Chapter Two
My head whipped to the Sanguine’s leader, my eyes wide. The two men shook on it. The deal was really going down. Because of… me?
“I will keep her company,” Matthias volunteered, still looking like he wanted to tear someone apart.
I didn’t want anyone dogging my steps. Would I be safe with a man with such obvious anger issues?
If it had to happen I would prefer anyone else than this intimidating behemoth.
When Tristan shook his head at Matthias’ proposition I let the air I was holding out.
“No. Theo, you will be the one to accompany Miss Victoria,” the leader decided, motioning to the slender, affable blond man. When Matthias bristled Tristan placed a warning hand on the back of the man’s thick neck.
“Why him and not me?” Matthias still protested but the steam seemed to go out at him at the grounding gesture.
“I suspect we may need someone more level-headed to handle this situation. Besides, I thought you would want to have a say in the negotiations, hmm?” That angle seemed to work as Matthias straightened and looked at Jonas like he was prey he just got permission to hunt.
“I will take good care of her,” Theo nodded with determination. “I’m leaving the rest in your hands. Miss Victoria? Would you lead the way?”
I was quick to leave that room.
Only when we were several corridors away did I quickly look around, opened a janitor’s closet, and pulled Theo inside. The door closed behind us, leaving us in near-perfect darkness.
“What was that?” I hissed in a whisper. “What’s going on?!”
“Please do not be alarmed, Miss Victoria,” Theo soothed. “We simply saw you were treated unfairly and could not abide by that.”
Ah, so Carl wasn’t as subtle as he thought. But I still called bullshit.
“There’s more to it than that,” I said with confidence I didn’t feel.
Theo was silent for a time, then his quiet voice filled the room.
“You are right. But I can’t tell you anything until I know where we stand with the negotiations.”
“Are you going to use me as a bargaining chip?” I said bitterly. “I am not his to sell. Jonas doesn’t own me.”
I pushed out of the closet before Theo could point out that, with my brother’s debt, it wasn’t exactly true.
Swiftly, I made my way to the servant’s quarters with Theo at my heels.
Only the mansion’s workers were permitted here but, in theory, Jonas gave his permission for Theo to ‘accompany me’ so I glared the butler we passed in the corridor into submission and he only huffed, not making a scene.
Not wanting to tempt my newfound luck, I got to my room as quickly as possible and allowed myself to breathe only when the door was closed and locked behind me.
Too bad I was locked inside with a stranger.
“I’m going to shower,” I said after I pulled a fresh uniform from my wardrobe. I could tackle this insanity after I wasn’t shivering from the cold.
“Of course! I will make some tea… ah, or maybe something else,” Theo changed the trajectory after seeing me twitch at the mere mention of tea.
I let the blessedly warm water wash my fears away, if only for a few moments. I emerged from the bathroom freshly dressed and with a firm decision to roll with the punches until I was in a better position to affect my future in any way.
The sad reality was that the only agency I had at the moment lay in telling my brother everything was alright during our weekly calls and not letting him see the bruises.
Protesting against this strange arrangement wasn’t a question of confronting Theo, or even Tristan, but Jonas .
I couldn’t afford to go against the mafia boss who held my and my brother’s lives in his hands.
I was used to lying, to putting a cheerful mask on, so I greeted Theo with a smile and thanked him for the prepared coffee.
“You didn’t bandage your finger,” Theo said, not even looking at me.
“It’s nothing,” I waved a dismissive hand.
“I would feel better knowing the cut has been taken care of properly. Please, allow me?”
“Fine,” I sighed. “The first aid kit is under the sink.”
Theo cradled my hand with infinite gentleness as he dabbed disinfectant onto the wound.
Disturbed again, the cut left a small spattering of blood on the cotton pad.
Theo’s hand froze for a moment and his lips parted before he shook his head and finished the process, leaving me with a small band-aid around my finger.
When he finished, the blond carried the mess to the trashcan and tried to act inconspicuous but I still noticed that he pocketed the stained cotton pad.
It reminded me of the bloody handkerchief Matthias kept.
What the fuck? Once was a coincidence but twice was a pattern. What did those men want with my blood?
Maybe… maybe they required it for testing?
Was their reaction because they recognized my face and thought I was related to someone they knew?
