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“That all sounds neat and tidy, Meli, but I don’t think it’ll work.”
I scowl at his condescending tone. “Didn’t speaking to women like that get you into this mess in the first place?” I snap. “I’m trying to think of something to help.”
He sighs. “You’re right, sorry. It’s been a long morning.” He pulls into the car park at the clubhouse. “I’ll let Mav know the situation.”
I follow him to Mav’s office, indicating for Rosey, who is watching television in the main room, to follow. The men are not pushing us out of this. When Mav and Rosey are up to date, he turns to me. “Are you okay?”
I shrug, then I feel a familiar lump in my throat but swallow it down. Tears won’t save Arthur. “He said he’ll come up with a plan.”
“Rosey, can’t you find out if there’s a hit on any of us?” asks Albert. “She could be lying.”
“I can try, but it’s not like we have a directory of hitmen and women. She could have hired anyone from anywhere in the world.”
“I’ll keep my eyes and ears open,” I say, and when Albert looks confused, I add, “She didn’t fire me from the office. I’m still gonna show up for work every day.”
“Good idea,” says Albert. “I’m gonna hire a housekeeper too. We need as many insiders as we can find.”
“I’ll do it,” I offer. “She doesn’t know who works for Arthur and what they do. I’ll just tell her that’s how I started dating him, through him hiring me.”
“Are you sure? That could get messy if you’ve got to see them together,” says Mav.
“I need to feel like I’m doing something. I’ll call by later this evening. The worst she can do is send me away.”
“I’ll try and locate your mother,” offers Rosey.
“I’ll put someone on you, Meli. Please don’t go off on your own,” says Mav, and I nod. I don’t intend to now I know there’s a price on my head. “Rosey, you can do the honours, splitting time with Viking.”
“Really? New guy?” she cries. “He’s gonna stand out.”
“Dice told me to bring you in on more club business, so don’t make me regret it,” he snaps.
I managed to get Mama B to put a bucket of cleaning supplies together, so it looks as though I do this sort of thing regular. She even found me an apron.
Rosey drops me off at Arthur’s house, and as I head up the driveway, nerves overtake my body. I stop and take a deep breath. I can do this. I have to, for Arthur. I’m relieved to see the lights off and no one home. Albert gave me the key and alarm code, so I go right in, jumping into the role as housekeeper.
I take the bedroom first, smiling when I see his unmade bed. I fold the sheets back slightly and plump his pillows, then I go and make a start on the en-suite. Next, I go to the spare room that Jolene is currently staying in. The bed is made, and the windows are open to let in fresh air. There’s a bag on the dresser full of expensive makeup. I pick up a pricey bottle of perfume and spritz it, inhaling the sharp, musky scent. I roll my eyes because, of course, she’s dripping in good perfume and nice makeup. I open her walk-in wardrobe and scan the rail of expensive brands, noticing there’s a lot of new garments with the tags still attached.
I hear the front door open and Arthur shouting hello. He must be wondering why the lights are on, although Albert gave him the heads-up. “It’s just me,” I shout back, collecting my bucket and heading out the room. I get to the top of the stairs and see Jolene standing behind him. It stops me in my tracks. “Hey. I’m done up here, so I’ll make a start in the kitchen.”
“Great,” mutters Arthur, taking his coat off and hanging it on the hook. Jolene coughs to get his attention and then she turns, indicating she wants him to remove her coat. He does it with an annoyed expression.
“What is this exactly?” asks Jolene.
“Didn’t I mention? She does some housekeeping for me,” he explains.
“Since when?”
“A few months,” he says, shrugging. “I can’t remember. Albert sorts out the staff.”
“It’s seven in the evening, a bit late for cleaning.”
“I fit it around the office and my life,” I say, heading down the stairs and passing her to go to the kitchen.
She follows. “As long as this isn’t a ploy to make my life hell.”
I smirk. “Like you’re making Arthur’s?”
“He might feel like that now, but once he see’s how good we are together and how the businesses will flourish, he’ll realise I was right.”
