Roses & Ruin

Chapter 12 (Anthony)

        "Giana...what the-what the fuck is that?" Dom's voice was deep and angry and maybe even a little off kilter. My cousin took hold of her belly as a reflex to his scowl. Dom took one then two steps back.

"Giana...don't tell me you really did this to me? You fucking told me you weren't keeping it. I told Mia...oh fuck, Mia..." Dom grabbed his hair and tugged, whirling around and walking out of the foyer altogether. We followed.

"We need to talk, Dom" Giana finally found her words. She glanced at Alessandro who looked like he was ready to go pale himself. He was nervous. I could even see that. At Giana's words Dom swung back around snapping his jaws when he shouted out, "You think?!"

        "Dom, listen" Alessandro was next to speak up. I was sure to remain a step into the background. I was here to protect Giana, not voice a single word or stick myself in anything else. It doesn't involve me and I'm not eager to try and change that.

Alessandro's words didn't even register in his cousin's ears. He was still very much glaring at Giana and that belly of hers. 

"WHY?" Dom barked out. Because of his apartment's high ceilings his voice bounced off the walls and came harshly back to us. I saw Giana flinch. Then I watched a sense of determination wash over her. She rounded her shoulders and tipped her chin up at him.

        "Dom, there's more to this story, so sit down and shut up a second" Giana's usual attitude sparked up. This is the Giana I recognize. Not her docile and nervous. Dom's nostrils flared and I swear I saw steam, but he looked at Ale then her again, and he was starting to look more suspicious and less angry. He sat.

Alessandro stood beside Giana and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at her to see if she wanted to start this off or if he should finally stop being a pussy and do what he'd been promising to do since the start of all this. Instead Giana took control.

        "Look, I know I told you I wanted to terminate but I changed my mind last minute. The thing is Dom...the baby might not be yours" she told him. I watched relief then confusion flitter through Dom's expression and demeanor. He's stiff and uncomfortable. I don't blame him. I wish they'd just spit it out all at once and stop draggin' it out for christ sake.

"There's no easy way to tell you this man, but..."

I heard Alessandro start telling Dom the story Giana had told me many months ago. I barely listened to the words. I was too busy watching Dom to see what he'd do. At first he sat there and actually listened. He had to. He needed to understand everything before he could react. It was too important for him to know for sure.

Then the talking stopped and Dom shot up like a firecracker.

He rushed forward and grabbed Alessandro by the lapels of his suit coat. He shook him hard when he asked, "Are you fucking kidding me?! You knew you fucked her raw on the SAME day I did and you didn't say shit about it?! You let me freak out and take the whole blame in front of Mia. Are you fucking for real?!"

If a man could hiss he just did.

        "Dom, I know it's fucked, but I didn't remember until after...I-we, shit man, it's just a fucked up situation all around" was Ale's weak response. He was trying to pry his cousins' fists off him but he couldn't make him budge even an inch. Dom let go himself though. He let go of the lapels of Ale's jacket so he could punch him square in the face.

It was all so quick. Dom raising his fist and slamming it down with speed and force. Giana shrieked and Alessandro stumbled back and grabbed the sofa so he wouldn't tumble over altogether. 

        "You mother fucker !! You knew these past 6 months that she was still goddamn pregnant and you had the fucking balls to stand by my side and not say shit about it!!" Dom lunged after him. I even flinched at the second hard hit to Alessandro's head. When Giana stepped forward I stepped quicker and pulled her away from the action.

"That part doesn't involve you" I told her low in her ear.

"I'M SORRY, ALRIGHT?!" Alessandro shouted, shoving at his cousin to get him off of him. He was practically falling over the sofa at this point and couldn't get his footing with Dom constantly lunging forward to hit him and cuss at him.

        "Fucking sorry?!" I heard Dom hiss amidst more grabbing, fists flying, and the two men suddenly rolling to the ground. I stood in front of Giana to be sure she'd be alright. The apartment is spacious, but still they were starting to fly all over the place.

At one point Alessandro managed to get up and almost went for Dom's staircase, which leads to his second floor of the penthouse. I finally stepped forward and said, "Alright" reminding them that Giana was here and trying to speak with them.

        Dom's chest was heaving. He used the back of his sleeve to wipe at his mouth where I thought I saw a tint of pink. Alessandro's shirt was ripped and Dom's whole suit was slightly disheveled. Both of them ran a hand through their hair to set everything in place.

"I'll deal with you later" Dom pointed a long stern finger at his cousin. His eyes told Alessandro that he wasn't nearly finished. Finally Dom turned back towards Giana and he stepped in her direction, which made me stiffen up. But Dom didn't even look at me. He looked past me.

        "Your a fucking asshole too. You know its fucked what you did. You realize your messing with people's actual fucking lives, right Giana? Its not a fucking game. I should've known I might be having a goddamn kid. I should've known that I needed to talk to Mia and...if she breaks up with me...HA... you both better run if she does," Dom's voice went eerily calm at the end when he looked between Giana and Alessandro.

"Don't threaten my cousin" I spoke up for the second time in all this. 

Dom's head snapped my way and he grit his teeth. "Fuck all of you. Fuck you for knowing this shit for months" Dom started to yell at me, but then just started yelling in general.

He whipped around and shoved at his side table. It made a clattering sound when the items on top of the table all fell over. But then he grabbed the whole table itself and flung it across the room. CRASH.

Giana gasped and flinched. Alessandro was still in a stance like he was waiting for the next swing.

        "FUCK" Dom cursed at the wall, slamming it with his fist. Giana started to get emotional, which she seems to be doing a lot in this final trimester of her pregnancy. She sniffled and turned to me. All I could do was rub her back and tell her it'd be alright.

Will it? Fuck if I know. That bull raging through his apartment might be the father of her child...I don't think any of us are ready to handle that.

The rest turned into a blur of yelling. Dom was yelling and yelling and finally Giana snapped and started yelling back. The incoherent swearing turned into arguing. They argued for what felt like forever.

Alessandro was hesitant to argue with them at first. He knew he was on thin ice with his cousin, but when Dom brought him into the conversion he had no choice but to respond. And so the shouting went three ways and got nowhere.

        I said I wouldn't get involved, but my nerves were shot after standing there and listening to all that chaos. They needed to be redirected to the point of all this. Yes, Dom has a right to be angry, but it isn't about his anger, this is about finding out who the father is.

"Aye," I said to get their attention. Nothing. 

"AYE, fucking hell, can we get to the point here? You needa take a damn paternity test or whatever the hell it is" I spoke louder, not to yell but to be heard over them. Everyone stopped. Dom exhaled a long frustrated breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.

        "Rizzo, you being here is really fucking bothering me" Dom strained to remain calm. I rolled my eyes at him and slid my hands into my pant pockets while I remained right in place.

"And you treating my cousin like shit when you're the one who fucked her raw is botherin' me" I couldn't help my tongue from wagging. I saw blue fire in his eyes. He perked up at my talking back and started to come at me.

Giana grabbed his arm harshly and tugged to keep him there. She glared up at him and he scowled down at her. Then he looked back at me, and without another word all he did was point at me like he had Alessandro. Like he was warning me that something was coming for me.

Dom coming at me only means one thing...I get to defend myself, which means I get to punch that asshole in the face. Heavy hands and all that. That's what they tell me.