Closer Than Your Shadow

Judgement Day

November 29th 8:34 p.m.
Gotham
Dom's house

"Wear this." Jacob threw a black dress onto my lap. He was wearing a cheap tuxedo that made him look wrong. He was too rough around the edges to act prim and proper.

I was biting my tongue about what I really wanted to talk to him about. Dez said Alex and him fought about something cop adjacent and that made my skin crawl. Was it a bribe gone wrong? Did someone hear something that just wasn't true?

Alex only answered one text. Then after that nothing.

I held the stretchy black fabric up. I fisted it in my palm and left without a complaint.

I passed Remi on the stairs, and he shoved his gun in his coat. Maybe I should ask them for one. After all I had a lot of janitors and crazies coming after me. But would I even be able to pull the trigger?

I'd gone to the shooting range with Dom a few times, so I knew how to use one but shooting a person and a sheet of paper were two vastly different things.

The sweet-heart neckline of the dress clashed with my bun, so I grabbed the hair tie and my curls from yesterday fell on top of my shoulders. The rest of the dress was loose except on my hips and my chest, and like I hoped, it hit the floor and covered my sneakers.

Someone knocked on the door, and I grabbed my clothes from the ground.

"Yeah. What's up?" I opened it and Dom was standing outside leaning against the staircase banister. My face went slack, and I had to remind myself to be as non-confrontational as possible.

Just be normal.

"We need to talk." He twisted his wedding ring as he took off towards his bedroom. He opened the door for me and closed it after I entered.

This felt like he was cornering me into something. Like I was faced with a boulder rolling down a hill.

"If this is about Jacob, I'd rather not talk about it," I stated plainly, obviously unenthused with whatever this was.

"I already talked to Jacob, and we came to an agreement. I wanted to talk about us. I had a proposition of some sort." I'd been in here lots of times, this is where Dom brought us when he needed to talk about something private. Something meant for only you to hear.

"What does this 'proposition' entail?" I asked with finger quotes.

"The apartment. I'm signing it under your name. You'd be on the lease, not me."

No. No way.

"Why? Why would you do that?"

"I've been thinking about all this. What I'm asking of you. This isn't meant for you Claire. Not yet. You're still so young," he shook his head, and refused to look at me. I couldn't help but feel relieved, but my ego was bruised. I knew this life wasn't what I wanted but hearing it come from Dom's mouth made it hurt. Either way it was bullshit. I was considered young, but Alex, an 18-year-old, could be a killer? Sure.

"So what? One last hurrah and the apartments mine? Sorry, but that's not how things work with you."

"You're a good girl," Dom swallowed. "I want you out, it's what's best for you. It just depends on how tonight goes. I should have never gotten you into any of it, not without easing you in first. You know why I'm sending you on jobs like this."

"That didn't matter a week ago. Why does it matter now?"

"Because you're not supposed to be selling weed out of your apartment for the rest of your life. You could get a better job and move downtown. That's what your mom and dad would've wanted. I just need something from you. I know you don't like coming around anymore. I understand we're not what you want. But in a few weeks. It'll be done."