DIRTY DADDY Read online

  Even if it was the most ridiculous lie he’d ever told. Sillier than the Tooth Fairy, and more ridiculous than Santa Claus.

  When his phone rang, he almost jumped out of his skin. He’d been skulking along for so long that the sharp hip-hop beat of the phone’s ringtone was louder than a gunshot to his ears. He crouched down low, looking for who was coming at him, before realizing that he was coming at himself, giving away his position, making himself a target. He fumbled the phone out of his pocket, rushing to silence the sound before it could get him killed, but the unfamiliar number gave him pause. And then he recognized it. It was the same number that had flashed on Emma’s screen when Jay had called her.

  He put the phone to his ear at the same time that he moved forward quickly, pressing his back against a convenient wall. At least here there were only two approaches, and he could reasonably see both of them.

  “Listen, you son of a bitch,” he snarled, trying for the classic action hero upper hand approach.

  Jay had probably heard it all before. He laughed, low and genuinely gleeful in Dean’s ear.

  “Don’t start, son,” Jay said. “I’ve got your girl right here, and I don’t think you understand all the ways someone like me has the capacity to hurt a child.”

  “I want her back, Jay. What is the point of this elaborate game? She doesn’t know anything.”

  “That’s the part that you don’t fucking understand,” Jay snapped. “She knows everything. She has the key that they’re afraid of. She doesn’t even know she has it, but the men who took Emma this afternoon, they would have no problem destroying your daughter. I don’t think you entirely understand that at all.”

  “What’s to understand?” Dean held the phone away from his ear for a moment, trying to hear Jay’s voice from somewhere other than the phone, get a read on where the man was so that he’d know which way to move in the building. No dice. The empty building was a strange mix of echoes and deadened air, but he wasn’t able to tell anything about where to go next. “You kidnapped a child to save her from some threat that wasn’t even a problem until you got involved.”

  It was odd, hearing a grown man scoff into a cell phone. “You haven’t been paying any kind of attention,” Jay snapped. “The girl knows what they’re afraid she knows. What her mother knew. She doesn’t know she knows it, and they’ve got the notebook now, so that’s not going to be as much of an issue as it was before. But I wasn’t completely rogue on this one, Patterson. I was hired to kill your kid. I chose not to do it, to do this instead. I’m going to be a dead man when I let her go.”

  Something twisted inside Dean’s guts. The man was terrifying, and he had held everyone that mattered to Dean in his control in the past seventy-two hours, but it was still disturbing to hear someone speaking calmly about their own death. Jay’s voice was entirely sure, completely convinced that this would come to pass. He was not debating it for a single moment. It was a surety. Dean had heard some of his siblings in the club speak that way — when they knew their lives were close to an endpoint. It was no less disturbing to hear from a trained assassin.

  “Jay,” he said, and he heard the shift in his tone when he started thinking of the man as a fellow soldier instead of an enemy combatant. “It doesn’t have to be like this. You’ve got the power in this moment, man. Let me get my little girl back, and I’ll do everything I can for you. The Titans has power in this town, and the Scorpions are with us right now. Between the two groups, there’s not much we won’t be able to get done. All I need to hear is what you want. What you need us to do.”

  “There’s nothing to be done. My time is just up. When I was first recruited to this organization, I was told that it was a good life, until you found the job you couldn’t do. That when that happened, you were done, because the organization does not forgive failures. There aren’t any reasons good enough for backing out of a job you’ve agreed to do. I didn’t realize that the name I was given belonged to a kid. That’s on me. Once I’d taken the job, it was her or me. No excuses. No exceptions.” Dean could almost hear the other man shrug.

  “Sure,” Dean shot back. He had to get moving. He stayed crouched, but he chose a hallway almost at random, pushing forward, trying to both listen to his phone and keep his ears open to seek out sounds of other people creeping through the building. “But that’s not what I was told by the organization itself when they told me who you were.”

  That did seem to throw Jay off his game, but only for a moment. “Who did you speak to? That bitch Tracy? She’d say anything to get rid of me. She’s hated me for years. Says I don’t ask enough questions.”

  “Too many?”

  “I meant what I said.” A bitter laugh echoed through the phone, and — was there an answering echo, up above him? He turned toward the sound and pressed on. “Guess she was right this time.”

  “There’s always a way out,” Dean said. “A bigger fish to turn on, a bigger problem to solve. There’s no need to assume the game is over until all the cards are dealt.”

  “It’s easy to say that when—” Jay’s voice cut off, and Dean’s heart throbbed in his throat. “Your woman is almost here. Emma. She’s a good girl. She’s helped you out more than you know.”

  “You leave her out of this,” Dean snarled, but Jay was laughing again. Yes, he was down this hall, Dean was sure of it. He moved into a slightly more upright position, sacrificing some stealth for an increase in speed. There was something in Jay that was about to snap, and he had to get to them before anyone else got hurt. And dammit, Emma was supposed to stay in that cubicle, where she was fine (safe was the most ridiculous of all understatements), but it was still where the hell he’d put her, and couldn’t the goddamn woman just stay put for ten minutes?

