Mei's Misery

Mei jerks to consciousness as a hand covers her mouth. Panicking, she tries to scream, flailing at the hand.

“Stop.” A voice whispers harshly. After a moment’s pause, it continues. “Follow me. And don’t wake up Lucia.”

Mei watches, heart still pounding, as the figure takes a step back, before turning and going out the bedroom door. Grabbing some pajamas off the floor, she quickly throws them on, and tiptoes out the door, closing it quietly behind her.

“What..” Mei begins to ask, turning to look at the figure who awakened her at this ungodly hour.

“Be quiet.” Alexia says, giving her a glare. “Your punishment starts now.”

Mei scurries after her as she heads down the stairs, bursting with questions that she is not allowed to ask. Questions like, “What time is it?” “Where are we going?” “How fucked am I?”.

“Seriously, what time is it?” She wonders, realizing her phone is still in her bedroom. Thinking better of asking, she glances out the front windows as she follows Alexia to the basement stairs. Darkness greets her gaze. “It can’t be later than six, right?” She thinks. “I guess I should know what time the sun comes up.”

When they reach the kitchen, Alexia turns, stern gaze fixing Mei in place. “Start cooking. Master should be waking up in about thirty minutes. Someone will come down to take it to him. When you are done, start cleaning. Lucia will be down to inspect later, and for your sake, I hope she will be able to see her reflection in the appliances.”

As she walks by on her way back to the stairs, she quietly adds. “Mistress is still deciding what to do with you. This is not the time to fuck up.”

Mei freezes, her brain processing this information. Once she can no longer hear retreating footsteps on the stairs, she forces herself to move, grabbing pans, wiping them out, and putting them on the stove to begin heating. Grabbing an apron from the hook near the door, she begins thinking out loud.

“Ok, so I’m still here.” She mutters. “That’s good news. They haven’t turned me in yet.”

Opening the fridge door, she begins grabbing ingredients. “What if they do? How long would I be sent away for? Where would I be sent? Would I be allowed to come back? Or would Jane insist that I go back into the auction?”

As she cracks some eggs, her brain begins working a bit better. “What if they don’t, and the BAA finds out? Everyone could get in trouble. Not just Robert and Jane, but Amber, and some of the other girls too. I could have fucked this up for everyone.”

“Yes, you could have.” Mei hears from behind her. Whirling, she quickly drops to her knees, wincing slightly as they touch the cold tile covering the basement floor. Staring at the tile stretching in front of her, she begins to tremble, hands clasped in front of her. “Domina?” She manages to ask.

“Mei.” Jane says, staring at the pitiful girl kneeling on the floor. She begins to pace, occasionally glancing over at her.

“May I speak?” Mei asks as the silence becomes too uncomfortable for her.

“Very well.” Jane says, turning to face her.

“Domina, I think I have figured it out.” Mei says. “I will turn myself in, and confess. I’ll make sure they know that no one else knew anything about the money. I’ll take whatever punishment they give me. Whenever that is over, maybe we could start over?”

Jane resumes her pacing, stopping after a few turns. “You still don’t get it.”

“Domina…” Mei says.

“You still think you are in charge.” Jane says. “That you get to make the decisions, and everyone else just has to live with the consequences of those choices.”

Mei flinches visibly, hunching her shoulders as if she had been struck.

“Look at me.” Jane says. Slowly looking up, Mei eventually manages to meet her gaze.

“You told us you wanted to be our sub.” Jane says. “Is that still what you want?”

“Yes, Domina.” Mei says earnestly. “I’m really sorry. Please don’t send me away.”

“I didn’t sleep much last night.” Jane says, turning to pace again. “I realized this whole thing is, at least partially, my fault. I haven’t been strict enough with you. I should have put you in your place after your stunt with Layne. Instead, I allowed myself to be distracted by everything else.”

Looking at Mei, who is looking down again, Jane continues, voice rising with passion. “You will not turn yourself in. I get to decide your punishment, not some random BAA bureaucrat. By the end of your punishment, you will finally understand what being my sub means. You WILL know what submission truly means.”

Breathing deeply, battling to control her anger, Jane stops in front of Mei. “Well?”

“I understand, Domina.” Mei says shakily. “I’ll do whatever you say.”

“Then finish cooking.” Jane says, reaching down a hand to help her up.

