Maid for the Mafia by Jaylee

Traitor

**ROMANY**

My hands started to shake, my stomach tumbling like a rock down the mountain. Suddenly all I could see was my beautiful, brave cousin the way she looked when she was fifteen. Full of anger and fierce resilience as she packed a backpack and swore one day she'd be back to kill my uncle. Echoes of her telling me *'she would always be there for me'* play about in my head, warring with the promise she made to me when she left me here with Alex. *'I'll be back the day after tomorrow'*

But she didn't come back, she was delayed and then silent. And everyone told me that she would be fine because *she's Ruby!* And now... what is it that I'm hearing? I'm not even sure if I understood. Ruby is... "Where is she?" I asked suddenly, my body tensing with anger as the tears rolled from my eyes.

I felt someone's hands on my shoulders, gently coaxing me back toward the table, I shoved him off, glaring at Alex. He still wasn't acknowledging me, *the bastard*. So, I stomped all the way up to him and stood in his face. "Where is she?" I asked again.

His head was tilted to the side, his gaze glued to some point on the ground, still refusing to meet my eyes. I shoved him as hard as I could and although he didn't budge, his jaw flexed angrily. So I took it a step further and before anyone could see what I intended to do, I slapped him. The sound of it echoed like a crack of thunder and a chorus of gasps filled the room behind me. My hand was throbbing but I refused to give it attention. I'd hit him pretty damn hard and his chin was up now, his face a blazing red, but his eyes fixed to a point somewhere beyond me. *Goddamn him! I'll leave this place today.*

tell me! You won't even fucking look at me," I snapped, bopping him in the forehead with my palm. "And after everything -

chair. Again, I shoved Alex and again. The muscle in

instantly, but I grabbed his wrist in both my hands, clawing at his skin with my nails and ignoring the

and Mickey leap over the table to get to me. But before they could, Alex flipped me around, clamping his arms around me and sealing my back to his chest. Damien and Mickey froze, each of them a tiny couple of feet away. Their eyes were wide with fear and I didn't miss the scalding looks

as he held me there, it played second to the heavy panting of my breath. He burrowed into my hair and whispered in a voice meant for *only* me to hear. "Are you trying to kill yourself, huh? I will find out where she is, but you *will* sit down." Then his arms tightened

a spoiled brat who had just gotten her way, I sat back down, ignoring the outrageous expressions of the boys at the table. When I looked back up, Alex was still staring at me and what in his eyes looked a lot like pain. That realization chipped away at some of my anger and burdened me with a new mystery. I would dive into it soon enough, but for now I turned

to her. "Do you see

and her lips pasty. In all the commotion, I'd forgotten that she was bleeding from a gunshot wound to the foot. Sitting up a bit straighter, I was able to see the large pool of blood that had collected around her

my answers from your phone. Because I'm tired of playing with you," he placed the gun to