“Tommy!” I screamed, “Please.”
I was bawling. I jumped off the desk.
“Get the fuck back up there!” he demanded, his chest was moving up and down rapidly. He was so close to snapping.
I sat back on the desk and thrust my hands through my hair, sending Tommy a pleading look, tears running down my face.
I put my hand on my belly and looked at my hand, my wedding rings, the gravity of this was cutting like a knife. A serrated knife.
Tommy side-eyed me and then his expression changed. He pulled the gun back.
“Last chance, fucker. I see you again?”
“You won’t,” Nick promised. Nick’s face was bleeding.
Tommy stepped back again and with his gun, he waved toward the door, “Leave town. You got twenty four hours. Don’t come back. Before you go, get word to Greg O’Connor that due to that little stunt, he no longer has my protection.” Tommy gestured toward the letter.
Nick looked confused a second and then nodded and left, not looking my way.
I was standing there, tears drying on my face, my whole body shaking.
Tommy put the gun down on his desk and followed Nick out. Marley was barking, sitting outside the door, showing his tiny puppy teeth to Nick.
I stood there, in the foyer, watching Tommy talk to Will outside. Tommy was pointing at Nick and giving Will shit.
Will went and opened the gate, which the UPS truck was directly against. Another car was outside the gate, a guy I recognized as one of our security guys standing on the other side.
Nick reversed the UPS truck out of the driveway and peeled off.
I picked up my puppy.
“It’s okay, Marley.”
He licked a tear off my chin and his tail thumped against me.
Tommy came back inside once the gate was shut.
His face was still like thunder.
I stared at him.
Marley started growling.
Tommy frowned at the dog. Marley was growling at him.
He went into his office and picked his gun up. I went upstairs with my puppy.
Tommy was there, a couple minutes later, standing over the bed, where I sat, holding Marley, who was squirming to get away. I let him go but instead of jumping off the bed, my dog sat on the bed, between me and Tommy, staring at Tommy.
Tommy sat on the edge of the bed.
He patted Marley’s head, “Good boy.”
Marley tilted his head curiously at his master. At any other time, I’d have laughed. My little baby dog was smart. He was trying to figure all this out.
I looked my husband right in the eye.
His chest was still rising and falling. Pissed.