As Mei turns to begin cooking, Jane continues. “Until I decide your punishment is over, you will be the low girl on the totem pole. If anyone asks you to help with something, you will do it, as long as it doesn’t prevent you from performing your primary duties. I don’t care if it is unpleasant, dirty, or you think it’s stupid. You will do it, and not complain. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Domina.” Mei says, eyes not leaving the pan in front of her as she stirs.

“You are off the sleeping schedule as well.” Jane says. “If Robert chooses to summon you to his office, that’s his choice. But your pussy is off limits, until further notice.”

Mei flinches, half-turning to argue, before she forces herself to turn back to the stove. “Yes, Domina.” She manages to say after a moment, a single tear rolling down her face.

“You can explain the situation to him tonight.” Jane says. “I don’t want to hear excuses, or anything else that isn’t the full truth. I want you to remember that your punishment isn’t over until I’m convinced you are a properly trained sub, who is going to behave herself.”

“Do I have to tell him, Domina?” Mei asks.

“Yes, you do.” Jane says, a tiny fraction of the anger she feels leaking into her voice. “Robert really enjoys his time with you. Taking it away means punishing him as well as you. I don’t deserve to be the bad guy all the time. You fucked up, you need to own it.”

Mei nods, a few more tears rolling down her face as she uses her chopsticks to move Robert’s omelet onto the plate. Turning, she asks. “Would you like me to take this up, Domina?”

“I’ll take it.” Jane says. “Start on breakfast for everyone else. I want breakfast ready at eight every morning. I’ve decided that we are going to start doing a girls-only breakfast every weekday. I’ll send a few girls to help you carry everything up when it’s time.”

*****

Mei enters the dining room last, carrying a tray full of bacon and sausage. Setting it in the middle of the table, she looks around for an empty seat. The snapping of fingers gets her attention.

“Sit here.” Jane says, pointing to the only empty seat, between her and Alexia. Looking down the table, she says. “Well, dig in, ladies.”

Nervously, Mei reaches out to get a bagel, eyes darting between the food and Jane as she does. Breathing a bit easier once it reaches her plate with no reaction from Jane, she tentatively takes a bite.

“We’ll be doing this breakfast every weekday, moving forward.” Jane says. “If you have grievances, questions, problems, or need help, this is a good time to bring it up. I’ll get us started with an announcement. Mei is looking for extra work to do around the house. If you need help with anything, bring it to your team leader, and they’ll work out when Mei is free to help.”

Turning her head to stare at Mei, she continues. “Mei will be happy to help with any job you’ve got, no matter how hard or dirty it is. If for some reason that doesn’t prove to be the case, make sure to let me know.”

Mei swallows visibly, staring down at her bagel, appetite gone.

“Is this because she is in trouble?” Layne asks, oblivious to the tension in the room.

“Mei?” Jane asks in an almost cheerful voice.

“Yes.” Mei croaks, still not looking up.

“Mei has been struggling to remember that she’s not in charge around here.” Alexia says. “I’m sure a few months of hard work will cure her of that.”

“Months?” Mei says, staring up in horror.

“Maybe longer.” Lucia says, stuffing a bite of pancake into her mouth.

“I need to get a fence put up before we get any animals.” Megan says. “I could use as much help as I can get.”

“I already had her in mind for that.” Amber says. “If we can’t find other work for her, she’ll be helping you, Layne. You should be able to get her to trace and cut material for you.”

“Ooh.” Layne says, face brightening. Looking at Jane, she says. “And I’ll make sure not to forget that I’m not in charge.”

“I’m sure you won’t.” Jane says sweetly. Looking around the table, she says. “Most of you know that we don’t pull out punishments like this unless it’s a severe issue, or something that keeps happening. We will always try to warn you before it gets to this point.”

Valentina speaks to Alexia, who nods, turning to speak to Jane. “The workshop area needs cleaning. It’s still full of spiderwebs, and Valentina isn’t a fan. Maybe Mei can work on that after lunch?”

“That’s an excellent idea.” Jane says, looking genuinely happy. “Lucia, what time do you need her available to start dinner?”

“I can take care of dinner.” Lucia says, grinning broadly. “I’m sure Mei will need the extra time to do a really good job.”

“Domina…” Mei begs. “Please…”

“Please what?” Jane asks, meeting her eyes. “Are you ready to start cleaning now?”

