Authors: Serenity King
scraping but I have to tell you that eventually
you will probably have to have a partial
hysterectomy. This means we will take the
uterus and leave the ovaries—preventing the
use of any artificial hormones.”
“What if I don’t have the scraping? Is
there some kind of drug to shrink the tumors?
Sandy, I’m only thirty-two and I just lost my
baby girl. Please don’t make me do this,” she
choked out with tears streaming down her
face.
“I tell you what…let’s see what happens. I
can start you with a drug, but I have to tell
you it causes mood swings and such. Almost
like a menopausal state. It’s a hormone drug.
Dominique, the scraping wouldn’t be so bad.
I’d do everything possible to prevent scarring
your uterus. Think about it and get back to me.
In the meanwhile I’ll give you the prescription
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for the drug if you decide to go that route. Give
me a call and let me know what you decide.”
The other woman got up and squeezed
Dominique’s hand. “I’ll leave the prescription
at the front desk. Take your time in here.”
Dominique didn’t say anything. She just
sat there in shock. She didn’t even start crying
until she heard the soft click of the door
indicating that Sandy had left her alone with
her thoughts. She’d cried for her dead baby
and for the babies she wouldn’t have.
A few months later she’d had the
scraping and not the partial hysterectomy.
Sandy was pessimistic. She was certain that
Dominique was going to need to have her
uterus removed. At this point, there was so
much going on with Dominique’s insides that
Sandy wasn’t sure if she’d even be able to
conceive. She’d finished off by telling
Dominique that miracles do happen, so they’d
wait until she started having severe problems.
Then they would have no choice but to do the
procedure.
Dominique didn’t know when Brandon
had reached for her, but she found herself
sitting on his lap, holding his head against her
breast as they both cried.
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237
“Baby, why didn’t you tell me? Do you
really think I’m that shallow? Nothing is more
important than your health and wellbeing. Sure
I would have loved to have a baby, but I’d be
just as happy adopting.”
“Brandon, I didn’t know that. When you
first found out that I was pregnant, the only
thing you talked about was having a house full
of kids. We both did. And to be told that I
probably wouldn’t be the one to give you those
kids was a big blow. I was trying to not be
selfish and to let you go. In the end, selfish is
exactly what I was, because even though my
head was saying one thing, my heart was saying
another.”
“Dominique I understand how you felt.
But that wasn’t your decision to make,”
Brandon whispered against her breast. Then he
lifted his head to look into her tear-stained
eyes. “For better or worse baby. Those were our
vows, and I plan to live by them. What about
you, Dominique…are you going to? This can’t
be one sided. We both have to be in for the long
haul, wherever that journey may lead. I need to
know that you won’t bolt again at the first sign
of trouble. So again, for better or worse. Are
you in?” Brandon asked.
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Dominique gave a quick jerky nod of
affirmation before she spoke. “I’m in. For better
or for worse.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Dominique was sitting in her car waiting
on Craig Randolph. She’d asked him if he
would come with her to check out this
apartment complex that was supposedly a fire
hazard from faulty wiring and so forth. This
was just one last piece to her puzzle. After
weeks of the best legal defense work she had
ever done, her client was off the hook, but a lot
of other people were going down. If her and
Brandon’s suspicions were correct, there
had
been a lot of bribery and extortion going on—it
just hadn’t been her client who was doing it.
Johnson’s wife and an ex-business
partner had set him up good. She was sure the
jury could see that now. She just needed to
clear him from this one last building. For some
reason, the ADA didn’t want to drop the
charges against him. He still wanted to
prosecute him, even given all of the evidence
she and Brandon had dug up.
She grinned a little, remembering how
shocked the other attorneys and the ADA had
been to learn that she was married to a
Cameron.
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“It’s amazing how a name will make
people think twice about messing with you,”
Dominique had laughed in Brandon’s arms.
They’d stopped treating her like a stupid little
flunky and started falling over themselves
trying to be nice to her.
It had been a little over two months since
she’d made the announcement at her parents’
house. A lot had happened during that time.
Her mother had moved out of the home she’d
shared with her father. Unbeknownst to her
children, her mother had purchased a small
condo a while back, shortly before her father
had had his heart attack. She’d seen the
changes in him and refused to tolerate his
attitude and his quest for power any longer.
They’d had a terrible argument on the day of
his heart attack and her mother had felt guilty,
that’s why she’d stayed with him. According to
her mother the incident with her and Brandon
had been the last straw.
Dominique wasn’t happy that her parents
had separated, but she understood her
mother’s reasoning. And in light of everything
Chad and Xavier had found out and told her
and Diamond afterwards, it was best her
mother did leave.
