His Lady Justice

Chapter IV

        He uncuffed me before handling my luggage, nodding for me to follow him up the steps to the entrance. I gazed at the fountain in the middle of the circular driveway, mesmerized by the sheer detail etched into the marble figurines.

            "No one else lives here except my mother and a maid. She's... not particularly sound of mind, but—"

            "You live with your mother?" I gasped, too shocked to interpret the second half of his statement.

            He looked at me as if that was completely normal, "Yeah."

            "Wait, is your mother involved in all of this...?" I didn't know what to call it, so I helplessly flailed my arms around.

            He cracked a smile, "As I was saying before you interrupted, she's not sound of mind and I would appreciate it if you refrained from aggravating her condition with useless talk."

            I assumed the useless talk regarded his criminal activity. Well, I was on his turf now, so I wasn't going to take any chances.

            I felt a wave of relief hit me though. Surely, he wouldn't let me die in front of his mother.

            "Oh, you're home young master!" A woman looking to be at the end of her middle age, clad in a dull-colored skirt with an oversized sweater, rushed to meet us at the door.

            Young master? And he claims he's not part of the mafia.

            "Who is she?" The woman asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

            "I'll explain later. Could you please situate her in one of the guest suites?"

            She firmly nodded.

            "Theo! You're finally home, my dear!" An older, but pristine, woman cried out while she embraced him.

            "Mom, it's me, Leo. Your Leo." He answered softly, returning the hug.

            "Leo? Then where's Theo?"

            "Mom, you know what happened to Theo. Please come to your senses."

            I watched in awe as her eyes glassed over with tears, as if she was looking into another dimension, perhaps a distant past. I then heard whimpers escape her trembling lips.

            The maid cleared her throat, distracting me, "Uh-hum. If you would please come up this way."

            I nodded, forcing myself to tear my eyes off the confusing scene. Who was Theo? And is the killer's name Leo? Do they even know that he's a killer? Is he deceiving his own mother, and this poor old lady?

            "You can call me Ms. Dey. I'm the only staff in this household, but I'm much more like a caretaker for those two, they're very dear to my heart. Now, I don't know who you are, why you're here, or where you came from, but there hasn't been a staying guest in this house for... A while. But if he brought you, then you must be someone very special to the young master."

            "Do you know what he does?" I blurted.

            Ms. Dey looked at me with confusion, "Pardon?"

            "He's absolutely vile!"

            "Oh dear, please don't say such things around the Madame! She's already weak at heart from all she's had to go through, weak of mind even, so please, for her health..."

            "So you know?"

            She gave me a serious look, "Miss..."

            "Anastasia Andris. Call me Ana."

            "Anastasia Andris? You said your name was Anastasia Andris?"

            I nodded, intrigued by her response, "Why?"

            She shook her head, "Nothing. That name... it just sounds familiar."

            I shrugged, "Well, it's not too common where I'm from." I answered.

            "It'll come to me eventually. Anyway, Ms. Ana, the young master is anything but a threat. You don't know enough about him to say such horrid things. Please, for the sake of that poor lady holding onto the last string of this household, keep those thoughts to yourself. Discuss those matters with the young master, in private, if you so wish."

            Before I could retaliate, she stopped in front of two fancy double doors, "This is the guest suite. It hasn't been used for a while, so everything should be untouched as far as I remember- apart from the routine cleaning. Please do tell me if you need anything. I must go tend to lunch, so if you would excuse me."

            After opening the doors, she gave me a light push in and was off.

            "W-wait—" I turned to find that she had already turned around the corridor.

            I turned back around to face the immense room, my attention settling on the massive four poster bed in the far left, flanked by a bedside table, a wardrobe, and a chest at the foot. In true Grecian fashion, everything in the room was dripping in marble and gold accents. It was as if the setting came out of a fairytale, laced curtains and all. I walked up to the window; delighted by the scenery I was met with after drawing the curtains back. I faced an orchard with a sparkling stream that peeked out from under the canopies. I could see the sun shine down, reflecting off of the lush green. It was absolutely breathtaking!

            What also caught my attention were the handful of armed men scattered around the property, stealthily hidden around corners and under foliage. So much for "no one else lives here except for my mom and the maid". Asshole, he probably ordered them to shoot on sight. Maybe he expected me to sneak off in the dead of the night, unsuspecting of the fact that he had security hidden in every corner. No, he probably hoped for that, so that he could get rid of me without getting his hands dirty again. 

             I paused my snowballing theories and focused on breathing, on the clouds passing by, the birds flitting from tree to tree.

            There were knocks on the door, which I had left wide open. I turned to face a slightly less pleasant sight. 

            "Do you like the room?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe in a manner that commanded attention to his physique.

            I nodded, "Better than what I had expected."

            "You were expecting a cellar."

            I looked away, a bit embarrassed by my paranoia.

            "The bathroom is over there." He nodded towards the double doors on the other side of the room, "Lunch is at 12:30, wash up and come down."

            I opened my mouth, only to be interrupted, "I know you have a lot of questions. Be patient, I'll answer them when the time comes."

            He then turned to leave before abruptly stopping again, "Also, my name's Leo. See you in a little while, Ana."

I didn't like the way my name rolled off his tongue, with such familiarity. 

            He then left me alone in the room, dazed from that smile he flashed right before he sauntered out. 

I loathed him.