“It’s your fucking fault,” I remind him. “How long does it take to text a goddamn photo? Besides I wasn’t the only one who mixed her up. The guys we have watching the house told me they’d seen his sister right before Scott left, but obviously they’d mixed her up with this girl.”
“You like her,” he teases.
The glare I give him makes him laugh. “What the fuck are we? Ten?”
“You could just marry her like I did Nina, then you wouldn’t have to worry about any of this.”
“That’s not going to fucking happen,” I growl at him. He knows damn good and well that I have no plans to ever marry. Our father’s death destroyed our mother. She’s a completely different person now, a shell of the vibrant woman she once was. We didn’t just lose our dad that day; we lost both our parents. Being a Bratva boss means your life is always in danger, and I won’t put another person through that. I’m happy my brother found love, and I wish him the best, but that’s not going to be me. I won’t allow it.
“Should I ask why it smells like piss?”
“She ran,” I growl at him, not elaborating.
He ignores my foul mood and says, “Nina’s going to love hearing that not only do you have a live-in maid now, but that you also think she’s beautiful.”
I groan and scrub a hand through my hair. I need a shower and some aspirin. I have dried blood and piss on me, and I’m starting to get really fucking grumpy about how this night has gone. I’m also irritated that I’m so curious about Maddie.
“So where’s the real Kaylee?” Vasily asks her.
“She went on a date earlier with some preppy asshole.”
“What’s his name?”
“Preston Winterborn III,” she says, giving me a tiny smile when I laugh at the ridiculous name.
“Thank you,” he tells her and then says to me in Russian, “You want to still handle this, or should I get someone else?”
“I’ll fucking do it,” I growl at him. “I made the mistake, and I’ll be the one to fix it.”
“Sounds good. I’m going to go home. Let me know if you need anything. We can question her tomorrow about Scott. She may know something that could be useful to us.” Turning to Maddie, he raises his hand in a wave goodbye. “See you later, Maddie.”
“Bye,” she says and then gives her pretty head a soft shake, the surreal moment making her head spin. When she’s got control of herself again, she turns her attention back to me, waiting on the rules.
The truth is, I don’t need a maid. I’m kind of a neat freak, and I have no problem keeping my own house clean, but by putting her on the payroll, I’ll be able to keep a close eye on her. I can let her go once all this is settled and I know she’s no longer a threat. For now, she’s my responsibility.
“Why do you need money?” I ask instead of going over what I expect from her.
“I just do.” She wiggles in her seat before finally holding her hands out to me. “Can’t you at least untie me now? It’s going to make cleaning very difficult if I can’t separate my damn hands. And I need a shower,” she quickly adds.
“Yeah, so do I,” I say, fighting a grin at the way she blushes.
“That was your own fault,” she whispers.
I don’t argue. We both know she’s right. Instead, I lean closer, extending my arm out to her, waiting for her to put her bound wrists in my hand.
“Tell me,” I say, waiting for her to speak before I start to slowly untie her.
“My mom is sick, and her insurance sucks,” she finally says.
“Sick how?”
“Breast cancer,” she whispers, keeping her eyes locked on my fingers. “That’s why I was working for Kaylee and Scott. They pay me under the table, so I’m able to put all of it towards my mom’s treatments.”
“How much did they pay you?”
“Two thousand a month, and I got to live there for free.”
“I’ll pay you five, and I’m not charging rent.”
