Page 38 of Nanny for My Billionaire

I want to be sure that if he really is trying to help, I don’t screw up and get my kids kidnapped or killed by being ignorant. I only hope that Kevin will be able to tell whose side the guy is on when all the chips are down and that he’ll act accordingly.

Now, though? With the mediation papers in hand, I have of course scheduled to meet with Ben James and talk about a strategy to keep my boys safely in my home and away from Gena. If she was a decent person who had treated the boys right, it never would have been an issue, but after the way she’d cast them off, hurting them deeply in the process, I am determined not to let her harm them again.

At the appointment, Ben takes down my in-depth statement concerning Gena and the fact that she had been more concerned about her career goals than she had been her familial obligations. How she’d always left the kids in the care of anyone she could find, like the nanny, the housekeeper, or a neighbor even when she was home, and how she’d only kept the children as leverage to take a huge chunk of my wealth when the divorce was finalized.

“There’s enough grist for the mill here that any judge in the county will easily grant full custody to you, Adam,” Ben explains. “But if what you’re saying about having to hire a bodyguard to keep your boys safe is true, that could be a real problem. They might even decide to remove the boys from both homes, maybe even separate the two. I’ve seen that sort of left-handed justice enough times to caution you about it. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but it may be something you should prepare for.”

“How can that be?” I growl. “I’ve gone out of my way to ensure their safety, and my only thanks for it is that it ups the potential that they’d take them away? That sounds really messed up if you ask me.”

Ben shakes his head. “It gets worse. If they were to take the twins, they’d probably go after the new baby as soon as he or she is born as well. Even though none of this is even your fault, they would find some excuse. I hate to be a doomsayer or anything, but I don’t trust the so-called children’s protective services. I’m not supposed to put in my two cents about that, but I always do. I just want parents to be aware of the real score.”

I shake my head at him. “It sounds like you’ve grown pretty cynical about your job, Ben. I’m not sure you should be quite so honest in your assessment, but I do appreciate the heads up. I’m going to just go with the hope that all of this stuff will be done and over with well before anyone from mediation even gets a chance to hear about it. There’s enough on my plate at the moment, just being worried about how it’s all going to turn out, without factoring in the ignorance of people who say they are only trying to help.”

“Sorry, it’s thanks to a recent case that headed south,” he admits. “I don’t really think yours should go that wrong. I mean, the boys are already thriving in your care. But really, the most important thing is to make sure that they keep attending school. The mediation review team will have a major cow if you keep them home over all this stuff.”

“I thought so too,” I agree.

The conversation continues, and we agree that the strategy will mostly be to prove that after the way Gena had dropped the boys off, if she should ever be reintroduced to the situation, her visits ought to be supervised, but that the boys are in no state to be ready for such visits because her abandonment of them left them traumatized. And certainly, there should be an order stating that Gena cannot take them out of the state.

I hope once we’ve held this mediation meeting, there will be no need to ever hold another one. Gena doesn’t deserve my time of day, and she certainly doesn’t deserve a chance to hurt the boys another time. I doubt they would ever want to give her any of their time either, once they are old enough to make that choice, that will be totally up to each of them.

When I get home, I find that Melissa is a bit pissed off after going to speak with the man whose business she’d hoped to pick up once she explained how her plan worked. She hadn’t been holding out much hope, but by the look on her face, even that small sliver must be long gone.

“What happened to you?” I ask cautiously. “Those look like some pretty sour grapes.”

She wrinkles up her nose and shakes her head. “My potential client was a real jerk,” she informs me, her teeth clenching bitterly. “He took one look at me, said I was even prettier in person, and tried to seduce me as if I was some high-class call girl he’d sent out for or something. Well, I sure as hell hope he’s enjoying a really fat ice pack on his balls after the way I let him know his advances were unwelcome.”

I grin wryly. “I guess you don’t need me to go over there and punch him out then.”

Miss chuckles. “No, Adam, I’m a big girl. I can handle my own light work. You should have seen how fast he crumbled once my knee adjusted his attitude. Said he has a wife and kids, and he’d appreciate it if I kept this just between the two of us.”

“I hope you told him that wasn’t going to happen,” I scoff. “I’m a member of the business community around here, remember? I think the rest of the members deserve to know the truth.”

She shakes her head again. “Nah, he’s not worth all that effort. But hey, it’s almost time to go get the boys and see how everything went at the school.”

“Hopefully a whole lot better than that meeting of yours,” I comment with a dry smile.

When we get to the school, Kevin and the boys are waiting in the office just as we’d discussed. Kevin had pointed out that it was much safer to wait there than it would be to step outside, and I tend to agree.

If someone was trying to grab them, what better time to do it than while they’re standing around waiting outside of the building? Even Vitto, when he’d followed Miss and the boys to the diner, had been outside the school when he’d hopped into his car and tracked them down.

I still want to talk to Megan about her date with Vitto. How had it gone? What had she found out about the guy? Was she planning to go out with him again? What had he told her about his involvement with the boys—does he really want to protect them? Miss hasn’t managed to get anything out of her one way or the other over the last few days, so I am thinking I’ll take a stab at it myself.

I decide I will try to call her while I’m at work tonight since I know she doesn’t finish her shift at the diner for a couple more hours.

As I’m heading out the door a little later, I don’t miss the black sedan parked at the house a few doors down from my own. As I pass it, I see both the Vitto guy, and another man sitting by his side. The pair of them remind me of a couple of agents on a stake-out, except I don’t know if they’re good or bad guys. It’s hard to tell since they’re both dressed in dark clothing, and the other guy is fairly dark himself.

All I know about gangsters and good guys is what I’ve seen in the movies. These two seem to have a sort of official air about them, and that at least gives me my own sliver of hope that they mean my children no harm.

I get to Rudolpho’s with fifteen minutes to spare, but of course when I try to call Meg, she doesn’t answer her phone. I console myself with the fact that she’s probably driving home, and vow to keep trying until she answers, even if it’s just to shut me up.

There’s no way I’m giving up. Not when it’s so important to the welfare of my sons.

Chapter twenty-four

Melissa

SinceKevinisaroundto play with the boys and keep them safe, and since my sister has been refusing to take calls from either me or Adam over the last couple of days, by Wednesday I decide enough is enough. I need to make sure Megan is all right, and I don’t want any little ears to overhear any conversation that might upset them.

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