After a long day, the last thing I want to do is placate people. Some clients tend to get nervous at the final moments of a deal and want to pull out. However, they respond well to one-on-one meetings where they can voice their concerns, and I can put them at ease. My daughter requires less mollifying than my business associates.

I pull into the lot, then immediately call the nanny, waiting as the line rings. Finally, she answers. I ask her about Bella.

“Yes, she’s all tucked in,” she replies in a hushed voice.

“I’ll be back soon,” I tell her. “You’ll be free to go then, thanks again for doing this.” I end the call and consult my watch. I hope that my associate is running on schedule, but I’m fairly certain that he’ll be late. I have to relieve my daughter’s nanny as soon as possible since she had asked for the night off last week. But because the new client needs some hand-holding, I had no choice.

Walking up to the building, I see too many neon lights and too much flesh. The bar has acquired a hip reputation, and large groups of young people clamor around its entrance. Ironically, I could enter this or any other VIP section with my name alone, but I’m at a point in my life where I’d much rather be at home.

Everyone is trying hard to impress, and it leaves me feeling a little old, jaded. If I had a choice, I would be at home, but work calls. I plunge through the growing crowd along the side of the building. Pausing by the door, I see the bouncer give me a side glance before his face splits into a grin. He jerks his head toward the entrance.

After ordering a drink, I get a corner booth. The waitress brings my dry martini, and I let it sit untouched. I get a strange feeling that something is not right. My eyes search the room, but nothing seems out of the ordinary. I spot a few employees from work. There is a buzz in the bar that reeks of desperation, and I long to leave. My idea of a night out involves much simpler, less gaudy pleasures. Pulling out my phone, I decide to send a few email replies while I wait for my associate to arrive.

The back of my seat thumps with the rhythm of the club, but I ignore it. At this point, every sound has jumbled into one loud throbbing sensation. I look up again to check the crowd, and I glance behind me to make sure I didn’t miss him. I did. I see him looking around for me, looking every bit as out of place as I feel. Lifting my arm up, I wave him over.

His eyebrows lift in recognition. “There you are! I thought I’d never find you in this place.” He lets out a huff as he settles into the booth.

“Have you been here before?” I ask. I like to know a little bit about my clients and their lifestyles —it gives me an edge.

“I haven’t, actually. And had I known it was this trendy, I might have suggested another place.” He tugs at his collar and looks around the room. “I actually just wanted a beer,” he confesses, “but I felt obligated to get a fancy drink if you know what I mean.”

I laugh. “I had the same problem. If you tell them you want a beer, they’ll give you twenty different microbrews to choose from.”

The man laughs at this and nods. “When in Rome,” he quips and raises his glass. The liquid is blue, and the rim is jagged with caked-on salt.

“What is that, anyway?” I ask.

“Hell if I know,” he grumbles. “I ordered a Blaze, but I got this thing. Looks like it’s missing the umbrella.”

We laugh at this, and then I guide the conversation to business. He confides in me his fears and expresses doubt about the venture. His own business partner has backed out, and he feels as though this may not be the best time for him to go into something alone. I explain to him that he has every right to feel out of sorts, but this isn’t the first time we’ve had clients with this issue. For that reason, I tell him, we have a whole department dedicated to helping him with his onboarding experience.

Thirty minutes later, he’s shaking my hand heartily. “I needed this. I’m glad I won’t have to take a loss and start from scratch.”

“We’ll cover you from A to Z,” I assure him. I watch him leave and get up to take off also. Before I go, I scan the room again. My eyes rest on the booth across from me.

I blink once, twice, to make sure what I’m seeing isn’t my imagination. It’s her. I recognize the retro white and green dress with lace and a flared silhouette. She was wearing it when I left. In fact, I remember complimenting her on this dress.

It’s the nanny. She’s making out with a man in the booth across from me.

With all the calmness I can muster, I approach her and clear my throat. My heart is beating fast, my fists clenched. She doesn’t look up, but her partner does. He eyes me warily. I stare at him and look pointedly at the woman in his arms.

“What do you want, man?” he asks, put off by the intrusion. “She’s taken, okay?” He straightens himself up a bit and puffs out his chest. The nanny, meanwhile, continues to gnaw on his neck, oblivious to my presence.

