Chapter 23: Dom

I sit there, staring at my cell, my fingers hovering over the unblock button. When we broke up, I blocked Danils number the moment I got to G's. Hell, I was one step away from deleting his number completely, but I couldn't. Plus, if I deleted his number, his call could still come through. Blocking it stopped that.

"Dom, you okay? You've been staring at your cell for a solid five minutes," G asks, and as I look up at him, I wish I had the words to tell him what I was feeling. That I could tell him everything. Tell him that me and Danil had been dating, but we fucked up, and everything is lost. But I dont. I just slip my cell back into my pocket.

"Yeah, I was just thinking, thats all," I say quietly.

"About?"

"Everything that has happened," This isn't a lie because it is the only thing I have been thinking about since the stuff with Rory started to come out.

"Us Romano's do seem to attract the wrong type of people, but at least it's not Momma and Papa this time. Someone outside the family makes a change," G replies, and his joke makes me smile.

"I cannot believe you said that," I tell him.

"Tell me I'm wrong," G replies. "Momma and Papa hurt me and Matteo. Then they tried it with Trip. It's nice having to deal with a new lunatic, but Feliks is pissed. I haven't seen him this angry since my accident."

"Frank won't do anything stupid, will he?" I ask G, even though I'm not sure I want to know the answer.

"He won't kill him, I don't think," G says out loud, which wasn't the answer I thought was coming, and tells me that Franks past is more dangerous than I thought. "But he will make sure that he gets what's coming to him."

"A very small part of me wants to feel sorry for Rory. He has no idea what is coming for him."

"Rory brought this on himself, and its time justice caught up with him," G states.

My cell buzzes in my pocket, and when I pull it out I can't believe the name that is on the screen.

"What the hell?" I say out loud.

"What?" G says as he comes over to me.

"Rory just texted me. I completely forgot that I had his number. He's never called me before."

Danil gave me Rorys number just in case I needed someone if he wasn't around, so he gave Rory mine so that Rory would know who was calling him. But we never had a need to use them. So, I had forgotten it was in my contacts. This is a number that I should have deleted.

"What's it say?" G demands.

Opening up the notification, I think I must read it three times before the words actually register in my brain.

Rory: Hi Dom, was wondering if you would like to meet for a coffee. I found a wheelchair friendly place. Be nice to catch up.

Looking over to G, his eyes are wide with surprise, but I don't think he is half as surprised as me. Rory was always Danil's friend, and after learning what we have about Rory the last few days, this feels like some kind of trap. But I am curious, too.

"Are you going to reply? Are you going to go?" G asks.

"Yes, and yes," I say with total resolve.

"Why?"

"Because he would find it strange if I didn't reply and I also, weirdly, want to know what he has to say." And so I reply.

Dom: That would be lovely. We were becoming good friends. It would be nice to see you. Can you text me the address? I can meet in an hour if that works for you.

I hit send, and lean back in my chair and wait. It only takes him a matter of minutes before he replies that the hour is perfect, and sends the name and address of the place.

"Someone needs to go with you," G replies, as his brow creases with worry.

"No. He would find that strange. I will text him back now, saying that you are dropping me off, but can we meet outside for him to help me in. If he wants to play games, then so can I. He will need to keep up the front of helping me," I explain.

Rory is not going to do anything that could result in word getting back to Danil that he was mean to me. He wants everyone to think that he's a good friend, and we need to keep him thinking that for as long as possible.

"Feliks isn't going to be happy," G reiterates.

"I know. But we cannot risk Rory doing anything stupid."

An hour later, G is pushing me down the sidewalk and I see Rory standing outside, just like I thought he would be.

"Rory!" I shout over to him, giving a wave as he turns in my direction. A smile spreads across his face. Oh, this man is good.

"Dom. Its good to see you," And he leans down to give me a hug.

"You too. I can't remember if you have met, this is Giovanni, my brother," I say, making the introductions.

"No, we haven't met, but I have heard so much about you. You're marrying Danil's father," Rory says, all sweetness and light.

"Yes, thats right." How G manages to keep his composure I have no idea, but he does. "Will you be okay from here? Just need to run some errands."

He doesnt; he is actually going to wait in the car around the corner with Matteo. If anything happens, I am to ring Matteos cell once and they will come and get me. This was the only way they were going to let me have this meeting, and that was a compromise. They initially wanted one of the family to be in the shop already.

"He'll be fine," Rory states, coming behind me so he can push my chair.

"I should be done in an hour. Will that be enough time?" G asks over to me.

"Plenty," Rory answers, and I see that G isn't impressed that Rory answered for me twice, but Rory doesn't seem to see it.

Rory pushes me into the coffee shop and positions me at a table towards the front, which surprises me, as I would have thought he would have gone towards the back of the shop out of the way.

"It's not waitress service here. What do you want? On me," Rory asks.

"Black coffee will be fine," I tell him.

