The Nanny's Secret

by Kiersten Modglin

  “Tom is dead, Mia,” Iris says harshly. “None of this matters anymore. Whether or not you get justice for him doesn’t matter.” Orrick picks up his glass of champagne, taking a sip, but Iris remains still. I’m tempted to throw mine in her face, I’m so angry.

  “How do you know he’s dead, though, unless you did it?” My chest rises and falls, and I’m shaking with fury as I stare at her. I’ve never hated someone so much in my life, but I hate her. “How could you, Iris? How could you kill the man I loved? All because…what? He broke your heart? Was that it? That was all it took to turn you into a killer?” Hot tears stream down my face as I let loose all the questions I’ve held in for so long. “Was it worth it? He was a good man. He was a good person. What you did…what you both did, you’re monsters.” I grimace at them both. “I will make sure history remembers you that way, not him. He doesn’t deserve what you’ve done to him. You couldn’t just take his life, you had to take his reputation, his legacy. He didn’t deserve this.”

  Fire washes over her face. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “I know you did it, Iris. I don’t know why, but I know the two of you did it—you framed him and then you killed him—and I just want you to admit it. If you admit it, I’ll walk away and you’ll never hear from me again. I swear to you.” I take another bite of cracker.

  They are quiet, both of them, staring back and forth at each other, and I hope, I pray, I know the next words that will come out of their mouths.

  Instead, Iris shrugs and says, “You’re wrong, Mia. We had nothing to do with it. I’m sorry.”

  It’s the final nail in all of our coffins. Rage swells in my belly, my vision blurring with it. “We’ve been together all this time, you know that? Orrick and I have. Today wasn’t the first time. We slept together in your bed, Iris, and in the study, with John playing just down the hall.”

  “Mia, what the hell?” Orrick yells, pushing off the counter and slamming his glass down.

  At the same time Iris yells, “You think I don’t know that? I knew what you were the second you walked into the house. A money-grubbing whore just like all the rest of the women who eye my husband. Well, guess what, Mia? He’s mine. Everything he has is mine, and until his last breath, he will always be mine. I don’t lose.” Her eyes are ablaze with anger. Her words are a perfect last sentiment, and I see my window.

  “Iris, no! What are you—stop!” I scream, watching as their faces go white with shock and confusion. “No, Iris please! Wait!” I scream again, letting out a loud guttural cry as I lunge across the room, smacking into Orrick before either of them know it is coming. Surprise is my only advantage here. I lunge, throwing my body into his and his knees buckle under my extra weight.

  “What the he—” He crashes to the ground, his hands reaching and grabbing for me, trying to fight me off. His eyes are slits of confusion and anger as he struggles to push me off him. I bounce off his stomach, knocking the wind out of him as Iris grabs at my arm. I yank my arm out of her grasp, my fist plunging straight into his face, and his head smacks the floor with a loud thud. She screams. It’s not enough. He blinks heavily, but reaches for me again, disoriented, either from the drinks I provided him, or the blow to the head. Iris grabs for me again, but I have both hands firmly on his face. He tries to roll over, but he’s at a disadvantage with my weight on top of him. I lift his head, slamming it on the ground again. This time, blood splatters across the white tile and his eyes go wide with pain.

  Iris drops my arm with a terrified scream, and I lift his head again. Each thud is met with a sickening crunch as his head hits the marble. Over and over, I pound his skull against the floor, Iris’ cries are drowned out by the ringing in my ears. He has stopped fighting back, his eyes open but glassy. There is nothing left in them. He’s gone.

  Snapping back to reality, I realize Iris is still screaming. I stand up, wiping my bloody hands on my dress and pulling my phone from my pocket. I end the ongoing call, thankful to see it hasn’t ended already.

  “What did you—what did you do?” she screams at me, her hands shaking as she covers her mouth. She looks from me to Orrick, as if this might all be a joke.

