“Shh. It’s for your health, brown eyes. You need it to make sure you don’t get sick.” And whatever she needed; he’d make certain she got it.
He lay her on her side and placed her blanket over her top half. He pulled her pants down, revealing her cute, Care Bear panties.
“Now, those are adorable. Now which Care Bear is that?” Hack asked. “Let me guess, Grumpy Bear?”
“No,” She told him, tensing up as Ink drew her legs gently up to her chest.
Hack lowered her panties down and swiped an antiseptic wipe over her cheek.
“Cheer Bear?”
“No,” she stuttered, letting out a small cry as the needle went in.
Ink went down on his knees beside her so he could see her face. He started to sing a nursery rhyme to her in a quiet voice.
“Sing a song of sixpence?” Hack asked as he depressed the syringe. “I always preferred Itsy-Bitsy Spider myself. Never liked how the maid’s nose got plucked off. Depressing.” Hack slowly depressed the syringe. “Ahh, I know, it’s Birthday Bear.”
“It’s Wish Bear,” Betsy told him, the duh in her voice so clear that Ink actually smiled.
“So it is, silly me.” Hack pulled up her panties.
Ink helped her sit up, then pulled her onto his lap once more, tucking her blankets around her.
“How are you feeling?” he asked her.
“My head’s still a bit sore. But I can’t feel my arm at all.”
“Good girl,” Hack told her as he gathered up all his stuff. “You were very brave.” He drew out his treasure chest. “Another treasure for you.”
She chose a ring with a big, purple rock on it.
Ink kissed the top of her head. “Hack is right, you were very brave.”
“You might want to give her a quick shower. Get in there with her, though. And not for too long. Don’t want her getting light-headed. Right, I best go. Places to go, people to poke with more terrifying needles. Call me if you need me,” he said to Ink.
Ink nodded then Hack lightly squeezed Betsy’s hand. “Wish all my patients were as cute as you, Miss Betsy.”
“Bye,” she said shyly.
“You want a shower, brown eyes?” he asked. “Or I could just wash you down with a cloth?”
“A shower, please?”
“All right. But you heard what Hack said. A quick one and I’m helping you.”
He quickly showered her, then got her dressed in a short-sleeved nightie and back into bed. He was brushing her hair for her when a knock sounded on the door.
“Come in,” he called out.
Spike walked in carrying a bowl filled with ice cream and covered in sprinkles.
“Jesus, fuck, man, did you put the whole tub in there?” Ink asked as he carefully climbed off the bed and helped her rest back against the pillows.
Spike shrugged. Then he winked at Betsy. “Two shots means two servings of ice cream.”
There looked to be about ten servings in the huge bowl, but with the way that Betsy’s face lit up, he decided not to say anything more. She could use the calories.
The others all filed in, except for Baron and Royal.
“I managed to convince them to stay downstairs and watch a movie with Stone,” Spike told him, obviously seeing the questioning look on his face. “They weren’t happy. Pretty sure Baron is plotting my murder as we speak.”
Ink nodded. “Best they don’t hear this part.”
Ink held the bowl steady as Betsy grabbed the spoon. But her hand shook too much and the ice cream slid off the spoon. She let out a frustrated noise.
“I’ll help you, button,” he told her. He sat on the bed, half-facing her and spooned some up and feeding it to her.
They all waited as Betsy ate a few bites of ice cream. Finally, she shook her head. “I can’t eat anymore.”
Spike took the bowl away and they all crowded around. Razor and Spike leaned against the back wall, facing them. Reyes was sitting on the bed. Duke was sitting in the armchair again, Sunny on his lap. Jason stood in front of the door.
Betsy looked around at all of them then let out a shuddering breath. “Guess it’s storytime, huh?”
“We need to hear all of it, brown eyes.”
Betsy took in a deep breath. She shouldn’t have eaten that ice cream; it was threatening to come back up.
