Page 53 of The Billionaire and the Nanny

CHAPTER 24

LEO

“Iwant them found,” I yelled. “Track that car down. I want them found right now.”

“Lock it down, Leo. Don’t lose it yet,” warned Marcus.

“You lock it down if you can,” I snarled, lashing out blindly. “She took my baby! I’m going to find her and I’m going to make her pay for this treachery.”

“Look, I know you’re hurting, but you need to calm the fuck down and think rationally. I don’t believe Tia did this, but even if she did, you’re the only person who can tell us where she’s most likely to take Maddie,” said Luke.

“She took him to her brother, of course! God, we’ve been such idiots! Especially me. I fell for the damsel in distress routine, hook, line, and sinker. And now she has my baby!”

“Leo, it doesn’t make sense,” began Marcus.

“It was their plan all along, Marcus! Can’t you see that? First, she seduced me three years ago, and when that backfired, they came up with this plan to trap us.”

“But how were they to know that you’d kidnap Tia in order to rescue her?” asked Marcus skeptically.

“I don’t know, and I don’t care. All I know is that Maddie’s life is in danger because the woman I love betrayed me yet again.”

“Don’t say that,” said Aunt Fee, walking into the room.

I turned around in surprise.

“Aunt Fee, Maddie is not safe right now,” I said gently, not wanting to alarm her. “Tia has helped to kidnap her.”

“I didn’t mean that part. I meant don’t say you love her,” snapped Aunt Fee.

She was right. How could I love a woman who could betray me like this?

“I don’t. Not anymore,” I corrected myself, wondering why that sounded like a lie.

Aunt Fee shook her head.

“You never loved her,” she said bleakly.

“What do you mean?”

“If you loved Tia as much as you claim you did, you would never believe such a thing about her. The poor thing believes you love her, and I’m sad that she’s in for a rude awakening.”

“Aunt Fee, you’re not making any sense,” I said impatiently. “And can we not talk about such trivial matters right now? We have more important things to think about.”

“You need to get your head out of your ass, Leo, and start thinking straight,” said my aunt, coldly.

“About what?’

“That girl has done nothing to deserve such vitriol, but you have been paranoid about her since you brought her here. Even when you said you loved her, you didn’t trust her one bit. I don’tblame you. Natalie broke something vital inside you, and maybe that can never be repaired. But Tia deserves better. She does not deserve a man who thinks so poorly of her.”

“Are you blind?” I roared. “That woman drove off with my daughter in her brother’s vehicle, and you think I’m being unfair to her?”

“Yes! Because she would never hurt Maddie. Do you know how I know that? Because unlike you, I love that child. I see the goodness in her. And it breaks my heart that you don’t. Look around you, Leo. Even your brothers don’t believe she’d ever do such a thing.”

“But she did do it, Aunt Fee,” I said brokenly. “I get what you’re saying. I guess I did expect the worst from her at some level, but she did meet those low expectations, didn’t she? But you’re wrong about one thing. I did love her. Against my will, maybe, but I did. Anyway, none of that matters right now. We need to focus on getting Maddie back.”

Aunt Fee came and hugged me tightly. Then she looked me in the eyes.

“Do youwantto be proved right, Leo? Does that matter more to you than your love?”

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