Under Daddy's Protection

by Serafine Laveaux

  “This isn’t up for discussion,” he snapped. “Bring it to me now.” He watched as she slipped into the kitchen and picked up a cereal box, pretending to read it as she sneakily reached for something by the sink. “Don’t play games, I know your phone is on the kitchen counter. Bring it to me now.” When she didn’t, he said the word that used to strike fear into his own heart growing up. “One...”

  Its effect on her was immediate, and he was relieved to see her set the box down and sulk her way back. “It’s not fair,” she whined as she handed the phone to him. “I just bought it.”

  “I’ll buy you a new one,” he said, and was answered with a dramatic eye roll that put his teeth on edge. Just because she was grown up didn’t mean he wouldn’t bend her over his knee for such insolence. He had to remind himself she’d had a traumatic morning and it was quite possible she hadn’t even processed what had happened yet. For now he would let it go, but he wouldn’t be so willing to overlook it in the future. He set the iPhone on top of the pizza box with a nod to Angelo. There actually was a pizza inside the box, and a damn good one too if memory served. He would have brought it with them but Kitten didn’t need that reminder every time she opened his fridge. Besides, if the trash that littered half her home was any indication, she’d had enough pizza to last a lifetime.

  He helped her put her backpack on and ushered her out of her condo into the hallway just as a pair of barrel-chested men showed up pushing a janitorial cart. Taking her hand, he pulled her aside to let them pass. “I’m going to take you somewhere safe now,” he said softly. “Just stay beside me and pretend everything is normal.”

  “What if someone else comes?”

  Gage thought it was unlikely, although it was possible the woman had an assistant waiting outside. “They won’t,” he assured her, “but if I tell you to run, you run straight back here as fast as you can.” He pointed a finger at the two ‘janitors’ going into her condo. Either one would have looked equally at home dressed as pro football linebackers. “You’ll be safe with those guys.”

  “No one is what they seem,” she sighed. “The pizza guy isn’t a pizza guy. Flower lady isn’t really delivering flowers. Now the janitors aren’t really janitors.” Gage didn’t have a response for that. In his world he’d learned few were what they appeared, but he wished his kitten could have been spared that reality.

  They passed through the building unnoticed, and he saw no one outside who might have been waiting for the dead woman to come out. That didn’t surprise him. Easy contract, easy money, but not worth splitting the payout for. Whoever she was she came alone, and for that he was grateful. With any luck it would be at least twenty-four hours before anyone came looking. The Switchboard would reopen the contract, but by then he would have Nikki off the grid without a trace.

  Chapter Six

  Nikki barely remembered leaving her condo or getting into the Shadow Man’s car. She’d managed to grab her pink poodle but that was it. All her pretty dresses, her seashell collection, the beautiful artwork she’d hung in her room, even her brand new phone had to be left behind. So many questions swirled in her head as she watched the scenery fly by. How did he get in her house? When did he get in? Had he been watching her all morning? Most important, who was he? All those nights she’d watched him at the club, all the different stories she’d made up about who he might be, and she’d never even come close to the truth. He was more of a question mark to her now than ever.

  Without any answers, her brain had nothing better to do besides replay the moment when he shot the woman who had come to kill her. A constant loop of the moment she died was the last thing Nikki wanted to see but she seemed helpless to shut it off. The moment he killed her, her mind corrected. He murdered her right there in front of you, and now you’re in his car. What’s wrong with this picture? She thought everything was wrong with it. How could the day start out so perfectly only to go so horribly wrong?

  If Nikki hadn’t heard the woman yell that it was her contract she never would have believed the Shadow Man when he told her the flowers were just a ruse. It was still almost impossible to believe the woman had come to kill her. After all, she was just a bartender. Things like this were only supposed to happen in the movies, not to people like her! She wanted to crawl back into bed, pull the covers over her face, and pretend none of it had ever happened. Instead she was in some strange man’s car going who knew where. For a while she kept her eyes closed and tried to let her mind go blank, but before long she felt the car make a slow turn and come to a stop, then heard a woman’s voice just outside.