Rory has angled me in a way that I cannot see what he's doing, which puts me on edge. He could slip anything into my coffee, and I would never know.

"They're going to bring them over to us," Rory says, coming over to me and making me jump. "Sorry," he says as he sits down opposite me.

"I just didn't hear you," I say, pretending to chuckle, when really, I am relieved that they're bringing them over to us. Rory will not be able to tamper with it.

"So, how have you been? Danil told me about the breakup," Rory asks.

"I've been better," I tell him honestly, plus, I think that this is what he is going to want to hear.

"I am sorry how it ended. You two looked so good together," Rory states.

"Well, not that good if Danil had to cheat," I reply to Rory, and catch the smallest twitch of his mouth.

"Did he confirm he was?" Rory asks, but before I can answer our drinks arrive.

"He didn't have to. The guilt was written all over his face, but I suppose it was better to find out what type of man he was before we got any closer. Hey, do you mind if we don't talk about Danil?"

"Yes, sorry, I didn't think," Rory says, taking a sip of his drink. "How is your treatment going?"

"It's tough. But I am getting more and more feeling in my legs. The doctors say I should be able to walk very small distances soon, but I have a very long way to go," I said to him.

"Oh, that is great news, Dom. So, do the doctors think that you are going to make a full recovery?" Rory asks, but there is something about the way he asks the question that makes me shiver.

"In time, yes," I tell him.

"That is great news," Rory states, and he genuinely looks happy for me, but I think it's all fake and that he doesn't mean a word of what he is saying.

"It is and I am determined to be walking, even with an aid, for Giovannis wedding," I say over to him.

"I hadn't known a date was set," Rory states, but I'm starting to get more wary of this conversation as it goes along. He is being too friendly and pleasant.

"It's not for another five months, so I have time," I explained.

"And the investigation. Have the police told you anything more?" Rory asks, and I notice that he picks up his coffee again. I am beginning to suspect that it's to hide his mouth.

"They told me about your truck. I am so sorry about that," And paused briefly before adding, "It must have been awful to know that it was involved in the accident."

"I couldn't believe it," Rory replies. "I still have no idea how they knew where it was or when it was taken."

"I am sorry, Rory."

"My truck really wouldn't have been a match for a white Nissan."

White Nissan. How did he know that Alessia was driving a Nissan? I suppose the cops could have told him, but I'm not sure they would give that kind of information away.

"How did you know Alessia drove a Nissan?" I ask, trying to tread very carefully, and I do see him flinch slightly, he knows he messed up.

"When I saw it after the accident, when I was standing with Danil," he answers coolly.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you were there that day with Danil. The scene must have been horrific. Danil never talked to me about it," I said.

"To be honest, I didn't pay much attention, I only happened to see the car. I was too occupied with Danil. He looked awful," Rory replies.

"I will always be thankful you were there for Danil. Regardless of how its ended with us. I am glad he has you as a friend. Someone who is always there for him."

"Danil means a lot to me," Rory states.

I am not sure why, but this is the last straw. I am sick of his bullshit, and I know that I shouldn't but….

"You mean you love him?"

Rory just stares at me for a moment, and finally his mask falls, or he stops pretending.

"Yes, I do. It's one of the reasons I wanted to see you. I need you to know that he is mine. He has always been mine," Rory almost sneers at me.

"He will only ever see you as a friend," I reply.

"Really?" Rory replies.

"Yes. If he wanted to be more than friends that would have happened a long time before me," I tell him. I know I should stop, but I am done with him. Done with his lies, and I know I am treading on very dangerous ground with him.

"He was just confused. He will see that I'm the one for him," Rory replies. "I will be the one that he comes out for."

"You are wrong," I tell him, trying to remain calm. "We couldn't even come out when most of our family are queer and would accept us. What makes you think he will do it for you?"

"Simple, he loves me more," Rory says, and I can see that he believes every word he is saying. "With you out of the picture, it won't be long till he sees this."

"And if I come back?" I bait him.

"Danil would never take you back. I will make sure of that," Rory almost spits over to me. "I warn you. Stay away from Danil."

So, this is the real Rory. I never thought I would ever see this, but now I need to be careful. Rory will have realized that he shouldn't have said everything he has said. If I'm not super careful, I will be putting myself in danger.

"You know, if anything was to happen to me, you would be the prime suspect. Thanks to your truck being stolen," I state.

Rory stays silent. Just stares at me, his eyes vacant of any emotion. I can't believe how well he has been able to hide this side of himself. How he fooled so many people. Most of all, how he fooled me and Danil.

"If you stay away from Danil, then nothing is going to happen to you," Rory threatens.

"You know I could tell Danil what you are like."

Rory actually laughs at this. "Danil is never going to believe you. Go right ahead. It would do me a favor. It would destroy any last shred of feeling he may have for you. So please, go right ahead," Rory tells me, leaning back in his chair with a self-satisfied look on his face.

