The Nanny with the Skull Tattoos by Elizabeth Barone

Author:Elizabeth Barone [Barone, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: New Adult
Publisher: Maietta Ink
Published: 2015-02-24T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

“Let’s open your gift from Mommy,” Nicole said to Chloe. “Eggs, hand me that present.” She pointed to the final gift underneath the tree. Max rolled his eyes at the nickname for the hundredth time that evening. Xavier sat cross-legged on the floor next to his and Max’s nieces. Avoiding Max’s gaze, he handed the wrapped box to Nicole. She slid it onto Chloe’s lap.

The little girl’s eyelids slid closed and her head lolled onto Max’s shoulder.

“Come on, Chloe,” Nicole said, nudging her with an elbow.

“I think she’s out for the count, Nikki,” Max said, brushing discarded wrapping paper from Chloe’s legs.

“It’s the last one,” Nicole said, a whine lacing her voice. She shook Chloe’s shoulder. “Come on¸ baby girl. Open up your present.”

Chloe’s eyelids fluttered open. She glanced around the room, blinking. Swatting at the air, she arched her back. The wrapped box slid onto the floor. Her face scrunched up, and Max’s eyes widened.

“Leave her alone, Nicole,” he warned.

“It’s Christmas,” Nicole said, plucking the gift from the carpet. She plopped it back on Chloe’s lap.

Whining, Chloe squirmed.

“Here, I’ll help you,” Nicole said. She peeled a corner of wrapping paper off, then tapped the box. “Come on, Chloe. Mommy got you a really cool present.”

The little girl shrieked and shoved the box back onto the floor. Throwing her arms up, she flung herself off the couch, her scream cutting through the conversations buzzing around the room. Max’s family turned in unison and gaped at her. Her face reddened and she cried against the carpet.

“She’s tired,” Max explained, standing from the couch. He picked her up from the floor and hugged her to his chest. She kicked at his thighs, her screaming piercing his ears. Wincing, he rubbed circles into her back.

Nicole sighed and ripped the rest of the wrapping paper off of the box. She held it up for Chloe to see. “Look, Chloe,” she said over the toddler’s wailing. “Look what Mommy got you.”

Chloe cried even harder. Max turned to see what the gift was and frowned. Five scrawny fashion dolls posed from behind a plastic window. Their skin ranged in color from purple to pale blue. The one in the center was apparently male, but looked more like he had been locked in a freezer than anything human. The only doll with a human skin tone had strange bumps lining her face, as if she had some kind of body modification. Max’s eyebrows aimed toward the ceiling.

“They’re pretty little monsters,” Nicole crooned. She ripped the box open and wrestled one of the dolls from its packaging. An arm popped off as she pulled it free. Grimacing, Nicole plucked the arm from the floor and tried to plug it back into its plastic socket. She wiggled it around. Plastic clicked but the arm didn’t lock. Shrugging, she held the doll out to Chloe. As it moved through the air, one of the doll’s shoes fell off.

“Yeah, that’s not a choking hazard,” Max muttered under his breath. Chloe stopped crying, her eyebrows scrunching together as she examined the doll from afar.

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