Maid for the Mafia

**ROMANY**

I'm so angry I think steam may be coming out of my ears. Fire races through my bloodstream, igniting every little hair on my head until it feels like it's burning to ash. "FUCK - YOU - you asshole!" I snarl. "Ignorant bastard!"

*Yeah. I said it. And sure, I might die, but if I do at least this sorry prick will have learned his Christian name. Bastard.*

We glare at each other for about five whole minutes, neither of us so much as blinking. In the back of my mind, I understand what such things sound like coming out of my mouth after all that I let go on, I do, but I'm too goddamned angry to care. And yeah, I hear what he's saying - I get that she went there to kill him, I get that he wasn't gonna let her off with a cute little warning then send her on her way - but I refuse to listen, because she's my fucking cousin and screw him.

Right then is when the pilot decides that now is the time to chime through our winged metal can with, "Lady and gentleman seated in the cabin, just thought I'd tune you in with an update. The weather is looking mighty nice from up here guys, and I certainly I hope you are having a *fine time getting to know each other* back in your seats - as we have twenty hours of flight left to go and there are *absolutely* no parachutes. So remember to be kind and *love thy neighbor."*

*What in the - fuck?*

*Is that a pilot or a fucking therapist?*

*And why in shit is he listening to us back here?*noveldrama

Santos finally breaks the hold, drawing a hand over his face in frustration. "Menso," he whispers, shaking his head.

Crossing my legs as haughtily as I'm able, it finally registers what the pilot has just said and I snap, "Wait a minute." My heart is thumping in my chest and I stare at Santos. He lifts his chin to gaze over at me with cool calculation in his gaze. "Did that motherfucker just say twenty hours?"

Santos shrugs. "That motherfucker is my oldest friend in the entire world, just so that you know."

I snicker, "I wouldn't give a fuck if he was your great grand one-legged crippled godmother. Did he just say that we had TWENTY HOURS TO GO?"

Santos smiles shortly, a predatory gleam in his eye. "I believe so, yes. But he's just messing with you."

My entire body deflates, my initial panic rolling out of me in a wave of misplaced adrenaline. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and push back in my seat. "Well thank the holy ghost. What a dickhead."

Santos chuckles, "He was estimating. We actually only have about seventeen hours to go. Give or take."

My eyes pop back open. "What?"

Santos' jaw clenches as he rotates his seat so that it is facing the aisle (fucking weird - I didn't even know the damn things did that), "I said-"

"I heard* what the fuck you said."

"Did you, though? Because you look confused."

My eyes, still bulging, scan the area looking for anything sharp, from a pencil to tin can, that I might be able to stab this guy with.

"You won't find anything useful in here," Santos says, the deep timbre of his voice creeping into my harrowing thoughts like a cat burglar that's been lying in wait. "Besides, even if you did, you'd never get to use it."

*Okay - that's probably true.*

*Calm down Ro. What exactly are you thinking you're gonna do about this now? You're already on the plane.*

Taking a couple of calming breaths, I turn my distrustful gaze on Santos. "You said one day. That's what you said."

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He nods, shrugging out of his jacket and gracing me with a full understanding of just how built this man is. His arms punch against the fabric of his shirt like piles of rock, the fit so tight I can see the sun kissed bronze of his skin through the cotton. My eyes linger there for a moment as I try to imagine just how much energy he'd have to spend squishing my head like a grape. Probably not much.

"I said I wanted one day, yes," he agrees, stroking a finger over his jawline as if contemplating shaving.

"Well correct me if I'm wrong, after all, I wasn't exactly a math whiz in school, but as far as I'm aware, there are only twenty-four hours in a day. You said you only wanted one. Are you releasing me when we land?" My voice is as shrill as a harpies and I'm forced to breathe through my nose and I work to control my sudden anxiety.

*It's not like you didn't know something like this might happen. You know. You anticipated as much.*

"No," he says easily, his bright blue gaze flashing with mirth.

This idiot thinks he's funny. What the hell? "So then you lied to me. You're not letting me go at all, are you?"

He sighs heavily, throwing up one eyebrow carelessly. "I am. I will. When the time is right."

My ears are ringing, my chest pumping in such a way that has me holding my breath. "Why did you lie?" I ask softly, my tone so childlike that for a moment he appears contrite.

"I did not lie, Miss Dubois. It was and *is* still true that I only want one day with you. Unfortunately, it will take more than that for Ruby to figure out where you've been taken and come to rescue you. So, no, I am not going to let you go just yet. I can't. I need you."

"For what?" I whisper.

His eyes narrow and he lifts his chin shamelessly. "To make Ruby listen. To make her hear me. To be certain that she has no choice but to hear everything I have to say without trying to kill me beforehand. To release DeMarco's hold on her for good, I had to *take* you."

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I swallow thickly. "You can't *make* her love you. You can't."

For the first time, Santos' looks unsure. "I am not stupid. I know that. This may not make sense to you right now, but I believe that she *does* love me. She's just too goddamned loyal for her own good." I watch as his hand fists around the arm rest and he shakes his head. "I made a mistake. I told her that I wanted her on my team. I threatened her - tried to force her." He chuckles humorlessly, "When I asked her to join me, she reasoned that I would never be able to trust her and she was right. But there's one thing I should have said that I didn't."

For some reason his words are allowed to move me. Something inside of my chest warms and I'm allowed to feel sorry for this poor fool. "And what's that?"

Santos turns away, rotating his chair so that he can stare out into the dark of the night. "That I didn't need to trust her, I just needed her to want me. That I wasn't asking for Ruby the killer, but for Ruby the woman."

*Oh man.*

*He does love her.*

"Then you're fucked dude."

He turns, glaring at me. "And why's that?"

I snort, "Because you snatched me, her baby cousin, from the very people she trusted

to keep me safe."

He cocks his head at me. Blinks. "And did they?"

This time, I'm the one who turns away.

*No. I suppose they didn't.*