Holly must be gritting her teeth, because she says nothing.
Dom turns his focus to me and continues. “I understand your hesitance to know anything about my plans for Damon. That’s fine. But my world is not your world. A move like his cannot go unchecked. I stay in my position by exercising iron-clad control over my domain.”
I shake my head. “I want his shares back; I don’t want him dead. The problem with him ending up dead is that I’ll be the prime suspect, regardless of how it happens. We’re in the middle of one shitstorm right now, but it’s a corporate litigation matter. A criminal investigation and potential charges would be a whole different ball game, and I want nothing to do with that. If my stock price has taken a hit from the derivative suit, it’s nothing compared to what would happen if I were questioned in Damon’s disappearance or murder.”
Dom leans back and spreads his arms over the back of the couch, looking every inch the Mafia boss. All he needs is a stogie and a cloud of smoke to complete the picture.
“You raise a good point.” He brings a hand to his chin and scratches it as flashes of classic mob movies run through my head. “Hmm, you say you just want your shares back? That solves your problem?”
“Yes. The lawsuit goes away if he’s not a shareholder to maintain it,” I explain.
“After the suit has been dropped a while, I’m assuming you don’t care what happens to him?” he asks.
“I didn’t say that. He wasn’t a complete dick to Greer, and it would hurt her to lose him.” I glance at my sister, who has stayed oddly silent on the far side of the room. Her eyes are wide.
Dom looks her way as well. “I assumed that’s who has been watching me so closely. It’s lovely to meet you, Greer.”
Greer uncrosses her arms and nods. “Likewise, I’m sure.” She shocks me by adding, “I’ve seen you before. With the two guard dogs. In Midtown one night when I was leaving work.”
Dom lifts his chin. “You take too many chances with your safety, Ms. Karas. You’ve been lucky my men have been keeping tabs and have intervened on your behalf.”
Holly stiffens beside me, and the color drains from Greer’s face.
“What?”
“I extend my protection to you out of courtesy to your brother because I know it would trouble him for you to be injured. But that’s no reason to be so careless.”
My insides, which have already taken a beating today, once again turn cold.
“Fuck.” I lift my hand from Holly’s and scrub it over my face. “Greer, you’re getting a bodyguard. Don’t argue with me. It’s happening.”
Greer opens her mouth to protest, but I glare her into silence. Her lips snap shut.
“I’m happy to recommend some competent ones,” Dom says, a condescending smile on his face.
“I’ll take care of it, but thank you for the offer.”
Once again, he gives me what I now think of as the Dom nod. “Now about Damon. You’ll have his stock certificate in hand tomorrow. Consider it a belated wedding present.”
He stands and glances at Holly. “I’ll be keeping tabs on your mother, as well. If she gets out of line again, we’ll make sure she’s encouraged to not make the same mistake again. I believe that concludes our business.”
Holly speaks up. “You’re not going to . . .”
He laughs. “No. But she won’t be a problem.” Dom nods at both of us, and then looks to Greer. “It was nice to finally meet you. I don’t expect we’ll see each other again.” His gaze lands on me again. “And if you’re wondering, the wiring in your building has malfunctioned mysteriously, and we were never here.”
Holly sucks in an audible breath, and I raise a brow. “And the doorman and other residents?”
He cocks his head. “We didn’t exactly use the front door. We’ll see ourselves out. Take care, Creighton. It was lovely to meet you, Holly. Good luck at the CMAs.”
We stand in stunned silence while the room once again goes dark, and the mob boss—my father—exits our life with his two bodyguards just as quickly as he entered it.
As soon as the door shuts behind them, Holly loses it. “Holy cow, Creighton. Holy cow-tipping, runnin’ from the cops, falling into a pile of shit. Oh my God, did that really just happen?”
From Greer, I hear a hushed, “Holy fucking shit.”
“Do you think you’ll ever see him again?” Holly asks.
The lights come back on, and I blink a few times before replying. “I have no idea. But my guess is, not unless he wants me to.”
I’m still trying to comprehend everything that I’ve learned in the last couple of hours. It’s surreal. The man I thought was my biological father was not. All the hatred that has come from my uncle all these years has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with his own fucked-up issues. So, one burden lifted and another burden dropped like a wrecking ball through the very fabric of my existence.
Greer crosses toward us. “As much as I’m a little freaked out right now to leave your place, I gotta go.”
I hug my sister, and as she steps away, I tell her, “You’re getting a bodyguard. No more walking around Manhattan late at night because you don’t leave work until two a.m.”
“I’m not going to win this one, am I?” she asks.
“No.”
“I respectfully reserve the right to argue the point later.”
“Spoken like a lawyer. I’m calling Michael. He’ll be waiting downstairs in less than ten minutes. Don’t leave the building until you see him pull up.”