“Okay. And you have all that you need from me?” I double-checked.
“Once you email the paystubs and information from your employers for the last six months, yes.”
I cringed again, for longer.
Six months. “Working” here was the only job I had on file anywhere, and it had only been for almost two months. The agency that we used to get me in here was legit, but I wasn’t sure how to justify being here as Andre’s lover to count as a real job.
After I ended that call, I checked the email that just popped up on my phone. Another facility was contacting me again, explaining that I would need to arrange for a home visit with someone from their team to better assess Esmeralda’s needs.
A home visit? Fuck.
I couldn’t risk anyone showing up at the Giovanni residence where my uncle lorded over all of us. He’d laugh at them and tell them they had the wrong address. To get lost.
Instead of using the address to his mansion, I’d used a fake one. Borrowing the address for one of the laundromats—a front or cover business for him to launder money quicker—I hoped to put off this facility from reaching out directly with Esmeralda.
They were already catching me in the lie, stating that the address I’d provided them wasn’t correct. Their implication that it was a typo irked me.
No, it’s not a typo.
And no, you can’t do a home visit.
I bit my lip and worried that I couldn’t pull this off.
Running my hands through my hair, I winced and knew I needed to shower. I was bordering on a greasy look, but it wasn’t as though the last two nights were calm enough for me to shower.
Natalie had given birth to her baby girl. Maisie was over the moon to have a little sister, but unfortunately, she had a cold and was resting away from the newborn and her mother. Anya was helping Maisie adjust to baby Rose’s arrival, which meant that Claire was busy helping Natalie with a little bit of a post-partum issue. Baby Owen was also sick, with a stomach bug, soallof them were busier than normal. In between my efforts to figure out my cousin’s situation, I was over there helping however I could.
Thank God no one’s getting hurt right now.
So far, knock on wood, no attacks had sprung up.
Andre hadn’t come home like usual for two nights, busy handling some things for Sergei since he was with Natalie and/or Maisie. Late in the middle of the night, Andre would stagger home, shower, and pass out in bed next to me.
The craziness was expected with these people. The Mafia lifestyle wasn’t for the fainthearted, but still, Andre didn’t miss a single chance to remind me that I was his. He’d fuck me in the morning, waking me up with wicked kisses. Or he’d stay awake enough at night to pleasure us both before we fell asleep—around the hecticness of Natalie and Sergei having their baby.
Busy and stressed, I was prone to pushing Andre away. The more we solidified our sex life and proved that our passion burned strong, the more I wondered if that was all this was tohim. That when he called me his, he meant it in a possessive way like he’d view any other item he owned.
No matter how often I tried to play it cool and resist him, I caved each time. Our bond—whether it was only physical or suggestive of something more meaningful—was unbreakable.
Like an addiction.
Debating whether I should shower first or go check if anyone needed anything in Natalie and Sergei’s building, I drummed my fingers on the table and tried to ignore the sounds of Renee and Susana cackling and laughing about a raunchy joke they’d shared in the kitchen. They were speaking in Russian and likely thought I couldn’t understand, but I did.
I just wasn’t in the mood to laugh.
When my phone rang, showing my uncle’s fake number, my lips curled in disgust.
I answered, scowling, and speaking in Italian just in case. Renee and Susana wouldn’t pay attention to me, and no guards were around, but I was cautious.
“What the fuck are you doing contacting those places?” he demanded.
Oh, no.
My attempt to lie about Esmeralda’s residence was already failing.
“Some bitch called and said that you were trying to arrange for a home visit for your cousin.” He barked a cruel laugh. “Are you fucking kidding me? Is this your idea of a stupid joke?”
“No. It’s not a joke. Esmeralda deserves a break from the pain. She should be able to rest comfortably, and if that is too much of a burden on you, I will arrange?—”
