Page 108 of Rayna's Daddy

I barely paused, no time for small talk. I headed straight to the elevators. Jules shuffled in her four-inch heels behind me. She waved the key fob at a sensor in the elevator and pushed the PH button.

I held out my hand. She placed the key fob in it.

I held the elevator door open. “I’m sure I can manage from here. If not, I know where to find you.”

She hopped out of the elevator. “I’m available, day or night.”

I didn’t respond.

I rode the elevator up to the penthouse. I thought about knocking on Rayna’s door but tomorrow would be soon enough. My little girl needed her sleep.

The elevator opened into a short hallway. Two penthouses sat on the top floor. I occupied one side and set the other up at a makeshift office. I used the key fob to let myself. It was smaller than my place in Vegas. The small entryway opened into the combined living room and kitchen. The bedroom suite was to the left and down a small hallway. The apartment had two guest rooms in the back.

I wondered around the place. Poured myself a drink and looked out the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Rutger’s University campus. The building was well made, and the fixtures weren’t top of the line, but above average for a glorified dormitory. I had reached out to a friend of mine who purchased properties around college campuses. He turned them into private dorms. An alternative and upgrade to what the university offered. It was popular in the south, but the concept would work up here in Jersey. Next May, the place was all his if he wanted it.

I unpacked what little I bought with me. I had stuff at our family home in Manhattan. The walk-in closet would soon be filled with all of Rayna’s clothes. Her color coordinated knees highs would fill two of the built-in draws.

I walked toward the guest rooms and noted all the unopened boxes I had ordered. Rayna would enjoy putting her room together. A proper playroom for a proper little Ninja.

I shut off the lights and wondered back to the living room. It was quiet. Two quiet. I couldn’t wait for it to be filled with my little girls’ giggles.

I reviewed the footage of Rayna from earlier in the day. She had returned to her apartment around six pm. She was in for the night.

“Sleep tight little ninja. I grinned. “Daddy’s here.”

* * *

I blinkedmy eyes open and was struck by the sense of calm in my brain. I stretched and grabbed my phone. No text from Kyler. I pouted, but my ire didn’t last long. I pushed the covers off and smiled as the sun shined through my floor to ceiling windows. I had grown to love my new little place. Mainly the view, it brightened my day each morning. I patted to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and washed my face.

My room had a tub, but I had stuck to showers since arriving. Some things I wasn’t ready to let go of and bath time with Daddy was one of them. I ignored the toys he packed for me. I perched them on the side of the tub, but they remained untouched. I went back to my room and got dressed. It was a warm day, and the campus would be buzzing with students enjoying the weather before the cold arrived in a couple of months.

The day after I arrived, I walked to the administration building ready to discuss with a counselor my options for paying the rest of the tuition and my rent for the next year. Turns out, I didn’t have those problems anymore. Kyler had paid my tuition in full. In the mail at my new place, I discovered I had a bank account from a local bank with money in it. Not an exorbitant amount, but enough to pay my rent and eat for the rest of my final year. I was too touched by his generosity to be mad at him. He was trying to be my Daddy the best way he could, from halfway across the world.

I took an Uber to my storage unit and got all my stuff. Besides some personal items and my stuffie Sherlock, not much had any appeal. My new clothes made my old ones look dingy and threadbare. I thew on a purple shirt dress and short purple and white stripped socks. I slipped into my purple Chuck Taylors and grabbed my books for class. I swung my backpack over my shoulder and headed out the door and down to the elevator. When the elevator arrived, I stepped in.

“Good morning.” I smiled at the young man leaning into the corner of the elevator. He eyed me up and down but didn’t speak. He peaked at his phone and then back at me.

I turned to face the front. The garage level one button was pushed. I reached out to push the button from the lobby, but didn’t get a chance.

“Hello, Rayna.” He pulled me back against his chest. Thankfully, my backpack was between us. It didn’t prevent him from holding me close. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He grabbed both my hands and secured them behind my back with a zip tie.

“Ouch.” I grunted and struggled to pull free. “Let me --.” He slapped his hand over my mouth. I bit into his palm.

“Fuck.” He shook his hand out and pushed me face first into the other wall. “No biting. Didn’t you parents teach you any manners?”

I tasted blood in my mouth and my vision went blurry.No. I can’t pass out.

I blinked.

“Who are you?” I turned my head. He took a knife out of his pocket and showed it to me.

“I’m a friend of Santorini. I told my guys you were here.” He licked his lips and grabbed me again. “I’ve been watching you for a while. We couldn’t figure out why he was coming here, but now we know.”

“Who’s coming here?” I narrowed my eyes.

The elevator opened into the parking garage. “Let’s go.” He snapped his fingers.

No way was I about to follow him.

---