I was frozen as she left, my eyes stinging from being talked to that way. I wanted to fight back, but she was their mother and Iwasjust the hired help. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to find Griffin and give him a piece of my mind for not giving me a heads up about Stacy coming by. Ironically, he was the less threatening of the two parents.
“She’s scary.” Grace shivered against me. “I don’t like her.”
I hurried down the stairs. “I’m not sure I do, either. But that’s our secret.”
Griffin was at his desk, focused on his computer, when I barged into his office. He scowled darkly at me and spoke to someone on his screen before shutting his laptop. “I’m working, Autumn. If you can’t understand that, maybe this position isn’t right for you.”
I ignored his sting. “If you’re going to have the kids’ mom come and take them, can you just give me a heads up? It’s hard to plan their day for them if I don’t know that they’re going out.”
“What?”
My stomach dropped at the look of fury that came over his face. “Stacy? She just stopped by and took the kids for lunch.”
Griffin stood up so fast that his chair toppled over, and then he was rushing at me. “When did she take them?”
I stepped back, afraid he was going to run me over. “Just a minute ago. What’s wrong?”
“You just handed my kids over to their drug-addict mother. Fucking great.” He ran past me and out of the room, shouting at someone on the way. “The fucking nanny just handed over the kids to Stacy. Stop her!”
I stood there, feeling like the worst person in the world. My heart plummeted to my feet as I worried about what would happen to the kids. I squeezed Grace to my side and cradled her head. “It’s okay. Everything’s okay.”
She was silently crying, the tension in the house palpable even to her. “I want my daddy.”
I didn’t know where Con was. I didn’t know what to do. I’d had no clue about Stacy. How was I supposed to know? I had no idea she was a danger to the kids, or I never would’ve let them go with her. My mind raced as I paced the floor in Griffin’s office.
I lost track of time. I assumed that Griffin would come back as soon as he got the kids. It’d been a while, though. I was terrified something bad had happened. Still, I spoke quietly to Grace until she fell asleep against me.
Con appeared in the doorway and spotted Grace and me working ourselves into a tizzy. Well, I was in a tizzy. She was napping. He frowned and rushed over. “Hey, it’s okay.”
I handed Grace to him and turned away, hiding the tears in my eyes as I thought about what Jones and Caroline were dealing with. I ran my hands through my hair and wrapped my arms around myself.
“Autumn, it’s okay. Griffin and his security caught up to Stacy just down the road. The kids are fine. They’re in the dining room, eating lunch.” Con gently touched my arm. “Griffin should’ve come and told you right away.”
Fury exploded in my body, and I blinked away the last of my tears. “Yes, he should’ve.”
“Let’s get you some lunch and maybe some nice relaxing tea.” Con smiled, but I could see the concern in his eyes as he looked me over. “You look like you’re going to break my brother’s neck at any second, and, though I agree he’s a fucking idiot, violence might not be the answer.”
I shrugged his hand off and stormed out of the room. I was going to murder Griffin.
Chapter 10
***Autumn***
I found Griffin sitting in the dining room with Caroline and Jones, the three of them looking as if nothing had happened. If you couldn’t read the anger in Griffin’s eyes. I recognized it, though, and it just sent me reeling even worse. “We need to talk.”
Con was right behind me. “You two go back to your office, Griffin. I’ll stay with the kids.”
Griffin scowled. “I’m eating.”
I walked over and grabbed his plate. “Not anymore, you’re not.”
He stood up, shocked, and watched as I disappeared through the kitchen door and tossed his plate on the counter. Coming back into the dining room, I glared at him and stomped out of the room, feeling him right behind me.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Right behind me, Griffin slammed his office door shut and glared down at me. “I should fire your ass right now. First, for being irresponsible enough to hand my kids off to just anyone, and second, for acting like a petulant child!”
“Oh, you’d know a lot about that.” I poked him in the chest, lost to my temper. “How dare you blame me for the kids going off with their mother. You didn’t tell me a thing. If there are rules that are to be followed, I have to know them. You didn’t tell me a thing about Stacy, and you let her march right in here like she owns the place. What was I supposed to think?”
“I didn’t let her march—”