“Soon after you left with the boys, the buzzer rang. I was going to ignore it but then I thought it might be Stone so I got up to check the camera. I recognized them immediately. They were two of Forrest’s goons. I called them Thing One and Thing Two. They were dumb, but blindly loyal to Forrest. I had to let them in when I saw they had a gun to Sunny’s head. I called you,” she looked at Ink and he nodded, his jaw tight, “then Thing Two walked out of the elevator and shot me. I must have fallen and hit my head. When I woke up,” she sucked in a breath, this was the part that was going to be hard to tell them, “I was in a hole in the ground in the middle of the woods.”
There was silence.
Everyone had stiffened. They were staring at her with different versions of disbelief and horror.
“A hole in the ground?” Surprisingly, it was Sunny who asked the question. “What do you mean? How did you get there?”
“I guess Thing One and Two drove me out to the woods and then dug the hole and that they were going to…to…”
“Bury you,” Reyes said in a low voice.
“Fuck,” Razor said, his eyes wide, skin growing pale. “They dug a grave for you?”
Her body rocked with shudders. Ink lifted her then sat on the bed with her on his lap.
She recalled everything that she could remember them saying.
“Jana?” Ink finally whispered. “Jana told them where to find you?”
“It sounds like it.”
“I’ll fucking kill her.”
Spike straightened. “I’ll track her down. Bring her to you. You can’t leave Betsy right now.”
Ink nodded. “What happened then, Betsy?”
“They disappeared,” she whispered.
“What do you mean?” Sunny asked.
“They were scared when a wolf howled. I heard one of them yell out. Then nothing. Until another man appeared at the top of the hole.”
“Who was he?” Razor asked.
She looked straight at Sunny. “He said he was the Fox.”
“The Fox?” Sunny whispered, sitting up straighter.
“What the hell was the Fox doing there?” Duke growled.
“He said he was there to rescue me. He said it was like déjà vu as he’d once killed two men who’d been intent on hurting Sunny.”
“He killed Forrest’s goons?” Razor asked.
She nodded. “That’s what he said. He had a rope and he pulled me out. Then he led me to the clearing and left me with his jacket and phone.”
“The Fox saved you. See, he is a good person.” Sunny turned to Duke.
“Little rebel, he killed two men.”
“Two bad men,” Sunny said.
Ink slid her off his lap and started pacing as best he could with the room filled with people.
“Ink, are you—”
“This is my fault.”
“No, it’s not!”
“I left you alone! I thought the threat was gone but I should have made sure. They never should have gotten to you! They shot you! They were going to bury you!”
Duke stood in front of him, grabbing his shoulders. “Enough,” he said in a low voice.
There was a beat of silence. “Let. Me. Go.”
“No,” Duke replied calmly.
Everyone else watched on, but she sensed that none of them were as calm as they were letting on.
“Ink, please,” she whispered.
“She could have died!” His voice roared through the room.
“But she didn’t and now you’re fucking terrifying her by losing your shit.”
But she wasn’t scared. At least she wasn’t scared for her own safety. S
he was scared for him. His sanity. Because she knew that she wasn’t the only one coming out of this with nightmares. No, his nightmares were etched into his face with a brutality that had tears dripping down her cheeks.
“Ink,” she said quietly, standing. The world swayed for a moment but she managed to shuffle towards him.
“Betsy, stay back,” Duke warned.
Ink growled at him, she touched his arm. He turned towards her and she practically fell against him, knowing he would catch her.
He would always catch her.
He scooped her gently up into his arms and breathed in her scent, burying his face in her hair. “Damn it, Betsy. You’re supposed to stay in bed. I could have lost you. You could have died. What would I do if I lost you?”
“You won’t,” she whispered back. “I’ll never leave you, Ink. I’m a barnacle stuck to your boat.”
He barked out a laugh and she knew her Ink was back with her. He looked down at her.
“You can be my barnacle anytime.”
Someone groaned. She turned to see Razor shaking his head at them, although his lips twitched with a smile. “Is this you two flirting? ‘Cause if it is then your game needs serious work, boy.”
