Page 51 of Long Live the King
“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 aboutmylife,” 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 withmylife?”
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.
