If The Seas Catch Fire(60)

Rubbing his unshaven face, Dom mouthed a curse into the stillness. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” After he’d hung up, he eyed his pillow. No, he didn’t dare. Even sleeping for fifteen or twenty minutes was liable to backfire on him. He’d oversleep, or it would make him even more tired, or this would be one of those times when Corrado was tapping his watch and demanding to know why Dom hadn’t left his house the instant he’d gotten off the phone.

He’d go see Corrado, then come home and get some f*cking sleep.

But first… coffee.



*



“You look like you had a long night.”

From anyone else, it would’ve been accompanied by some brotherly ribbing, maybe some crude comments about how Brigida was in the sack, but Biaggio’s tone was filled with gentle concern. Not surprisingly—the consigliere had been the only man besides Dr. Rojas who Dom could trust as a confidante over the years. Though his loyalty to Corrado was fierce, he seemed to have some sympathy for Dom. Enough that he frequently filled in as the father figure Dom didn’t have.

“I’m fine.” Dom sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. “Just didn’t sleep very well.”

“I can see that.”

They continued into the house, and Biaggio was silent, walking beside him up Corrado’s grand staircase. Dom knew that silence well—the conversation wasn’t over, but Biaggio was waiting for him to go on.

“I don’t think I can do this,” Dom said, barely whispering. “Brigida’s great, but it’s tough to get to know someone when there’s already pressure to get married when you’re on your first date.”

Biaggio nodded. “I doubt anyone would disagree that you’re in a difficult position.”

“I’m just not sure what I can do about it.”

“Have you made arrangements to see her again?”

“We’ve been out already.”

“Good. Then you’re making a good faith effort to see this through, and that should be enough to satisfy her father and your uncle. At least for now.”

“One can hope, right?”

Biaggio grunted an affirmative.

As they followed the long hallway toward Corrado’s office, Felice came toward them.

“Oh, hey, Dom. I was just about to call you.” Felice halted, so Dom and Biaggio did too. “I’m taking the boat out on Saturday morning. One of my new cargo liaisons will be meeting us. Why don’t you come out with me and meet him?”

Guarded, Dom held his cousin’s gaze. “You really need me out there?”

“Dom, come on.” Felice laughed and clapped Dom’s shoulder. “It’s business. You gotta know all the players, and this boy’s a big player. He’s going to be bringing you some people soon.” He raised his eyebrows, letting that convey the unspoken meaning.

Dom’s stomach roiled. Another smuggler who moonlighted as an “immigrant transporter,” as Corrado and Felice liked to call them. More like human trafficker.

While he didn’t like the idea of being out on the water with his hothead cousin, he couldn’t let on. So, he shrugged. “Sure. Yeah. I’ll come meet him.”

“Great. I’ll text you with the time once I talk to the crew.”

“Perfect.” Felice clapped his shoulder and kept walking.

Dom watched him for a moment. Then he continued down the hall with Biaggio.

“Weird,” he muttered. “He’s being awfully friendly lately.”

“He’s probably heeding his father’s advice for once,” Biaggio said. “Realizing he’s a grown man and not a teenager anymore and needs to behave accordingly.”

“I don’t know.” Dom chuckled. “When it comes to Felice maturing, I think I’ll believe it when I see it last longer than a week or two.”

Biaggio laughed as he reached for the door to Corrado’s office. “You and me both, Domenico. You and me both.” He pulled open the door but went no farther.

A private meeting, then. Just what Dom needed today.

His uncle was at his desk, perusing the contents of a thin file folder. When the door closed behind Dom, Corrado looked up. Closing the folder, he said, “How did your evening go with Ms. Passantino?”

Dom stopped in front of the desk, hands behind his back. “You called me in here to ask me about my date?”

“I couldn’t care less about your date, Domenico.” Corrado’s features hardened as he and Dom locked eyes over the desk. “But your intentions with her are important. An alliance with the Passantinos would be… timely. Because things are getting hot all over. There is definitely a war brewing—I can smell it.”

Dom nodded. “Yeah. Me too.”

“Which means men are going to start questioning loyalties. Smoking out potential moles.”

And killing them to be on the safe side. Dom shuddered. When things got hot in this town, it wasn’t at all out of the ordinary for people to shoot first and ask questions later.

“Anything that can be used against you will be used against you.” Corrado’s eyes bore right into Dom. “And we’ve discussed this—being unmarried at your age? It doesn’t look good. It doesn’t look good at all. A man of your stature who hasn’t settled down and committed to a woman…” He shook his head. “You’ve got too many decks stacked against you to—”