Page 18 of The Brutal Arrangement

“No!” Fear crept up my spine, making me feel cold and tenser than before. “You—I—No. Not okay. This is so far from okay.” I backed up, circling away from her as she stuck with me, not losing that worried wince as I reacted.

“No way. Katerina, no freaking way. I’m not going to let you tell me who to marry or what to do or?—”

She cringed. “Just?—”

“No!” I kept my voice down, but I couldn’t help the shrillness of my reply. “I won’t just do anything, Katerina. This is insane. Crazy talk. I get that we’re from two totally different worlds, but you can’t choose me to marry someone and expect me to…” Shaking my head faster, I tried to avoid the instant visions that came to me.

Being kidnapped and raped.

Being sent off to a hidden location, never to be found again.

To be murdered by these Mafia men.

Manipulated and involved…

“I don’t want to get involved.” I slashed my hands in the air, then held my hands up as if to ward her off. “I don’t want any part of this. Kat, I’m just a maid. I’m just… I only work here as a maid, and I’ve got a life, and no. Uh-uh. No.”

“I need you to take my spot,” she insisted.

Backing up and needing to keep distance from this worried woman whom I almost wanted to consider a friend, I damned myself for ever caring and being concerned about her. This always happened. That damn bleeding heart of mine never stopped. Being empathetic to others’ woes never ended well for me, but it was how I was wired.

“No,” I repeated.

“Help me, Lucy.” She narrowed her eyes, not cruelly but like she had to be calculating in this situation. “And I’ll help you.”

“By sending me away so a man can force himself on me?” I huffed an incredulous laugh. “Nothing is worth that!”

“Not even your mother?” she challenged.

I stopped still. Ice ran through me, chilling me from the inside out. This was what I got for almost seeing her as a friend. “You’d blackmail me? You’d use my mother against me?” I hated that I’d been so dumb as to think she merely cared about getting to know me a little bit, asking me about my family and all.

“No. Not against you.” Katerina growled, frustrated. “I’ll help you. I’ll helpher. I can handle all the outstanding bills. I’ll handle the entire amount. All twenty-one thousand of it.AndI’ll get her to that better facility that you’ve been wishing to get her into. The Dream Garden place.”

My mouth hung open. I’d told her some things about my mom, but not that many details. Not the amount I owed or the name of the facility I daydreamed of putting my mom in.

“How the hell do you even know that?” I demanded. She’d invaded my privacy, snooping about me, and I once again felt so dumb to think she’d be a friend of mine.

“Because I have resources to obtain information.” She stated it matter-of-factly, but that didn’t change how unsavory it was.

Because she’s in the Mafia, you moron. They can find out whatever they want.

You are so stupid.

Of course she doesn’t care about being your friend.

She cares about using you!

“I only looked up more about your situation so that I could offer you something in return for doing this favor for me.”

“No.” I panicked, feeling too stuck and claustrophobic in this room as she continued with this crazy scheme. “No, Katerina.Hellno.” Rushing backward to reach the door, I dared to turn my back to her.

“Lucy.Please!” She followed me, so desperate.

“No!” Terror claimed me. I saw no way to reason with her. No option to get her to realize how wild this sounded. Logic wouldn’t work here.

All I could do was get away from her and her nonsensical plot.

I wrenched the door open and ran. Not caring about anyone seeing me in the house this late, not worrying about someone calling me out for screwing around and being a naughty maid, I bolted.

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