Las Vegas Sidewinders: Dominic (16 page)

“No. I see you and Tatiana
looking in from all the way in Russia, with your heads up your asses, not
having any idea what’s really going on, and making assumptions. Tatiana has the
excuse of being jealous—what’s yours?” With a grunt, he turned and followed
Molly up the stairs.

Molly was sitting on the
bed, in the dark, looking out the window. She’d locked the door, but Brad and
Andra kept keys above the frames of several of the doors in case of emergency.
Dom obviously knew where they were because he opened the door without any
hesitation and slowly joined her on the bed. He didn’t speak for a while, just
gently rubbed her shoulders as she continued staring out the window. Finally,
he pulled her up against him.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I
didn’t expect that from Sergei. He’s normally a great guy. I don’t know what’s
gotten into him. Toli said he’s been kind of different, avoiding him on the
phone and stuff, but he thought it was because of a woman. Something must be
going on that we don’t know about.”

Molly leaned against him
wearily. “He’s right, though. I’ve brought nothing but trouble since I’ve been
here. You haven’t really seen it because Toli has taken the brunt of it. And
he’s right—why would he do that for me?”

Dom tensed. “What are you
trying to say? Is there something between you and Toli?”

“There isn’t. Not for me
anyway. I don’t know for sure what he’s feeling… he asked me out when we first
met and we really hit it off. You know that, but I didn’t feel that spark, the
one I feel when I’m with you. He knew it right away, when I wouldn’t let him
kiss me—”

“He tried to
kiss
you?”

“Well, yeah, but that was
before you and I were together!” She nudged him. “Come on—you had to assume he
would try something when we spent the whole day in L.A. Anyway, he said it was
obvious that our hearts were taken, and that we were probably better as friends
because lovers can leave, but friends are forever.”

“What does that mean?” Dom
frowned.

“It means that I’m in love
with you, but maybe he does have feelings for me. He wasn’t happy to see
Tatiana tonight. He got really tense when he saw her and Sergei, and now he’s
practically falling down drunk, which I’ve never seen before. We’ve been
together all summer and he’s never behaved this way. I don’t how much of this
is my fault.”

“Okay, wait.” Dom shook his
head. “There is no way that’s your fault. I’ve seen Toli drink—believe me, this
isn’t the first time. Maybe not this summer, but he’s older now. He’s also been
out of the NHL for a while so he has a lot to prove. I’m sure he’s just feeling
off-kilter with Sergei and Tatiana showing up together like—” He froze. “Oh
shit.”

“Oh shit, what?” she asked,
blinking at him.

“I’m thinking maybe there‘s
something going on with Sergei and Tatiana and they’re trying to throw the
scent off what they’re doing by going after you.”

“That makes sense,” she said
thoughtfully.

“This isn’t going to end
well,” he grumbled. “And we’re going to be right smack in the middle of it
all.”

“You think they’ve been
fooling around behind Toli’s back?” Molly seemed stricken, heartbroken for her
friend.

“Toli left Russia and told her
he was done. They still talk, but he told me he knows she’s not coming here and
he’s not going back there. Although he’s hung on to some hope because they talk
so often, it doesn’t seem as though it’s going to go anywhere.”

“What do we do? There’s no
way in hell I’m going to sit back and let Toli get blindsided by
this—especially with the season about to start!” She looked angry on Toli’s
behalf, and he put his hands on hers.

“Easy,” he said. “If there’s
anything I’ve learned this summer, it’s that you have to think before you act.
Think about what the repercussions of what you’re going to do might be. If you
were to go down there and say something, there is a house full of NHL players
and their partners—gossip would be all over the league within 24 hours. Toli’s
also drunk off his ass and that will only end with him and Sergei going at it
like kids. This is definitely not the right time or place.”

She nodded. “You’re right,
of course.”

“We need to go back
downstairs and keep an eye on both of them. I’ll stick to Sergei and you stick
to Toli, and we’ll both keep an eye out for Tatiana. Hopefully we’ll get
through what’s left of the evening without any issues. Tomorrow, we’ll figure
out if we’re even right, and what to do next.”

