The Mafia Boss Carried His Exhausted Maid to His Bed, but What She Was Holding When She Woke Changed Everything

The service elevator creaked as it ascended to the ground floor.

Avery kept her back against the metal wall, breathing slowly, holding the heavy brass tray tight against her chest. Beside her, Leo gripped his sidearm with his good hand, his face pale with exertion.

When the doors slid open into the service corridor behind the kitchen, the mansion was eerily quiet. The storm outside howled against the stone walls, but the interior gunfire had stopped.

"Stay behind me," Leo whispered, stepping into the hallway.

They crept toward the main library. Through the crack in the heavy oak doors, Avery could see Victor standing near the central security terminal, wiring a small plastic explosive charge directly into the main circuit breaker.

Suddenly, a shadow filled the doorway opposite Victor.

Dominic.

His shirt was soaked with rain and blood, his dark eyes fixed on Victor. His gun was drawn, but Victor immediately slammed his thumb onto the armed detonator's dead-man switch.

"Step back, Dominic!" Victor roared, his voice echoing off the book-lined walls. "You take one step closer, and I drop this switch! The whole lower wing goes up—including that pretty little nurse you've been hiding downstairs!"

Dominic froze. For the first time all night, Avery saw real terror in Dominic Kane's eyes. Not for himself—for her.

"You want the offshore accounts, Victor?" Dominic said, his voice deadly quiet, stepping forward to draw Victor's attention. "The ledger is empty. My uncle lost that money ten years ago. You're fighting for dust."

"You're lying!" Victor screamed, his finger twitching on the detonator. "Marcus had millions! Give me the access codes, or I blow the medical bay to hell right now!"

Dominic took half a step back, angling his body, trying to find a clear shot that wouldn't cause Victor's thumb to slip on the trigger. But Victor was smart; he kept the metal box pressed tight against his chest, shielded by his heavy tactical vest.

Avery didn't wait for Dominic to make a desperate move.

She knew this mansion better than anyone. She had spent three years cleaning every inch of it. She knew that behind the library's decorative display case was a hidden service hatch used to access the antique grandfather clock.

Silently, Avery slipped away from Leo. She stepped into the narrow service crawlspace behind the wall, moving quietly—the way she had trained herself to move for three years.

Ten seconds later, she was standing directly behind Victor, separated only by the velvet curtain of the clock alcove.

Victor was still screaming at Dominic. "Three seconds, Kane! Give me the codes or she dies!"

"Victor, look at me—" Dominic tried to bargain, his eyes darting toward the curtain as he caught the tiny movement of fabric.

Avery didn't hesitate.

She stepped out from behind the curtain and swung the heavy brass surgical tray with all the strength in her broad, strong shoulders.

CRACK!

The heavy tray struck Victor clean across the side of his jaw. The sound rang through the library like a gunshot. Victor gasped, his head snapping sideways, his grip on the detonator loosening for a fraction of a second.

That fraction was all Dominic needed.

Dominic lunged forward like a striking predator. His heavy fist slammed into Victor's wrist, disarming the detonator and sending it skittering across the polished floor. Before Victor could recover, Dominic slammed him against the marble fireplace, knocking him completely unconscious with a single, devastating blow.

The room fell dead silent.

The detonator lay harmless on the rug. Victor slumped to the floor, out cold.

Dominic stood over him, chest heaving, rain dripping from his dark hair. Slowly, he turned around.