Maid for the Mafia
The Center of the Universe

**ROMANY**

Stella stiffened and her eyes glazed over. Her tears stopped falling as her face and neck splotched with red. I wasn't sure if she was angry or afraid until her body started shaking. Afraid. Definitely afraid. *Who the fuck is this guy, Santos?* "Santos?" Stella repeated, her voice a scratch above a whisper.

Alex flashed her a full toothed grin, which oddly enough, was the biggest smile I've seen on him yet. "The one and only. Tell me, Stella, who came first? Was it me or was it him?"

Stella closed her eyes, shaking her head like she was about to deny everything.

Alex leapt onto his feet, taking the gun with him as he stepped around the tarp. Circling her slowly, his shoes clacked rhythmically on the wooden floor, like the ticking of an old clock. "There is no wrong answer, Stella. I simply want to know. It's not like I need you to admit you've been dealing with him. I already have proof of that, so you can either answer my question now, or you can answer it after I shoot you in the foot. Although, I'm getting a bit dizzy waiting for my answer, and might just have terrible aim by the time you finally spit it out."

"You," she whispered, clearing her throat and sucking in a shuddering breath. "You came first."

Alex laughed, stopping behind her as he said, "How long, Stella? How long have you been a goddamned traitor?"

Stella shook her head adamantly, and nearly shouted, "I-I'm not a traitor! I just-"

"Do not fucking lie to me!" Alex screamed and the ferocity in his features had me flinch.

He looked like a demon when he screamed like that. Like an actual monster, just as they portray him to be in the news.

"I never told him anything about y-you or your business! I swear to God! I just... I-"

"Did you set her up?" Alex hissed, coming around to the front of her and pointing his gun at her knees.

*Her? Who is talking about?*

Stella began to tremble. "P-please Alex! I never meant to-"

"Bitch if you whine at me one more time I am going to say fuck the truth and put an end to your crying, permanently. You can forget all the bullshit you were about to say about never intending to hurt me, or only wanting me for yourself - none of that will help you. First, because nothing you do could ever hurt me. You simply don't have that kind of power. And last, you were never going to have me. To yourself or otherwise. So everything that you have ever done with that hope in mind was not only fruitless, but as it turns out... put you in that fucking chair. And as you have yet to answer my question-"

*POP!*

Two screams wrenched the air. Both of them female.

One of them mine.

Stella's was first, and I'll admit, hers was the most warranted. In fact, she was still screaming, because her right shoe had splintered across the room and there was now a pile of mangled flesh where her foot used to be. Well, no. It was probably still there, because I didn't see any pieces of it, but there was so much blood it looked like it was gone.

*I* screamed because, well, because I *screamed*! Alex had just shot her in the foot and I *was not* expecting that. Nor was I going to sit here and watch it. He *shot* her! He was just *fucking* her *yesterday*! Reeling back, I tried to jump out of my chair and leave, but Tiny held me back, shooting me an apologetic smile when I glared at him.

"Are you ready to answer me now?" Alex asked calmly, while scraping something, that I sincerely hope was not flesh, from his shoe.

"Yes!" she squawked, her body shivering as she shook with pain.

Tears filled my eyes as I watched her. She was in love with Alex. That much I was sure of and this whole charade, whatever it was for, was disgusting to me. I didn't like her, not at all. But I didn't want *this* for her. She didn't deserve this just for falling in love with that asshole with the gun. In a moment, I was going to get up and push her out of harm's way. Then I would figure out how to help her.

"Yes, what? Yes you are ready or-"

"Yes! I set her up! I did it! Yes!" she began sobbing. "It was me."

The men around me chuckled in disbelief. All of them, even Damien. They glared at her like she was a pile of shit someone just crapped onto the floor and that was the last straw for me. Leaping up and shaking Tiny off of me, I snapped, "I don't care what she tried to do to me Alex! She doesn't deserve this!" I stomped toward the wheelchair, taking the handles in my hands and ignoring all the incredulous looks I was getting from the men in the room. "What the fuck is she doing?" Alex asked the room.

*Ohhhh and that's the last straw!*

"Alex!" I screamed. "I'm right fucking here! Stop talking about me like I'm not!"

He didn't even look at me. "Mickey, please ask the woman to sit the fuck down so I can complete my business and go on with my fucking life!"

"Romany, doll," Mickey said standing up. "You don't want to do that. Let it go."

I simply smiled at him, rolling my eyes as I turned back to Alex. "Why are you making a big deal out of what she tried to do to me, anyway? Especially after what *you did* to me last night?"

Alex flinched, his eyes closing for a moment like I'd stuck a nerve. It was the first real sign of emotion I'd seen in him since our morning together in his office. He released a sharp breath, then faced Damien. "Can someone please inform the woman that she is *not* the center of the universe?"

"Alex, you are being ridiculous! I am right here!" I yelled.

Alex shrugged, choosing to ignore me as he knelt in front of Stella. "How did you do it, Stella? Did you call him? Did you meet him for tea? Did you go to his mansion in the hills and fuck it into him? How?"

"She *didn't* do it! It didn't happen!" I yelled. "So let her be!"

Alex growled, standing up and faced the men again and I just knew he was about to objectify my presence again, so I did what I was longing to do and started pushing Stella toward the exit. "This is not happening. I am not watching this anymore."

Alex snapped, "Please inform the woman that the matter in question has *nothing* to do with what was *almost* done to her and everything to do with what was done to Ruby!"

I stopped pushing the wheelchair. My body going completely cold as my blood seemed to seep out of me and into the floor.

My voice shuddered, "Did you just say... Ruby?"