With a humorless laugh, he said, "Funny. Me, too."
I wasn't following. "What?"
"And here's my news," he said. "Your girlfriend – she's gotta go."
I frowned. "Who do you mean?"
"Cut the crap," he said. "I know you're fucking her. And before you ask, yeah, I mean Arden Weathers."
I didn't like the way he said that or the realization that I hadn't been as discreet as I'd thought. And if we weren't facing a family emergency, I might've taken the time to inform him that Arden and I weren't a thing. Not anymore.
But I didn't have that kind of time, so I ignored the now-familiar ache in my gut and said, "Forget that. Listen, Willow's missing."
With a scoff, he replied, "Nice try, asshole."
What the hell? "I'm not kidding."
"I don't know what you're playing at," he said, "but that chick's messing with your head."
I felt my eyebrows furrow. "What?"
"So I'll say it again." His voice hardened. "She's got to go. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Today."
"Hey, asshole," I said. "Aren't you fucking listening? I just told you, Willow's missing."
"Are you at the office?"
"No. I’m at your place."
"Good," he said. "I'll be there in ten minutes." He paused. "With Willow."
"Wait, what?"
"I've got her." And with that, he ended the call.
Confused as hell, I shoved my new cell phone back into my pocket and looked to Chase. "He's on his way."
Next to Chase, Veronica was still crying. Through choked sobs, she said, "She must've been kidnapped. That's the only thing that makes sense."
I gave Veronica a long, irritated look. She was a leggy brunette with a hard mouth and roaming eyes. I didn't like her. Or maybe I was pissed off because she'd failed at the one thing she'd been hired to do – and it wasn't to look pretty.
Alright, so Willow was safe. She was with Mason, not missing.
That didn't the change the fact that Veronica had fallen down on the job.
She was still crying. Or pretending to cry. Hell if I knew.
Either way, the question was the same. How could she not know where Willow was?
It was seven-thirty in the morning, for Christ's sake.
I shoved a hand through my hair and tried to think. Maybe Mason had taken Willow out for breakfast while Veronica was still asleep? Was that why Veronica thought she was missing?
No. Mason might be a dick, but he ran a smooth household – too smooth in my opinion.
But he had a real soft spot for Willow. He'd been a decent dad, too. And I knew damn well he'd never take Willow anywhere and forget to tell the damn nanny.
He was too buttoned-up for that.
A few feet away, Chase was saying to Veronica, "Tell us again. When's the last time you saw her?"
Already, we had dozens of employees walking the neighborhood, looking for a lost little girl. Turns out, she wasn't lost.
But something was going on. And I didn't want to discuss it, not in front of Veronica. She wasn't family. And for all I knew, she'd put Willow at risk. Or hell, maybe she'd staged a fake kidnapping, looking to cash in on the family fortune.
A crazy theory?
Maybe. But with the kind of money we had these days, anything was possible.
Veronica was still blubbering when I pulled Chase aside and told him in a low voice. "Mason's got her."
His surprise was obvious. "No shit?"
I shrugged. "That's what he said."
"Huh." Chase frowned. "Weird."
In unison, we both looked to Veronica. She was standing on the opposite side of the room, sobbing alone by the side window.
Maybe I should've felt bad.
But I didn't.
And neither did Mason when he arrived ten minutes later – with Willow, just like he'd said.
Thank God.
I gave Willow a quick once-over. She looked fine, happy even.
But not Mason. He looked royally ticked.
At the sight of Willow, Veronica squealed, "Oh, my God. There you are!" She threw open her arms wide and called out, "Oh, sweetie! Come here."
Willow didn't budge.
Neither did anyone else.
Mason looked down to Willow and said, "Go up to your room. You're still going to summer school."
Willow frowned. "But I'll be late."
With a tight smile, Mason replied, "Then you'd better hurry." After Willow left, Mason turned his attention to Veronica. He wasn't smiling anymore. "Pack your shit," he said. "You're fuckin' fired."
Veronica shook her head. "But why?"
I spoke up. "Because, dumb-ass, you lost the kid."
Veronica turned pleading eyes on Chase. "Don't you have something to say?"
Oh, for fuck's sake. I could guess what this meant. Chase was screwing the damn nanny.
Again.
In reply to her question, Chase told her, "Yeah. Pack your shit, like Mason said."
Her mouth fell open. "My shit?" she sputtered. "I'll have you know, I have nice stuff." She turned accusing eyes on Mason. "That's why you hired me, wasn't it? To be a good role model?"
I knew what she was getting at. Veronica might be hard as nails, but she looked all prim and proper in her form-fitting skirt and nice, white blouse. She'd been on the job for only three months, and she wouldn't be missed.
Mason gave her a cold look. "Role model, my ass."
"But—"
"You were hired to look after Willow. You failed." He glanced at his watch. "A driver's on the way."
"A driver?" she said. "What kind of driver?"
"The kind that'll take your ass out of here."
"To where?"
"Don't know, don't care," Mason said. "And if you want a severance, you'll be out by nine o'clock."
She perked up. "A severance?"
"That's what I said." Again, Mason glanced at his watch. "You've got eighty minutes. And just so we're clear, if it takes you eight-one, you get nothing."
"But–"
"So if I were you," Mason said, "I'd get your ass in gear."
He didn't need to tell her twice. Even in high heels, she was sprinting for the stairs.
When she disappeared from sight, Mason turned away, heading toward his study.
And me – I strode after him. Because this conversation wasn't over.
Chapter 60
Arden
As Cami and I walked back to the crew house, I felt
