Daddy’s Little Sunshine

Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

D onovan

Donovan let out a sigh of relief at her simple words. Okay, Daddy. He had his girl back, at least for now. He set aside the terror he’d felt at seeing her all lit up like a Christmas tree and grabbed her hand. Together, they ran from the room and down the long, white hall.

When they turned the corner, he skidded to a stop, but Lainey slammed into his back. “What the actual fuck?”

Marching down the hall was a platoon of soldiers. Led by sweet, old, nosy Ms. Edith from across the hall. His tiny, white-haired neighbor grinned at him and held up a hand. The soldiers stopped, every boot snapping together at precisely the same moment.

“Donny! You found her. Good.” She waved her hand and three men stepped forward. “These men will escort you out. We have a transport waiting for you outside. We need to take you back to headquarters for a debriefing, and then we’ll get you wherever you need to go.”

“What the fuck?” Donovan repeated, looking from Ms. Edith to the soldiers and back again.

Ms. Edith laughed. “You said that already. I don’t have time to explain now, but I will as soon as possible. For now, go with the nice soldiers here and we’ll talk later.”

“The children?” Lainey asked from behind him.

“They’re safe. Go on, I have things to wrap up here.”

The three soldiers who’d stepped forward ushered them out of the building and into a black van. Lainey curled up in Donovan’s lap and fell asleep as soon as the van pulled away. He held her close as she slept, running his hands over every part of her as she slept, reassuring himself she was alive, and safe, and whole.

He’d thought he’d lost her. Not physically, though when she’d started to glow like a sparkler on The Fourth of July, he had worried she wouldn’t survive her own powers. But the real terror had set in when she’d fried the guard and told him she wanted to “burn the place to the ground.” He’d been so scared he’d lost his sweet girl. His sunshine. Thank God he’d been able to bring her back.

He had no idea how long they drove, but the sun was coming up by the time the van stopped and the doors opened. “Lainey. Wake up, sunshine.” Donovan gave her a little shake and her eyes fluttered open.

“Daddy?” She blinked and yawned, and everything in him just wanted to whisk her away so she wouldn’t have to talk or even think about what she’d been through. “Where are we?”

“I don’t know, exactly. Military base, I’m guessing. We have to go inside and answer some questions, and then we can leave, okay?”

“I don’t want to.” Curling into him, she whimpered softly, “I just want to go home.”

He’d never really considered his dingy little apartment much of a home, but she’d made it one, just by being there. Knowing he’d never see it again was a bit of a knife in the gut. But they could make a home somewhere else. “We can leave as soon as we’re done here. I promise.”

She sighed, but finally pushed herself off his lap and let the soldiers help her out of the van. As soon as they were inside, they were separated, and no amount of yelling and threatening on his part changed anyone’s minds.

Their debriefings took several hours. Donovan was ready to start raising hell again when the door to his interview room opened and Ms. Edith walked in with Lainey.

She rushed to him and climbed into his lap once more. Donovan frantically ran his hands over her again, checking for any signs she’d been hurt. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she assured him, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Relax, Donny. We keep the thumbscrews at the other facility,” Ms. Edith joked dryly.

“Ha. Funny. Can we go, now?”

“Almost. I wanted to apologize to the pair of you, first.”

He’d never seen her look embarrassed, and the expression didn’t sit well on her weathered face. “Why?”

“I put you both in danger. When I mentioned Lainey to the group at church, we never expected them to come for her the way they did. In the past, they’ve always lured people to The Farm. We’ve never known them to outright kidnap someone.”

“It wasn’t the first time,” he said, drawing Lainey closer to him. “They tried it once before, at least.”

“We know that now. It seems they’ve been getting bolder without us realizing it.” Her eyes flashed. “Which is something I’ll be addressing with the task force.”

Donovan stared at her a moment before asking the only question he could think of. “Who the hell are you?”

“Special Agent Meredith Miller. Head of one of several teams looking into Rose Corp and The Church of the Divine Variance.”

It was a long moment before he could speak again. “If you know this shit is going down, why haven’t you shut them down yet?”

Edith studied him for a while before answering. “It’s not that easy. The Church has religious standings which make it hard to investigate them. We’re doing the best we can under the circumstances.”

“This is fucking bullshit.” Fury rose up in him until he was shouting again. “They’re getting away with performing experiments on people, right under your goddamn noses.”

“Yeah. Pisses me off, too. But the, eh, situation yesterday will go a long way toward building our case against them and eventually getting them shut down.”

“The fucking situation ? The situation where you almost got us both killed, that situation?”

“Yes.”

