“Señora Reed, this is my cousin I told you about. Perdita,” Paola explains.
The middle-aged woman looks up from her computer. “Come in, Perdita. Paola, you can go get ready.”
I look back at her, wishing she could stay. She isn’t a friend, not even close, but she’s all I have right now, and I’m two seconds from shitting myself. My mission hasn’t even started yet, and I might fail miserably.
Mrs. Reed points at the chair opposite hers, inviting me to sit down, and I nervously comply. She studies me for what feels like an entire minute, and then says, “Paola told me you’ve worked for The Plaza for the past nine months.”
Right. When we came up with this persona, Lex and I decided a luxurious hotel was the perfect cover. “Sí, señora. They let me go when they realized I’m not… documented. But Paola told me it wouldn’t be a problem here.”
“It won’t be, no. Do you have more experience as a maid?” Her Spanish is good, but she’s definitely not from South America. My light gringa accent should remain unnoticed indeed.
“I worked for a family in Brooklyn for a year before that.”
“Why did they let you go?”
“I left, señora. A cousin found me the position at The Plaza.”
“You people and your endless lists of cousins…” she mumbles in English. I bite the inside of my cheek, holding back from showing any reaction. Crazy how she wears her cuntiness on her face… “Paola told you this is just for the week, right?”
“Yes.”
“We’re always looking for good maids, so if you work well, there might be a more permanent position for you here. Do you understand?”
Oh, I think the fuck not.“I understand. Thank you for the opportunity, Señora Reed.”
She stands from her chair, comes around the desk, and then heads for the door without a word, apparently expecting me to follow her.
“You will shadow Paola during your stay with us. The family isn’t here right now. But when they come back, be invisible. The Beckers like their privacy, so if you are in a room when one of them walks in, you leave it immediately, regardless of what you’re doing. If Mr. Becker sees too much of you, he will come to me about it, and I’ll have no other choice but to fire you. Do you understand?”
“Sí, Señora Reed.”
She opens a closet full of maid uniforms. After sizing me up with what resembles disdain, she shuffles through a few of them hanging on a rail and then takes one out.
“This one should be the right size,” she lets out, handing me the dress.
I almost blush taking it from her, remembering all the things Lex did to me the last time I wore one of those. For someone who wasn’t that into it, he sure gave it everything.
I follow Mrs. Reed as she shows me around and explains more of the basics that I’ll need to remember. Once it’s all done, she leads me to the maids’ locker room.
“Everyone,” she calls out in Spanish, immediately gathering the attention of all seventeen women, who are at various stages of changing into their uniforms. “As you know, this is a big week, which is why I hired six extra maids. I expect all of you to double your efforts. On Friday, Mr. Becker will have his monthly reception with close friends. Then, on Saturday, his birthday party with a hundred and sixty guests. I expect the house to be immaculate for both events.”
The women nod, and Mrs. Reed assigns every pair a priority. It’s only when she walks away that I can breathe normally again. Okay, if I don’t make it out of this place alive, it’ll be because I had a heart attack, not because Becker got me killed. But Lex would be so inconsolable.
No, I can’t let myself die of high stress. I’m not a fucking rabbit. I’ll survive this and go back to my man to tell the tale.
I’m just done changing into the gray dress when my burner phone vibrates. Fuck, only Lex has the number for this.
I pick up and press it to my ear. “¿Hola?”
“Don’t talk. I just wanted to make sure the electricity warning works.” Just as he finishes his sentence, the lights dim and rise again, twice. “Did you see that?” he asks.
“Si.”
“Perfect. Stay alert, Andrea. I’ll watch over you all day.”
I can’t really say anything, but I hope he realizes just how grateful I am for this. “Gracias. Te amo, mi amor.”
“I love you too, freckles. Stay safe today, okay? Or I’ll come get you myself.”
