Chapter 2 - THE RULE HE BROKE
By breakfast, the rumor had traveled through three floors of the Romano estate.
Tessa knew because conversations died whenever she entered a room.
The cook stopped chopping onions.
Two maids suddenly became fascinated by a coffee machine.
Even Mrs. Bell, the estate manager, stared at her like she had discovered Tessa hiding a grenade under her uniform.
“Mr. Romano wants to see me?”
Mrs. Bell folded her arms.
“He wants to see me.”
Tessa exhaled.
“Oh.”
“Don’t sound relieved.”
“I’m trying not to.”
Mrs. Bell leaned closer.
“What happened in that study?”
“Nothing.”
“That’s what Mr. Romano said.”
“Then we agree.”
Mrs. Bell’s eyes narrowed.
Tessa picked up a laundry basket.
“I have sheets.”
“You have the morning off.”
Tessa nearly dropped the basket.
“What?”
“Mr. Romano’s order.”
“I don’t need—”
“The entire morning.”
Mrs. Bell looked personally offended by the concept.
“And no more double shifts.”
Tessa stared.
“That makes no sense.”
“It makes even less sense to me.”
Across the estate, Victor sat behind his desk while Paulie paced.
“She’s a liability.”
“She’s a housekeeper.”
“She slept on you.”
“I noticed.”
Paulie stopped.
“Victor.”
The use of his first name changed the room.
They had known each other since they were teenagers.
Paulie had taken a knife for him once.
Victor trusted him more than almost anyone alive.
Almost.
“People are talking,” Paulie said.
“People always talk.”
“They’re saying you protected her.”
“I did.”
“Why?”
Victor looked up.
“Because you were about to scare a woman who could barely stand.”
“That never bothered you before.”
Victor’s jaw tightened.
Paulie realized he had gone too far.
Before either man spoke again, Victor’s phone buzzed.
His security chief, Nico, appeared on the screen.
“Boss, we have a problem at the south gate.”
“What?”
“A guy demanding to see Tessa Moore.”
Victor’s expression hardened.
“Name?”
“Liam Moore.”
Ten minutes later, Tessa hurried across the front courtyard.
Her brother stood outside the iron gate.
His jacket was dirty.
One eye was bruised.
“Liam?”
He forced a grin.
“Hey, Tess.”
“What happened to your face?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing punched you?”
He glanced toward the guards.
“Can we talk somewhere private?”
“No.”
“Tess.”
“You promised me.”
“I know.”
“You promised you stopped gambling.”
“I did.”
She stared.
Liam rubbed his jaw.
“Mostly.”
Tessa closed her eyes.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“I need five thousand dollars.”
She actually laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because otherwise she might scream.
“I clean toilets for eighteen hours a day because of your debt, and you came here asking me for money?”
“This isn’t gambling.”
“What is it?”
Liam stepped closer to the gate.
“Something happened.”
“What?”
His voice dropped.
“I saw something I wasn’t supposed to see.”
Tessa’s anger disappeared.
Behind her, Victor had quietly walked into the courtyard.
Liam spotted him.
His face changed instantly.
Victor noticed.
“Mr. Moore.”
Liam backed away.
“No.”
Tessa turned.
Victor approached the gate.
“What did you see?”
“Nothing.”
“You just told your sister you saw something.”
“I was talking crap.”
Victor studied him.
Liam started walking backward.
Then he stopped.
A black sedan had turned onto the road.
Liam’s face went gray.
“Oh, no.”
Tessa followed his gaze.
“Who is that?”
Liam grabbed the iron bars.
“Tessa, listen to me.”
The sedan accelerated.
Victor’s security men reached for their weapons.
Liam shouted through the gate.
“THEY KNOW I CAME HERE!”
The rear window of the sedan rolled down.
Victor saw the gun first.
“GET DOWN!”
He slammed Tessa against the stone wall.
May you like
The first burst of gunfire ripped across the gate.
And Liam was still standing on the other side.
