Trouble

"What were you thinking, Mickey?" Sam nagged as they made it out of the restaurant area.

"But we weren't caught," he said happily.

"We were almost caught. Did you see how she was looking at you?"

"I wasn't expecting her to be the new manager."

"Good thing we escaped. Let's go meet the others."

They hurried to where they'd separated from their companions.

They got to where the car was parked and saw Sage pacing.

"Where did you two run off to?" he squealed.

"To top restaurants to eat without money and drop hairs in food to get away with it."

Mickey and Sam spun at Diane's voice. She had been right behind them all this time.

She approached them gracefully, with the security man in tow. She looked at her step-sister, who had changed so much she couldn't recognize her back at the restaurant.

"You've washed up nicely, sister, but a pig will always go back into the mud," Diane sneered.

"Bringing this fool to foul my family's business. What do you stand to achieve? You ungrateful swine. We put a roof over your head. We fed you and your wretched mother!"

"Anything you and your father gave me, you took back a hundredfold. You treated me like trash," Sam snapped back at her.

"Your father didn't want you! You bloody ingrate! You bloody thief!"

At this point, passersby were stopping to watch them.

"Where is the dress you stole from me? I want it back!" She yelled, getting in her face.

Diane suddenly grabbed the front of Sam's dress and yanked. The fabric gave easily, and the front of the dress gaped. Sam held her hands in front of her to cover the gash.

Diane took advantage of that and dealt her a heavy blow on the side of her face. It happened so fast that by the time Mickey could tackle the guard and come to her rescue, she had already fallen.

At this point, a car had parked a little way off the spot and had rolled down its back window.

The two bodyguards in front reached for the door.

"Stay in the car!" Desmond instructed.

"Don't touch me, you moron!" Diane screamed at Mickey as he picked her up off Sam before dropping her aside.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" She screamed at his face while hitting him wildly on his chest.

"I dare you to hit me! You coward! Go ahead! Hit me!"

"Who are you, bitch?" Sage sassed.

Diane ceased her ranting and turned to face him. Sage towered over her intimidatingly.

"Do I know you?" Diane asked.

"I'm a friend of Mickey and Minnie. Since both of them are having a problem dealing with a fly like you, I would love to volunteer..."

Diane laughed mockingly.

"What will you do, fatty? Are you going to hit a woman? I dare..."

Her words were trapped in her mouth by a resounding slap that made every part of her head hurt. The next thing she knew, she was on the ground.

"That was satisfying."

Sage grinned, feeling pleased with himself.

Mickey took off his shirt and made Sam wear it, then helped her to her feet. The two maids that had left earlier in search of Sam and Mickey came back just in time and alighted the car, exchanging puzzled looks.

"Sam!" Diane shouted as Mickey was about to enter the car.

"Your hair is still in my restaurant! I'm sure you will have an explanation for the police!"

Mickey got into the car solemnly and drove off. Desmond's car left shortly.

Diane sat on the ground, burning with anger as everyone went about their normal activities again.

"Are you all right, ma'am?" The guard asked, extending his hand to help her up.

"Do I look alright to you?"

She screamed, then stood up on her own, then gave him a hot slap on the cheek.

"I paid you to protect me! You watched those lowlifes humiliate me."

"I tried, ma'am but..."

"You are fired!" She shrieked. "Get out of my way! Get out!!!

She wouldn't listen to the man's plea. If he couldn't protect her, then he was as good as useless. She bumped past him and strode through the street like a crazy woman.

"Oh, I'm going to make you pay, Sam. A hundredfold. Nothing less." She gritted to herself as she headed back to the restaurant.

* * * *

"That crazy girl is your sister?! Oh, she's lucky I didn't know. I would have knocked the teeth out of that mouth of hers. What did you do again?"

"You are just asking?" Maggie chuckled.

"You know, I don't let an opportunity to fight pass."

"Of course."

"Whose hair was that?" Sam asked Mickey.

The man had a clean-shaven head and chin. He couldn't have snipped it off at that point.

"It's mine," he replied solemnly.

"Where did you get it from?"

"Well...when I had to cut my beard, I decided to keep it in my pocket for good luck."

"Mickey..." she whined. "You shouldn't have."

"I just wanted to help you find your mother."

"But you got yourself in trouble."

She sighed and took his hand.

"We'll sort this out OK." He nodded.

"Aren't any of you telling me what happened?" Sage yelled from the backseat.

"Fine!" Sam snapped, irritated. "Mickey and I dropped hair into soup in a big restaurant and got caught. That was the manager you slapped on the street."

