Page 18 of Babydoll

“For a four-year-old?”

“You’ve met Her Majesty, Queen of Play Group, haven’t you?”

I bark out a laugh. “Fiona, the uppity know-it-all mother?”

“Yup. There may have been grumblings on our drive home and Reece may have picked up some of the descriptors I used,” she replies dismissively. “Reece picks up everything and if she’s going to repeat my words, she had better know what they mean.”

My mother huffs and I smile.

“You’re a saint, Mom. If it were me, Reece would be calling the dragon a catty asshole.”

My mother laughs, but it’s true. I wouldn’t have the patience for the things my mom does. She should be traveling the world, taking art classes in France, and doing wine tours in Italy with my dad, but instead she’s raising Reece.

We finish chatting about Reece’s day before she signs off and I’m back to watching Lu on the monitors.

My thoughts quickly turn wicked as she bends over to disinfect the reception desk, my cock lengthening as I picture pinning her firmly over that desk and whispering filthy things in her ear.

My dirty thoughts are gone the instant she bolts upright though, and when her head snaps toward the bank of floor-to-ceiling windows in the lobby, I’m ready to run. But I force myself to hold back. I know from watching Lu regularly she’s jumpy when she’s alone. Even though no one who’d met Lu the janitor would ever use the term to describe her, she looks vulnerable right now.

Lu’s straight spine bows as she clutches the desk to steady herself. And then, before I can react, I hear why.

The roar of bikes, loud and angry-sounding, has me checking the perimeter monitors. I see nothing out of place. No bikes, no Ransom. My eyes dart back to Lu. She’s hugging her arms around her chest now. The monitors aren’t the best quality but they’re better than average equipment, so I think she may even be having a panic attack.

Fuck!

I’ve seen her with them many times, but she’s always held her composure. She holds it well enough I’m still not sure if she’s working with them willingly or not. But this reaction tonight makes me anxious.

I want to go to her, soothe her, but I know the instant she sees me her walls will go up.

I pull out my phone again, this time dialing one of my guys on the outside watching the three members most on my radar.

“Hey, boss. All quiet here.” Bale doesn’t wait for my question.

“You sure? A group just ripped through here.”

“Not these three. They’re warming the booth at Pink’s.”

The Pink Kitty is a strip club on the other side of town. “Thanks, Bale. Keep on them. Might be more coming.”

Bale curses. “Yeah, I hear ‘em coming. Must be a meeting at Pink’s. I’ll see what I can pick up.”

“Keep me posted.” I sign off with Bale and turn back to Lu.

She’s cleaning again, this time with more aggression than the floor deserves, but when she looks up to wipe her brow, I can still see fear on her face.

I want to annihilate the reason for that fear, to tear down her walls, brick by brick, earning her trust, so she’ll tell me all about her dragons. And then, dammit, I want to slay each and every one—starting with Preacher, Slash, and Python.

Besides drawing out the real girl inside and nurturing her, I want to fucking dirty daddy Tallulah Jane into oblivion.

And that means I’m in trouble. My investigation is compromised, and I should give this assignment to someone else. Maybe Bale.

Bale’s as big as an ox, smart as they come and…

Fuck that. She needs me. Lu needsme. Her Grizzly Daddy.

Briskly, I walk the perimeter of the factory, my mind half on Lu, half on my investigation and that’s the best I can do for now.

“Oh hey, boss,” Johnson, another one of my guys says, dropping his cigarette, squishing the butt with his thickly soled boot. I grimace, hating the habit, but say nothing. He prefers perimeter duty because of that habit. And because he gets antsy indoors. Something about his time in the military. And it seems I prefer to work inside where I can stalk Lu via security monitor.

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