Maid for the Mafia by Jaylee

Before You Go

**ROMANY**

As I fought with the trembling of my bones, I tried to tell myself Alex *didn't know for sure if Ruby was dead. He *didn't know* that, he *couldn't*. Because as stupid as it sounds, I could still feel her. Call it what you want to, instinct, psychic awareness, *delusion*. Whatever it was... somehow I just know that if she were *actually* gone, I would feel it. I'm her baby cousin and even though I'm not much younger than she is, she *always* took care of me. There is *no way* she would have left this Earth without sending me a message. Either by letter or by man or by fucking *medium*. She wouldn't go without letting me know.

Something inside of me is telling me she's alive and that is what I choose to believe. Besides, Alex just finished whispering to me that he would find out where she was. Why would he care where she was if he knew she was dead? He wouldn't. I turned back to the show in front of me, only vaguely curious as to what I missed.

Alex laughed, lowering the gun and shaking his head at Stella.

"I-"

"No, don't speak. You may only talk when asked to. So, answer me this"-she nodded and he knelt in front of her once more-"when you tipped Santos off about Ruby's coming for him, what did say? Did he tell you what he was going to do? Or were you just hoping he wouldn't kill her? Tell me."

"No! He didn't tell me. I don't know what he was going to do. I swear!"

"Oh, so you know nothing? Huh? I guess you only have tips for Santos. Nothing for me though."

"No! it's not like that! it's-"

"Silence. That wasn't a question. But this is. What about Romany? Hmm? What did he intend to do with *her*? Did you volunteer, her? Were you selling her to him? Come on now Stella! If you want to keep at least one foot, you'll need to give me more than 'I don't know'."

my

Asked him for a favor," Stella said, glancing at me. "I sent him her picture the

"Uh-huh. Go on."

had uses for her. That he would pay me

was

Again, Stella began sobbing.

me Stella!"

me to drug her and leave her outside. He said he would take care of the

panting, my breaths coming in large gasps. The memory of that night and

nodded, turning around. "You heard that,

Tiny hopped up and exited the

cousin," Mickey said, his voice darker than I'd ever

that I have roaming my halls protecting me at night. No more of this. We will have to vet all of them again. And any of them that so much as twitch when I show them my dick, I am going to kill. We can replace them." Alex reaches for a bottle of whiskey on the shelf in front

*Robots? He's joking, right?*

I was shocked. He looked ready to explode. There was a gun in his hand

sell her to that bastard!" I hear Mickey mumble before tapping

nothing but an extra chore. Just another body for the crematorium," Alex said, eyeing Mickey as Stella began to whimper. "*You've* never killed a woman.

and I couldn't help but shoot him a look of absolute

most outrageously antagonistic