Benjamin takes Mia back into her room, leaving me buzzing with anger, disappointment, and hurt. Our conversation was cut short, but there’s nothing else that really needs to be said.
Amy was right. This whole situation is bad for me. I’ve fallen in love with a man who can’t reciprocate. And now, I’ve ruined not only a great job, but a great relationship with a wonderful little girl as well.
I’ll have to quit. There’s no way around it. I can’t see Benjamin anymore; doing so would make me come apart.
After the holidays…that’s when I’ll do it. It’s already Christmas Eve, and I can’t bring myself to think of saying goodbye to Mia just yet.
Trying not to cry, I stand and go to pack my things.
Merry freakin’ Christmas Eve.
Chapter 23
Jayne
The flight back is oppressive. Never before have I freaked out on an airplane, but riding home to San Bravado makes me feel I’m about to come dangerously close. The whole time, I keep to myself, trying to ignore the suffocating feeling overwhelming me.
“I don’t want to go home,” Mia whines when we’re halfway between Aspen and San Bravado. “I wanna keep snowboarding.”
“We'll come back next year,” Benjamin says, all of his attention on his phone.
Mia makes a grumpy face and slumps forward in her seat.
“Hey, Mia,” I say. “Would you like to go ice skating when we get home?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Benjamin peek at me. It's been at least an hour since I've said anything.
“Yeah!” Mia shouts.
“That okay?” I coolly ask Benjamin.
He gives me the briefest glance ever before going back to his phone. For a second, I want to take the phone and smash it on the cabin floor. Is he really checking his email on Christmas Eve?
“Sure,” he answers. “I'll wait at home for you guys.”
I cautiously look at Mia, worried Benjamin's announcement will upset her, but she doesn't seem to care at all. She's kicking her feet against her seat and smiling my way.
“I love ice skating,” she tells me. “How did you know I do, Jayne?”
I give her a wink. “Because I know you're a little snow bunny.”
Mia giggles, and my heart aches. I'm going to have to enjoy today, because in another week, it will be no nanny job, no Mia…no Benjamin.
I stay quiet for the rest of the flight.
Benjamin has the driver drop me and Mia off at the ice rink, which is just fine with me. With Amy out of town, and my welcome in Benjamin's house overstayed, I'm not exactly rushing to get anywhere.
It's mid-afternoon, and the outdoor rink is full of people. As Mia and I hold hands and skate around, I can't help but think that Benjamin should be here right now. It's Christmas. It's his daughter's hand that I'm holding.
And I know that he's a doting father, that he loves her more than anything else. I've seen this myself many times. He's not here because I'm here. It's just like he said. I'm getting in between the two of them.
I sniffle, and Mia looks over at me.
“What's wrong, Jayne?” she asks.
Damn, this kid is sharp. Aren't six-year-olds supposed to be living in their own world and all that jazz?
“Nothing,” I lie. “I'm just really happy to be here with you.”
We skate around the rink as night falls over the city. The multi-colored lights strung around us sparkle to life. Mia and I skate apart, then together again, our hands always finding each other once more.
“I'm tired,” she finally says, two hours, several breaks, and a hot chocolate from the nearby concession stand later. “Can we go home?”
I'm exhausted as well, and my whole body aches. I could skate all night, though, because leaving this rink means facing cold, hard reality.
It's time to drop Mia off, and then…what?
Benjamin will dismiss me for the night, probably. I'll go home to an empty apartment where the only tree on display is the one-foot-tall plastic one on the kitchen table.
We’re turning our skates in when I catch sight of a familiar car. It's parked across the street, and at first, I don't know why it's caught my attention.
And then it hits me. I know this car. I also know the face looking out the window.
My entire body tenses, and adrenaline pumps through my veins. It's him. The man who was watching Mia's school weeks ago.
And now, he's watching us.
I look away quickly, having stared at the car for not more than one second. I don't know if the man caught me looking or not. Thankfully, I was only raking my gaze across the street.
“I'm so tired,” Mia complains.
I hold her hand tightly.
“I know.” There's a slight shake to my voice, and when I speak again, I control it. “Let's get in the car.”
As I buckle Mia into her car seat, the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up. I climb behind the wheel and surreptitiously survey the area. The man is parked right around the corner, on the other side of the rental stand for ice skates.
I could call the cops. That seems like the logical thing to do. The thing is, I don't have any proof that he's following us. I need to see real evidence before I make that call.
I take my time pulling out and go down the side road toward Benjamin’s. We’re still in a residential area, but if that guy follows us, I'll be able to tell right away.
A block into the drive I glance into my rearview mirror. It's as I thought. He's there, trailing us, not even a buffer car between me and him.
My heart jumps into my throat, and I resist the urge to slam my foot on the gas and burn rubber out of there. I take a left going onto the main road. I look in the mirror, watching for the guy to turn.
And he does…except, he goes in the other direction.
I gulp. Him not following me anymore doesn't mean anything.
Hand shaking, I pull my phone from my bag and call Benjamin.
One ring. Two. Three. It goes to voicemail.
