by Linda Kage
I watched her go before smiling softly and shaking my head. Then I fell into step behind her.
Despite how much I pissed her off, the woman might actually be thawing toward me.
And it was scary how much I wanted that.
Chapter 16
Hayden
“You’re early,” Lana accused harshly as she opened the door to us with an unwelcome frown.
So I smiled and shot back, “That’s because we just couldn’t wait for the pleasure of your company.”
While my mother scowled over my obvious sarcasm, I grasped Gabby’s hand in a show of solidarity with her, ignoring the twitch of surprise in her fingers over the contact, and smiled even more tightly to our host as I stepped into her apartment.
She wore all white and nearly blended into the room around her. If it weren’t for the aura of evil emanating off her, I might’ve missed her completely.
Next to me, Gabby shifted uneasily closer, saying nothing.
I gripped her fingers more firmly, hoping to reassure her.
“Well, dinner isn’t ready yet,” Lana announced irritably. “We’re going to have to wait.”
I shrugged. “That’s fine. It’ll give us plenty of opportunity for you to tell us why we were blackmailed into coming tonight.”
Choking out a sound of surprise, Gabby glanced up at me as if I’d lost my mind.
“What?” I asked, completely confused while Lana sniffed and rolled her eyes.
“You are such an insufferable ass,” she grumbled, shaking her head. “And here I am, making you such a lovely dinner. You could at least act—”
“Really?” I quipped back. “You’re making dinner? Since when did you learn to cook?”
“You know what I mean, dammit.” Impatience wrinkled the skin between her eyebrows. “I’m being a perfectly solicitous host, and you’re acting like a spoiled brat.”
I smirked. “Then maybe you shouldn’t have raised me with so much love and attention, and I wouldn’t have turned out so spoiled.”
“Enough!” Lana stomped her shoe on the floor, which didn’t actually make much of an impact since the floor was a thick, fluffy carpet.
“Or maybe being blackmailed into coming tonight put me in a mood,” I went on. Losing the pleasantry from my voice, I glowered. “What do you want from us?”
Instead of answering, she turned her attention to the woman at my side. “Why is this one being so quiet?” She skimmed her gaze degradingly down Gabby’s outfit but couldn’t seem to come up with an insult so she glanced at me, waiting for an answer.
I shrugged. “I guess she’s waiting until you say something worthy of replying to.”
Narrowing her eyes, Lana turned back to study Gabby. “What did you tell her about me?”
“Only the truth.” Keeping my eyes on my mother, I kissed the side of Gabby’s head and stroked her arm, which caused her to send me a suspicious glance. “I still don’t see the point of this summons.”
“She cleaned my floor,” Lana finally answered.
What?
I exchanged a confused glance with Gabby, who looked just as bewildered by my mother’s announcement as I was.
So I turned back to Lana. “So?”
“So…” she drew out, scowling at me impatiently. “She cleaned it rather well.” Eyeing Gabby suspiciously, she added, “I still haven’t discerned why she did it in the first place, or why she didn’t take anything of value when she left.” Gabby and I shared a quick, uncomfortable look. “But I’m constantly left dissatisfied by the cleaning staff that Preston Estates supplies. They never do a thorough enough job, and they all have a bad habit of nicking my favorite baubles when they go. But not you…” Narrowing her eyes as if she were displeased, she finished with, “Which is why I’m making you my personal maid.”
“You’re what?” Gabby uttered, shaking her head.
I barked out an incredulous sound. “You want to employ my girlfriend as your maid?”
“Come now, darling.” Lana waved out a non-concerned hand my way as she continued to eye Gabby. “Stop pretending. I know she means nothing to you.”
My eyebrows perked up. “And you think you know that why?”
She finally turned my way. “Because you brought her here in the first place,” she said as if that was some kind of obvious, telling answer. “On Halloween night.”
Blinking, I merely shook my head. “What?”
“Think about it, dear heart. Since all that trouble with Francine and the ones before her, you’ve hidden away every girlfriend you’ve had from me, which tells me that if someone becomes important to you, the last thing you’ll do is actually introduce her to me.”
