Page 19 of Mafia And Maid

“You’re hired. You start tomorrow morning. It’s a live-in position, so bring your stuff with you.”

I hear her suck in a breath. “I wasn’t expecting to have to live in.”

I sigh. Does she want a job or not? “Look, that’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”

“I’ll take it,” she says quickly.

“Okay. Meet me at the casino tomorrow at 10 a.m. I’ll drive you to our estate and show you what you’ll need to do.”

Hanging up and sitting back, I tell myself that I only gave her the job to get myself out of a hole with my brothers.Because there can’t be any other reason, right?

As I mull over my thoughts, my immediate relief at finding a job for Rosa and getting my brothers off my back starts to sway toward second thoughts. I scrub my hand across my jaw. What the hell am I thinking of, hiring a maid with zero experience? One who’s as jumpy as a jack-in-the-box, no less.

All the things she’ll break in our house if she’s startled flash through my mind. Alessio’s going to be whining like a bitch if she disturbs his fucking zen by dropping things left, right, and center.

She was beyond nervous during the interview. Her gaze kept darting away, unable to quite meet my eyes, and she kept startling at all the loud noises in the casino.

I wonder how good her housekeeping skills actually are. Because she definitely won’t hang onto the job if she can’t clean properly or, more importantly, cook. I groan as I remember her answers about her cooking skills.Jesus fucking Christ, we’re in for the worst week ever of meals.My stomach clenches at the thought.

Oh God, Marco is going to chew her up and spit her out.

CHAPTER 5

ROSA

“You’re hired.”

Disbelief and elation rocket through me at the same time. I can’t believe that he’s called me back about the maid job. I thought he’d decided I wasn’t worth taking a risk on.

“It’s only for a month. Consider it a trial.”

The relief that I just felt fizzles out at his words. Of course, it isn’t permanent. I haven’t got any experience—or any confidence.

I try to make my voice strong. I don’t want him to hear my self-doubt, or he might just change his mind about even giving me the one month of work. “I understand.”

“You start tomorrow morning. It’s a live-in position, so bring your stuff with you.”

Oh God, I never realized that he’d expect me to live in. But I can’t turn down this job—because who knows if and when another offer will come along. And one thing’s for sure: the sooner I can get enough money together, the sooner Ethan and I can leave Chicago and move somewhere where we’ll be safer.

But the thought of what I need to do has my heart breaking.

Kathleen hasstayed for dinner with us tonight, so I explain the situation to both her and Kori. “Please can you keep Ethan here and safe for me? I’ll be back as soon as I’ve earned enough money to get away from Chicago. I wouldn’t ask if I had any other option…”

And they both agree immediately, and their kindness makes my eyes fill with tears.

But the hardest part is when I have to explain to Ethan that I’ll be away for a little while. “I’ll visit as often as I can, I promise, and it’s just while I earn some money so that we can make a new start.”

He looks at me with his huge brown eyes, and my chest tightens. I can tell he’s confused, and by the time morning comes, I’ve almost changed my mind. But then I tell myself that he’ll be safe with Kori and Kathleen and that this is what I need to do if we are ever going to get enough money to start a new life for ourselves—somewhere far away from Chicago where we’ll be safe from Grayden.

***

I make sure I arrive at the casino with plenty of time to spare. I instantly regret this, however, when I find myself having to hover in the foyer with Stella and the same security guard from yesterday looking down their noses at me.

I slept naked with just a sheet wrapped around me last night so that I could wash my clothing and leave it to dry until morning, but I can tell by their sneers that they’ve noticed I’m still wearing the same clothes as yesterday.

I try to tell myself that I showered this morning as always, including shampooing my hair, and my clothes are freshly washed and ironed, but I still can’t help the flush from rushing up my cheeks.

I have a small bag that Kori lent me. Inside is a precious photo album of Ethan that I took with me when I fled from Grayden, plus an oversized sweater of Kori’s that I can just about fit into.

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