  “She’s my guest,” the Shadow Man said. Nikki opened her eyes to see they’d pulled up to a parking garage entrance. A blonde woman was standing by his door holding a scanner in front of his face, and Nikki could see the edge of a holstered gun just inside her tailored jacket. Wherever he was taking her, it had serious security. For the first time she wished she’d paid more attention to security than pool location when she bought her place. It seemed anyone could walk in off the street and into her home, but she doubted even a mouse could slip into this place undetected.

  The scanner beeped its approval and the woman stepped back to let them pass. “Have a good day, Mr. Gage,” she said as they drove through. Mr. Gage. Now she remembered. He’d told her his name when he was helping her get dressed. OMG, he saw me in my underwear, she thought as her cheeks turned red. The day just kept getting worse. Even more embarrassing was how she just sat there while he put one leg after the other into her jeans. When it was actually happening she hadn’t cared, but now she was mortified. At least she’d had her bra and panties on, but she’d been wearing her Frozen onesie at the time. He probably thought she was nuts. Or maybe not. After all he’d just killed someone in her living room and then called the pizza man to clean it up. Maybe seeing her in her jammies with her stuffies didn’t even register on his list of things that made him go ‘hmm.’

  She didn’t resist when he took her hand and led her to the elevator, finding comfort in his firm grasp. Everything was spinning out of control. Having his strong hand wrapped around hers helped ground her a bit. Inside the lobby she was again struck by the contrast between it and the complex where she lived. With few chairs to sit in and no TVs to watch, there was zero incentive for people to hang around. Nikki imagined the concierge preferred it that way. Unlike the selfie and texting obsessed concierge at her place, the stern, well-dressed man behind this lobby’s counter turned his entire attention toward them the moment they stepped off the elevator. Although he seemed focused on Mr. Gage, Nikki found herself shrinking back anyway. The man may have been old, but his sharp eyes and age-defying physique sent a shiver of fear down her spine. Something told her he was once like Gage. Maybe the woman who admitted them to the garage was too. Suddenly she wondered how many hired killers there were out there, and how many of them might be coming after her next. It was the final straw. Overwhelmed and with nowhere else to turn, she burrowed under Gage’s arm for safety, focusing on the masculine aroma of his aftershave as she tried to forget everything that had happened.

  * * *

  Henry greeted him in his usual fashion, pretending not to notice the quivering girl trying to climb into Gage’s left pocket. “Good afternoon, Mr. Gage. Is there anything I can do for you?”

  Gage wrapped his arm around Nikki’s small shoulders, trying unsuccessfully to get her to come out from behind him. She was practically fused to his side with a death grip on the back of his shirt. “This is Kitten. She’ll be staying with me for a few days.” He thought for a second and then added, “She’s my niece.” Niece usually meant prostitute, but Gage preferred Henry believe he had an underage hooker staying with him than a stolen contract. The uptight Brit would no sooner pass information along than he would show up to work without his pants on, but Gage didn’t care to push the boundaries.

  He was on uncharted ground now. The Switchboard had clear rules regarding poaching contracts and while he wasn’t stealin
g a contract, he had damn sure burned one. There was no doubt they would take a disapproving view of what he’d done. Not that they gave two figs for the dead mercenary he’d left behind, but they would be furious he canceled someone else’s job and left their client hanging. That would make them look bad and there would be consequences for that. He’d been with them for over a decade and had a spotless record, but that might be enough to find himself on the wrong end of a contract.

  Henry nodded. “Of course. Will she be needing anything this afternoon? Lunch perhaps, or a sitter?”

  Having seen Nikki’s disgusting collection of pizza boxes, empty fast food wrappers, takeout containers, and soda cups, he knew she didn’t eat right. A decent meal would do her a world of good. Unfortunately with all the trauma she’d experienced that morning, he doubted she would have an appetite. An old memory arose, one of his older sister clutching a quart of ice cream and crying her way through it after a particularly bad breakup. It wasn’t the healthiest option but perhaps a bowl of ice cream would make her feel at least a tiny bit better. “Could you send up some ice cream?” he asked as he brushed Nikki’s hair out of her face. He tried to recall what his sister always ate but couldn’t. Chocolate seemed a safe bet though. Women always loved chocolate. “Some kind of chocolate if you have it.” Henry nodded, and Gage caught a glimmer of genuine interest in the man’s eyes. He wasn’t sure if he found it disturbing or reassuring.

