Page 20 of Mind Maze

Vivienne’s expression darkens as her lip curls up in disgust. But rather than confirming or denying my words, she turns on her heel and slips out the door in an instant. As soon as it clicks closed behind her, I exhale heavily. My heart is racing in my chest and I’m overcome with defeat.

Why do I feel like a failure right now?

You couldn’t save Calista from the system she disappeared into. You couldn’t save Emma from her own father. You couldn’t save Romy from your brother. You couldn’t save Kaitlyn from a child predator.

Maybe that’s why I’m a bad guy and not a good one.

Good guys have too much fucking pressure to perform.

I scrub my palm over my face, noting that my hand is shaking. Ignoring the jitters I have, I retrieve my phone and make the necessary arrangements with the hotel conciergeconcerning Vivienne and her belongings. Then I force myself to check on Kaitlyn.

Would things have been better on her had I not made Dad intervene and get a nanny? Gareth was unbelievably pissed when he found out that was a requirement before Dad would allow him to adopt again. I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I was saving a little girl from alone time with a monstrous father. I’d unknowingly put her in the arms of another one.

The bedroom door opens and Romy steps out. Her sharp gaze inspects the living room area and she relaxes once she realizes Vivienne is gone.

“Kaitlyn okay?” I ask, voice gruff.

Romy purses her lips as she strides over to me. Her fingers dig into my bicep as she tilts her head up to look at me. “She will be. I’ll talk to her about it with time. Right now, she’s been sent to take her shower and get ready for bed.”

“Okay,” I say with a tired sigh. “I’ll get on searching for a new nanny.”

She scoffs at my words. “Are you for real right now?”

Frowning, I wait for her to continue.

“No more nannies,” Romy snaps. “When we go back home, she’s moving in with us. End of discussion.”

Home. Us.

Her protectiveness over Kaitlyn soothes an ache inside my chest. I’m starting to recognize a pattern with Romy. She cares about helping girls who may be suffering from abuse or maltreatment, from her roommate, Megan, to the girl LuLu from the yacht, to my niece, Kaitlyn.

Who protects Romy from all the predators of the world?

Apparently, that’s my role.

And I don’t exactly hate it.

Romy

Banging on the door makes both me and Caius jolt. He recovers quicker than I do, pulling out of my hold to stride over to the door. As soon as he opens it, Theo rushes inside. Knowing he’ll need to fill him in on what happened, I go back into the bedroom to wait for Kaitlyn. A few minutes later, she emerges from the bathroom with combed wet hair and in her Barbie pajamas.

My heart aches for this girl.

The haunted expression in her gaze says all the words I need to hear. I was too late. Vivienne has done what she did to me. There’s no erasing what’s happened. Unlike Dad, though, I refuse to sweep it under the rug like it never occurred in the first place.

So I go with straightforward honesty.

“I know what she did,” I say lightly. “She did the same to me around your age.”

Kaitlyn tenses at my words and then asks a totally unrelated question. “Can we watch a movie before I go to sleep?”

It takes a while for me to figure out the television, but once I’ve put it on something G-rated, I sit on the bed against the headboard beside her. She seems engrossed in the show, but I know better. I understand the racing thoughts, disgust, confusion, and betrayal.

“I used to hide,” I murmur. “In my closet.”

She’s quiet for a beat. “Did she find you?”

“Not there. But she always came back later. I couldn’t hide long enough.”

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