Primal God (The Defiant God Brotherhood #4)

Chapter 15

15

Dimitri

I stand outside Lilith’s door, debating if I should go in. I’m fairly certain she’s crying in there, and it fucking guts me. But that would be overstepping. I’ve taken a few steps when Clara peeks her head out of her room.

“ Papai ?”

“What are you doing out of bed, little one?”

“I thought I heard Nanny W. Is she here?”

“She is.”

“Were you in there with her?”

“No. I was just checking on Isadora.”

Clara is silent for a moment, so I scoop her into my arms.

“Let’s get you in bed. You have a busy day tomorrow.”

“ Papai , Diego and I meant it. We want Nanny W to be our momma.”

I glance over at Diego’s bed to find him wide awake. He gives me a small nod, as if he’s agreeing with Clara. I set Clara on her bed and pull her blanket over her as I mull over what to say.

Finally, I say, “I know you both like Nanny W. I like her, too, but there is a lot that goes into finding the right momma.”

“Will you at least think about it?” Clara asks with eyes that remind me of her own mother. “We like her and we’re afraid she’s going to leave us.”

“Why are you afraid? Has Nanny W said something?”

My mind goes to the boyfriend, and I don’t fucking like it.

“No, but we heard her asking you about an interview for a new nanny.” Clara’s bottom lip juts out. “We don’t want a new nanny. We want Nanny W to stay here forever.”

“I promise that no matter what happens, you, Diego, and Isadora will be taken care of.”

“What about you, Papai ?”

“I’ll be fine. I promise.”

Clara doesn’t look convinced, but nods. I kiss her on the head and do the same with Diego before slipping out of their room. My gaze goes to Lilith’s door.

I will be fine.

I have to be.

Monday and Tuesday are hell at work, and I spend most of my day in surgery cases. On Tuesday, I manage to get out on time and arrive at the house at 4:45. Lilith is in the living room with the kids. She’s wearing her hair down and there’s something different about her I can’t place. Maybe it’s because her make-up is heavier than usual. She doesn’t look bad, of course, just different. Or maybe I’m just being more observant. I didn’t get to see her yesterday. By the time I got home from work, the kids were down, and she was in her room. Instead, I ate by myself and went to bed feeling strangely…lonely.

Lilith realizes I’m there and says, “Okay, kiddos. Time to go play upstairs for a bit.”

She leads the kids away and I get a whiff of her perfume.

My damn chest aches.

She returns a few minutes later with the baby monitor in hand and takes a seat away from me. Not only that, but she won’t look me in the eyes. Instead, she looks over something in a notebook.

“Questions?”

Her gaze meets mine for a moment before skirting away. “What?”

“Are those questions to ask the potential nanny?”

“Oh. No. Just some research.”

I’m about to reply when the doorbell rings. I make my way to the front door and open it. A young woman smiles up at me, holding out her hand. She’s a few years older than Lilith, with red hair and green eyes that sparkle in excitement.

“A pleasure to meet you, Dr. Santos. I’m Miranda Odell.”

I shake her hand and say, “Nice to meet you, too, Ms. Odell. Right this way.”

I lead her to the living room, where Lilith is now standing.

“Ms. Odell, this is my current nanny, Lilith Wolfe. Lilith has agreed to sit in on the interview.”

Lilith smiles. “Nice to meet you. I believe you graduated a few years ahead of me.”

Ms. Odell grins. “I knew you looked familiar! How have you been?”

“Good, and you?”

“Good.” She turns to me. “Well, I’m feeling better about this interview already. You must be good people if Lili works for you.”

I wish I could say the same. I really do. But having another woman in this house has me wanting to send her away. Instead, I motion for the couch.

“Please, have a seat.”

She sits next to Lilith, and I can’t help but compare them. Ms. Odell is slender and wears a professional ensemble. Lilith outshines her, even though she’s only wearing jeans and a nice top. She meets my gaze as if she can sense my stare and gives me a small smile. I clear my throat and force myself to get this interview started.

“Ms. Odell, I see that you’ve been working as a nanny for the Simpson family. What made you decide to find a new job?”

“The Simpsons are moving to Kansas,” she answers with a sad smile. “I’m happy for them, of course, but cannot go with them.”

I already know this information. I know a lot about Ms. Odell. On paper, she’s perfect for what I’m looking for. I glance at Lilith again. But in reality…she’s not who I fucking want.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I say. “Did Simpson finally land that job he’s been after?”

Her eyes widen, as if she’s surprised that I know her boss. It’s a small world, and men of power are all connected through the Brotherhood.

“Actually, it was Mrs. Smith who landed her dream job.” Ms. Odell gives me an ornery smile. “They bought a ranch and are going to raise cattle.”

I laugh before I can stop myself. “Is that so? Well, good for them.”

I look at Lilith to find a small frown on her lips.

I say to her, “I’ve known Simpson for many years. The idea of him living on a ranch is laughable.”

