Maid for the Mafia by Jaylee

Traitor

F*ROMANY**

My hands started to shake, my stomach tumbling like a rock down the mountain. Suddenly all | could see was my

beautiful, brave cousin the way she looked when she was fifteen. Full of anger and fierce resilience as she

packed a backpack and swore one day she'd be back to kill my uncle. Echoes of her telling*'she would

always be there for me" play about in my head, warring with the promise she made towhen she left me

here with Alex. *'I'll be back the day after tomorrow'*

But she didn't cback, she was delayed and then silent. And everyone toldthat she would be fine

because *she's Ruby!* And now... what is it that I'm hearing? I'm not even sure if | understood. Ruby is... "Where

is she?" | asked suddenly, my body tensing with anger as the tears rolled from my eyes.

| felt someone's hands on my shoulders, gently coaxingback toward the table, | shoved him off, glaring at

Alex. He still wasn't acknowledging me, *the bastard*. So, | stomped all the way up to him and stood in his face.

"Where is she?" | asked again.

His head was tilted to the side, his gaze glued to spoint on the ground, still refusing to meet my eyes. |

shoved him as hard as | could and although he didn't budge, his jaw flexed angrily. So | took it a step further and

before anyone could see what | intended to do, | slapped him. The sound of it echoed like a crack of thunder and

a chorus of gasps filled the room behind me. My hand was throbbing but | refused to give it attention. I'd hit him

pretty damn hard and his chin was up now, his face a blazing red, but his eyes fixed to a point somewhere

beyond me. *Goddamn him! I'll leave this place today.*

"Fine, you won't tell me! You won't even fucking look at me," | snapped, bopping him in the forehead with my

palm. "And after everything - you think you can treatlike an object of yours? Something to refer to?"

"Romany," | heard Damien say. "Baby, please cand sit down."

"No!" | yelled, thankful that he wasn't forcingback into my chair. Again, | shoved Alex and again. The muscle

in his jaw grew tighter and tighter each tI did it. Then suddenly, | had a better idea.

On impulse, | grabbed for his gun, knowing he wouldn't lethave it. His hand tightened around it instantly, but

| grabbed his wrist in both my hands, clawing at his skin with my nails and ignoring the warning shouts of the

men behind me. | only had seconds before one of them snatchedoff him, | knew this, but | would inflict as

much damage as possible beforehand.

Alex cursed, raising his arm with the gun, but I hung on. In the corner of my eye | saw Damien approaching and

Mickey leap over the table to get to me. But before they could, Alex flippedaround, clamping his arms

aroundand sealing my back to his chest. Damien and Mickey froze, each of them a tiny couple of feet away.

Their eyes were wide with fear and | didn't miss the scalding looks they were giving me, but | could have cared

less. Fuck them. Let them be pissed. | focused on Alex.

| could feel the wild thumping of his heart as he heldthere, it played second to the heavy panting of my

breath. He burrowed into my hair and whispered in a voice meant for *only*to hear. "Are you trying to kill

yourself, huh? | will find out where she is, but you *will* sit down." Then his arms tightened around me, and | felt

his teeth on my earlobe. My body shuddered and he groaned quietly. "Will you sit?" he whispered again. |

nodded, and | could almost feel him smirking into my hair. "Good girl." He nipped again and then released me.

| felt him watchingas | lifted my chin and walked back to the table. Like a spoiled brat who had just gotten

her way, | sat back down, ignoring the outrageous expressions of the boys at the table. When | looked back up,

Alex was still staring atand what in his eyes looked a lot like pain. That realization chipped away at sof

my anger and burdenedwith a new mystery. | would dive into it soon enough, but for now | turned my

attention back to Stella, who was once again in the center of the tarp.

Alex walked up to her. "Do you see the trouble you've caused?"

Stella's eyes were heavy and her lips pasty. In all the commotion, I'd forgotten that she was bleeding from a

gunshot wound to the foot. Sitting up a bit straighter, | was able to see the large pool of blood that had collected

around her foot. *Jesus! Could you bleed to death from a wound like that? | wasn't sure. *

"I had a lot | wanted to ask you Stella, but it looks like I'm going to have to get most of my answers from your

phone. Because I'm tired of playing with you," he placed the gun to her forehead and my hands tightened on the

armrests of my chair.

Stella began sobbing, her head lolling from side to side. "Please Alex! Please! | swear | never betrayed you! |-"

"If you betrayed her, you betrayed me!" Alex screamed, pressing the butt of the gun into her head. "What is it

about that, you cannot understand? You say you're not a traitor, but you send one of my best friends to her

death. All because *you* are jealous."

My heart cracked in two right then and it took everything innot to break down in tears.

*Ruby... is dead.*

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