Page 74 of Nanny for the Single Dad Cowboy
He tries to speak, but I don’t let him. My arm drives into his chest, pinning him. He’s heavier than I expected, but I’ve been running on adrenaline for days. He’s nothing but weakness wrapped in a suit.
“She ran because of you,” I hiss. “She looked over her shoulder for months because you couldn’t stand being exposed.”
Each hit after that is slower, more deliberate. Not blind rage—controlled. I want him to feel the weight of every second she spent afraid.
He falls to his knees, gasping. I crouch down beside him, close enough that he can see the restraint in my eyes, the difference between punishment and vengeance.
“You don’t get to hide anymore. You’re going to tell the truth. Every crime. Every threat. Every dirty deal. And you’re going to say it on camera.”
He hesitates, trembling. Beck nudges him forward with the barrel of his rifle.
“Now.”
The words tumble out of his mouth, choked, broken, but clear enough. Zane records everything. Ryder is still in the shadows, a silent sentinel.
By the time it’s over, Richard’s shaking, his voice a rasp. I stand, chest heaving, looking down at him, not with satisfaction, but relief. For Tessa. For all her fear—that ends here with his fall.
I glance at my brothers. “Call it in,” I say. “He’s done.”
Then I step back, my knuckles throbbing, ribs aching, and yet all I can think of is Tessa, waiting, safe, alive.
My brothers decide they want a taste too, so Beck breaks his wrist, enough to immobilize him without permanent damage. Zane smashes a kneecap with the same precision. Pain, not death. Justice, not vengeance.
Richard groans, pleading, begging, his bravado evaporated. I feel my chest tighten, a mix of fury, adrenaline, and relief.
Ryder’s calm voice cuts in again. “Wrap it up. Local authorities en route.”
I glance at my brothers. Beck smirks, wiping sweat from his brow. Zane shakes his head, grinning. I take a deep breath, muscles screaming from tension and pain. This is done. Richard Kane can’t touch Tessa again. Not now. Not ever.
“Let’s move,” I mutter. “Time to get home.”
Relief washes through me, a slow tide after the adrenaline storm. The villa is quiet now. No threats remain. Just the cool night air and the distant hum of the helicopter fading.
Beck leans against the wall, smirking. “I gotta admit… that was satisfying.”
Zane shakes his head, laughing quietly. I glance around. Ryder isn’t visible anywhere, and his comms are silent. Typical Ry,ghosting us like he always does, leaving us to mop up. I shake my head with a grin. That man is impossible.
The three of us load Richard into the back of a secured van, cuffs tight, his protests now weak and pitiful. The recording device shoved into his mouth.
Justice served. Time to head home.
I check my shoulder again. The bullet graze stings, but it’s superficial—nothing I can’t handle.
Beck claps me on the shoulder. “You did good. She’s safe now, but she will have your head for that.” He points to my bloody shoulder.
I smirk, chest tightening with anticipation and guilt. “I know, but it’s worth it knowing she’s safe now.”
Zane nods. “Mission accomplished. Let’s roll.”
We leave Richard for the authorities to take care of and climb into the truck, engine rumbling, the villa shrinking behind us in the dark. The night air is still, the adrenaline ebbing but leaving a hum in our veins.
The drive back is quieter. Beck and Zane trade jokes and small quips, breaking the tension. I sit back, adjusting my shoulder strap, staring out at the hills that roll by in black and silver moonlight. Finally, the war is over. Time to go back to my woman and get the scolding of a lifetime.
29
TESSA
I hate this. The waiting, the not knowing—it’s too much. Every sound is making me jump—the creak of the porch steps, the tick of the clock in the kitchen, the restless wind brushing against the windows. It’s been hours since Jace and his brothers left, but the clock on the wall insists it’s only been an hour.
