Chapter 5 - The Maid Who Noticed Everything
The safe contained a flash drive.
Marco stared at it.
“How long has that been there?”
Emma stood behind us, one arm wrapped around her ribs.
“Three weeks.”
I looked at her.
“You should be in bed.”
“You’ve said that six times.”
“And you’ve ignored me six times.”
“Good. We understand each other.”
Marco coughed to hide a laugh.
I inserted the drive into an isolated laptop.
Files appeared.
Bank transfers.
Photographs.
Recorded conversations.
All designed to make it appear that I had been secretly paying Kolov.
Marco whispered, “He was building evidence.”
“To show the captains,” I said.
Emma leaned closer.
“He wanted everyone to think you betrayed them.”
“Yes.”
Victor’s plan became clear.
Start a war.
Destroy my credibility.
Take control after both sides weakened each other.
Marco looked at Emma.
“You just saved his organization.”
Emma frowned.
“I was dusting.”
“You’re terrifyingly good at dusting.”
A slow clap came from the doorway.
We turned.
Victor stood there.
Three armed men behind him.
Marco reached beneath his jacket.
Victor smiled.
“Don’t.”
Marco froze.
Victor looked at me.
“I’m disappointed.”
“In yourself?”
“In you.”
He stepped into the room.
“Your father would be ashamed.”
“My father trusted you.”
“Your father understood power.”
“And you attacked a maid to get mine.”
Victor glanced at Emma.
“Collateral.”
I saw her stiffen.
“Say that again.”
Emma grabbed my sleeve.
“Dominic.”
Victor smiled.
“There. That’s your weakness.”
He pointed toward her.
“A cleaning girl.”
Emma stepped forward.
“No.”
Victor frowned.
She looked directly at him.
“I’m not his weakness.”
“You think you matter?”
“I matter to my brother.”
Silence.
“I matter to Lucia. Marco came looking for me. Dominic brought doctors into this house because I was hurt.”
She took another step.
“You lost because you decided people beneath you didn’t matter.”
Victor’s smile vanished.
“You heard me in the study.”
“Yes.”
“You should have kept cleaning.”
“I did.”
Marco laughed.
Victor snapped, “Shut up.”
Then something unexpected happened.
The three men behind Victor lowered their hands.
Victor turned.
“What are you doing?”
One spoke.
“Boss said nobody touches the girl.”
Victor looked at me.
I smiled.
“Did you really think Marco let you walk through my front door with armed men?”
Victor’s face changed.
The men were mine.
Marco had arranged everything after discovering Victor was approaching.
Victor backed toward the door.
“You set me up.”
“No.”
I looked at Emma.
“She did.”
Victor lunged toward her.
I intercepted him.
We crashed into the desk.
Marco grabbed Victor’s arm.
Within seconds, he was on the floor.
Emma stared down at him.
Victor looked up at me.
“You’ll kill me?”
“No.”
His surprise was obvious.
“You wanted a war,” I said. “I’m not giving you one.”
Marco pulled him upright.
“What happens to him?”
“He answers for the warehouse, the money, and Emma.”
Victor laughed bitterly.
“To who? Police?”
I looked at him.
“Yes.”
His laughter stopped.
“You wouldn’t.”
“I just did.”
Sirens sounded outside.
Victor stared at me as Marco escorted him away.
Emma slowly sat in my chair.
I looked at her.
“That’s my chair.”
“I’ve had a difficult week.”
I considered it.
“Fair.”
She leaned back.
“So what happens now?”
“Victor goes to prison.”
“Anthony?”
“Same.”
“Anton?”
“Cooperating.”
“And Kolov?”
“I called him.”
Emma’s eyebrows rose.
“You called a rival crime boss?”
“Yes.”
“How did that conversation go?”
“He called me several unpleasant names.”
“Did you deserve them?”
“Probably.”
She smiled.
Then I noticed her eyes filling.
“What?”
Emma looked away.
“It’s over.”
“Yes.”
“My brother is safe?”
“Yes.”
“My mother?”
“Safe.”
She nodded.
Then she started crying.
I had faced armed men with less fear than I felt watching Emma cry.
“What do I do?”
She laughed through the tears.
“You seriously don’t know?”
“No.”
“Come here.”
So I did.
She wrapped her arms around me.
After a moment, I held her.
May you like
And for once, Dominic Castellano didn’t need to control what happened next.
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