Page 22 of Gideon

I glanced at my phone. Two hours until I collected Abby. The professional movers had finished clearing out Abby’s apartment. I’d gone and packed her bedroom myself after taking her to work so they wouldn’t see anything she didn’t want them to.

Dave Kirkman and his father were facing a world of hurt after the call I had made yesterday to stir things up a little. I’d love to have ended him, and it wasn’t like we didn’t know guys we could trust, but everyone had seen me yesterday, so on this occasion having him suddenly disappear could take some explaining. The alerts kept going off on my phone and that would happen until our security expert went this afternoon to remove the camera. I kept glancing at the phone to check that Kirkman hadn’t completely lost his mind and was giving the movers hell, but an hour later I got a text confirming everything was packed and the apartment cleared.

I’d gotten all Abby’s stuffies arranged on the daybed in the nursery where she could cuddle them or nap while I worked. I didn’t like the idea of her being alone at the house, though, if I ever had to leave for a meeting. Maybe I should get her a guard dog? She liked dogs, and some of them could be trained to spot low blood sugar. Although, she had low bloodpressure. I wasn’t sure how that worked, but it was something to look into.

I had plenty of time, and I silently congratulated myself on getting her things all moved. I’d made the mistake twice now of giving her too many choices, and I knew she didn’t do well with that scenario. Presenting her with a done deal would be much better. I also had to get creative with punishments. I’d backed off because of her health, but the guys were right. Abby putting herself in danger, and lying to her Daddy in any way, was completely unacceptable.

My phone buzzed with another alert, and for a second, I nearly ignored it. All her things were moved. She would never be going back there again, but I pulled it from my pocket, then nearly dropped the damn thing as I stared in disbelief at Abby walking into the apartment. Not only should she still be at work, but that fucker Richard Martin had his arm around her. I snarled, and Maddox stopped mid-sentence in his conversation with Dion. “What is it?”

I didn’t pause to explain, just turned and ran.

Abigail

“Where’s all your stuff?” Ricky asked.

I shook my head mutely, then managed to get my legs to work enough to carry me to my bedroom, but it was just as empty. My things, my stuffies…my clock and, oh, mylist. My knees failed me, and I sat down abruptly on the floor.

“Were you robbed?” Ricky said, pulling out his phone. “I mean, I have to go back to work, but I can call the cops?”

I shook my head mutely. It had to be Kirkman. But all my things? “It’s my landlord,” I whispered. And I finally took in Ricky’s question. The cops scared me, and I didn’t trust Kirkman not to have a friend that worked there, or even someone his dad paid off.

“Did you owe rent?” he asked uncomfortably. I shook my head.

“Look, Abigail. Can I call someone for you?” Ricky shuffled from foot to foot. Then I realized he needed to get back to work. I needed to act like the grown-up I was supposed to be, but for a moment, a very long moment, I wanted the person who told me this weekend it was safe to act like a Little. To give him all my problems. It would be so easy, and I knew he would help, but he’d punched Kirkman once already.

“He might get charged with assault,” I whispered. Thinking of the cops, the boys in blue as one of my foster-dads had called them. What was that show he liked? “Blue Bloods.” But then I realized by Ricky’s face that I’d answered myself out loud.

“Can I call someone then?” he said, even as he took a step back. I shook my head.

“I got it,” I said, trying to smile brightly, or to look vaguely competent, and I stood up.

Ricky nodded, his relief obvious, and he left. And again, I was reminded of the stark difference in his behavior and Daddy’s. “No,” I sighed. “He’s not your Daddy.” It was funny because I felt calm. Almost as if there wasn’t anything worse than could happen, so I could deal with it. But I needed my list. I also needed Big Bear, my stuffie, and as I knew Kirkmanhad cleared my stuff out in punishment, that meant they would be in the dumpsters out back.

Which meant I had to go get them. It wasn’t like I didn’t know where the dumpsters were. We didn’t exactly have valet trash. And I needed to hurry.

I managed to sneak out the back way past the awful laundry I chose not to look at and let myself into the parking lot. Kirkman charged for parking, so I supposed it was a good thing I didn’t have a car. Silver linings and all that. I giggled and wondered if this was what being drunk felt like. I felt ridiculous. All my things had been stolen, and I’d been fired. It couldn’t get much worse, but then I remembered Kirkman’s hands on me yesterday and knew I was wrong.

I stood and looked at the dumpsters. One was usually open, which was a good thing because I was short, except they were both closed now. I spied the crates I usually had to stand on even to throw my trash in. Actually, getting the lid off the dumpsters would be more of a challenge, but I wasn’t prepared to walk away.

I had no idea how I even managed to open the lid far enough for me to see and I nearly gagged at the smell, but pushed it as high as I could and peered in.

“ABIGAIL,” came the shout just as I looked down, and I had to admit if it hadn’t been for the strong arms that surrounded my waist I might have fallen in. As it was I was clutched to a strong chest having kisses pressed into my hair.

Which I could get used to.

“What thefuck, baby girl?” Gideon nearly shouted at me. “Why aren’t you at work and what the fuck was that toe-rag doing with you in your old apartment?”

Tears filled my eyes because I’d wanted Daddy to save me so damn much and he was here, and he groaned before pressing me against his chest again. “Do you know how much you just terrified me? What were you thinking?”

And in a very small voice, even to me, I whispered, “I got fired.”

“Well, thank fuck,” Daddy muttered, which didn’t seem to make any sense. Then two other cars screeched into the parking lot and a man—Maddox, because I knew him—erupted out of one and a really dangerous-looking one with a lot of tattoos jumped out of the other. Daddy knew him though, so that was okay, and told me his name was Dion.

And because everything was really overwhelming, my legs wobbled and my head swam, but Daddy simply lifted me up and cradle-carried me until I was tucked and belted into his car, and we were driving home.

I closed my eyes and might have pretended to be asleep because I knew when we got back it was going to be bad, but then I remembered everything and sat up as we pulled into the drive. “I was robbed.”

Daddy swung his head to me as he turned off the engine.

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