“Hi,” I said. “I’m Kaley.”
“Hi, Kaley. My name is Sonya. I was sent here to help take care of you.” She stepped toward me. “Is this little Alexei?”
I nodded, smiling. “He’s a little tired right now.”
“I’m sure. It’s been a big day for him.” She came a bit closer. “May I?”
“Sure.” I handed Alexei over to her, and she took him just like a pro. For whatever reason, I trusted her right away. Maybe it was because of the Russian name, but more likely it was her bearing. She seemed so kind and helpful, and she seemed really good with Alex.
“Hello, little boy,” she said, smiling. “He’s so very cute.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“So, Kaley, I’m here to help get you settled in, but I’m also going to help you take care of little Alex here.”
I stopped in my tracks. “What?”
“Don’t worry,” she said, smiling. “I’m a nanny by trade. I usually help out with the daycare, but they assigned me to you for the time being.”
“I don’t need any help,” I said.
“I’m sure you don’t, sweetie, but this is a pretty amazing place, and you’re going to be busy.”
“I’m okay,” I said again. “I can just stay in here with Alexei.”
“Well.” She smiled and handed Alex back to me, clearly sensing my discomfort. “Let me show you some things.” She took out a little packet, just like you’d get at a hotel.
“This is your keycard. Don’t lose it. If the key unlocks a door, you’re allowed in that room. If it doesn’t, you’re not. Simple, right?” I nodded, frowning. Were they really going to let me wander around the building?
“Next is a food menu. You just call room service, order what you want, and the staff brings it up. Just like in a hotel, except you don’t have to pay a thing.”
“Really?” I asked. “You’re not kidding?”
“Not at all. We’ll bring a crib up for Alex, some diapers, really whatever you might need.”
“That’d be amazing,” I said.
“Are you breastfeeding?”
I nodded.
“Good,” she said. “So you won’t need formula. Here’s a map of the grounds. Pretty much nothing outside is off limits. There’s a lot of stuff to do, so feel free to explore.”
“Sonya,” I said, “what the heck is this place?”
She laughed, smiling. “I know, strange, right?”
“It’s just more like a resort than like a mafia compound.”
She laughed, nodding her head. “I know, I know. I like how direct you are.”
I blushed. “Sorry. Everyone knows that, right?”
“Of course.” She shrugged, looking through the papers. “I don’t know why this place became the way it is. I guess since the men have such difficult jobs, the family wanted somewhere for everyone to feel safe and relaxed.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
“Plus, the Barones like to show off their wealth. What better way than to spoil every single guest that walks in the door?”
I nodded again. It made sense, but it was still all too much. Only a few hours ago I had been worried about whether my son was going to be taken away from me, and now suddenly I was staying in this five-star mafia resort, completely protected and taken care of.
The Russian mob had nothing like this. They were more spread out, less centralized. I knew my father’s people had almost as much wealth as the Italians did, but our people sent a lot of it back to Russia, where we held a lot of land and buildings.
Apparently, at least. I’d never seen any of it or been to Russia. Hell, I barely even spoke Russian, which pissed my dad off all the time.
But forget him and forget the Russians. As far as I was concerned, the second they wanted to take my son away was the second I stopped being a part of their family.
“Any questions?” Sonya asked me.
“I don’t think so,” I said.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll leave you alone. The crib will be up shortly, along with other supplies. I’ll check in on you later.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I said. “Really, I’m fine.”
Sonya sighed. “Listen, Kaley. I don’t know why you’re here or what you’re running from. All I know is I was assigned to help take care of your son. If you don’t want me to do anything, I won’t. But I’ve been helping single moms like you for a very long time, and trust me, I know how hard it can be in those first few months.”
I nodded at her, frowning. She really didn’t seem like she was a part of the Italian organization at all. Maybe she really was just a staff member sent to help take care of Alexei. Maybe people weren’t always awful and sometimes actually took care of their children instead of trying to send them away.