Page 25 of Speed

“Sure, darlin’. Where’s your mommy or daddy at?” It was wrong, but I wanted to know what the little girl had been told.

“Momma forgots to get my favorite, so she sent me while she was going to gets her female things. Whatever that means?” Damn if she wasn’t a cutie and she hadn’t been done talking either.

“I don’t gots a daddy. He’s gone. You got a daddy?”

“No, my daddy is gone too.” I continued to watch her face as she watched me. Then, after she looked up and down the aisle, she leaned closer to me and lowered her voice.

“Benji said I couldn’t goes to the party at school for dads ‘cause I don’ts have one. Did you miss daddy parties too?” I had no clue who Benji was, but the kid needed his ass kicked. I may not have known this little creature existed until this moment but no one, and I mean no one would ever hurt her, she was fucking mine.

“That right, huh? Whatcha your momma say to that?” It was wrong pumping the kid when I should let her go to her mother before her mother came looking for her. We’d have a conversation about what was mine, but it wouldn’t be in a damn grocery store.

Her voiced lowered, “I punched him in the nose and momma said I wasn’t to hit peoples even if they said ugly things?”

“You did good, nice job, slugger.” Yeah didn’t care about the father of the fuckin’ year, my girl would take no shit from anyone.

“I’m spider, not slugger.”

“Spider?” Christ, I had no clue about little girls.

“Spider monkey.”

“Oh, because you climb?” I chuckled when she just stared at me.

“Not just that. I gots black hair, and I am fast. Perry said it’s because I’m evil likes them.”

“Did he now?” By my calculations, the ass kicking numbers were going to skyrocket. Fuckers hadn’t said a goddamn word.

“Yep. You gots kids?” The same color eyes looked back at me. How to answer this one?

“Sure do.”

“A boy or girl? Benji said my daddy probably left ‘cause I was a girl.”

“Benji says a lot of shit, doesn’t he?” Yeah, hope Benji’s dad had fucking life insurance, Benji’s mom could be a rich woman.

“That’s a bad word. Aunt Carly says bad words too. She called Benji a little bastard and momma yelled at her. But don’t tell my momma, she don’t knows I heard her, and it’s a bad word too.” I bit down on the inside of my jaw to hold back the laugh only because of the serious look on my daughter’s face. My daughter, fucking unreal.

“Sure thing, darlin’, you better go find your momma before she hunts for you.” Her mother and I would have a chat after I took care of a few other things first.

“‘K,” she said and took off down the aisle. I watched until she turned out of view and grabbed my own box of the cereal and chuckled—Captain Crunch—yeah, she was mine.

After I had checked out, loaded the bags into the back of the truck, I got in the cab and waited. I wanted to see the woman, my daughter’s mother. Sami walked off at the club when she recognized me. I might not have recognized her then, but it came back to me. And wasn’t that convenient because it was her who had me up at three in the morning.

I remembered everything: the feel of her skin, the way her mouth tasted when I kissed her, the taste of her juices as I licked and sucked at her, bringing her to orgasm. But even with all that, what I remember most washertouch. Her fingers tracing my tattoos, the way she ran her hand over me, pushing the dreams back that haunted me. The faces of my comrades as they died, the enemy I killed in retaliation, it was at night when it would sneak in to torment me. She made it go away, giving me peace for the first time since I’d gone to the desert.

Motion at the front doors had me sitting up straighter in the seat. There she was, the auburn haired woman with the little girl with black flowing hair. I watched them push the wheeled cart to their car, fill the trunk with bags, and then get in and drive off. My truck not far behind. I followed at a distant until they pulled in a driveway to a small house, then I drove past. I now knew where they lived and would be back. But first, back home, and then over to the clubhouse to get some answers. It’d been kept for almost five years, a few more hours wasn’t going to matter.

I’d laughed out loud on my way back when it hit me that like the encounter with her mother, other than Spider, I didn’t get her name either.

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