Las Vegas Sidewinders: Dominic (13 page)

The next couple of weeks
passed quickly. By mid-August, players had started to arrive even though
training camp didn’t start for another month. The ones with families wanted to
get their kids settled in school, and some of the others came because Las Vegas
was a great place to party. They were out most nights, having dinner or drinks
with friends, visiting with Suze and Cody, or helping some of the new players
get settled. Though Molly hadn’t met any of the other wives yet, she’d liked
Dom’s friend Drake and his roommate, Karl. They were fun, easygoing guys who
seemed to get along well with Dom, Toli and Cody. She hoped everyone was as
nice as they were.

Mostly, she spent time with
Suze and Andra. Occasionally, Tiff would join them but she was focusing on her
dissertation for her doctorate during the off-season, while Dave wasn’t
traveling. Later, even with help, she would have to divide her time between the
kids and her studies. So most of Molly’s days were spent at Suze’s or Andra’s:
talking, playing in the pool with CJ or cooking big meals for the guys that
Cody and Dom were particularly close to.

It was probably the longest
period of time she’d ever gone without a bruise or a cut, and she realized that
she’d lost twenty pounds over the summer without even trying. Even the clothes
she’d bought for the trip to San Diego were loose on her now. Going to the gym
with Suze had been fruitful, and she’d fallen in love with boxing. She, Dom,
Suze and Cody went as couples at least once a week, sparring with each other
and everyone else who attended.

Though she knew she couldn’t
fight Tim physically and hope to win, it still felt good to have some sort of
power. She and Suze had taken a self-defense class too, and the guys often
tested them on their reflexes. They made sure they had back-up phones and
pepper spray, took different routes everywhere they went, and Molly never went
out alone. Dom and Molly took care not to show public displays of affection
unless they were out of town, and their close-knit group was extra careful all
the time. Tim hadn’t made any other moves since Lonnie had talked with the
mayor, but Molly couldn’t shake the feeling that he was just biding his time. He
would never give up so easily, but her lawyer had assured her that the divorce
decree would be arriving in the mail shortly.

Supposedly, their old house
was up for sale and she would get half the profit—somewhere around ninety
thousand dollars. She hadn’t realized they had so much equity in the house, but
it was a pleasant surprise because she was looking forward to having some of
her own money. She couldn’t decide if she would go back to school or buy a car,
or both. Even though she knew Dom would buy her anything she wanted, she didn’t
like to ask; it was still too new.

In the back of her mind, she
knew she was going to have to move out when training camp started. Dom would be
busy and she would be a distraction if he was always worried about her safety.
She didn’t want to, but instinct told her Tim would wait until the team went on
the road and then strike. He wasn’t stupid, and he was nothing if not sneaky.
That was part of what made him a good detective, his ability to figure out who
the bad guys were. In her case, she was the ultimate bad guy and he would stop
at nothing to find her.

Coming back from a weekend
trip to L.A., she was quiet and Dom reached out to take her hand. “I know it’s
stressful thinking about how busy I’m going to be in the near future, but we’ve
got our plans in place.”

“I don’t trust Tim,” she
said, frowning.

Dom squeezed her hand. “His
pockets can’t be that deep, and I promise you, Lonnie Finch is not screwing
around with this team. He put a boatload of money into it—if his players are
unhappy, he’s going to raise hell.”

“What if he just tries to
get rid of you and this problem goes away for him?”

“You mean fire me? I guess
he could do that, but I’m not the only person involved now. There’s not a
chance in hell they’re letting Cody go. Toli? Brad and Pierre Bouchard, the
General Manager, wouldn’t allow it. When all the other guys get here, it’s
going to be tough to justify the number of people who would be on our side that
he would have to get rid of. There are at least five NHL players who are
friends that would step up and say something—you think the league won’t
notice?”

“Women get abused all the
time—by professional athletes, no less! Why would the NHL care about our
situation?”

“Because in
our
situation, it’s an NHL wife getting picked on by a dirty cop—who isn’t one of
us.” He shook his head firmly. “He has no idea what a close-knit community this
can be. We’ve got friends in probably every big city—guys either played
together in juniors or college, roomed together as they got moved around the
league, played on an All-Star team together, etc. Tim won’t find professional
hockey players as easy to intimidate as his wife.”

