Chapter Nine
Dom stared up at Daisy’s curtained windows on the third floor and jammed his hands into his pockets. Fuck. All he ever seemed to do was hurt her. He didn’t blame her for being angry. He’d practically attacked her like an animal in rut.
I was out of line and out of control.
Jack’s presence in her life was unacceptable from every imaginable angle. The man was an assassin. A cold-blooded killer. As fucked-up as it was, that wasn’t his first thought when he’d seen him follow her up the stairs.
Every second Jack had been in Daisy’s apartment, he’d tortured himself by imagining the two of them together, making love in her bed. After Jack had left and Dom had gone inside, he’d been overcome by the mother of all primitive Neanderthal instincts to erase the other man’s touch from Daisy’s body. Hell, he’d wanted to possess her.
Make her mine.
He stood on the sidewalk, watching until the light went out in her living room before heading to his Explorer. What a clusterfuck.
After he yanked open the driver’s side door he dropped onto the seat and gripped the wheel. He had to put aside his personal issues and focus on Daisy’s safety. He wondered if he’d made the right decision in not telling her exactly who and what Jack really was.
She already knew what the Pyramid was. A year ago, when they’d threatened Alex and Nicky, he’d rammed the point home as to how dangerous they were. Daisy would never be able to act natural around Jack if she knew the truth, and Jack would become suspicious. But leaving her alone with the guy would worry his gut into a tank-size ulcer. He had an idea how to fix that little problem, although Daisy would probably have a conniption. Hell, he didn’t know how he’d get through it, either.
He punched in the number of the police dispatcher, preparing to give his shield number and request database information on Daisy’s driver, Gus Padagno, but he ended the call before it was answered. Shit. Dispatch wouldn’t give him anything. He was no longer officially employed by the NYPD, and they would already have been advised of his status. From this point forward he was persona non grata.
As he started the Explorer he cued up Gray’s number. It was around eleven o’clock, but this couldn’t wait.
“You okay?” Gray asked in a hushed tone.
“Apologize to Alex for me, but there’s been a development.” He checked his side-view mirror, then pulled onto the street. For the next five minutes, he explained to Gray about Jack Schneider’s employment at Highland Floral and the hit and run on Daisy’s driver, Gus.
“Sonofabitch,” Gray said, and Dom heard the rustling of bedsheets.
“I have a plan on how to deal with Daisy’s safety, but she’s not gonna like it.” In all likelihood she’d kick him out of her shop on his ass.
“Give me a minute to log in,” Gray said.
He braked for a red light. “I’m guessing employment at Highland Floral gains Schneider access to something he wouldn’t otherwise have. Daisy’s shop caters to all kinds of events. Weddings, birthdays, bar and bat mitzvahs. There’s no way to find out the names of everyone on all those guest lists. Even Daisy wouldn’t know. But the Piazza reopening is a big event attended by the mayor and a slew of local politicians. It’s been all over the news for weeks.”
“But why the Piazza?” Gray asked. In the background, Dom heard beeping as Gray’s computer turned on. “Based on our intel, the original target was One PP. We were going on the assumption that they were planning to take out as many cops as possible, but even with the mayor’s presence, the Piazza won’t have a police presence inside during the event. That was something the hotel was adamant about. Turns out they have their own security team and, aside from the mayor’s security detail, don’t want any help from the department.”
When the light turned green Dom made a left onto Broadway, heading downtown to his loft. “The Piazza is a prestigious city landmark, and this event’s been too long in the making. They’ve been renovating that place for years. Without hardcore proof of an attack they’ll never cancel.”
“You’re probably right,” Gray said. “But if there aren’t going to be any cops at the hotel, then who’s the target?”
“Damned if I know.” He glanced in his rearview mirror, checking for a tail. “Could be they’re changing venue because they suspect we know the original plan was to hit One PP. We need to find out if the commissioner is on the guest list for the hotel event. If he is, we have to consider that he may be the target.”
“I’ll check with his security detail. Stand by while I pull up the report on that hit and run.”
The clicking of Gray’s fingers on a keyboard came to Dom as he turned right onto Houston Street, heading toward SoHo.
“Got it,” Gray said. “Gus Padagno was hit by a car reported stolen the night before. Driver took off. No prints inside the vehicle. Not even the real owner’s.”
“Someone wiped it clean.” Pretty much what he’d expected. Schneider had mowed down an innocent man so he could take his place as Daisy’s driver. He stopped for another red light and gripped the wheel tighter. “No way in hell will I leave her alone with that guy.”
“Then tell me about your plan to keep her safe.”
He carefully outlined his idea.
“You’re right. She’s not gonna like it,” Gray said. “But it’s a solid plan and the best way to keep a close eye on her and Schneider.”
A car horn blasted behind him, and he realized the light had turned green. “Until we’ve got enough to arrest Jack, telling her about him now would only put her in more danger. If I told her the truth, she’d fire him and he’d demand to know why. With Gus in the hospital indefinitely, he knows damn well she’s desperate for a driver, so any reason she’d give would make him suspicious. He’d never let her stand in the way of whatever he’s planning. He’d kill her first.”
“I agree,” Gray said. “Keeping her in the dark is the best way to keep her safe.”
For now, Dom thought. Although part of him still wondered if he was doing the right thing.
He turned left into his building’s basement parking garage and held his swipe card up to the card reader. As the garage’s large metal door rose, he heard Gray yawn. “I’ll keep you posted, partner.” He ended the call and gunned his car down the ramp and into his assigned parking space.
After turning off the engine, he leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes.
Behind his closed lids, the image of Daisy’s face came to him just before he’d left her place. Her eyes had been glistening with tears, reminding him of fine whiskey swirling with flakes of 14-karat gold. When he’d caressed her cheekbone with his thumb, her skin had been soft and warm. There’d been so much he wanted to say but couldn’t.
Distance. Make it. Keep it.
It was just as well that she’d kicked him out of her apartment. He’d needed to think, and being anywhere near her clouded his judgment until his brains scrambled into mush.
Can I put her in this kind of danger? Hell, she’s already in danger.
Years ago he lost the only woman he’d ever loved. Fear gripped him now at the thought of Daisy suffering Anika’s fate.
He got out of the car and slammed the door shut. His boots echoed in the concrete garage as he made his way to the elevator.
There was one thing he and Gray hadn’t discussed. Jack already had the job with Highland Floral, so why was he hitting on Daisy? He didn’t have to get into her bed to gain access to the Piazza. He already had that.
Shit. He smacked the elevator button with the heel of his hand. Schneider actually liked her. If he had real feelings for her, it might be the one thing that kept her safe. Either way, Dom vowed to keep a close eye on her. For professional reasons.
He’d let this play out, but if something changed and he thought Daisy was in any immediate danger, he’d kill Jack in a heartbeat and fuck the operation.
The elevator doors opened and Dom got in. As the doors closed, the truth kicked him hard. If anything happened to Daisy because of the decisions he made, he wouldn’t be capable of living another day on this earth.