Page 63 of Broken Daddy

“Please.” Fear and desperation made my voice reedy as I grasped the bars of the cell, clutching them with all the effort I had. “Please, I’m begging you. I’m a mother. Please, if there’s anything I can do, let me know, but please don’t kill me. My son…my son needs me.”

I saw it then, sympathy flashing in his eyes. I held on to it and continued talking, “Do you have a mother?”

His eyes flashed with some pained emotion, and that was when I noted the familiarity.

“You,” I said. “You were the one who grabbed me in the alley.”

Before he could answer, I heard a heavy door at the end of the hall pull open and shut.

“Is our guest awake?” came an unfamiliar voice that boomed as the footsteps got closer. His boots appeared in the light first before the long, lean length of his body did, showing a familiar face.

“You,” I gasped, staring at him.

“So you remember me.” He smiled, his green eyes flashing with mischief. “I’m glad. I thought I would have to remind you.”

“Simon, right?” He was one of the men who worked for my father, and he was the one who captured me and brought me back to him. I never liked the bastard or the way his slimy eyes ran over my body. The whole way back, he told me about all the depraved shit he wanted to do to me, and he told me that my father would let him.

“Good memory,” he said. The metal clanged as he pulled open the doors of the cell and walked in. Fear rattled down my spine, and I shifted back instinctively.

The man reminded me of a predator.

“What do you want from me?” I asked, trying not to let my voice shake.

“Hmm.” He pretended to think about it. “Well, the answer is manyfold. I want a lot of things from you, starting with that delectable little body of yours.”

“You said you wouldn’t touch her,” the other man said disapprovingly, and Simon’s eyes flashed with anger as he glanced at him.

“She’s not supposed to know that, asshole,” Simon retorted. “And I never said I wouldn’t touch her. Only that if I did touch her, she would like it.”

“I won’t.” I shook my head desperately, feeling like I was going to be sick. I stared at the other man, imploring. “I’ll scream.”

“You can scream all you want. No one can hear you. This room is soundproof, and there’s no one for miles.”

“Please. I don’t know what you want from me.”

“Let me explain it to you then,” Simon said. “The truth is that your father pulled a very mean stunt on us after we…well, shot him. He blacklisted us and made sure none of the other gangs would work with us. Guess there is honor among thieves after all.”

“No.” Relief flooded through me when I heard Monty’s voice echoing down the hall. Simon’s partner turned around sharply, instantly pulling out his weapons and taking aim. Monty emerged from the darkness with his gun already pointed at the man. “People just value someone who knows how to do their fucking job.”

“What the fuck?” Simon glared at Monty first, then at the other man. “I thought you killed this fucker.”

“He can’t,” Monty said. “I saved his life once in Guam. So, unfortunately for you, your brother owes me one, and he’ll let me live. It’s the same reason why he didn’t take her earlier. Because, unlike you, he has a conscience, a code. And that’s the only reason I’m going to let him live today.”

Simon laughed, a snarling sound that echoed around the room. “You have more balls than sense. Do you have any idea how many men I have here?”

“Men that my friends have already taken care of,” Monty said. “In case you didn’t hear the commotion outside, most of your men are dead. And you’re about to join them, you sick fuck.”

Simon’s face turned red, filled with so much rage that it looked like his head would explode. “I’m sick of this. Shoot him, G.”

“Your brother is into human trafficking. Did you know that?” Monty kept talking, staring at the other man. “That’s why the other groups won’t touch him. Not because of Beau. It’s because he’s a disgusting human being.”

“I said fucking shoot him now!” Simon shouted.

The man called G raised his gun to do it, but after a pregnant silence, he lowered his gun down and sighed.

“I can’t,” he said sadly.

“Fucking pussy!” Simon turned his weapon on his brother, but before he could shoot, a shot exploded around the whole room. I screamed, instinctively shutting my eyes as more gunfire sounded. I kept my eyes closed, praying for this to be over, for Monty to be alive.

“Kayla.” I heard Monty’s voice by my ear, but I still kept my eyes closed, refusing to believe it in case I wasn’t sure. “Open your eyes, sweetheart. I’m here.”

I opened my eyes and saw Monty standing there, his face twisted with relief and pain. “Oh, God. Are you okay, honey? Please tell me you’re okay.”

My throat was tight with relief, and tears were streaming down my face as I nodded. “I’m okay.”

With that, he pulled me into a tight hug, and I cried in his arms. “You came,” I sobbed. “You came for me.”

“Of course I did.” And finally, to cap off the emotional day, he declared, “I love you, Kayla. God, I fucking love you, and I swear to God, I’ll always fight for you too.”

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