THE BARON'S PET

CHAPTER 1

CORA.

I walked sluggishly down the street, too tired to pull my jacket tighter around myself, and too cold to not be bothered by it.

Scrunching my nose at the smell of piles of trash, I crossed the mouth of an alley, groaning when I saw a familiar black car driving towards me.

Like I knew it would, the car stopped, and two beefy thugs stepped out. I shoved my hands deeper into my empty pockets.

The tiny diner I worked at barely needed many workers, and as such, there were scarcely any tips.

"What do you want?", I bit out.

"The boss has a message for you", one of them said.

"I don't know where my mother is", I told them curtly.

"You should have checked your boss's gambling den before coming here to disturb me."

The thugs exchanged glances, no doubt wishing they could shut my mouth for me.

"The boss isn't looking for your mother. He knows where she is. The message is for you."

I shifted from foot to foot, trying to get warm.

"Let's hear it then."

The other thug thrust his hand at me and I stumbled backward.

It wouldn't be the first time Dante's thugs employed violence in his service.

Instead of hitting me though, he opened his palm to reveal a folded piece of paper which I eyed warily.

"What's that?"

"Your message," the first one snapped impatiently. "Take it."

Cautiously, I reached out and took the piece of paper.

The thugs whirled around and got back in their vehicle.

Seconds later, it sped off, splashing a dirty pool of water at me.

"Jerk!"

Still cursing under my breath, I resumed my walk home—to my mother's house—and opened the note.

What I saw written inside made my blood boil.

Without wasting much time, I crumbled the sheet of paper and let it drop to the wet ground.

Stupid crime boss.

In less than five minutes, I arrived at the rundown house my mother lived in, walking past junk in the tiny front yard and shoving the front door open.

The house was dim, despite it being bright outside, and my mother sat in a corner, mumbling to herself.

My sister lay on the couch next to her, covered with two thick blankets. I knew that because I had put her in the same spot before I left for work.

"Is she stoned or just drunk?", I asked Amity glaring at my mother lying down on the floor.

My twin sighed. "Both, I think."

"She hit the dens today?"

Amity nodded tiredly, the beanie she wore to keep her head warm in danger of falling off.

I walked to her and adjusted it, trying to pretend I didn't notice the clumps of hair that came away with my hand.

It was hard to believe my sister and I were once identical.

Her disease had eaten away at her slowly, making her almost unrecognizable.

"Where did she get the money?" I asked, throwing a glare at the woman smiling in the corner.

Amity looked away guiltily.

I sighed.

"It's the gas bill, isn't it?"

I didn't need the confirmation, but it still annoyed me when my sister nodded.

It was bad enough that our mother was deep in debt, but did she have to spend the little I earned at the diner and set aside for utilities on booze and meth?

The edge of a white envelope tucked under Amity's pillow caught my eye and my heart skipped a beat.

"Did the results come?" I asked her. We both knew what I was talking about.

The results from her latest tests were scheduled to arrive today.

She averted her eyes and started to shake her head when I reached out and tugged the envelope towards me.

She caught my hand weakly.

"They're bad," she said quietly.

"How bad?" I whispered.

"Very. Bone marrow transplant." She looked down, tears glistening between sparse lashes.

My heart thumped. The doctor had discussed the possibility of the procedure with us but we had hoped rounds of chemo would help.

At that moment, my mother's head snapped up and she stared at me as if she just realized I was in the room.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "What are you doing with my daughter?"

I felt a burst of rage. "Shut up, ma,” I snapped.

She mumbled something under her breath and went back to ignoring me.

Rumbling in the yard had me standing up and looking out the window. A black car similar to the one that had accosted me earlier was pulling into the yard.

"Dante's here", I whispered to Amity.

Her eyes widened and she struggled to sit up. I pushed her gently back down.

The front door flung itself inwards as it was kicked open.

"Rose, darling," Dante's slimy voice cooed. "I've come to collect."

He stepped into the house and my mother was suddenly alert.

She gulped. "D-Dante..."

"Have you got my money?" the local crime lord asked. Dante was in charge of anything illegal that happened in the neighborhood.

He was ruthless, but people always found themselves indebted to him. My mother was one of them.

"I...I..."

Dante clicked his tongue, then gestured to his thugs.

One of them brought his foot down on our tiny coffee table, shattering it, and the other yanked my mother to her feet.

"Leave her alone!", Amity protested weakly.

I didn't know why she tried.

Dante shot her a look, then turned back to my mother. "Rose darling. You've been a very bad girl, haven't you?"

"Please," she begged. "I..."

"You're two weeks late in your payments," Dante said coolly.

"And yet you were at the tables this morning. Have you told your daughters how much you lost?"

"I didn't think..." Ma's eyes darted around the room and landed on me. "Cora," she croaked.

"Help...tell him you'll pay..."

Now she remembers me.

Dante shot me an amused look. "Oh, don't count on Cora. I don't think she cares about what happens to you. After all, she hasn't said anything about agreeing to my offer."

"What offer?" Ma asked, looking desperate.

"Oh, nothing much," Dante said innocently.

"Just that I might be able to waive your debts if your pretty daughter agrees to spend the night with me."

Amity's eyes widened and she tugged at my hand. "Is that true?"

I nodded, then said aloud, "I'm not going to do it."

Dante laughed.

Ma coughed, shooting me a hateful glare. "You never do anything to help me. You're just like your useless father!"

I shrugged. "Maybe if I wasn't so sure you'll pile up more debt in two days, I'd consider doing that."

"How much does she owe you?" Amity asked Dante timidly.

"Five grand," he returned. "You see, it's not a small debt."

I sighed, already tired. "Leave her alone, Dante. She'll find a way to pay you."

Dante's eyes dropped to the envelope in my hand, then to Amity's huddled form.

"Say...what if I told you I'll waive the debt and pay for your sister's round of chemo? That can't be cheap, can it?"

Oh, God. I knew where this was headed.

"And what do you get in return?"

He flashed me his teeth in a leering smile.

"Oh, you know. A night with me. But first you'll strip at the club. I'll make it good for you."

"She won't do it!" Amity snapped.

I shut my eyes tightly. A round of chemo didn't seem like much compared to a bone marrow transplant, but it would relieve the strain of holding multiple jobs on me.

At least for the time being. And Ma...she was still my mother. Five grand was a lot of money.

I already knew my decision before I forced my eyes open, ignoring Amity telling me to forget about it.

"I'll meet you at the club tonight", I told Dante.

"You don't waste any time, do you?", he said gleefully. "Excellent.”