A Gothic Romance Short

Chapter 1

Trip

Present Day

Another damn maid. Too many have come and gone.

I shook my head at Anders, my longtime advisor. He arrived at the Manor shortly before I did. Not many years my senior, a brotherly bond formed between him and I. There weren’t many who could look at me without flinching after the accident. But he’d already dealt with his own problems. Losing his family, especially his sister was devastating. Uncle Rhett took him in when no one else would. Seemed my uncle was softer than he appeared.

“Miss Hendrix didn’t clean properly.” He shrugged. “You know your aunt.”

That I did. She was probably the pickiest woman on the planet. Normally she would have followed them around and redid their work, but since losing her husband, in the last year she stayed away. She hadn’t liked any of the girls Anders had hired, but she also wasn’t herself. She didn’t care anymore.. I didn’t understand what the point of hiring workers who didn’t do their job was. She never would have let that shit go before.

“How many in the last quarter have you had to fire?”

He sighed and ticked the names of each maid on his fingers. “Six,total.”

“Shit.” I ran my fingers through my curls. “Did none of them actually do the job?”

He shook his head. “Normally your aunt would have fired them. The place hasn’t ever looked this bad, even when there was no one doing the work. I’m hoping that by getting it cleaned up it’ll will bring Miss Luc out of her mourning. Give her something to care about again. I hired a new girl — young, desperate — but you’re correct. If she fails, I’ll have to expand the search. She’s local at least.”

Young. Desperate.

I barely held back the shudder. My weakness. “How young?”

Anders swallowed and licked his lip. I watched his Adam’s apple bob. That meant I wasn’t going to like what he had to say. He had too many tells to be deal with the day to day bullshit. He seemed to prefer the odd job here and there and sticking close to home. Uncle Rhett kept him close. He was the brains, and really should have taken over, but he wasn’t the heir.

“She’s of age.”

I waved my hand expectantly, ignoring the sweat that trickled down my spine. It slid slow, leaving moisture in its wake.

“Eighteen.”

Now it was me who swallowed. My heart slammed against the walls that encased it. She was eighteen, and I was betting she hadn’t been for long. I knew I needed to refuse. He’d have to find someone else. Anders knew my past, the mistake I made. I touched my jaw for a moment. The skin was hard like melted wax dried after the candle was long out. My whole face wasn’t destroyed but the parts that were didn’t go unnoticed.

“She lost her job. If she doesn’t find work, she and her sister will be on the street.”

I leaned back, hoping to ease the tension that built with those few words. He was the one with the heart — at least, on the surface. He had a soft spot for the young ones, but he didn’t fuck them like I did. “Are you sure there’s no one else?”

If he noticed the tremble, he made no sign of it. He’s better at pretending than me.

“I’m afraid not. She’s genuinely nice. She’ll work hard, I believe.”

The phone rang, halting the conversation. I nodded, and Anders didn’t hesitate to leave me to the phone. Business was never quiet. Uncle Rhett made sure of that. But since his passing, it seemed some of the Firm thought to take advantage of me. Thought I wasn’t as aware as I should be.

Let them think I’m dumb.

It was much sweeter when they got a taste of just how crazy I really was. At 32 I was still considered young and inexperienced, but they didn’t realize just how much I knew, how much Rhett revealed.

With Anders gone, I held the phone to my ear. The voice was one I recognized. It was one that stirred the rage. “Morrison.”

He was supposedly Rhett’s right hand man. He’d been hiding a secret from everyone for so many years, he probably didn’t even remember it himself. The first thing I did after my Uncle’s passing was check out the people who had close ties. Rhett didn’t check backgrounds as well I did. I needed all the leverage I could get. Anything to help me change the things I never approved of. Since I had to take over, I planned to do things my way. Every association, no matter how close, was traced, tracked, and followed — without their knowledge, of course. During my investigations, I’d found out some interesting things. Now, I’d finally get to take advantage of my newfound discovery.