I want to haul them both out of the booth and throttle them, but I force myself to remain calm. “Sonia.” I surprise myself with my own serenity. I realize that because of the sound around me, she cannot hear me. So much for remaining calm. I repeat myself, louder this time, but still with an even tone. “Sonia.”

This gets her attention, and she looks up. Her eyes are glazed over with lust. She blinks at me and takes a moment to register my face.

I want to tell her I had the same problem when I was sitting in my booth looking at her, but I don’t.

“Mr. Brideau!” She leaps to her feet and looks around her. She worries her lower lip and wrings her hands in front of her.

“Sonia. Where is she?”

“I–I—she’s at home.” Sonia’s gaze shifts when she talks, and she can’t seem to make eye contact with me.

“You left her alone?” I can’t keep my voice from rising now. I know if I get loud, she may not respond, so I try to make my voice return to its normal level.

“No, no, not alone.” Sonia is shaking her head and looking back at her date for help.

“Well, she can’t be with Helen because she has the night off. If you know where she is, you better tell me now.” I look at the young man square in the face when I speak, and watch as his eyes widen. He scoots out of the booth and mutters something about paying for the drinks. I look back at Sonia. “Well?”

“I left her with a, uh, friend. I told her you’d be a while. Look, there’s a reason why I asked for tonight off. He’s only in town for a night, and then I don’t get to see him for a few months. I didn’t know when you’d be back.” Sonia is rambling now, and I have reached my limit with her.

“You’re coming with me, and we are making sure she’s alright. I hired you to watch her, not your friend.” I feel a desperation rising up inside of me, and I can’t squelch the feeling. I picture Bella at home, wandering the dark halls, looking for me. Going outside in her search, and getting lost on the acres of land behind the house. I want to throttle the nanny for being so selfish and irresponsible. Mostly, I’m irritated at myself because it was my fault for hiring her.

She still looks reluctant and is turning to get away from me. I grab her arm and force her to stay. “You are coming with me.” I don’t care that I’m shouting now. I stop making excuses to myself to remain quiet.

“I can’t!” She wrenches her arm free and turns away to leave again.

I block her path quickly and tell her that if she doesn’t come with me, I’m calling the police. I see a few people have begun to take notice of our fight, but I ignore them. Bella could be lost, for all I know. Even if she’s at home and in bed, as the nanny has assured me, I don’t know who’s been entrusted to watch her.

I pull out my phone and tell her I’m going to call the police. She tries to rush past me, and I grab her arm again.

I hear the crack before I feel it. My head is jerked to the right, and I feel an immediate sting on the left side of my jaw. I’m holding Sonia’s right upper arm, so I know she wasn’t the one who punched me.

I look down to see a furious woman, standing a foot shorter than me, but every inch as imposing. Her green eyes shoot daggers into mine. I rub my jaw, which is beginning to throb to the beat of the music playing through the speakers. I want to know where she came from, and I feel oddly entranced by her ferocious glare. For a moment, neither one of us moves.

But the door to the bar opens, breaking the spell. I look up in time to see the last flash of green of Sonia’s dress disappear outside.

I glance back at the angry woman as she’s being hauled away by Riley, a broker in my office. I blink. It feels surreal to see her here, at this moment, but I don’t have time to investigate the matter. I run ahead and push past the crowd standing outside the door. I can’t move past them fast enough, but luckily, neither can Sonia.

She is weaving through the crowds and trying to keep her head tucked low. I think she forgets how tall I am. I grit my teeth, cringing at the low throb that is spreading in my jaw, and follow her. She makes it to her car and fumbles for her keys in her clutch.

“You have one more chance to come with me quietly, or we’ll do this the hard way.”

Sonia stares at me, and I can see her weighing her options. Finally, she points to the back of her car. “She’s there. Sleeping.”

I peer inside and see a slight form huddled in the backseat.

I look back at Sonia. “You are terminated. I’m going to call the agency and tell them what happened.” I see her trembling, but I don’t care.

I yank open the door and scoop Bella up in my arms. She stirs in her sleep but nestles her head in the crook of my shoulder. A wave of tenderness sweeps over me, and I feel grateful but uneasy. I can’t trust anyone to watch over her. I’m frightened for her. I want to protect her, but how can I keep her with me every hour of every day?