“No, Domina.” Mei says quickly.

“Good.” Jane says. “Now, Kendra, did anything interesting happen yesterday at the clinic?”

*****

“Are you going to start?” Alexia asks. “Or just stand there?”

Mei steps forward into the dusty room, staring at the rusty tools, covered in thick layers of dust and cobwebs.

“I hate spiders…” She admits. “Please, can’t I do something else?”

“Thank you for offering.” Alexia smiles. “You can clean the bathrooms after you finish this.”

“Ugh…” Mei says, still taking in the scene.

“Look, are you going to do it, or not?” Alexia asks, reaching into her pocket for her phone.

“I’m doing it.” Mei says, reaching down to grab a tool.

“I’d suggest moving everything to one end, cleaning the empty end of the room, and then cleaning items one by one, and moving them back to the clean area.” Alexia says, realizing that Mei needs the guidance. “This end is going to be the armory, so it needs to be empty at the end.”

“This is going to take forever.” Mei complains. “There is no way I’ll get it done by dinner.”

“There is always tomorrow.” Alexia says. “I wouldn’t take your time, though. Mistress is really close to losing her shit with you. And trust me, you don’t want to see that.”

Mei sighs, pulling hard on a shelf to try to move it.

“Empty it first.” Alexia says, walking towards the door. “And don’t let it fall on you. I’ll be back to check on you in a few hours.”

“Can I at least get some bug spray?” Mei yells a few moments later, voice squeaking as she encounters her first spider.

*****

“What the hell?” Robert asks, looking out the window at the trucks pulling onto the property, pulling an odd assortment of trailers. Standing, he opens his office door, finding the entryway and sitting area empty.

By the time he makes it out the front door, he finds Rick coming around the side of the first truck. “What’s all this?” Robert asks, gesturing at the caravan.

“I mentioned dropping a few things off yesterday.” Rick says, grinning. “Here they are.”

“We thought you meant a few things that would fit in the back of your truck.” Robert says. “Not four trailers worth of stuff.”

“I found some extra stuff after we talked.” Rick says. “There is a lot of stuff just floating around with so many people here being detained. I’d rather see it put to good use than allow it to rot.”

“I guess.” Robert says, scratching his head. “I’ll go get some of the girls to help; They should know where things go.”

“What’s going on out there?” Jane asks when he comes back inside.

“This is Rick’s idea of ‘bringing over a few things’.” Robert says. “Can you or Amber handle it? I’ve got meetings in a bit.”

“We’ll take care of it.” Jane says. “I’m clearing the sleep schedule for tonight, there is something we need to discuss. If you want to grab one of the girls after that, you can.”

“Did someone need some one on one attention?” Robert asks mischievously.

“I love you.” Jane says, leaning in for a kiss.

“I love you too, but did something happen?” Robert asks, noticing her dour expression. “I can put off the meetings if we need to talk now.”

“It can wait, and the stuff outside can’t.” Jane says, faking a smile. “It’s not that important.”

Hesitating a moment, Robert turns to return to his office.

Grabbing the phone from her pocket, Jane types in the girls-only chat. “Rick is here with a bunch of stuff. Amber, Megan, and anyone else who is available to help, get downstairs ASAP.”

Heading out the door, she finds a bustle of activity. A few guys are unloading two of the trailers, while another is driving a bobcat off a third.

“How much stuff did you bring?” Jane asks, clearly gobsmacked.

“It turns out we had more stuff laying around than we thought.” Rick says, waving at the stuff behind him. “Then Tom came up with a few ideas on where we could get a bit more.”

“Who are all of these guys?” Jane asks.

“Neighbors.” Rick says. “A few of mine, and a few of yours. We may have a few more showing up shortly.”

“Don’t get me wrong, we are very grateful… but where are we going to put all of this stuff?” Jane asks, genuinely perplexed.

“I’ve got it, Mistress.” Amber says, breathing heavily as she approaches at a jog, holding a printed copy of the map she’d been working on. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she continues. “What all do we have, Sheriff?”

“A few hundred t-posts and maybe two thousand feet of wire fencing.” Rick says. “And a couple of gates. So far, at least. Tom says he knows where there is a shed that’s basically brand new, that may be showing up later.”

“Ok…” Amber says, eyes bulging as she realizes the scope of the work ahead of them.

