Chapter 8

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He looked toward the double doors as they creaked open and the two figures stepped through the space, just as the tune began to play. The familiar melodies of 'Here comes the bride' being produced by the skillful hands of the pianist, floated throughout the peaceful air. He felt his heart skip a beat as he looked at the smile plastered across the beautiful face of the love of his life and bride-to-be, as she was escorted down the aisle.

She looked stunning.

He felt as if he could hardly breathe, but knew he had to keep his composure in check. Having blinked twice to stop the tears, he returned the smile. Being too emotional wasn't his usually style, but, today, anyone would consider it an exception.

After a few minutes, the dark haired beauty stood before him and the congregation sat once more as the music drew to an end; a signal that the ceremony was about to begin. He looked at the church filled with friends and family and inwardly smiled. In the midst of the crowd, he spotted his mom and dad who both gave him a thumbs up. The place was beautiful, and he could just about sense the love and support that radiated from everyone around him. He couldn't have asked for more.

The priest cleared his throat, and he turned to face the burly man once more and nodded his head as a signal that he was ready.

The priest began. "Hello and welcome!" he said as he stepped forward and took both their hands in his. "We have gathered together here in the presence of friends and family to celebrate the love which Bride and Groom have for each other. To give social recognition to their decision to commit their lives and accept each other completely. To learn how to help to understand each other, to build a family, and together, to travel through life." He paused and inhaled a breath of fresh air.

Dominic took that time to kiss the hand of the woman standing before him, who had been looking at him ever so lovingly.

"If any of you has anything to say that might change their minds...they...don't want to hear it!" the priest joked and everyone, including Dominic, laughed. He was truly happy. "However, they do want to hear from you, that you will always be their friends and family, and will always support and encourage them as they discover the commitment and dedication needed to make marriage work. And that is why you are here today."

"May we have the rings please?" the priest asked and a bubbly five year old girl came bouncing with the cushioned ring carrier.

Bianca kissed her niece's forehead and sent her off.

"Dominic, place the ring on Bianca's finger, please look at her and repeat after me..." He paused and allowed Dominic to take the ring. "I, Dominic, promise to love and cherish you, Bianca. To give you strength. To help you in good times and in bad. To make our home one of love and understanding. I promise to be faithful to you, giving you all of myself, all of my tomorrows, all of my life."

Dominic slipped the ring onto a beaming Bianca's finger and smiled. The process was repeated as it was Bianca's turn to place the ring on Dominic's finger.

As the petite woman slipped the ring onto his finger with so much tenderness, Dominic felt as though a well of happiness burst inside of him. What man would not have been happy to legally call the love of his life, HIS?

He could not wait to kiss her.

The congregation looked on as the two exchanged their vows.

"Bianca, do you take Dominic to be your wedded husband, through sickness and in health, joy and in sorrow, to cherish and to love, so long as you both shall live?" the priest asked.

"I do!" she replied as she rubbed Dominic's palms.

"Dominic, do you take Bianca to be your wedded wife, through sickness and in health, joy and in sorrow, to cherish and to love, so long as you both shall live?"

"Yah, you betcha!" Dominic exclaimed in a fake Southern accent that caused the congregation to laugh.

"By the power vested in me by the Holy father and the state, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Dominic, you may now kiss your bride!" the priest announced and Dominic did just that.

The congregation clapped and cheered as the two walked down the aisle, dodging the petals that were being thrown over them in celebration.

The doors opened and the newly weds stepped out into the burning evening sun. The day was beautiful and serene. Dominic's eyes scanned the surrounding neighborhood, and skimmed over the many vehicles that lined the sidewalk. His eyes located a van at the far back of the parked traffic. The van had tinted windows and had a black and silver emblem on the side that resembled a crest with wings. Dominic would've thought it strange if on a different occasion, however, it could have belonged to any of the guests, so he thought nothing of it.

"Hey, guys. Congrats!" a slender man said as he came around the porch with a camera. "Mind if I get a picture of the newly weds?"

"Sure, Steve!" Bianca assured her old, high school friend.

Both Dominic and Bianca posed as Steve's wife snapped a picture.

"Hey, it seems stuck," Shirley said as she looked at the digital device.

"Let me see!" Dominic said as he left a mumbling Steve on the porch with Bianca and headed down the steps toward a frustrated Shirley.

It was at that moment that an engine sounded and the black van moved off, slowly passing the line of cars. Everything seemed to have been put on slow motion as the windows rolled down and gloved hands; each holding a gun, came through the opening and a series of gunshots went off. The sound echoed throughout the otherwise quiet neighborhood and complemented the chorus of screams and shouts which came from the many people who had scattered.

As if on instincts, Dominic's feet began moving toward the spot where he had left his wife and her friend. Climbing the stairs two at a time, he reached the top in no time. His heart was racing.

Steve was on the ground cradling his left arm. He had been shot. Dominic's brain buzzed as he looked around frantically for Bianca.

"Bianca!" he called out, his voice wavering.

"Dom!" a weak voice echoed from behind the rose bushes that flourished along the rails of the staircase. He spotted the tail of her wedding dress before he spotted her.

