Maid for the Mafia by Jaylee

Just in Case

**MICKEY**

Rolling toward Midtown in the back of a Bentley speaks in a way that has shop owners on the main drag stepping outside to glare at the street. The fact that it has probably been a while since Enzo *personally* wandered into his own territory is *not* lost on me. First of all, he's dead, and despite that his family knows it, thanks to the little gift basket Alex and Damien made of him, these locals do not. So, I imagine they think we're him and *he* obviously wasn't very popular among the smaller business owners.

"I'd roll down the window if I knew it was safe," I grumble, glaring back at a thickly muscled youngster on the side of the road, despite that he can't possibly see beyond the black of the glass. "But I think I saw a pitchfork."

"They probably believe we're here to tax them," Alex snickers. "As if we'd bother with such things."

Tilting my head toward my cousin, I say, "Tell me again, what *exactly* the problem is."

He chuckles, "Hookers on strike."

"Hookers?"

"Dancers. Strippers. Same thing."

"It most definitely is *not* the same thing, and your thinking it is - *might* just be the entire problem," I inform, flicking a piece of lint off the seat. "But... I will say this. I've never heard of exotic dancers refusing to dance. Either Enzo was truly special, or the new manager you put in charge is changing things in a way they reject."

"Oh! Do you think? Why thank you, Club Guru, how unfortunate that I didn't bring my notepad and I can't jot all of your fascinating teachings down."

Laughing darkly, my eyebrows hike up. "None of my 'hookers' have ever declined to work."

His head swings my way. "They certainly haven't. Not a one of them."

I smile. "Don't get upset with me just because your little attack didn't work the way

clenches, telling me precisely what I need to know. This asshole *did* in fact manipulate Romany into professing her love to him with the express purpose of sending me into a flying rage. I already knew as much,

he claims

me too, you know,"

"Well how cheap

didn't tell me, but she did *show* me and that is

"How cheap of *you."*

corner onto Main Street and

about you now, in the face of your fiancée," Alex says snidely, letting me know he watched Ana

on 05s.com for uninterrupted enjoyment. The next chapter is just a click

tell him that she's *not* my fiancée, that I've decided *against* marrying the only living Romano heir, but I don't. I'm not going to give him any more of a leg up than he already has

almost too quietly and God help

I can't. No. He wouldn't. All bullshit aside, Alex and Ruby have spent too many years having each others' backs. There's no way he would jeopardize her

know

simply shrugs at me carelessly. He sighs, "I only know what I would do, if I had one of our enemy's most notorious killers locked away in *my*

gaze narrows, barely aware that the Bentley has just pulled into the garage that

looks at me. "Either that or... my little Red Raider

wrong about that. Ruby's

to be... given the right motivation. And I have

he doesn't