A squeal behind them causes them to turn. Megan streaks out of the house, in short sleeves, and with no shoes, despite the chill in the air.

“You brought them!!!” Megan yells as she runs by, not stopping until she reaches the rear of the trailer, unlatching it and climbing inside.

“Her horses.” Rick says, in answer to the question on Jane’s face. “And a few other animals from their farm.”

“We need to build a barn for them, right?” Jane asks.

“Eventually.” Rick says.

“We can probably store them at Roger’s for now.” Jane says, turning to Amber. “Did Taylor ever talk to him about that?”

“Yes, Mistress.” Amber says. “That reminds me, we need to have Megan pick what she wanted from there. Master Roger is moving in this weekend.”

“We can’t take all of it.” Jane says. “We only have so much room until the construction is done.”

“Maybe just what will fit in her bedroom?” Amber asks. “We are planning to get rid of the bunk beds anyhow, right?”

“If you don’t want them, I can have someone come pick them up.” Rick says. “I’m sure there are people who will need them after the auctions.”

“That would be a relief.” Jane says. “We’ve got the ones from the lower living floor stuffed into a few of the rooms on our floor. You are welcome to all of those for now.”

“We can probably take some of them when we leave.” Rick says. “Now, where is this fence going?”

“Are you guys actually going to put it up?” Jane asks in surprise.

“We didn’t bring the equipment for no reason.” Rick says. “With this many people, we can get it done fast. Without the equipment and the know-how, it’ll take you all forever.”

“I’m not complaining.” Jane says, turning to Amber. “Work with Rick on that please. I’m going to check on Mei.”

*****

Mei sneezes, carefully wiping her nose on the least filthy portion of her shirt. Looking around the dimly lit workroom, she surveys the progress she has made thus far. “Not bad, for a few hours.” She says.

“It’s actually not.” She hears. Turning, she sees Jane leaning against the doorway, shirt covering her nose. “You’ve certainly kicked up the dust.”

“Sorry, Domina.” Mei says, catching herself before as she instinctively went to rub her itching eyes. “I’ve been trying to keep the door shut, to keep it from going into the rest of the house.”

“Your eyes are a bit red.” Jane remarks, taking a few steps into the room. “I think that’s enough of this for now. Come with me.”

Mei follows, doing her best not to touch anything, and thereby transfer the dust and filth that is coating her. Reaching the top floor, Mei’s eyes light up when they approach the bathroom. “Hot water…” She thinks. “I’d kill to be clean.”

Her hopes are dashed as Jane continues past the door, stopping in front of one of the bedrooms towards the end of the hall.

“Samira?” Jane asks, poking her head into the room. “Are you two at a stopping point? I’ve got something I’d like you to see.”

“Coming.” Samira says. “Keep reading that part. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Stepping out, she takes in the grubby figure in front of her. “Wow.” She says.

“She keeps sneezing, and her eyes and face are a bit red and puffy.” Jane says. “Do you think it’s just allergies?”

“Probably?” Samira says, taking a step closer to peer at Mei’s face. “It’s hard to tell with her so dirty. Did you notice any of the spiders biting you?”

“No.” Mei says. “I think the bug bomb worked, I only saw one that was still alive.”

“That’s good.” Samira says. Looking at Jane, she says. “Can we get her cleaned up? A hot shower should help her symptoms, and it’ll be easier to see if there is anything else going on.”

“I suppose.” Jane says, turning to look at Mei. “A quick shower. You are going to be getting dirty again, just outside this time.”

“Thank you, Domina.” Mei says, muscles tensing as she prepares to bolt through the bathroom door before Jane can change her mind.

“Hang on.” Samira says. “Isabel, come out here for a second.”

When Isabel emerges, a battered high school health textbook looking enormous in her tiny hands, she stares at Mei, eyes wide. “Why are you so dirty?”

“I’ve been cleaning.” Mei says, nearly crawling out of her skin with readiness to get to the shower.

“Do you see how red and puffy her eyes are?” Samira asks, pointing at the areas, but careful not to touch the layers of dust and dirt. Isabel nods seriously. “That could be a sign of a minor allergic reaction. It could just be irritation from all the dust in the basement. We are going to have her get cleaned up, and then we’ll see if it gets better, or if we need to give her some medicine.”

“Go on, Mei.” Jane says, taking mercy on her. “Don’t lock the door. I’ll grab some clothes for you, and bring them in.”

