Page 42 of Baby Daddy Protector

Z! It had to be him. My heart sped again, this time with anticipation. He’d found me, somehow, someway, and he was coming to rescue me. I grinned in the darkness and whispered down to my baby, “Don’t worry, kiddo. Daddy’s here now!”

“Get out there,” Silvester growled to someone. “Do your job.”

The sound of a door opening and heavy boots tromping outside followed. I was grateful they hadn’t thought to check on me. If they did, they’d see I’d moved my chair and might take me out for good measure. I squeezed my eyes shut, listening and praying that Z was nearby and would reach me before Silvester got panicky and killed me.

* * *

I anchored the boat several hundred yards offshore from the cottage, then gave Deacon the go ahead hand signal. He signaled back that he was set to go ashore. We were both suited up for cold water conditions, so we slipped into the water and made our way soundlessly to the beach.

We emerged under cover of some cypress trees. Staying low, we surveyed the cottage. A light was on in one room. Stupid of them since that helped outline three men who stood guard within feet of the structure. There was always the possibility that more were on the other side, but I wasn’t too worried about being outnumbered. We had a security team making its way to the cottage on foot. They’d come out of the tree line to assist once Deacon and I began the attack.

I pointed to the two guards on the left and tapped my chest to indicate that they were mine to take down. Deacon gave a nod. Given the level of outrage burning through my veins, I felt like I could’ve taken the whole Prylean army on my own, but it was good to have Deacon with me.

The darkness gave us decent cover as we darted forward toward the cottage. I took out my first target in a practiced move that had him dropping soundlessly to the ground. Not dead, but out for awhile. I switched to the next guy. As I approached, he tensed, maybe seeing my shadow. I rushed forward, but he got out a yell before I drove a fist into his throat.

I stilled for a minute to see if anyone would come running from inside, but no one did. Was it possible they hadn’t heard the guy shout? I looked toward Deacon. His target was down and he was edging toward where light streamed from a window. I could hear muffled voices from inside arguing. Neither of them sounded female. Where was Esme? She had to be inside. Deacon indicated that he was entering through a door that led to the lighted room. I took a different one that would take me into the dark interior. Both were calculated risks.

I held up my fingers, counting down from three, and then I kicked in my door just as Deacon did the same with his. Pitch black greeted me, followed by a faint whisper that sounded like my name.

Weapon at the ready, I squinted through the shadows to see where the noise had come from. I could barely make out the shape of a person, bound to a chair, a baby bump prominently protruding from the front.

Esme. My Es. My everything.

Blood pounding, I fought the urge to run to her and pull her close. Securing the room came first, and my top priority was to confirm that we were alone. Once that was done, I was headed toward her when an interior door burst open, light blasting into the room briefly, before it slammed shut. A dark figure moved across the space, headed straight toward Es. At the pace he was going, he’d beat me to her.

I was pretty sure from the silhouette that it was Silvester. He’d be desperate now, and that made him more dangerous than ever. I didn’t think he was normally the type to do his own dirty work, but he was out of options now. He wanted the crown. Es and our baby stood in the way.

“Cousin,” Silvester said. “I didn’t want it to end like this, but, alas, no choice is left to me.” There was a flash of light on metal. A knife? Maybe. I inched closer, keeping my eye trained on Silvester.

“You have a choice, Silvester,” Es said, her voice holding only a slight quaver. “Accept that you’re a member of the royal family and use that position to do good in Prylea. You can still make a difference without being king.”

Silvester chuckled, a sinister sound. He stood behind her then, a knife hovering near her neck. “Not the kind of difference I want. I’ll be quick about it, though, since we were once friends.”

His hand moved as if to drive the knife into Es’s throat. A vision of her bleeding out on the floor flashed before me. Her life and the life of our baby boy gone. Not happening. I squeezed off a single round, hitting Silvester in the shoulder. The impact spun him around, making him drop the knife harmlessly to the floor. I rushed forward, knowing that I had to secure Silvester before I could take Esme in my arms. I grabbed hold of him, did a quick frisk, and shoved him into a nearby chair. The lights came on in the room then, giving me my first true glimpse of where the bullet had struck Silvester. Blood came from a wound high up on his right shoulder. I’d hit him exactly where I’d planned.

Going for a lethal shot would have been easy, but killing Silvester would have shown him too much mercy. I wanted him to stand trial in court and in the court of the public opinion. With that in mind, I’d invited a few journalist to accompany our mission. I didn’t want there to be any doubt, any question about what had happened here. Silvester’s guilt would be exposed for the world to see.

“You good?” Deacon asked as he entered the room.

“We’re good.” Deacon grabbed Silvester, hauling him up and out of the room. Only then did I let myself go to Es. Her eyes were shining up at me and she had a tentative smile on her face. I swiftly cut through the tape that held her and pulled her against me. Es was shaking and scared and so beautiful, even as she sobbed with relief.

“Shhh, princess. I’m here. I’ll always be here for you,” I whispered, my lips buried in her hair. I tightened my hold on her, realizing that my words were true. When I’d first come into this whole deal, I’d wanted nothing more than to get back to the only family I’d ever known—my SEAL team. But as the months passed and I’d spent more time with Es, I’d slowly made a new family, with her. She was my everything now, my reason for existing, my beacon in the darkness. If she’d have me, I planned to stay with her and our baby forever.

Es’s tears gradually subsided until she quieted in my arms. I rocked her gently as we sat on the floor, her in my lap. At last, she raised her head slightly to look up at me, her eyes huge. “Thank you.”

I cupped her cheek and smiled. “For what? Saving you is my job.”

Her sweet smile fell a bit and she lowered her gaze. “Right. I keep forgetting that this is all part of our deal. Sorry.”

She tried to pull away, wincing slightly at the raw flesh on her wrists and ankles from where the tape had abraded her skin. I refused to let her go. “Wait. I need to tell you something.”

Es sighed and relaxed in my arms, giving a small nod, her expression pensive as if she was waiting for bad news.

I swallowed hard around the constriction in my throat. “Look, I realize that our plan was for us to eventually go our separate ways, but—”

“Oh, God.” Es gasped and pressed her hands to her belly.

“What?” Now it was my turn to panic. “What’s wrong? Is it the baby?”

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