“Okay.” She got up and reached
for his hand. Together, they made their way back down to the party.

The phone rang far too early
the next morning and Molly reached for it absently, trying to untangle herself
first from Dom and then from the sheets. It had been after three in the morning
before they’d finally gotten to sleep and it was just shy of 10:00 now. She was
barely conscious, but she finally found her phone next to the bed and put it up
to her ear blearily.

“Yes, hello?”

“Molly!” Toli sounded wide
awake for someone who had only slept for a few hours after being so drunk.

“Toli, we’re sleeping!” she
murmured.

“Get up!” he said firmly.
“We go to brunch.
All of us
.”

“All of who?” she moaned,
falling onto her back beside Dom, who had opened one eye in annoyance.

“Everyone!” he said
decidedly. “Please?”

“Toli!” she groaned, sighing
heavily. “You don’t want to be alone with them? Is that it?”

“Exactly.”

“Here, give Dom the
details.” She handed the phone to him and then curled up against his side.

“What the fuck, Toli?” Dom
grumbled. “We had a really long night!”

“Yes, yes, but this
important. Noon, brunch at the Wynn.” Toli disconnected.

“Fuck.” Dom looked at Molly.
“He’s more
your
friend than mine, you know.”

“I know, sorry.” She took
the phone and put it back on the nightstand. “How long do we have?”

“We need to be on the Strip
in two hours for brunch.”

“We need to crawl into the
shower and then find coffee,” she whispered.

“Fine,” he chuckled, kissing
her cheek. She nestled against him and for a few minutes they rested in
silence, enjoying the quiet of the house and each other. It was nice going to
sleep together and waking up together; they both sensed the ease with which
they had fallen into that routine. Molly loved his quiet strength and the
security he brought to her life.

“We’ve got to get up,” she
said, reluctantly pulling herself away from Dom.She glanced at his naked body
with unabashed pleasure. “There is no way in hell I’d be getting out of this
bed if I didn’t think it was important.”

He gave her an appreciative
grin before getting up. “Do you think something happened after they got home
last night?” Dom followed her into the bathroom.

“I don’t know, but you know
how Toli pretends he doesn’t speak English and acts all goofy? Then when the
cops show up at his house, suddenly he knows exactly what to say and puts them
all in their place? I have a feeling Toli has been playing a similar game with
Tatiana and Sergei.”

“Is that bad?” He stepped
under the spray of water and pulled her close to him.

“I guess we’re going to find
out.” She wound her arms around his neck.

Arriving at the Wynn, the
valet took their car and Dom and Molly walked hand in hand through the hotel
towards the restaurant. She felt pretty in a slimming black pencil skirt, a
black and white low-cut blouse and tall heels. She hadn’t worn heels since high
school, and she loved how Dom still towered over her even when she wore them.
He seemed to like it too, the way he’d stared at her when she’d come out of the
bathroom. They’d almost wound up back in bed, but she’d managed to get him out
the door, looking equally handsome in a pair of well-cut slacks and a
button-down shirt with several buttons open at the top.

Molly squeezed his hand as
they walked. “I wish I knew more about Sergei. He sure isn’t acting like the
guy you guys all talk about.”

“He’s not,” Dom muttered. “I
mean, after what happened to Brian, graduation was kind of a downer, and then
all of us took off in different directions. We kept in touch, of course, but he
never really talked about his divorce or anything. That was about four years
ago.” He caught sight of Toli, Sergei, Tatiana, Cody and Suze, so he waved just
as the hostess seated them.

Everyone seemed to be quiet
and reserved, except for Toli, who talked non-stop as they got settled at their
table and mimosas were ordered. Molly noticed that Sergei and Tatiana looked
uncomfortable, and she felt a moment of sympathy for Toli. It bothered her to
see him behaving so strangely. She wanted to pull him aside and ask him what
was going on, but she obviously couldn’t right now.

