Page 27 of Her Protector Daddies

“I understand,” Tyler said in a softer tone. “The more we know, the more we can help.”

I began pacing in front of them to try and shake off the nervous energy tingling down my arms and legs. “I came home that day straight from the police station because I knew the only other person that would have driven my car was my father. He’s borrowed it before, y’know and it wouldn’t be the first time he’d done something stupid with it. The number of times I’ve had to walk across town to pick it up from some drug den because he’s too high to bring it back.”

Tyler and Jay exchanged looks again and I nearly snapped at them to say what they were thinking, but I refrained. Once I’d started, I couldn’t stop and the truth poured like vomit.

“When I let myself in, there was this bag on the table filled with so much money.” A short, dry laugh followed. “More money than I’ve ever seen in my life. And jewelry too. My dad, he… he promised that this was the end of our pain, y’know? It was enough for a fresh start and he’d get clean, but then he…”

Suddenly, recalling the attack at his apartment made me feel cold, like the sun had been replaced by a ball of ice, and I shivered.

“He left. He ran away when those men appeared. I half thought he was hiding in the back but they searched and he was gone. So was the money.” I rubbed one hand up my arm and finally turned back to them. Tyler’s gaze was dark and looked grim while Jay watched me closely.

“That’s it,” I said lamely. “That’s all there is.”

“He left you?” Tyler asked tightly. “He just abandoned you to them?”

“Yeah, well I think he thought it was the cops.”

“Don’t make excuses for him,” Tyler snapped, and my core clenched.

Okay, that was hot.

“Do you have any idea where he would go?” Jay asked, tapping his fingers against the glass and smiling when Dae beamed up at him.

“No. None. I lost my phone at the hospital so I just wanted to get away so I could call him and let him know I was okay. Maybe even find out where he was but he didn’t answer and then I ran out of change and couldn’t call anymore.” The constant clicks to voicemail had nearly brought me to tears when I called.

“Am I in trouble?”

“No.” Tyler walked forward and gently clasped my shoulder. “I promise you’re not in trouble. But… is there anyone he would ask for help?”

I scoffed sharply. “He doesn’t have friends.”

“Anyone he’d do a job with?” Tyler continued to press. “CCTV picked up two men in the car so if your dad had a partner, it could lead us to him before the Dorame find him.”

“If they find him, there’s little hope,” Jay agreed grimly.

“A partner?” I fell silent, running things through my mind. My father wasn’t the type of person to keep in contact with anyone who couldn’t sell him something he could use. I dealt with bills and rent, so he didn’t even have to speak to the landlord.

Jay opened the car door and slid inside to sit next to Dae, who had his attention now buried in a picture book. Tyler stayed leaning against the car, watching me as I turned things over in my mind.

Who would my Dad call? The only person that sprung to mind was my mother, given how often he lamented about winning her back, but the last I knew about her, she wasn’t even in the country anymore and hadn’t been for years.

Then it hit me.

A few months ago I had dropped by to visit and interrupted my father having a heated discussion with a man. It wasn’t exactly a friendly interaction but maybe it was something?

“What do you remember?” Tyler suddenly stood in front of me, his brow dipping low. “I can tell by your face.”

Jay poked his head out of the car. “We got something?”

“Uh…” The longer I stared into Tyler’s gorgeous eyes, the more confident I became. “Maybe? A few— a few months ago there was a guy at my dad’s place. Tall, thin. It looked like they moved in the same circles. I just can’t remember his name.”

No sooner had those words left me than the name popped into my mind with a flash of pain and light. I snapped my fingers and smiled up at Tyler.

“Foster. His name was Matt Foster. My dad never gets visitors, so I pressed him hard about that guy. He just kept saying he was someone he used to know from back in the day.”

“Back in his days as a cop?” Jay asked.

“I don’t know.” My father was never forthcoming with details. “He said it wasn’t anything to worry about and was just a way to reminisce about old times. Then we ended up arguing and he never came up again.”

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