She looked so smug and sure of herself that I spat back, “Or maybe I haven’t had another girlfriend since Francine.”
As Lana tossed her head back and laughed as if such an idea was simply ludicrous, Gabby looked up at me, whispering, “Who’s Francine?”
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Just someone I dated once.”
“Someone who left him at the altar,” Lana supplied cheerfully.
I pointed toward my mother, narrowing my eyes, and told Gabby, “After she paid Francine to leave.”
Gabby’s mouth dropped open. “Holy shit. You paid his fiancée to ditch him at the altar?”
“I did it for his own good.” Lana turned her attention to her nails. “I just didn’t care for the twit, you see, and it would’ve put too much of a strain on poor Hayden to have a mother and a wife who couldn’t see eye to eye. He should’ve thanked me for taking care of the issue early on.”
“Right,” Gabby drew out slowly. “Because you’ve never put strain on him otherwise.”
Ignoring Gabby’s sarcastic tone, Lana lifted her gaze to me. “I know you, sweetling. You’re not like your brother. You don’t indiscriminately spray your seed in just any whore willing to spread her legs for you. You’re picky. Into relationships and…” Wrinkling her nose, she added, “Monogamy,” as if it was a foul word. “And since it’s been, what, five, six, maybe seven years since the little fiasco with Francine—”
“Eight,” I said dryly. “It’s been eight years.”
Lana fluttered out a hand. “Whatever. You can’t have gone that long without a girlfriend, meaning you’ve carefully kept your special little bed companions hidden from me until…” Her gaze settled distastefully on Gabby. “This thing.” Turning back to me, she added, “Don’t you think that’s rather telling?”
“I think you’re full of bullshit,” I muttered.
She smiled as if refreshed by my reply only to switch her attention to Gabby. “Besides, it’s more than obvious you haven’t tried her on for size yet. There’s too much curiosity in your eyes when you look at her.”
Gabby choked on her surprise, only to lean closer to me and whisper, “She’s chased off more than one girlfriend of yours, hasn’t she?”
With my gaze still hard on Lana, I sighed before admitting, “More like every single one of them. And if she doesn’t chase them off, she convinces them to spy on me and report back to her so she can gather information to use against me later on.”
While Gabby glanced at me incredulously, Lana shrugged. “Really, I don’t know why you’re so sore about all that. If those silly little airheads were so weak as to fall under my influence in the first place, then you were better off without them, anyway. Honestly, I’ve been excellent in helping you weed out the poor choices you’ve made in women.”
“Holy shit,” Gabby breathed, shaking her head as if too stunned to say anything else. But then she turned to me and bluntly asked, “Why is this woman still in your life? You should’ve cut her out years ago.”
“Except he can’t,” Lana answered for me. “Because I own him.”
Gabby hitched up a dubious eyebrow. “Say what now?”
Lana shrugged. “It’s not that difficult to do. Once you figure out what’s important to a person, you simply apply a dab of pressure directly to tha
t area, and voilà, it’s like magic. Turns them into docile little lambs, willing to walk right into the slaughter for you.”
Gabby glanced at me, her disgust mounting. The sickening part was, she seemed more disturbed by my lack of outrage to Lana’s announcement than she was to what Lana had to say in the first place.
But how could I deny it? My mother was right. She always figured out a way to get me to do what she wanted.
“That’s fucked up,” Gabby announced. “This whole situation is officially more fucked up than I can handle. You…” Pointing at me, she snarled, “Have serious mommy issues to work through. And you…” Shaking her head, she shuddered as she looked Lana over. “You’re just pure evil.” Turning away, she started for the front door, waving goodbye over her shoulder to us as she went. “I’m out.”
Something inside me froze as she stormed away. I knew I should accept her departure as fortunate for her and be grateful she was willing to walk away before she became entangled in my family drama any more than she already was. But hell, I started to realize I didn’t want her to go. I didn’t want to never see her again. I didn’t want to stop bickering with her, all the while furtively flirting with her. Hell, I didn’t want to stop breathing the same air she did. I wasn’t ready for it to end yet.
