Page 5 of Dom 3
“Been graduated from that. You know we don’t do shit lil over here Tone. Everything is luxury and gon’ stay that way. The operation continues.”
Just then, the phone rang once again ‘Unknown’. I ignored the call. I wasn’t in the mood to teach alphabet to fools. I sent an encrypted text to the team letting them know tonight wasn’t fully over just because shit was quiet. It meant keep one eye open and a full clip within reach. My eyes scanned the road where the ghost trucks were lines up, I had security in the garage and right in front of my door, and so did every person with rank within the cartel because I wasn’t taking no chances and couldn’t risk my people getting hit.
The longer I stayed home, the more tired my body became. I called Carmen one last time and let her know I’d catch up with her soon instead. I put all the phones on the nightstand and made sure my guns had full clips after Tone left. I didn’t feel innocent, and I wasn’t guilty either. This was simply a part of the life where it was blood in and blood out. El Blanca thought he could come here and eat at my table. He thought he could put his foot on my neck. He forgot I owned the kitchen, the couch, the lights, and the bill. By morning, the docks would be talking about that explosion even more than today and Hialeah wouldtell a story about a warehouse that got cleaned by ghosts and the news would be covering all of these stories. However, me on the other hand, I showered and laid down. I kept my eyes on the camera, watching as Carmen moved through her room, until she fell asleep. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep too, while muhfuckas were still outside playing on the devil’s playground.
The sky looked washed out, like somebody took a wet rag and forgot to wring it out today. My windows had a thin film of salt from the bay as the little bit of sun that we did have drifted past the condos, showing a little shimmer across the water. My place smelled like lemon cleaner and ginger after the maid left, and it also had a little gun oil lingering after I cleaned all of my guns. I’d been up since before dawn, not because I wanted to be, but because my stomach had its own agenda. That little life inside me was barely the size of a fig if my Googling was right and it had me on my knees over a marble toilet I paid way too fucking much for.
I rinsed my mouth, dabbed my face with a cold towel, and stood there a second with my palms flat on the vanity. My eyes were a little puffy, my hair was pinned up, and I wore a sports bra and boy shorts underneath my robe. I ran my hand across my stomach, although it was still flat, I knew it wouldn’t be for long. I considered myself a tough cookie and could handle a lotof shit, but seeing those lines confirming that I was pregnant made me different that night. I cried right inside Dom’s arms, and nobody gets to see me like that. However, at the end of the day, he was my husband and it’s his child.
When I waltzed out of the bathroom, I found myself in the kitchen pouring hot water over sliced ginger, added honey and a squeeze of lime, while I sipped slowly at the counter when I finished making it. I had plain saltine crackers on a plate in front of me. The nausea came in waves now. It’ll pass, then circle back like how Dru kept trying to circle back and get my attention no matter how many times I’ve told him to stay away. I breathed through the sickness and watched the morning move down on Biscayne. The boats were leaving white trails in the water always leaving a beautiful view. I got an alert from security prompting me to look at the camera but at the same time, my phone lit up on the island with a text from O’Shynn.
I finished texting her I set the phone down and leaned my body against the counter. My mind never turned off even when everything was quiet around me, I could feel the tension in the air. I checked the hall camera on my wall screen again because paranoia was just another word for preparation. Two of our guys were outside doing exactly what they were supposed to do and rarely answered the phones our spoke unless it was important. Dom had the security on my building extra heavy.
I walked to the couch with my tea and opened the laptop. The firm inbox blinked, waiting for my attention. Three clients in county. A hearing next week. A prosecutor who thought “organized” meant “easy to aim at.” Poor thing. Between the mayor, the judge who owed me a favor from that sealed motion last year, and the detective who liked to pretend he wasn’t in love with me, I had more shields than most. Still, shields crack if you stop polishing. I cleaned my messes as I made them. That’s why Dom trusted me with the legal side. That, and I didn’t fold when it was too much pressure.
I pulled up the Fed dockets and did my morning sweeps because pregnant or not I still had a job to do and other cases to beat. I had clients who depended on me outside of the cartel. They’d been sniffing since that night at the station with O’Shynn when they tried to scare us. All they found was two women who knew how to sit still and not answer questions. Since then, I added two new shells, re-routed two old ones, and ghosted three payments that were never gonna exist again after they cleared. If somebody mapped it, once again they’d be chasing their own tails.