It was the only thing that made sense. And that meant this farce would soon be over; while my bastard of a mafia loan-taking father was likely to cheat on my mother, I was pretty sure she had remained faithful to him.
And the family resemblance was too strong for me to be a bastard, even if I wanted no connection to the man who had landed me in this whole indentured servitude mess.
I allowed myself a moment of rest while I sipped my coffee, but after the cup was empty I took a deep breath in and stood up.
“Where are we going?” Theo perked up. It was weird that he wanted to shadow me but what was I going to do? Tell Jonas’ guest to leave me alone and bring the wrath of not one but two mafia bosses upon myself?
“Back to work,” I said simply. “I can’t sit around and do nothing.”
Not if I didn’t want my debt to pile up instead of going down.
I had laundry duty scheduled for after the meeting but I didn’t think that was the best choice when I had a tail.
The other servants knew the Young Master’s attitude towards me and often — both of their own incentive and at Carl’s urging — gave me the hardest or most humiliating jobs.
It resulted in my share of laundry consisting of the most undesirable elements, like soiled or bloody clothing.
Cleaning the still-fresh blood knowing it likely came not from the mafioso but their prey, often innocent people involuntarily mixed in this dark business like me and my brother, made me nauseous on the best day.
No, the literal and metaphorical dirty laundry would have to keep for now.
“I will do some sweeping,” I decided and marched to the northern wing of the estate.
Theo followed my steps doggedly and stood over me like a bodyguard while I did my work, which garnered me curious and incredulous stares from passersby. Finally, I seized the moment when we were alone and turned to the blond man.
“Can’t you act normal? This isn’t helping!”
“And what would ‘acting normal’ entail?” Theo blinked at me.
“I dunno. If you have to be around act like one of the Young Masters. You know, push into my space, get in the way of my tasks, talk down at me, and throw around thinly veiled innuendo. This way the staff will think I just got another stalker and leave me alone.”
Theo’s eyes darkened until I could swear there was a glimpse of red in them.
“Is that what usually happens? Are the Young Masters of this house bothering you like that?”
“Oh no, that’s usually the visiting ones. The Cornello’s have only one Young Master and he is…”
I shut my mouth before I could say ‘much worse’ but the way the usually innocent-looking blond snarled told me he could read between the lines.
He didn’t take all my suggestions to heart but he did start talking.
About anything and everything.
“…did you know snails can have up to 25 thousand teeth? But sea slugs are even more fascinating! They have such amazing colors that look like… like fireworks! My favorite is the Orange-clubbed sea slug. It’s white with orange-tipped stalks…”
The enthusiastic spill of information was so different from the usual self-important drivel I was subjected to when one of the guests decided to hang around me that I couldn’t help but smile.
I didn’t have the heart to tell Theo that this type of being talked at failed to make me less conspicuous — the blond looked more like an eager golden retriever puppy wagging his tail and waiting for pats than a wolf cornering a little sheep like me.
“What’s your favorite type of slug?” Theo asked as if he really wanted to know the answer.
“I don’t know enough about slugs to have a favorite,” I shrugged.
Theo gasped as if it was an offense to humanity itself.
“Then I will have to introduce you to all the wonderful species! Let’s see, there are a few good aquariums with a sea slug exhibit…”
My heart clenched at him making plans for the future with me in the picture. It hurt to know they wouldn’t come to pass. That the fun adventure with this sunny man was out of reach.
I moved from one task to another, waiting for the other shoe to drop. My bad luck, the very personification of it, found me the minute Theo excused himself to the bathroom.
“Look what we have here,” Carl taunted, cornering me against the wall with his arms. “What will you do now, without that dog pissing around you to mark his territory?”
“Are you calling yourself a dog? Because you came sniffing around me as well,” I gritted out.
Carl bared his teeth at me.
“Don’t think that just because those three bastards want to fuck you I will let you talk back, bitch.”
But… he did. I tilted my head, taking in his clenched fists and the lack of violence that would usually already follow.
“What, is daddy pulling on your leash and not letting you hurt me?” I taunted. Carl slammed his hand against the wall and my eyes widened. “He is!”
“Shut the fuck up! The moment this deal inevitably falls apart I will make your life hell,” his hand lowered to my waist and he ignored my flinch as he let his fingers trail over my body.