If he hadn’t had Lainey in his lap, Donovan was sure he would have strangled her. Since he was forced to sit and glare at her, his mind went into overdrive trying to put the pieces together. “Wait. You weren’t my neighbor by accident, were you?”

Ms. Edith snorted. “Please. You think you can work for a man like Rico Moretti and not end up on someone’s radar? Once the story of how you met him reached us, we started keeping tabs on you.”

“You were keeping tabs on me and you still let Lainey get kidnapped? No offense, but it doesn’t sound like you’re very good at your jobs.”

“Donovan!” Lainey slapped his chest. When he turned his glare on her, she tilted her chin up defiantly. “They rescued us, remember?”

“We did.” Sighing, Ms. Edith shook her head. “But he’s right. You never should have been taken. When I realized you had been, I called for an extraction team. But I had a feeling Donny here was going to tear the city apart looking for you, so I made a judgement call and we went in ahead of the team.” Her lips twitched. “I’m sure I’ll get slapped down for that move, but all’s well that ends well, right?”

“Jesus Christ,” Donovan muttered. “This is seriously fucked up, you know that, right?”

“I know. We’ve got our work cut out for us. As for you two—” The door behind her opened and a soldier walked in, carrying Lainey’s duffel bag and the portfolio with all their papers and everything they needed to start their lives over. The soldier placed the items on the table, and at Edith’s nod, left the room again. “Here you are.”

“You’re letting us go?” Lainey asked, her voice so full of hope, it was almost painful to hear.

“Yup. Free and clear.” Ms. Edith walked to the door and paused with her hand on the knob. “Florida has some pretty unpredictable weather, you know. A few random storms aren’t going to faze anybody.”

They were escorted to the Park and Ride where the SUV Rico had gotten for them waited. Pulling the keys from the portfolio, Donovan unlocked the doors. He stashed the duffel and their papers in the backseat while Lainey went around to the passenger side.

But when he came around the side of the car, she was standing there with the door open, staring at the inside of the car. Laying a hand on her shoulder, he gave it a gentle squeeze. “Lainey? Is something wrong?”

“Please don’t send me away!” she blurted out, throwing her arms around his neck.

“What? Why the hell would I send you away?” Baffled, he ran a hand down her back as she sniffled in his arms.

“This is all my fault. If I’d just listened to you and not talked to anybody, none of this would have happened. You got hurt because I didn’t listen to you!”

“Sunshine. It’s not your fault.”

“Yes, it is!” she wailed.

“Lainey. Baby.” He pulled away and lifted a hand to her chin, tilting her face up. The tears in her gorgeous gray eyes tore at his heart. “This wasn’t your fault. And even if it was, I wouldn’t send you away. What does happen when you disobey me?”

The corners of her lips turned up in a shaky smile. “You spank me.”

“Damn straight. But I will never send you away.” Grinning, he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Besides, we’re married.”

He eyes went wide. “Married?”

“Yup. The papers Rico got for us say we’re married. You’re stuck with me, sunshine.”

She blinked twice, then threw her head back and laughed. “That is the worst proposal I’ve ever heard.”

“I’ll do it right later. With a big, shiny diamond and everything. What do you say, sunshine? Marry me?”

“Yes.” The fear finally faded from her eyes and love filled them. “Rain or shine, richer or poorer, whatever. I love you.”

This time, the words came easily. “I love you, Lainey. You are my sunshine.”

“Awww, Daddy. You big softie.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Releasing her, he swatted her bottom. “Get in the car, brat.”

Laughing, she climbed inside, and Donovan jogged around the side of the car to join her. “So, the whole ‘richer or poorer’ thing. Did you mean that?”

She shrugged. “Sure. I mean, we can find work anywhere.” Frowning, she shifted in her seat to face him. “What do you do for a living, anyway?”

“Little of this, little of that.” He started the car and pulled out of the parking space. “We’ll figure it out, but things might be a little tight until Rico gets the rest of the money transferred.”

“The rest? How much is the rest?”

“Not much,” he said casually. “A couple million.” It took everything he had not to burst into laughter at the shocked look on her face. “Close your mouth, sunshine. You’re catching flies.”

“You’re a millionaire.”

“Something like that.”

“You’re a millionaire and you live in a tiny, grungy apartment in a shitty part of Baltimore. Why?”

“Money attracts attention. I was trying to lay low. But since someone already ruined that plan,” he shot her a sideways glance and she stuck her tongue out at him, “I might be convinced to move up a little.”

Her laughter rang out, the beautiful sound filling the car. He’d meant it when he’d said she was his sunshine. And together, he was certain they could weather any storm.