by Ruby Vincent
“As I said, the name doesn’t suit me.”
Her hands fell from my neck. “Two thousand,” she stated. “In cash. That’s my price.”
It took me a minute to realize what she was talking about. “Two thousand a month?”
“A week.” She shoved against my chest with no real strength. I climbed off without a fight. “A thousand for the cooking and cleaning, and another for dealing with you four.”
“Done,” I said with a slight chuckle.
“We’re not done. I’ve got a list longer than Brutal’s.” She put her arms around my neck. “Get me out of here first.”
I obeyed—gathering her in my arms and carrying her up the stairs, past the guys’ watchful eyes, and to the second floor. Adeline’s new bed was ready and made for her. I tucked her under the brilliant blue sheets, riding a high of triumph that made it obvious even to me what a bastard I was.
“What happened to you?”
Cash didn’t have to lower his voice. Adeline was already asleep.
I paid a disinterested glance to the half a dozen marks weeping on my body. “Our bunny bites.”
“Mercer is right, then.” He leaned on the doorjamb. “We’ll have to watch her cook everything she serves us, and assume when we enter a room that she’ll be waiting behind the door to bash our heads in with a frying pan.”
I chuckled at the thought. She has tried to strangle me once already.
“You going to tell me again that I should’ve killed her?”
“No,” he said, “because I agree with you. She’ll be useful to us.”
I narrowed on him. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’ve got a plan. Or I should say the start of one.” He gazed at my little bunny asleep in her bed. “And she’s the key.”
ADELINE
Exhaustion carried me away, and gnawing hunger brought me back.
I woke in a bright space devoid of bars and weapons, and panicked not knowing where I was.
Then it came back to me.
Sinjin. The chocolate. The kiss. My new job.
A plate of chicken, cucumbers, and tomato salad sat on the nightstand. Next to it was a bowl of chopped avocado and a glass of water. Plate on my lap, I rested against the headboard while I ate, taking in the room he claimed was mine.
It was more spacious than I was expecting. The queen-sized bed and nightstand took up one corner of the room. In the other corner was a dresser, a stand and television, and sliding doors that led to a closet. That was it for furniture.
The real personality of this room reflected on the walls.
Posters of bands I grew up listening to. Smiling, silly photos. And the larger print over my head of Cinco City at night. I loved it all, of course, because it was mine.
It should’ve shocked me that Sinjin and his crew charmed—or broke—into my apartment, took my stuff, and set it up in the room they knew would eventually be mine. It should’ve. But that was the least horrible thing done to me in the last few days. Honestly, they’d done me a favor packing and hauling it up themselves.
I finished my light meal much too quickly. I shifted the dishes to the nightstand and banged on the wood.
“Sinjin? Sinjin!” I kept this up for a full five minutes—according to my alarm clock.
The door swung open. In its place was my blue-haired, raven-bearded captor. “You summoned me?” Sinjin had changed into a pair of black pants and a buttoned-up shirt that hung open. It provided a nice peek to the bandages covering his torso.
“I’m still hungry. Get me a bowl of chicken or vegetable soup. And another glass of water.”
“I don’t fetch for anyone, Bunny.” He gestured at the empty plates. “Mercer’s the one who fed you. If you’re lucky, he’ll do it again. Mercer!”
“I’m on it.” A figure strode past him. “The least we can do for our new valued employee.”
“I’m glad he brought that up,” I said. “It’s time you heard the rest of my conditions.”
“Oh? This should be good.”
I glared at the grin coming toward me. “You’re the freaking cat who caught the canary, aren’t you?”
“Cat who caught the rabbit to be accurate.” Sinjin stretched on my bed, propped up on his elbow. “Why did you give in?”
Take the job, Adeline.
“Because you finally said please.”
His brows snapped together. He didn’t have to understand because I did.
“Here’s how it’s going to work,” I began. “I’ll be mindful of allergies and diet restrictions, but otherwise, you eat what I put in front of you. Making four different meals, three times a day is too much.”
