Mafia's Cruel Arrangement

MOLLYI had a problem.I was pointing a gun at a guy with green makeup on his face, and I kept thinking how he looked like that goblin guy from one of those superhero movies. A bubble of laughter was coming up in my sternum. I tried stopping it, I did, but once it was past my throat, it was hopeless.I bent over, my gun still in the air, and the laughter was kapoosh! Totally coming out of me.I winced, hearing a note of hysteria on the edge of it.“Molly!” That was my employee who was on the ground, his arms folded behind his head as he lay on his stomach, and I could hear how horrified he was.I raised my head back up, steadied my arm, and cleared my throat. “Let’s review the changes that just happened here. You”—I shook my gun, indicating the green guy—“came in here, to my bowling alley, to rob us. Correct?”He had a rifle aimed at me, and it was at this point I realized how crazy I really was.Like, seriously crazy.A rifle against my handgun. And I was laughing.I was verging on l

MOLLY“Okay.” Dr. Sandquist was rubbing the top of her nose where it flattened between her eyebrows, and she had her other arm wrapped around herself. Her elbow was resting on her own arm. She looked tired, but that could’ve been because it was four in the morning.I first met Nea Sandquist in a pottery class. I met a lot of friends in pottery classes. It was kinda my outlet. I liked to take an edible, put on my headphones, and get all spiritual with the clay. I felt a connection to the movie Ghost that I didn’t think was healthy.“You are in shock, Miss Easter.”“Molly,” I piped in, kinda hoping for an edible right now.She sighed. “Molly. You’re in shock, but it doesn’t look like you’ve been physically harmed. The key you swallowed should make its way out of you within a day or two.” She shared a look with Nurse Sloane, the head honcho of all the nurses at the hospital. “I’d like to introduce you to our social worker. He can help you go through the emotional aftereffects of what hap

MOLLYI did not recognize the sheets I was lying on, and I’m picky. I liked my warm sheets. These were cool and smooth but not silk. They were cotton, but like the most expensive form of pure cotton there was. Another odd thing about me. I knew my bedsheets. I’d worked in a bedding store one time, and I could outsell everyone except Marjorie Jones. Damn that Marjorie Jones. She also had a side business selling Tupperware that was killer. I didn’t like Tupperware, so I was cool with that, but the bedding crown was still a sore spot.I sat up and looked down.Total déjà vu moment, because I had on silk pajamas, and the room was the nicest room I’d ever been in. Where was I?I went to the bathroom and gulped at how nice it was.Or I tried, because I was fully focusing on where I was and not how I was feeling, because if I started thinking about how I was feeling, I’d not be getting out of that bed for another whole week.My whole body was stiff and in pain, and I felt like a walking blac

ASHTONThe blood drained from her face and her body jerked before she grabbed the counter to steady herself. “Wha—”Buzz! Buzz!I frowned, hearing my door buzzer. My men hadn’t called, and the concierge would never buzz anyone in if they weren’t important to me. Casting her another frown, I went over and pressed the intercom button. “Yes?”“I’m sorry for the interruption, but a Ms. Montell and Mr. West are here to see—”I cursed, then hit the speaker button. “Let them up.” As soon as I was done, I went to Molly and ignored how she jumped at my closeness. “You will keep this between us. Got it?”She frowned, bristling, and I could see the thoughts forming before she opened her mouth. She was going to fight me on this.“If you want even a shot at getting Easter Lanes to be yours and yours alone, you will follow my lead when Jess and Trace get here.” Her eyes lit up at my offer, and she nodded before cursing and smoothing a hand down her hair.“I look a mess.”She looked stunning. “You’r

MOLLYI was back in Easter Lanes Sunday afternoon going over what I’d missed from the day before, but one good thing: the key passed.Yep. I was now the weirdly reluctant owner of . . . you know.We had a copy of the key already, so we were using that one, and Pialto was coming in shortly, so I’d have him take it for a copy of the copy.Maybe I should have completely changed the locks on the register. But at this point, I didn’t trust even a locksmith coming in to do that job.The door opened, and assuming it was Pialto, I shouted out without lifting my head, “I’m thinking we should redo our whole system.”“Since I’m considering a more active ownership role of Easter Lanes, I think that would be a great idea.”Dread shot down my spine, and I looked up, seeing Ashton walking toward me, taking his very expensive-looking coat off and leaving it on a table as he moved closer to me. Man. Did he have to look as delicious as he did? I hated him, like despised him on a cellular level, but I c