Chapter 1 - THE LAUGH HE WASN’T SUPPOSED TO HEAR|
Roman Costa had spent thirty-two years learning how to recognize danger before it reached his door.
He knew when a business partner was lying, when a politician was preparing to betray him, and when a man standing across a table had already decided to reach for a weapon.
What he had never learned was what to do when a quiet young maid laughed at another man.
The sound reached him from the secondary kitchen shortly after three o’clock on Tuesday afternoon.
Roman had been returning from a meeting that had ended with two broken promises and one missing shipment. His black suit was immaculate, his expression cold, and his patience nearly exhausted.
Then he heard laughter.
Not the nervous laughter of employees pretending his jokes were funny. Not the forced amusement of wealthy guests hoping to secure his favor.
A genuine laugh.
He stopped outside the kitchen doorway.
Norah Bennett stood beside the stainless-steel counter, holding a damp paper towel. Her dark hair was pinned into a loose bun, and her gray uniform was slightly wrinkled from hours of work.
Across from her stood Finn Walker, the new mechanic from the motor pool.
Finn had grease across one cheek.
“You missed a spot,” Norah said.
Finn rubbed the wrong side of his face.
“Here?”
“No. The other side.”
He tried again.
She laughed harder.
“You're much too handsome to walk around looking like you lost a fight with an engine.”
Finn grinned.
“I appreciate the compliment. I'll put it on my résumé.”
Roman felt something unpleasant tighten beneath his ribs.
Handsome.
She had called another man handsome.
It was an absurd thing to care about. Roman had women offering him compliments every week. Some wanted his money. Others wanted his name. A few wanted the dangerous thrill of being seen with the most feared man in the Costa organization.
He had never cared what any of them thought.
Yet Norah's smile irritated him more than a rival's insult.
He stepped into the kitchen.
“Is there a problem with the machine?”
Finn straightened immediately.
“Just a damaged gasket, Mr. Costa. I'll have it working in ten minutes.”
“Did I ask how long it would take?”
“No, sir.”
Roman's gaze shifted toward Norah.
Her smile vanished.
That bothered him, too.
“Norah. My office.”
She lowered her eyes.
“Yes, sir.”
She followed him through the corridor with her hands clasped tightly in front of her.
Roman had employed her for two years. He knew her name, her duties, and the amount of money deducted from her wages to settle her father's gambling debt.
He had never asked what she did when she wasn't working.
He had never wondered whether she had friends.
Now he found himself wondering how often she smiled at Finn.
Inside his study, Roman removed his jacket and placed it over a chair.
“How long have you worked in this house?”
“Two years, sir.”
“And how long have you been paying your father's debt?”
“Two years.”
“Do you consider yourself too comfortable here?”
Norah looked up in surprise.
“No, sir.”
“You seemed comfortable enough in the kitchen.”
Her cheeks colored.
“Mr. Walker was repairing the coffee machine. I was helping him.”
“You called him handsome.”
“It was a joke.”
“Did he make you laugh?”
Norah hesitated.
“Yes, sir.”
Roman disliked the honesty almost as much as he disliked the answer.
He opened a drawer and removed a staff assignment sheet.
“Starting tomorrow, you'll work directly under me. My study, my private dining room, and my living quarters.”
“But Maria usually handles those rooms.”
“Maria has been reassigned.”
Norah's fingers tightened around one another.
Roman continued.
“You will not waste working hours chatting with the drivers, guards, or mechanics. If you need something, you speak to me or the housekeeper.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And stay away from Finn Walker.”
For the first time, Norah's expression changed from fear to confusion.
“May I ask why?”
Roman's eyes hardened.
“No.”
She lowered her head.
“Of course.”
He expected her to leave immediately.
Instead, she stood motionless for a moment, then asked quietly, “Have I done something wrong, Mr. Costa?”
The question should have been easy to answer.
Roman could have told her that she had interrupted his concentration. He could have said the household needed stricter rules.
Instead, he heard himself say, “You forgot your place.”
Norah went pale.
“I'm sorry.”
She left without another word.
Roman remained beside his desk, staring at the closed door.
He had won wars without raising his voice.
So why did he feel as though he had lost something the moment she stopped smiling?
He didn't know.
But across the estate, Finn Walker was about to discover that Roman Costa's jealousy was only the first of several dangerous secrets hidden inside the house.
Because when Finn returned to the motor pool that evening, a man in a black coat was waiting beside his truck.
“Stay away from Norah Bennett,” the stranger said.
Finn frowned.
“Who the hell are you?”
The man handed him a photograph.
It showed Norah standing beside a gravestone.
Beneath her name was a date.
May you like
And the words that followed made Finn's face turn white.
TO BE CONTINUED.