“You were always beneath me and I didn’t want to catch something from a slut like you, but I will make a sacrifice and fuck you like the bitch you are.
Until you are crying, until you know your place. ”
The urge to try to break his wrist was becoming hard to resist but I knew he was untouchable.
At least by me.
His wrist didn’t snap but his shoulder popped out of its socket as Theo wrenched the offending hand behind Carl’s back.
“Argh! It hurts! You… you broke my arm!” Carl staggered away from the unassuming blond.
“Only dislocated it,” Theo said pleasantly. “And I will do more if you don’t keep your hands to yourself.”
Carl blanched, his face cycling between the white of fear and the blotchy red of outrage.
“My father…!”
“Will no doubt be keen to hear how you are sabotaging what may very well be the best deal of his life,” Theo cut in with a smile.
The heir to the mafia fortune spluttered but didn’t have a retort to that. He clutched at his hurting arm and stumbled away with his tail between his legs. It was a glorious sight, even if I knew I was going to pay for seeing him like this later.
“Are you alright?” Theo asked gently.
“Better, now that he is gone,” I gave a half-answer. “My shift is nearly done. Let’s just go. Carl is banned from the servant’s wing by the orders of his father so he shouldn’t bother us there.”
“What did he do to get banned?” Theo asked. His nose scrunched up as if the mere mention of Carl left a bad smell behind.
“Harassed the female staff so much we had such high new hire turnover even the big boss took notice,” I shared. “But when we are outside of the safe zone, working… well, you saw for yourself.”
“Is he still making so much trouble for everyone?”
“Nah, I’m just special,” I smiled grimly. “I talked back when I first arrived here and since then he made me his favorite whipping boy.”
Theo looked like he wanted to say something stupid like ‘I’m sorry’ or even worse ‘I will keep you safe’ so I hurried my steps and stopped only when I reached my door.
“I assume I will see you tomorrow?” I shot over my shoulder as I opened the door. “I’m starting work at 6 am and—”
I stumbled backward when I turned and found Theo a step inside my room instead of waiting outside. He swiftly caught my elbow and helped me straighten up but he also subtly herded me away from the door, closed it behind himself, and turned the lock.
I swallowed and took a step back, then another.
Theo stayed in place and laced his hands behind his back. He looked regretful but determined.
“Please, do not be alarmed, Miss Victoria, but I’m not going to leave you alone until the deal is finished.”
“Wasn’t the deal to accompany me during the work hours?” I asked, frustrated at the only place in the Sunset Mansion where I felt safe being invaded like this.
“No, Mister Cornello said ‘while she is in my employment’,” Theo corrected.
“Don’t you have anything better to do than, what, watch me sleep?” My shift started in the afternoon, so by now it was time to go to sleep.
“I’m here to assure your safety and that could never be a waste of my time,” Theo said earnestly.
“And you need to sleep in the same room to protect me?” I looked towards the ceiling, cursing whatever god was responsible for this farce. Is that you, Loki, you old trickster?
“The alternative is me spending the night guarding your door from outside. Say a word and I will do so,” Theo said seriously.
“Very well,” I called his bluff with my chin up high.
To my surprise, he nodded and left my room.
“Goodnight, Miss Victoria. Sweet dreams,” Theo said softly as the door closed behind him.
I went to sleep but a vision of a faithful guard dog protecting my door wouldn’t leave my mind.
I tossed and turned until I finally got up with a groan.
Cracking the door open revealed Theo was sitting next to the entrance, his eyes alert and wide open.
I couldn’t let his cute butt freeze off in this cold and drafty corridor. ..
When he raised an innocent eyebrow at me Theo looked like one of those golden retrievers waving their tails as they waited to perform a trick for a treat.
“Get in,” I gave a defeated sigh and the blond man sprang to his feet with a grin. Weaponized cuteness truly wasn’t a joke. Those puppy eyes were lethal.
When the door closed with a definite click I stepped up to the bed and threw a pillow at Theo. He caught it from the air, robbing me of the pleasure of seeing the pillow hit him in the face.
“This is all you are getting,” I grunted out. “I don’t have any spare blankets but maybe we can scrounge something up tomorrow. Have fun with the floor.”
“Thank you!” the man called out brightly as I curled up in my bed.