Chapter 5 - The Courage of a Nanny
Beatrice did not think about the danger. She did not think about the fact that she was a soft, untrained woman facing a potentially armed criminal. She only saw Leo—the boy who had smiled for her, the boy who had brought life back into her world.
"Let him go!" she screamed, throwing her entire weight into the kidnapper.
The impact was massive. Beatrice’s soft, heavy frame hit the man like a freight train, knocking him off balance and sending both of them crashing to the marble floor of the lobby.
Leo was thrown free, tumbling onto the carpet.
The kidnapper swore loudly, scrambling to his feet and pulling a silver pistol from his jacket. He aimed it directly at Beatrice’s chest.
"Get back, you fat cow!" he roared, his finger tightening on the trigger.
Beatrice closed her eyes, preparing for the end.
Bang!
A deafening shot echoed through the lobby. But the pain didn't come.
Beatrice opened her eyes to see Dominic standing at the entrance of the lobby, a smoking gun held in his hand, his face a mask of absolute, murderous fury. The kidnapper collapsed to the floor, clutching a bullet wound in his shoulder, his gun skidding across the marble.
Within seconds, Dominic’s security team swarmed the lobby, pinning the kidnapper to the ground and securing the area. The fire had been a distraction, a smoke bomb set off in the kitchen to create a panic.
Dominic dropped his gun, sprinting across the floor. He didn't check on the kidnapper. He didn't look at his men.
He fell to his knees beside Beatrice, his hands shaking as he pulled her into his arms.
"Beatrice," he choked out, his voice cracking with a terror she had never heard in him before. "Are you hurt? Did he shoot you? Look at me, please, look at me."
"I’m... I’m okay," Beatrice whispered, her body trembling with adrenaline. "I’m fine. Where’s Leo? Is Leo okay?"
A tiny body threw itself into her lap. Leo clung to her neck, crying loudly—the first sound he had made in two years. It was a raw, weeping sound, but it was the sound of a child who was safe.
"Bea! Bea!" Leo sobbed, his little voice finally breaking through the silence. "Don't go! Don't leave me!"
Beatrice wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his dark hair, her own tears flowing freely. "I’m here, sweetie. I’m right here. I’m never leaving you. I promise."
Dominic watched them, his chest heaving. He reached out, wrapping his massive arms around both of them, pulling them into a tight, protective embrace. He pressed a hard, desperate kiss to the top of Beatrice's head, and then, slowly, his lips moved down to find hers.
The kiss was fierce, desperate, and filled with a raw, undeniable passion. It was the kiss of a man who had almost lost his entire world and was holding onto it with everything he had.
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Beatrice kissed him back, her hands finding his neck, letting herself sink into his warmth.
In the middle of a ruined gala, surrounded by chaos and sirens, the most feared man in Chicago had finally found his home.
