AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Taryn King
When Errol said Axel had something happened to him as a child, I looked into my husband’s face with disbelief. My boys. My beautiful little boys. They were so innocent and joyful. Who in the world could have ever mistreated them? Who had access to them to the point where they could freely abuse them without my knowledge?
“I don’t believe these are mere nightmares,” Layla was saying. “He seemed to have gone back several years, remembering horrible events in his life.”
She seemed genuinely concerned for my son and I immediately liked her. I would have to tell her that at some point, but now, all I wanted to do was figure out who had mistreated my boys.
“We’ll figure this out, Taryn,” Errol said. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
You’re damned right, we’ll get to the bottom of this. My son is traumatized. Whoever did this to him will pay.
The rolodex in my head spun around as I tried to find the culprit. I’d had very few babysitters. For all my ambitions and desire to build a name for myself in the culinary world, I’d been a hands-on mother, always there for my babies. I always had time for them. They came with me to work and I kept an eye on them.
Then when? Who? Where?
We’d temporarily hired a nanny who’d helped out when they were toddlers. She was a sweet, older woman who was attentive and caring, giving me an occasional reprieve from the exhausting task of tending to two young and energetic boys.
But I’d always been there all the same. She was rarely alone with the boys.
Then another face came to me like a bolt of lightning. Not that of the nanny, but Erica. Oh, my God. Yes. Erica Babbette.
My heart raced as I thought back to the woman Errol had hired as an assistant at one of his restaurants. She was smart, ambitious, fun and flirty.
Flirty. Oh my God.
At the time, I’d seen her flirting as innocent fun, but... Her voice suddenly echoed in my ears.
“What beautiful little boys.”
“You two are going to be little heartbreakers.”
“What I wouldn’t give to be five years old again.”
“There you go, breaking my heart again.”
She’d been charming, and she had indeed charmed us. Even when she’d flirted with my husband, I hadn’t felt threatened. It was just her way.
I was suddenly flooded with visions and words. When I’d bring the boys to the restaurant Erica was working at, she always offered to look in on them. She loved playing with them and telling them stories.
I had appreciated her, all that time thinking that she really loved my boys... in a healthy way.
Oh, my God, I thought as I gagged. The signs were all there.
Tears filled my eyes as I remembered Axel and how he’d grown increasingly uncomfortable around her.
On the few occasions when I’d asked her to stay and take care of the boys, they had both initially loved her, always looking forward to spending time with her. They found her fun and amusing.
