Deccan (Springfield Sinners #1)

32. Chapter Thirty

CHAPTER THIRTY

ECHO

E cho started coughing, panic seizing her body as she couldn’t get a breath in.

“Shit,” Daddy exclaimed. “You’re okay.”

She gripped the upper part of her shirt, trying to get a breath in, but she continued to cough. Daddy grabbed her other hand and gently started patting her back.

“Slowly let a breath out,” Daddy encouraged her.

Echo looked at him with panic-filled eyes. Blow out? No, she didn’t want to blow out.

“Echo, listen to Daddy. Blow out,” he commanded.

She continued to cough, not following Daddy’s order. Tears appeared in her eyes as her lungs begged for air. Daddy roughly took her face in his hands, making her look into his eyes.

“Let a breath out. Now,” he demanded, his voice stern.

Echo let out a small breath but panicked immediately after. There was no more air in her lungs.

“Hush, you’re okay,” Daddy said. “Now, let a little in and let it out.”

Tears were pouring down her face as she looked into Daddy’s eyes. Was this how she was going to die ?

“Focus on me, Little Bit. Just on my voice and obeying my every command,” Daddy instructed. “Eyes back on me. Good girl. Such a good girl for Daddy.”

Everything else around them drowned out as she looked at Daddy.

“Now, take a little breath in. Good girl. Slowly let it out. Such a good girl for Daddy,” he whispered. “Now, a little bit more in and slowly let it out.”

The tightness in her chest eased as she took a slightly larger breath. She didn’t have the urge to cough anymore.

“Is she all right?” someone shouted, pulling her out of her trance with Daddy.

Her whole body stiffened, and she yanked her face back. What had she just done?

“Little Bit,” Daddy gently murmured.

“No,” she whispered, shaking her head.

She had just shown his men weakness. How could she have done that? The first time she met them, Levi had wrapped his hand around her neck. She didn’t show any weakness then. How could she have choked on chocolate milk, of all things, in front of them?

Daddy cupped her face again. “You’re okay. Everything is okay. Just focus on me and no one else.”

How could she when she had just done what she didn’t want to? Did they think she was dumb? That she shouldn’t be with Daddy because she showed weakness? Was she not tough enough?

Echo would just have to prove to them that she was the right person. That she wasn’t weak. Deep down, she thought she should be pushing away from Daddy since he kept so many secrets from her, but she couldn’t see herself doing it. Where else would she go? She didn’t have an apartment to go to, and she didn’t want to bother any of her friends.

Daddy wasn’t going to let her live out on the streets. Which left her staying here since he wouldn't let her stay in his house alone. And she figured he wasn’t going to just let her go. She already called him Daddy, already had sex with him, which meant she was his.

“I’ve got you,” Daddy whispered. “I’m right here.”

“No.”

His face hardened. “I don’t like that word coming out of your mouth.”

He picked her up before she could do anything. Echo punched his chest, trying to get out of his arms.

“Let me down!” she growled.

“No.”

Daddy walked out of the room as she continued to push against him.

“Don’t agitate your skin,” Doc said, following behind them.

“Stop moving,” Daddy commanded.

“ Let me go !”

“No.”

She growled and glared at him. “I don’t like that word coming out of your mouth,” she mocked.

“Tough. I’m the Daddy.”

He placed her on the bed, and she quickly got up. Daddy placed his hand on her chest and pushed her back.

“Stop!” she yelled.

“I put you on the bed, so stay on the bed,” Daddy said.

“I’m not a dog.”

“No, because a dog would actually stay where they are put.”

“Not all dogs.” She stuck her tongue out.

Daddy stared at her, not breaking eye contact. She wasn't going to back down.

“Doc,” Daddy asked. “What were you asking Echo?”

Her eyes went wide, and she looked at Doc. “You pinky promised.”

Doc shook his head. “Never pinky promised. You never agreed.”

“I agree!” she rushed out. “You can’t say anything!”

He shrugged. “Too late.”

“No! You can’t do this! You can’t!”

Daddy looked at her, concerned. “Little Bit, what’s going on?”

“Nothing!” she shouted. “Nothing is going on! We aren’t going to talk about this! It is absolutely nothing! You don’t need to worry!”

Her chest was rising and falling rapidly as panic set in. She hadn’t made a deal with Doc, which meant he could tell her Daddy. How was she going to get out of this?

“Please,” she begged. “Don’t. Please.”

“Sorry, Little One. But your Daddy needs to know,” Doc gently said.

“No! No, he doesn’t! Not yet. I was working on it.”

“But you should have told him about it first.”

Tears slid down her face as she looked at Doc. He was going to tell Daddy, wasn’t he? There was no way out of this.

“What are you guys talking about?” Daddy asked, still looking at her.

But she didn’t look at Daddy, she couldn’t. What would he think? Would he scold her for wanting sleeping pills? Would he scold her for trying to be strong in front of his men?

“Do you want to tell him, or should I?” Doc asked, leaning against the wall.

Echo shrugged.

