“Willow,” I said, interrupting them. “You two need to get home and rest. I’m sorry that happened to you.”

“Daddy, Mommy hurt Willow!” Ariel, cried.

I glanced over at Willow, who shrugged.

“Well, like I said, she had a taser with a good shock on it. Maybe a slap or two, nothing serious—”

“Nothing serious?” I echoed. “What do you mean nothing serious? You should press charges.”

“Well, I didn’t know who she was, and she was trying to take Ariel away from me. I knew you would’ve told me if her mother was coming. Everything was just so suspicious. Was that your ex?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I don’t know how I ever was tricked. Here, let me take you guys home.”

I patted Willow’s back and wanted to rest my hand on her shoulder. But since I was at work, I had to drop my arm back to my side.

Ariel clung to both of us as we made our way to the elevator.

Ariel knew to push the down button and mashed it a few times, hoping it’d make the elevator arrive faster.

“So, how was it?” I asked Willow.

“How was what?”

“Driving in a Lamborghini?”

She began to blush, a rosy hue blossoming on her face. “Oh, that! Sorry about that.”

I grinned. “There’s nothing for you to be sorry about.”

“It’s a six figure car and I could’ve hurt it.”

“I have insurance. Plus, I bet you enjoyed yourself.”

“Too busy panicking to enjoy myself too much.”

“But of course.”

The elevator arrived, ringing to signal its arrival. Ariel ran to where the elevator light shined and waited up against the golden reflective doors. It opened, and she hopped in.

“After you,” I said, making sure Willow was inside.

We were lowered down into the garage area and I saw that Willow had parked my navy blue Lamborghini next to my car.

Good idea.

“Daddy! It’s the Lammy!” Ariel said, running over to the Lambo.

“It rides very smooth,” Willow commented.

“Indeed. A good car. Limited edition model too.”

My phone rang in my pocket. The caller ID said it was coming from my building.

“Yes?” I answered.

“Mr. Thrilling, the Mizamotos just called to say they will be arriving early for their two thirty meeting with you.”

“Thank you, Ms. Hart.”

I hung up and sighed. “Damn it.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Let me call you a cab. I have a meeting to attend.”

Willow chuckled. “We can’t just leave the Lamborghini sitting here. Let me drive Ariel back, we’ll be okay. This time I’ll have a bat waiting for Morgan if she shows up.” She swung her hands as if she were hitting a home run. She had a pretty good swing, too.

“I never intended for you to be a body guard as well,” I said. “I might have to give you a raise. Okay, you two have fun.” I dug into my pocket, pulled out my wallet, and held out a couple hundreds.

“This is for all the trouble you went through. Thank you.”

Willow smiled. “No, thank you. But─” She plucked the money out of my hand, grinning “─I will stop and get a new booster seat before we go home. I assume it’s okay if she stays home from school today?” I nodded and she turned and waved to Ariel. “Come on, we’re gonna ride in the Lamborghini I’m driving, Ariel!”

“No speeding,” I reminded her.

“You’re a worry wort, you know that?”

Willow put Ariel in the car and was gone in the blink of an eye,

Now I could concentrate on my anger. It was still boiling inside me that Morgan thought she could walk onto my land and rip my child away from me.

When I returned to my office, I gathered the folders and papers for today’s meeting.

My mind was supposed to be on business, I had a billion dollar company to run. Success didn’t stay unless it had a damn good reason to.

But Morgan, what she did was unforgiveable. Everything she did was unforgiveable. My fists rested on my table, balled and trembling.

In a fit of rage I swiped all the things from my desk. The phone, a keyboard and a few other things clattered to the floor.

She wanted her money, she wanted control over me. If Willow hadn’t been there, what would she have done to Ariel?

There was knocking at my door. I shook my head and regained my composure.

When I opened the door, it was my secretary, Ms. Hart.

“Sir, are you okay? I tried to call, but your phone didn’t go through.”

“It’s okay, I’ll be out in just a second.”

I closed the door and went to get the folders that were still miraculously on my table.

There it was again, the faint trail of Willow’s floral perfume. Allowing my mind to rest on her for a moment brought me a brief moment of tranquility. She looked after Ariel the way a real mother would.

I walked past my secretary and she lifted her hand to get my attention. “Ah, Mr. Thrilling. I’m so sorry. The Mizamotos just called in again. They had to cancel. They said an emergency came up and they will be calling to get in touch and reschedule.”

“Okay, thank you Ms. Hart.”

Inside my office, the remnants of my anger still lingered in the air. I straightened up my desk and sat down, taking out my phone to make sure Willow and Ariel were okay.

The phone rang a few times, but she picked up.

“Willow?”

“Hey, Ariel’s holding the phone for me. We’re almost home. Something wrong?”

“No, just checking in on you two.”

“We’re fine. Thanks.”

“Hi, Daddy!” Ariel added in. I could see her smile in my mind.

“Hello, princess. Well, don’t let me take your time. Be careful on the road.”

“I will. See you later.”

I hung up and turned on my computer. Talking to Willow gave me motivation. A motivation to keep going, because getting stuck on Morgan’s antics wasn’t going to get me anywhere.

Nowhere positive, anyway. The phone rang, and I picked it up.

“Jerry, what’s wrong?” I leaned back in my seat and stared out the window of my office.

Jerry, my lawyer, harrumphed on the phone and took a loud swig of his drink.

“Morgan’s lawyer just called. That fucking bastard. I don’t like him. I bet she’s sleeping with him.”

“Get to the point, Jerry. What’s happening?”

“Her lawyer called over. Morgan’s heated about something. She wants to pursue full custody. I knew this crazy woman was going to do something before the divorce was final. Two years and now she decides to try to act like a mother.”

My gaze shifted from the sky, down to the buildings and the streets below. My office had floor to ceiling windows, it wasn’t for the faint of heart or those afraid of heights.

Heights took my stress away. If anything, I needed to be sitting on a ledge right now.

“She never was a mother. Ariel is nothing but a credit card to her. My strings that she can pull to make me dance to her demands. Anyway, I know all this, I got served this weekend. I told you that.” I got up and walked to the window, shoving one of my hands in my pocket.

The roads were so busy below. People who lived easy lives, people who were going through hell.

And even way up here, hell managed to find me.

“Well, we’ll handle this. She’s not getting away with this. You’re a good damn father. And that’s something I rarely see out here nowadays. Leave it to me.”

My grip around the phone tightened. “I want a restraining order.” If Morgan wanted to be crazy, she’d pay the fucking price for it.

“I’m already on it.”

“She attacked my nanny,” I growled.

“Nanny? God, Darien. You should’ve told me you hired a nanny. I bet she’s a hot little number too, nice and young? And you’re probably sleeping with her too, huh? That must be why she’s so pissed. Not that it’s any of her damn business.”

“It isn’t. And I’m not.” I was relieved to be able to say that. “But she thinks anything other than Ariel and my work is a threat to her monthly meal ticket.”

I walked back to my chair and swiveled back around to my computer. I had money to make and a family to protect.

“Huh. She’s not even hiding it. Well, let me do my black magic. See if you can get the nanny to press charges, okay? And make sure you up your security around the house.”

I tapped the pen to my lips. I did need a better gate and a few extra cameras.

“Will do.” I said, I hung up the phone.

If Morgan was ballsy enough to go up to my home and take Ariel, then tase Willow, she’d be crazy enough to do something even riskier.