63. Tessa

63

Tessa

C hloe's daycare isn't within walking distance, so taking her there means driving. Since I no longer have a car, Kade has to play chauffeur. We're on our way there now, having dropped Harry at school.

Harry loves his new school. Every morning, he skips into his classroom without a backward glance. I'm not sure who's more upset about it: me or Buttons, although a ball-throwing session in the local park usually perks her up.

I left Buttons at the apartment this morning. Kade took her for a walk before we dropped Harry at school, so she should sleep for a bit. Hopefully, nothing gets chewed while we're gone. Madden was less than amused to find his Italian leather shoes in bits the other night, but as I pointed out, he hadn't put them in the closet, so it wasn't Button's fault.

"Something funny?" Kade asks when he notices me smirking.

"Just wondering if you left any shoes out."

He frowns. "Why?"

"Buttons has a taste for leather."

"Oh for fuck's sake," he mutters. "I forgot to put my sneakers in the closet."

"Oops." I try - and fail - to suppress a snort at the thought of Kade's designer sneakers with holes chewed in them. "Never mind, you can add the cost of replacing them onto your next expenses claim."

"Funny." He pulls into the parking area for Chloe's daycare center and while he grabs her changing bag, I unstrap my baby.

Chloe's walking now, but she's not too steady on her feet, so I hold her hand as we walk to the entrance. Kade waits by the car while I press the buzzer.

"Hello, Chloe!" Janice says when she opens the door to let us in. "Haven't you grown!"

Chloe claps her hands with excitement and tries to pull away. Seeing how eager she is to start playing settles my mind. Enrolling her here again was the right thing to do. It's very safe - the place is always locked down tightly.

The phone starts ringing and Janice steps away. "Elaine will sort you out," she says, waving an older, gray-haired woman with a hard face through.

"This must be Chloe," the woman coos. I've not seen her before.

"Hi, yes, and I'm Tessa." Elaine glances up but seems more interested in Chloe than me.

"What a pretty little girl!" She strokes Chloe's strawberry blond curls and my daughter ducks her head shyly.

It makes me feel uncomfortable. She's treating her more like a doll than a toddler.

"Am I OK to leave her, or do you need anything?"

Elaine shakes her head dismissively without looking at me. The only person she's interested in is Chloe. The way she strokes and pets her hair is a little creepy if I'm being honest, but I suppose it's a good thing she likes kids. "No, Chloe will be fine. We'll see you later." And then she leads Chloe away.

"Well OK, then, I guess I'll go," I mutter. The staff here have always been good to me, and I get along with them all, but there's something about this new woman I don't like.

Or maybe I'm just being overprotective. Given everything that's happened, it is hard to tell anymore.

Kade is leaning against the SUV when I walk out. He looks good enough to eat in his tight tee, black jeans, and aviator shades. My libido perks up. Apparently, juggling two hot men isn't enough for her. I'm starting to think Stella has the right idea. She and I should swap notes soon. It's been a while since we had a proper catch-up.

"Everything alright?" Kade asks once we're belted up.

It's scary how good he is at reading me. "Yeah...maybe...I'm not sure." I don't know how to verbalize my feelings without coming across as an overprotective mama bear.

Instead of driving away from the daycare, Kade pulls the parking brake on and turns to face me. "Tell me. We can go back in and get her. There's no reason why she needs to be here."

I take a moment to collect my thoughts and then speak. "There's a new member of staff. She gave me a weird vibe. I didn't like her."

My stomach churns. The more I think about it, the more I feel like Elaine was odd. The other people that work there are friendly but professional. It's obvious they care for the kids, but when parents arrive to drop off their precious charges, they are not overly tactile with the child.

Kade watches me for a moment and then switches the engine off.

"Let's go fetch her. If your gut tells you there's something wrong, then I think we should listen to it."

Having my feelings validated is a huge relief. I wasn't expecting Kade to take me seriously, but I'm glad he has. Enzo would have dismissed me, told me I was dumb, and driven away without a second thought.

We head back inside and press the buzzer. Janice appears, looking puzzled. "Everything OK, Tessa?"

"No, I need to see Chloe."

"Erm, OK? I think Elaine took her for a diaper change. Come through."

Kade follows me into the main room, where the younger children spend their day. Lynn and Callie both look up and wave. "Hey, Tessa!" I smile back, but it's forced.

"Hey."

"Let me go find Chloe and Elaine," Janice says, turning toward the bathrooms. I'm about to nod and thank her when I hear a loud shriek that's abruptly silenced. An alarm goes off and Janice goes from relaxed to worried in an instant.

"Someone's opened the back door," she yells. "Lockdown protocols!"

Pandemonium breaks out. Children start crying as panicked staff sweep them out of the main room. Kade and I run toward the bathrooms. The scream I heard was Chloe - I'd recognize my daughter's voice anywhere.

The rear fire exit door is wide open when we reach it. Elaine has Chloe in her arms as she runs toward a waiting black Escalade. A man flings the door open, but Kade shoots and he dives back into the car as the bullet pings off the reinforced glass. Elaine yelps and stumbles on a loose paver, dropping Chloe.

"Mama!" my daughter screams as she tumbles sideways.

I run toward Chloe, ignoring the danger. Just as I reach her, Elaine tries to grab her leg but I punch the bitch in the face.

"Get your fucking hands off my daughter!"

Her nose crunches under my fist, and she squeals as blood splashes down her face. I grab a screaming Chloe and run back toward Kade as someone pulls Elaine into the car and it drives away at speed.