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“Wouldn’t have guessed that one. No resemblance at all.” Blaise pointed out something I’d already noticed myself.
I shrugged and crossed my arms over my chest, feeling the stupid suit coat I was wearing stretch even tighter. “Not my business,” I said more for my benefit than anything.
Blaise said nothing, but we’d been friends our entire lives. I could read his thoughts in the silence, and I felt like planting my fist in his face for thinking it. He was right, of course. The girl made me fucking hard. She was sexy as hell. But she had been my brother’s fiancée, and she was one of these people. Not for me.
“It should be me in that fucking casket,” I muttered. “He was the safe one. Where was that God he wanted to serve?”
My heart constricted in my chest. I’d never see his face again. Never hear his laugh. Fuck, this hurt.
“Fucking wish he’d been with us,” Blaise said beside me. “Not here with these people. But he was happy. You got that to hold on to. Even if it hurts like a son of a bitch.”
Three
Trinity
Six Months Later
This house was much bigger than I’d anticipated. I wasn’t sure I could continue cleaning the local library and the other two businesses I currently cleaned for. As much as I liked my evenings alone in the library, the grand I made a month from cleaning it six nights a week didn’t compare to the five grand a month I was going to get for cleaning this house three days a week.
With that kind of money and extra time, I could not only pay all my bills, but there was also a possibility I could go to the junior college in town. My future was starting to have some hope. There was a chance for a real life if I could keep this job. It would take me cleaning the library, bank, preschool, and at least four more businesses a month to make this kind of money. Even then, I wouldn’t have a moment to do anything other than work.
Smiling for the first time since Hayes’s death, I began to dust the furniture in the room that the house manager, Ms. Hottel, had brought me to. She wasn’t the friendliest person, but I wasn’t here to make friends. I was here to make money. This was an opportunity that I wasn’t going to lose. Good things always seemed to get snatched away from me. I hoped I got to keep this one. It was time the universe gave me a break.
The next few hours, I cleaned several rooms, being sure to clean every square inch even though this house was as clean as it was elaborate. I had yet to meet the man who owned the house. He’d hired me through the bank manager, Philip.
Apparently, Mr. Esposito was a very important client in need of a new house-cleaning service. Philip had said he was a private guy and didn’t want a team of cleaners in his house. I owed Philip for getting me this job. I was aware that Philip liked me, but he was much older than me. Maybe forty, but I wasn’t sure exactly. He had claimed he was separated from his wife when he asked me out once last month. Thankfully, he had accepted that I wasn’t ready to date. I was still grieving my fiancé’s death. I wasn’t sure how long that excuse was going to hold though. He was an attractive man, but I had watched him flirt with other women at the bank. I had a feeling he was separated because he’d done something wrong. Not the other way around.
I would deal with that if and when the time came.
I had been working on my anxiety. The first few panic attacks I’d suffered through after Hayes’s death were difficult. It wasn’t like they were new to me. I’d dealt with them all my life, but Hayes had helped me work through them. When I went to my dark place, where I escaped from memories, that was a different story. Thankfully, that had to be triggered by something. It didn’t happen often. I wasn’t going to rely on another person again. If I let myself, I’d lose them. That was a lesson I’d learned. I had to be strong for myself.
Feeling more confident, I gave the last room on the main floor one more glance and felt good about how it looked, then headed for the stairs. I had been informed that Mr. Esposito was at home but that he was in his private quarters that I wouldn’t be cleaning, ever. This was a sprawling residence and I was curious where those private quarters were located. Not that I’d go looking for them. I wasn’t stupid, just intrigued.
As I made my way toward the second floor, I heard what sounded like a muffled scream. Was someone watching a television? I hadn’t come across another human since Ms. Hottel had taken me through the house, going over what was expected. I paused and thought about going to investigate, then decided against it. Being nosy was a bad idea if I was going to keep this job. My foot hit the first step just before a cloth was shoved in my mouth from behind, muffling the scream that tore from my throat.
My heart slammed into my chest as the reality of what was happening hit me. Whoever was behind me grabbed my wrists and tied them so tightly that I cried out in pain.
“Where is the fucker?” a deep voice demanded near my ear.
What fucker?
I shook my head, panicking. I had to do something. I glanced around and tried to turn to see who it was that had me when my body was slammed against the wall. The side of my face pressed against the stucco, and I closed my eyes for a moment, wondering if I would cry now.
Was this enough to provoke my tears? My own death?
“Take me to the fucker.” The threat in his voice was clear.
If I didn’t do what he wanted, I wasn’t going to live. Problem with this was, I had no idea who the fucker was or where the fucker was.
“Motherfucker,” another male voice growled.
Suddenly, I wasn’t being pressed against a wall. I didn’t move though. I stayed still, afraid to breathe.
“What the hell?” the first man snarled.
“Not that one.” The other man’s deep voice made me shiver.
I closed my eyes, amazed that they were still dry. I was possibly in my last few moments of my life, and I still couldn’t cry.