She smiles but doesn’t say anything.

It bugs the shit out of me.

I turn my attention back to Ms. Odell and go through my normal interview questions.

When I’m finished, I ask, “Do you have questions for me?”

“I have one for Lili, if that’s okay?” When I nod, she turns to Lilith. “Why are you leaving this position, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Lilith says, “I only agreed to help for the summer as a favor to Joao.”

Ms. Odell’s eyes widen. “Oh my goodness. Are you and Joao still together?”

“No,” I snap. “They’re not.”

Lilith gives me a look and says to Ms. Odell, “Dr. Santos is Joao’s father.”

“I guess I should have put that together, since it’s the same last name and all.”

Lilith says, “Dr. Santos needed help for the summer, and it worked out with my schedule. I start my last semester in the fall and won’t be available to be a full-time nanny.”

“I thought you graduated last year?”

Lilith’s cheeks turn a light shade of pink. “Nope.”

“Silly me.” Ms. Odell shakes her head. “What do you have planned after that?”

I swear to god, Lilith’s face pales.

“I’m not sure.”

Something heavy hangs behind her words. It’s a sadness that I want to solve for her.

Ms. Odell says, “Well, that’s understandable. I’m sure you’ll find the perfect place.”

But that’s not going to happen, because the perfect place for Lilith is here, with me and my kids.

I stand, making both women look at me.

“I’m sorry to have to cut this interview short, Ms. Odell, but I remembered I have another meeting. I’ll get back to you and let you know my decision.”

“Of course.” She stands, holding out her hand again. “Thank you for the opportunity.”

I shake her hand and lead her to the front door. When I come back, Lilith has slipped away again.

Fuck.

I need a drink.

The rest of my week drags by tortuously slow, and I’ve realized it’s dragging because I haven’t spent time with Lilith. When I enter a room, she leaves. When I pop in to help with bath time, she acts like I’m not there. I stay for bedtime stories, and she slips away as soon as she can. I’d think it’s just me being paranoid, but Clara asked me last night if Nanny W was mad at me.

Is she? Have I done something?

Our last real interaction was the day that she found Isadora helping me pick out a shirt for my date with Jackie. I pause. Is that what it is? Could it be that Lilith is…jealous? But that can’t be it, because she went on a date with her boyfriend right after that.

I head downstairs to my office and log onto my computer. Ms. Odell has reached out once, asking if she got the job, but I ignore that email and click the one from Alessandro instead. In it, I find a file on Adam Montgomery, Yemi’s youngest son, and Lilith’s boyfriend. Alessandro sent a small note in the email.

Santos,

Here is the info you wanted. Just remember what I said…

-A

I click the file and scroll through the basic info.

Adam is a few years older than Lilith. He attended the same university until he was kicked out for an unknown reason. Luckily, Alessandro is good at his job and found out why. Partying with underaged students and buying them so much alcohol that two were sent to the hospital. His older brother got him out of legal trouble, so there’s nothing on his permanent record. That’s strike one.

Adam has done little since being kicked out of school. He lives at home and is often seen driving his mother’s sports car around. The same car he picked up Lilith in. I pause. But he’s not the one who brought her home that day. Strike two.

I don’t need to read more to know that I don’t like this prick, but I scroll through each page, getting madder and madder. I’ve thought I’ve seen it all when I come to the last section of the file. The one with the marriage agreement between Lilith and Adam. The agreement that was signed on Sunday.

“Fuck,” I hiss.

I skim over the agreement, getting madder with each word that I read. Why in the hell did Lilith sign something like this? Did she even read it? Because this agreement doesn’t benefit her at all. In fact, it’s the opposite. If she breaks the contract, she will owe her uncle nearly a million dollars. There’s no way in hell she has that kind of money. I skim the document again. If she ends the marriage down the road, Adam gets custody of all of their kids. I know there’s no way in hell she would ever agree to that.

Alessandro’s words dance through my mind. Took a page right out of your book. But I suppose you’re a different man these days, eh, Primal God?

Am I a different man?

I thought I was, but the feelings that have resurfaced since reading this document have me questioning everything. That’s not entirely true. These feelings have lingered just beneath the surface from the moment I met her. The question is, what do I do about it?

I’m about to walk out of my office when my phone dings.

Jackie

I can’t wait to see you tonight. Are you still picking me up or shall I meet you at your house?

Fucking hell. I rub my temples. It would make me a beast to cancel on Jackie now. I glance at the calendar on my desk. But this just might work out in my favor. Lilith is taking the twins to a sleepover. Mrs. Carter insisted that Isadora stay too, saying she had a nanny who would be delighted to spend time with such a cute toddler. I was going to tell her no, but now I think I’ll let her know all three of my kids will stay over.

By the time Lilith returns to an empty house, I will hopefully have sent Jackie on her way.

And then Lilith and I are going to talk.

Whether she wants to or not.

Let’s meet at my place.

See you soon.