Page 60 of Daddy's Little Survivor

“Jared Anderson works for the FBI and has for years and years. He used to live around Springfield and did some pretty shady things,” Jaxson said.

“So why are you so interested in him?” Michael asked.

“Our police department was building a case against him. Some higher-ups didn't want it to happen in their office, so they tasked us with it. We were trying to gather evidence on Anderson about what he had been doing in his current job,” Jaxson explained.

Michael didn't like the sound of this. If he hadn't been caught and it had been over six years, it was going to be very hard to catch him. Especially since he was in the FBI.

“We still have all the information in boxes at the police station but once he moved, the case was shut down,” Jaxson said. “I don't really know why since it's obvious he's still been doing it, though I have my suspicions. I'm surprised he got himself transferred all the way up to Maine.”

How were they going to get this guy? Jared had resources he could use, and Michael was worried about that. Yes, he did know Jaxson, and Jaxson knew the police department, and Leo and Oliver were ex-military, but they were still not on the same level as Jared. It worried him because he had told Monroe he would keep her safe and he felt like he was failing her right now.

“Did you take any pictures of her bruises and cuts when she first came here?” Jaxson asked Michael.

“Yes, I did. I have them all safe on my hard drive and SD card,” he said.

Michael had gone back and forth with himself about taking the pictures of her or not and now he was glad he had. Monroe knew he had taken pictures because he told her. He wanted her to have the option to press charges later on if she wanted to, and to have this evidence.

“Good. You'll probably have to go give statements at the police station and then we can reopen this whole thing,” Jaxson said. “Don't worry, I trust the people that are working at the police station, and I know for a fact the higher-ups are still the same. Most of them are retiring soon but they are all the same right now.”

Michael didn't know if he should feel grateful it was still the same or if he should be worried. From what Jaxson said, they had closed the case once Jared moved states, so why would they reopen it now?

“No! I can't and won't do it!” Monroe said, shocking them both. “You can't go after him. He'll kill you.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

MONROE

Everything in her body was telling her she shouldn't have said anything about Jared. Why did she go and tell them his name and that she knew some of the stuff he did? She should have just kept her mouth shut or said a fake name or something.

She knew she’d made a mistake when Jaxson started to talk about reopening the case and going after Jared. That was suicide and they had to know it. Jared was high up in the FBI and had a lot of connections – connections that could get all of them killed or put behind bars for a stupid reason.

Monroe needed to figure out how to persuade them to leave Jared alone. They didn't understand how powerful and dangerous Jared really was. She had spent over six years living with him and had seen sides of him they probably couldn’t even imagine.

“Sit down,” Daddy said.

“No. I can't let you go after him and get hurt. This is not your battle to fight,” she exclaimed.

“Not my battle to fight?Not my battle to fight?Did you really just say that?” he asked. “Not my battle to fight. Hmmm. Jaxson, when you have a Little, you protect them, right? Do anything to help them out and keep them safe?”

“That sounds about right,” Jaxson replied.

Monroe didn't know where her Daddy was going with this, and didn't know if she liked it or not.

“Your fights become my fights. I'm protecting you and protecting you means going after the person that hurt you. He deserves what he's going to get. We're going to take him down and I'm going to keep you safe and out of harm's way. He's never going to touch a hair on your pretty little head, and if I have it my way, he won't ever look at you again,” her Daddy said as he got to her height and looked her in the eyes. “Do you understand me?”

“Daddy, he’s powerful and his bosses are in it as well. He had several meetings with them at his house to talk about what they were going to do next and how they were going to cover it up. I can't let anybody die. I won't be able to live with myself. So, you can't go after him because it's suicide. He has a lot of connections and I'm not about to let you go after him. Who knows? Maybe that’s why the investigation here was closed,” Monroe argued, ignoring everything her Daddy had just said.

“Good thing I don't need your permission then. We're going after him whether you like it or not.”

Monroe didn't like the sound of that. He was surely going to die and she wouldn't be able to live with herself. The one person she was comfortable with and he was just willing to sacrifice himself to keep her safe and protected.

“I think it's better if I go alone to Jared so he doesn't come after you. I'll say I made you keep me here while I recovered and gave you no choice. I'll make up some other excuse so you two aren't involved in this. You can't be involved in this,” she said.

“Hell no!” Her Daddy grabbed her arm and pulled her into his lap as he sat back down on the couch.

She struggled, trying to get out of his embrace, but his arms around her were too tight.

“Let go of me,” she yelled.

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