Page 50 of Kade

Lael: On it. I’ll have Ben start looking tonight. You think someone is trying to buy shares secretly?

Me: Maybe.

Lael: That should be easier to find out. Looking into the Bennetts has proven a challenge. I’ll need to update you in person.

That surprised me. Lael was usually too in-demand to travel for a debrief in person. Whatever she’d found had to be significant.

I didn’t reply, and the desk phone rang a moment later.

It was the guard at the front gate. The offices were closed. They’d been closed the whole week, though we’d kept a full detail of security guards still on staff around the clock. When I came in, I’d told them not to disturb me.

I pressed the button for the speaker. “Yeah?”

“Sir, your daughter is at the gate.”

Whoa. What?I switched the feed to bring up the front camera, and sure enough, Maddy was behind the wheel of one of the cars we let her use. She was still grounded and shouldn’t have been away from home, but I could see how tightly she was gripping the wheel. She’d picked up her mom’s nervous habit of chewing her bottom lip.

“Send her through. Let Rich know as well.” Rich was the front desk guard. He’d buzz her in before she reached the door.

“Will do, sir.”

When she walked in carrying a latte, I had to suppress a grin. She paused, uncertain. “What?”

I shook my head. “Nothing. You just look more and more like your mom.”

“Oh.” She went to the chair in front of the desk and sat. She put the coffee on the edge of the desk before sitting back, hugging her knees to her chest. “Pumpkin spice. Don’t hate me. It’s pumpkin season.”

I didn’t care. I was just happy to see her. I’d drink anything she brought me. Which she knew.

I waited, but she didn’t say anything else for a few moments. She only watched me, her eyebrows pulling together.

I leaned back. “What’s up, kiddo?”

She bit her lip, her eyes widening before they fell to my arm. Her face cleared, and she leaned forward. “You got another tattoo?”

I glanced down. I’d almost forgotten, but she was right. The guys all got matching skull tattoos after I officially retired from the NFL. Myself. Logan. Nate. Channing. Matteo. But Logan wanted something just for him and me.

I ran my thumb over it. “It’s a tribal tat. Me and Logan. Not real original, but Logan liked the look of it.”

“A lot of guys have tribal tattoos.” She looked over the rest of my arm. “Tell me about the others.”

I half-grinned. She was stalling before getting to the reason she was here, but I knew she liked to hear about some of the rest of my tats. I had a few before football, but had been indulging myself once I joined the Orcas team. I pointed to the orca tattoo, starting there. “I got this one because of my time on their team, but also because orcas stand for family, longevity, protection, and community. Which to me, stands for you all. My family.”

She grinned, softly.

I pointed to the small butterfly tattoo on the side of my finger. “Because of your mother.” I held up the finger where I had the other butterfly tattooed under my wedding ring, then moved to another under the orca. “The astrological sign for Gemini, which stands for the twins. I wanted it small, but looking half-carved into me because when Nash and Nolan are older, I’ll get another tattoo for each of them. Their choosing. Then there’s yours.”

Her grin widened, her eyes shining.

“A lion.” My chest filled with emotion at the same time her chest seemed to puff up. “It’s what you chose.”

She added, almost under her breath, “It was my favorite animal when I was little.”

“Which never surprised me. You’re ferocious. You’re fierce, and kid, you have so much power. No matter where you stand,no onecan take that away from you.”

Her eyes glistened.

I felt a pull in my chest because I meant it. This kid of mine was an apex predator. I only hoped she wouldn’t realize the extent of how strong she was until she could handle it in a responsible way, but she was everything a lion represented.

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