Maid for the Mafia
I Quit

**ROMANY**

The moment Stella's body hit the floor, I shivered. She had three holes in her now and each of them was pouring blood. But she wasn't in any pain, because one of those holes was right in the middle of her forehead, dead center. Her mouth

was open and her eyes were wide open in shock.

It took an entire minute for me to realize that I'd just watched Alex shoot the very same woman that he had bent over his couch yesterday.

*Oh my God. Why did he make me watch this?*

*Now that I've seen him... murder someone... will he ever let me leave?*

*Or will he kill me like he just did her?*

"Why?" I hissed, dropping my face into my hands.

"What was that?" Alex said, and although I didn't hear his footsteps, I could tell that he was closer.

"Why?" I whimpered. "Why did you have me watch you do that? I didn't want to see that!"

"Get up," Alex said coldly.

"What?" I looked at him. He was heading for the door, the bottle of whiskey in his hands.

"I said get up. Come with me," he hissed, his eyes bored as he watched me.

With one last glance at Stella on the floor, I stood. "Who's going to clean this up?" *Why did I ask that? It better not be me.* "Not you, so come on," he said, holding open the door for me.

I stumbled past him, happy to be out of that god awful room. *Fuck that room. I wonder how many ghosts are in it.*

"Go to my suite," he said, shoving me from behind with his bottle of liquor.

"Don't push me!" I snapped, racing ahead of him so he couldn't do it again.

I thought I heard him chuckle, but I couldn't be sure. The sound of his whiskey sloshing around in his bottle told me he was drinking on the way to his door. *He couldn't even wait twenty steps?* What the hell was wrong with him? "It's unlocked," he informed me as we approached.

Walking into his sitting room, my eyes went straight for the back of the couch. To the very spot Stella had been leaning over yesterday. *I would not be sitting there.*

The sound of the dead bolt sliding in place had me turning around. Alex was leaning against the door, drinking from that damn bottle like it was water not liquor. My lip rose in disgust. *How can anyone drink like that?*

Alex shook his head as he slowly sauntered toward me, his bright green gaze locked on my face. Once in front of me, he passed me the bottle and before I could decline, said, "Take a fucking drink."

I ripped the bottle out of his hands and after thinking about it, I took two long pulls of burning amber liquid. Maybe, just maybe, I was going to want to be drunk for whatever this was. "Satisfied?" I hissed, putting the bottle on the table behind me so that he couldn't get to it as easily.

Alex's eyes grew heavy with fire as he gazed down at me. "Not yet," he answered.

Then, with absolutely no warning, he grabbed me by the arms and yanked me against his chest so that he could glare down at me, but he didn't say a word. My chest started heaving and I raised my hands against his chest, however, I didn't push away. He was drunk, I had just seen him kill someone for God's sakes, and I *should* have been afraid. But something in his eyes wouldn't let me be. He was angry, certainly, and his grip on my arms was anything but gentle, but I coud feel him hesitating. Fighting within himself about something.

The beating of his heart against my hands was wild and erratic, and for some reason, it made me want to kiss him. Even though he hadn't shaved and he reeked of a fucking brothel, he was still beautiful. My breath hitched, my gaze falling from his eyes to his lips. Suddenly I was reminded of that look he gave me in the Meeting room, after I tried to take his gun. I wanted to know what it meant. I needed to know what had him acting so strangely with me. But at the moment, all I could see were his lips and I wanted to taste them.

I closed my hands over the top of his shirt, pulling him downward and licking my lips.

"What are you doing?" he growled, his grip on my arms loosening. That was just what I needed to gain a little more leverage and I tugged with all my might, bringing his face lower, watching his eyes as they flared wide.

"Alex," I whispered, stroking one hand up over his neck and trying to pull him down to my lips.

"No!" he snapped, releasing me and shoving me away. "I'm not going to kiss you. I don't *want* to kiss you."

The sting of rejection blazed across my cheeks. Embarrassment crippling me as I suddenly felt like my old self again. The girl under Matthew's Thumb. Confused and insecure.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you try and kiss me? After-" he cut off, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

I didn't know what he was about to say and I didn't care. All I wanted to do now was to go back to my suite, pack my things, and leave this place for good.

I frowned, my eyes blurring with tears as I thought about everything this place had done to me. Done to Ruby.

"Don't worry," I said quietly, blinking away the moisture in my eyes. "I won't ever try it again."

Alex growled, stalking toward his bottle. The moment he picked it up and began drinking, I headed for the door.

"Where the fuck are you going?" he hissed, behind me.

"Out of here. I quit," I said, barely making it to the door before he was on me.

His arms closed around me from behind, locking me in against his chest. He laughed steering me away from the exit and down the hallway.

"Let me go!" I shouted, digging my heels in the carpet and pushing backward.

He sighed, shifted his grip on me, then lifted my feet off the ground and proceeded down the hallway. "You are so much trouble," he snapped.

I was about to try and head butt him, but the whiskey chose that precise moment to wash over my body. Suddenly, I *felt* like trouble and trouble was all I wanted to give him. "Let me down," I commanded. "I want to slap your stupid face again. Put *me* down!"

Alex carried me through the largest door at the very back end of the hallway. The light was dim in the space, but I could see that it was his room. For some reason, that fact filled me with wonder. I had never seen his bedroom before and I was curious.

He placed me back on the down and I spun toward him just as he finished locking the door. His eyes were dark as they studied me, the green going black, despite that he was fuming pissed.

"You are something else," he chortled, slowly unbuttoning his shirt. "Wanting to quit just because I don't want to kiss you."

I flinched, wrapping my arms around myself as disappointment found me again. "Like I said, it won't happen again. I won't quit, but I don't want you touching me anymore." *Lies.*

"It won't happen again? Don't touch you?" Alex's eyes shaded, some alien emotion swirling in their depths. He pulled off his shirt and threw it into the corner and just like that I found myself staring at his chest. Liquid pooled at my center watching his muscles ripple and flex as he stalked toward me. I lowered my head, turning away from him. I couldn't think properly with his abs in my way.

"Listen to me," he snarled, grabbing the hair at the back of my head and forcing me to meet his eyes. His other arm went around my waist, tugging me closer as his eyes studied my lips that he hated so much. "I..."

He trailed off as I whimpered, raising my hands up defensively as he leaned in closer. I meant to keep him away, but the moment my fingers touched his skin, something came over me. Something snapped. His chest was warm under my hands, the skin smooth and enticing. I stroked my palms over his stomach and his chest. Tracing and shaping each little dip and rise of muscle. He shuddered, his eyes falling closed and his hand on my head lowered until it cradled the back of my neck.

He opened his eyes to gaze down at me and cursed, "Fuck."

Then he pulled me against him and slammed his lips down on mine.