Page 19 of Daddy's Oath
“I’m sorry,” Harrison told her as he put his hand gently on her shoulder. “But if you want their help, you’ll have to share all the details with them.”
A tense moment passed.
It was Stryker who broke the silence. “They’re good guys, Lana. You can trust ‘em.”
“I’ll second that,” Athena added.
Lana finally raised the tea to her lips and took a sip. Ace and Isaiah sat down across from her and waited.
She could take all the time she needed, as far as Ace was concerned.
A full minute passed before she said, “My story is kind of crazy. Are you sure you want to hear it?”
Ace took it upon himself to answer on behalf of the Guard. “Absolutely. Like Harrison said, we help Littles. And I’m assuming you’re a Little.”
She smiled and giggled.
The reaction warmed Ace’s heart. She was a cutie, that was for sure. And he was glad to see the moment of levity, even if it didn’t last long. Her worried expression quickly returned.
Ace could read a lot of fear in those big, beautiful dark eyes.
“Yes, Sir. I’m a Little.”
“Then this is a match made in heaven,” Ace said with a grin. “Though I’m sorry you’re in trouble.”
He wondered if this was in fact a match made in heaven. Though he’d just met her, his Daddy instincts were kicking into overdrive. He wanted nothing more than to scoop her into his arms, hold her tight, and tell her that everything was going to be okay.
Because Daddy was here now.
That was ridiculous, he inwardly scolded himself. He didn’t know her. She might even have a Daddy. Or Mommy. He literally knew zero about her.
Getting ahead of himself and letting his mind run wild with fantasies wouldn’t help her or him. It was best to just be patient and hear her out.
This wasn’t personal. This was a Daddy Guard mission. It was important to keep a proper perspective, especially in his dangerous line of work.
“It’s a long story and it’s late,” Lana said. "You sure you want to hear it?”
“We want to hear whatever you’re comfortable sharing,” Isaiah responded.
Ace nodded. “That’s right. We’re here as long as we need to be. So take your time.”
He watched as the Little took another sip of tea, swallowed it, and then sighed.
“Okay,” she finally said. “Here we go…”
Chapter Ten
Lana couldn’t believe she was about to share everything.
It seemed so strange. Not to mention dangerous. She’d spent years guarding these secrets. It had been drilled into her. Her life literally counted on keeping to herself and making sure the wrong people didn’t notice her.
There didn’t seem to be another option, though, than to spill everything. Perhaps they could keep her safe. The others who’d said they would clearly could not.
She brought the tea to her lips once again and noticed it was sloshing close to the brim. Embarrassed, she sat the mug down, hoping no one else noticed she was trembling.
“I was born in Boston. Lived there until about three years ago.” She swallowed a lump in her throat and then took a moment to gather her nerves so she could continue.
Harrison filled the silence. “I don’t detect an accent.”
