Page 15 of Captive Vow (Mafia Marriages 2)

“I know. I think the new nanny, Paige, will be a good fit,” I say. I’m still pissed about her trying to take Nova off the premises, but I don’t believe her intentions were ill-willed.

“We are all worried about your daughter, and while I’m relieved you have hired a new nanny to entertain her, she needs a little more than what Paige can offer her. She needs to speak with a child psychologist,” Dante says.

I laugh at his suggestion. “Nova doesn’t speak.” Did he hit his head?

Nikki steps closer and rests a hand on my arm. “Child psychologists are trained to work with young children, and there are other ways to get Nova to communicate, like with artwork.”

“And you both think this is a good idea?” Our world is masked in secrets. What if Nova lets one of them escape?

Not to mention I’ve seen her artwork. It’s adorable and all, but she’s four. It’s not as though the therapist is going to gain much from a bunch of scribbles.

Dante clears his throat. “Yes, I believe this is best for Nova, and while I’m not thrilled to bring in an outsider, this woman comes highly recommended. We’ve done a thorough background check to ensure there is no connection to the DeLuca’s or anyone else of concern.” He rests his hands on the desk. “What do you say?”

I don’t think they’ll let me say no. There isn’t much of a choice, and I want what is best for my daughter. “Yeah, sure.”

“Good, because I’ve already made the appointment,” Nikki says, and digs into her pocket to hand me a business card.

I glance down at the card and the appointment scribbled on the back for this Friday afternoon.

“Looks like I’ll be needing off for a few hours, Boss.” I offer a weak smile, trying to make light of the situation. It’s all that I can do.

I want to pawn this task off on the new nanny. Let Paige run Nova around town so that I don’t have to explain any part of the situation to the therapist.

But that’s not how this works.

I’m not an idiot.

I keep my shit bottled up inside of me.

Talking doesn’t help, but I can’t ignore the dark cloud looming over my little girl.

Something must be done before the trauma that she’s suffered is irreversible.

I just hope that it’s not already too late.

---