I open my mouth to argue with him, but I have to concede that he is right. Danil is so fooled by this man that he would probably think I am making it all up just to hurt him. That I was trying to destroy his friendship, not protect him from the man sitting across from me.

"Well Rory, you have me there," I admit. "You win."

"Dom, you know I always win. Now I think I need to go. I have a date…with Danil," he says smugly, getting up from his seat and walking out.

Pulling out my cell, I call G once, I know that it will panic him but at least it will get him here. We need to see Frank. I think things are escalating with Rory. We need to get all the evidence we can and get it to the police.

It must take G only a minute to get to me once I have made the call, and he bursts through the door like he is superman or something. Scanning the room as quickly as he can and spotting me on my own, he comes over.

"Where the hell is he?" G asks, looking around again.

"He left," I say.

"Why?"

"I called him out on his bullshit."

"Dom, why the fuck did you do that?" G demands.

"Because I think he messed up. He knew what car Alessia was driving," I say to him.

"I think everyone knows what car Alessia was driving. Especially everyone that was there that day. Sorry, but that means nothing," G says sympathetically.

"No G, there is more to it than that," I start. "I need you to take me back to the scene of the accident."

"Dom?" G asks, and I can see that he is hesitant.

"Please. Its important," I say.

I have avoided the scene since coming out of the hospital. I have even made sure that we avoid the area when out and about. I've been too worried about what memories could be triggered, but now we don't have that luxury. I need to remember. The smallest detail could help us catch Rory, and that is the priority.

"Are you sure?" G asks.

"Yes," I say, and start pushing my chair back to make sure he knows that I mean business.

In the car I make a conscious effort not to ignore my surroundings like I've done all the other times. I pay attention. Making note of the buildings, and when I realize that I'm close to the bar, I know we need to get out and walk.

"G stop. We need to get out and walk from here," I say.

"Dom, I really don't think this is a good idea," G tells me again.

"G, we no longer have options. Plus, I think I may have needed to do this for a while," I tell him. "Now please, pull over."

G finally listens to me and parks the car, but I can see he's not rushing. I have a feeling that he hopes I'm going to change my mind, but I have never been so determined to do something in my life. Even if I am also terrified.

"Ready?" G asks when we are settled on the sidewalk.

"Yeah," I confirm, and G starts pushing me.

We stop at the bar, and I look around, trying to remember, when an image flashes into my brain. Alessia is standing outside the bar, spotting Danil and I walking up together, and a smile spreads across her face when she realizes that Danil is the boyfriend I was bringing her to meet.

I feel the tear roll down my cheeks as I remember, and a sob breaks free from my chest.

"Dom, this is not a good idea. We are only at the bar and you're like this. We don't want to set back your recovery," G says as he stops pushing me and comes to the front of my chair.

"I need to do this. For Alessia. Please," I demand.

"Okay, which way now?" G finally relents.

I look around, trying to remember, when something tells me we need to keep going forward. "That way," I tell G.

We walk past the bar, and we've gone about a block or so when I am accosted with another memory. Me and Alessia walking to the car. Alessia telling me how wonderful it is that I am going out with Danil and asking when we are going to tell the rest of the family, and me explaining that she was a guinea pig.

"Stop!" I shout to G.

"What?" G replies.

"There is a parking lot near here. That was where Alessia parked. There was an attendant. Hopefully they work there all the time. They might remember me," I explained to G.

"Okay, let me check," G pulls out his phone and comes up beside me, a map open on his phone.

"There. Must be a block over."

G doesn't argue this time and pushes me over to the parking lot. I hoped that more memories would come but nothing came to me.

"Hello again," the woman attending the lot says as we get there, but there is a tone to her voice that isn't that friendly.

"You remember me?" I ask.

"Indeed. Where's your girlfriend?" she asks.

"Girlfriend?" I question, wondering what the hell she is going on about.

"The woman you were with last time," the attendant replies.

"She wasn't his girlfriend; she was our sister," G replies.

"Was?" the attendant questions, not missing that G used the past tense.

"She was killed in a car accident just after we left here," I say, something telling me to watch the attendant closely for her reaction.

I know my gut is right when she immediately pales and looks from me to G and back again. Shock evident on her face.

"Oh my God. I am sorry," she mumbles.

"Did anyone come up to you and ask about us?" I venture.

"Yes but…" she mumbles, "He said…"

"Sorry, but he said what?" I ask.

"A man came up to me, asking about the car your sister was driving. Said that you were cheating on him. I knew I shouldn't have said anything, but I had recently been cheated on and felt bad for him."

"Was this him?" I ask, and pull out my phone to show her a picture I had of Rory and Danil on my cell phone. I will deal with questions, if any, from G later on.

"That's him," the attendant confirms, pointing at Rory.

"Do you know which direction he went after you told him?" I demand.

"Yeah, he went up the street and got into a truck," the attendant tells us.

And I know we have it – Rory was driving the truck that killed Alessia, and now we can prove it.