Target Acquired

A superior. Giuseppe was not a superior a maid would listen to in this family. And she didn't know which one. Who else would have given her the orders if the superior didn't do it directly? The Head Maid could have. Or a Soldati on orders from the superior. It would be impossible to narrow it down, since there were so many in the employ of the Romano family. The only option I had was to listen to the few bugs I placed.

But there was a downside to this plan. There were many places I had yet to place a recorder, so going through it one by one would take too much time. I would need to call in some backup. During my lunch break, I took a plate of food into the courtyard and pressed the call button on my phone. Thanks to the computer age, getting information in and out only required one person to get in.

"I take it you need some backup?" The voice on my phone was that of the computer whiz back at home. "Or is there some data you need analyzed?"

"The latter. I'm taking a break right now in the courtyard." I replied with a grin as I took several bites of a cannoli. "Listening to the birds out here is quite nice."

"I see." He ventured in a knowing tone. "Trying to finish up?"

"Yes. And quickly." I countered, wiping the food from my lips. "Will you just listen to the birds? They sound lovely. We'll talk later."

I hung up without another word and sighed frustratingly. Most of the Soldati in the Accardi family were loyal to me without fail, but a few would pick on me like siblings. Emilio was one of those. An excellent hacker, though, a doof with other things. My phone notifications chimed, and I glanced at it to see a text from Emilio. I rolled my eyes before tucking it back into the pocket of my apron.

Everyone knew this job was different. Grandfather hated sending me on jobs like this, despite my talent, and everyone knew it. This was also the biggest job I took on. The Romano were a local media darling. They were closer to the light than any family I previously investigated. Closer to civilians than my family. I leaned back to look up at the sky when I noticed it. A presence nearby.

"Miss Lili. I hope you find your stay in the Villa enjoyable." Piero stepped out from behind some rose bushes nearby, a friendly smile on his face. "Please, let me apologize for the Don. He unnecessarily drew attention to your presence here and your status."

Piero was far smarter than he looked. He took a seat on the bench next to me with a sigh, a defeated expression on his face. Perhaps there was more to the story here than I initially thought. A bird chirped somewhere nearby and the sunlight streamed through the leaves of the trees in the courtyard. The soft trickle of water from the pond drew my gaze down to the gold and white fish swimming in its bottom.

"You will also have to forgive me. No one has heard of a family called the Accardi." His green eyes narrowed suspiciously as he glanced up at me. "So, one has to wonder. Who are you and why are you here?"

The barrel of a gun pressed against my waist, but I only sighed and relaxed against the bench, pretending I didn't notice. I rested my elbow behind Piero and glanced at him from under my lashes. His hand relaxed, though I doubt he noticed the hand behind his head held the smallest of palm pistols. My protection and identity were more important than his life, something my grandfather always told me.

"Giuseppe made it sound like your position here was dangerous for us. For the Don." He whispered, the barrel back and firmer than before. "If you intend…"

"Your Don is under no threat from me." For now, I swore, waiting for him to see the truth behind my words. "I swear it."

"Then…"

"Signore, you approved me. If you thought me dangerous, why?"

His eyes narrowed again, but the press of the barrel disappeared from my side, so I put mine away. Maybe he would never know how close he came to death, but I wasn't going to point it out. Only a fool revealed their cards to the enemy. A genius would question my quick position jump to 'direct maid for the Don'. Though no one expected me to have an answer for every question.

"I was referred here for work since the Accardi are decreasing their number. There is much less use for maids anymore." I continued, placing my hands in my lap. "But everyone has heard that the Romano family is growing. Plus, my Don wanted me to see if Liliana Accardi would like Nicolo."