  “It’s not me, son.” Jay laughed. “It’s her you need to have that conversation with. She’s almost here now. You take care of your girl. Your woman. Take care of them both.”

  The click of the phone disconnecting came at the same moment as Dean hitting the end of the hall and finding that the door which led on to the next section, presumably the section that held his daughter, was locked tight.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Emma

  The gunman didn’t notice Emma as she crept away from the cubicle, slipping down the hallways as quietly as she could. Her first thought had been to follow the same path Dean had, but that seemed foolish after just a moment. They’d cover more ground split up, and he was going to be pissed that she’d left the spot he thought was safe, even if it had been the right thing to do. He might even be enough of a macho idiot that he’d try to send her back, which she was pretty sure would end in disaster for both of them. All of them.

  She could hear a conversation up ahead of her as she worked her way through twisting, dusty hallways. She recognized the tumbled stone of Jay’s voice, echoing through the deserted building. Maybe there was also the voice of a little girl, crying softly? It was hard to be sure. She couldn’t hear anything as much as she wanted to. She’d barely worked out any sort of plan. Dash into the room, grab Mia, make a run for it. What if he was standing with his weapon trained on the door? What if she felt the explosion of pain as soon as she came around the corner? What if all of this was for nothing?

  For just a moment, her resolve wavered. And then she closed her eyes and pushed through, making herself focus. Even if it was all for nothing, the only alternative was to walk away. Leave the girl to her fate. And that was worse, unbearable. She couldn’t possibly make herself do it. She knew Dean would be pissed that she wasn’t where he’d left her, but she also knew that she was her own person, and Mia needed absolutely every bit of help she could get.

  She turned another corner, and then, in an empty conference room, she could see Jay standing, his gaze focused on the far wall. Past him, she could see Mia sitting at a worn old table, covered in warped press board, and sitting in a torn office chair. She didn’t look afraid, though. She was smiling, working on something in front of her.
Crayons and paper, maybe? Coloring? Emma’s heart gave a little leap. She kept walking towards the room, forcing her heart to stay calm and cool.

  Jay had a phone pressed up against his ear. When he saw her walking towards him, his mouth spread into a slim, cold grin. He nodded and took the phone away from his ear, tapping a button to shut off the phone and tossing it across the table.

  Mia glanced up, and a much sincerer smile spread across her face. “Ms. Mills,” she called out and waved happily. Emma felt something in her chest loosen. Mia was okay. If Jay hadn’t hurt her so far, what reason in the world would he have to hurt her now — when they were all so close to the finish line.

  “Emma,” Jay said with a nod. “I’m so glad you came. Your boyfriend is still running around looking for you. He didn’t follow my instructions.” He held up a hand to waylay her before she could fall far down into panic. “It’s alright. I haven’t hurt him, and I won’t. I told you, I was in this to protect the girl. I’ve fulfilled my role. Yours will be harder. But I have faith that you can do it.”

  Mia was nearly vibrating in the seat. She gave Jay a long, eager look, and he nodded. Emma could see a lot of trust between the two of them. She didn’t think she’d ever know exactly what had happened over the last few days, but she believed that Mia had been cared for as well as possible, given the situation. She believed that the man thought he’d done the right things and had tried to keep the child safe.

  When Jay nodded, Mia all but vaulted out of the seat, running full tilt at Emma. Emma crouched to catch her in her arms, lifting her up to hold her carefully, tightly.

  “Are you okay, sweetheart?” Emma murmured into her hair, needing the reassurance of the words. Mia nodded.

  “Tell me what happens next,” Emma said, her eyes focused on Jay. She couldn’t miss the bulge of a shoulder harness under his arm. As much as she felt like this situation was nearly over, it wasn’t going to be completely resolved until they were in the clear and out of this building. That meant finding Dean and getting past whatever gunmen were still between them and the exit. Calling in the rest of the Titans to handle any necessary mopping up. Getting clear of the whole goddamn situation. Putting a bunch of shifty bankers in jail and knowing that they were gone for good. Mia slid down out of the hug and stood next to Emma, comfortable beside her, twining her small hand inside Emma’s. Emma would’ve preferred to keep holding her, but the girl wasn’t small, and Emma wanted to be able to move as much as necessary as they fled the building.

  Jay nodded. “Always thinking ahead. I’ve liked that about dealing with you. It’s important. Next step is to get the girl out of here. There are shooters from the organization here to finish me. I’m not going to let that happen. You shouldn’t be caught in the crossfire of that. The girl’s seen enough violence in her life. The bankers who tried to put all of this into play, they’ve been caught. The notebook was destroyed, so getting the girl to the DA is going to be the important next step. With what Abbey knows and what Mia can recall from the notebook, the DA should be able to construct enough of a case to put all of them away for a good long while, even if they are a bunch of rich white bankers from the coasts. Even those bastards can take a fall, if enough of us work on them for long enough.”

  “Have you been working on them for a while?” Emma felt compelled to ask.