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241
Her father had been so busy trying to be
rich and powerful that he hadn’t realized that
his own sons had bought most of the shares in
his companies. They’d saved the financing
company from ruin and from scandal. Her
father had begun to use unethical business
practices and was about to be investigated by
the SEC.
Dominique didn’t know how her brothers
did it, but they’d gotten shares transferred out
of their father’s name so fast, he didn’t know
what had hit him. Dominique had had to shake
her head at the irony of it all. A corporate
takeover by his own sons. Wow!
Of course, her dad had blustered and
blundered, but in the end Chad and Xavier had
given him a choice: suck it up or go to jail.
Dominique didn’t know much of what they had
on her father but it must have been big, because
he resigned from the boards of all of his
companies. Everyone knew he had been kicked
out, of course. His resignation was just to save
face.
Dominique had also found out that
Felton Hobbs had paid off his son’s debt and
shipped him off for parts unknown after Felton
Jr. had gotten the crap beat out of him. Funny
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they’d all hated on Mr. Hobbs for years. Come
to find out that, other than being a douche and
cheating on his wife, he wasn’t that bad after
all. Mr. Hobbs’ wife, who’d always been in and
out of the hospital battling depression, had left
him after he sent their son away.
Life was good. She and Brandon had
decided that they were going to travel a little,
then address maybe adopting one or two
children. They’d also shared their not-so-good
news with their families. She so loved her
family, and she was very surprised by
Brandon’s parents’ outpouring of love. They
often treated her like fine china. The show of
love and support often brought tears to her
eyes.
Dominique started at the knock on her
window. She turned to see Craig Randolph
standing at her door with a huge grin on his
face. Dude was seriously fine.
Dominique unlocked her door and got out
of the car.
“Sorry I’m late. I got caught up on a
project. Are you ready to get this show on the
road?” Craig asked, then looked around.
“Where’s Cameron?
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243
“I’m ready. Brandon had a meeting,” she
responded as she followed Craig into the
building.
“Okay, according to the plans this is one
of the floors that is supposed to have problems.
Let’s start over here to the left,” Craig
instructed her as they walked into the building.
Dominique’s cell began to chime.
Brandon had asked her to keep it with her at all
times. Her husband was a worrywart. True to
his word, he was staying in Atlanta until the
trial was over. He’d only had to fly to New York
twice but he’d made sure that Tristan or one of
her brothers checked in on her when he was
away. “Speaking of Brandon he’s calling now.
Excuse me Craig, I have to take this.”
Dominique enjoyed saying that. It sounded so
good to her ears.
“Hello,” Dominique said into the receiver.
“Hey, baby, where are you?”
“I’m at the building with Craig Randolph.
This shouldn’t take long. Where are you?” she
asked.
“Not far from you. About ten, maybe
fifteen, minutes away. Tristan is dropping me
off where you are. Listen, you and Craig don’t
have to do this. We found what you need to
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clear your client’s name. I’ll explain it all when I
get there. I’m taking you out to celebrate.”
“Really?” Dominique said excitedly. “We
can finally go home? Yes!” Before Dominique
could say anything else there was a loud bang,
like someone had set off a huge firecracker
right next to her ear. She jumped and watched
in shock as the walls shuddered and debris
rained down from the ceiling.
“Dominique, what was that?” Brandon
yelled into the receiver.
“There’s something going on with this
building. We just heard a crash or some kind of
explosion and debris is falling.” Fear and dust
choked her.
“Dominique, get out of there!” Brandon
yelled. “I’m on my way.”
“Move it!” Craig shouted at her. “This
place is going up. We have to get out of here.”
Dominique dropped her phone and took
off at a dead run, but she stopped suddenly
when she heard Craig yelp in pain. She turned
to see he’d gotten hit by a beam. The sheetrock
had fallen away and the beam had hit him in
the head. Blood streamed down his face.
“Oh my God, Craig, you’re bleeding,”
Dominique shrieked.
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245
“Keep going, he said grimly. “I’m right
behind you. Move it, Dominique, the building’s
on fire, and we both know it’s a fucking fire
trap.”
Just then, a piece of the ceiling caved in
before them. Dominique lunged back in
surprise, tripped, and hit her head on the sharp
edge of a beam of wood. Heat, horrible, intense
heat was the last thing she remembered before
losing consciousness.
* * *
Brandon was in a panic. “Dominique!” he
yelled.
“Brandon
what’s
wrong?”
Tristan
grabbed his arm and shook him. “Talk to me.”
“I think a section of the building
exploded,” Brandon croaked out. “Gotta call the
fire department.”
“Fuck!”
“Hurry, Tristan,” Brandon said, dialing
911.
Tristan was known for having a lead foot,
but Brandon had never seen his brother drive
so fast before.
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By the time Brandon and Tristan pulled
up to the building, less than ten minutes later,
people from the surrounding buildings, had