Meeting her had done something to me, opened a door inside me. I’d never felt as alive as I did when she was around.
So a dark, selfish, clearly evilly spawned spot inside me was beyond relieved when Lana called after her, saying, “Oh, you’re not going anywhere, child.”
Gabby slowed to a stop and turned back, arching her eyebrows. “Excuse me?” she said in that voice she used right before the claws came out. “You’re not my mother. I don’t have to do what you say.”
“Except I’ve learned what’s important to you as well, my little maid,” Lana told her, smiling her I-got-you-now smile. “Do the names Miguel and Oscar ring a bell?”
Face draining of color, Gabby merely stared back at her in a traumatized daze. “What?” she whispered.
Lana chuckled darkly. “What do you think would happen to your poor underage brother and handicapped father if you no longer had a source of income? Why, all three of you would probably be put out on the street. Homeless. Starving. Most likely dead within the month.”
“But I have a job,” Gabby gritted out from between clenched teeth.
“Yes, you do.” Lana nodded sagely. “Here. As my new maid.”
When Gabby opened her mouth, Lana fluttered out a hand. “And don’t worry about that little waitressing gig you were doing at the café. I’ve already spoken to your old boss and tendered your resignation for you, effective immediately. Alejandro’s his name, right?” Her nose wrinkled sourly. “Such a foul, uneducated thing. I can’t see how you could stand to work for him as long as you did.”
Gabby turned to me blindly, her eyes wild with shock. “What the fuck is she saying?”
I opened my mouth, but I didn’t know how to answer. My stomach pitched with unease as I brought my fisted hand up to my mouth and simply stared back, immediately feeling guilty for wanting a reason to keep her in my life. Because this wasn’t how I’d wanted it. Her getting trapped by Lana too was not how it was supposed to go down.
Dammit. Was this my fault? Because I’d wished for a reason to keep her in my life? Because I’d allowed her to steal those things? Not that Lana even knew about that, but maybe this was karma, paying us back. I could’ve damn well forced her to put the tissues and chicken noodle soup back. I could’ve taken her to a store and simply bought her everything she needed that night. But, no. I had fucking assisted her in backstabbing my mother, and now—now she was paying the consequences.
Why hadn’t I been able to prevent this?
Pointing toward my mother, Gabby kept addressing me. “She is not saying that she just lost me my job. No fucking way. She can’t do that.”
“But I can,” Lana cut in cheerfully. “I just did.”
“Over my dead body.” Muttering under her breath, Gabby dug into her purse and pulled out her phone. After dialing a number, she lifted it to her ear and waited, her gaze shooting daggers toward Lana. Then me. “Yes, hello? Alejandro. It’s Gabby. I—what?” She listened a moment, her eyes going wide. “But—Except, I didn’t—If you’d just—” Closing her eyes, she swallowed and nodded her head. “I understand. Goodbye.” She cut the connection, only to spear Lana with a gaze full of fury. “What the hell did you say to him? As pissed off as he sounded, he’ll never hire me back on now.”
Lana sniffed and waved a hand. “Well, I’m not sure why you’d want to go back there, anyway. Rest assured, I’ll keep you sufficiently busy here. Why, if you do well enough, I might even give you extra tasks like picking up groceries and possibly cooking. How are your culinary skills, by the way? All you Mexicans seem to be pretty handy in a kitchen.”
Oh, now she’d done it.
For a moment, I began to think Lana had actually met her match in contenders. From the way Gabby vibrated with unleashed fury and her face filled with a purple rage, I was certain she’d leave Lana staggering.
And I knew it shouldn’t please me, but watching Gabby prepare for battle against my mother flooded my bloodstream with an excitement that made me more animated than I’d ever felt before.
Gabby fisted her hands down at her sides. “I will not work for you, you bigoted bitch. Not now. Not later. Not ever. You can’t force me to do anything. I’ll just go find a job elsewhere. There’s always an opening somewhere in the food service industry.”