“Shit,” I whisper under my breath.
I call Benjamin several more times, but he never answers. At his front gate, I do a thorough sweep of my surroundings. Everything seems normal. At the end of the driveway, it's the same deal. Everything looks standard.
I glance around the yard, wanting to make sure no one is lurking in it. The front porch’s flood light casts a good amount of visibility, but I'm still quick at getting a sleeping Mia out of her car seat and to the front door, where I put in the code for the security system.
“Hello?” I call, as I enter the house. “Benjamin?”
The alarm system was working as normal, so everything looks safe here.
“Hello?” Eddie’s voice calls back.
He shuffles into the hallway, wearing a Santa hat and a sweater with reindeer on it. I would probably laugh if my heart wasn’t threatening to beat its way out of my chest.
“Is Benjamin here?” I ask in a low voice, not wanting to wake Mia. She’s snoozing with her head on my shoulder, and it’s best if she stays that way.
“No.” Eddie frowns. “Has hasn’t arrived yet.”
My stomach drops. “Have you heard from him?”
“No.” He looks over my shoulder, like Benjamin might be hiding there. “He isn’t with you?”
I gulp.
“Eddie, listen. Something is going on, but I’m not sure what. This man followed us from the skating rink.”
Eddie’s eyes go wide.
“He dropped off a while back, but my guess is that he knows where we are. Here. Take Mia upstairs.” I gently pass her over to Eddie, worried the older man doesn’t have the strength to sustain her weight. He hefts her onto his shoulder, though, bypassing my expectations.
“We need to call the police,” Eddie says in a wobbling voice.
“We can’t prove anything yet. The man didn’t even follow me all the way home, but I know he was trailing us. I saw him watching Mia’s school weeks ago.”
I resist the urge to pace and instead pull my phone from my pocket and call Benjamin again. There’s still no answer.
The discomfort in my core grows. Benjamin always has his phone on him.
“Something’s wrong,” I breathe. “Make sure the alarms are all set and take Mia upstairs. If anyone shows up here, don’t even answer the door. Call the police.”
With the alarms all over the grounds and the cameras pointed at all entrances, he and Mia will be safe here.
“Where are you going?” Eddie asks. “What about Benjamin?”
“I’m going to find out where he is.” My mind is racing, and I think back to the driver who picked us up at the airport. I didn’t recognize him, but that means nothing. Benjamin uses a car service, and they’re always sending different drivers.
Is Benjamin still with the driver? What if the man behind the wheel wasn’t a driver at all? What if he was someone else?
“What’s the car service Benjamin uses?” I ask.
Eddie is bending under the weight of Mia, who, somehow, is sleeping through this whole conversation.
Lucky girl.
“Maximum Chauffeur,” he answers.
“Right.” I’m already looking them up on my phone and calling their number. A voicemail picks up, and I exhale between my teeth. “Shit.”
“Lock all the doors and windows,” I reiterate. “And call me if you hear from Benjamin.”
Rushing out the front, I lock the door behind me and jump into my car. I have no plan and don’t know where I’m going. I just know that what’s going on isn’t right.
Benjamin isn’t where he’s supposed to be, and the puzzle pieces are fitting together in a way that suggests he’s in trouble.
Tears burn in my eyes as I head down the driveway. What if something happens to him and I never see him again? We’ll have ended on the worst note possible.
He probably thinks I don’t care about him.
That’s awful, because the truth is the opposite. I love him like I’ve never loved any man.
At the end of the driveway, I pull my phone back out and open an app, the one thing that’s going to be able to help me. Benjamin is a computer whiz, so I can’t be sure that he hasn’t already discovered the tracking software I added on his phone and uninstalled it.
It was a shady move to do it without asking him, I know. But I did it with good reason.
And now I’m about to see if my move wins this game.
Chapter 24
Benjamin
My head pounds, and the stars dance above me. They twirl around, making pirouettes and doing flips.
Wait…
When did the sun set?
A groan rumbles deep in my chest, and I blink my eyes against the dark. There’s a dripping noise coming from somewhere, and it echoes inside my skull. It’s cold, much colder than it should be in the car.
The car.
My body tightens as it all comes back to me. Within a flash, my eyes are open.
Wherever I am, it’s poorly lit. I can see the figures of two men, though. They have their backs turned to me and talk in low tones, their words indecipherable.
“Hey,” a voice says, much closer to me than I would like. “He’s awake.”
The two men turn and walk toward me with interest, and a third man—the one who must have spoken—appears in my peripheral. My head aches like hell, and even the dim fluorescent lights hurt to look at.
The room is large—no, not a room. We’re in some kind of warehouse that’s full of boxes. It smells of mold and decaying cardboard.
That’s all I have time to register before one of the men is grabbing a chair and taking a seat across from me. I go to move, but my arms are tightly bound to my sides. I look down, and find I’m tied to a chair.
“How you doing, Mr. Glen?” the man across from me asks.
My heart hammers away, and I open my mouth to speak, but it feels like it’s full of cotton. The man is short, small in stature, but there’s an easy confidence to his dark eyes that’s unnerving.