As everyone began to scatter
to fill plates from the scrumptious buffet, Molly remained seated, hoping Toli
would stay as well. Dom finally got up, realizing she wanted a moment with
Toli, and finally it was just the two of them. She gave him a look.

“Do you want to tell me what
on God’s green earth you’re up to?” she demanded. “You know I will back you up
on anything, but I need to know what’s happening.”

“Toli isn’t sure yet,” he
said under his breath.

“You’re not going to do
something stupid, are you?” she asked, her eyes widening.

He shook his head. “No.” He
murmured something in Russian before looking at her. “No time to explain—please
just support me?”

“Of course.” She took a
breath and focused on her drink. She was afraid to leave him alone because she
knew he was going to say or do something he shouldn’t, despite what he’d said.

Sergei came back first and
eyed them with obvious suspicion. Molly really had to fight the urge to smack
him but a knowing wink from Toli forced her to hold back.

“Do you two want to explain
anything?” Sergei asked as he sat down, staring at them.

Molly couldn’t stop herself
from rolling her eyes.

“No,” Toli said simply.

“You act like there’s
something between you,” Sergei said. His English, unlike Toli’s, was almost
perfect. His accent was barely noticeable and it made him appear almost
arrogant compared to his easygoing brother.

“I’ve been trying to tell
you,” Toli said, his eyes suddenly blazing with irritation. “Molly’s ex-husband
is a bad man—we have had many problems this summer but any day now divorce will
be final! You just don’t listen. Too involved with your
puck bunnies
to
care.” He made a face as he said the words ‘puck bunny’ and Sergei sighed.

“There are no puck bunnies,”
he murmured as Tatiana got back to the table and slid into the seat between him
and Toli.

“What’s going on?” she asked
looking between them.

“Sergei doesn’t understand
how bad of a man Molly’s ex is,” Toli said.

“Why did you marry such a
man?” Tatiana turned to Molly with a frown. “And more importantly, why did you
stay?”

“By the time I figured out
how horrible he was, I had no money, no friends and nowhere to go.”

“And now you will live
wondering when he will show up next?” Tatiana seemed genuinely concerned. “Is
it not better for you to leave Las Vegas?”

“Dom is here,” Molly said
softly. “This is where his job is, so this is where I will be.”

“For now.” Dom had gotten
back to the table and heard part of the conversation. “If I can prove myself, I
can get traded somewhere far away and then we won’t have to worry. In the
meantime, we have a kickass lawyer who’s going to make his life hell if he
gives us anymore trouble.”

“You would leave Vegas?”
Suze had come back as well. “You can’t leave us because of him!”

“We don’t
want
to go
anywhere,” Molly said quickly. “Dom’s just thinking ahead. Maybe Tim will
realize we mean business and give up, but I don’t know.”

“It’s ridiculous,” Toli said
firmly. “We will fix this. We must.”

“And this is the crazy man
who broke into your apartment and got you arrested?” Sergei looked incredulous.
“You shouldn’t be involved, Toli! A drug charge could get you kicked out of the
U.S.!”

“Sometimes you must do
what’s right, not what is easy. Don’t you agree, little brother?” Toli met his
brother’s gaze head on and another strange silence bridged the table. The
brothers stared each other down until finally Tatiana stepped in.

“Enough,” she said, her eyes
suddenly very sad. “Please, this must stop, Sergei.”

“Tanya!” Sergei looked
horrified as he glared at her.

“What?” she asked simply.
“Life is too short to continue this way. Besides, it’s not just about us
anymore.”

“Tanya.” Sergei’s voice came
out as a low growl.

“No.” She shook her head.
“This has gone on long enough. It’s time to stop lying.”

“Lying about what?” Toli
asked, his eyes never leaving hers.

Sergei hissed something in
Russian and Tatiana laughed. “The only person who has a stake in this is the
only other person at the table who speaks Russian, Sergei!”

Sergei took a breath.
“Tanya, this isn’t the time or the place.”

