The Price Of Secrecy (11 page)

Viggo
shook his head. “She won’t tell you. Keeping it secret has been part of her
existence for eighteen years. She knows if she tells you, they’ll have to move
her, or she’ll have to leave the program. They both will.”

“Even
if I come clean?”

“If
you come clean she’ll realize who you are. What family you’re part of. They’re
the ones looking for her and her mother. You two have to keep your secrets.
Both
of you. Fall in love if you must.
Hell, marry the girl. I would. Fuck it. She’s beautiful. But you can’t ever let
her know who you really are, and she’s not going to tell you her real name.”
Viggo pointed toward the screen. “She can’t. You could both wind up dead, and
she knows it.”

Dominic
stared at his friend as the simple truth of what he said finally sank in.
“You’re right. We’ll both end up dead.”

“Yes,
you will. Then your company will fall apart because once your true identity
leaks out, the feds will be all over it. Even if you get the chance before you
die to tell them that you walked out rather than participate in the attempted
hit on the Rossi brothers, they won’t care that the money you used to start it
is legitimately yours, and wasn’t acquired by illegal means. It will mean the
end of Greco Communications, and of Dominic Greco, aka Antonio Trapani, not to
mention the end of Angela and her mother.”

“So
I have to keep my mouth shut and pretend I don’t know who she is, too.”

“What
other viable options do you see?”

Dominic
stared at the screen on his laptop, and then he closed it softly. “None.
Because I love this girl, and I want her in my life. Her past is her past, and
she didn’t create it. Her father did. She can’t go back and change it, and I
can’t change mine, but I can still control my future. I want her in it.”

Chapter
Fifteen

Angela
and Lesli decided to walk around town for a while before getting something to
eat. She texted Dominic to let him know she’d be out late with Lesli after all,
and he didn’t even protest. Now she really knew something was going on, and she
didn’t like it.

They
arrived at the Red Dog Saloon about six, and both were starving by then. Angela
shoved another onion ring into her mouth and then washed it down with a large
sip of her margarita. She’d likely have to take the tram back to Dominic’s
apartment because she’d be quite drunk by the time she headed back. Assuming
she could find it. Right now, she didn’t care. She only wanted to drown her
worry in tequila and greasy food.

Lesli
drained her own drink and poured another glass from the pitcher, which was
almost empty now. They’d already talked about Angela’s new job and her new
teammates, but Lesli wanted to hear about Dominic. “So tell me about the sex.
And don’t lie to me and say you haven’t fucked him yet.”

“I’ve
fucked him in every room in the apartment,
and
in my office at work.”

Lesli
laughed loudly and high-fived Angela.

“It
was fucking awesome. His dick is big, he knows how to use it, and he knows what
to do with his tongue and his fingers, too.” She still had enough wits about
her to lean closer for this next part. “He has all these toys. He’s paddled me
and blindfolded me. He hasn’t tied me up yet, but I want him to. He said that’s
next.”

Lesli’s
face changed just that quickly. “Angela, are you all right with that? I mean you’ve
known the guy what … three weeks.”

“I
trust him.”

“Already?”

She
took another long sip of her drink. “Yes. Completely.”

“Okay.
I know you’re not stupid enough to let anyone hurt you, but you’re not very
experienced. He’s forty-one, and he’s a player.”

“No,
he’s not a player. That’s where we both were wrong. He told me about this woman
he dated five years ago who tried to hurt him and his company, and that he
hasn’t had a serious relationship since then. He got burned badly.”

“And
then he hired you and suddenly he’s okay again? He doesn’t know you any better
than you know him.”

“Background
checks.” Even as she said it, chills ran down her spine, but not from the
memories of her erotic sexual encounters with Dominic. How deeply had he been
able to look into her past? He had unlimited resources. What if those resources
included access to the DOJ sites or the WITSEC files?

No.
She’d been assured years ago when
she’d asked those same questions that no one could get that information.

But
that was before she’d earned a degree in IT. If you knew where to look, and you
had the right skills, any site could be hacked into. Hadn’t that been proven in
2117 when people they were still searching for seven years later had
infiltrated The Madeline Project?

“All
right. I trust your judgment.” Lesli took her hand. “But you’re my BFF and you
know I’m only a phone call away.”