“I’d say it’s not for two thousand a week.”
“On top of the misery Brutal will wreak upon my life?”
“Fair point,” he said. “Fine. We’ll eat what you deign to serve us. None of us have allergies or restrictions, but Cash and Mercer are the only ones who eat tomatoes. Obviously, Brutal prefers a neat plate and doesn’t like his food to touch.”
I nodded. “I can handle that. Next, I want new locks on my door. Ones that are opened with a key, and two deadbolts.”
The grin was in full force now. “Don’t trust us?”
“A rhetorical question, so we’ll skip over it.”
He flopped on my bed laughing, arms folded behind his head. The sound gripped my heart and squeezed. Sinjin Bellisario truly was the most beautiful thing you’d ever seen when he smiled. So free and relaxed, you could almost see through to the person who was once called St. John.
“I get one day off every week to visit my dad.”
“A condition we can accommodate when you earn the privilege.”
“I doubt I have a job at Salvatore’s after falling off the grid for days. Plus, I’ve been evicted from my apartment,” I said, waving my hand. “I have nowhere to go. Nowhere that you don’t know about anyway. You don’t need to keep me locked up.”
“All the same.”
I let it go. For now.
“Where’s my phone?” I asked.
“In my room.” He pointed. “Right next door. I’ve got an open-door policy. Feel free to drop in whenever you want me to finish what those spankings started.”
“This should also go without saying, but just to be clear, you and I are never going to happen. We won’t fuck. We won’t get handsy in the stairwell. We won’t even stare longingly into each other’s eyes. All hope you had of fulfilling your numerous deep and disturbing fantasies blew into smoke the night I saw you kill a man.”
“I know you have to say that to maintain your pride,” he said, “but let’s be honest, the permanently damp patch on your underwear blew that into smoke.” Sinjin sniffed the air. “I can smell how wet you are for me right now.”
I clenched my teeth. “Is this the real way you came to lead the Merchants? You irritated the other three so fucking much, they gave in to you to shut you up.”
Sinjin’s smile remained. “No, love. It’s definitely the deep, abiding pleasure I relish from pain and mutilation. I deal with disrespect swiftly and efficiently. Do you need a reminder?”
I drifted over his shoulder. The time to antagonize Sinjin was not before I outfitted my door, or when he was on the wrong side of it.
“No, thanks,” I said simply. “There’s one final thing. My phone—get it. I want to speak to my dad and Gianna. Now.”
“Not possible.”
“Then it’s not possible for me to lift a spatula or sweep a broom,” I replied, folding my arms. “They haven’t heard from me in days and must be worried sick. I just want to tell them that I’m okay and that I’ve found a new job and a new place. Also, that I’ll see them as soon as I’ve settled in. If you don’t let me talk to them, we start the next four days over again.”
“That would be worse for you than me.”
“Exactly. That should give you an idea of how important this is to me, and what a stubborn nightmare I’ll be until I speak to them
.”
Sinjin stared at me for a long time, eyes unreadable. I held his gaze till it became unnerving and I had to look away.
“I’ll be listening to every word you say,” he said. “Don’t veer off script.”
I nodded.
Sinjin walked out and returned steps behind Mercer. A bowl of vegetable soup and water rested on the tray he placed on my nightstand. Mercer bent over me, tucking the blankets in around me. I pressed my lips together, keeping in a surprised noise as he adjusted my pillows.
Mercer smiled into my eyes and it hit me we’d never been this close before... and I was better for it.
Sweet, citrus tones overwhelmed my senses, fogging my brain to lesser effect to soften me to the full impact of that one-sided grin, pointed canine, and roguish stubble that tempted me to reach out and touch.
I stopped my hand halfway to his face and pulled the blankets tighter around me instead. His grin grew knowing like my fake hadn’t fooled him.
“Need anything else?” Mercer asked, placing the tray on my lap.
I found my voice. “What? So you’re the nice one?”