“Dom, I really think I
should move out,” she took a breath as the words rushed out.

“What? No!” He slammed on
the brakes as they got to a red light. “Are you kidding?”

“He’s already been making
life hell for Toli—how long do you think it will take him to figure out where
I’m really living?”

“Molly, I can’t protect you
if you’re living somewhere else!” he said in frustration.

“But he won’t find me if I’m
away from all of you!”

“Where, exactly, are you
thinking of going?” he demanded.

“To Brad and Andra’s. She’s
already offered, and I think it would be safer if I’m not living with you.”

He gripped the steering
wheel as the light turned green. “Babe, you can’t live your life like this. At
some point, we have to face this guy down and make him understand that we’re
not going to give in. You’re not going back, and he doesn’t get to hurt you
anymore. If he pushes us, we’ll release the tape to the media and get him
fired.”

Molly didn’t say anything,
knowing that he would fight her on this. Though the last thing she wanted to do
was leave, she didn’t think she could stay either. Although they had every
contingency in place, she couldn’t shake the feeling Tim was out there just
waiting for the right time. If she moved, he might lose his advantage.

“Look,” Dom glanced over at
her. “I have to go to New York next week to meet with the NHL. Why don’t you
come with me? We’ll spend a few days in Manhattan before I have to get back and
get ready for training camp. It’ll be another new place I can take you, plus
we’ll be away from Vegas, and you can relax before we think about something as
major as you moving out.”

“What happens if they don’t
clear you?”

“Well, I can’t imagine they
would do that after how hard I’ve worked all summer. Coach, Cody and both my
therapists are going to bat for me, and physically I’m in the best shape of my
life. Coach said he’s kept them updated and although I still have to meet with
them, they’re pleased with my progress.”

“Are you going to be okay
once you get back on the ice?”

“I haven’t had a nightmare
since the night I told you about Brian, and I’ve learned how to handle the
anxiety when I start thinking about unpleasant things. I’ve also got the most
wonderful woman in the world at my side.” He paused to smile over at her,
causing her to flush with happiness. “I’m in a good place. I’m ready to play.”

“I don’t know how I’m going
to adjust to your being on the road for weeks at a time,” she admitted. “You
have no idea how much I depend on you emotionally.”

“For the most part, I’ll be
gone a few days at a time, sometimes four or five. There will be a few east
coast trips that will probably last 10-14 days. We’ll prepare for those. We’ll
go over the schedule carefully and make sure you’re okay. When we go east,
maybe you and Suze can meet us there. You could do some shopping in New York,
follow us around in a rental car… I think in February we go from D.C. to Philly
and then up to New York and Buffalo.”

“Okay.” She nodded
half-heartedly. She knew he was doing the best he could, but it was still going
to be hard for her.

“So, what do you think?” He
tried to distract her. “New York City next week?”

Despite everything going on
in her head, she couldn’t help but agree. “Well, yeah!”

 “It’ll be fun.”

The phone rang and Dom put
it on speakerphone since it was plugged in and charging. “Hey, Cody! We left
L.A. a little while ago.”

“Yeah, good.” Cody paused.
“Listen, Toli was arrested today.”

“What?” Dom gripped the
steering wheel again. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah, you know Toli. His
lawyer bailed him out, and he’s not showing any emotion, but it’s bad. They
planted drugs in his apartment.”

“Sonofabitch!” Dom grimaced
and looked over at Molly, who was suddenly very pale.

“They came with a search
warrant, saying he’d been seen in shady parts of town. I don’t know how they
got a search warrant, there’s no way they had probable cause, and his lawyer is
already making a huge stink about it. But at the end of the day, he was
arrested and is out on bail. It’s all over the sports networks.”

Dom felt his gut clench
uncomfortably. “What should we do?”

“There are reporters staked
out at Toli’s, Brad’s and Dave’s, so everyone is here at our house. I’m
thinking you guys should come here too. That way, we show a united front, and
with everyone in a big group, there won’t be any way for Tim to put you and
Molly together.”

“Yeah, but if there are any
reporters, they’ll see us drive up.”

“Pull over when you’re a few
miles out, Molly can get in the back on the floor, and I’ll leave a spot for
you in the garage. You drive in by yourself, as far as anyone can see, and then
I’ll close the garage and no one will see her get out.”

