Page 63 of The Billionaire and the Nanny

“See you soon, Daddy,” she said trustingly, and I wished I had half her confidence. All I knew was that I was going to bring Tia home or die trying.

“I’ll make sure you have a squad car clearing your way,” promised the Commissioner.

We peeled out of the spot with a screech of tires, and Luke gave us directions on a group call with the driver of the squad carthat led the way, sirens blaring. He was tracking Monani’s car via a drone camera.

“Leo, he’s heading to the harbor,” he warned.

“Jeff Sabri’s boat is docked at the harbor,” said Marcus, speeding up. “We have to catch up with them before they get her on that boat because, by the time we identify the boat, they might be out of our reach.”

“They are three cars ahead of you,” announced Luke.

“Officer, can you intercept them?” I asked.

The squad car tried to overtake Monani’s car, but he ended up crashing into the divider when Monani swerved dangerously close to him. Dammit!

Now we were tailgating him, but Monani sped up. I pulled out my shotgun.

“What are you doing?” asked Marcus, sounding panicked. “You could hit Tia!”

“Relax. I’m just going to blow out his tires,” I replied, taking aim.

It was difficult to get a clear shot each time, but I managed to blow out one of his tires. Monani’s car swerved wildly, went off the road, and crashed into a tree. I was out of our car and sprinting towards his even before we came to a hard stop.

Please let her be okay, I prayed. I hadn’t expected his car to crash so hard. I just wanted to stop him. Oh, God! I had killed Tia! I had killed the woman I loved.

Tia was slumped over the dashboard, not moving. I spared Monani a glance through the window as I pulled open Tia’s door. He wasn’t moving either. Marcus was calling 911.

I checked Tia’s pulse. It was faint, but she was alive.

“Tia, baby, I’ve got you,” I said trying not to move her because I didn’t know the extent of her injuries.

She groaned loudly and tried to raise her head. Blood was streaming down her battered face.

“Don’t move just yet,” I said, as an ambulance screeched to a halt near us and paramedics pushed me out of the way.

I waited by the car as they examined Tia and got her out as gently as they could.

“She wasn’t wearing a seatbelt,” I whispered. “Oh, God! She could have gone through the windshield, Marcus. I could easily have killed her. What was I thinking?”

“You were trying to save her, Leo. You did your best to save her. Her brother is the one who almost killed her. And let’s focus on the fact that she’s alive,” said my brother gripping my shoulder hard. “She’s alive, Leo. That’s all that matters.”

The paramedics strapped Tia to a gurney and waved me over.

“The driver is dead, sir. Probably died on impact. The passenger is hurt, but she should make it. We’re taking her to the hospital immediately if you’d like to follow us.”

“Can I ride in the ambulance with her? She’s my girlfriend,” I said hoarsely.

They nodded and I got in next to Tia.

Her eyes were closed, but I could make out that the left one was swollen shut. Her lips were torn and bleeding. And her face was a mess of bruises. I picked up her hand gently and kissed it.

Tia’s right eye fluttered open and she stared at me blearily.

“You’re..you’re here,” she whispered, looking confused. “But why are you here? Where’s Maddie?”

She panicked and tried to sit up, but the straps held her down.

“Don’t move, Tia! You’re hurt. Maddie is fine. She’s back home, being pampered by Aunt Fee and Luke.”

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