Page 7 of The Nanny and the Don

Six

D evlan

With my earbuds in my ears, I danced and sang my heart out as I finished up the dishes and put them away.

It was eleven thirty at night. I’d showered and gotten ready for bed, drank two glasses of wine, and tried my hand at actually getting some sleep for a change.

That only lasted about an hour before I was on my feet again and headed to the kitchen.

My socked feet slid across the floor as the bridge of the song came on. I was always torn between listening to music or finishing up listening to a book while I cooked or cleaned up. Tonight, I was playing mix and match.

When the song ended, I opened my audiobook app and started the next book on my never-ending reading list. I loved a good adult fairy tale with a happily ever after. They hit even harder now that I felt like my life was actually becoming one.

Once my book started, I removed my socks and left them in the living room while I swept the floor then put together a concoction to mop the floor. Cleaning and working with my hands was always a good distraction.

A few weeks ago, I would have never thought I would be dating my former boss let alone spending the weekend in his house so I could clean it while he was away.

As annoying as Brendan was with all his bragging and grandstanding, he was equally sweet and funny.

Getting to know him helped me realize that he worked hard for his money.

I couldn’t blame him for bragging a little on his success.

He explained how he’d put himself through college selling drugs before leaving the street life alone and building his accounting clientele up brick by brick.

When there was a crisis or big financial decision to be made, he would be on the phone for hours helping his clients sort them out.

I was attracted to his drive and how dedicated to his job he was.

He made sure to shower me with gifts and money in lieu of the time he couldn’t spend with me. Even with my rent paid up for the next few months, I found myself spending more and more time at his place. Dating Brendan felt like a fairy tale come true. A handsome, rich man wanted little old me.

I was just an awkward, tall girl with dreams of taking care of hundreds of little children for the rest of my life.

Then one night this dashing man hired me for a job that I could barely tolerate before ultimately coming in and sweeping me off my feet.

I couldn’t have dreamed up a better story if I tried.

Brendan seemed just as happy to have me in his life as I was for him to rescue me from the life I hated.

It was his idea that I spend most of my time at his place.

He wanted me to move in with him, but I wasn’t ready for that.

His reasoning was that he worked a lot but wanted to spend as much time with me as he could, even if it was just after a long day at the office or a few days on the road.

It made sense to me to want to have someone to greet you with a kiss after a hard day’s work.

I missed having someone to come home to with Kelsea moving out of our apartment.

We had only been dating for close to a month.

Of course, I felt like we were moving too fast but found comfort in knowing that I still had a place of my own.

I got the feeling that he liked the idea of having a live-in maid just as much as he liked having a live-in girlfriend.

Brendan liked having someone there to cook and clean while he was away, and I enjoyed doing it.

His money was good, so I wasn’t complaining.

For the past few days, he had been on a business trip. He’d told me that he was returning yesterday, and so far, I hadn’t heard from him or been able to get in touch with him. I didn’t know if I should panic or not.

Brendan was in Nevada and had already let me know that his cell reception was spotty in the desert. It was a struggle to not worry about him, which was why I was up cleaning and mopping an already clean kitchen after midnight.

A looming presence behind me made my heart flutter as I turned on my heels to welcome my man home. The face splitting smile I wore for Brendan fell, and my stomach dropped through the floor when I found someone else standing behind me instead. Not just someone else, it was him .

My eyes darted around the kitchen for any sign that Brendan was here too. I didn’t see him, but that didn’t stop me from pulling one of the buds out of my ear. The sound of my heart drumming in my ears was deafening. I was almost certain that he could hear it too.

“Where’s Brendan?” I asked him.

“I was about to ask you the same thing.”

“How did you get in here?”

“Where is your boyfriend, sweetheart?” he asked, taking a few steps to close the space between us. Suddenly I felt naked in the boy shorts and sports bra that had been just right for bedtime.

“I-I don’t know,” I stammered nervously.

“What the hell do you mean you don’t know?” he snapped.

“I don’t know where he is. How did you get in here? Do you have a key?”