Behind the bushes, on the cold concrete, lay a pale-looking Bianca who appeared to have been shocked beyond control. Dominic rushed to her side and cradled her in a bone crushing hug. He had dreaded her getting hurt when he could not find her earlier.

"Dom," Bianca tried to call out to him, but her voice was weak and almost inaudible.

At the sound of her voice, Dominic pulled away from her and took in the sadness in her eyes that were brimmed with tears.

"What's wrong?" he asked, voice laced with concern.

Bianca lifted his hand and placed it on her stomach in response. It was then that Dominic noticed something that he hadn't before. His hand was covered in the thick liquid that rushed from beneath the fabric and effectively transformed the once pearly white cloth into an ugly red.

Dominic's heart stopped in that instant as his breath hitched. He tried frantically to stop the blood which escaped profusely. "No!"

It felt as if his whole world came crashing down around him. He heard voices shouting his name but could not stand to focus on anything other than Bianca.

He felt her grip his arm. "I'm sorry I couldn't see tomorrow with you," her voice was a weak whisper. "Promise me you'll be happy without me!"

"No!" he echoed. "Bianca, please stay with me, baby! Don't die! I won't let you!" his voice cracked. Unlike earlier, he did nothing to stop the flood gates.

"Dominic! We've called the ambulance. The paramedics are on their way!" the voice, which belonged to someone beside him, assured him, but it only sounded like gibberish.

"You'll be okay babe, help is on its way!" he tried to assure Bianca, whose breathing had become more hitched, as if it was getting harder to breathe. He saw her eyes fluttered close, and he panicked.

"I love you!" she managed to say before there was nothing else.

She was dead.

"No!"

***

Dominic's body jerked as he rose suddenly from beneath the covers. His heart drummed violently inside his chest, and his shirtless body was covered in sweat. He ran his shaking fingers across his forehead and wiped away the beads of salty water that had settled there. His breathing was hitched.

The alarm clock which sat on the bedside table showed that it was only six in the morning. There was no chance of him going back to sleep, so he might as well get going, he thought.

His bare feet connected with the cold floor and he mentally winced. He made his way to the bathroom to wash up.

"Shit!" he cursed under his breath as he placed the foamy razor underneath the running water and looked at his reflection in the mirror in front of him. Small droplets of blood trickled down from the freshly cut wound on the side of his cheek.

He tabbed it with some antibiotic cream and winced as the burning ointment touched his raw flesh. The simple action that probably happened ever so often to dozens of men, brought back the memories as if they had been happening right then.

"Shit!" Dominic had exclaimed as the razor had digged down too far and cut his cheek. His one hand held the washcloth steady on his cheek while his other hand stretched to reach the ointment in the cabinet.

"How many times must I have to warn you to be more careful, you big, clumsy baby?" his girlfriend had raised from the door's post on which she leaned, watching him, and walked over to where Dominic had been standing at the sink. "Here, let me see."

Dominic watched her closely as she carefully dabbed his cheek with the ointment. He winced at the burning sensation.

He smiled down at her. "The darn razors seem to love me!"

"I worry about you. You are bound to get hurt," she said, adding the final touch.

Dominic chuckled at her genuine concern. "You know that I'm at risk of getting more seriously hurt at work, right? Tiny, sharp objects don't scare me."

Her expression changed. Dominic knew he was on dangerous territory now. "You know that's not funny. I worry about you everyday. That's why I want you to quit!"

He caught her in his arms. "I know, and I'm sorry. Look, I promise I'll quit as soon as the wedding planning pulls through. Okay?"

She was hesitant for a brief second. She smiled. "Yeah, okay!"

"Now kiss me!" he demanded as he pulled a giggling Bianca into his arms.

Dominic quickly got dressed and went into the living room where he kept his keys.

He walked over Alana's feet that stretched across the pathway as she sat there on the ground asleep. Her body would surely ache when she wakes up, he thought. He had come home late last night to find her asleep on the carpet against the couch in front of the television, and thought better of waking her up. He was too tired, so he covered her with a blanket and went to bed instead.

He stilled when he saw her stir but was relieved when no further movement came from her. He closed the door behind him and got Max; a burly man in his late thirties, to stand guard, since Robbo had the day off.

"Keep a close eye on her, Max!" he instructed the blonde.

Max saluted. "Sure thing, boss!"

With that, Dominic exited the building and found his car. The engine came to life and soon enough a cloud of smoke was left behind as the automobile sped down the street in the direction as was addressed on the scrap of paper in his hand.

***

Dominic had been sitting in his car, that was parked among the other vehicles that lined the curb, for over twenty minutes. He had selected the perfect location for watching the every move of his targets.

Across the street was a large red and grey, three story building with the words 'Ecstacy' written in fancy letters at the top, right above the entrance. The words flashed a variety of colors as the seconds past.

A commotion was heard, and Dominic leaned forward to get a better view. Two men stood at the entrance of the building and appeared to be in a very heated argument. One of the men was dressed in army-colored jeans and a black vest and had knotted kinky hair; African American, while the other man was neatly dressed in a full work suit. His back was turned, so Dominic could not see his face, but he could tell that he was a white business man.