“I guess that’s a plan. See
you soon.”

“Drive safe.”

“Thanks.” Dom hung up and
looked at Molly’s drawn face. “It’ll be okay.”

“It will
never
be
okay! Look at what he’s doing to Toli and I’m not even dating
him
! Do
you know what he’s going to do to you when he finds out you’re the guy I’m
sleeping with?” Molly felt tears threatening.

“I will destroy him,” Dom
said grimly. “That’s all there is to it. He can try, but nothing is going to
happen to us!”

Molly wouldn’t argue with
him. She knew better than anyone else what Tim was capable of; she refused to
let him hurt these people, no matter what they thought. Tim had upped the
stakes now, and she knew it was because he was doing what he always did; using
her friends to manipulate her. He knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t
allow him to continue hurting Toli. Drug charges could not only ruin his life;
it could also get him kicked out of the U.S. She wouldn’t sit back and let Tim
hurt these people. Leaving Dom would break her heart into a million pieces, but
if it had to be done, she would do it.

Moving out of Dom’s
apartment, and making sure to leave no traces that she’d ever been there, was
one of the hardest things Molly had ever done. Dom wasn’t happy at all, but
she’d done it while he was at the first day of training camp, with Suze and
Andra’s help. Although they didn’t like her doing it while he wasn’t home, they
understood her need to protect him. He’d arrived at Brad and Andra’s a few
hours after she’d settled in and they’d fought for the first time since they
met. Finally, he’d accepted that she wasn’t going to change her mind and wound
up staying the night with her.

After living apart for a
week, they were both grumpy and uncomfortable with the situation. Molly was
trying her best to stay tough, but she missed him as much as he missed her, and
he couldn’t spend every night at Brad and Andra’s; that would defeat the
purpose. The press had been all over the team since Toli’s arrest, and Molly
had to stay inside a lot of the time so no one would see her. Andra did her
best to entertain her, inviting Suze and Tiff over almost every day, and having
a big party on Saturday night for everyone who had been invited to training
camp.

For the first time, Molly
was nervous. She was going to meet the whole team and their significant others,
and Dom had been adamant that he wouldn’t pretend that they weren’t together.
The team was going to have to know, and that was all there was to it. Besides,
she already had a lot of friends in their group and he didn’t care if anyone
else was friendly or not. Molly, of course, had heard a lot of Suze’s stories
about some of the wives in Toronto, so she had a feeling she was not
necessarily going to fit right in. Once they looked at her closely, there would
be no doubt that she was quite a bit older than Dom, and while she didn’t have
to tell people she was divorced, she wasn’t going to live a lie either.

Dressing in a flowing white
lace skirt that fell below her knees and a matching embroidered top with lace
cap sleeves, she thought she looked nice. Probably not like a lot of the women
who were coming, but she couldn’t change who she was. She’d curled her hair so
that it bounced around her shoulders in pretty waves, and Suze had taught her
how to do her makeup so that it accentuated her eyes and lips.
I have crow’s
feet,
she thought as she gazed into the mirror. Well, there was no help for
that either, so she slipped on a pair of silver sandals that matched the
fabulous jewelry Dom had bought her in New York. He’d been so excited when the
NHL cleared him to play, he’d taken her on a shopping spree she would never
forget.

She headed downstairs, glad
to find that Suze had already arrived and was helping Andra keep everything
organized. Molly had never been to a party that was catered, so she watched in
fascination as waiters wandered around the house setting up tables, chairs,
food and drinks. There was a bar by the pool and a dessert bar in the great
room that made her mouth water. She’d never seen a chocolate fountain and she
moved toward it with delight. Although she didn’t dare try some now, she would
definitely be sticking her finger in it before the end of the evening!

“No touching!” Andra smacked
her arm as she breezed past. “Would you keep an eye on the door, dear?”

“Sure.” Molly smiled at her
and headed outside to see how everything looked.

“Hey!” Suze joined her, a
glass of wine in her hand. “Isn’t this beautiful?”

“Gorgeous.” Molly stared off
into the distance. “I’m going to miss this.”

“Miss what?” Suze asked
sharply.

Molly blinked. She hadn’t
meant to say that aloud. “Just all this excitement, you know. Once the season
starts it’ll be different.”

