Chapter 3 - The Broken Glass
Midnight in the Vale mansion was terrifyingly quiet.
I couldn't sleep.
My mind kept drifting to my sister, Maya, lying in her hospital bed across the state.
The doctors said she had a month without the heart surgery.
I needed the massive bonus Adrian Vale promised if I lasted thirty days.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the floor below.
Shattering glass.
I jumped out of bed, grabbing the heavy metal flashlight I had unpacked from my suitcase.
I crept out into the hallway.
The boys' doors were all firmly shut.
I tiptoed down the grand staircase, the flashlight cold in my sweating palm.
The front door was wide open, the winter wind howling through the grand foyer.
A massive antique vase had been smashed to pieces on the marble floor.
Standing in the center of the debris was Adrian Vale.
He wasn't wearing his tailored charcoal suit anymore.
His white shirt was torn.
There was fresh blood on his knuckles.
And he was holding a very large, very real gun.
"What are you doing out of bed, Ms. Carter?" he asked, his voice dangerously calm.
"I heard glass breaking," I stammered, staring at the weapon.
He looked down at the gun, then tucked it smoothly into his waistband.
"An uninvited guest tried to force his way in," Adrian said, stepping over the shattered porcelain.
"He won't be coming back."
I swallowed hard, connecting the terrifying dots.
"The last nanny," I whispered.
"The one who left in an ambulance."
Adrian looked at me, his eyes empty of any warmth.
"She wasn't injured by my sons, Ms. Carter."
"She was injured because she opened the front door to the wrong delivery man."
My blood ran completely cold.
"You hired me to watch your kids," I said, my voice trembling slightly.
"But you didn't tell me I was walking into a warzone."
"I am paying you ten times the market rate," Adrian replied coldly.
"Danger is included in the salary."
He walked past me, leaving bloody footprints on the expensive rugs.
May you like
"Lock your door tonight, Nia," he called over his shoulder.
I stood alone in the freezing foyer, realizing I was entirely trapped.