  Jay’s thin smile got just a little sincerer. “Long enough,” he replied. He directed his next words to Mia. “I’m sorry you got put through all of this, little girl. I didn’t mean for you to see a single dark thing in your life. I didn’t know your name when I came for you — I thought you’d be one of the teachers or something. But in my business, once you’ve taken the contract, you don’t stop until you’re dead or they are.”

  “Why did you stop?”

  Jay looked at her like she was the villain. “I’ve done a lot of things I don’t like, but taking the life of a child? Even I’m not that kind of evil.”

  There was a rough sound of running, and then Dean came in behind them, panting. Emma put an arm out to slow him as he began to curse at Jay.

  “You son of a bitch,” he snarled, and Emma was surprised she was able to hold him back at all, even with all of her weight braced. “Give me back my kid.”

  Emma made a calculated move, spinning to put her hands on Dean’s shoulders. “Hey,” she said, forcing his chin down to look at her, his eyes wild and afraid. “Hey. Mia is here. She’s safe. I’m here.”

  He looked so completely angry and furious that she thought he was going to snap and throw her aside, not taking in either her words or the evidence of his own eyes, but instead, he pulled her into a huge and almost delirious hug. His arms were so tight around her that she had to struggle to breathe after a moment. “You’re safe.” She felt one of his arms loosen, but it was only so that he could grab Mia and pull her tight as well. “You’re both safe.”

  “Jay didn’t hurt either of us,” Emma said. “And it’s time for us to go.”

  “Yes,” Dean said, and Emma could hear the tears in his voice. The pain and the shock and the terror that he’d been holding back for days were now leaking out, but not fully. Not yet. A few more challenges still needed to be gotten through, and then they’d be free.

  It was the sound of a gun cocking that brought Emma’s attention into sharp focus. “Jay, what’s happening,” she said as she turned. She wasn’t surprised to see his weapon drawn. She was surprised to see that he wasn’t pointing it at them. That was strangely reassuring.

  “I told you,” he replied. “I’m not going to let them take me in. It’s time for me to be finished.”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head, and stepping away from Dean and Mia. Dean hissed Emma’s name, but she ignored him. She was just a few steps away from Jay, and he’d been good to her. It wasn’t much to say, sure, but he’d been good to her. Better than he might have been, and he’d damn well taken care of Mia. “No. You’re not going to do this. Not now, not in front of us.”

  “No,” he said. “I don’t want to, anyway. You three need to get out of here and let me take care of my business.”

  He should’ve moved too fast for her to counter. Later, she wasn’t sure at all how it had happened. She saw his hand start to move and she dove across the table, grabbing for the gun. She hoped to pull it away from him, make him fire up into the ceiling or something like that. They grappled. There was a loud explosion, and too much noise, followed by too much pain. When she looked down, her stomach was spilling red between her fingers, and when she looked up, she saw Jay press the gun up against his chin and then it all went dark.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Dean

  Afterward, Dean couldn’t recall the exact sequence of events. He would never forget the sound of the gunshot, somehow both louder and deadlier than any other gunpowder explosion he’d ever heard in his life. He would never forget the way Emma’s body crumpled even as Jay turned the weapon on himself. He tried to be in two places at once, turning Mia away from the carnage as he rushed to the woman he was now absolutely sure he loved. He couldn’t do both at once, and Mia was screaming, but Emma was bleeding, bleeding badly, and he didn’t know what to do, how to breathe.

  Mia said something, pushed him toward Emma, and he went. There were others rushing into the room, men with guns, but not the hired guns he’d seen inside the warehouse. Instead, he recognized the hitters from the Titans who must’ve heard the gunfire and made their way inside. Connell was there, out of nowhere, and turning Mia away from all of the bloody mess, picking the girl up and holding her when she raised her arms.

  At that moment, he knew how very wrong Sam had been about the club. They were his family, and that made them Mia’s family, too. No, maybe they weren’t the sort who sent out Christmas cards made from photos of ugly Christmas sweaters, but they were still family. He should’ve let Mia grow up with a couple dozen aunts and uncles who would lie down in traffic to protect her. And there was no time like the present to make a
change. But first, they had to survive.

  Emma’s eyes were open, and he could see her chest rising and falling with her breaths, but she wasn’t seeing whatever was in front of her. He moved her shirt, looking for the entrance wound. Left side, low down; she might be okay. She might make it through. He pulled out his phone and dialed 911. It was something that he’d never thought he’d do. The Titans took care of their own. They had club doctors and even a surgeon who could help remove the occasional bullet and stitch up plenty of wounds. But this was more than Doc could handle. She would almost certainly need surgery.

  He glanced at Connell, looking for the approval of his old friend. Connell nodded — another thing that Dean didn’t expect. The agreement that this was beyond what the club could handle. Beyond what they could do on their own.

  “I’ve got you,” he whispered to Emma, and her gaze turned toward him. Not entirely focused, but something closer. “You’re going to be okay.”

  “Hurts,” she whispered. “Hurts so much.”