“We do need a meeting, you’re correct.” I leaned back, putting aside my worry about the newest hire. For now, I needed to get rid of all the remaining trash.

“Our normal place?” Morrison asked. His voice was grating and too high pitched. It was one of those things that made me want to avoid him as much as possible.

“Sure, tomorrow afternoon?”

“Today, Trip.” His demand wasn’t a surprise, but there was a notable change in his tone. He always pretended he was in charge. I’d let him believe it for a bit longer.

“Sure, in two hours.” It wasn’t yet ten in the morning, so I’d meet him during the lunch rush. We met at the little hole in the wall his family ran and catered to the underground. The Firm held meetings there regardless of the time of day. It appeared to be a family place. We all managed to fit in.

I hung up without giving him a chance to argue. I wasn’t one for goodbyes.

Frizo’s was owned by the Riley family. They were one of the original Irish families that came over a long time ago. They had kept the peace for the last twenty years; that was their job. No gangs were allowed in our town. They brought too much attention to themselves and our organization in the process. That wasn’t about to happen.

Anyone who came into Frizo’s referred to Morrison as Pops. He wasn’t the happy go-lucky grandfather type he portrayed, but he was exceptional at making it appear as though he was. I was never fooled, not even when Rhett brought me here after I’d healed from the accident. It was the first time I’d left the Manor after my cousin Jay died. I was a mess of disgust and hated everything.

The pain fused into my bones. My skin melted into the ugliest textured patterns. No one made eye contact anymore after that.

Today, everyone still took notice of my arrival, quickly looking away with nervous eyes that darted around the room, avoiding contact. It didn’t faze me the way it once did. Now I appreciated the fear, the unease. I would show them why I should never be underestimated. I dressed in a black suit tailored to my body and carried a manila folder with Anders behind me.

He wasn’t as tall, but he was wide, built the way a bodyguard should be. He managed to play so many roles there wasn’t a fit-all title for him. Hence him being my advisor.

Anders and I walked past the smaller, more intimate table settings. The floor was spic and span. The wood gleamed. The lighting was dim. It was private, personal. Anyone who came had an agenda.

And it wasn’t for romance.

Anders moved in closer to me, and the hairs on my neck rose. Morrison sat in the back corner, away from the regular tables. On either side, he had a son sitting protectively. Smart man. Apparently, they knew something was about to change.

Mari

One week Earlier

I met Mr. Anders at the small coffee shop down the street from the apartment. His choice of where to meet was a bit odd, but I had a feeling no one entered the Manor without surpassing a test or two. The family kept everyone out unless necessary. If I were hired, I’d get to finally see what was behind the walls, but he wasn’t what I imagined. Not even a little bit. He was large, to say the least. Normally a man’s size didn’t bother me. After years of roughing it on the streets I’d learned how to take care of myself. But he was intimidating, even in his pristine suit. He looked like a million bucks, but underneath the charming smirk and pale blue eyes, something sinister lurked. His arms were as big as both my thighs put together.

“Miss Pierce, I presume.” His voice held a slight accent I couldn’t place.

I stood and held out my hand. He didn’t reach for it so I dropped it before it would get awkward.

He smirked. “Why don’t we sit, yes?”

I swallowed.

Since Conner, Bev’s grandson took over, he decided I was a problem, so he fired me on the spot. She’d been so good to me, and I’d never even gotten the chance to thank her, to tell her how much I appreciated her. I felt the tears rising again and bit my lip. I tried to get rid of the thoughts running through my head. Her death hit harder than Dad leaving. She’d been my rock, what got me through everything while I did my best to take care of Cassie.

Not that it did much good most of the time. But dammit, I tried every damn day.

Everyone in South Mesa knew Trip McKenney and his family. It might seem big, but there weren’t as many people as their way space. This led to a lot of small-town behavior. It was close knit. They were on every end of the rumor mill. Growing up, I’d heard all the stories, though I’d never met anyone from the Manor. They owned nearly all the land just on the outskirts of South Mesa. It was surrounded by trees and an old-school wrought iron fence that encased the property, protecting from intruders. Many of the older houses in the area had the same kind of gates. They liked the look of it, and when the homes were built it was a common for protection.