“Yes, I think it is,” Toli
said, finally looking at them. “I’ve suspected for a long time, so you might as
well get it out in the open.”

Sergei gaped at his brother.
“What are you talking about?”

“You’ve been in love with
Tanya for years!” Toli waved a hand in frustration.

“That’s not true,” Sergei
huffed, his blue eyes dark and cloudy as he scowled at his brother.

“Yes, it is.” Toli seemed
extremely calm as he looked at his brother. “For years, you try to pretend you
don’t have feelings, but I know. You’re my
brother
—I know you. I thought
it was cute in the beginning, my younger brother having a crush on my girl. But
the years passed and Tanya continued to put off a wedding, and then I realized
why. She’s engaged to the wrong brother.”

No one spoke. The silence at
the table was long and embarrassing, everyone waiting for someone else to talk.
Tatiana stared down at her plate, completely quiet. Sergei looked like he was
ready to flee the room, and Toli just looked from one to the other, waiting.

“How did you know?” Tatiana
asked after what seemed like a long time.

“He’s my brother—and I have
known you more than half my life,” Toli shook his head. “You think I take too
many pucks to the head? Any idiot could see. Maria knew.”

“Maria didn’t know shit!”
Sergei finally exploded, his eyes blazing.

“But she did,” Toli
shrugged. “She lives in Dallas now, not far from Anton’s mother. I see her at
the movies one night when I am visiting last year. We have coffee, and she asks
me if Sergei is married to Tatiana yet. I laugh. She is embarrassed. Then
everything makes sense.”

“It’s not what you’re
thinking!” Tatiana whispered.

“Tanya!’ Sergei glared at
her.

“What?” she demanded. “What
do you want me to do? I love both of you, but I am only
in love
with one
of you. Do I marry the wrong brother and make everyone unhappy? Or do I raise
my child alone?”

“There’s a
baby
?”
Toli asked, looking surprised.

“Whose baby?” Sergei
demanded, sitting up straight.

Tatiana made a face at him.
“
Really?”

Sergei’s face changed
slightly at he gazed at her. “When were you going to tell me?”

“When you decided to choose
me
,
instead of hockey,” Tatiana definitely did not struggle with the English
language.

Sergei opened his mouth but
apparently changed his mind. “You wouldn’t marry Toli—why would I think that
you would marry me?”

“There’s a reason I didn’t
marry Toli!” she said sadly. “And if you don’t understand the difference, then
I guess there’s nothing to say.”

“What does that mean?”
Sergei demanded.

“It means she loves
you
,
not me,” Toli added helpfully, putting another bite of food in his mouth.

Sergei’s head spun to stare
at his brother, swallowing nervously. “I don’t understand—you knew this yet
you’re sitting there so calmly? Aren’t you angry? Aren’t you hurt?”

“Toli was hurt a year ago
when Tatiana cancelled wedding and Toli realized she is not in love anymore.
Then Toli was angry because Sergei had to be reason she didn’t love Toli, yet
Sergei was sleeping with everything that moved. Now, Toli has a new home, new
friends, and is happy. But Toli waits for brother to become a man.”

“Shut up!” Sergei looked
ready to spring out of his seat and Toli just eyed him.

“She’s pregnant,” Toli
added.

“I’m sitting right here,”
Tatiana said, annoyed. “And frankly, I don’t need him. I can raise a child on
my own.”

“That’s not fair,” Sergei
turned back to her. “You didn’t tell me! I haven’t even had time to think about
this and you’re already deciding that I’m not going to be involved?”

“I thought you loved me,”
she said. “But I guess I really did pick the wrong brother—twice.”

Sergei frowned. “You
announce there’s a baby, at the same time you tell my brother that I’ve been
sleeping with his girl for the last year, and then you sit there acting hurt?”

“What do you expect?” she
asked, shrugging. “I understood your reluctance to tell Toli about us before,
but now it’s done and you’re still looking like a deer in the headlights. It’s
obvious that this, me and a baby, is not what you want.”