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.

head, though no one could

said. “Let

“Yes, sir.”

would be only two to three years. By

more beats before slipping his phone

gone. If she ever entered the US again, she would be

mattered was on this floor.

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

approached, he saw them through the window–the three

curved glass, her body language somehow softer than he had seen her before. Blair stood next to Sutton,

forward and buzzed himself

pained.

anyway. hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but

want to share with you

was instant.

I are not telling anyone else until we are at 12 weeks. I did tell him

waited to

so happy for

there was nothing he could do

little on the next words. “It’s still

why she wouldn’t, but Luca could

next words confirmed

still… stuck in the hospital. But I didn’t want to slip up, so I thought it was best to say

halfway between a sob and a laugh, immediately

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

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

said. “Absolutely not.

listen to her. Yes, it’s normal. I would wake up at night while I was pregnant in a cold sweat. When you become pregnant or even have the baby, no one hands you a manual.