Of course, I’d seen the place. No one in their youth could get out of the dare. It was a required test of your gall. If you balked, you were tormented. I was twelve when I failed the test. It wasn’t long after that I swore I wouldn’t return, leaving me under educated. I couldn’t show my face at school. I didn’t even make it over the gate. I had wrapped my fingers around the cold bars and felt like behind it was a prison. The other kids laughed and called me names. As if something as flimsy as iron would be used to surround a prison.

Worthless.

Stupid.

I’d heard all that and more from the others who were able to follow through. I wish I lacked the ability to care anymore. Why did it matter what people thought of me? It shouldn’t, I knew. Cassie’s reputation certainly didn’t help matters. She was only two years older, making it impossible to disassociate.

Not that I would. My sister made bad choices, but she was all that I had left. It wasn’t like we had any more family, and while I wasn’t much of a concern to the town, my sister was. This job would ensure the funds I needed to save her. I could get her out of South Mesa. I could get both of us out.

“Miss Pierce?”

His tone was light, but it still jarred me out of the path of my thoughts. “Sorry, what was that?”

“I asked why you were fired from your last job.”

The air was thick. The scent of coffee no longer covered the scent of my own fear. I nibbled my lip. I hadn’t actually done anything wrong — at least, not according to Bev.

“I got fired.”

“I said that already.”

I was no liar, and I wouldn’t start now. I might need the job, but if I couldn’t get it through honesty then I didn’t deserve it. The people in town might not actually care for me, but even they warned me away. They hated and feared the McKenney family that badly? The consensus was still untallied.

“Fired?” Mr. Anders repeated with a raised brow, prompting me to tell him why.

There was a cut over his eye brow that was still a sliver of red. Healing. Fresh and new. Someone had hit him — and recently. I focused on that instead of my worry.

“Yes.”

“Do you wish to explain? I mean, I could easily find out, but it would be better to hear it from you, yes?”

I sighed and nodded. “The original owner was someone who helped me. She allowed me things she wouldn’t let others have. Her grandson took over after she died — and he didn’t seem to agree with her sentiment.”

That sounded good. I was impressed. I wasn’t the sharpest, not having finished school when I started working. Not that Bev knew; she would have skinned my ass.

“So, you were fired for — ”

“Stealing.”

He frowned at that. “You stole from your last employer and you’re admitting this?”

“Look, I know you can do a check on me. I didn’t consider it technically stealing since the owner allowed me to take what I needed to survive. But she died without leaving instructions to her grandson and he caught me taking the leftover food home.”

Mr. Anders smiled. “You were fired for stealing food?”

I nodded.

It didn’t look like this was going well. How was I going to make it if I couldn’t even get a job — being a stupid maid? It was normally considered a job that didn’t take much skill. I didn’t have a lot, but I had worked since I was even legally old enough. I felt my confidence fade; the tension in my shoulders tightened and spread. I clenched my jaw, hoping this interview would be over soon.

“If that’s the worst — ”

“It is.” I said before he could finish. “Look, I don’t have money. I have a sister who can’t take care of herself and all my family is gone. I made a mistake thinking things would be the same after my boss was gone and now, I’m paying for it. He’s pressing charges, and God only knows what that means for me.”

“That’s why you didn’t lie.”

I shook my head. “No, I didn’t lie because I hoped that by being honest it would — I don’t know — score me some points.”

Mr. Anders sat back in the chair. He appeared relaxed, but I could tell he watched everything. He didn’t miss a thing.

“And would you steal from my bosses?”

“No. I won’t be that stupid again.”

Something flickered behind his blue eyes. It was something I couldn’t pinpoint, but he softened. “I think as long as that’s all I find on your record, everything will work out for everyone.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant by that. And the darkness that surrounded him should have raised all my red flags, but I just couldn’t care anymore. I had to save Cassie.

That’s all that mattered now.