Page 37 of His Sassy Little

Arabella couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation but what she could hear didn’t sound good.

“You’re sure?”

There was a long pause before Daddy spoke again.

“No, man, it isn’t your fault that Diana’s husband got away. None of us could have predicted it.”

Another long pause.

“You’re sure the delivery guy walked out on his own, with no injuries?”

Short pause.

“That means he knows something. You see what you can get from him, I need to call Blade and let him know what’s going on. Thanks, Rocky. Talk soon.”

Daddy hung up his phone and looked her way. Arabella didn’t even give him a second to feel guilty, “It’s fine, Daddy. You need to call Blade, I’ll be okay.”

“I’ll just be right outside the door.” He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss before standing and heading for the hall.

Arabella tried hard not to listen in, but with the door cracked open and Daddy right outside it, there wasn’t much hope she wouldn’t hear, “Brian’s in the wind. Pizza delivery came, Rocky saw who he thought was the driver leave a couple of minutes after arriving, then about twenty-minutes later, the actual driver strolled away. When Rocky checked, the place was deserted.”

Arabella tried to concentrate on her knight battling the dragon to save the princess in the tall tower, but as soon as Daddy’s voice drifted back into the room, she was all ears again. Really, if Daddy didn’t want her eavesdropping, he shouldn’t stand right at an open doorway.

“Rocky’s going after the delivery guy and I’m about to alert Stone, and have him pull some guys to locate the husband, but you need to be aware. I don’t think he could have pulled this off without some inside knowledge, which could include the location of the cabin. Get out of there and go dark. Stone knows how to reach you if and when we have the situation resolved here.”

Arabella felt sorry for the woman Blade was protecting, she knew exactly how it felt after all. Could someone inside the club have been feeding information to the husband? How awful. Who would do that?

“I don’t know, man, all I know at this point is the delivery guy is involved, and somehow, Brian got away… We will… We won’t. Yeah, I know, but for now, just get out.”

When Daddy hung up, Arabella called out to him, “Everything okay?”

“Not right yet, but hopefully, we’ll get it handled quickly. I just need to make another call.”

“Okay, Daddy. Take your time, the knight just about has your dragon defeated!”

“Hey now, who said you could continue this battle without me?”

“The show must go on, Daddy… The show must go on!” At least she made Daddy chuckle. He seemed a bit stressed.

The property was extra quiet and her outside privileges had been revoked, but Arabella didn’t really mind. She knew it was helping another woman to have the guys hunting for Brian Preston. She would never be so selfish as to wish them here, just so she could practice her tree climbing.

Daddy had been on and off the phone most of the day and he was super stressed. Arabella planned to help him de-stress. He was always taking care of her, and she hoped he’d let her do the same for him.

After the dinner dishes had been completed, Arabella took Daddy’s hand and without saying a word, she led him around the house to make sure it was locked up. She knew he wouldn’t truly relax unless he was sure. Once every entrance was checked and the alarm was set, Arabella led Daddy to the bathroom. It wasn’t until she reached for the hem of his shirt that he asked, “What are you doing, Little Hurricane?”

“Taking care of you for a change, Daddy. Now, bend over some so I can get this shirt off. You’re too tall.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Tanner stood in shock for a moment as Arabella’s words sank in.

“Taking care of me?”

He wasn’t sure why this should surprise him, except no one had ever really taken care of him before, not since he was a kid.

“Yes, Daddy, now bend over some.” Tanner followed her orders, more out of curiosity about where this was going than a true desire for her to take care of him. “I need to do this for you, Daddy.” She continued as if she could feel his hesitation. “Bend just a bit more, I’m short, remember?”

“You’re perfect.” But he bent over more, and she pulled the shirt over his head.

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