  I smile valiantly and, to be honest, I’ve never been more proud of myself. “You said it, Iris, you said he was yours ’til his last breath, just like Tom was mine until his. You took Tom from me. You had everything, and I had nothing, and you still took him from me. He was all I had. An eye for an eye.”

  “You’re a lunatic,” she cries, black mascara tears cascading down her satin cheeks as she backs away from me even more.

  “You don’t have to be afraid of me,” I say, my voice candy-sweet. “I’m not going to hurt you. My work is done here. Or should I say, your work.”

  “What are you talking about?” I look at the blood flecked across her dress. Not as much as what’s on me, but I’m soon going to explain that away, too.

  “The call I just ended was with an FBI agent named Gladstone. My guess is he’ll be paying you a visit soon. You and Orrick just had a very public fight after you caught us together and,” I look toward my shoulder, “I have the wounds to corroborate your guests’ stories that you tried to attack me before they were even out of the house. After a passionate fight, the FBI heard me scream while you attacked and killed your husband.” I pause, letting my words sink in. “Like I said, an eye for an eye. If you won’t go down for my fiancé’s death, you’ll go down for your husband’s.”

  She backs away, shaking her head in denial. “We have cameras. They’ll be able to see it wasn’t me.”

  I smile, pressing a finger to my lips as I grab another flute of champagne and drink it. My head is getting fuzzy already, my mouth too dry, and my heart rate increasing. “That’s the best part. See, you gave me access to everything in your house, including your security procedures. I found keys in Orrick’s study, the very ones that let me place the recording device in his office. As it turns out, one of those keys leads to the basement and the security office within. Did you know all those cameras can be turned off with just a few flicks of a switch? Especially when you’ve sent all of your employees home early, including security staff?” I shake my head. “Your problem has always been that you just really aren’t that smart. You thought you’d caught me when you found the bug I placed in Orrick’s office, but I still managed to pull this off. I knew he was the weak link. I knew if I had him on my side, I could get away with anything, and I was right. You see, you’re powerful, Iris, but you underestimated how far I would go to take you down. I did whatever it took to make sure you will burn for what you did. To make sure nothing about your life can ever go back to normal again. Because from the day I walked into this house, that has been my only goal. ” Her eyes dart around the room to each camera as she takes in what I’m saying. “I turned the cameras off the second I got here, just to make sure I could, but you sent the staff home. It’s tradition.”

  She heaves a haggard breath. “You’ll never get away with this.”

  “That’s up to the FBI.” I hear the front door open, and I wonder if they’ve made it there sooner than expected. My next sentence is a whisper, “But the beauty of it is, I won’t get away with it, anyway.”

  “What do you me—”

  “Iris! What’s going on?” AJ yells her name from the front door, and I kneel beside Orrick’s body in an instant. When he appears behind her, he looks over the scene in horror. I wonder what it must look like to come into something like this. Orrick’s head has been smashed on the floor, and Iris and I are covered in blood. It’s a scene straight from a horror movie. Maybe someday they’ll sell the rights. “What the hell happened?”

  “She—” Iris starts.

  “She killed him,” I interrupt her with a fake cry of my own as she falls into AJ’s arms.

  He’s frozen, shaking his head, his face ashen. “Iris?”

  I nod with mocking terror. “She caught us together, upstairs, and she…killed him. She attack
ed me.” I nod toward my shoulder. “And I don’t feel so well, AJ. Can you call an ambulance? I…think she…poisoned me.”

  From where I’m kneeling, I let myself fall over Orrick’s quickly cooling body. The room has indeed begun to go fuzzy from the poison I’ve been drinking all evening, the poison I slipped into Orrick’s drinks and food, hoping his death could be a less messy one. I pull out my phone.

  With the dose I took, I have only minutes. I want to spend those minutes with the man I loved—still love. I click to the voicemail screen to see the familiar blue dot and wonder if I’m hallucinating. The dot was gone, the voicemail listened to in its entirety.

  I look at the date of the voicemail with the blue dot next to it, my vision blurring.

  Today.

  It’s a number I don’t recognize. Hayward, CA.

