Page 47 of Ace of Spades
The drive to the school was uneventful, and when Rand pulled up in front, Nate kept going. At the end of the block, after making sure no one was following them, he turned around. As soon as Taylor was safely inside the school, he drove to the back.
It would take a few minutes for Taylor to talk to the principal and then collect the girls. He parked next to the van. Rosie stayed in the back with Annie, but the K2 men exited, taking up positions behind the van, their alert eyes scanning their surroundings.
Although no weapons were visible, Nate didn’t doubt they were armed to the teeth, which was reassuring. He walked inside the school, finding himself in what appeared to be a supply room, where he waited for Taylor and the girls. Hopefully, they’d see this as an adventure, but he was worried about their reaction to the men from K2. The girls were only now getting used to him, no longer giving him suspicious glances or shying away from his touch.
Each one had a story that had broken his heart when Taylor had shared their histories. The only one seemingly unaffected was Annie. She was blessedly too young to remember how horribly she’d been neglected by her meth-addicted mother the first year of her life.
Would the men sent to guard the girls appreciate how fragile these six children were without knowing their backgrounds? He strode back outside, stopping at the back of the van. “I trust that you both have the ability to guard Taylor’s girls,” he said at their raised brows. “But to understand why they fear people and places they aren’t comfortable with, you need to know each have tragic pasts. They’re especially afraid of men.”
“We’ll do our best not to scare them,” Saint said.
Doc gave a firm nod. “And we’ll guard them with our lives.”
“Why don’t you come inside so I can introduce you to them? Having two strangers sitting in a van about to carry them off to parts unknown might frighten them.” And these two dudes were big and intimidating, the kind of men that Taylor’s girls wouldn’t want any part of.
“Let’s do that in shifts,” Saint said. “One of us needs to stay out here to keep an eye on things. Doc, you go first.”
Nate arrived back in the storeroom with Doc in tow just as Taylor and the girls walked in. At seeing the stranger, all five girls came to a stop, crowding in behind Taylor. Nate had anticipated that reaction, but it still made him sad that they expected the worst to happen at any given time.
“Girls, I want you to meet a friend of mine.”
Doc squatted down, putting himself at eye level to the girls peeking around Taylor. All but Bri. She’d totally disappeared behind Taylor’s back. Doc glanced up at him, his eyes filled with compassion. Robin seemed the most curious, so Nate reached for her hand as he squatted next to her.
“His name is Doc, you know, like one of the seven dwarfs.”
“The dwarfs are little,” she said.
Doc smiled. “Well, that’s true. My mama made me eat my broccoli, so I grew up big and strong.”
“My mama’s in prison.”
“But Rosie told me on the way over here that she writes you every week, so that means she really loves you. I have a baby girl. She’s only two months old. Would you like to see a picture of her?” When Robin nodded, Doc pulled out his wallet, opening it up and handing it to her. “Her name’s Skye.”
“That’s a funny name,” Sarrie said as she inched up to see the photo.
“My wife is a pilot. The sky is her favorite place to be, so we named our baby Skye.”
“She has pretty eyes. They’re just like yours,” June said, joining her sister and Robin. “I wish I had green eyes.”
“And I wish I had beautiful brown eyes like yours.”
At the big smile appearing on June’s face, Nate exchanged a relieved look with Taylor. It appeared that at least one of the K2 men would be able to win the girls over. Even Bri was now peeking around Taylor.
“I want to be a pilot,” Bri said, almost whispering.
That was news to Taylor. Bri had never hinted at such a thing. Taylor put her hand on Bri’s head. “Would you like to go for a ride in a plane someday?”
“Can I?”
Ryan O’Connor glanced up at her. “If you ever get to Pensacola, let me know. Charlie will be glad to take her up.”
“Who’s Charlie?” Elle asked, edging up to the other girls.
Well, that was interesting. Elle was shyer than a mouse and never talked to strangers. Taylor wondered who Charlie was, too.
“Charlie’s my wife.”
“But that’s a boy’s name,” Robin said.