  She stayed glued to his side the entire time, gripping his hand tightly even after they’d reached his condo and were safely inside. The bubbly bartender was gone, replaced by a terrified girl clutching a stuffed pink poodle who looked like she might faint away at any moment. Seeing her so fragile had Gage at a loss for what to do next. He could stitch up a cut or remove a bullet, or even set a bone if he needed to, but he had no idea how to help her come to terms with what was happening to her. Keeping her safe was the easy part right now. Making her feel safe was going to be much more difficult.

  Thinking a nap might help, he led her to the couch and helped her lie down on it. It was like setting a doll in place, each limb remaining exactly where he positioned it. She looked a bit like a doll as well, nestled motionless among the sofa pillows. Gage removed her shoes and then covered her with one of the decorative blankets his designer had insisted belonged on the edge of one of the couches. At last he’d found a use for them beyond merely decorative. The condo stayed on the chilly side to counter the tropical heat just outside and he noticed she had begun to shiver slightly. Whether it was due to his excellent air conditioning or being in a state of shock he wasn’t sure, but at least she would be warm under the blanket.

  There was nothing more he could do for her now so he took her backpack and went to check on the spare bedroom. He’d bought the unit already furnished and the guest room was little more than window dressing. No one had ever used it. It was clean, sterile even, which was how he preferred things but he knew it would probably feel cold to Nikki. Reaching into her backpack, he took the stuffed pink bunny out and set it against the pillows on the bed. It helped soften the room slightly, but now he wished he’d grabbed more from her house. Another stuffed animal, or even the blanket off her bed. At the time he had bigger concerns than making her feel at home at his place. Now it was too late to go back.

  As he came out of the spare room the door buzzer went off, sending Nikki flying off the couch to hide behind it. “It’s ok, Kitten,” he called to her as he went to answer the door. “It’s just your ice cream.” Outside the same woman who brought his dinner the night before now waited with a grocery sack. “I didn’t know which kind so I got four different ones,” she told him, still keeping her eyes downcast as she handed it to him. Gage thanked her with a twenty dollar bill, then took the ice cream to the kitchen.

  She’d selected an assortment of Ben & Jerry’s that included Chocolate Fudge Brownie, New York Super Fudge Chunk, Chocolate Peppermint Crunch, and lastly, Chocolate Therapy. That’s appropriate, he thought as he put the first three into the freezer before taking out a bowl and a spoon. “Kitten,” he called as he put a few scoops of ice cream into the bowl and set it on the kitchen island. “Come get some ice cream. It’s chocolate.”

  At first he wasn’t sure she would come out from behind the couch, but the lure of chocolate ice cream proved too much to resist for long. Within a minute she crept out of her hiding spot and came to investigate, picking up the bowl and eating a spoonful as he stepped back to allow her some space. He was hopeful at first, but it was soon clear she wasn’t really interested. After a couple of bites she stopped, clutching her spoon and staring at the bowl without really seeing it. It was like watching a curtain close over a window. Gage didn’t know what else to do. He’d hoped the ice cream might perk her up a bit. Now he wasn’t sure she was even aware she’d eaten some.

  He was about to suggest she lie back down when the color drained from her face and a sweat popped across her forehead. “OMG, I’m gonna be sick,” she said weakly. Before he could react, she vomited up the two spoonfuls of ice cream she’d managed to eat plus whatever she’d had that morning down the front of her shirt, over the tops of her socks, and across the slate tile floor. Gage’s own stomach lurched in response as he scooped her up and carried her to the bathroom, all the way assuring her everything would be ok while praying she didn’t get sick again, this time all over him.

  Fortunately her stomach seemed to have calmed down and he got her seated on the toilet lid without further incident. He adjusted the tub faucets to draw a warm bath, then retrieved a fluffy towel and a couple of cloths from the cabinet. “Let me wash your face, Kitten,” he said as he wetted one of the washcloths and gently wiped her face clean. “We’ll get you cleaned up and then get you to bed, ok?” When she didn’t respond, he squeezed her hand. “I’ll take care of you, honey,” he assured her. “Just wait here and I’ll be right back.”