“I
know you are. Thank you. That’s why I love you.”

Lesli
gave her hand a squeeze. “I love you, too. Just be sure this is what you want,
okay?” Lesli snagged the rest of the onion rings, watching Angela’s face
carefully as she ate them. “You’re really into this guy, aren’t you?”

“I
really am.” She felt a warm glow inside just being able to say it out loud to
someone.

“I’ve
never seen you this way over anyone.”

“That’s
because I’ve never met anyone like Dominic.”

Lesli
raised her glass, and Angela followed suit. “Then I’m happy for you. Here’s to
men with big dicks who know how to fuck.”

Angela
laughed, and then she clinked glasses with Lesli. “I’ll drink to that!”

****

Angela
was lost, and it was dark outside. Fake dark, but still dark. She and Lesli had
stayed at the Red Dog for over three hours. Way past the time Angela had
planned on being out. There were streetlights, but they didn’t cast enough of a
glow for her to read the damn screen on her Internet phone. Then again, that
might be because she couldn’t see shit. Under normal circumstances, she could
read the screen just fine, even at night.

Everything
was blurry, and she was afraid now. She’d never done anything like this. She’d
never gotten this drunk and then tried to get home alone. Why hadn’t she made
sure to catch the last tram of the night? Why hadn’t she taken Lesli up on her
offer to call her brother and walk them each home? Lesli lived closer to the
Red Dog than Dominic did, and she was already home. Angela had received the
text an hour ago.

Everything
she’d tried to bury for the past three weeks came rushing back now in the
lonely darkness. She found a bench and sat, trying to fight the rising panic,
but each shadow was an unknown phantom who had chased her for eighteen years,
and every sound was suspect.

So
few people ventured outside this late at night, even on a weekend.
Unofficially, there was a curfew, and it was meant to keep crime down, which it
did. She wouldn’t be arrested if found outside at night, but she would be taken
home. She didn’t want that to happen. She’d die of embarrassment if Dominic
answered the door to find the cops standing there with her, and she didn’t want
to call them and admit she was drunk.

There
was no one around to ask help from, and she wasn’t sure she could do it anyway.
She’d never trusted strangers, and right now she was afraid even to approach
one. As tears ran down her cheeks, she pictured Dominic’s face. She should call
him. He could use the tracker in her phone to find her. He’d come if she asked
him to, but then she recalled how distant and even cold his behavior had been
earlier, and she began to cry again.

Why
was he upset with her? How was she supposed to ask him for help in this state?
He’d be even more upset when he found her drunk and out at night alone, with no
fucking clue where she was.

Her
phone rang and it startled her so much she yelped and nearly dropped it. Was he
a mind reader? “Dominic … hi. I need your help.” The words just tumbled out,
but as soon as they did she felt a huge sense of relief.

“What’s
wrong? Where are you?’ His voice, so full of concern for her, touched her
heart. Maybe she had imagined his odd mood earlier and everything was all
right?

“I
don’t know. I got turned around trying to find your apartment in the dark.”

She
heard his sigh into the phone, but it wasn’t one of annoyance. Rather, he
sounded relieved that she was only lost, not hurt. “Okay. Just relax. Stay on
the phone. I’m tracking you now.”

Angela
smiled. She’d been right about him. He was her knight in shining armor, and he
wasn’t angry with her.

“I
have you. Stay there. I’m on the way. I should reach you in less than ten
minutes.”

“All
right. Thank you.”

“Everything
else is okay, right?” Now his voice was filled with panic, and she wondered
why. The overwhelming suspicion that he knew her secret cast a shadow over the
relief that he was on his way to find her.

“Yes.
I just feel foolish for getting lost.”

“It
happens easily in the dark. I’m on my way, Angela.”

“All
right.”

She
disconnected the call but hung onto her phone as if it was a lifeline while she
let her mind wander back to her dilemma. If only there was someone she could
ask for advice, but what would any reasonable person tell her? It really was
simple. If she told him, she’d have to move or leave the program, and her
mother would only have the same two choices. She knew her mother would never
leave. Or at least she thought she wouldn’t. They’d never discussed it.

Maybe
the person she should talk to about this was her mom?

