The Viper Stepmother’s Mafia Justice Chapter 16
The Little Spy
Isabella stepped out in a robe, steam curling behind her.
Mia was already under the covers. Storybook in hand. Eyes wide. Innocent.
She held up the book. “Mommy, can you read me this one tonight?”
Isabella smiled. “Of course, baby.”
She climbed onto the bed and pulled Mia close. She read and stroked Mia’s hair.
The phone sat dark on the nightstand. Exactly where she had left it.
Mia breathed once into the pillow. She had survived the first test.
Two days later, I saw the change. Isabella’s smile stayed soft. But her eyes followed Mia’s hands.
“Mia, were you in my room?”
“I was looking for Shadow.”
Isabella smiled. But her eyes didn’t.
That afternoon, Isabella left for tea.
Mia waited ten minutes. Then she slipped into Isabella’s room. Shadow followed at her heel.
The handbag sat on the dresser. Mia’s fingers dug under the lining. Something hard pressed back.
A second phone.
She pulled it free.
Then the door clicked open behind her.
Isabella stood in the doorway. Still in her coat. She had never gone to tea.
Isabella’s smile vanished. “Baby, what are you doing in Mommy’s room?”
Sweet voice. Dead eyes.
Mia flinched. The phone slipped and hit the floor.
Isabella stepped closer. Slow.
“You little traitor! Give me that phone, or no one finds you.”
Mia backed toward the window. Shadow stood by the glass. White fur raised. Body tense.
Mia’s voice came out clear and sharp.
“Shadow, go find Mommy! Now!”
Shadow hit the side window like a missile. Glass exploded outward.
The Samoyed landed hard and sprinted across the grounds.
I heard the bark before I saw him. Sharp. Desperate. Not a warning bark. An emergency.
Shadow skidded to a stop at my feet. White fur shaking. Teeth bared. He turned and ran back toward the side wing.
I ripped the fire axe from the hallway wall and followed him. Past the guards. Straight to Isabella’s room.
The door was locked.
One swing. The lock split.
Second swing. The door flew open.
Mia’s voice hit me from inside.
“You’re not my mommy. Mommy fights for us. You only use us.”
That was when Isabella swung.
I crossed the room in two steps. Caught Isabella’s wrist. Twisted until the lamp hit the floor. Then I slapped her across the face.
The sound cracked like a gunshot.
Isabella hit the dresser. Her hand flew to her cheek.
I pulled Mia behind me.
“In this house, I am the only rule. Touch my daughter again, and you disappear.”
Isabella’s lip split. Blood ran down her chin. “She was going through my things—”
“Good.”
Mia stepped out from behind me. She reached into her pocket. Her tiny backup phone was there. Leo had given it to her.
On the screen were Isabella’s call photos.
“Mommy, this is evidence.” Her voice was steady. “I got it for you.”
My hand shook around the phone.
I thought I had lost my daughter. She had been fighting for me.
I knelt down and pulled her close. Shadow pressed against us both. Guarding. Growling low.
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