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“So, what the hell do I do now?” I ask Luna, giving the top of her head a scratch.

First, they kidnap me, then they just leave?

I take a second to look around the kitchen and blow out an impressed breath. “Not gonna lie, it’s nice.” With Luna in my arms, I walk to the fridge and open it. “Holy shit.” My eyes widen at the amount of food. “There’s at least a month's paycheck worth of food in there,” I mutter to myself. “That could feed me for months.”

“With those three, I’m lucky to keep it stocked for at least a week.”

The sound of a woman's voice makes me jump, slamming the refrigerator door shut behind me. I whirl around to see a short, older lady standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

There’s a sweet smile on her face, almost motherly.

“Uh, hi,” I say, blinking, not sure who she is.

“Hello, Cove,” she chuckles. “I’m Maria. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

I raise a brow. “I’ve only been here for a few hours.”

“That may be. But the boys have told me so much about you.” She walks forward, placing a brown paper bag on the kitchen island before stepping over to me. “Oh, what a sweet girl,” she coos, giving Luna a head pat.

Luna squirms in my arms, so I place her down on the kitchen island. She starts to paw at the bag, and Maria laughs again. “Yes, this is for you.” She opens the bag and proceeds to take out a can of wet cat food. She goes over to the cupboard and pulls out a plate.

I stand there in shock because that's all I know how to feel right now, and watch as she plates my cat some food.

Luna wastes no time digging in, eating like she hasn’t eaten in years.

“Don’t be so rude, Luna,” I huff. “You’re acting like I don’t feed you. And trust me, between the two of us, you’re the one who is fed the best.”

Maria laughs again, looking up at me with kind eyes. “In this house, everyone is fed properly. Anything you want, I can make it for you.”

“Oh. Uhh, if you don’t mind me asking, who are you?” I ask. “Midnight mentioned your name, but he didn’t tell me who you were.”

“Midnight?” she questions, tilting her head to the side.

“Shit.” I shake my head. “Sorry, Maverick. Midnight is what I’ve been calling him in my head. I didn’t actually know their names until today,” I explain, feeling a little awkward. She knows I’m kidnapped, right? I’m not just some friendly guest staying over.

“Ah.” She nods her head. “I’m Maria, I’m like what you might call an auntie to the boys. I’ve been working for the Volkov’s most of my life. When the boys were younger, I helped out as a nanny. When their mother passed, I was there for them when they needed me.” The expression on her face is somber. “Now, I’m a little bit of everything. Maverick and Saint are good at picking up after themselves—very clean and organised boys. Shepherd on the other hand...” She clucks her tongue teasingly while shaking her head. “That boy never stops long enough to do anything. If I didn’t force him to, he’d forget to eat.”

“The Volkovs?” I whisper, more to myself. Why does that name sound familiar? “Maybe you can give me a few more details on what’s going on here,” I question, switching up the conversation.

She raises a brow. “What have the boys told you?”

She keeps calling them boys. There is nothing boyish about any of those guys. They are all man. Sexy, dangerous men.

But... they’re also kind of sweet, in a really odd way.

Other than Shepard's little scary moment, the three of them have been nothing but kind to me this morning. Sure, they acted as if they didn’t just commit a crime, but nice nonetheless.

It makes all of this so much more bizarre.

“Their names,” I start with. “The fact they’ve been watching me for a long time. Although I’d like to know how long. And by watching, did they actually mean following me? Or do they have cameras on me?” My eyes widen in horror, hands going up to cover my mouth. “Oh my god, you don’t think they set up cameras in my house, do you?”

Maria looks like she’s trying not to smile, and I groan. “Fuck me, they totally did. Those assholes!”

She chuckles at my outburst. “Those boys can be a lot, but trust me, they adore you, Cove.”

“Adore me?” I sigh. “They don’t even know me.”

“They do,” she promises.