“That’s not what you meant.”
Suze narrowed her eyes. “Girlfriend, we may have only known each other a few
months, but I already know you really well. You’re not planning anything
stupid, are you?”

 “Suze, you know how
dangerous Tim is. At some point, he’s going to find me if I stay here—the only
way no one gets hurt is if I leave.”

 “Molly, you can’t
leave
us. Not just Dom, but all of us. You can’t let that idiot dictate your life.”

“I have to do what’s right,
not what’s easy,” Molly said firmly. “I stayed with Tim all those years because
it was easier than fighting for my freedom—I can’t go back there again. But I
can’t put all of you in danger either. Look what he’s done to Toli!”

“Oh, Molly.” Suze squeezed
her arm. “Promise me you won’t do anything rash.”

“I can’t—”

“Promise!”

“I promise.” Molly gave her
a quick hug, hating that she would undoubtedly break that promise.

“Where is party?” Toli came
striding outside with his usual big grin. Both women rushed to hug him. He put
his arms around both of them, kissing the tops of their heads.

“You’re early!” Suze teased.

“Toli is first to arrive,”
he corrected. “Life of party is here—where is vodka?”

They laughed, moving to the bar
together where Molly got a glass of wine and Toli got Grey Goose vodka on the
rocks. Talking quietly, they walked back inside. Suze went to help Andra with
something, leaving Molly and Toli alone for the first time since his arrest.

“I need you to know how
sorry I am about everything that’s been happening to you,” she said, reaching
for his arm.

“No worries.” He shook his
head. “Lawyer handles everything. Search was illegal—charges will be dropped.
Everything will be okay. Toli will move into a house with other players—and
much security.”

She grimaced. “I hate that I
did this to you.”

“Molly is my friend.” He
brought her fingers to his lips. “Toli only wishes happiness for you—and for
Tim to go fuck himself.”

Choking on a mouthful of
wine, she burst out laughing.

“Toli made you laugh.”

“Yes!” She smacked him
playfully and he nudged her with his hip.

Other than Suze, Molly had
to admit that Toli was probably her closest friend. They talked almost every
day, and though he’d never made another pass at her, she had the feeling he
would be the one she would stay closest to if she left. She was grateful for
his friendship, lucky that he was the easygoing guy that he was. Dom wasn’t
overly fond of their closeness, but he’d been quick to assure her that he
trusted them both and wasn’t jealous. Toli, of course, went out of his way to
make
Dom jealous, but at the end of the day, their friendship and history forced an
unspoken trust that each of them respected.

“Chocolate fountain!” Toli
announced in surprise as he caught sight of it. He grabbed Molly by the hand
and dragged her towards it.

Suddenly a loud voice called
across the room. “Anatoli Yuri Petrov!”

They both turned in surprise
and Molly couldn’t help but stare in amazement at the couple on the other side
of the room. The man looked familiar, a slightly shorter and stockier version
of Toli, with the same blue eyes and blond hair, but more chiseled good looks.
The woman was tall, probably as tall as Tiff, with shoulder-length blond hair
and the brightest blue eyes Molly had ever seen. Right now, they were sparkling
with irritation as she stood there with her hands on her hips. She spouted
something off in Russian that made the man beside her chuckle, but Toli was less
amused.

“English!” he said,
obviously irritated. “Don’t be rude.” He moved finally, giving Molly’s hand a
squeeze before went to stand in front of the man. “You are big liar!” he said
sternly.

Then both men laughed and
embraced tightly, murmuring in Russian. Finally, Toli turned to Molly. “Molly,
this is little brother Sergei. Sergei, my friend Molly McCarran.”

“Hello!” Her eyes widened as
she moved forward to shake Sergei’s hand. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“And I you.” Sergei gave her
a brief smile.

“This is Tatiana Stepanova,”
Toli still looked irritated. “Tanya, my good friend, Molly.”

“Yes, I see.” Tatiana looked
at Molly carefully.

Deciding she would not be
intimidated by this Amazon of a woman who had broken Toli’s heart, Molly stared
back, meeting the other woman’s gaze directly. After a moment of uncomfortable
silence, Tatiana smiled. “I can see why Toli likes you—you have fire.”

“Thank you.” Molly glanced
at Toli. “It’s nice to meet you—Toli speaks of you often.”