“Except I’ll just discover where you go and make sure you get fired from there, too,” Lana announced. “Or I’ll have your father deported.”
Gabby laughed. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but my father’s legal.”
Lana looked all too pleased to reply, “Is that what he told you?”
Gabby blinked, too stumped to respond. I could see the question in her eyes as she doubted her own father. Lana might be lying, though. She was a pro at bluffing. I squinted at her, trying to discern the truth, but I just couldn’t tell. Dammit.
Finally deciding not to spar with Lana anymore, Gabby spun toward me and raged, “Why the fuck are you just standing there? Do something.”
I could’ve helped her out. Or at least tried to help. I could’ve offered her money until she found work that Lana couldn’t touch. Hell, I could’ve probably found work for her. Or helped her father prove his citizenship. But instead, another idea sprouted in my head.
So I found myself turning to Lana to say, “You’ll pay her twice whatever she made at the café, figuring in tip money.”
As Gabby yelped out a betrayed, “What?” my mother laughed.
“That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think, dear?”
With a smirk, I shot back, “Not at all. What is it you always spout off at JFI when you argue for steeper prices on our clothes? You get what you pay for. If we want to offer the best, we have to charge the most.” I tipped my head toward Gabby. “Well, Gabriella’s the best. And you want the best, don’t you? You better be willing to pay for her.”
Lana chewed on her bottom lip as she narrowed her eyes toward the younger woman before she muttered, “Fine. But I want her in full uniform whenever she’s on the clock, not those dowdy rags she was wearing the other night.”
I nodded, relenting. “Of course. If you supply them, that is. And pay her weekly. Plus, she never works past six in the evening or on any weekend.”
“Unless I’m entertaining,” Lana compromised, frowning. “I’ll need her to clean as soon as the guests leave.”
As if she’d ever have willing guests. So I shrugged. “That’s something you’ll have to work out with her on a case-by-case basis.”
We turned to Gabby in unison, but she just blinked at us. “What is happening?” she demanded, looking panicked, like maybe she might faint.
“You belong to me now,” Lana announced.
Gabby sent her a half-in
credulous, half-hysterical laugh and promptly turned to me, whispering, “But I don’t want to clean for her.”
I winced, feeling genuinely regretful. “I’m working out the best deal I can for you.”
“He really is,” Lana agreed, nodding astutely before turning to me to add, “Which is why I’m going to need a favor from you in return, darling.”
“Oh, I’m sure you will,” I answered with a tight smile, my stomach knotting over what kind of bomb she was going to drop next.
I thought I’d perfected the air of bored, I-don’t-give-a-fuck asshole over the years, but right now, I kind of wanted to gulp and start sweating profusely.
“It involves Kaitlynn,” Lana started.
Shit. I should’ve known.
“I might’ve lost my temper a bit with her last week because of her insubordination,” she mumbled, rolling her eyes and clearly blaming the loss of her control on Kaitlynn. “And dismissed her out of hand.”
“Yes, I heard about that,” I murmured. “What of it?”
“Well, I need her to come back, you see. She’s a dreadful little nuisance, yes, but honestly, no one makes a cup of tea like she does. And I’m never in a good mood without my morning tea. Meanwhile, I can’t just ask her to return.” Laughing, she slapped out a hand. “Can you imagine me stooping to such a level?”
“I can’t. Honestly,” I agreed.
“Well, then we’re in agreement. She must be the one to come crawling back to me and begging for her job back on her own, which is why I need you to make sure she doesn’t gain employment elsewhere. I don’t care what you have to do, just make sure she comes back to JFI.”
Gabby gasped in outrage. “You want him to sabotage—”
I shut her up by grabbing her wrist and applying enough warning pressure that she stopped talking to send me a hard glare. We shared a silent look before I returned my attention to Lana. “Seems like a reasonable request,” I answered. “I’ll make sure she accepts work from nowhere but JFI.”
Next to me, Gabby twisted her hand until she was gripping my wrist and digging her fingernails deep into my flesh, letting me know just how much she disapproved of the bargain I’d just made.