Page 1 of The Nanny

CHAPTERONE

KEIRAN

My heart is in my throat. I don’t have time to think.

I’m moving on instinct alone, shoving Natasha aside and yelling for the tour guide to help restrain her.

I’ll deal with her soon enough.

Right now, my focus is on the two pairs of hands desperately gripping the side of the ruins. One pair belongs to my daughter, Isla. The other pair, just as delicate but slightly larger, belongs to Ella.

I can’t imagine losing either one of them, let alone both at once.

My brain is replaying the last few seconds on a loop. Isla in her oversized dress, walking too close to the edge of the Coliseum. Beautiful, slight Ella right behind her, wearing a navy sundress.

Natasha in her usual all-black outfit, moving so quickly it would have been nearly impossible to stop her. The heart-rending moment when she stomped on my daughter’s foot. And then the horrifying lurch of my stomach as Natasha gave Ella a shove that was intended to send them both falling to their death at the base of the Colosseum.

I swear, in that moment, my whole world ceased to exist. As I gaped at the three figures, for a second Ella and Isla genuinely seemed to disappear. The strangled sound that left my throat was one of horror.

I ran, flat out, tripping as I hurled myself closer to the edge of the Colisuem. Then I see the hands clinging to the side, fingernails digging into the ancient stone.

Somehow, they have managed to hold on.

I drop to my knees, balancing myself as I lean over the edge. Grabbing Isla by the wrists, I haul her up and set her on the ground next to me. She clings to me, but I shake her off.

“Just a second,” I say, gritting my teeth. I set to work pulling Ella to safety. She is slight, her brown eyes looking terrified. I grab both wrists and back up, pulling her awkwardly in a haphazard fashion.

Ella doesn’t say anything, although she grunts a few times as I pull her up. She might be a tiny ballerina, but it’s still a feat to drag her up while not letting myself fall.

At one point, Ella shifts and I fumble my grip. “Keir!” she cries.

“I’ve got you,” I mutter through gritted teeth, raising her up from the side of the ruins inch by inch. We’re both sweating and gravity is working against us, but there’s no way in hell I’m letting Ella slip from my grasp. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”

When I manage to get her onto solid ground, I can feel my heart pounding so hard against my ribs that I bring my hand to my chest. My heart squeezes and my eyes water, but I never take my eyes off of Ella and Isla.

They’re both okay.

Thank god. Thank god!

I yank them both into the tightest embrace possible. They both feel cold and I blink, feeling tears pressing on me. I clear my throat and bury my face in Isla’s ringlets, dizzy with my relief.

Ella stirs, finally giving voice to her feelings of shock.

“She tried to kill us,” Ella gasps, breathless as I finally pull her up into my arms. “Did you see her push us?”

“I saw everything,” I nod, tucking Isla into our hug as well.

Closing my eyes tightly, I struggle to breathe. If things had gone only slightly differently, I would not be holding either of the girls in my arms. The ache in my chest from knowing what could be — what Natasha had hoped would happen — sticks with me for long seconds.

I almost lost both of them.

“Daddy, you’re hugging me too hard,” Isla says, her voice small.

“I’m sorry, darling,” I murmur. Only now do I loosen my grasp by an inch.

“It’s okay,” she says. Isla turns her attention to Ella, her face crumpling. “You saved me.”

Ella cups Isla’s face, dropping a kiss to one cheek. She hugs her close.

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