Page 24 of Mob Boss Daddy

If I were alone in this room, I’d probably pace a hole in the carpet, but Macy’s here and I don’t want her to know just how worried I am. I sit down beside her and watch cartoons until the men return with our dinner.

They bring us a backpack with two changes of clothes from home and Macy’s toys and school books. One of them tells me they’ll go back and get more if we end up staying longer, and I hope so badly that they won’t have to.

These men may be the greatest marksmen, the strongest fighters, and the smartest strategists on earth, but it doesn’t matter. The only time I feel safe is when I’m in Jack’s arms.

* * *

Macyand I are sleeping when we hear the commotion outside.

At first, it’s just loud voices and I think that maybe Jack is back. Maybe it’s all over. I’m about to get out of bed when the first shot is fired. It’s followed by so many in rapid-fire succession that I can’t count them.

Oh god. What do I do? Macy’s awake now, so I grab her by the hand and pull her into the bathroom. I close and lock the door, and we huddle together in the bathtub with the lights out. Maybe they’ll think the room is empty if they don’t look behind the curtain.

It’s silly. I should have a weapon so I can protect Macy if anyone gets inside. Why didn’t those men give me a gun or a knife? Shouldn’t I have something? The panic has me thinking like a crazy person. The closest I’ve ever come to a battle was a heated argument with another girl in the orphanage, and it ended with both of us crying.

Macy is shaking in my arms, and I hold her closer to me. I’m scared to death, but I try not to let it show.

I don’t know how much time has passed, but I hear someone rattling the door handle.

“Miss. It’s alright. You can come out now. The boss says we need to move you. They know you’re here now, and they might come back.”

Who might come back and what do they want with us? I help Macy out of the tub, my knees almost giving out, and unlock the bathroom door. I open it just a crack and peer out, confirming that it’s Jack’s men out there.

I sag against the wall and let out a huge breath.

“Where are we going now?”

“Out of town,” the man replies.

I shove Macy’s coloring book and crayons back into the backpack and hand it to the man.

“We aren’t flying, are we?” I ask.

“Yes, Miss. We are.”

I look over at Macy, her eyes wide and lips and chin trembling, beads of sweat on her forehead.

“Macy, have you ever ridden in a helicopter before?”

“No, Miss Jessie.”

“Well, I have and it’s really fun. You get to look down at everything. It looks like a little city made for dolls, and the sky is so pretty. It feels like you can reach out and touch the stars.”

“That sounds cool.” She offers me the hint of a smile.

“It is cool but nowhere near as cool as you.”

“We need to go, Miss,” one of the men says.

“Come on, Macy. You can sleep in the car. I’ll wake you up in time for the helicopter ride.”

When we reach the airport, the two men accompany us on the helicopter. Macy seems to forget about what just happened long enough to enjoy the ride. We land and a large black car rolls up to retrieve us. Our sort of bodyguards escort us into the car and sit by the window. I guess we’re keeping them for the long haul.

We’re driving to another hotel, but this one is deep in the woods at the top of a mountain.It’s a luxury resort, I think to myself as we pull up to the grand building.

Jack seems to have his hands on everything. The men take us to our room and tell us to get some rest.

As I reach for the polished brass handle on the double doors, I realize this must be the grandest suite in the resort. When we step inside, Macy yelps and runs toward the small table where a tray of cookies and bread and a steaming pot of hot cocoa are set.

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