  I don’t want to listen to it. I want to hear Tom’s voice only, but I click on it anyway. Something tells me I should.

  I press the phone to my ear as I watch AJ dragging Iris from the room in a screaming fit. I don’t know if he believes me, but it doesn’t matter anymore. I did what I came to do. Their perfect lives are shattered.

  Just like Tom’s.

  Just like mine.

  The voicemail begins to play, and when I hear his voice, I’m crying and coughing up blood all at once.

  “Hey, baby, it’s me. I’m sorry I haven’t called. I didn’t know when it would be safe to do so, but I got away. I’m safe. The Lockes tried to kill me. They dumped my car in a lake, but I managed to get out. I’m in California now. I don’t know what you’ve heard, and I can’t imagine what you must be going through, but I’m okay. It’s all going to be okay. I have so much to tell you, but I want you to know I’m safe. I don’t think I can come back, but I want you to come to me. This isn’t my number, so don’t call back, okay? I’ll call you back tonight at ten o’clock, your time. Please answer. I love you, Mia. God, I love you.”

  He’s safe.

  I spew vomit as his words replay in my head, my vision tunneling.

  Hey, baby, it’s me.

  I’m safe.

  I’m in California.

  I managed to get out.

  I’ll call you back tonight.

  I love you.

  And then, darkness.

  He’s safe, but I am gone.

  Don’t miss the rest of

  the LOCKE INDUSTRIES series!

  If you enjoyed The Nanny’s Secret and are dying to learn more about the insidious Locke Industries, I’m thrilled to tell you about The Assistant’s Secret by Emerald O’Brien.

  For your reading pleasure, we have ensured the books in this series can be read in any order or as standalone stories.

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  Ready to discuss Locke Industries with its creators and other fans?

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  Acknowledgments

  I want to start by thanking my co-collaborator and friend, Emerald O’Brien. Thank you for helping me create this world, for making every step of the way fun, and for never ceasing to amaze me with your selflessness and integrity. I’m so thankful to have you in my life and on this journey.

  To my husband and daughter, thank you for always believing me and encouraging me. Thank you for putting up with my wild deadlines, endless daydreaming, and days where I don’t get to leave the office. Living with a writer is probably not the easiest thing, but you two make it beautiful. I love you.

  To my readers, the ones who cheer for each new book and read it with as much excitement as I feel delivering it to them. Thank you for being the reason I’m able to do this. For so long, I dreamed that one day I’d have people wanting to read my words. I’m forever grateful to have found those people.

  To my amazing editor, Sarah West with Three Owls Editing. Thank you for asking the hard questions, for pushing me to dig deeper, and for making editing as painless as possible. I’m so thankful to have you in my corner.

  To my proofreading team at My Brother’s Editor, thank you for being my last set of eyes and for always bringing so much insight and attention to detail to these crazy stories.

  And finally, to you. Whether this is your first Kiersten Modglin book or just one of many, thank you for taking a chance on my characters and my worlds. I’m so grateful and humbled that you read Olivia’s story and I genuinely hope you enjoyed it.

  About the Author

  Kiersten Modglin is an award-winning author of bestselling psychological suspense. A Netflix addict, Shonda Rhimes super-fan, psychology fanatic, and indoor enthusiast, Kiersten enjoys rainy days spent with her nose in a book. More than anything, she loves reading & creating life-changing stories.

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  Also by Kiersten Modglin

  STANDALONE NOVELS

  Becoming Mrs. Abbott

  The List

  The Missing Piece

  Playing Jenna

  The Beginning After

  The Better Choice

  The Good Neighbors

  The Lucky Ones

  I Said Yes

  The Mother-in-Law

  The Dream Job

  THE MESSES SERIES

  The Cleaner (The Messes, #1)

  The Healer (The Messes, #2)

  The Liar (The Messes, #3)

  The Prisoner (The Messes, #4)

  NOVELLAS

  The Long Route: A Lover’s Landing Novella

  The Stranger in the Woods: A Crimson Falls Novella

 

 

 
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