Chapter 4 - The Neighborhood in Queens
The rain was coming down in sheets when Dominic’s black SUV pulled up to a modest, peeling apartment building in a rundown neighborhood of Queens.
Marco parked by a fire hydrant, killing the engine. "Want me to come with you, boss?"
"No," Dominic said, adjusting the collar of his wool coat. "Wait here."
He climbed the creaking wooden stairs to the third floor, dodging a flickering overhead light bulb. The hallway smelled of boiled cabbage and old laundry. It was a world away from the marble floors and climate-controlled air of Long Island.
Dominic found apartment 3B. He raised his hand, fist clenched, and knocked twice.
Heavy footsteps echoed from inside. The deadbolt clicked, and the door swung open.
Elena stood there wearing an oversized knitted sweater, her dark hair falling loosely around her shoulders. She looked surprised for a fraction of a second, before her expression hardened into polite indifference.
"Mr. Russo," she said, her voice completely flat. "If this is about my final paycheck, Rosa already wired it."
"It's not about the paycheck," Dominic said, feeling entirely out of his element for the first time in his adult life.
"Then I have nothing to say to you." She started to close the door.
Dominic’s hand shot out, catching the edge of the door before it clicked shut. "Wait. Please."
Elena paused, looking down at his hand against the wood before raising her eyes back to his. "You fired me, Mr. Russo. You called me a trespasser in my own duties. You frightened the children. What more do you want?"
"I want you to come back."
May you like
The words tasted bitter, but as soon as they were out of his mouth, a strange sense of relief washed over him.
Elena stared at him, her gaze piercing right through his expensive clothes and tough exterior. "And why should I? So you can yell at me again when your daughters smile at someone else?"