He winked. “I like to let people think so.”
Mercer swept out leaving me with that enigmatic statement to chew over while Sinjin made himself comfortable. He stretched out on my legs, propping his chin between the crook, and handed me the phone. I had plenty to say about him getting homey on my lap, but it stayed in my head. Like I said, the time to piss Sinjin off wasn’t when he was on top of me.
I called the home first. Dad’s gruff voice poured out of the speaker, loosening the tight ball of tension in my chest.
“Addy. Where you been?”
“Sorry I fell off the map, Dad. It’s”—I cut a look to Sinjin—“been a hectic few days.”
“Something wrong?”
“No, I’m okay,” I said. “I moved out of my apartment. Found a new job too.”
“New apartment? Where?”
Sinjin rested his cheek on my thigh. The other received a slow, kneading massage through the comforter.
With two fingers, I picked up his hand and dropped it off the bed. It found its way back in an instant.
“North Quay.”
“That’s a nice area,” said Dad. “Expensive though. What’s this new job?”
“Personal chef.”
“Those are good gigs. Better hours, more money. Didn’t your old man say it? You were meant for more than running around a sweaty kitchen.”
Sinjin had moved his massage to the inner thigh. It felt better than I wanted to admit after being in a cage for days. My cramped muscles purred under ministrations creeping close but not close enough to my middle. Heat was sprouting from the source, carrying a burning undercurrent of embarrassment. There was a damp patch forming, and I hated myself for it.
I grabbed his hand to fling it away a second time and Sinjin struck, sinking his teeth in my palm.
“Ow!” The cry was more out of shock. “You bit me!”
“Adeline, are you okay?” Dad asked.
“I’m fine.” I glowered as Sinjin resumed his activities, smirking at me like the psychopath he was. “The owners have a dog. Vicious, evil little creature. Probably have to be put down.”
“Stay away from that thing.”
Would that I could, Dad.
“Anyway, I just called to give you the update. This Sunday, I’ll swing by with dinner and we’ll talk then.”
“Good. We need you at the game, baby girl. Kenny’s kid is a national poker champ and he’s cleaning up. The Redgraves have to retake their pride.”
“You take great pleasure in robbing these fixed pensioners blind, Daddy.”
“An old man has to get his kicks some way.”
I laughed. “Just don’t cut up any more mattresses.”
“Don’t have a choice. Rowe confiscates our winnings if she gets her hands on them. The fucking nerve saying it’s not appropriate for us to gamble. I was counting cards while she was still swimming around in her daddy’s testicles.”
“Once your dad says the t-word, it’s time to go. Love you. See you Sunday.”
“Bye, brown eyes.”
Sinjin switched to the next thigh. I dialed Gianna, leaving him to it rather than risking another bite. I was beginning to see the effectiveness of his unpredictability.
The call picked up.
“Hey, G—”
“Addy! Where the hell have you been?”
Wincing, I switched to the other ear. “Sorry. I wanted to call you sooner.”
“Why didn’t you? What was I supposed to think when I showed up at your place and the Sanderson sisters tell me a couple of guys cleared your stuff out? I’ve been losing my mind.” Gianna dropped her voice. “Is it them?”
The steady look Sinjin was giving me said he was waiting for me to make a wrong move.
“Yes,” I said. “It’s a long story. I’ll get into it later. The short version is I got a new job. New place too.”
“You’re living with them.” It wasn’t a question. “Are you safe? Are they listening to you right now?”
“I’m fine. It’s a decent job, G. Pays well.”
“I’ll take that as a yes. They’re listening.”
“On Sunday I’m swinging by the home to see Dad. Meet me there. We’ll talk then.”
“Alright, Sunday or I burn the city down looking for you. And if those guys forget their manners, kill them while they’re sleeping.”
I cracked a smile. “Got it.”
“I guess there’s one good thing to come out of this.”
“What’s that?”
“I never have to see Captain again.”
