Dominick was still unconscious, so the two of them went to the hospital cafeteria.
"Are you related to the girl?"
Maxi put his fork down, frowned, and looked at Marcus.
"What?"
"The girl... the one Dominick-"
"Oh, Jade." Maximiliano muttered, clenching his jaw. "She's my friend. She saved my life a few years ago, and I owe her. I've talked to him about it many times." He sighed, pushing his food aside. "But you know how he is."
"Stubborn as a mule. I spoke with him a few weeks ago-he said he'd do whatever it took to get what he wanted. I didn't think he'd take it this far. He was furious, and when he's in that state, he never thinks clearly."
"I know. Jade has suffered a lot because of him, and I didn't do enough to stop it. I know Dominick, and all I did was sit back and wait... for what? I have no idea," Maxi admitted with regret. "For now, I just know she's safe."
"Do you know where she is?" Marcus pressed.
"No. Armand is one of my closest friends. He took her away and only called me to tell me to head back to the hotel. He briefly explained the situation and said Jade didn't want anyone to know where she was."
"Do you think there's any chance Dominick could find her if he hires investigators?"
"Want me to be honest?" Maxi asked.
Marcus nodded.
"No. Armand is too smart. If he doesn't want to be found, he'll vanish without leaving a trace. Years ago, after his girlfriend died, he disappeared for a year and a half. We never found him, and to this day, no one knows where he was."
Marcus realized then that his friend would have a hard time. They went on eating and chatting. They got along well, and Maximiliano had taken it upon himself to teach Marcus everything he needed to know about the world of hospitality.
An hour later, they were told Dom's sedatives had been removed and that he was awake.
They left the cafeteria without waiting and entered the room.
Dominick was staring straight ahead, trying not to move because everything hurt. His ribs were bandaged-nearly his whole torso was wrapped. His face had a few small bandages, and his eye was swollen purple.
"Weeds never die. I said it once and I'll say it again," Maximiliano declared, breaking the sudden silence.
Dominick gave him a faint smile. Even though things weren't good between them, they knew they'd always be there for each other when it truly mattered.
And this was one of those times.
"You look awful," Marcus said, approaching the bed.
"I feel worse," Dom muttered, smirking but wincing as his ribs protested.
"What did you do to make someone want to kill you? Did you mess with a married woman again?" Maxi asked.
"No, I..." Dominick furrowed his brow, closing his eyes as he tried to remember. "Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong, rich boy. It was a pleasure meeting you. Let this be a lesson, you can't play games with everyone." He recited what the man who shot him had said.
His friends exchanged curious glances.
"That's what the guy told me before he pulled the trigger."
"Do you suspect anyone?" Marcus asked.
"Yes." His hand clenched into a fist. "Yesterday I went to Jade's house. I had a not-so-pleasant conversation with her mother, and then that man showed up-pointed a gun at me and threatened me. I'm almost sure it was him."
"Elías? That bastard. As soon as you're out of here, we're going to the station to press charges," Maxi announced.
"He had a gun?" Marcus asked.
"He's a cop," Maximiliano explained.
"And you're still going to report him?" Marcus laughed out loud. "You couldn't be more idiotic if you tried. He's a cop, for God's sake. They cover for each other. And if it was him who attacked you, something tells me he had help from his buddies. Go ahead, file the report if you want, but it's better to play dirty, just like he does."
The brunette turned to Marcus, who smiled like a rogue.
"First, we do things by the book," Maxi insisted. "If that doesn't work, then you use your dirty tricks. And apparently, Marcus knows more about that than I do."
"You'll make me blush," Marcus teased, making the other two laugh. "Now, you've got a fragile liver, you're on strict rest, and no alcohol for a while."
Dom rolled his eyes.
"It's your health we're talking about," Maximiliano reminded him.
"Are we good?" Dom asked, hoping that out of this unfortunate situation, something good might come.
Maximiliano was silent for a moment.
"More or less." The brunette smiled.
Dominick had spent two days in the hospital-Saturday and Sunday had been horrible for him, the doctor insisted him to stay some more days but again, he refused. On Monday, when his friends came to pick him up, he was deeply grateful.
They returned to the hotel, where Dominick finally got to eat decent food, at least according to him. He took some painkillers and lay down.
[...]
It was five in the afternoon when he woke up. Taking a shower was almost torture; his ribs ached, and his bruises were only just beginning to heal. He came out of the bathroom and changed his bandages. He didn't do it well, but there was no other way.
After changing, he left the room, heading toward Maximiliano's office.
He didn't knock, he just walked in, as he always did.
Marcus and Maximiliano were talking.
"Getting together like old ladies and not inviting me?" Dom complained, slowly taking a seat beside the semi-blond.
"This isn't a get-together. I was telling Marcus about Noah Kidman. Nikolas came back from Seattle with a woman that bastard thief had locked away in a house," Maximiliano explained.
"Shit." Dominick rubbed his forehead carefully. "I'd forgotten about that matter. Have you heard anything about that dog?"
"That bastard not only stole for years, he also invested the money under a false name in underground businesses. I'm talking about a huge network of prostitution, money laundering, and arms dealing," Maximiliano listed. Dominick's face was sheer astonishment.
Marcus frowned.
"I want to know more about this. Maybe I can find out something. My father knows almost all the mafia bosses with big businesses, and Seattle is the base of one of the most dangerous organizations in America."
Dominick turned to Marcus.
"Sometimes I forget what you used to work in. Speaking of which-why did you leave Las Vegas?" His thick brows furrowed.
Marcus's expression fell.
"Things didn't go as I thought..."
