Chapter 2 - The Perfect Frame
Tomas looked down at Mave with a smile that never quite reached his dead eyes.
"Going somewhere in such a hurry, little bird?" he asked smoothly, blocking her path.
Mave felt the cold metal of the hidden cufflink burning a hole in her apron pocket.
"I am just going to the laundry room, sir," she whispered, keeping her gaze pinned to his polished shoes.
Tomas stepped closer, filling the narrow hallway with his imposing presence.
He smelled strongly of expensive Scotch and the faint smoke of a Cuban cigar.
It was the exact same smell Ronan had noticed lingering in the foyer earlier that afternoon.
"You seem incredibly nervous for a maid doing laundry," Tomas noted, his eyes scanning her trembling hands.
Before he could interrogate her further, Adriana’s shrill voice echoed down the hall.
"Tomas, thank goodness you are here!" she cried out in perfectly faked distress.
Mave watched in horror as the mistress of the house marched toward them with fury in her eyes.
Adriana pointed a perfectly manicured finger directly at Mave's face.
"Arrest her immediately, Tomas," Adriana commanded loudly.
"This wretched girl stole my grandmother's diamond necklace."
Mave gasped, shaking her head in absolute, desperate denial.
"No, ma'am, I swear I never touched your jewelry," Mave pleaded, taking a step back.
Tomas frowned in mock concern and grabbed Mave roughly by the arm.
"Let us see what you have in those pockets, little thief," he growled dangerously.
He plunged his large hand deep into her left apron pocket.
Mave squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for him to pull out the golden cufflink and end her life.
Instead, Tomas pulled out a glittering, priceless diamond necklace.
Adriana smiled a wicked, triumphant smile at the terrified maid.
Mave realized with sickening clarity that she had been framed while cleaning the vanity.
But the real threat, the golden cufflink, was still hidden in her right pocket.
"Call the police and have her locked up, Tomas," Adriana said happily.
May you like
"We do not need the police in my house," a dark, booming voice echoed from the top of the stairs.
Ronan Castellano stepped out of the shadows, holding a loaded gun at his side.
