“Did you have something else?”
“Not business. Well, not really,” he amends. “I’m worried about Vince.”
“Why is that?”
His eyes flash to mine and he shoots me a look of thinly veiled hatred. “Are you fucking kidding me? You’re raping his girlfriend. That he hasn’t lost his mind and shot you in the fucking face is frankly more restraint than I expected from the kid.”
I can’t stifle a small smile as I consider that scenario. “You’d really hate that, wouldn’t you? Having to stop him?”
“You’re the one who needs to be stopped,” Adrian mutters.
I’m not sure if it’s a brave or stupid thing to say to me, but I don’t worry. Adrian doesn’t have to like me; I have all the leverage over him I need.
“Elise was in my bedroom.” His gaze turns murderous on instinct, then he realizes what I’m referring to. I smirk. It’s fun to mess with him. “Why?” I add.
Ordinarily only Maria steps foot in my bedroom. It’s not that I don’t trust Elise, but given her level of infatuation with me, it just seems wisest to keep her out.
Given how fiercely protective he gets now, you’d think he has a vested interest. I would expect no less for Elise, regardless of her actions, but Mia is the one he tries to make excuses for now. “Mia asked for her. She doesn’t know the way things are around here, she didn’t know Elise doesn’t go to your room. It was perfectly innocent. All she knew was she needed a maid and Elise is a maid.”
He’s worried I’m mad at Mia for telling on me. I’m not. She frankly did me a favor; pushing Elise on Adrian was an item on my to-do list. I hadn’t anticipated this move with Mia would accomplish that end as well, but then Mia tattled on me. Now I have one less thing to do. Teamwork.
“You like her,” I remark.
It’s not a question, but he withdraws even further into himself. “What?”
It shouldn’t surprise me. He’s always had a sweet spot for kindly blondes. His mom was one, so I shouldn’t be surprised.
“You like Mia,” I reiterate.
He’s tense just hearing me say her name. “I think you’re treating her like shit and there were more humane ways to do this,” he states. “But you already know how I feel about the situation.”
I smile slowly. “But you like her.”
He snaps at me now. He’s letting me get to him. “I stand guard outside your bedroom door in case she tries to escape her rapist; if that’s how I treat people I like, God help anyone I don’t.”
I should let him get back to that now, actually. After I took her this morning, Mia curled up and went back to sleep. I figured I could take advantage and bring him in for some actual business. I really shouldn’t have him away from more important matters like this, but I don’t trust anyone else to keep an eye on Mia. Not sure why, but my instincts are usually sharp, so I just trust them on this. She hasn’t even tried to leave yet, so I’m not as worried about it as I was initially, but I still feel more comfortable with him posted outside my bedroom door.
“If this morning is any indication, she’s in a dark mood today. Make sure you check in on her,” I tell him. “Make sure she’s all right.”
“I think she’d be more all right if you’d stop hurting her,” he states.
“I have stopped hurting her.”
His eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “You have?”
Realizing he probably means something different, I amend, “I mean, I could do a lot worse.”
Adrian somehow manages to look disappointed in me as he pushes up out of the chair. “Shit like this is why I hate working for you.”
“Oh, come on; this isn’t the worst thing I’ve made you do.”
“I think it might be,” he disagrees, shaking his head. Meeting my gaze, he states, “That girl has been nothing but nice to everyone in this house—including you. She didn’t say a word about what she saw to anyone. There’s no reason to think she ever would have if you hadn’t sabotaged her like this.”
“Don’t be so trusting, Adrian,” I advise. “Vince would’ve worn on her. With his temper and jealousy, he would’ve turned abusive eventually; she would’ve wanted out, and she would’ve talked if necessary to escape him. I know you think I’m just being an asshole, but I’m saving everyone a lot of time and trouble in the long run.”
Adrian shakes his head, rubbing the back of his neck as he heads for the door. “No, you’re strapping your own baggage to that poor girl’s back and forcing her to play the role you expect of her. Doesn’t mean she ever would have on her own.”
“We’ll have to agree to disagree,” I offer mildly.