After Samira releases Isabel to go back to her reading, Jane asks. “How are you handling the teaching?”

“Isabel is a curious girl.” Samira says with a smile. “I didn’t plan to bust out that book, but I don’t have anything simpler, and she’s learning fast.”

“You think rotating daily will work?” Jane asks. “I was thinking of putting her with Taylor tomorrow. Amber is going to go with her on the calls anyhow.”

“She’ll love that.” Samira says. “She does well with the book learning, but I can tell she gets bored. A bit of hands-on learning will help.”

“Good to know.” Jane says. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Heading into the room Mei shares with Lucia, Jane rummages through her things, until she finds the warmest outfit that she doesn’t mind getting covered in dirt and mud. Grabbing it, she heads into the bathroom, nudging the dirty outfit into the corner, before setting the clean clothes on the counter next to the sink.

“Wrap it up.” Jane says. “I want you dressed and downstairs in five minutes.”

“I don’t have my phone.” Mei says. “Or a watch.”

“I do.” Jane says, heading out the door.

*****

“Where are we at?” Jane asks as she approaches Amber, Mei following closely behind.

“Megan talked it over with Rick and his guys, and we are going to fence two smaller pastures for now.” Amber says. “They put the corners in, and are working on driving in the posts with the bobcat.”

“Make sure our girls help as much as they can.” Jane says. “I don’t want us all standing around watching other people do our work.”

“Megan, Taylor, and Emily are helping.” Amber says. “They all have an idea of what is going on. The rest of us are mostly getting in the way more than we are helping.”

“If Robert tries to help, remind him that he’s not to pull his stitches.” Jane says. “Do you have any particularly fun work for Mei?”

“I don’t think so.” Amber says. “Like I said, I think we are just getting in the way. It might be best for her to just go back inside.”

“Hmm…” Jane says. “I’ll take her back inside in a bit.”

Spotting Rick standing with a few other guys, Jane heads in that direction. As she approaches, Rick notices her. “Everyone, this is Jane. Jane, this is Ed, Gerry, and Kris.”

Looking at the assembled neighbors, Jane is startled to realize that Kris is a woman. “Nice to meet you all, and thank you for all the help.” She says.

“And who is your helper?” Kris asks, peering around Jane.

“This is Mei.” Jane says, pulling her forward. “Did any of you want something to drink? Coffee, Tea, maybe some hot chocolate? Mei’s happy to make whatever you’d like.”

“I’ve still got some in my truck.” Rick says.

After the rest of the group demurs, Kris says. “Some hot tea would be nice.”

“Would you prefer black tea, or something else?” Mei asks, trying hard not to stare at her feet.

“Do you have oolong?” Kris asks.

“I think we have some.” Mei says, unable to keep the surprise off her face.

“It’s not going to make itself.” Jane says, urging Mei back towards the house. “Check with everyone else, to see if they want anything.”

Mei sprints off, stopping occasionally to take a drink order, before vanishing behind the front door.

“Does she cook too?” Kris asks. “I haven’t had decent Chinese food in years.”

“Not since that idiot Luke Falk got chased down the street by a cleaver wielding cook, after he found him on top of his wife.” Rick says with a laugh. “It’s almost a shame he didn’t catch him.”

“He’s not such a bad kid.” Ed interjects.

“He may be your cousin, but he’s also a moron.” Kris says. “Do you know how long it took me to figure out how to make tea that close to theirs? I ended up driving to the city and practically begging a woman at a Chinese supermarket to teach me.”

“She cooks quite well.” Jane says, hoping to forestall the brewing argument. “One of our other girls is supposed to cook tonight, but I can have her make you something if you’d like.”

“I may take you up on that.” Kris says, flicking her gray hair out of her face. “If you are sure you don’t mind.”

“I’m sure she would rather be cooking than helping out here.” Jane says. “Just tell Mei what you want when she gets back. I’m going to check on Robert, but if you all need anything at all, just let Amber know.”

Making her way inside, Jane knocks on Robert’s office door, slipping inside a moment later. Quickly sitting on the couch, just in case he is on a video meeting, she waits until he turns.

“Is your meeting over?” Jane asks.

“This one is off camera.” Robert says. “And I have no idea why I’m in it. I think they just invited everyone in HR, whether we actually need to be here or not.”

