f my body, his tongue darting out over his low

back a

y the five dollars for the day car

er, dragging it down my arm

at he's threatening me, blackmailing me with the ability to shower for sex. It's repulsive, and I clench my fingers into

y and heads back for the desk. He looks back over his shoulder one more

but when I distract him by pointing out the Dalmatian being walked down the

ng that is way nicer than anything I could ever afford, but would still be considered lower class by many standards. She has a box of dead flow

eems nice. Her place is clean, Theo always tells me he has fun at her house, and I have no other options. So, I take Theo

e sitting at a table eating oatmeal. Krista's hair is pinned back with a clip at the base of her neck, and she is in a pair

e park down the block, i

to Theo. "I'm running behind, so I b

owards the door. Her lips a

fe kicking me while I'm down has taught me to keep my expectations l

s, voice low so Theo won't hear. "Yo

"Theo got a cold, and I had to take him to the urgent care cent

nes of her face. "But beyond that, I can't make any promises. He's a

hand to stop her. "I'll get you th

five blocks to the diner where I will slave away for eight hours,

KT

anyone else, I'd kick his feet off the table and threaten to break his kneecaps. As it is, he's not only my

he says accusingly. "I had to call

to you?" I ask, the wo

dle shit your enforcers should be taking care of.

It's weakness.-but I ignore it as I so often do. "The guy was middle-aged, fat, and

hipped in a wrestling match gone wrong with F

ess you're here to tell me that certain people don'

s," he says in a teasing voice as he drops his feet to the floor and sits up. Petr has a h

"I swear, half of my job is making

worry who's going to be next

rn back to face Petr, he's looking at me like I'm an animal he's afraid wil

to think he's a complete joke. Even now, I'm trying to protect the reputation he has spent most of his life trying to destroy. "Fedor acted recklessly, didn't cover his tracks, and ref

s. "I kn

e is loud and sharp

ng back at the floor. "A witness stood on the stand an

care of it

, "according to a lot of people, anyway. He

." I flop back down in my chair and swivel back

kno

echo in the room. Your fathe

our ties to the Mazzeo family, something my father worked hard to establish and I've worked e

utiful, vivacious, and out-of-control daughter, Maria. As attractive as

ect and partnership with our various business associates. Yet, I

im, the words were interchangeable. As long as peopl

more th

cause they respect me, not because I'll kill them if they aren't-though I certainly will do that if I'm betrayed. When I took over after my father's death, I wanted

t to meet them in the

ow. "What do

va. They need to be reminded that you're on their side. L

let them run free on the streets. That's exactly wh

by the tension in his sh

" I groan. "

if they crossed him. Perhaps, under your style of leadership, people are forgetting what those conse

y of mine. Everything seemed to be trending towards the positive... until Fedor got himself locked up. Suddenly, doubts are creeping in

topsy pictures locked away in a drawer somewhere. Perhaps

says. "I mean