Page 29 of Kenzie's Perfect Daddies

Annie’s face conveyed the truth of her words and Kenzie felt her stomach drop, but she remained silent waiting for what else Annie needed to say.

“I’m not sure what’s been going on the last month or so, but your till has been short almost every shift and I just can’t afford to let it keep happening. I really am sorry, but I’m going to have to put you on leave without pay until we figure out what’s causing it.”

Kenzie’s mouth dropped. She was extremely careful to make sure her counts were correct. She counted change to customers twice and always double checked what she put in the register before finishing a transaction. She’d had very few short tills since starting her job. She couldn’t understand why that would suddenly change.

Kenzie would be the first to admit she’d been preoccupied lately but notthatmuch so. Surely it couldn’t be right. Therehad to be a mistake. When she tried to tell Annie that, Annie had simply stated that an investigation would take place, and everything would be figured out then. In the meantime, Kenzie was on suspension. Effective immediately.

Barely holding back her tears, Kenzie exited Annie’s office first, then the store. Once in the parking lot, Kenzie let go and bawled as she dialed her Daddy’s number.

Sebastian

When his phone rang, he glanced at the screen, expecting to find an unknown number for a telemarketer. Everyone else knew his work times and didn’t usually call. When he saw it was Beau calling, he immediately answered. Beau never called in the middle of a workday without an excellent reason.

“What’s wrong, love?” He didn’t see a point in wasting words. If there was an emergency, the sooner he knew what it was, the better.

“It’s Kenzie. She called crying asking me to pick her up at work. She was crying too hard for me to understand her explanation of what happened, and I couldn’t get her to calm down.”

Sebastian was already gathering his things as he told his boy, “I’m closer so I’ll probably beat you, but I’ll meet you there.”

Sebastian drove faster than was probably wise, but something was wrong with his girl and he wasn’t about to slow down until he knew what it was. He swung into the parking lot to see Kenzie sitting on the ground outside the shop with her head resting on her knees and her shoulders shaking with her tears.

Screeching to a halt, Sebastian rushed from the vehicle and ran to his girl. Something was seriously wrong.

Beau

Beau had never been so freaked out. What was going on? Kenzie had been fine when he dropped her off. She’d been happy and excited for her day. How had that changed so drastically between dropping her off and him pulling into the driveway at home? Why hadn’t he waited just a few more minutes before pulling out? He could have been so much closer if he had.

He was doing his best to obey traffic laws; he didn’t want to break one of Daddy’s rules right then, but it was so hard. He may have ignored one or two, like speed limits, but what Daddy didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. Besides, thishadto be an exception, right?

Beau was smart enough to slow down some and not pull in driving like a crazy person. That would get his hide tanned for sure, but once parked, he was by Kenzie’s side faster than lightning could flash.

Daddy was already holding their girl, so Beau snuggled in behind her as they surrounded her with their comfort and protection. They didn’t know what was happening but until her sobs slowed down, she wouldn’t be able to explain. As difficult as it was, they’d have to be patient about finding out who they had to maim or kill. Whoever had done this to their girl was going to pay. But first, they had to take care of her and make sure she was okay.

As Kenzie cried it all out, Beau began rubbing her back, her arms, anywhere that he could reach, trying to provide comfort while also checking for injuries. He saw red at the thought of anyone physically hurting their girl. Emotionally was bad enough, but physical harm to their Little girl meant the culprit wouldn’t just pay. They’d be dead.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Sebastian

He wasn’t sure how long they sat on the sidewalk huddled around a sobbing Kenzie. He couldn’t imagine what the people passing by who stared in shock at them were thinking, and frankly, he didn’t fucking care. All he cared about was calming their Little girl down and finding out what the hell had happened to upset her this much.

When Kenzie’s sobs finally slowed and her hitching breaths evened out, Sebastian pulled out the handkerchief he habitually had in his pocket and gently dried her face of tears. She tried totake over when he held it to her nose and instructed her to blow, but Sebastian wasn’t having it. He needed to take care of her, especially when she was so upset.

“Tell us what happened, princess,” he gently commanded.

She did. She told them about every minute from her entering the shop to the moment she’d been sent home. Sebastian interjected occasionally, asking questions to get a better understanding while Beau remained silent and cuddled with her, comforting her.

“So, now I am suspended until their investigation is complete and I could lose my job.” Silent tears began falling from her eyes at the mention of losing her job, and Sebastian had heard enough.

“Bollocks to that,” he grumbled, cupping her damp cheeks in his hands, and making sure she was looking at him. “I refuse to see that happen. No way are you losing a job that has brought you so much joy, especially when you aren’t at fault.”

“There isn’t much we can do until the investigation is complete,” Kenzie replied desperately. “I just hope it proves I didn’t do anything wrong.”

As he held her and Beau close until Kenzie’s fresh tears stopped, Sebastian thought of everything she’d told them. It didn’t take him long to figure out what wasreallygoing on. He thanked fate for the suspicious nature his time in insurance investigating had honed in him, and for the fact he’d felt compelled to document things based on his suspicion. Once the light bulb lit in his head, he could no longer stay still.

Sebastian signaled Beau who took Kenzie more fully in his arms. Sebastian needed to move, furious energy vibrating in his system. He paced the sidewalk mumbling to himself, “I knew I didn’t trust that bitch. She was being too fucking nice all of a sudden and there was definitely something off about her helpfulness.”

Kenzie’s head popped up and she stared at Sebastian in shock. “What are you talking about, Papi?”

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