Captive Vow by Willow Fox

6

Paige

Nova and I spend the afternoon having a tea party together before leading her out of the playroom.

Dante and Moreno are having a heated conversation across the hallway in another room. I can’t quite make out what is being said. Only their tones make me want to run in the other direction.

I steer clear of bothering either of them. I’m sure they’re busy.

“How about we go to the park,” I say to Nova.

The guard at the front entrance has disappeared.

Good.

It was warm when we arrived, so Nova won’t need a coat. I lead her out the front door and toward my car.

“You’re going to need a car seat,” I mutter to myself.

The front door swings open from behind.

“What are you doing?” Moreno bellows.

“I was going to take Nova to the park, but I need to borrow a car seat from your truck.” I assume he has one buckled into the backseat.

He huffs out a loud breath. “Absolutely not. You’re not taking her off the premises.”

“What? Why not? Do you not trust me?” I ask.

“I don’t know you.” He grabs my car keys from my hand and pockets them. “Nova, get inside!” Moreno points to the door, demanding she returns to the house.

She sulks and kicks her feet against the ground as she walks, dirtying her pristine white shoes. Eventually, Nova scuttles inside the foyer.

Moreno steps toward the house and slams the door shut, leaving the two of us to speak alone.

My stomach is doing somersaults.

His eyes darken as he steps closer, invading my personal space. “You aren’t to take her off the property.”

“Ever? No field trips or afternoons at the playground?” I can’t believe how unreasonable he’s being. Is he angry with Nova or with me?

“That’s right.” He folds his arms across his chest. “If you want to take her to the park, there’s a nice garden through the kitchen that you can take her to visit.”

I open my mouth to object, but he yanks the front door open. “Inside, now!”

I shiver at his tone. Maybe I should reconsider this job, but Nova needs me. She needs a nanny who is warm, kind, patient, and loving. I’m not sure Moreno, her father, is any of those things.

“You don’t have to be so gruff,” I mutter as I enter back inside the foyer.

Moreno slams the door shut, and the house vibrates.

Nova’s bright baby blues are wide. She takes a step back and then runs back to the playroom.

“Nova!” Moreno shouts for her to return.

“I’ll get her,” I say and head for the playroom, wanting to get away from Moreno.

He grabs my wrist. “Not so fast.” He yanks me back to his side. “You and I, we’re not finished.”

Are we not? I’d like to be done. I’d prefer not to continue any further conversations with Moreno, but somehow I think the decision isn’t the least bit mine to make.

Nova drags her feet and steps out from the playroom, one of her stuffed animals she hugs tight to her chest.

“Upstairs, Nova.” Moreno points to the staircase.

Wordlessly she climbs the stairs, and Moreno gestures for me to follow.

He lets go of me, and I exhale a breath, relieved of the reprieve. Any chance he’ll leave me alone?

Nope.

He follows me up the stairs.

“I’ll show you to your room,” Moreno says.

I glance behind me. He’s one step below me. “My bags are in my car,” I say.

He has my keys.

“I’ll have Leone retrieve your things and bring your luggage to your room.”

“That’s not necessary. I can grab my suitcase. There isn’t much.”

I took minimalism to an entirely new level when my mother passed. Everything I own is in my car: one suitcase, a knapsack, and a bag of toiletries. I sold everything else that I owned to cover the expenses that insurance didn’t pay for.

“Good, then Leone won’t have any trouble bringing it up to your room,” Moreno says. He gestures with two fingers for me to keep walking.

Nova is already at the top of the staircase, waiting for me. Does she plan on showing me her bedroom?

It’s still early to be tucking her into bed. Neither of us has had dinner yet. Would all of us eat together as a family?

Once I reach the top step, Moreno leads me down the hallway toward a door on the right-hand side. He turns the handle and opens it to reveal a queen-sized mattress. The room is rather plain of decoration, with bare white walls, but a dresser is by the picturesque windows.

“You are welcome to hang pictures or decorate the room however you’d like.”

“Thank you.” I didn’t plan on doing much with the place. It was room to crash. That’s all I cared about.

“You have your own private bathroom suite,” Moreno says as he steps farther into the bedroom and opens the bathroom door. He flips on the light and then steps out and around the room toward another door. “You have an adjoining room with Nova. Should she need anything during the night, you will look after her.”

Moreno opens the adjoining door.

Nova hurries into her room and spins around to face me, her hands together in front of her.

“Yes, of course,” I say.

I follow Nova into her bedroom. Lavender curtains with yellow trim are pulled back to let the sunlight into the room. The window shades are wide open, cascading the bright yellow painted walls in a sunny glow.

“I like your room,” I say and smile at Nova.

She quirks a sideways grin. It’s the biggest smile that I’ve seen from her today. Her eyes soften and turn a warmer shade of cerulean.

“I’ll have Leone bring dinner up to your room for the two of you,” Moreno says as he retreats for the door.

“What?” Is he punishing us for my attempt at taking Nova off the premises and to the park?

“I have work to finish, and I don’t need to deal with the two of you.” Moreno slams the door shut on his exit out of the bedroom.

Nova stands in the doorway between our bedrooms.

“Is your father always this grumpy?” I ask.

She smiles and nods.

It’s the first form of communication other than the faint smile that I’ve witnessed from her today. She waited until her father had left the room.

Is she afraid of him? I wouldn’t blame her.

He likes to boss us around. Well, things are going to have to change.