A couple other men exited the building and surrounded the two who had been arguing. It was then that the man wearing the suit turned around, just as a truck drove past Dominic's car. Dominic craned his neck over the steering wheel only to see the rare end of a sleek car as it sped down the street.

The rest of the day was uneventful, so at a quarter past five in the evening, Dominic decided to call it a day. He had gotten just enough information about the ins-and-outs of the club to make his next move.

***

Alana had been sitting in the same position on the couch for two hours. She had woken up just after Dominic left. She couldn't believe that she had slept on the floor like some careless person. But, as flashes of the night prior resurfaced, she understood why.

It had been hard seeing Henry like that. Knowing that he was looking for her, and knowing just the same that there was nothing she could do about it. Her blood boiled at the thought of how cruel the world was; how cruel Dominic was.

She imagined his face as he was tied to two cars- both headed in the opposite direction- and ripped apart. The joys that would bring her! However, she was squirmish around blood and did not have the heart to remain sane after witnessing such raw cruelty, so she banished the thought.

She wondered what Henry's night must have been like and hoped that the nightmare she had been so involuntarily dragged into would be over soon.

The keys to the door rattled and Alana tried not to look at whomever had entered. She tried to slow her heart rate by inhaling deeply and focused her attention on the television screen instead. It's probably demonic Dominic, she thought.

She drew the blanket further up her body as she heard keys being placed on the center table. Having showered earlier, all traces of the mess she had been the night before was successfully erased.

"I see you're awake," Dominic said, as he removed his jacket and boots. He noticed that the redhead was extremely quiet, and almost pitied her for her uncomfortable appearance.

If only she didn't have to be in this predicament. But she did. And he was partly responsible.

Dominic went around the couch and stopped in front of her. He gripped her legs and peered intently into her eyes. She shivered under his touch, and he noticed the fast rise and fall of her chest.

Fear was something that he relished in, but seeing the look in the pair of eyes before him, almost scared him.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Al. At least not ye-" He thought better about finishing his sentence and stood up straight instead.

She watched his every move like a Hawk ready to capture its prey. Though, in her position, she would not have been a very intimidating Hawk.

"Have you eaten?" Dominic asked, trying to lighten the mood. Why? He had no idea.

She shook her head and muttered a weak, "No."

"I'll order something over then. What'd you like: Chinese? pizza? Take-out?"

There was no answer. He sighed. This chick really knew how to make trying to bond with someone you're about to kill really hard, he thought. "Chinese it is then!"

Dominic took out his cell phone in order to make the call. He dialed the first two digits for a nearby Chinese restaurant just as the phone's screen lit up, a signal that a call was coming through. Dominic looked at the familiar number as it flashed across the screen and inwardly cringed.

"Bad timing. Really bad timing!" he said under his breath.

He pressed the device to his ear. "Hello?"

"Is the job done?" the voice on the other line spoke. No hello? No how are you?

Dominic rolled his eyes that were already red from lack of rest. "Are you questioning my tactics now?"

"I'm just making sure I'm not wasting my time, that's all!" the voice continued. The voice was muffled so Dominic could not determine whether it was a man or woman, but from what he could gather, the voice almost sounded feminine.

"Don't hassle me. I'll let you know when it's done." He was beginning to get angry. He looked across the room at a curious Alana and stepped further out of earshot.

"I'm not paying you to play fucking dollhouse!" the voice cracked.

"And I'm not taking your money so that you can act like my fucking boss! Now, as I said before, I'll let you know when it's done." And with finality in his tone, Dominic ended the call.

His mood had just shifted, one hundred percent.

~~~~Meanwhile~~~~

Across town in a house that Alana frequented over the years to spend quality time; Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, New years and every other holiday that one tended to share with family-with people who both she and Henry had come to consider as more than family, was a man dressed in full black clothing, which blended perfectly with the darkness of the abandoned basement inwhich he stood.

The devious smirk on his face was accentuated by the dull glow that managed to seep through the cracked window, from behind the rose bushes that blocked the old glass and wooden structure, from outside. The scary vibe that one got from being in this dimly lit room for too long, was partly the reason why it was only used as nothing more than extra storage area for old boxes and tools.

The accumulation of dust, cobwebs and overturned junk would suggest that no one had been to the basement in a while. An assumption that would have been concrete if not for the neatly built wooden structure that was so elegantly framed in the corner of the room. It was like a shrine, yet not just a shrine, but a monument to some sick and twisted idea. Decorating the walls of the room was what appeared to be dozens of pictures that had been produced and duplicated to build a gigantic collage.

The man's grin got wider as he stared at the pictures on the wall. Pictures of Alana and Henry were everywhere. Shots of Alana exiting the shower; of her at a picnic with Henry; of her tending to her rose garden; her smiling, laughing, having coffee at her favorite café; everywhere.

Among the dozens of shots though, one picture stood out the most. It was a picture of Alana at the beach. In the picture, she had been sitting on the white sand wearing a bikini and straw hat- that she had to be using her hand to hold steady on her head in order to prevent it from being blown away by the strong winds- and

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