Page 54 of Broken Daddy

Nate is silent, letting it sink in as he stares out at Eva climbing over the rocks. She seems to be in some kind of disagreement with another girl, but they’re handling it. Both with hands on their hips, hair tossed back.

Feeling maybe a little too comfortable, I lean against a tree and point out, “You obviously have more than enough money. Hiring me as a favor. Putting your own finances into the company to boost it and reassure investors.” Another glance, another hint of curiosity. “I’m just saying, you never know how much time you have left, Nate. Might as well enjoy it.”

What was supposed to be a casual conversation takes a turn for the worse, though I’m not sure why.

As Nate watches his daughter navigate childhood, his face goes pale and his breathing stops.

Shoot.

I’m going to have to do CPR on the guy I’ve been trying to avoid even brushing arms with if he topples over.

But Nate blinks and literally shakes it off, a little jerky movement that brings him back to the present. Only it looks like what we were talking about—or what I thought we were talking about—hit him harder than I meant it to.

And once again, the thread drawing us together feels tenuous. Because if Nate wanted to get rid of the bungling, opinion-sharing, white chocolate-hating woman he hired, who is now inconveniently pregnant, he could have me out on the street tomorrow.

I’m just hoping there’s more to him than this grumpy exterior he shows the rest of the world.

Chapter22

Nathan

The security alarm goes off at 2 a.m., and I’m out of bed immediately. I’ve never been more awake in my life, and the first thing I do is grab the billy club I keep under my bed.

The heft of it in my hand is reassuring as I open the bedroom door. Movement makes me tense up, but it’s just Gen opening her own door a hair.

“What is that?” she asks loudly over the sound of the alarm.

I can hear Eva crying out but can’t make out her words.

“The house alarm. Someone’s on the property. Can you go to Eva?”

Gen’s gray eyes widen, her face going pale as she nods.

“Lock the door. I’ll be up when I check everything out.”

A large part of me wants to turn lights on, but I fight the urge, knowing it’ll be hard for an intruder to navigate the house in the dark. Whereas, I know it like the back of my hand.

Staying close to the wall, I move down the stairs and immediately to the front door. It’s locked and bolted.

I do a quick check of the windows, pulling the curtains, and then stride into the kitchen. We always keep a light on in here, and in the amber glow, I look over at the French doors and the windows here as well. Then into my office.

Everything is secure.

Going back to the French doors, I switch off the light and stand in darkness, looking out at the property. It’s a few acres and fenced in completely. But that doesn’t mean someone couldn’t get over it.

The motion light has turned on and the entire area encompassing the patio, pool, and pool house is flooded with light. A sound shatters the silence—glass breaking.

“Nathan?” Gen calls from upstairs.

“Call the police,” I shout back, billy club raised as my eyes scan the illuminated area.

And then I see it—a dark figure moves from the side of the pool house closest to the edge of the property, sprinting. I jerk open the French doors and stride out onto the patio, but they’re gone in seconds.

Behind me, the alarm continues to whirr loudly. My chest rises and falls with each adrenaline-filled breath, heart pounding.

There’s a sinking feeling in my gut.

I already know who it was. Or at least, I know who they were here for.

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