Page 146 of Daddy P.I. 3.0

Max and I nod without hesitation.

“We get caught, we go to jail for a very long time,” Myles presses the point home again. “I have some contacts upstream but they won’t be able to help us with this.”

“I don’t want to pull them in,” I tell him. “No one else. This is between the three of us and Ten. We don’t involve anyone else. We’re not rescuing a mini-goat here. We’re ending the threat to every submissive that Drew comes into contact with.”

Myles nods. “I have a contact I’ll need to involve on the back end. Max has met him. He’s completely solid. I wouldn’t involve him otherwise.”

In this moment, under these surreal circumstances, I trust Myles without question. “That’s fine,” I agree.

“Pack for three days. I have weapons but if you prefer your own gun, bring it. We’re taking my plane. Say goodbye to your girls. I’m going to call my driver. Twenty minutes until wheels up.”

Max and I nod. That ends the discussion. Myles releases us. I go to find Emily and explain the unexplainable.

I take her up to our bedroom and sit on the edge of the bed with her in my lap. I rest my forehead against hers.

“I don’t want you to know where I’m going. That way if you’re asked, you can honestly say you don’t know. I don’t want to tell you what I’m doing. It would make you an accessory. Myles thinks we’ll be gone for three days. I swear I’ll come back to you, baby girl. There’s nothing more important to me than coming home to you.”

She cups my face in her hands. “I won’t ask you where you’re going; I won’t ask what you’re doing. I know you’re doing what needs to be done. I know you’ll come back to me and you’ll bring Max and Myles home safe. And Master Ten, too. Because that’s who you are.”

I hold her for half of my allotted twenty minutes, rocking her in my lap. “Mac will stay with you. He’s going to be pissed off when he realizes where we’ve gone. Tell him I didn’t trust anyone else to protect my girls.”

Emily nods and holds me tightly. She’s not clinging to me. She’s not trembling. She’s as resolute as I am. My baby doll.

When the time starts to worry me, she helps me pack in her quiet, efficient way. I make it downstairs with two minutes to spare. Opening my gun safe, I pull out my Glock and ammunition and take out two stacks of twenties. As I shove them in my bag, my fingertips brush something that doesn’t feel like my clothes. I peer into the bag.

One of Emily’s tiny stuffed dinosaurs is nestled between two pairs of jeans.

With a smile, I zip up my bag.

Mac’s waiting in the hallway with Emmy and Bren. Livvy’s on Mac’s shoulder. He pats her back and she rips out one of her froggy burps.

I glance at Emily and smile. She smiles back, although her eyes gleam with unshed tears. My brave little girl.

Mac eyes my bag narrowly. “Where the fuck d’you think you’re going, son?”

I pat Livvy’s back. “Emily will explain. I’ll call every night no later than ten to say goodnight. I love you, Mac. You’ve been more of a father to me than my own dad. Keep our girls safe.” I nod at Bren and Emily. “Keep our family safe.”

Mac’s jaw knots. “We’re gonna have words about this when you get back.”

I nod and grip his shoulder. Then I sweep up Emily in a final hug. As I’m releasing her, there’s a knock on the door. When I check my phone, Myles stares back at me. I hadn’t realized he’d left the house.

As I open the door, a firm hand lands on my shoulder and tugs me back. I turn. Brenna throws herself at me, hugging me fiercely. I smile over her shoulder at Mac and Emily as I hug her with my free arm.

“Come home safe, Daddy Lo,” Brenna says, her voice rough.

I pat her back. “See you in a few days. I’d say be good but we both know that’s not going to happen.”

She cuffs me on the shoulder as she steps back, wiping her eyes. “Don’t be an ass. I’m trying to emote here.”

Chuckling, I leave with Myles. He leads me to a huge, black SUV that’s idling at the curb. I put my bag in the boot and join Max in the back seat.

Max holds out a silvery bag. “Everything in here. Phone. Smart watch. Credit cards. Anything with a chip in it.”

“Burner phone?”

Max shakes his head. “We’ll coordinate burners in a minute.”

I drop my electronics into the bag. I didn’t bring my wallet, only the cash. Max tucks the bag away. He takes the burner for Ten, lines up four phones on his lap, and fiddles for a few moments. Then he hands me one of the phones.

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