Maid for the Mafia
Lock the Monsters Out

**ROMANY**

*Dreamboat just called me his Lady... if my face wasn't already red, I'd be blushing.*

Antony releases me, probably hoping the same will be done to him, but it isn't. Damien keeps his hand locked over that fucker's balls and Antony is starting to look just a little pekid.

As I suck in so much air that I'm momentarily lightheaded, a fit of coughing ensues. It takes more than a couple of minutes for me to get control of myself and when I try to say Damien's name, I'm in shock when nothing happens. I can't even choke out a good whisper. My voice is entirely gone. Like nonexistent, gone. Of course, my throat feels cramped and sore, so it's more than likely it's going to take a minute for whatever he damaged to fix. I've actually had something similar to this happen before. When Matthew accused me of flirting with the guys in his class, he took the liberty of choking me out the moment we got him. My voice didn't fully return for a week. *God* I hope that's not what this is. *Water* definitely wouldn't hurt. Maybe a hot cup of honey and lemon tea.

As I work to clear my throat, I'm hacking and coughing and then *glaring* in Antony's direction.

Damien's eyes flash bright with fury as he listens to me sputtering, and they are suddenly more blue than I've ever seen them. "I'm pretty sure your suit is ruined, Angeletto, and in a moment, when we're all alone, I'm gonna take my other blade out and put a smile on your dick."

A phantom pain skates over me at his words and I fight the reflex to reach down and protect my pussy. Shivering, I study Damien's face. On the outside, he doesn't really look affected, but there's a calm chill to his voice when he speaks that is somewhat frightening. I've never heard him sound like that before. Not quite detached, not quite present.

"Baby," Damien says without looking at me. "I'm going to need you to grab some clothes to change into and go and get dressed in my suite. Do you think you can do that?"

I nod, rubbing my throat and climbing over to the far side of the bed to grab my phone. Then I make my way to my closet, keeping a five foot buffer between me and Antony at all times. Instead of contemplating what will look sexiest, I just grab a handful of hangers with clothes on them and start out the door.

"Wait!" Damien calls out, dangling a set of keys in the air before he tosses them in my direction.

I catch them effortlessly and clear my throat so I can at least *try* and say thank you. "Th-k-o." That's it. That's *all* I manage to get out.

"My door is locked, but once you're inside, shoot Alex a text and let him know that he better hurry or there won't be much of his business partner left. Then, when you're finished getting dressed, call Simone and have her bring dinner for two to my suite. Let her know she has the rest of the evening off and to enjoy her dinner."

I nod, knowing that trying to answer him at this point would prove ridiculous. Now that I'm on the other side of things though, I can finally see what has Antony so rigid. Damien has the most wicked looking knife lodged into his lower back near his spine and a dark trail of blood has already begun to seep into the shale gray suit, staining it all the way down past his thighs.

I laugh for a good couple of minutes. Not out loud of course because my voice is gone, but like a mime on the side of the road with a big red smile painted across my face. Then my eyes flit to the flex of muscles that are coiled together in Damien's back and I'm literally frozen, ogling him like a perv. When he turns to look at me, I blush from my hairline down to my toes.

*Busted.*

Damien's smile is only slightly amused. "Now would be a great time to head down there, sweetheart. Please? Otherwise you're going to have to watch me operate."

I shrug and cross my arms. He's crazy of he thinks that watching that fucker bleed isn't right at the top of my dark pleasure wish list.

"Baby," he says again. "Go. I know you might think you can watch this, but you have no idea."

I sigh, then turn around and head out. The moment the door closes behind me I take a moment to give thanks to the powers that be.

That could have gone *so* badly.

God bless my Dreamboat and his impeccable timing.

Heading for the stairs with a sudden spring in my step, Alex's voice sounds behind me. Shattering my thoughts as spin around and he approaches.

"Where the hell do you think you are going?" he asks, eyeing the random outfits I have hanging over my arm.

I can't answer him vocally so I shoot him a text instead, ignoring the absolutely insane glare he's giving me. When I'm done, I can see that he's about to snarl at me for what he thinks is blatant disrespect, but his phone chimes in his pocket. He ignores it, probably thinking he's making a point, and I'm forced to walk all the way up to him, retrieve his cell phone from his pocket myself - which I'm actually shocked that even let me do- and then place it in his hand.

"I am not deaf, Romany. I'm perfectly aware that I have a message. What the fuck? Did you swallow some shampoo in the shower? Is your brain reloading?" Then his jaw clenches as his eyes fall to my throat. His hands snake into my hair so that he can tilt my head back and get a better look. He growls, "What happened to your neck? Who fucking touched you like that? It better not have been-"

I clamp my hand over his mouth to silence him and he arches one eyebrow toward the ceiling and the other dips low over his eye. Taking his phone out of his hand, I hold it in front of his face so that he can see the message that he just received, is from me.

The moment he realizes, his eyes find my throat once again and he releases a shuddering breath.

I watch him attentively as he reads the message, noting the way his hand white knuckles around his cell phone and then his eyes snap in the direction of my suite. "Have one of the maids give you some lemon and honey for your throat," he says, his eyes still glued to my door.

As I try and step away, Alex stops me, backing me into the wall then lifting my chin. He places a warm open mouthed kiss on my neck and then stands back as if ashamed. The gesture is so gentle and unlike him that I almost want to ask him if *he* swallowed any shampoo.

"Did he fuck you?" Alex snarls, his eyes going dark.

For a moment, I think he's talking about Damien, but then I realize that he means Antony and I shake my head no.

"But he tried to," Alex hisses. "Didn't he?"

I don't answer. Not because I'm afraid of what Alex will do to him, but more so because I don't personally feel that Alex reserves the right to be angry about Antony *trying* to do *anything* to me. After all, he once sold me to the bastard. "Why else would he feel the need to close his fist around your neck but to silence you?" Alex spits harshly. "As far as him sneaking up on you, that's your own fucking fault. You are aware that your door is equipped with two deadbolts and a privacy lock, are you not? Being as how, Antony *does not* possess a key to your rooms, I suppose I only have *you* to blame for that part. Maybe this little incident is a blessing in disguise and you will finally learn to lock the monsters out." And I'm suddenly grateful that I *can't* speak, because if I could, I'd make damn sure that Alex ended up wanting to kill me.