“Does he?” She looked over
at Toli and he shrugged.

“So what are you doing
here?” Toli asked them, looking from one to the other.

“I’ve come to see you and
then will join the Bruins for training camp,” Sergei said mildly. “I think it
might be time to come back to the NHL.”

Toli gaped at him. “What are
you talking about?” He began chattering in Russian. “You said you were never
coming back to the U.S.! What the hell is going on with you? And why would you
come without telling me?”

“Easy, big brother,” Sergei
switched back to English with a wink at Molly. “He’s flustered. He can’t think
that fast in English.”

“I can, too!” Toli glared at
him.

“He really can’t,” Sergei
laughed as Toli started cussing at him in Russian again. “Toli, stop. We can
talk later. Maybe you should say hello to Tatiana.”

“You did not say you were
coming,” Toli turned to her coldly. Molly could see the hurt in his eyes and
wanted desperately to touch him, let him know that she was there for him, but
she figured that wouldn’t help anything. It was obvious they had a lot to talk
about.

“Why don’t we go to the
bar—” Molly spoke to Sergei but Toli held up a hand.

“No.” He shook his head.
“Whatever Tatiana has to say, she can say to my brother and best friend.” He
folded his arms across his chest. He knew she was hurt by his behavior, but
he’d spent more than a decade waiting for her while she refused to marry him
and refused to compromise. He loved her, but he wanted to be part of a couple,
not continue living like this.

“I’m sorry,” Tatiana spoke
softly. “I should have warned you, but I,
we
, were worried about you.
You were arrested!”

“You know that I was set up;
I would never risk my career for marijuana!” He looked at them in disbelief.
“You did not think I really did this?”

Sergei shrugged slightly.
“Toli, we don’t know what’s happening, and the truth—” He glanced at Molly
regretfully. “We don’t know her. We don’t know anything because you don’t tell
us.”

“I would tell
you
if
you would answer your phone!” Toli snapped, glaring at his brother. “But you’re
always in bed with a whore or hungover. And Tanya, she knows enough. She knows
Molly is my friend and married to a very bad man.” He looked at Tatiana. “But
as usual, you don’t trust me. You don’t listen. You do what you want.”

She sighed heavily. “Toli, I
didn’t come to fight. I was worried.”

“You worried only because
you thought I found someone else,” he said sadly. “Not because you want things
to be better between us.”

They glared at each other
until Molly finally reached over to touch Toli’s arm. “People are starting to
arrive,” she whispered. “You’re going to have to behave.”

He snorted. “I am fine.
Tanya,
you
are not my date.”

“Fine,” she shrugged. “I am
Sergei’s date.”

Sergei rolled his eyes. “Are
Dom and Cody here yet?” He turned, looking around.

“Not yet,” Molly shook her
head. “They were getting the cars washed first.”

“Come, Toli,” Sergei
motioned with his head. “Let’s go get a drink. Molly, will you stay with Tanya
for a moment?”

“Of course.” Molly felt her
stomach churn uncomfortably. She certainly didn’t want to have a private
conversation with this woman, especially seeing the power play going on between
her and Toli. This was one of the most uncomfortable positions she’d ever been
in, but the truth was, they hadn’t done anything and even if they had, Toli and
Tatiana were no longer a couple.

“You don’t like me,” Tatiana
stated flatly, looking at her.

“I don’t like the fact that
you broke Toli’s heart,” Molly answered honestly. “He’s one of my best friends,
and I want him to be happy. Whatever it is you’re doing makes him
unhappy—that’s my only issue with you.”

“Are you in love with him?”
Tatiana asked.

“No. And he’s not in love
with me. We’re friends. Is it so difficult for a man and a woman to really like
each other and not be sleeping together?”

Tatiana chuckled. “Not
someone as charming and rich as Toli.”

“I already have someone
charming and rich,” Molly said, meeting the other woman’s gaze defiantly. “I’m
sorry you don’t believe me and even sorrier that you don’t trust Toli—he
deserves better.” She started as Dom’s arms slid around her waist.

“Hey, beautiful!” He kissed
the side of her face.

“Hey!” She smiled up at him
before looking back at Tatiana with a slight tilt of her head. “Dom, do you
remember Tatiana?”