Marcus told him everything, and sadness overtook him again. He knew nothing about the woman he loved; he was lost and didn't know what else to do to find her. He used every method and every contact, but she remained out of reach.
"I... I don't know what to say," Dom murmured, surprised. "I hope all this mess gets resolved. Didn't you run into legal trouble?"
"When have I ever?" Marcus smiled, though the sky-blue of his beautiful eyes had lost its brightness; they were dull, lifeless. "It's impossible with Augusto as a father."
"I believe that. Are you guys busy?" Dom asked.
"I have a meeting in a few hours. Mr. Nóvikov is back in the city. You closed the deal, and the new hotel in Los Angeles is almost a reality," Maximiliano smiled.
"Sounds good to me."
"Another hotel?" Marcus asked.
"We need to expand," Maxi argued. "And if everything goes well, we'll have another one in Russia within a year."
"That's good," Marcus agreed.
"Guess who one of Nóvikov's daughters is?" Maxi inquired with a grin.
Things between the two had stopped being so tense. After Dom's incident, things flowed better between them. Deep down, he was thankful for the bullets, thanks to them, he was talking to his friend again. He smiled at his antics.
"I don't know. Enlighten me," he said, getting comfortable.
"Shana. Does that name ring a bell?" Maxi teased, crossing his arms.
"No way," Dom groaned, covering his face.
"What did I miss?" Marcus looked at both of them.
"Shana is one of the women who ended up in Dominick's bed," Maxi informed, letting out a chuckle. "Pray that doesn't cause us problems, or I'll cut your balls off. This business is worth millions, and I can't afford a single mistake. You know how picky our partners are."
"Nothing will happen. She's not the kind of woman who comes looking for more after a one-night stand," he assured, trying to calm his friend, who always showed great caution when it came to business.
I have a reputation to protect. You'll never understand that, because you're always playing around with serious matters... Dom remembered what Maximiliano had once told him.
"You should tuck your dick away from time to time, Dom," Marcus advised. "Or one day, a woman might show up with a blessing."
"That's impossible," he assured. He was about to say more, but Maxi's desk phone began to ring.
"Hello?" the brunette listened carefully to the other line. "Yes, this is him. What? Who's coming in his place?" Maximiliano sighed in frustration. "Fine. The meeting will be at the same time."
He hung up reluctantly.
"What's wrong?" Dom wanted to know.
"Trouble?" Marcus followed.
"Nóvikov," he exclaimed, annoyed. "He won't be at the meeting. His secretary just told me he's sending one of his daughters in his place." He rolled his eyes. "I don't like last-minute changes like this."
"Oh, come on, it's not that big of a deal," Dom downplayed the matter.
"Dominick's right. If you already signed the contract, I don't see why you're getting worked up over something so trivial," Marcus backed him up.
"You don't understand. Yes, we signed a contract for the partnership, but the cards are still on the table with the new hotel project. We're talking about something bigger. And Inker Nóvikov is the kind of man you can never fully please. What am I supposed to think when he sends one of his daughters to close a multimillion-dollar deal? That is, if she even closes it. I bet the girl's just some spoiled little princess with nothing better to do, playing with grown-up business."
Marcus and Dominick looked at him.
"Don't exaggerate, Maximiliano. Give the girl the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she's pretty, and instead of showing her around the hotel, you can show her around your bed," Dom suggested, raising and lowering his brows.
Marcus burst out laughing.
"Never. This is business, and I'm not about to make the mistake of sleeping with the daughter of a potential partner," he assured. He wasn't in the mood; the success of that alliance was far too important. "Now quit teasing me and tell us, why did you want to know what we were up to?"
"Oh, right. I'd forgotten with all these interruptions. Can you take me to the station? I have to file the complaint against that man, and I can't drive."
"Let's go now, because I'll be busy later," Maximiliano stood up and grabbed his jacket.
The three left the office and stepped into the elevator.
They chatted about work until they reached Maximiliano's car. Dominick was so distracted he'd forgotten his distress; the matter with Jade had, for a moment, slipped to the back of his mind. He felt calm.
It took them half an hour to get to the police station. The three walked inside.
"I'm here to file a complaint," Dominick informed the officer behind the desk.
"Against whom?"
Maximiliano whispered the surname.
"Against Officer Elías Campbell. For assault and attempted murder," he replied.
The man stared at him as if he'd gone mad.
"Are you sure? Elías Campbell?" the disbelief was written all over his face.
"I'm sure. Yesterday he threatened me with his gun, pointed it at my head. That night, some men beat me up and shot me twice."
"That's all? You don't have any proof?" the officer arched a brow.
"Are you suggesting I'm lying?" Dominick was on the verge of losing it.
"Dom," Marcus warned, resting a hand on his shoulder.
He huffed.
"Just file the damn complaint. I didn't come here to waste my time," he growled.
"You're going to behave yourself, or I'll throw you in a cell…"
"For what? Huh? Tell me why!" he cut him off, standing up, furious. "I came here to file a damn complaint and I won't leave until it's done."
"Is there a problem?" a man in a suit stopped beside the irate officer, who was glaring daggers at Dominick.
"Commander, this man came to file a complaint," the officer reported.
"Then why haven't you proceeded?"
"This officer thinks I'm lying," Dominick crossed his arms.
"The complaint is against a cop—and not just any cop. This man claims Campbell tried to kill him," the officer told his commander.
The man, in his sixties, tensed. Though his smile never faded, his features betrayed his displeasure.
"Officer Campbell is one of our finest men," the lieutenant assured.
"I don't give a damn if he's the Chinese president or Muhammad Ali himself. I'm done talking politely. File the complaint, or things are going to get very ugly…"