Angela
was sobering up in a hurry now, which was good. She didn’t want Dominic to see
her like this. As she waited for him, she went over every possible scenario in
her mind of how her mother might react to the news that she was in love, and
she wanted to tell the man the truth about her past.

By
the time she spotted Dominic, walking purposefully toward her, she’d made the
decision to speak with her mother as soon as possible. A huge weight lifted,
and she rose to hug him tightly. “Thank you. I feel like such a dolt.”

He
released the embrace and cupped her face gently. “How much did you have to
drink?”

Sheesh.
“Can’t get anything past you, can
I?”

“Angela,
I can smell it on you, and your eyes are bloodshot. Even in this dim light I
can see that.”

His
voice was soft but without any trace of anger. She let out the breath she’d
been holding. “More than I should have.”

“All
right. The important thing is you’re safe now, but seriously, I don’t want you
doing this again. What if something had happened to you? What if I hadn’t been
this close?”

“Everything
you say is true, and I’m sorry. I really am sorry.” The tears slipped down her
cheeks again before she could stop them, and that softened his gaze.

He
pulled her close and stroked her hair. “I know you are. I shouldn’t lecture
you. I have no right to. If anything ever happened to you, I don’t know what
I’d do.”

She
buried her face against his shirt, her pulse racing. The alarm in his voice was
evident. One or two little questions surely couldn’t hurt. That way she might
pick up a clue as to what he’d found.

She
was trying to formulate a question without giving away anything about her
WITSEC status when his body stiffened. Angela lifted her face toward him and
then followed Dominic’s gaze toward the corner of a building across the street.
The figure of a man stood still, in shadow, but it was obvious he watched them.
She had no clue who he was, but it was clear that Dominic recognized the man.

When
she opened her mouth to speak, Dominic covered it with his hand. Sweat broke
out along her hairline as she realized how damp his palm was. He was afraid.
She’d never seen Dominic fearful of anyone, and that terrified her more than
who this man might be.

He
leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Turn around and walk with me. If I tell
you to run, you run. Nod if you understand. Do not speak.”

Angela
froze. The only thing that finally made her nod was his hand on her shoulder,
squeezing hard. Her legs wouldn’t move. Dominic turned her around and placed an
arm across her shoulder as he walked with her, but she nearly tripped over her
own feet before her shoes struck the pavement with a normal rhythm.

Her
entire body shook. She wanted desperately to glance over her shoulder to see if
the man was following them, but knew if she did and saw him doing so, she’d be
too terrified to run. She could barely breathe as it was.

Her
stupid mistake had put them both in danger. She was sure of it. If anything
happened to Dominic it would be her fault.

****

Dominic
hoped like hell it was merely the stress of discovering who Angela was, and
having to track her down just now that was making him hallucinate. Even as the
doubt tried to worm its way in, he knew he hadn’t seen a phantom. He’d know the
shape of that head and that stance anywhere. The man watching them was his
cousin, Gene Trapani. He was certain of it. Apparently the man
hadn’t
disappeared off the face of the
earth, because here he was in CentralWest!

How the fuck did he
find
me?
On the heels of that, the name he’d seen in Leo’s visitor log clanged around
his brain.
Nicholas Cordova
. And then
just like that, Dominic remembered where he’d heard the name before.

He
could barely take a full breath, but he knew he had to keep it together long
enough to return to his apartment. Then he’d need to call Viggo and ask him
what the fuck to do. If Gene was using a dead man’s identity and had found him,
did he also know who Angela was? Was that who he had been following? That
realization was more frightening than anything.

Nicholas
Cordova had been dead since Dominic was four years old. Mario had killed him,
and now that the memory had resurfaced, Dominic also remembered crouching in
the upstairs hallway, his face pressed against the spindles, listening to his grandfather
brag to friends in gruesome detail that he’d given Nicholas exactly what the
man had deserved.

Dominic
had no idea what the man had done or why he’d been killed, but it hardly mattered
now. Obviously Gene was using the identity free and clear, or he’d never have
gotten into a federal pen to visit his cousin with it.

How
long had Gene been here, in CentralWest? Was his presence here related to Frank
Rossi’s release from jail? Was that why he’d been looking for Angela or her
mother? Or had Gene come looking for him finally, after all these years
,
 
and
Angela was now
just a bonus?
Either way, Dominic needed a plan for them both
and
he needed it quickly.