33. Zane

33

ZANE

Hanna's at your house. Took Aiden to the park. - Mira

I read the text again at the world's longest red light, but it still doesn't make any sense.

Hanna shouldn't be at my house. I never asked her to be there. I also gave Evan the day off after Mira told me she was going to stick around the condo all day.

Well, she didn't tell me, per se, since that would require being in the same room with her, which is something I've been strictly limiting since I almost tongue-fucked her on my kitchen counter.

I'm just applying what I learned in NA. Maybe one day, I'll be able to be alone with Mira without biting the curve of her neck and dragging her hips against mine—but that day is not today. Tomorrow probably isn't good, either, since just the thought of her has me semi-hard all by myself in my own fucking car.

Abstinence. That's the plan. Plain and simple. Black-and-white.

As soon as the light turns green, I slam on the gas. It's been an hour since Mira texted me, since I didn't see the message until our morning practice wrapped up.

The fact Mira felt like she needed to text me during work means something is wrong.

Or having a kid is making me paranoid and I'm losing my damn mind. Either way, I need to get home.

The front door is unlocked and, the second I open it, Hanna is there.

I haven't seen her since the night of the team party. It's standard to invite assistants and staff, but Hanna kept thanking me like I was doing her a favor.

"Zane." She breathes my name like a sigh of relief. "What are you doing here? You are supposed to be at the arena until six!"

I slam the door closed. "It's my house. I should be asking what you are doing here."

"I know, I'm sorry. I just—" A sob bursts out of her and she crosses her arms tightly across her chest. "I… I didn't know what to do."

I shake my head. "Do about what? Why are you even here?"

She takes a steadying breath. "I came over to pick up your suit. I know it was just dry cleaned, but I noticed a champagne stain on the lapel when we were talking at the bar and I wanted to get it treated. So I thought I'd just pop over and take care of it for you."

I drag a tired hand over my neck. "You're supposed to talk to me before you come to the house. I'm cracking down on security for?—"

"For Aiden," she cuts in. "I know. I admire everything you're doing for your son and I'd never want to intrude or make you feel uneasy, but I was close by. I figured I could wait outside in the hall while Mira grabbed the suit. I didn't want to come in. I didn't want… I didn't want any of this."

She drops her face in her hands and trembles. I've never seen Hanna cry, not once in all the time I've known her. Does that mean…?

Mira told me she was taking Aiden to the park. They must be okay. He must be safe.

"What happened?" I croak.

"Mira opened the door to let me in. She told me to get whatever I wanted and then…" Hanna chews on her bottom lip. "Then she went into her room and shut the door. Aiden was watching TV in the living room, but it still seemed weird that she would leave him alone. I waited and waited for Mira to come back out, but she never did. I was alone in the house with him for an hour, Zane. She didn't check on him once."

I trust Mira. The only reason I can leave this house every day and do my job is because I trust her with my son.

But should I?

Mira ran naked from her job within the first five minutes after I met her. This could be her pattern, for all I fucking know.

"What happened next?"

"I went to tell her I was leaving to, you know, see if she wanted to watch Aiden. And she came out and I only saw in her room for a second, but I swear I saw… I saw… There were pills, Zane. I think she might've been… using. Using drugs. And she saw me looking and said she was going to try to get me fired. I d-didn't know w-what to do." Hanna drops her face in her hands again. "I'm sorry."

My fault. All of this is my fault.

I was desperate for help with a kid I didn't even know I had, and I let this woman I barely know move into my guest room. What the fuck was I thinking?

Hanna blinks up at me, her eyes dry. "What are you going to do, Zane?"

God help me, I have no fucking clue.

I reach behind me for the knob and pull the door open. "You can go now, Hanna."

Her mouth falls open. "Is everything—Are you okay?"

"I'll be okay when the people who work for me do their jobs," I say evenly. "Your job is to keep my life on the ice on track. You shouldn't be showing up at my house in the middle of the day when my kid is home."

"Zane, I'm sor?—"

"Goodbye."

Her lips snap shut, and I know she's pissed. But whatever anger she has towards me right now is nothing compared to how mad I am at myself.

The only reason I don't rip into Mira the moment she walks through the door is because she has my son in her arms.

She's cradling Aiden against her chest. His head lolls on her shoulder with every step. My son trusts her. I see it in the way Aiden looks at Mira, the way they talk. The way he falls asleep in her arms and lets her carry him up to the condo.

He likes her.

And to think I almost made the same mistake.

Mira is fidgeting with the door, trying to lock it with her one free hand without dropping Aiden, when I reach around her to turn the lock. She whips towards me, a strangled cry in her throat.

Her green eyes stay wide even after she sees it's me. They slide over my face, searching for something she isn't going to find.

I've had an hour to lash down the rage that wants to burst through my chest. I'm not going to lose my shit while my son is in the room. My expression is blank. I'm the picture of fucking neutrality.

I reach for Aiden. "I'll lay him down."

Mira wordlessly hands him to me, keeping her body as far from mine as possible. This is the closest we've been in days, and she's lucky Aiden is between us.

I start to take him down the hall, but I stop and turn back. Mira hasn't moved from the door. Her teeth are sunk into her bottom lip and she's running the hem of her cotton sundress through her fingers nervously.

"Wait here for me," I growl. "I'll be back."

Once Aiden is down and his sound machine is running, I pull his door closed and storm back into the living room.

Mira hasn't moved.

As I get closer and closer, I feel the point where I should stop walking, but I can't. The leash on my anger snaps. Blind rage propels me forward until Mira's back is flat against the door and I'm towering over her.

"No one should come into this house without my permission. You live here, but this is my house," I remind her. " My son."

"I know that. I wouldn't?—"

"Except you did," I snarl, cutting her off before she can lie to me. "You let Hanna into my house. She told me everything."

She frowns. "S-she did?"

"What in the hell were you thinking?" I roar. "I've made this job easy for you. I moved you in here and gave you clear instructions. Fuck knows I'm paying you enough. So how did you manage to fuck it up?"

How did you manage to fool me?

My radar for this kind of thing is broken. I thought Paige was an exception. I was young and thought I had some kind of clue what love meant. I ignored all of the warning signs and red flags until it was too late…

Until I was sitting by Daniel's bedside, staring at the stump where his left leg should've been.

Now, Aiden is the one in the passenger seat.

I won't make that same mistake again.

Mira drops her chin. She's staring down at the floor, not making any attempt to defend herself. A tear rolls down the end of her nose and it's as good as a confession.

"I dressed you up and brought you to some party, but you aren't my girlfriend. This isn't your house. I'm paying you to do a job." My voice shakes from the effort it's taking not to scream. "And right now, you aren't even doing that right."

Her hands are fisted in her dress so tightly that her knuckles are white, but Mira doesn't move. She's holding herself perfectly still like I might forget she's here.

I've seen Mira like this before—cowering and terrified. The difference is, this time around, I'm the one scaring her.

I stumble back and drag a hand through my hair. "One more chance. You get one more chance. If you fuck up again, you're fired."

She doesn't nod. Doesn't breathe.

Mira stays frozen against the door until I turn and leave.