His Nanny Mate (Moana and Edrick Morgan) novel Chapter 186

#Chapter 186: Mousetrap

Moana

“Don’t worry, you two,” Kelly said as she turned around in her seat to look at us. There was a sick, twisted grin on her gaunt face. She looked even more skeletal than before, as though she hadn’t eaten or slept in days, maybe even weeks. “I’m going to take you far, far away. And I’ll make sure that Edrick never finds you.”

“K-Kelly?” I whimpered. I tried the car door again, but it was still locked. And it was too late now; the light turned green and Kelly hit the gas, speeding down the mostly empty street.

“Didn’t expect to see me, huh?” she said, laughing almost maniacally as she gripped the steering wheel tightly. Even in the dim light of the car, I could see that her knuckles were as white as a sheet.

Ella, who had caught onto the danger by now, was beginning to panic. I felt her little arms slip around my waist, and when I looked down, she was looking up at me with terror in her eyes. I pulled her close, holding her tightly, and took her head and buried it in my side so she wouldn’t have to see in case Kelly did anything insane.

“Kelly, what is all of this?” I asked, my heart practically pounding out of my chest. “Do you know Olivia? Why are you here?”

Kelly giggled, sounding almost like a child. “Oh, her?” she asked. She took a sharp turn, causing Ella and I to slide across the seat. I quickly buckled Ella into a seatbelt as I mentally prepared for Kelly to do something rash like intentionally crash the car. “Yeah, of course I know my good friend Olivia,” she continued. “If it wasn’t thanks to her, I wouldn’t be here right now. She’s been really helpful.”

“Helpful with what?” I asked.

“Well, you see,” Kelly said, speeding through a yellow light, “you’ve done nothing except get in the way of my relationship with Edrick. Both of you, really. First that little snot-nosed brat,” she gestured over her shoulder at Ella with her thumb, “and then you, with your stupid pregnancy.” Her eyes met mine in the rear view mirror then. They looked hollow and pale, like ghosts of what they once were. Kelly was always a bit unhinged, but now she seemed far worse. It had only been a few weeks since the incident in the Rogue district, and already she seemed like an almost entirely different person.

“You never had a relationship with Edrick,” I growled. “He can’t stand you.”

Suddenly, Kelly came to a screeching halt at another red light. She whipped around in her seat, her eyes shooting daggers. Her face was twisted into such an evil expression that she looked like a demon, and I covered Ella’s face with my hand.

“Shut the f**k up,” she snarled, “before I come back there and shut you up myself.”

My eyes widened. I decided that it was best for me to stay quiet, as she seemed so unhinged that I wouldn’t have put it past her to intentionally run the car into a building over my next comment.

The light turned green again, and Kelly hit the gas once more, causing us to lurch in our seats. I heard Ella sob quietly beside me, and I pulled her closer.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” I whispered into her ear. “I’m gonna protect you. Momma’s gonna protect you.” In the moment, I didn’t even think twice about referring to myself as Ella’s mother. In fact, now that I knew that Olivia was indeed either an actress or simply a horrible person who led us right into a trap, I felt more maternal over Ella than ever. But at the same time, I felt like a horrible mother for letting her get into this situation with me, all because of things that a stranger told me…

“Anyway,” Kelly said, gesturing wildly with one hand while she drove with the other, “I’ve figured out the perfect way to finally make Edrick understand that I’m the only one for him. I know that we’re meant for each other, but it’s just gonna take a little extra push to get him there.”