The elevator chimed, and the door code clicked as Dom walked in like he lived here as he always did. Like he owned every inch of space he walked into. He stood in the doorway looking good as hell just tall, clean, and smelling like Creed wearing a black tee, and cargo pants with his chain swinging against his chest. His eyes scanned the room first, then landed on me like I was the only person who mattered. He was dressed too comfortable to look like he had any plans on leaving any time soon. No matter how fine he was, I could still tell that cold was getting the best of him by the way his eyes looked. It was either that or he was tired from fighting the war yesterday. I paid attention and kept tabs on every encrypted message sent out with his orders just to make sure that I was keeping up.
“You make your doctor’s appointment?” Was the first thing he asked me with his voice calm, waiting for an answer.
I set my cup down and folded my arms across my chest, leaning into the counter. “Yes, Dom. First thing this morning, soon as they opened. I’ve never been reckless you know that.”
He walked closer and placed his hand across the small of my back. His hand was warm but firm, like he just needed a reason to touch me. I wondered if he was going to tell me he missed me. Even if he didn’t, I saw it in his eyes, or maybe it was just because I was carrying the heir.
“I’ll be there with you; I don’t care what’s on my calendar. I’m not missing no appointments. That’s not up for debate.”
I tilted my chin up, meeting his stare. “You act like I’m handicapped. I’m pregnant, Dom. I’m not broken, but I do understand. I wouldn’t have it any other way than for you to be there.”
His lips formed a side smile that wasn’t really a smile if that makes sense but nothing like how it was, but wasn’t a smile, yet it was much softer than the look he wore when he was ready to go to war. “I know you ain’t broken, but you’re mine, and you carrying somethin’ I can’t replace. So, I don’t give a fuck if you get mad at me for hovering… I’ma hover anyway.”
For a second, I wanted to snap back as I muffled my smile, but with the way he was looking at me with his eyes locked in all intense like he could see right through me, it nearly knocked the wind out of my chest a little. I pressed my hand flat against his chest and shook my head. “You’re doing the most, you know that? I’m still me, that’s all I’m saying.”
“And I’m still gon’ make sure you take it easy,” he retorted, sliding my hand from his chest to his lips, placing a kiss against my knuckles. “That’s my job. A couple of months ago you was complaining about me not doing enough, now you think I’mdoin’ too much. You women are confusing like that… I still don’t give a fuck though.”
I pulled my hand back slow and went to the remote. “Alright, Mr. Hover, since you’re here, give me an update. What happened with El Blanca’s people yesterday? You never called me back.”
Dom’s jaw flexed, but he didn’t answer right away. I clicked the TV on and flipped to the local news. The anchor’s voice filled the room before he could stop me. “…police are investigating a shootout that left multiple men dead in an industrial area near the design district yesterday. Sources say no suspects are in custody, but law enforcement believes this incident could be connected to organized crime or cartel retaliation…”
The news clip played with lights flashing in the background and crime tape everywhere with cops pacing around while a reporter stood smack in the middle of the mess, acting like she didn’t care what was really going on. Dom was right behind me, focused as ever. He grabbed my tea without asking and watched the screen with an unreadable expression on his face.
“So, it made the news,” I said, folding my arms across my robe. “You were going tell me when, exactly? After they plastered it across every channel?”
His voice was low as he spoke. “Ain’t no suspects because they don’t have nothing on us… you make sure of that,” he winked at me. “Besides, you know my people don’t leave prints, and El Blanca’s side took all the heat. Let the police say gang and cartel all they want; it keeps them busy chasing ghosts.”
I turned my head, studying him. He looked too calm, like he was already ten moves past what I was just piecing together. “Dom…”
He finally met my eyes. “We hit what we needed to hit Carmen, and cost El Blanca over two million, easy crippling a whole lot of shit. His fake Miami soldiers… we left quite a few dead, and if he makes another move, he gon’ lose twicethat ‘cause I’m ready to kill his ass and end it.” He set the cup down and pulled me close. “You don’t need to stress over what’s already handled.” He then set his eyes on my stomach, a stomach that hadn’t even grown yet. “I don’t need you stressin’.”
The anchor kept talking about the ‘escalating gang violence’ while the footage kept rolling again, but my focus stayed on Dom. His calmness didn’t erase what was brewing, but it made me feel safe in a way that nobody ever could.
“Just remember,” I said as I lowered the volume, “what’s handled for you still shows up in my living room and on my office desk too.”
Dom leaned in close, looking me in the eyes. “That’s why I keep yo’ living room protected, Carmen. Let the news talk… they don’t know half the story.”
I muted the news and focused. “Well, before you start redirecting me, just know everything for Ramon’s funeral is handled. The arrangements are set; it’s all paid for. I made the calls, lined it up just like you told me to.”
For the first time since he walked in, his eyes softened up a little. “That’s why you Mrs. Dom Royal.”