“Love you, babe,” I said, laughing. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
I set the phone down and reached for my spoon. Sinjin tucked the cell away in his pocket.
“You’re cute,” he said, “but you’re not going anywhere.”
“I am going somewhere. I’m seeing my family on Sunday, and tomorrow I’m going back to my apartment to get the rest of my things. Feel free to tag along. I could do with a ride.”
“We got your things.”
“Out of my room,” I replied. “The armchair in the living room I bought with my own money. Plus, most of the appliances in the kitchen and all of the cooking stuff.”
“We have all of that here.” Sinjin pushed himself up, climbing off the bed. “Forget it.”
“You say you understand me.” I stopped him halfway to the door. “If you know how hard I worked to get the little I have, you understand what it means to me to hang on to it. I saved for three months to buy that chair, Saint.”
“It’s Sinjin.”
“It’s important to me,” I pressed.
“Fine. We’ll go tomorrow. There’s something I gotta do anyway.”
“Yes, you do. Buy and install my locks.”
“And copy the keys,” he returned. “Good night, Bunny. Sweet dreams.”
He closed the door and I was up like a shot. Setting my tray aside, I raced to the dresser, and shoved it into place in front of the entrance.
I sank to the floor—back pressed to the wood. Heart hammering.
A beast stalked into my territory. Scented the air. Smelled the blood running through my veins. Tasted the fear. Then he slinked out with the mercy of sparing my life.
I closed my eyes, preparing to sleep against that dresser for the rest of the night.
This was my life now. One wrong move, and the beasts would strike.
SINJIN
Stepping out of my room, I passed Adeline’s and tried the handle. It swung open easily. I stuck my head in and saw she wasn’t there.
The night before my check ended with the door banging into her dresser. She could barricade herself inside all she wanted, as long as she was where she was supposed to be.
Speaking of. Where did she get to?
I moved silently, recalling her first attempt to kill me, and peered around the frame into
the bathroom.
Nothing.
“... or small?”
My ears perked up, leading me to the banister.
Mercer and Brutal sat at the table, tracking Adeline fluttering around the kitchen with the same attentiveness I now afforded her.
Her hair was held back by a headband, allowing those impossibly thick locks to sweep down her back. It fell around her as she bent to look in the under-sink cabinet, peeking a strip of likely another pair of boy shorts over the waistband of her jeans. Sin was my name and hers for daring to turn these simple outfits deadly.
The denim clung onto her curves fit to drive me to tear the presumptuous bastard off. The cheap cotton t-shirt didn’t dare to hug her. It also did nothing to conceal the red bra underneath.
“What time do you all get up?” she asked. “I can have breakfast ready by seven. Does that work?”
“Eight is better,” said Mercer. “You can’t pin us down for lunch, so stick whatever you make in the fridge and we’ll grab it on our way in or out.”
I ducked into my room, snagged a gift bag off the nightstand, and jogged down to join the party. Adeline frowned at my arrival. One day soon that would change.
“You’ve emerged from your lair,” she said. “We were talking breakfast preferences. I assume you feast on the flesh of virgins and only drink the blood of newborn lambs. We’re out of both, so you’ll need to take me to the store today too.”
“Nope. You eat virgin and you’re hungry again two hours later.” I snaked around her waist, pulling that warm, shapely body to me. “I prefer my meals with a little more... experience,” I whispered in her ear.
“Do you also prefer your limbs attached to your body?” She broke away from me, putting six feet of distance between us. “Was it you who tried to get into my room last night?”
“Just checking on you, Bunny. Wanted to make sure you were comfortable.”
Her eyes narrowed to slits. I didn’t blame her for seeing me as a danger. I was in every sense of the word.
I placed the gift bag on the countertop. “For you,” I said. “It’s your uniform.”
Adeline crept up, eyeing me like she thought it would explode. Finally, she tipped the bag over, and the two-piece, naughty maid costume landed in a pile of sheer lace and an apron skirt.