Gripping Dom’s hand as tight as I could, my eyes scanned back and forth, always assessing possible danger. Considering my dad’s past, I never knew if a person who came to offer their condolences was a friend or one of the many enemies he’d made over the years.
Feeling eyes on me, my breath sped up. Anxiety had my foot bouncing.
Dom released my hand and cradled the back of my neck, rubbing the base of my skull, trying to calm me. He whispered in my ear. “Don’t worry, baby. I have guys watching over the entire place, inside and out. Nothing bad will ever happen to you again. I promise, sweetheart.”
“I feel eyes all over me, like someone’s watching me!”
I looked around and saw Gia across the room, talking to some guy I’d never seen before. He was one of the scary looking men I’d seen in the corner earlier. A shiver ran down my spine with an eerie feeling. I made eye contact with her and she smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
I brushed it off and focused on holding myself together for my mom and Grace. Somehow, I made it through the service without breaking down too badly.
The numb feeling I had sitting in the back of the limo riding to the cemetery with Mom and Grace was hard to describe. Almost like I was floating around but tethered to a string. The string could snap at any moment, sending me floating into outer space. Looking out the window, I stared at all the people as we passed, walking and talking and going about their days, most of them having no idea about the evil that lurked around them. The unknown around every corner. The wolves in sheep’s clothing. Watching the families strolling down the streets, I wished I could tell them to cherish every moment and hold on to their loved ones.
Pulling up to the cemetery, I was in such a fog I was startled when the door opened and Dom reached inside for my hand.
Soon, I was standing by my dad’s grave, surrounded by my mom, Grace, Dom, Gia, Leah, Faith, Locke, and the rest of their brothers and a few from Dad’s crew. We had requested that only immediate family members be at the burial site, but Grace and I had wanted Gia and the girls there. The brothers were basically forming a barricade, ensuring nobody interrupted us.
The silence was deafening, only broken by Mom’s quiet sobs. Grace and I wrapped our arms around her, giving her all the extra strength we had until her sobs softened to hiccups. The look in her eyes was heart breaking as we said goodbye to my dad a final time.
I fought to hold it together until I could be alone with Dom. I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to hold back the tears that welled up and the emotions that were trying to surface. Making myself hold on to the numbness, I concentrated on the out of body experience to get me through.
After tossing three red roses on his casket as they lowered it into the ground, we turned toward the guys and headed back to the compound.
I knew nothing would ever be the same.
32
Dom
The day of the funeral was painful and nerve wracking for all of us. We had to call brothers in from a different charter just to make sure we had all our bases covered as far as protection. We’d called a special chapel, giving the guys a rundown of what was going on, giving them only what they needed to ensure the girls’ safety.
The more we learned about Sal, the more uneasy we got. His list of enemies had grown quite large. Not to mention, for a long time before his death, his hands were far dirtier than they’d ever been. Tech and some more of the brothers were still digging into his background, but from the looks of it, we were going to have to keep Cara and the girls under guard at the compound for a while. That put all of us on edge.
During the service, the brothers were all on high alert, knowing the amount of people showing would be staggering. As I looked at all the girls, I could see the fear and anxiety written in their eyes. All of this was just too much for some of them. I would’ve rather had them stay at the compound, but I knew some of the brothers wouldn’t be as focused as they should if the girls weren’t with them, and I needed everyone on point.
I looked around to see that Leah had a white-knuckle grip on Viper and sweat beaded on her forehead.
I walked over and placed my hands on her shoulders, knowing I could touch her without Viper having a shit fit because he knew I was only interested in helping. “Leah, sweetie, look at me.” When she did, I smiled. “Do you want me to take you somewhere you can get some air? It’d be safe, I promise.”
She shook her head and wiped her eyes. “No, thank you. I need to be strong for Jules. She’s been so strong for us, now it’s our turn.” Her confidence seemed to grow as she spoke. Releasing Viper’s hand, she walked over to Jules and wrapped her arms around her.
Once she was out of ear shot, I called Tech, Ezra, and Locke over.
“What’s up, brother?” Locke asked.
“That group of guys in the corner. I’m not liking how they’re staring at Cara and the girls.” At the mention of Cara’s name, Locke’s fists clenched and his jaw tightened. I made