“How much longer is it?” Jane asks. “I was thinking this might be a good time for you to have Rick talk with Jia and Reyna about the gun stuff.”

“I forgot about that.” Robert groans. “Yeah, I probably should do it while he is here. This should wrap up soon, and then I’ll make up an excuse to step away for a bit.”

“Talking only.” Jane says, wagging her finger at him. “Your back isn’t healed yet.”

“Yes, yes.” Robert says. “I promise, I won’t pull my stitches out there.”

“Good.” Jane says. “I’ll let Jia and Reyna know.”

*****

“I understand you ladies are wanting some firepower?” Rick asks, quirking up an eyebrow at Jia.

“Yes, Sir.” Jia says, sitting up straighter. “I’m used to the AR platform, so that would be ideal.”

“Is there a reason you need that kind of firepower?” Rick asks curiously. “Things are usually quiet around here, we haven’t had a **** in decades. I don’t think we’ve had an incident that would justify that kind of firepower since prohibition.”

“I don’t know your town.” Jia says, taking a moment before continuing. “But I have seen some of the rest of the country, and it’s ugly out there. The kind of ugly that creates insurgencies. Insurgencies like to hide in quiet, out of the way places. Places like this. I have no desire to end up dead because I’m trying to fight off an armed group with a bolt action hunting rifle.”

“You think we’ll be targeted?” Rick asks.

“I think some small communities will be.” Jia asks. “Probably those with limited cell signal. I don’t have a cell phone, but I’ve noticed the girls put their phones down in the car when we get more than a mile from town. I’ve only seen one cell tower so far. I’d guess there are a few others, but probably not many. Take those out, and cut a few cables, and you could cut a large area off from outside communication. There are hundreds of small towns with a similar problem, and while the odds are that we are too close to a highway to get hit, I’d rather be prepared.”

“You understand how arming you would look to the rest of the community?” Rick asks, glancing over at Robert. “Half of them will think you are planning to **** them in their sleep. That’s probably not what you want when you are still a stranger to most of them.”

“I’m not suggesting we have them open carry on a march through town.” Robert says. “ I trust Jia; If she wanted to **** us in our sleep, I’m sure we’d already be dead. Maybe we start smaller, with a few weapons so that she can teach a few other girls the basics, and help defend us in the meantime. The neighbors don’t even need to know.”

“I’m sure they’ll notice a bunch of you blazing away in the woods.” Rick says.

“We’ll space it out a bit, and if they ask, we’ll tell them that Jane and I like to shoot.” Robert says. “We’ll probably be out there a bit, regardless.”

Rick sighs, clearly thinking. “It could work.” He admits. “Just don't freak out the neighbors. Try to practice where the neighbors can’t see, and don’t do it at night, or during church. I don’t want to get a bunch of complaints.”

“We’ll do what we can.” Robert promises.

“We confiscated any weapons we found in houses where the residents were detained.” Rick says. “I could let you go through them, and see if you can find a few rifles that meet your needs.”

“Thank you. That would be great.” Robert says. “I was hoping you’d have some ideas on where to get this type of stuff affordably.”

“I have no idea if what’s in there is what you are looking for.” Rick says. “You’ll have to swing by my office and take a look. I’ve got two rooms, packed to the ceiling though, so hopefully you can find one or two that work for you.”

“Maybe tomorrow?” Jia asks, looking at Robert.

“Would that work for you?” Robert asks.

“I’ll be around after lunch.” Rick says.

“I’ll make it work.” Robert says, standing. “I’ve got to get back to work, but I want you to know how much we appreciate all of your help.”

Rick reaches out his hand, shaking Robert’s firmly. “You are very welcome. Layne appears to be doing well with you, and that’s a relief.”

“Oh, definitely.” Robert says. “She’s really settled in well.”

“I’d say so.” Reyna says with a grin. “She was basically glued to you yesterday.”

“I think I need to get back outside.” Rick says, flushing with embarrassment as he shuffles towards the front door.

*****

“So what is this all about?” Robert asks, looking between a kneeling Mei, and Jane, standing behind her.

Mei looks up hesitating. She opens her mouth, and then closes it, swallowing hard. Jane nudges her slightly with a foot, causing her to jump, before looking up at Robert again.

“I can tell you are in trouble.” Robert says. “Let’s just rip off the band-aid. What exactly did you do?”