“I…” I swallow, and try again. “Where am I?”
“You’re still in San Bravado,” he coolly responds.
I start to nod, but it makes my head pound. My driver…he hit me over the head.
We’d stopped on a side road. He said he was going for gas, but once he pulled over into an empty lot, he reached over and hit me with something. I went to retaliate, to punch back, but there was a sweet-smelling cloth pressed over my mouth. With my head spinning from the hit, I hadn’t had the energy to fight back.
Chloroform, I realize now, as I look at the man. That’s what was on the cloth. It doesn’t keep a person unconscious for long, so they must have given me a good deal of it.
One of the other men steps up behind the seated man’s right shoulder. My teeth grind together. That’s him. My driver.
“Any other questions?” the seated man asks. He smiles slightly, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
But of fucking course.
“Yeah,” I rasp. “What the hell is going on here?”
“I’ll get right to the point. We have your daughter in our custody. If you wish for the safe release of both of you, I’ll require a billion dollars. Immediately.”
I stare at him as the words soak in. A ransom?
“You have to be fucking kidding,” I say.
This time, he doesn’t smile. “I’m not,” he succinctly answers.
My chest burns with an inhale. They have Mia.
Rage pounds through my veins. I want to break from these ropes and pummel these three with my fists until there’s nothing left of them.
“Where is she?” I demand.
“At another location.”
I stare into his poker face. He’s lying.
Maybe. I can’t know for sure.
“If you’ve hurt her at all…” I can’t finish the sentence.
“She’s safe. I give you my word on that.”
“Bring her here.”
“I can’t do that. She’s at another location, on the other side of the city.”
“Bullshit,” I snap.
His brows twitch a bit. “You’re calling bullshit on everything I’ve told you? Is that really a call you want to make this soon?”
I rake my gaze over the three men. Only the sounds of my ragged breathing and the dripping of the water fill the warehouse. There’s the light roar of traffic, but it’s far off.
There’s no chance of my escaping. I can clearly see that. And if they have Mia, I won’t be trying anything like that.
“Who are you?” I ask.
“You don’t need to know that in order to meet my requests.”
His goons stand behind him, monolithic and impassive.
They’re some kind of gang. Or, part of the mob? The latter is known to operate in San Bravado; I know that much. Or maybe they’re just three men working alone.
“Well, Mr. Glen?”
A billion dollars. It’s a lot of money, but I don’t give one shit about letting it go if it means my daughter is going to be all right.
But how do I know this man will be true to his word? What if I get him the money and he demands more? He could have my every last cent, if that’s what he wants, but I need to know that it will mean Mia’s safe release.
Mia. My throat tightens. If they do have her, she must be so scared. And what about Jayne? Did these assholes nab her as well?
I should have fucking listened to her. She told me something weird was going on, but I had my head too far up my ass to listen. Is one of these men the guy she saw watching Mia’s school?
Anger like fire shoots through me, and I have to consciously unclench my jaw before I can speak.
“Is she the only one you have?”
He cocks his head like he’s amused. “Worried about that pretty nanny of yours?”
A growl rolls from my throat, and that makes him smile.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Glen. She’s with Mia, and
you can trust that she’ll be…well taken care of.”
He’s trying to get under my skin. I fucking hate that it works.
I force myself to stay calm.
“You have to let her go, as well,” I state, piercing his gaze with mine.
“Of course.” He nods in agreement.
“And how do I know you’ll let them go once I give you the money?”
That makes him chuckle. “You don’t, do you?”
For a second, I forget I’m tied down. I try to lunge at him, but the ropes hold me firmly in place. He blinks, looking back at me evenly. I don’t even know this man’s name, and yet he’s holding my life in his hands, toying with everything I hold dear.
“Still nothing?” he asks. “You’re not very talkative, are you?”
He reaches into the inside of his suit jacket and pulls out a knife. Even in the shitty lighting, its blade gleams.
Maybe he’s about to say something else, to threaten me, but he doesn’t get the chance. Gun shots ring out in the warehouse. The man jumps to his feet, all three of them pulling out guns. I do my best to duck, but it’s not an easy feat considering I’m stuck to a chair.
There’s shouting, and one of the henchmen grabs at his arm. Dark red blood seeps between his fingers. The other goon starts running, and the wounded one follows. More shots, these sounding like they’re hitting even closer to me.
The leader darts behind a crate, disappearing into the darkness. Somewhere past him, a door bangs shut.
“What the fuck?” I gasp, frantically working my hands against the ropes.
Are the police here? Or is it a rival gang, and I’ve just gotten stuck in the middle of some kind of shoot-out?
All I can think of is Mia and Jayne. I can’t lose these crooks, because if I do, I’ll lose the two most important people in my whole world.
Footsteps sound to my right, from the opposite direction the three men took off in. As if out of a vision, Jayne appears. She runs toward me at a crouch, a gun in her extended hands. My hands still, and I just stare at her.
“Jayne?” I ask in amazement.
Nanny For Hire - A Steamy Single-Dad Billionaire Romance Page 13
