Page 125 of Never Say Never

"Mr. Washington!" She jumped about a foot as soon as she saw me. "What are you doing here? I thought you were inside."

"I'm sure you did," I growled as I grabbed both my daughter's and pulled them against me. "Who the hell do you think you are, speaking to my children that way? And the way you're talking about Dawn?—"

Her eyes immediately teared up. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "Really, I didn't mean to be rude, they're just so difficult sometimes. They slipped out on me again and I was worried. I shouldn't have said those things." She toyed with her fingers. "Please, forgive me."

I stared at her. How could she sit there, trying to give me doe eyes after the filth that I'd heard come out of her mouth? For the first time in a long time, I wanted to smack the hell out of someone. She had the nerve to try to tug on my heartstrings, but they were dead.

"Don’t you think if your charges keep escaping then perhaps you are the problem?” I bit out. “Get the fuck out of my face," I spat. "Mitchel!"

The guard jogged over. "Yes, sir."

"Escort Ms. Balen from the building. Anything you've left behind will be sent to you. Leave."

"Mr. Washington..."

“Want me to kill her?” Giancarlo asked.

“No, thank you,” I said. I turned back to Shelly. "I suggest you go before I call Gianpaolo and he has to deal with you. Trust me, it won't be as pretty or sweet."

The look that crossed her face immediately erased all the tears. She glared at me.

"All I've tried to do is look out for you and these girls. To raise them the way that Dawn would have. I am like a mother to them."

"You’re not our mommy!" Navy shouted.

Nyra shook her head right along with her. When I met Shelly's gaze again, it was venomous. How often had she looked at my daughters that way? Paolo had been right, she was a snake in the grass. I owed him a huge apology. He might be a criminal, but he wasn't stupid by any means.

I had made an awful mistake.

"Get her the hell out of here," I growled.

"Yes, sir."

Mtichel grabbed her arm roughly. She cried out, but I ignored it. Fuck her. Once she was taken onto the elevator and disappeared from my sight, I dropped to the ground. I wrapped both of them in my arms and hugged them so tightly, I was afraid I would hurt one or both.

"Why didn't you two tell me?" I whispered. "Am I really that stupid, I didn't see it?"

Navy shook her head. "We didn't want her to go. Mommy liked her."

"And you liked her," Nyra added. "She used to be nice."

"Really nice," Navy added.

"But once Mommy died, she got mean. Not a lot, just a little."

My heart ached hearing them tell me this. I should have done better, should have bent over backwards to make sure that my daughters were okay. I'd assumed that things were still good. Like they said, Shelly was always nice. She'd taken them on adventures, done their hair, finished homework with them. Dawn had adored her, however, I'd slowly noticed maybe a year after she passed, that Shelly was a lot more tight-lipped. She'd made a few passes at me, but of course, I never accepted any of them. Was that why she started acting that way?

It didn't matter. I should have been better.

No, I will be better. I need to cut back at work. I can't save the world when mine is falling apart.

The elevator dinged and Gianpaolo raced off it. He crouched down and wrapped his arms around all three of us, still panting. I knew he'd probably seen us on the cameras that I knew he'd set up. At that moment, I didn't care. I gazed at him desperately and he looked back at me.

"It's okay," he whispered.

Two simple words, and I had never felt so comforted. Paolo knew me entirely too well. One look from him, and I felt all the pressure I continuously tried to hide disappear.

I fell apart.