Beneath Her Bastard Boss

Luca didn’t remember much of the drive to Lenox Hill. He was still wound up tight after his face–to–face with Nicole. He just hoped he had scared her enough to make her back off.

He would never let his guard down until she was in jail or gone from the US for good.

There would never be forgiveness. The damage she’d tried to do… to Sutton, to Cyber 10, to Miles—if she’d gotten into the NICU, the consequences would’ve been unimaginable. He hadn’t even let himself consider what might’ve happened if she’d made it past security, if she’d found a way into the NICU. Just the thought made his chest tighten enough to hurt.

But she hadn’t.

His legal team had tipped off her lawyers about his intent was not a good color on Nicole.

press formal charges. He just hoped she’d want to save her skin enough to bolt. Orange

His phone buzzed just as he was pulling into the parking under the hospital.

It was an unknown number, but it was the call he had been waiting for.

Luca swiped the call open, holding the phone to his ear. “Luca speaking.”

“Sir. This is Moore from your security division. Just confirmed visual… Nicole boarded a flight to Rome about twenty minutes ago. Manifest clear. No return ticket logged.”

Luca closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “She went.”

“Yes, sir. She cleared customs. I’m watching the plane now as it makes its way down the runway. She is going,

sir.”

He didn’t say anything for a long moment. Then, “Keep someone watching her passport, anyway. I want alerts if she so much as connects through New York again.”

“Already in place. Do you want follow–up surveillance from the Rome team?”

Luca hesitated.

though no one

outcome there,” he said. “Let her run. Maybe she’d stay

“Yes, sir.”

It might seem like he was letting her escape. However, jail time for Nicole would be only two to three years. By

beats before slipping his phone into his jacket and

she ever entered the US

everything that mattered was on this floor. And now he

of the staff who had already come to recognize him. They didn’t stop him anymore; he was almost as much a fixture

he approached, he saw them through the

the curved glass, her body language somehow softer than he had seen her

and buzzed himself

the hospital mandated gown from the wall hook, he pained. He could hear them talking, and they

meant to eavesdrop, but he

something I want to share with you both,”

reaction was

Blair whispered. “I only found out yesterday. Roman and I are not telling anyone else until we are at 12 weeks. I did tell him I couldn’t keep it from you two

frozen. Shit, this was a waited to

so happy for you,” Sutton

for them. But there

words. “It’s

Sutton seemed not to understand why

words confirmed what he had

is still… stuck in the

halfway between a sob and a laugh, immediately wrapping her sister in a

me, God, this isn’t something I can catch. Because whatever

terrified as well, Keira,” Blair admitted, her eyes blinking hard. “But also… weirdly calm. Is

our family?” Keira said. “Absolutely not. Call a

at night while I was pregnant in a cold sweat. When you become pregnant or even have the baby, no one hands you a