Maid for the Mafia

**MICKEY**

When Bruno and I roll to a stop in front of Alex's mansion my jaw is so tight I can practically hear the moan of my teeth. Tiny *is in fact* here. The bastard brought my prize to Alex's place like a goddamn traitor.

I could kill him for this. I'm well within my rights to and if I did, he'd be out of the running for my doll's attentions. But... I don't want to win her that way. I'm not an insecure little bitch. I'm no fucken pussy. I *want* her to *want* me more than she does anyone else in the world.

I don't want to win by default.

Besides, he's not an *actual* traitor. I know he brought that fucker Miguel here to score points with *her* not with Alex and to be fair, he *is* the one who did all the *actual* work.

But I'm his boss, so I'll have to come up with *some* form of punishment.

*Maybe I'll make him watch while I fuck her.*

Shit, that's right. He's been here for, going on, three hours now. *He's* probably already made a move.

"Mick?" Bruno calls back to me from the front seat.

*Fuck.* I've been simply sitting here and staring at the house for the last thirty minutes. "Let's do this," I say, stepping out of the Black Suburban, my expensive shoes crunching on the dirty driveway. A silver sedan is parked near the front doors right behind Tiny's car. It's a new model and slightly familiar, however I can't place it at the moment.

Bruno's little girlfriend Simone throws open the doors as the pair of us advance up the steps.

"Bruno!" the female yells out, leaping into his embrace and losing all semblance of professionalism in one foul swoop, but that's not what concerns me. What *bothers me is the sound of her voice. "Thank God you're here!"

"What's happened?" I ask, noting the pivotal atmosphere the moment I step indoors. It's much too quiet. *What the fuck is going on?* Simone begins crying in Bruno's arms and I resist the urge to roll my eyes and slap her. "I asked a fucking question. What's happened?"

The useless little witch begins to sob and hyperventilate, crumpling into a heap in Bruno's arms. "Boss, try and chill, yeah?"

My head snaps in his direction, my eyes narrowing into slits. "I'm going to ask her one more time and if she doesn't answer me, I'll snap her fucking neck. How's that for chill?"

Bruno scowls, but he knows better than to reply.

"Now," I say, stepping forward and fixing little Miss Sunshine with a devastating smile. "Please, tell me. What the fuck has happened?"

Just the thought of her reply being in the negative sets a panic inside of me that may result in a massive amount of casualties, should her answer not be the one I seek.

"There was a shooting on the third floor! In the hall," Simone reports. "I was so scared," she whimpers, turning her face into Bruno's chest.

Ice tears into my veins and an image of Romany's face flashes before my eyes. Lifeless and cold. The teal blue lagoon of her eyes muted into a glazed gray.

*No. No. No. Fuck that.*

"Is. My. Doll. Okay?" I growl out, my biceps locking on flex as I whip out my piece.

"Sh-she's fine. At least, I th-think she is," Simone babbles. "I only saw her for a second, but she was alive when I did. It was Damien that was shot."

*Well, thank fuck.*

But what I say is, "I didn't ask about that shit. I asked about Romany." Then my angry snarl is turned on Bruno. "If you plan on bringing this one with us when we leave you better make sure she learns how to answer questions in a timely manner and *without* all the extra information."

Bruno nods, stroking his hands up and down his girlfriend's back. "Understood, Boss."

"See that you do," I snap, then make a mad dash for the service elevators. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirrored walls as the doors close and what I see is frightening. *Good. Maybe Tiny will piss himself.*

When I step onto the third floor and round the first corner, the blood that stretches across the carpet sends a lightning bolt of fear into my chest. "Holy shit," I hiss. *Somebody* bled the fuck out. "Mickey," Tiny's voice trespasses from somewhere behind me and I stiffen before turning around.

Chuckling as I swivel in his direction, I tap my gun on my chest. He stands there, arms crossed, chin lifted, smug as a duck in the water. "Where's my prize you little fuck?" I take a few paces toward him, dragging the barrel of the gun across the hallway wall as I do.

Lowering his chin so that he's no longer disrespecting me, he doesn't answer and where I come from, it means what it means.

Miguel is gone. They've already killed him. And I wasn't even here for it.

Without batting an eye, I draw my piece and shoot the floor at Tiny's feet.

The little motherfucker doesn't so much as flinch. There's not even a hint of a flex in the swell of his calf muscles. For some reason, that only makes me angrier. He says, calmly, "That's somebody's room down there, Mick."

*As if I give a fuck.* I shake my head at him. "What about the Professor? What about Jenson? Where is *he*?"

"Jenson's *been* gone," my cousin says from the direction of his suite. "He disappeared the same day you took Romany on that little field trip."

"Of fucking course," I laugh humorlessly, spinning on Alex and darting in his direction.

He and I stare at one another, hostility sucking up all the air in the space. Then, I notice the bruises along his face and jaw, and now I can't help but smile. "Somebody went to town on your face, cousin. It's not looking good." This time when I laugh, the sound is smiles and light and everything right.

Alex suddenly sighs, stroking a hand across his face like he is immensely tired. "Dana Rojas is dead."

"Dead?" My eyebrows draw upward as I spare a small glance over my shoulder toward the bloodstains on the carpet. Then a dark shadow passes over my heart and I clamp my eyes shut. *Damien was shot. Dana is dead. Fucking hell.* "Tell me she didn't do it, Alex. Tell me you didn't turn my sweet, innocent little doll into some fucking killer."

When I open my eyes, Alex's is smirking. "Almost. She tried. She got close, too. But no." He clenches his jaw. "I did it."

"How?"

"Just widened her smile a bit, is all. But..." he sighs. "Romany saw the whole thing and that, coupled with the news that Ruby is alive, has put her in a state of shock." "What?" I snarl.

"It's been an hour, and she still hasn't stopped shivering."