The call came the next morning. Gloria Chen, the housekeeper, told Cassidy that Mr. Thornton wanted her to become the official housemaid.
The salary would be three times her current pay, housing included.
Cassidy looked at Emma and her damp old room and accepted. They moved into Thornton Manor. The servants’s room was heaven compared to her old place.
But fear began to grow. Men in black suits moved through the mansion like shadows. She saw bulletproof cars and security cameras everywhere.
One night, Cassidy heard Maxwell’s voice in the living room.
“He dared to touch my shipment. Does he think I’m dead?” Isaac, his brother, answered. Maxwell let out a short laugh. “Just enough to make them understand who runs this city.”
Cassidy backed away but struck a chair leg. Maxwell appeared in the doorway. “What did you hear?”
“I heard enough to know who you are.”
“And what do you think?”
“I think I knew from the first day. But you haven’t hurt me or my daughter.”
Maxwell turned to Isaac. “This is Isaac, my brother.” Then back to Cassidy: “Go back to your room.
You’re safe here, you and the child. No one is allowed to touch what’s mine.”
Two weeks passed. Maxwell began to appear more often during Emma’s feeding times, watching from a distance.
One night, Cassidy found him standing outside her room, staring at Emma’s crib. “Victoria was my wife,” Maxwell whispered.
“She was the only person who wasn’t afraid of me. And when Thomas was born, I thought my life was complete.” He spat the name “The Castellanos.”
“A rival gang wanted my territory. They killed what mattered most.
Victoria died holding him in her arms. Thomas was still in his mother’s arms as if he were sleeping. But he wasn’t sleeping.”
“It’s not your fault,” Cassidy said, her hand resting on his shoulder.
“I was the father. It was my job to protect them, and I failed.”
“No one can protect the people they love from everything. Sometimes staying alive is the bravest thing a person can do.”
Maxwell rested his head on her shoulder, and she held him. Two lonely souls sharing pain in the darkness.
One afternoon, Cassidy went to the grocery store while Gloria watched Emma.
On the way back, she saw Derek. “Found you, Cassidy. You thought you could hide from me.” Cassidy ran into a dead-end alley. Derek advanced.
