Chapter 10 - The Woman Dominic Couldn’t Intimidate
Dominic’s captains gathered that evening.
Seven men.
Paulie.
Vincent.
And Riley.
That last addition caused immediate trouble.
The meeting took place in the private dining room of a restaurant Dominic owned.
Riley arrived wearing jeans, boots, and a navy sweater.
Every other person wore a suit.
One captain stared.
“This is family business.”
Riley sat.
“Then stop stealing from my business.”
Paulie looked at the ceiling.
Dominic hid a smile.
Captain Anthony Marino slammed one hand on the table.
“Boss, this is ridiculous.”
Dominic sat at the head.
“What is?”
“A civilian woman sitting here.”
Dominic looked at Riley.
“She has more evidence about our finances than anyone in this room.”
“That doesn’t make her family.”
Riley answered.
“Thank God.”
Vincent coughed.
Marino glared.
Dominic raised his hand.
“Enough.”
Silence.
Dominic placed copies of Arthur’s records in front of every captain.
“Tony stole from all of us.”
Marino did not open his folder.
“Tony says you betrayed the family.”
“Tony says many things.”
“He says you handed him to federal agents.”
“I did.”
Murmurs.
Dominic continued.
“He kidnapped a child.”
Marino shrugged.
“Unfortunate.”
Riley stood.
Dominic caught her wrist.
“Sit.”
She looked at him.
He added quietly:
“Please.”
That word changed everything.
Riley sat.
Dominic turned to Marino.
“If you ever call the kidnapping of a child unfortunate again, you will leave this table permanently.”
Marino leaned back.
“You’re threatening me?”
“No.”
Dominic looked around.
“I’m telling you the new rule.”
“What new rule?”
“No civilians. No children. No neighborhood collections. No trafficking. No intimidation of businesses.”
The room erupted.
One captain laughed.
“What are we now? A charity?”
Dominic remained calm.
“We own construction companies, waste contracts, restaurants, logistics firms, real estate, and security companies.”
“Because street money built them.”
“And now legitimate money can keep them.”
Marino shook his head.
“You sound like your mother.”
Dominic froze.
Riley noticed.
“So you knew her plan,” Dominic said.
Marino’s expression changed.
Too late.
Paulie stood.
“Careful.”
Dominic looked at Marino.
“How long?”
Marino said nothing.
“How long did you know Elena wanted the family legitimate?”
“Everybody from the old days knew.”
Dominic felt sick.
Another secret everyone understood except the son supposedly being protected.
Marino continued.
“Salvatore thought she was naive.”
“Was she?”
Marino looked around.
“You want the truth?”
“Yes.”
“She was probably right.”
Silence.
Even Riley looked surprised.
Marino laughed bitterly.
“We spend half our lives bribing people to protect the money we make bribing people.”
Vincent smiled.
“That sounds inefficient.”
“It is.”
Dominic leaned forward.
“Then why reject me?”
“Because Tony says you’ll turn evidence over.”
“I will.”
The room exploded again.
Dominic waited.
When silence returned:
“Anything connected to murder, trafficking, kidnapping, or corruption involving public officials goes to investigators.”
Marino stood.
“You’ll destroy us.”
“No.”
Dominic looked at Arthur’s ledger.
“I’ll destroy what should have been destroyed years ago.”
Three captains left.
Two remained uncertain.
Marino stayed standing.
Riley watched him.
“You’re afraid.”
He looked at her.
“You don’t know me.”
“No. But I know fear.”
Marino laughed.
“You?”
“Yes.”
She looked around the room.
“I’m afraid every time Noah walks to school. I’m afraid somebody will target him because I refused to pay. I’m afraid my father spent his entire life collecting secrets and one of them will eventually get somebody killed.”
She looked directly at Dominic.
“Fear isn’t weakness. It’s information.”
The room went quiet.
Dominic remembered the first night.
Riley had never claimed not to feel fear.
He had assumed it because she did not obey it.
Marino slowly sat.
Riley continued.
“The difference between Dominic and Tony is not that one is dangerous and one isn’t.”
Dominic raised an eyebrow.
“Comforting.”
She ignored him.
“The difference is Dominic is finally listening when somebody tells him where danger leads.”
Marino looked at Dominic.
“You letting her speak for you now?”
Dominic smiled.
“Nobody lets Riley do anything.”
Paulie laughed aloud.
Riley gave Dominic a look.
The tension broke.
Slightly.
By midnight, four of seven captains agreed to Dominic’s transition.
Three refused.
Marino unexpectedly became the fourth supporter.
“You’re going to need time,” he said.
Dominic nodded.
“You’ll have legitimate shares in existing companies.”
“And the crews?”
“Jobs where possible.”
Marino smiled.
“You really planned this.”
“My mother did.”
That mattered.
The meeting ended.
Riley and Dominic remained.
She gathered papers.
“You were good.”
“At what?”
“Not threatening everyone.”
“That is a low standard.”
“For you, apparently progress.”
Dominic smiled.
Riley looked at him.
Something lingered.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
Dominic walked closer.
Riley did not move.
“You said something earlier.”
“I say many things.”
“You said Bellini was right that you see what I am.”
Riley’s expression softened.
“I do.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“What am I?”
Riley looked at him for a long moment.
“A man who learned the wrong definition of strength.”
Dominic swallowed.
“And now?”
“You’re learning another.”
He stepped closer.
Riley’s breath changed.
Dominic noticed.
So did she.
“Riley.”
She looked at his mouth.
Then his eyes.
For one dangerous second, neither spoke.
Dominic touched her cheek.
Gently.
Nothing in his adult life had frightened him as much as waiting to see whether she would pull away.
She did not.
Their kiss was brief.
Careful.
Not possessive.
When they separated, Riley looked irritated with herself.
“That was a mistake.”
Dominic’s heart dropped.
Then she added:
“Probably.”
He almost laughed.
“Comforting.”
She picked up her coat.
“Don’t get arrogant.”
“Too late.”
Riley rolled her eyes.
They left together.
Outside, rain had stopped.
For the first time in days, the street was quiet.
Then Dominic saw the envelope beneath his windshield wiper.
No stamp.
No name.
Inside was a photograph of Noah leaving school.
On the back:
TONY ISN’T THE ONLY MAN WHO KNOWS WHERE SHE LIVES.
Dominic’s expression changed.
Riley read it.
Her happiness disappeared.
Dominic looked down the empty street.
The internal rebellion had begun.
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And someone had decided that the fastest way to control Dominic Castelli was through the woman he could no longer pretend meant nothing to him.
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