She blushed.
“My game is just fine, old man,” Ink grumbled, carrying her over to the bed again and sitting with her in his lap.
“Sorry, brown eyes. Lost it for a moment.”
“None of this is your fault. You had no way of knowing that Forrest was going to send them. It sounds like they were watching for a while. You couldn’t have known when they would strike. And I’m safe now. I did what you said, I stayed alive until you got to me.”
“Until the fucking Fox got to you.”
“Until you got to me,” she repeated firmly. “I didn’t feel safe until you were holding me. Can I tell you now?”
“All right.”
She looked up into his gorgeous face. “I love you Ink Callahan. With all my heart.”
He leaned down and kissed her. “Love you too, brown eyes.”
She smiled up at him, happiness flooding her.
“Now that Ink’s worked out his issues, can we please focus.” Reyes leaned forward. “Did the Fox say anything about how he knew you were there?”
“He wouldn’t tell me. I’ve got his jacket and phone somewhere. Where are they?”
“They’re downstairs,” Ink said.
Razor went down to get them. When he walked back in, he handed the phone to Jason. “There’s nothing in the pockets.”
“The phone has nothing on it,” Jason said after a few minutes. “It’s a prepaid. No way to trace it back to who bought it. And there are no calls on it other than Betsy calling Ink. There’s no contacts, no photos, no search history other than what Betsy looked at. Nothing except for one phone number. Want me to call it?”
They all looked to Reyes, but it was Sunny who answered. “Call it. He left it there for a reason.”
Jason pressed on the number. It rang three times.
“This better be good, I’m in the middle of a slice and dice.”
“Fox!” Sunny choked out.
“Sweet girl! How are you?”
“Fox? Slice and dice? That doesn’t mean you’re…” Sunny broke off, looking ill.
Betsy got it.
“I’m making a fruit salad. Really, sweet girl, do you think I’d answer the phone while doing that?”
Sunny ran her hand over her face.
“Have you been watching Sunny again?” Duke bit out.
“How did you find Betsy? Have you bugged us again?” Ink asked.
“Ahh, is the whole merry band there then?” the Fox asked.
“We’re all here,” Reyes said warily.
“Good. That makes things easier.”
“Makes what easier?” Sunny asked. “Fox, what is going on?”
“Now, sweet girl, you know I can’t tell you that. Ink?”
“Yes?”
“I took care of some rodents for you. They won’t be digging any more holes. Don’t worry, I buried them good.”
Did that mean he’d buried Thing One and Two? She couldn’t feel bad about that.
“Fox, what is going on? How are you mixed up in all this? Did Forrest Robins hire you to get rid of his brother?” Duke demanded.
“Ink, your tree problem? It’s taken care of too. You’re welcome.”
What did that mean?
“Duke?” Fox asked.
“Yes?”
“If my Sunny is ever put in danger like that again, I will have to take matters into my own hands. And you will not like it.”
With that threat left hanging the call ended.
Jason tried to call back, but there was just a dial tone.
“Mother-fucking bastard,” Duke said, not bothering to check his language. “I’ll fucking kill him.”
“He’s just protective,” Sunny soothed. “He didn’t mean it.”
Betsy thought he sounded deadly serious.
“What did he mean that my tree problem was solved?” Ink wondered.
There was a knock on the bedroom door and Stone stepped in. “You’re not going to believe this.”
“What is it?” Ink barked.
She tensed, not certain how much more she could take.
“A small plane crashed trying to take off from a private airstrip in South Dakota. All the people inside were killed. Including Forrest Robins.”
Shock filled her. He was dead. Wait, is that what…
“Was that the tree problem?” she whispered.
The Fox had killed Forrest?
“Thanks, man,” Ink said to Stone who left again.
“Do you really think that the Fox killed Forrest?” she asked.
They were all silent then Ink sighed. “More than likely, brown eyes.”
“But why?”