“It’s up to you, but one of us is telling him right now.” His voice was firm.

It seemed like she had never won any argument with any of them.

“I wanted sleeping pills so I could sleep through the night, even if I were stuck in a nightmare, so you could sleep better,” she whispered, looking at her hands.

“Oh, Little Bit,” Daddy cooed at her.

“And?” Doc prompted her.

“There’s more?”

Echo shrugged. “I wanted to keep it from you, but I didn’t make the deal with Doc,” she mumbled. “You got to us before I could.”

“That wasn’t what I was talking about, Echo,” Doc said.

She looked at him, defeated. “W-what?”

What else could he be talking about? That was the only other thing that was concerning. Sure, she said something about being strong, but everyone knew she needed to be. They were in a motorcycle club. Who wanted a weak partner for their president?

No one.

How would that make them look? Weak . They had customers and suppliers that they needed to look strong for.

“Do you want me to tell him?” Doc asked.

“There isn’t anything else to say,” she replied, confused.

Echo had yet to look at Daddy, not wanting to see his expression. Was he mad at her? Was he going to kick her out?

“Just tell me, Doc,” Daddy demanded, looking at Doc.

“Echo here thinks she needs to be strong for you. To show you and the other Sinners that she isn’t weak, something you apparently need. I suspect that even means putting things that happened to her to the back of her mind and pushing through,” Doc explained.

Her eyes went wide. She did not think he was going to say that. She thought it was something else.

“Little Bit?” Daddy asked. “Is that true?”

But she didn't look at him. Was he going to be mad if she said it wasn’t?

“Look at me,” he commanded.

Echo still didn’t look at him. She didn’t want to. She knew she wouldn’t be able to read him, and she didn’t like that. How was she supposed to gauge her response from his reaction if she couldn’t work it out?

“Now,” Daddy demanded. “Look at Daddy now.”

Her eyes found his, and he gave her a small smile.

“Good girl, but when I say to look at me, you do it the first time.”

She didn’t give any indication whether she agreed or not. How could she when she didn’t even know if she would be here tomorrow? Sure, he made it seem like she was going to be, but it could all change with her response.

“Now, can you tell Daddy if that is true?” he asked. “And don’t lie to me. You know lying is bad and one of your rules. You lie and your bottom will be toast.”

Echo clenched her cheeks and nodded. She was just going to have to tell him the truth because if she didn’t and he found out later, would he be even more mad?

“Little Bit, answer Daddy,” he gently said. “You’re okay, and you’re safe.”

She bit her lip and looked down at her lap. “It is,” she whispered.

“Oh, Little Bit,” he cooed as he cupped her face, making her look at him again. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

She shrugged, but Daddy gave her a look.

“You know, Little Bit. Why didn’t you tell Daddy?”

“I didn’t want you to get rid of me,” she whispered. “I was trying to deal with it on my own so you didn’t have to deal with it. I was trying to prove that I can be strong for you and your men. I don’t want them to think that I’m the wrong person for you because I’m weak.”

He blinked several times as he looked at her.

“Doc wasn’t supposed to say anything. He wasn’t even supposed to know. I accidentally slipped up.”

“Thank fuck for that,” Doc muttered.

“Thank you, Doc. We won’t be needing those sleeping pills,” Daddy informed his friend.

Her eyes went wide. “Yes, we do!” She raised her voice.

“No, we won’t.” Daddy gave her a firm look.

“But you need sleep. I need to be strong for you. So let me get those sleeping pills so we can both sleep through the night.”

“So you can suffer your nightmares every night, not waking up, and your mental health spirals? Yeah, no, that won’t be happening,” Daddy said before turning to Doc. “If she comes to you again for sleeping pills, you tell me right away. Understand?”

“Yes. I’ll see you guys later.”

Echo pouted and looked at Daddy. “But I needed those. Now I’m going to have to go to another doctor and explain what I need without giving anything away.”

Daddy gripped her chin. “No, you won’t. I am right here. We are going to get through this together.”

“But—”

“No buts. You are not weak because you are having nightmares. You went through something traumatic when you were younger and it happened again. You are not weak for having that give you nightmares.”

“But—”

“No. I don’t care if you wake me up every five minutes through the night. I want to be there for you, hold you as you cry into my chest. We’re going to get through this together. You aren’t weak. You don’t always have to be strong in front of me or my men. I would prefer you not to push through and let me take care of everything.”

“ But —”

“But nothing. The other men don’t care if you are strong all the time. Most of them are Daddies as well. You can cry, play, carry around your stuffy, be in Little space in front of them, be in a onesie, drink chocolate milk, and so many other things. They won’t care. They won’t see you as any less.”

“Daddy,” she spoke.

“They care about you. They care about you deeply and want to make sure everything is okay. You having nightmares doesn’t make you weak. You not wanting to be touched isn't you being weak. You aren’t weak, and they don’t see you as weak, even if you are in Little space.”

She growled in frustration. “Will you just fucking listen to me?” she shouted.