  He went to the kitchen to survey the mess and grimaced. “Poor kid,” he muttered to the empty room. Fortunately his HOA also included 24/7 cleaning services, so he placed a quick call to Henry for an emergency housekeeper. This one was going to deserve more than a twenty dollar tip for certain, but his only concern now was getting Nikki cleaned up and then tucked in for a long nap.

  When he returned to the bathroom she was still sitting where he’d left her, so he pulled her to her feet and began removing her soiled clothing. Her t-shirt had taken the brunt of her accident but her socks and faded jeans were wrecked as well. When he got down to her bra and panties he hesitated, concerned not only about her reaction to him stripping her naked but his own. So many of his recent fantasies had revolved around this very act, and while none had involved these particular circumstances his cock seemed willing to overlook the less pleasant details. The last thing she needed now was to see him getting turned on. He wanted to take care of her, not take advantage of her, but she might not believe that if his cock turned his pants into a tent. Fortunately she seemed oblivious to his actions, allowing him to remove the last of her clothing without a fuss.

  “Get in the tub, sweetheart, I’ll be back in a second.” Willing his cock to go back to sleep, he gathered up her clothing and carried it out to the foyer. To his relief the housekeeper was letting herself in just as he rounded the corner. “These need to be washed as well, please,” he said as he set them on the edge of the entryway table. As an afterthought he removed his own shirt and added it to the pile just in case. He showed the cleaner what needed to be dealt with, and after seeing a look of disgust briefly flit across her otherwise impassive face, pulled a hundred dollar bill from his wallet and left it on the table for her. Another glance at the kitchen floor shut down his inquisitive penis at least, allowing him to return to Nikki with his composure back in place.

  She hadn’t gotten in the tub so he picked her up and set her down in the warm bath. It pained him to see her so withdrawn but maybe a relaxing soak would help. Her ebony hair was a rat’s nest of snarls and tangles so he carefull
y combed the worst of it out with his fingers, unraveling them one by one before reaching for the shampoo. The decidedly masculine scent reminded him to add shampoo and shower gel to the list of toiletries he would need to get for her. When his fingers began massaging her scalp she finally gave some indication she was aware of his presence, sinking back against the edge of the tub and exhaling deeply as he scrubbed. The silence was comforting, only broken by the swish of the water and the sound of her occasional sighs as he massaged out a knot in her shoulder or rubbed her foot while scrubbing her toes.

  Gage was surprised at how much he enjoyed bathing her. He’d taken baths with women before, but this was entirely different. There was nothing sexual about it, yet the act of caring for her gave him pleasure and he made it last until the water had cooled and she’d been scrubbed until she practically glowed. When he could delay it no longer, he pulled the stopper up and helped her to her feet, wrapping the fluffy towel around her before picking her up and carrying her to the guest bedroom. Relaxed and yawning, she allowed him to dry her off without protest, then dress her in a pair of panties and one of his undershirts. It was easily three sizes too large for her and hung halfway to her knees but she looked adorable in it and for a moment Gage almost forgot the real reason she was there.

  He didn’t know what the future held for either of them but for now he would simply enjoy having her all to himself. “Get some sleep, Kitten,” he whispered in her ear as he tucked her into bed. She grabbed the stuffed bunny he’d put on the bed earlier and curled up on her side with it nestled under her chin. The sight of her melted his heart as he sat on the bed beside her and rubbed her back until at last she fell asleep. “I’ll fix it all,” he promised, giving her a kiss on the forehead before leaving.

  Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, Gage considered his next move. All things considered, things had gone fairly smoothly up to that point. The flower delivery assailant had been a complication but not entirely unexpected. The real job now was keeping her safe. He’d stopped one mercenary but more would follow unless he got the contract killed, and quickly. Much as he enjoyed the novelty of caring for her, she couldn’t stay hidden in his condo forever. The first order of business was to find out who had put out the contract in the first place. He only hoped he would find out what he needed to know before it was too late.