“Who knows why the hell he does anything?” Duke grumbled.
38
Dirt rained down on her. She couldn’t stop it from covering her mouth. She was completely covered. Unable to breathe.
She was going to die!
Ink!
“Brown eyes, wake up! Wake up now! You’re safe. Wake up for Daddy! Right. Now.”
“D-Daddy. Daddy. Daddy.” It was all she could say. All she wanted. She just wanted him. Surrounding her. Making her feel safe. Keeping the bad things at bay.
What in her life had she done to deserve him?
A light flickered on.
“I’m here. I’m here, brown eyes. Shh, you’re safe now. You’re safe. It was just a nightmare. I promise, you’re safe. Nothing bad is ever going to touch you again. I’ve damn well had enough of this. I’m tired of people fucking hurting you. It’s not happening again. Understand.” He cupped her face between his hands, glaring down at her.
“I understand,” she whispered.
“Ain’t nobody getting to you. Even if I have to fucking put a collar and lead on you and keep you by my side twenty-four-seven then that’s what I’ll do.”
She might have smiled if she hadn’t heard the note of seriousness in his voice.
“Might make going to the toilet a bit difficult.”
“Like I fucking care.”
“I might care, Daddy. A girl needs her privacy.”
“What the fuck for? Safety trumps privacy.”
She sighed. “There are things a girl doesn’t want her man to see.”
She rubbed at her throbbing head.
“Christ. Brown eyes, I’m sorry. Here let me get you some painkillers.”
He reached over to the bedside table to grab the painkillers and water. He helped her take both then lay facing her. He ran his fingers lightly down her cheek.
“Maybe I should just lock you in your room. Then you’d be safe.”
“Nope.”
“Nope?” he asked.
“No collar and lead. No locking me in my room.”
“You take all my fun away, brown eyes.” He actually pouted. S
he rolled her eyes.
“I’m so glad you’re okay, Betsy. If I lost you…” his voice broke and this time she gathered him close, holding him tight. “That’s enough talk on all of this. Yesterday you were kidnapped and shot. You have a concussion. You need to rest and not stress, all right? No more thinking about it.”
“I’m free,” she whispered.
“You’re free, brown eyes.”
“I love you.”
“I know, you tell me often enough.”
“Ink!” she laughed.
Epilogue
“Don’t you think a month is a bit excessive?” she moaned as she sat on the kitchen counter. “It’s been three weeks. I’m fine now. Even Hack said so.”
These past three weeks, Ink had been coddling her something wicked. She’d been made to stay in bed the first week, and any whining had been noted down his Betsy is a Bad Girl notebook.
She needed to find a way to burn that thing.
Once Hack had declared her fully healed, she’d received one hell of a spanking because of all the infractions in that book. She hadn’t been able to sit comfortably for days.
But even though Hack had given his approval for her to go back to work, Ink was still insisting that she stay home. The boys were heading off to school today. It was their first day. Both she and Ink had realized they needed some more adjustment time after her kidnapping and last week they’d all gone to Florida for a few days in the sun at the beach.
It had been what they’d all needed. But now the boys were headed off to school and she was ready for life to go back to normal. Well, a new normal anyway.
Nothing had surfaced regarding Rex’s death, so either Forrest didn’t have any evidence or it hadn’t been found by the FBI. Each day that passed, a bit more tension left her.
Sunny and Duke had discussed using the number she had to call the Fox for more answers, but in the end Sunny said no. That she didn’t think he’d give them the answers anyway.
Betsy agreed.
Spike had tracked down Jana. She’d broken bail and ended up back in jail. Betsy wasn’t sure that Ink was going to let that be the last of it, but she’d remain in jail until her sentencing. So they’d have to wait and see what happened to her and Myers.
Ink moved in closer, lowering his voice. The boys hadn’t come down yet. “After breakfast, we’ll take the boys to school. I’ve taken the day off to spend with you. It’s been a long time since you had a proper Little day.”
Hero Daddy Page 34