Page 56 of The Billionaire and the Nanny

I recognized the route we were taking. This was the way to the port. I clutched Maddie to me worriedly wondering if Leo even knew we had been kidnapped. Would he blame me for being so careless with his daughter? Of course, he would. He probably thought I did it on purpose. He could blame me all he liked. All I wanted was to get his daughter safely back to him. Which meant I had to be calm and not panic.

I felt a tap against the back of my seat and turned my head just a little. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the muzzle of a gun resting against the back of Maddie’s seat. The threat was clear. If I made any move, they would shoot her. I started hyperventilating, but I had to do it as quietly as possible because I didn’t want Maddie to know something was wrong. If she began to cry or struggle, the situation would escalate to disastrous proportions, and I didn’t want them to hurt her or even scare her. She was just a baby.

The car pulled up outside what looked like a warehouse quite close to the port. Rico spoke to the men manning a barrier, and they raised it to allow our car to enter. There were containers lined up all around the inside of the warehouse. The car pulled up in the clearing in the center, and a thug with a gun strapped to his side ran up to open my door.

“Tia, why are we here? Where’s Daddy?” she asked, looking confused. “I want Daddy.”

Maddie was a smart child, and even if she didn’t understand what was happening, I was sure she sensed that we were in danger. My mouth went dry at the thought of her throwing a tantrum right now, demanding to be taken home. I needed her to be calm right now.

“Honey, you need to stay close to me and not make a sound, okay? Daddy will come here soon, and he’ll take us home. Meanwhile, we need to do whatever these people tell us to do. Is that okay?”

She nodded doubtfully but didn’t ask any more questions.

“Get out. The boss is waiting for you,” said Rico brusquely.

I held my head high and followed him, holding Maddie tightly by the hand. Her eyes were as wide as saucers as she looked around and saw rusty containers all around us.

“Where are we, Tia?” she whispered.

“We’re near the port, sweetie. Where all the ships are,” I whispered back.

“Are we going on a ship?’ she asked excitedly.

“God! I hope not,” I murmured, praying hard for Leo to find us soon.

Rico led us to a big, blue container, and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal my brother who glared at me for a moment before he backhanded me without warning. My head flew back with the force of the blow, and Maddie cried out in fear.

“Don’t hit my Tia,” she cried.

My brother’s demeanor changed as he stared at the little girl. He smiled widely and crouched in front of her, which made her shrink into me. I wrapped my arms around her protectively and pushed her behind me.

Arjun put ached out a hand and stroked her hair.

“Madeline, my sweet child. You know, if I had met your mother sooner, you would have been my child,” he murmured.

“No, thank you,” she replied, recoiling from his touch.

Arjun’s eyes darkened in anger and he stood up. He loomed over me menacingly.

“My sister. My own flesh and blood. How could you betray me so easily? Is Donovan so good in bed that he makes you forget your loyalties?”

I met his eyes defiantly.

“I have no loyalty to you, Arjun. You’re nothing but a creep who was willing to trade me for money. You mean nothing to me,” I spat.

He smiled. A cold, snake-like smile that scared the life out of me.

“Good, then I don’t have to feel guilty about what’s going to happen next.”

“What do you mean?” I asked nervously.

“I’m finally going to make good on my promise by delivering you to Jeff tonight. Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused for me? I almost lost the company. Hell, I almost lost my life. All because Princess Tia thinks she’s too good for the likes of Jeff Sabri. You will get down on your knees and do whatever he tells you, do you hear? If you give me any trouble at all, I will feed you to the dogs.”

I raised my chin and stared him in the eyes, refusing to show any sign of fear.

“On one condition.”

Arjun barked out a laugh as if he couldn’t believe I was trying to negotiate with him.

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