Chapter 7

Paige POV

I have spent what seems to be hours yanking on the cuffs, sleep was crawling upon me, but the cuffs were uncomfortable, the bastard had them attached to the bed so my free will to move around in the room was limited. He was no different from Morris, he was just a lot humbler than he was. And these are the kind of men women fall for, the ruthless kind that shows no mercy or forgiveness. I don't know how they do it or live with themselves, even to be wives and bear their seeds, but not me, it's not attractive... It's scary.

Feeling the urge to use the bathroom, I began to haul on the cuffs harder, I could feel the stings from fresh scrapes around my wrist,

“Is anyone out there, I need to take a piss,” I screeched, but I hear nothing, the place was quiet... Too quiet,

“Did you hear me? I swear to God I will take a leak in the bed if someone doesn't come and unlock these—”

The banging against the door startled me, judging by force I can tell it was caused by someone trying to kick it open or slamming their bodies on to it. Swallowing hard, I kept my eyes fixed on the door, if I was going to die I want to look in the eyes of the killer because I didn't know if it was another Morris and Arlington case where these sociopaths left me here to die and some mafia from another gang was here to take me away. But I wasn't scared, honestly, I wasn't it was the noise that was making me nervous.

Breaking the door open, I whimpered,

“Sorry Mam,” a young maid entered into the room, smiling at me, “The door— it tends to sometimes get stuck, I will have you transferred to another if that's alright with you,”

“What's your name?”

“Mary,”

“You're the one who cleaned me up, Mary?”

“Yes, Priscilla helped,”

“Ok tell Priscilla I said thank you,”

“I will,” she smiled, lowering her head,

“Now Mary do you know where the keys are to this,” I raised my arm, shaking the cuffs around, “I really need to pee,”

“Of course, sorry,” she dipped her hand into the pockets of her uniform, “another maid heard your shouting and came to fetch me,” she mumbled walking towards me

“Sorry,” I chuckled nervously, “I wasn't sure if anyone was hearing my cries,” I started at the side of her face, she was pretty. Her caramel skin goes well with the jet black hair, tied high on her head, wrapped tightly in a bun. Pudgy pink lips, brittle but appears soft and mushy, pretty was an underrated word, she's beautiful, my only concern is why did Crown trust her enough with the key.

“There,” she breathed out, “The damn thing is so old it was a challenge to get it opened,”

“Do you like working here Mary?” I rubbed my wrist, it wasn't bleeding, but the cuffs were clamped on tight, and pulling on it made it worse,

“Oh my, look at your hand, let me help,” she hurried from the bedside over to a small table digging through the drawers, she was ignoring my question,

“You didn't answer my question about you liking your job here,”

“My job here is fine Mam,”

“Please— call me Paige,”

“Ok Paige,” she sat next to me laying down a roll of bandage, cotton, a small bottle of purple dressing, and another unlabeled bottle, “I know what you're thinking...”

You do? I thought.

“What is a young girl like me doing here, working for a Mafia, but I can promise you I did this willingly. My parents didn't owe him or was I forced, No... It's my choice,” she moistened a piece of cotton with the liquid from the unmarked bottle, pressing it against the bruise. Hissing, I pulled my hand away, it was rubbing alcohol, and that doesn't go well with fresh cuts.

“I am sorry Paige, I should have warned you about that,”

“It's ok, it stings a little that's all,”

Taking my hand back into her hold, she coated the area with the dressing, wrapping it tightly with the bandage,

“So he isn't a bad man then?” I broke the silence,

“Oh, he is, when he needs to be,”

“Oh,”

“Don't worry he won't hurt you, I am sure of it. He treats me like family,”

“Just you? What about the other maids, Priscilla for instance?”

“I can't speak on the behalf of my coworkers,”

“Mary,” I whispered, “Is he— are you sleeping with him?”

Glaring at me, she lowered my hand, raising to her feet,

“I thought you needed to use the bathroom,”

“Yea... In fact, I do,” I mumbled, maybe I have gone too far, or maybe I haven't... If Arlington and Mary are sleeping together then this poor girl is a victim, and she's so naive that she can't even see it,

Standing from the bed, I ambled towards the bathroom, closing the door behind me. Flicking on the light switch, I looked around, it was nicer than I thought it would be, much better than the dungeon. Pulling up the nightgown I woke up in, I squatted over the toilet. Afterward, I wiped my self, flushed the toilet, and began to wash my hands, “Are you almost finished Mam?” Mary asked outside the bathroom door, “Yeah... I will be right there,” I felt bad that I might ruin a friendship that was in progress by letting curiously get the way because now she back to calling me 'mam', Drying my hands in a paper towel, I threw it in a small bin next to the sink,

“Are you ready? I did promise you a better room,”

“Sure, I would love that” I smiled, trying to mend things, “I am sure it is great,”

Walking out of the bedroom, Mary was further ahead of me, as I observed the walls to where I was, it was streaked with wallflowers and bright paintings, I never thought of Arlington being a man so joyous, “Here we go,” Mary smiled, twisting the doorknob to the bedroom that was next to another, the lights were already on, and this seems to puzzle sweet Mary,

“Oh, that's strange, no one goes in here, ever... maybe someone came to change the spread,” she chuckled lightly,

“Thanks, Mary, it's lovely,” and I wasn't lying, it was indeed lovely, it was more spacious than the room before with bright curtains a mini bookshelf in the corner, and a large bed,

“I guess I will see you in the morning,”

“Mary,” I turned around, facing her, “I am sorry about what I said earlier, it was rude and wasn't my place,”

“That's ok, people tend to think that about us... the maids,”

Biting my inner cheeks, I hoisted my bruised hand, waving it around,

“Aren't you forgetting something? “

“Oh,” she chuckled, good, I thought, that's growth, “I won't be putting that old thing on your hands anymore, I will simply lock the door from the outside, and right... I should tell you, you can find clothes in the wardrobe, they fit you nicely,”

“Who did they belong to?”

“Honestly... I don't know, even this room, he doesn't speak on it,” she uttered.

Great, maybe I am wearing some dead girl's clothes, oh lovely.

“I am sorry...” I added, “But the room— next to this one, what is it or who does it belong to?”

“Oh,” she mumbled, “That's Mr. Crown's bedroom.”