy to kill me and then went to sleep. “I was there when he spoke to you on the phone tonight. I heard everything Tommy said, and we know he was talking to you. We checked the phone he was using, so just do us a favor and stop the bullshit.”

She glares at me like my presence is offensive, but I stare right back at her. I have no respect for anyone who’d have me killed so easily. So we can stare each other down all fucking night.

“Why’d you do it, Mom?” Dominic says, staring daggers into his mother. “How could you do it?”

Gloria’s eyes bounce around the room, searching for a lifeline, searching for words that will somehow get her out of this, but there are no words that can save her. There’s nothing but the truth now, and she must succumb to it.

“I . . . I don’t . . .” she stammers aimlessly before finally giving in. “I love you, Dominic. I love you more than you could ever know, and I didn’t want to see you wind up dead like your father. I just couldn’t live with myself if you ended up like him. You’re my only son! What was I supposed to do? My only son, the boss of a deadly crime family? The same one in which the only man I ever really loved was murdered in broad daylight. No mother wants to see her son end up like that, so I just wanted to get you removed from power. I wanted you to have nothing to do with that family. I never meant for things to get out of control the way they did. Tommy took it too far. It was all Tommy, I swear, sweetie. I’m your mother, I would never hurt you. I’d never wish death on you.”

“How about me?” I snap, my eyes boring into her, unflinching. “Would you wish death on me? I’m the love of your son’s life, and you told Tommy to kill me just a few hours ago. Isn’t that right?”

Gloria looks over at Dominic, pleading with him to drop this. No chance.

“I panicked,” she replies to my disgust. “Tommy went too far and he needed a way out. I didn’t think he’d actually kill you, so I just said some stuff to get him to leave me alone. I know Dominic loves you and I wouldn’t want to take that away from him. Tommy is an idiot, and I knew he wouldn’t do it. I didn’t really want you to die, Alannah.”

“Wow, you’re unbelievable,” I reply, feeling new, updated versions of hate being born within me. “You told Tommy to kill me, and then you went upstairs to your room and went to sleep like it was nothing. Like I was nothing. Even though you know how long Dominic and I have loved each other, you still could sleep after telling Tommy to kill me. How could you? What did I ever do to you?”

Out of nowhere, I feel tears starting up, and I hate it. I’m not even sure why, but they’re coming as all the emotions become too much once again. I’m overflowing with anger, sadness, and rage, but I’m also happy to even be alive right now. I’m completely overwhelmed, so the tears win the battle, overtaking my face.

“I’m sorry, Dominic,” Gloria says, her voice shaking with her own emotions and oncoming tears. “I didn’t mean for all of this to happen this way. I only did it because I love you, and I was trying to protect you. But I realized in the end, that once you’re in that life, you can’t just get out of it. I was naïve, and once I started it, it just wouldn’t stop. Tommy’s the idiot who took it too far.”

“Was,” I hear Dominic interrupt. “He
was
the idiot. Thanks to you, he isn’t anything anymore.”

Gloria’s eyes immediately mist over, and then the tears cascade down her cheeks like a waterfall of hopelessness and regret.

“We’ve known Tommy a long time,” Dominic continues driving his point home, ignoring his mother’s tears over Tommy. “You chose to reach out to my closest friend and use him against me, and it cost him his life. You say you were trying to protect me, but you almost cost me
my
life, and you still might. The drama you and Tommy caused between Victor and me isn’t over yet. And then you almost got Alannah killed. Everything you’ve done has been a threat to the lives of the people closest to me. You’ve ruined
everything
, Mom. So, I guess you got what you wanted, because Tommy’s death is the end of my life in La Cosa Nostra. The Commission will come after me for sure now, and it’s because of you. So after all you’ve done to try to
protect
me, you’ve ended up killing virtually everything dear to me.”

“I’m sorry, Dominic,” Gloria says, her eyes raining with tears. “I only wanted to keep you safe and out of harm’s way. I just wanted to keep you alive so you and I could have a relationship again. I didn’t want to watch you die. I just wanted to be your mother. It’s all I have left in this world.”

“You are
not
my mother anymore,” Dominic snips, and his words snatch all of the air out of the room. Gloria even stops crying momentarily, and so do I. “You destroyed our relationship a long time ago when you couldn’t handle the fact that I was just like my father. You couldn’t handle it when I needed to avenge his death, so you shut me out. You only came around on birthdays or sent text messages on holidays. You shut me out because of what I do, but you had no problem taking the money I would send here. You had no problem with La Cosa Nostra when it was fueling your lifestyle. And now, in the end, you’ve done the thing that no one will ever be get way with—you’ve threatened Alannah.”

“Dominic, please forgive me. I’m so sorry,” Gloria pleads, just as Dominic reaches into his coat and removes the gun from its holster.

He looks at it like he hates it, like it’s foreign to him, because it is. The shiny chrome reflects his face back to him as he puts Tommy’s gun on the glass coffee table between Gloria and us with tears in his eyes.