Boom - Sabrina Stark Page 0,103

and forget to tell the damn nanny.

He was too buttoned-up for that.

A few feet away, Chase was saying to Veronica, "Tell us again. When's the last time you saw her?"

Already, we had dozens of employees walking the neighborhood, looking for a lost little girl. Turns out, she wasn't lost.

But something was going on. And I didn't want to discuss it, not in front of Veronica. She wasn't family. And for all I knew, she'd put Willow at risk. Or hell, maybe she'd staged a fake kidnapping, looking to cash in on the family fortune.

A crazy theory?

Maybe. But with the kind of money we had these days, anything was possible.

Veronica was still blubbering when I pulled Chase aside and told him in a low voice. "Mason's got her."

His surprise was obvious. "No shit?"

I shrugged. "That's what he said."

"Huh." Chase frowned. "Weird."

In unison, we both looked to Veronica. She was standing on the opposite side of the room, sobbing alone by the side window.

Maybe I should've felt bad.

But I didn't.

And neither did Mason when he arrived ten minutes later – with Willow, just like he'd said.

Thank God.

I gave Willow a quick once-over. She looked fine, happy even.

But not Mason. He looked royally ticked.

At the sight of Willow, Veronica squealed, "Oh, my God. There you are!" She threw open her arms wide and called out, "Oh, sweetie! Come here."

Willow didn't budge.

Neither did anyone else.

Mason looked down to Willow and said, "Go up to your room. You're still going to summer school."

Willow frowned. "But I'll be late."

With a tight smile, Mason replied, "Then you'd better hurry." After Willow left, Mason turned his attention to Veronica. He wasn't smiling anymore. "Pack your shit," he said. "You're fuckin' fired."

Veronica shook her head. "But why?"

I spoke up. "Because, dumb-ass, you lost the kid."

Veronica turned pleading eyes on Chase. "Don't you have something to say?"

Oh, for fuck's sake. I could guess what this meant. Chase was screwing the damn nanny.

Again.

In reply to her question, Chase told her, "Yeah. Pack your shit, like Mason said."

Her mouth fell open. "My shit?" she sputtered. "I'll have you know, I have nice stuff." She turned accusing eyes on Mason. "That's why you hired me, wasn't it? To be a good role model?"

I knew what she was getting at. Veronica might be hard as nails, but she looked all prim and proper in her form-fitting skirt and nice, white blouse. She'd been on the job for only three months, and she wouldn't be missed.

Mason gave her a cold look. "Role model, my ass."

"But—"

"You were hired to look after Willow. You failed." He glanced at his watch. "A driver's on the way."

"A driver?" she said. "What kind of driver?"

"The kind that'll take your ass out of here."

"To where?"

"Don't know, don't care," Mason said. "And if you want a severance, you'll be out by nine o'clock."

She perked up. "A severance?"

"That's what I said." Again, Mason glanced at his watch. "You've got eighty minutes. And just so we're clear, if it takes you eight-one, you get nothing."

"But–"

"So if I were you," Mason said, "I'd get your ass in gear."

He didn't need to tell her twice. Even in high heels, she was sprinting for the stairs.

When she disappeared from sight, Mason turned away, heading toward his study.

And me – I strode after him. Because this conversation wasn't over.

Chapter 60

Arden

As Cami and I walked back to the crew house, I felt lower than I had in a long time. And considering how low I'd been feeling lately, that was truly saying something.

I gave Cami a sideways glance. Normally, she was the most upbeat person I'd ever met. But now, she trudged along beside me looking nearly as depressed as I felt.

With an apologetic smile, I said, "I bet I know what you're thinking."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

I forced a laugh. "Worst vacation, ever."

She shook her head. "Nah. It wasn't so bad."

"Oh come on, Cam. We both know that's not true. Listen, I know I've said it already, but I really am sorry."

"Oh, stop it," she said with a weak laugh. "I meant what I said. I actually had a pretty good time."

Funny, she sounded like she actually meant it. And yet, I was finding her words a little hard to believe. "But you couldn’t have," I protested. "Not really."

"Why not?" she said. "You and I got to hang out. And I finally got to see the house. I've been wanting to see it forever, you know."

She had said as much. And, with the help of my own key, I'd