Chapter 1 - THE WOMAN WHO REFUSED TO BE AFRAID
“Why do you want this job?”
Dominic Rizzo asked the question like a prosecutor who already knew the defendant was lying.
Piper Lane looked at the most intimidating man she'd ever met and considered telling him the truth.
She was broke.
Desperate.
And approximately one unpaid electric bill away from sleeping in her car.
Instead, she smiled.
“Because I enjoy difficult men with terrible personalities.”
Garrett Shaw made a strangled noise behind her.
Dominic didn't blink.
“Get out.”
“Okay, that was a joke.”
“I don't pay people to make jokes.”
“Clearly. Your entire house looks like happiness was banned by a committee.”
Dominic turned his wheelchair toward Garrett.
“Where did you find this woman?”
“Employment agency.”
“Find another one.”
Piper felt panic crawl up her throat.
She couldn't lose this job.
Not before she'd even started.
“Wait.”
Dominic ignored her.
“Garrett, show her the door.”
Piper stepped forward.
“Your left hand is shaking.”
The room went silent.
Dominic slowly turned.
“What?”
“Your left hand. It's been trembling since I walked in.”
He looked down.
His fingers were curled tightly around the wheelchair armrest.
“That's none of your business.”
“Maybe not. But if you're taking the medication listed in your file, you probably shouldn't be skipping meals.”
Dominic's expression sharpened.
“You read my medical file?”
“The parts Garrett gave me.”
“Then you know what happened to me.”
“I know you were shot.”
His jaw tightened.
“And?”
“And you're still here.”
Something flickered in his eyes.
Piper took a breath.
“Look, Mr. Rizzo, I'm not going to pretend I understand what you're going through. I don't.”
“Then stop talking.”
“But I do know what it feels like when your entire life falls apart and everyone expects you to smile through it.”
Dominic stared at her.
For the first time, Piper stopped joking.
“My dad got sick when I was nineteen. My mom left before that. I worked three jobs while he was in treatment, and sometimes I was so tired I cried in grocery store parking lots.”
The room became painfully quiet.
“He died anyway,” she continued. “And afterward, people kept telling me how strong I was.”
Dominic's expression changed.
“I hated that word.”
He said nothing.
“So I'm not going to tell you you're brave. I'm not going to tell you everything happens for a reason. And I'm definitely not going to tell you to look on the bright side.”
She glanced toward the dark windows.
“But I will open those curtains because this room smells like a funeral home.”
Garrett coughed.
Dominic looked at Piper for a long moment.
Then he asked, “Can you cook?”
“Define cook.”
“Food. Heat. Plates.”
“Then yes.”
“Can you follow instructions?”
“Reasonable ones.”
“Can you keep your mouth shut?”
Piper considered that.
“Occasionally.”
Dominic exhaled.
“Thirty days.”
She blinked.
“What?”
“You have thirty days to prove you're worth the trouble.”
Her heart jumped.
“Seriously?”
“One mistake and you're gone.”
Piper looked at the orange soda still dripping from his wheelchair.
“Technically, I've already made one.”
Dominic's mouth twitched.
“Two mistakes.”
She grinned.
“Deal.”
Garrett looked as though he'd witnessed a miracle.
Dominic turned away.
“Get her settled.”
Piper followed Garrett toward the door.
Just before leaving, she glanced back.
Dominic was staring at his reflection in the dark window.
For one second, she saw something beneath his cold expression.
Loneliness.
The kind that made a beautiful mansion feel like a prison.
Then Garrett touched her elbow.
“Come with me.”
They walked down a long marble hallway.
When they reached the servants' wing, Garrett stopped.
His expression had changed.
“You need to understand something about this house.”
Piper frowned.
“What?”
“Never enter the west wing after midnight.”
“Why?”
“Because Mr. Rizzo doesn't allow it.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Does he keep a dragon in there?”
Garrett didn't smile.
“I'm serious.”
Then he leaned closer.
“And if you hear someone calling your name from behind the locked door, don't answer.”
Piper stared at him.
“Why would someone be calling my name?”
May you like
Garrett's face went pale.
“Because the last caregiver who answered disappeared.”