And so far, I did. Which made it dangerous for me. I could almost see myself spending a night in his arms, and if a single touch set my heart to racing, I couldn't imagine was sex would be like. But now was not the time to think about that. It was best everyone assume I had no interest in him. Especially since as the future Donna of the Accardi family, I would have a large target on my back. Nicolo didn't need that.

~~~~~

"How can you stand it?" A maid asked with an annoyed expression. "Walking around like you own the place just because the Young Master picked you."

I tried. Many servants tried for years to get in the good graces of their Don or Donna because it could be beneficial to their lives. Some of the oldest servants of the Accardi family were there for years and lived comfortably without worry. But only because they earned the trust of the direct line. New servants and maids were often viewed with mistrust because of their lack of friendships within that line.

But I jumped to the front of the line. Maids who proved themselves capable took years to get this close to the Don. Unfortunately, Nicolo had more than just a professional interest in me. I knew I would have to bite my lip and play subservient to the older servants, but I hated the very idea. The first thing I needed to do was extract myself from the situation in the most professional way possible.

"Pardon. I must serve the Young Master his lunch." Was my formal, stiff reply and with a bow, I walked towards the kitchen.

"And if we don't 'pardon' you?" She returned, stepping in front of me, her slender arms crossed over her chest. "If we make you late often enough…"

I sidestepped around her and disappeared into the kitchen without another word. My job here isn't to make friends, so it is unnecessary to remain kind to anyone outside of Nicolo. And I was only a little kind to him because I could not go home without the evidence of who was selling information to the various governments. On autopilot, I lifted the tray of food into my hands and took a different door out of the kitchen.

If I could avoid trouble, I needed to. Too much attention was a bad thing, which meant I needed to stay professional and humble to stop drawing so much attention. I sighed as I realized that also meant I needed to stay away from Nicolo. Of all the people here, he was the most dangerous, since he could easily make me confess. I should avoid being alone with him at all costs.

"I'm surprised at how well you handled that, Miss Lili." A rough, scratchy voice called, and I turned to find Angelo standing there, a wicked grin on his face. "Did you have training for that with the 'Accardi', too?"

"Si, Signore." I nodded vaguely, turning my attention back to the direction of the office.

Logic told me to trust no one. Even the most trustworthy people could stab one in the back easily, no matter their ties. And I trusted Angelo and Piero far less than any other man in this family. Maybe I could use that to find out more information, though. If my theory was correct, people would be a lot more likely to talk when I leave the room, which was why I worked so hard on bugging the place.

"You know, you being that close to the Don puts you in the prime position to steal things." Angelo continued with a wink, his dry lips pulling back in a smile. "The maid is often the first to be blamed, too."

I could easily see him being the one who ordered Nicolo's poisoning, but lack of proof hindered that. My footsteps continued through the corridor towards the office without pause, and I half-wondered what Angelo was up to. Was he wanting me to steal for him, or was he thinking of framing me? Or was he warning me that someone was after me? I could still feel his presence on my left, but he disappeared when we came to a stop outside the office.

"Young Master. I have your lunch." I knocked with my free hand, then opened the door.

Piero just pulled back from punching a seated figure, something that had Nicolo clasping his fingers together to use as a prop for his head. Without glancing at Piero's victim, I walked over to Nicolo's desk and sat it gently in front of him. His gaze never left the man who now rested against the floor, a dribble of blood at the corner of his lip. The overturned chair with tight black rope kept the man from moving.

I prepared Nicolo a glass of tea, then stood off to the side in case he needed me. The Omerta insured my silence, but Nicolo didn't know that, so he made me sign a non-disclosure agreement when I first started working as his personal maid. Piero righted the chair, his face twisted in an angry glare. It seemed so different from his usual friendly façade, that I almost looked away.

"Parlare!" He shouted, his fist landing against the man's face again. "Il Don ti ha fatto una domanda."

"Piero." Nicolo glanced at me with hesitation on his features before nodding. "Chi mi ha tradito?"

Maybe they assumed because I was from an Italian/American family I would not know Italian, and sure, I wasn't a native speaker, but I knew enough. Someone betrayed the family, and Nicolo thinks this man knows who. If I could speak with him, I could get the information in seconds, though doing so would reveal my identity. I remained silent, waiting for Nicolo to give me more orders.

"Lili. Leave." Nicolo stated after a while, his hand reaching into his desk for a set of brass knuckles. "A lady should not see such a thing."