Page 6 of Mafia Rules

I grab it and take it back to my room—or rather the couch. Macy is behind me with a hanger. “Here.”

“Thank you.” I carefully hang it, then hear the soft buzz of my phone. Two missed text messages.

Dereck:Please pick up. We need to talk. I’m so sorry about how I acted the other day. I love you.

Delete.

And the other…

Ash:Hope everything fits. Looking forward to seeing you in them.

I can’t help but smile and wonder what exactly he wants to see me in.

“Everything okay?” Macy says, looking down at my phone.

“I need to wash the red dress first.” I push past her, assuming she already started a cycle. I’ll do one load, shower, and get to bed. I need to look fresh in the morning.

“It’s already in,” she calls from behind me.

“Thank you!” Needing a moment, I run to the bathroom anyway, his handwritten note in my pocket. I close the door and take it out, looking for any other clues as to what he thought about me. I run my fingers along the edges where he would have touched it. I hold the paper close to my face, desperately seeking even the faintest trace of his scent.

A knock on the door breaks my concentration. “We have to talk.”

I reach for the doorknob, but she opens the door first.

“I hate to break up all this fun, but something happened today when I came home. I didn’t text you because I wanted to talk about it when you got home, and I didn’t want to scare you.” Macy takes my hand and leads me to the couch.

She doesn't even have to tell me what happened. It had to be Dereck. “Are you okay?” My voice cracks.

“He was waiting for you.” She clears her throat. “Luckily I noticed him first and you weren’t with me. I had security call the police.”

“The police?” I swallow hard, fearing how he will make me pay for this.

“We need a wall around you. So, he can’t get to you. I wish you would have let me call the police that night.” Macy wraps her arms around me.

“He’ll find me somewhere, Macy. He always does,” I try to say between gasps of air, my shoulders shaking involuntarily.

“Perhaps the only reason good enough to work for the McKenzies. He’ll know better than to fuck with you then.”

“I can’t tell Ash—”

“Ash?” She pulls back from me, narrowing her eyes. “Are we on an abbreviated name base already with the boss man?”

“Everyone calls him Ash. Anyway… he can’t know about Dereck. I don’t want him to see me as being weak.”

“You are not weak. He slammed your face into a wall. He’s physically stronger than you and can’t stand that he doesn’t have control over you anymore.”

“I don’t want to talk about it, please.” Today was the first good day in a while. He hadn’t contacted me in a couple of days. I thought maybe he was starting to move on, a glimmer of hope sparking in my heart despite the lingering doubt.

“Security has his photo now. At least he can’t come on this property. You’re safe here. Now I just have to worry about you working there.”

“Thank you.” I half smile, not wanting her to think I was ungrateful. But I gotta figure this out on my own. I just need to get through tomorrow—if the anticipation of seeing Ash in the morning doesn’t kill me first. “I promise if things get weird, I’ll leave.”

5

EVE

Iwas fifteen minutes early, thanks to the limo waiting for me at Macy's this morning. Inside, on the soft leather seat, there were chocolates, a thousand-dollar coffee card, and a note welcoming me to the McKenzie Group—which I again smelled.

---