“I…” Mei says, stopping herself to swallow hard, eyes watering slightly. After regaining control of herself, she continues. “Over the past year or so, I had been putting some of the restaurant’s money into crypto. Just a little bit at a time, as an emergency fund, in case something like this happened. When we were detained, I didn’t tell the BAA about it. I felt really bad about you two spending so much on me at the auction, and I know things have been tight lately, so I wanted to do something with some of the crypto money to help out. So, I ordered a bunch of internet equipment, and had it shipped here. I couldn’t put it in my name, so I put Domina’s name on the order.”

“Ok…” Robert says, clearly trying to understand. “I’m missing something here. What’s the problem?”

“When she was detained, that account no longer belonged to her, in the eyes of the BAA.” Jane says. “If they ever manage to figure out that it was hers, they will come after the money. By spending the money, and having the stuff shipped here, it’s created a trail, right back to us. Specifically, to me.”

“Fuck…” Robert says, looking down at Mei. “Fuck…”

“I moved the money a lot before I spent it.” Mei says, voice taking on a pleading tone. “Through different types of crypto, a bunch of wallets, and then swapped those for gift cards. I don’t think they’ll be able to track it.”

“Shit.” Robert says, pacing in front of her. “Fuck. Damn it.”

Looking up at Jane, he asks. “What do we do?”

“When the package arrived yesterday, the girls came and got me.” Jane says. “We talked about turning her in. But Chad’s workers saw me looking through the boxes. If they show up, I’m probably fucked. Turning her in might not save me, and it would definitely screw her up. Not to mention, it would put us on the BAA’s radar, and could even cause problems with your company. I don’t think there is a play here. We just have to sit tight, and hope it doesn’t get noticed.”

“Mei…” Robert says, looking down at the girl kneeling on the floor, now sobbing openly. “Jesus Christ… You’ve really gotten us in a mess.”

“I’m so sorry.” Mei sobs. “I didn’t mean to, I was just trying to surprise everyone with something nice.”

“What are you going to do with her?” Robert asks, looking up to make eye contact with Jane, dread creeping into his voice.

“A lot of things have crossed my mind.” Jane says. “But most of them would destroy any chance of us rebuilding my relationship with her.”

Mei shudders as she hears this, imagination going wild with every horrible thing she can think of.

“I’m too angry at her to physically punish her.” Jane says. “And I’m not convinced she’s not a bit of a masochist anyhow. That leaves me with extra chores, which started this morning. Until we know that we are safe, I can’t have you knocking her up, so I’m taking her off the sleeping schedule too.”

“I get it.” Robert says, sadness entering his voice as his gaze drops to Mei, before moving back to Jane.

“I know that is a punishment for you as well as her.” Jane says. “If you need to punish her for that, feel free. Do whatever you want to her, as long as you don’t knock her up, or keep her from her kitchen duties. I really want Lucia getting plenty of rest, and only cooking once per day. Once her nausea is gone, we can reassess, but for now, she needs a lighter workload.”

Robert keeps pacing, resisting the urge to yell, and the growing sick feeling deep inside of him. “Did you need her for anything else?” He finally asks Jane.

“Nope.” Jane says. “Get upstairs, Mei.”

Mei scurries out of the room, glancing back just once before she closes the door, to find Robert staring after her, face full of sorrow.

When the door shuts, Robert steps to Jane. “Are you ok?”

“Hell no.” Jane says. “I’m angry, terrified, and I have no fucking idea how to fix any of it. I know she didn’t mean for this to turn into this kind of problem, but it’s just another example of her doing things before she thinks them through. It has to stop.”

“I’ll keep working with her on that.” Robert says, pulling Jane into an embrace. “It’s going to be ok.”

“You can’t promise that.” Jane says, wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye. “I’ll breathe easier in a few months, if we haven’t heard anything. It is taking everything in me not to drag her outside, and crop her until my arm falls off.”

“Please don’t do that.” Robert says.

“I’m not going to.” Jane says. “It doesn’t mean I don’t want to though. I’m having Alexia handle most of the punishment. I need to be removed from it, so I don’t lose it on her.”

“That’s for the best.” Robert says, pulling her more tightly to him.

“Do you want me to get one of the girls for tonight?” Jane asks.

“No.” Robert says, kissing her gently on the forehead. “You are all that I need.”