Sage gasped.

"Wait a sec! Now I'm involved in a criminal case?! Fuck!" Sage hopped in his seat with glee.

"And that makes you happy?! You could end up in jail!" Ann said incredulously.

"Not just that. I'm happy because now I have something to rave about."

"So you not only left when you were supposed to be following me, you went to some top restaurant and caused trouble, then had me slap the manager!"

She stopped for a thoughtful second.

"You said she was your sister. Then it's your restaurant too."

"Stepsister, it's my stepdad's restaurant."

"Well, you should have told me earlier before I rammed my fist into her face," Sage yelled.

* * * *

"What sort of twisted brains do you all have? And you dare to mix me up in it! Oh, you are so dead! Baron must hear this!"

The car came to a stop in front of the mansion. Everyone except Sage jumped out immediately. Sam hurried to the front door.

Whew! Sam's ears were hurting. The only person she knew who could compete with Sage in a rant contest was Stella. Imagine the two of them disagree. May she never get so unlucky.

When they got inside, they were confronted by Desmond and Baron. Sam's heart began to beat fast!

"Where did you go?" He asked in his plain deep voice.

Sam held her hands together against her stomach. She could feel how they trembled.

Desmond was seated on a couch facing her. She has been standing for more than a minute now without answering his question.

She fidgeted with the hem of the oversized T-shirt she wore. It covered the ripped dress beneath. Her hair was up in a bun with a few strands hanging loose. Her lashes rested against her cheek as she stared at her joined hands. She looked like a child caught eating dessert before the meal.

"Are you going to give me an answer or are you going to just keep standing there?"

She peered at him. The neat way he wore his hair. The way it layered with the densest at the crown of his head. The perfect arch of his brow and eyes, his straight nose, and the sharpness of his jawline just gave him that intimidating aura.

Desmond's eyes narrowed at her.

"I followed the maids to get groceries in the market." She said, lowering her gaze again.

A while later, she realized Desmond hadn't said anything. She sneaked another peek and saw him in the same position. She looked down quickly.

"And?" he prompted.

"And we are back."

"Why did you go there?"

"I was bored." She replied quietly.

"Your father's restaurant," He deadpanned.

Sam's pulse quickened.

"I wanted to meet my mother," she said, after hesitating.

"What did the contract say about that?

She looked up at him, clueless.

"You must not leave the mansion without my knowledge and permission. You didn't only leave without my permission, you got into a fight."

His voice was laced with anger.

Sam didn't know how to respond.

"I'm sorry."

There was a prolonged silence.

"Don't do it again. I'd hate to have to fix you," he said, then stood up to leave.

"Mr. Desmond!" She called.

He stopped without turning.

"If I can't go out and see her, can you bring her here?" she asked hesitantly.

Desmond turned around with a frown.

"I'm not a fan of mothers-in-law. This is not even a real marriage. Don't get ahead of yourself, Miss Denis." He sneered and went upstairs, with Baron following closely.

"Not a fan of mothers-in-law," Sam mimicked distastefully.

"Like it's some trend or something."

She sighed in frustration. and headed for her room.

* * * *

The door burst open and Desmond stormed into the room, with Baron coming in behind him and gently closing the door. Desmond stood in the middle of the room looking up at the roof.

"I'm sorry, master," Baron said, lowering his eyes.

Desmond turned to look at him.

"Punish the guards that were on duty. If she could go out that easily, then anyone can just walk in.

"Yes, sir."

He quietly went to a drawer and took out a credit card and handed it to the butler.

Get a TV and whatever it is youngsters are watching these days. Get Sam a phone and... You know what to do. Take as much as you need."

Baron bowed and left, closing the door behind him. Desmond sat on the bed with his head in his palms.

Paige's appearance at the mansion worried him to no end. That woman was a problem. He couldn't let her stay in the house. It might blow his cover. Paige was a smart woman. It would be impossible to fool her.

Another problem was his fake wife. He had to set her straight. He had gone to bed after Paige left and tried to catch some sleep for about an hour.

When he failed, he'd sent for Sam to meet him in the study so they could straighten out their plan some more. A message had come back that she wasn't in her room. She wasn't anywhere in the mansion, nor were her two maids.

Desmond chuckled.

All the ladies in his family have one personal maid each, but his darling wife has two. And it's not even a week yet. With the way the cook stood up to his sister, there was a possibility of her making him her bodyguard.

He hoped the television would help keep her inside. He couldn't afford to let her run around the streets, drawing attention to herself.