Page 20 of The Boss's Hideaway Baby

“True,” I admit, “but it’s me they’re after, not you. If anything, having you around might put you in even more danger.” The thought of Maria being harmed because of me sends a shiver down my spine.

But I also can’t leave her alone. It would be too easy for whoever is after me to find out where she lives. And then also too easy for them to kidnap her and hold her in my place, expecting me to pay handsomely to have her back.

Which, of course, I would.

“I take it back. You need to come with me. I’m sorry, but it’s not safe for you to go home. We need to stick together.”

She doesn’t look perturbed by this at all, and another wave of gratitude passes through me. Once this is all over, I’ll be giving her a gigantic raise.

We make our way through the dimly lit streets, sticking to the shadows and avoiding the main thoroughfares. Every sound makes me tense, every shadow a potential threat. But when we finally reach a small precinct, a wave of relief washes over me. Surely now we’ll be safe.

“Come on.” I open the door for her into the police department as I survey the street behind us. It doesn’t look like the men have followed us here, but I can’t be too careful.

Once inside, I rush to the front desk. “Officer, we need your help,” I say, trying to keep my voice calm and even. “We were nearly kidnapped tonight.” I briefly explain the situation while Maria pulls out her phone, ready to play the recording for them.

“Here,” she says, handing the officer her phone. “I managed to record part of the conversation between the men who were trying to kidnap Mr.— Nathan.” She nods her head at me.

The officer listens intently, his expression growing more serious as the recording plays. When it ends, he hands the phone back to Maria and puts his hands on his keyboard. “Did you get a look at these men? Can you describe them?”

Maria and I glance at each other.

“The street was dark,” I say, “and when she was in the coat closet she couldn’t see them.”

“So, that’s a no?”

“Correct.”

“And do you have any other information that might be of help? Do you know why anyone might want to kidnap you? Or do you know anyone who would want to cause you harm?”

“It could be anyone,” I say. “Anyone who wants to hold me for ransom.”

Maria speaks up. “He’s very rich and well known.”

The officer doesn’t look impressed — not that I expected him to. If anything, he looks annoyed.

“Look, I understand that this must be very frightening for both of you,” he says, not unkindly. “We’ll do our best to look into it, but with so little information to go off of, there’s not much we can do right now. We don’t even know who these guys are or what they look like.”

“Can’t you at least put out a warning or something?” I ask, frustration mounting in my chest. “I’m not the only one in danger. They saw my assistant here with me as well. They could hurt her. And if they tried to kidnap us once, they might try again.”

“Of course,” the officer replies, jotting down some notes. “We’ll keep an eye out and make sure to patrol the area regularly. But for now, I suggest you both go home and try to get some rest. If anything else happens, call us immediately.”

“Thank you, officer,” Maria says, her voice trembling slightly.

I’m not as easily appeased, though. In fact, I’m furious. How can this cop just brush us off like this? I just told him we were chased and someone is trying to kidnap me!

But what can I do? Obviously, I’ll need to take matters into my own hands.

As we leave the precinct, I feel a cold knot of fear forming in my stomach. The police will do what they can, but it’s clear that we’re mostly on our own. And with Maria at risk, I’ll need to find a way to ensure our safety — before it’s too late.

The sense of dread in my stomach heightens as we step back onto the sidewalk. The city’s bustling nightlife offers no comfort, only a reminder of our vulnerability. I know I need to do something to protect Maria and me — now.

“Maria,” I say, turning to her with determination, “I’m going to hire a security team first thing tomorrow. But for tonight, we can’t stay in the city. It’s not safe.”

“Where would we go?” she asks, her face pale. “I doubt either of us wants to risk taking a cab or the subway.”

“I’ll call my driver,” I say.

She shakes her head. “They’ll be expecting that. I have a car in a garage ten blocks from my apartment. We could take that out of the city.”

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