“So, you’re in here mopping and cleaning up like you’re the maid, and you don’t even know where he is? How long has he been gone? Where did he say he was going?” he quizzed.

“He was in Nevada meeting with somebody or doing whatever he does. I don’t ask him about work. He was supposed to come back this morning, but he didn’t show up.”

“And you’re not the least bit concerned?” he asked, narrowing his eyes as if he didn’t believe me.

“I’m concerned but what can I do? What are you doing here? Was he expecting you?”

His dark eyes shot to the counter where my phone had stopped reading my book once my earbud was out. He picked it up and shoved it in my direction.

“Call him,” he demanded.

My hands trembled as I accepted the phone from him. I swiped the screen up to unlock my phone before going to the last call I placed and tapping the screen to call Brendan yet again.

“On speaker!” he barked, causing me to jump.

“I’ve been calling him all day, and he hasn’t answered,” I explained.

Hearing my phone ring through to voicemail must have pissed him off because he yanked it out of my hand and smashed it on the floor. I screamed when he grabbed my shoulders and glared down at me.

“Is that your car out there?”

“No, I don’t even drive,” I denied.

His eyes passed over my face and drifted to the watch Brendan gave me before he left town. “He gave you those earrings and this watch?” he quizzed, holding up my wrist as if I didn’t know what watch he was referring to.

“Yeah, so?”

“So, do you know where my fucking money is going? It looks to me like you’re helping that muthafucka spend it!”

“What money? I don’t know what’s going on, but whatever happened is between you and Brendan,” I stated.

“That ain’t for you to determine. I tell you what though. Since you don’t know where the hell he is, and I don’t know where my money is, we have a common interest in finding his ass,” he declared.

“I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

“And I’m sure he won’t. He’s been off the radar for almost a week. I just found out how to get him out of the shadows though.”

“Good, now can you please leave?” I asked, urging him to go.

“Hmph,” he scoffed as he stooped and tossed me over his shoulder like a rag doll.

I kicked and screamed, pounding on his back as he shifted my weight to get a better hold on me.

“Put me the fuck down!” I demanded.

“Until I get my money back, you’ll do,” he sneered.

“Help! Help! Somebody help me!” I screamed my head off as he moved through the house without saying another word. Once we were outside, I shouted even more hoping one of Brendan’s neighbors would come to my rescue. Luck didn’t seem to be on my side as I crash landed in the back seat of an SUV.

“Shut the fuck up!” he snarled before slamming the door.

I snatched at the door handle to no avail. He had the fucking child lock on, but that didn’t stop me from trying to get out. I lunged for the front seat only to be stopped when he opened the driver side door.

“Let me out of here!” I screamed in his face.

“Unless you want me to tie you up, you’ll sit back and shut up,” he cautioned.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Wherever the fuck I want to!” he barked.

“Whatever you have going on with Brendan has nothing to do with me. I don’t ask him where he gets his money from. Just let me go. I’m sure you can work this out without my help.”

“Lady, sit your ass back unless you want me to tie you up.”

“You’re going to have to because I’m not going down without a fight,” I told him.

“I don’t care how you go down but don’t think for a second that I’m going to keep tussling with your ass. You can either go conscious or unconscious,” he chuckled bitterly but his face was stone cold as he slid into the driver’s seat.

“Fuck you! Let me out of here!” I yelled as I grabbed and clawed at his face and head.

Silently he opened the car door and got back out. Terror coursed through me when he tore the door open, but that didn’t stop me from trying to get out. I made a break for it, but my foot didn’t even touch the ground. With his hands on my waist, he lifted me and sat me back on the seat.

“I see you learn the hard way,” he snapped, covering my mouth and nose with his hand. I didn’t have a chance to put up a fight before everything went black.

I woke up with a start. Sitting up straight, I looked around wild-eyed trying to figure out where the hell I was and how I got there.

The memories of the real-life nightmare came back to me in a flash.

The bedroom I was in was huge. My entire apartment could have fit inside the room and there would still be space to move around.

I didn’t know what the hell Brendan had gotten me into, but at this point, I was ready to freaking kill him.