Page 52 of The Billionaire's Temporary Governess (French Conquests 2)

Naisha was amazed by the kid’s courage, and proud of her for finding the guts to speak up, but she was treading dangerous waters. She tightened her hold around Willa’s shoulders, silently communicating her warning to stand down. But inside, her stomach was churning. Amazon!Thatwas how he’d found her! She wanted to smack herself on the forehead. How could she have been so stupid? When Abe’s harassment had started, she’d changed her phone number, the passwords on her email, social media, everything she could think of.

But she’d forgotten her favorite shopping site. The knowledge that this man was coolly logging into her account and tracking her every movement made her want to throw up. In this digital world, a site like Amazon was a doorway to everything there was to know about you.

But Abe seemed to think he was clever. He grinned. “Cool, huh?”

She looked away. Her mind was a chaotic swirl, but the question that kept coming at her was,How do we survive this? How do we escape?“Can we have some water? Or, at least, can Willa—”

“No.”

“She’s just a kid. It’s dinner time. She’s starving.” Which, after two days of feasting, the child certainly was not, but Naisha played the hand she’d been dealt.

“Like I said, nope.” He settled back, and began ostentatiously examining his gun, just to remind them he was armed. She didn’t need reminding. She wondered what favors he’d called in to get around France’s tough gun laws.

After a while—an hour? two?—he got up and thrust the gun into the waistband of his jeans.

Naisha hoped fervently that he made a wrong move, causing the weapon to go off and permanently prevent Abe from ever having children.

He glared at her as if he could read her thoughts. “I’m going out for a while. When I get back, it’s gonna be me and you. We’re gonna have a talk and reacquaint ourselves with each other.” He had the audacity to wink while he undid the shiny brass padlock he’d brought with him and waved it about. “This works on the outside too. Stay put and don’t try to get out. I’m warning you!”

As soon as he was gone, she turned to Willa, anxiously examining her face. “Baby. My sweet girl, are you okay?” If the child’s mind snapped, if Willa was harmed in any way, she would never forgive herself. The fact that they were there, that they were in such a predicament, was all her fault.

“This is all my fault,” Willa sobbed. “It’s me. I’m such a bad person!”

Naisha stared at her in incomprehension. “What? Why is thisyourfault?”

“Because I’m lying and pretending to be what I’m not. I know the truth and I didn’t tell him, so nobody knows. And everybody thinks I am who I’m really not, and that’s why they kidnapped me and that’s why it’s all my fault and I’m so sorry—”

She was talking too fast, and she wasn’t making sense. Naisha held up her hand to halt the incoherent stream of consciousness. “Wait, sweetie, wait. Let’s slow down and take it bit by bit, okay? You think you’re responsible for this?”

“Yes! They want me because he’s rich and they think I’m his daughter but I’m not and that’s my—”

“Willa, it’s not your fault. That guy, he’s not after you. He’s after me. This isn’t about money.” Her confession was bitter in her mouth, so ashamed was she to admit to it. “His name’s Abe, and he was my… we dated for a while. He’s not here for your father’s money. He’s mad atme. Okay?”

Willa gave her a doubtful look.

Naisha said, “I promise. This isn’t on you. You were just in the wrong place—but wait, what do you mean theythinkyou’re his daughter? You mean William?”

Willa’s beautiful brown eyes were red-rimmed, her skin pale, her mouth trembling. “Papa’s not my papa.” She said it so softly that Naisha had to lean in just to grasp the words.

“Baby, I have no idea what you—”

“Before my mama went away, I heard them fighting. They were talking about getting divorced, and that she was pregnant. With Christien, you know?” She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I tried not to listen. I tried not to hear them, but I did. And then mama came in and saw me crying and she was so mad. She said, ‘You have no reason to cry,chérie, he isn’t even your father.’”

Then Willa fell forward onto Naisha’s lap, bawling her eyes out. “I never said anything. I never told him! I just kept on calling him Papa, because I love him and I want him to be my papa, and I’m so scared that if he knew, he wouldn’t want me anymore. He’d send me away to live with my real papa like Christien!”

Naisha began rubbing Willa’s back, her hand making circles on the thin shoulders, and all the while her mind was making circles of its own. This couldn’t be true. “I don’t know what compelled your maman to say such a thing, but William is your papa, in every way that counts.”

“But mamasaid–”

She felt so, so thirsty. Her parched lips were barely able to form the words. “If William isn’t your papa, then who is?” Oh, God, this was so hard!

“I don’t knowwww!”

“It’s okay, my love. Liam is your papa, he loves you more than anyone else in the world.” She held on to the child tightly, not wanting to ever let go.

Naisha felt a swirl of anger aimed at everyone who was a part of this. At Abe, for having them here—and hurting those guards. God knew what was going to happen with them. Were they alive or dead? Had anyone found them by now?

She felt disgust at Sofia, this woman who had put William in this position not once, but twice. If what Willa had said was true, there’s been two babies, two different dads—and neither of them was her Lim.

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