“Nico texted. Said there’s a situation in the kitchen.” The cook frowned at me before looking over the path that led up to the main house. “You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
I mimed zipping my lips closed.
Franky groaned. “Get to bed then. It will be morning before you know it.”
“Sorry you were woken up,” I offered as he trudged past me.
He waved his hand. “Di niente, ragazza.”
It wasn’t until I washed the ring in the bathroom sink that the weight of the evening slammed into me. Heavens to Betsy, what had we done? Grandpa Grimaldi was going to find out. There was a fingerless man puking in the sink. Franky would know that I had witnessed the situation, which meant the big boss would probably find out too.
And when they didn’t find all the fingers?
I poked the baggy of salt, my prize hidden inside.
“What the actual fuck am I doing?” I hissed at my reflection.
But there was no way I was returning the finger.
It was mine.
Proof that I’d won. That I was safe. There wasn’t a reason to have nightmares over this episode. So long as no one got me into trouble, this could fade into a distant memory.
Still, dread slithered through me as I exited the bathroom. Mercy sakes, how was Dominico going to explain the violence to his grandfather? He didn’t seem perplexed.
I wanted to trust him to handle this.
I clutched the baggy of salt to my chest as I crept into the hall, tiptoeing past my uncle’s room. I didn’t hear anyone coming into the house to find me. I shut my door softly and went straight to the window. There were no flashing lights from the big house. And it wasn’t like these were the type of men to call the police.
Trust him.
I wasn’t very religious. Hell, I hadn’t been to church in years. But I crossed myself. Once for me, and a second time for the Grimaldi prince. He was going to need all the help he could have to survive this.
Chapter 9 – Rae
Cold saltwater clung to my fingertips as I held the towel to the light. The rusty red stain glared back at me from the beige fibers. I pressed my lips tight and stared right back. Baking soda and a brush were the next items on the check list after the cold saltwater soak. Why these people didn’t just get new towels was beyond me.
“Scrub the blood out, Magnolia Rae. Wipe the scuff marks off the wall. Bleach the toilet, Maggie girl, come on, come on, come on!” I chanted under my breath.
I was losing my mind.
And who wouldn’t? Living in a house filled with dangerous criminals but going about our day pretending they were normal folks. It was insane. Especially after the mess they left in the powder room. No one admitted it was blood on the hand towels, walls, or sink. I was simply told to clean it up.
Ice rattled down my spine, but I pushed it away. Nothing bad had happened…yet.
“Ciao, carina, tutto bene?” Franky called out. He wasn’t talking to me.
I peered through the door to see Cathy lean in close to where he was stirring the soup for lunch. The twinkle in her eye spoke volumes. She shot a quick glance around then pecked his cheek.
The cook chuckled. “Hey now, we aren’t supposed to be doing that here.”
“No one’s around to catch us,” she encouraged.
I hid my snicker of delight. We were supposed to be robots, held to impossible standards of inhuman behavior. It was nice to see my coworkers were just as rebellious as me.
“The prince is here,” Cathy sighed.
“He missed Mass?” Franky wrapped his arm around her and looked at the clock on the opposite wall.
