Page 13 of The Brutal Arrangement

Once I left her, I struggled to keep my spirits up for the rest of the day. I refused to get involved with these Mafia people, but something about Katerina just broke my heart. In some ways, I saw parallels between us, both of us stuck in a situation that was less than ideal—me stressed about my mom and affording her care and Katerina living with her demanding and angry uncle.But what stood out between us was that she wasn’t forced into her position. She could leave. She could move. She could start her own life with nothing holding her down.

I assume she doesn’t.

Katerina didn’t go anywhere or do anything but type on her laptop, but there was something more vulnerable like sadness that lurked in her blue eyes that made me wish she was all right.

Hey, you know what, she’ll be gone soon, anyway.Like Joann had told me, the Kozlovs relocated and hopped around their many properties.

Surprisingly, the idea of not seeing my new almost-friend bothered me.

That evening, I tried again to call and speak with my mother, but she was too agitated and had to be sedated. Again.

“Thanks for the update,” I told the nurse at the station.

“Hang on,” she said before telling me goodnight. “Financial wanted to speak with you too.”

I cringed, flopping back on my bed and dreading this conversation. It went about as well as it could have, what with me promising I’d pay the outstanding balance as soon as I got my first paycheck. They weren’t rude, but informative. Still, I hung up and stared at the ceiling, wishing that I not only could cover the small debt that had accrued with this facility but also the freedom to move her to a better place that would be more suited for the care she needed.

One day.I tried to promise myself that my life would be better one day.

All night, I tossed and turned, bothered by too many worries to truly let my mind rest.

I’d heard more guards mentioning a “demon” or some kind of enemy that they had to get rid of.

I’d noticed Katerina was more stressed than usual.

And I couldn’t shake off these thoughts about how I’d be failing my mom by not having the funds for the best care for her.

Restless and annoyed by how little I was resting, I swung my legs over the bed and sat upright. Rubbing my face, then shoving my hair back, I heaved out a deep breath and knew this was useless.

I couldn’t make myself sleep. But perhaps getting a drink of water would distract me.

Leaving the confines of the maid’s room that was next to Joann’s was a risk I didn’t often take. I’d exited in the middle of the night only one other time for a glass of water, and that was before Anton and Katerina had arrived. Too many guards could be in the house at random times, preying on me. With the Kozlov residents here, and the consequent increase of security men, I didn’t like the danger of a pervy man eyeing me and trying to force himself on me.

No one stirred as I stepped into the hall. My path to the kitchen was a short one, and it wasn’t like I could snoop upstairs at all. Still, I nearly held my breath and remained on edge on the way to the kitchen.

My little room in the maid’s quarter wasn’t necessarily any safer, anyway. I bet anyone here could break down the door or unlock it with ease.

Safety was an illusion in both a figurative sense and not. I’d never be secure financially, struggling to afford Mom’s care. I’d never be secure in a family, losing my mom day by day as that horrible disease claimed her. And all by myself, just one woman against the world, I’d never be safe from a man trying to take advantage of me—a fate that shouldn’t have been as much of an issue as it had been in my career as a maid and housekeeper.

The sound of a door closing reached me. I flinched, stopping like a frightened animal. Locked into paralysis, as ifthatwould make me invisible, I waited and tried to place who else was up in this mansion and where they were.

One moment passed, then two.

No one snuck up on me.

I didn’t hear footsteps. I didn’t feel the vibration of someone walking. I didn’t smell the cologne or booze that could indicate a man was near.

I was still alone, and with a shaky exhale, I continued toward the kitchen for water. Once I was there, still roving my gaze and scanning my surroundings nervously, I caught a glimpse of someone in the distance. Through one window, I spotted Katerina running out into the night’s darkness that was further shaded with light rain.

She didn’t slow or hesitate. Under the precipitation, she dashed over the manicured lawn, seemingly sneaking out to go near the outer buildings that lined a small pond in the back. Many acres made up this property, but I never left this main house where I cleaned under Joann’s delegation.

Pausing at the window, I let myself catch my breath more from the immediate scare that I wasn’t the only person up andwalking around in the house at this late hour. As my heart slowed, I squinted to see my friend?—

Oh, stop that. She’s not yourfriend.She’s the client’s niece.

Katerina and I might’ve resembled each other, but we were definitely not on the same socio-economic level at all.

Despite knowing how the lines had to remain between us, I worried about why she was sneaking out and if she’d be caught. Anton had been arguing with her more often than not, and deep down, I struggled with the conviction that this had to be a bad omen.

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