Chapter 10
DOMINIC
“How the heck do you know that, Gran?” I demanded, and she glared at me balefully.
“How the heck do you not know that?” she countered. “Didn’t you have him checked out when he started dating our Rosie?”
“Well, no,” I admitted. “Because I didn’t think she was serious about him.”
“This is all your fault, Dominic,” she declared, most unfairly, in my opinion.
I opened my mouth to argue, but Rose spoke first.
“It’s not his fault, Grammy Cora. It’s not anybody’s fault but mine,” she said bitterly. “I was so stupid. I thought he was nice just because he was the first person to ask me out in a long time.”
“It’s not your fault either, darlin’. This one’s all on Joe Cheney,” said Gran firmly. “He took advantage of your trusting nature. Although it wouldn’t hurt to have Dominic vet your next boyfriend thoroughly.”
I let out a loud snort, and they all turned to stare at me inquiringly.
“Do you have something to share with the rest of us, Dominic?” asked Gran mildly.
I shook my head, but stayed silent. I had no idea my grandmother was so sadistic.
She wanted me to give my blessing to other guys dating Rose.
Wasn’t it bad enough that I’d had to put up with her smiling into that bastard’s eyes for the past few months?
What next? Would she expect me to walk her down the aisle as well?
“Over my dead body,” said Rose, replying to Gran’s suggestion that I vet her next boyfriend. “I don’t need Dom interfering in my life.”
“It’s not interference if it keeps you safe, Rose,” argued Gran, but Rose shook her head.
“It isn’t his job to keep me safe. And I haven’t given anybody the right to decide what’s good for me,” she said angrily.
“Fine! Then I’ll just let you throw your life away on any loser that comes along, shall I?” I snarled, wondering why I was arguing with her when I was on her side. Maybe it was her insistence on keeping me out of her life. But that was strange because I had no desire to be in her life in any way.
“It’s my fucking life, and I’ll throw it away on anyone I please,” she hissed. “Stay out of my personal life, Dominic Carlisle! I don’t need you to protect me!”
“I’m sorry to say this, Rose. But you do need Dom to protect you right now,” Gran broke in grimly.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Sit down,” insisted Gran, and Rose sat back down reluctantly. “Joe Cheney is a bad apple through and through.”
“How do you know this, Grammy Cora?”
“I have my sources, and they are way more thorough than your PI, Dominic.”
I didn’t doubt that. Gran had more confidential informants in all of Maplewood than the police department. She had built that network through a lifetime of kindness and generosity, which was why she’d been running the town council unopposed for the past fifty years.
“Joe Cheney was dealing cocaine for a cartel based out of Boston,” she went on.
“But where was he finding customers? I can’t believe there are enough cokeheads amongst our population to warrant their own drug dealer,” protested Rose.
“Rich kids and guests at the ski resorts,” said Trevor.
Maplewood was surrounded by some of the best ski slopes in Vermont, and there were many expensive resorts dotting the mountains around us. I was sure they kept Joe in clients all year round.
“Now, my informant says he’s been stealing some of the cartel’s stock.
Not much, but enough to make the cartel mad.
They want it back, and now they are furious because Joe has gone missing.
Here’s what I want to know, my dear,” she said, her eyes studying Rose sharply. “Did he give you any cocaine to hide?”
“What? No! Of course not! And I’m insulted you’d even think that, Grammy Cora,” replied Rose furiously.
“I had to check, darlin’, because people do a lot of stupid things in the name of love,” said Gran, with a quick glance at me.
Didn’t I know it, I thought bitterly. Love was at the root of some of the worst decisions a person could make.
“Well, I would never hide drugs for anybody, no matter how much I loved them,” said Rose firmly.
“Well, then, you have a big problem. The cartel seems to think you’ve been hiding the coke for Joe, and they might come after you if they can’t find him,” announced Gran.
“I’d like to see them try,” I growled. “Where the heck are you getting this information, Gran?”
“From Todd at the bar,” she replied. “He had a couple of guys down there late last night, asking a lot of questions. One of them went out to make a phone call, and Todd followed him out to eavesdrop because he was worried for you.”
Fuck! The last thing Rose needed right now was to be on the hit list of a cartel. If they thought Joe cared for her, they would hurt her just to get to him.
“Get Logan to up the security around this building. And I need a security team with Rose every minute of the day,” I ordered, and Trevor pulled out his phone to update Logan.
“Hold it, darlin’. Extra security is not going to solve the problem.
You need to send a message to the cartel that Rose is not to be messed with,” warned Gran.
“And that only works if she’s with you. Even a drug cartel will hesitate before it messes with the Carlisles.
Especially if the woman in question is Dominic Carlisle’s girlfriend. ”
“She’s right, Rose. We have to keep up the appearance of dating,” I said, and Rose scowled at me.
“And you’ve got to make it convincing,” added Gran.