Chapter 7

Chloe

Dominick is taking bossy to a whole different level. And what? I'm just supposed to open up to him because he says so?

I'm so done with today.

As my thoughts churn, I realize Dominick is still holding my chin. The warmth of his rough fingers melts into me.

What is he doing with such rough hands, anyway? Don't rich club owners go to the salon or something?

I was in the Marines.

That's making more sense now. He's built like a soldier, that's for sure. I already noticed, but he's also just so damned commanding.

And he's clearly okay with belting a guy right in the jaw.

This is way too much. I got the job at Opal to get away from violence, not see more of it.

Anthony's buddy here certainly has a way with words, huh?

"Please let go."

Dominick draws his hand back slowly, and I exhale hard, reaching for the water again. Dry mouth is a serious thing right now, so the cool drink feels like heaven when it hits my parched throat.

"Why do you even care? I'm just some employee."

Dominick scoffs at me before he smirks, leaning against the couch and resting his arms across the back.

"You're hardly just an employee. You're Anthony's sister."

Dominick's teasing grin is far too attractive to look at, so I return my stare to that stupid glass coffee table.

"I'm not your sister, though."

"No. But Anthony might as well be my brother, so you're getting the family perk."

I roll my eyes. "Lucky me."

Tension sits between us on the couch until I have to look back at Dominick. He's just staring me down, those damned muscles of his straining the fabric of his shirt.

Shit. I'm still wearing his jacket.

Suddenly the smell of his cologne is all around me, making it damn near impossible to breathe or think straight.

Why is he so attractive? Why can't he be just some normal-looking guy?

But it's not just that he's handsome.

Dominick is pushing to help me after all this time. He's sitting here ready to listen, and despite the clear evidence otherwise, Dominick doesn't think this threat would overwhelm him.

And who am I to say it would? What do I know?

The exhaustion that's been pulling at me since I left Ethan tugs even harder. I'm just so tired of running, of constantly being afraid of what might happen.

It's been ages since I've felt like my life was my own. I want to change that. I want to feel like a normal woman again.

The sigh that rakes through me this time is long and drawn out. I steeple my fingers in front of my face, and then Dominick leans forward, resting his elbows on his powerful thighs.

"This…this is just a lot. Okay?"

"Okay."

No pity or annoyance is backing that word. When I look over at him, still shielding myself with my hands, Dominick just meets my gaze.

"When I moved away, went off to become a teacher in the city, and left Hildale Port behind, I did it because I wanted to take care of myself." I drop my hands between my knees, focusing on the intricate designs of the fancy rug on the floor. "I wanted to be there for other people, kids specifically, and show the world that after everything it put me through, losing my parents and taking care of my Gran with just my brother to help, it didn't beat me down. I was still?—"

"Glowly Chloe?"

I snap my attention to Dominick. "You remember?"

He only offers a short nod.

"Well, yeah. That. I think…I think after everything, that need to be seen worked against me."

"Worked against you how?" Dominick's voice is so deep, nothing like the one I remember from my youth.

"Ethan."

A weird rush of emotion powers through me as I say his name out loud. I haven't acknowledged him like that in months. Even when my colleagues, my friends from the school, told me they were worried, I never truly admitted that the reason behind my unhappiness was Ethan.

"I'm assuming that's the boyfriend."

The hard laugh that comes out is humorless. "Yeah. The boyfriend. The manipulator. The liar."

Suddenly, Dominick's hand is on my shoulder, and my eyes dart to him, a bit shocked. I don't usually let people get this close to me, and I didn't even realize he'd closed the distance.

As we both look down at his hand, Dominick snatches it back and clears his throat. "Cheated?"

"That would have been a lot easier to deal with, don't you think? I mean, would I run all this way just because he cheated?"

"Fair point. So?"

"He…" I remember the nights out and the screamed words that would leave me sobbing in the bathroom alone. "He wanted to control everything. Nothing I did was ever right or good enough. But then…then it got worse."

I feel the telltale burn in my eyes and quickly shut them.

"He started checking my messages and emails. Then, it was choosing what I should wear and who I could hang out with. And there were countless nights I'd wait up for him only to be told he ‘just had to work late.'"

The tears eventually fall. I can't stop them, and I know my fingers are shaky. There's nothing I can do about that, either.

"I think it's called gaslighting. I'd question him about work, especially when I saw some shady-looking guys, and he'd say I was being irrational and overreacting. I couldn't do anything for myself or ever go anywhere without him."

There's a hardness on Dominick's face when I look up at him. "What guys?"

I nod my head as I suck in a breath to speak around the tears. "They were…I don't know. I've never seen mobsters or drug dealers before, but I could tell something was up with them. They were always at his office at night when I'd swing by on my way home. I was supposed to, um, check in with him."

I hear silence between the thoughts, Dominick giving me the space to just get it all out, and it's exactly what I need.

"Everything was a manipulation, so I only saw what I was supposed to, only did what I was supposed to. I'm not that girl. I don't need a man in my life, and I certainly don't think you're supposed to bend over backward to make one happy. And still…"

I'm shaking now, the sobs racking through me.

"It was too much, though. I just couldn't get out. Ethan had made me need him, even as I felt like I was in a prison. One of my own making, though. He'd just been so sweet at first. He helped me pay for my grandmother's care. He took me out and bought me gifts."

I take another sip of the water, still grateful Dominick insisted I drink it. I've never said any of this to anyone, and my heartbeat is so loud in my ears that I feel like my brain is going to explode.

"One night, I'd…well, I'd finally gotten the courage to leave. I went to his work to leave a note because I knew it wouldn't be…safe to break up with him in person. When I got there, he was talking with those guys again. I…I heard something I shouldn't. There was money, and he'd talked about drugs."

I can remember them noticing me in the shadows. I can feel the pavement beneath my feet as I ran toward the car.

Air whooshes in and out of my lungs too fast to process, and the world begins to spin.

"H-he was into something way worse than I imagined. I really didn't know. But they'd seen me. Ethan saw me."

I remember the note on my car, the threat, knowing in my bones that he was serious.

My voice is strained around the crying that won't stop.

"That man. He said his name. Noble. He was there because of Ethan. He nearly—I almost…"

Dominick's arms are around me in a flash, holding me close in a way that's grounding. I know he's trying to calm me, and I want to let him.

"The cops wouldn't grant a restraining order, so…so I just ran. I know that makes me a coward, and now I'm dragging you into this, but I…I just ran."

His hand goes to my chin again, making me look up into those gorgeous hazel eyes. I don't want to see pity or disappointment, though.

I can't take that.

Hard eyes meet mine, and Dominick looks at me as if he can see straight through to my soul.

"You're not a coward. And drag me into it all you want." He releases my chin and takes my hands. "But I need something from you."

I scoff a little, shaking my head at him. "I don't have anything to offer, Dominick. I ran here with nothing."

"Not that." He shakes his head. "I need you to tell me about those men. Tell me everything you remember about them, Chloe. I'm doing something about this."