Page 47 of Koa's Little Girl
“Right. So how did she end up in your arms?” Giana crossed her own over her chest.
“She faked falling and then pretended to have damaged her ankle.”
“And how do you know she made her injury up?”
“I left her standing in the middle of the sidewalk when she forgot which side she’d supposedly hurt—first it was her left ankle and then her right.” Koa fumed. He’d never decked a woman and would never do so, but Sharon had earned a lot of bad karma through this farce.
“You really don’t want her?”
“Not a chance in hell that I would ever touch that woman—even if my life hinged on it. And I’m not tired of playing Daddy. That’s who I am.” Koa held Giana’s gaze with his. He needed to know she understood.
Giana dropped the hangers in her hand and hugged her stuffies closer. “I really screwed this up, didn’t I?”
“No. That bitch screwed this up. She’s not happy in her marriage, so she had to make sure everyone else is as miserable as she is,” Koa said bluntly. He stepped forward and pulled Giana close. He squeezed her until she squeaked.
“Are you going to spank me?”
“For getting upset?” he asked, taking a step back to study her face. “I’m glad you cared enough about us to get upset.”
“I should have listened to you.”
“Yes, you should have. And I should have checked the peephole and never answered that door. I’m putting in a ring camera tomorrow after training.”
“Surely, she’ll never come back,” Giana said.
“Her type never stops. I’d talk to her husband when he returns, but I don’t think that will make a difference.”
A sound made him stop and look around. “Do you hear music?”
“Oh! That’s my phone.”
Giana fumbled to pull it out of her back pocket. “Hello?”
“Someone broke into my apartment?” she asked a few seconds later and then finally, “I’ll be right there.”
After disconnecting from the call, Giana explained, “That was my apartment complex. My neighbors reported that someone vandalized my apartment. The police need me to come and tell them if anything is missing.”
Her hands shook slightly as her gaze darted around. He knew her brain whirled around in her head. “I’ll drive.”
“You’ll come with me?”
“You’d have to shackle me somewhere in the house to keep me here,” he assured her. “Let me grab my keys.”
She was already out the door when he caught up with her. “My truck,” Koa said, steering her to the passenger seat.
He drove quickly but safely. Koa didn’t make small talk. He reached for her hand and held it, stopping the twistingmovement in her lap. Giana immediately wrapped her other hand around his as well. He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze.
“We’ll deal with whatever has happened.”
She nodded and stared out the window as she clung to him.
When they pulled up to her building at the complex, Giana bailed out quickly. Koa turned off the engine and followed her. He didn’t correct her for not waiting for him, but simply backed her up. When they reached the third floor, there were two police officers at the top of the stairs waiting for her.
“I’m Giana Mancini. What happened?”
“Your neighbor to the right called 911 when she got home from work. We found your door kicked in, and everything looked tossed around,” the officer reported. “Your name and face are familiar. Do you work for the fire department?”
“I do. I’m the fire captain at station nine. Is Janet okay?” Giana asked.
