A Nanny For Hire

Erin’s PovTwo million and an Advance payment.I keep repeating it in my head like maybe it will sound less insane the more I think about it. Two million for a nanny job? Nobody pays that much for watching some kid. Unless the kid is a prince or cursed or maybe both.But right now do I even have a choice?Maybe it’s a trap. Maybe it’s human traffickers waiting to throw me in a van. But even if it is… isn’t that better than the loan sharks? At least traffickers keep you alive long enough to sell you. Loan sharks don’t waste time. They’ll cut you open, take what they want, and leave what’s left rotting in an alley.I laugh under my breath, the sound shaky and ugly. This is my life now, measuring which death would hurt less.I crumple the edges of the poster in my hand and stare at the address printed at the bottom. My chest tightens. My legs want to move, but they also want to collapse. I don’t know which urge will win.But then I think about the faces of the men chasing me, their gold

Erin’s POVThe gate creaks open, and for a second I wonder if I’m walking straight into hell. The man—Michele, I think that’s what the woman called him—stands there with his kid on his hip, looking at me like he’s already decided whether I live or die. His words still cut through my head.Follow me.I don’t think twice. I step forward. My knees are weak, dust clings to them from when I dropped down to beg, but I don’t care. I can’t afford pride. Not when a bullet could end me faster than hunger or debt collectors.The air inside the gate feels different. Heavy. Like the walls hold secrets that don’t ever make it out alive. The gravel crunches under my worn-out sneakers, and every step feels like someone else is deciding it for me.Two men in suits flank the yard. They don’t blink. Their eyes track me, cold, sharp, and I can almost hear what they’re thinking: one order and he’s dead. I swallow hard and keep my head low, but I feel their stares burning holes in my back.Michele doesn’t

Erin’s pov.The words “We’ll see if you’re worth keeping” keep echoing in my head long after he says them.I can’t tell if they’re a promise or a warning. Maybe both.The air in the office feels heavier now, like every breath is borrowed. Michele doesn’t look at me anymore. He’s focused on his son, the quiet boy still curled up in his lap, small and unreadable. I should say something, thank him, maybe but my throat’s too tight. The sound would probably come out wrong anyway.Then one of the guards steps into the doorway. Tall, stone-faced, built like someone who’s never smiled in his life. Michele gives him a slight nod. That’s all it takes. The man gestures for me to stand.“Follow me,” he says.I move fast, almost tripping over my own feet. I can feel Michele’s eyes on me one last time, cold and calculating, before I step out of the office. The door shuts behind me with a soft click, but the sound slices through the quiet hallway like a blade.The guard walks ahead, his stride stead

Erin’s povWhen I finally sat up, my back ached from sleeping too stiffly. The shirt I’d worn yesterday was wrinkled and smelled faintly of sweat and soap that wasn’t mine. I rubbed my eyes, trying to remember where I was and why. Then it came back, the gate, the boy, the man behind the desk, the quiet threat that had hung between every word he’d said.We’ll see if you’re worth keeping.I pressed my palms over my face.Right. I was still here. Still alive. For now.A soft knock rattled the door.I froze.“Mr. Cole?” a woman’s voice called. “Breakfast will be ready soon. You’re expected in the dining room in fifteen minutes.”“I—yeah, okay,” I said, though my voice cracked halfway through.She didn’t answer. Footsteps faded down the hall.I let out a shaky breath. Fifteen minutes. Enough time to pull myself together and try not to look like I’d been dragged out of a storm.I showered quickly, the water too hot but clean. A fresh set of clothes waited folded on the dresser—plain slacks,

Erin’s POVThe siren came out of nowhere.It wasn’t loud at first, just a thin sound, distant, strange, like the wind had swallowed something sharp. Then it grew, a rising scream that filled every corner of the mansion. The lights flickered once, twice, and went out completely.Luca’s small hand gripped mine before I even had time to think. His fingers were cold, trembling. The toy car he’d been playing with rolled off the rug and hit the floor with a soft clink.“Erin?” His voice was small, the kind of small that burrows straight under your ribs.“It’s okay,” I said automatically, though I didn’t believe it. “Probably just… a power thing.”But I knew it wasn’t. The house didn’t just lose power. Not a house like this. I’d seen the backup generators near the garage, big enough to light up a whole block. If the lights were out, it wasn’t by accident.Somewhere down the hall, a door slammed. Then another. Heavy footsteps pounded on the marble floors, rushed, urgent. Muffled voices follow