Page 39 of Hey, Daddy

I stiffened. “No, why?”

I heard no movement from behind me, and I prayed it stayed that way.

“I’m looking for one.” He rolled his eyes, like what I’d just said was dumb. “She’s about five foot four, gray eyes, long blonde hair. She was wearing a hoodie and some jeans.”

I kept shaking my head. “Nope, I haven’t seen anyone.”

He cursed and started to look over my shoulder. “You alone?”

I clenched my hand into a fist and reached behind my back slowly, feeling the knife I always stashed in my waistband.

I’d started doing that when I was going on walks with Butters.

I pulled the knife out but left it behind my back.

I didn’t want him to see that I had it, just in case I could still rectify the situation without violence.

“Why are you so defensive, huh?” he asked, crowding me closer.

I wish I had left the chain on the door.

At least then I might have been able to close the door.

But there was one thing that Shasha would’ve thrown in my face right about now—the door was paper thin, and nothing would stop a determined person from getting in if they actually wanted to.

“I’m defensive because a very large man is at my door, angry about a kid that I don’t have,” I said. “I’m thirty. There’s no way I could look this good and have a kid.”

That was a lie.

My sister looked phenomenal after having three children. And my sister-in-law could win a fuckin’ beauty pageant right now if she wanted to after having my niece.

He put his hand on the door and pushed, which was when I reacted.

I brought my hand up and around and stabbed him in the stomach before bringing my leg up and kicking him as hard as I could in the nuts.

He fell backward, and I took that time to slam the door closed, lock it, and shuffle backward to the cookie jar where I kept my revolver.

I aimed it at the door and yelled, “I have a forty-five in my hand and aimed it at the door. If you come into the apartment, I’ll shoot you.”

There was a hard thump on the door and then nothing.

“Should we call the cops?” the shaky girl’s voice whispered.

I didn’t want those cops anywhere near me.

Not after them following me around for the last month.

But…

“Daddy!”

I blinked and risked a glance over my shoulder at the teen girl behind me.

She was sixteen but already looked like a woman.

She had gray eyes that looked so freakin’ familiar, and a cherub face that would make angels weep.

She didn’t have any of that awkward teen look about her at all.

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