Page 76 of Midnight Wedding

My stomach twists. “I’ve been eating her food.”

“There’s a reason she’s such a good cook.”

I groan, burying my face in his back. “I’m thoroughly freaked out.”

“I promise, baby, I’ll get rid of the bodies, and I’ll make sure Maud never drugs you again.”

“And I promise not to open doors you tell me to stay away from.”

“Think you can keep that one?”

“Probably not.”

“Good.” He twists and kisses my hair. “You wouldn’t beyouotherwise.”

Chapter 27

Lena

Soapy water sloshes over the rim of the bucket and soaks into the carpet. I stare at the blood-stained hallway, hands on my hips.

“Time to tackle this fucking monstrosity,” I say to nobody.

I’m armed with more cleaning supplies than a five-star hotel. I’m wearing a mask, rubber gloves, and a suit that’s one step below straight-up hazmat. I’ve never dealt with biological stuff like this before, but I’ve cleaned my mom’s blood out of her clothes more than once.

How hard could this be?

As I spray, scrub, and disinfect, I think about Arsen. I think about the man behind the horror. The big, strong, powerful mafia ruler, the leader of his family, under immense pressure and fighting a war against people he cares about. I’m still pretty freaked out about finding all this, but at least I’m starting to understand why a guy like him might keep a weirdo murder-shrine.

Or maybe I’m just as broken as he is.

Hard to say.

I’m on my hands and knees when Maud appears behind me. I look up at her and she frowns down at me before grabbing her own gloves and joining. We work together in silence for a little while, and even though the blood’s old and the stains are deep, we start to make progress.

“Arsen wants me to apologize,” Maud says.

“But you don’t want to?”

“I just don’t think I’ve got anything to apologizefor. You were making a damn racket and if you kept it up, half the staff would’ve come looking. Imagine the trouble if anyone else saw that room?”

I laugh lightly to myself. “Right, good point. You don’t want the world to know about Arsen’s murder-shrine.”

“I don’t like that you’re making light of it, but I suppose joking’s better than screaming.”

“Arsen told me you were a poisoner.”

“In another life, dear.” Maud wipes her forehead and frowns at me. “I’ve been with the Brotherhood for a very long time. I’ve seen how the world has changed, and I’m telling you, Arsen’s the only man capable of navigating this mess. He’s a good man.”

“You keep saying.”

“I mean it.” She bends down and scrubs some more. White foam turns pink with blood. “But I promised him I wouldn’t drug you again, and I keep my promises.”

“That’s something, I guess.”

She presses her lips together and studies me. “You’re really going to clean all this yourself?”

“I’m going to try.” I climb to my feet, wring out the brush, and start on the wall. “He needs someone to start it, so why not me?”

---