Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Back at the Daddy Guard’s headquarters, Kelsey was so relieved to have Marco with her.
“Just wait until you see this place! They have cool gadgets and stuff. And the play area is awesome! There’s even a ball pit.
” She tugged on his arm, leading him deeper into the lair.
“Did you know they live here? Like, full bedrooms, a kitchen, ooh and in the back, Trixie says there’s a hot tub!
I haven’t seen it yet, but they told me I can use it. How cool is that?”
Leading the way, Kelsey snapped back a little as forward progress suddenly halted.
“Easy there,” Marco said, helping her stay on her feet.
She turned around to see he’d stopped walking. Letting go of his arm, she said, “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you coming with me?”
He gave her an apologetic smile. “We need to talk, sweetie. I’m sure all of this stuff is really cool. And I can’t wait to see it. But first, we’ve really got to address this mess we’re in.” He reeled her in and planted a kiss on her forehead. “And we’re in this mess because of me.”
“Hey, you said something I actually agree with,” Breaker said.
Kelsey could practically feel the anger coming off Daddy in waves.
Breaker, Stephanie, Trixie, and John all walked into the dining area and a heavy tension settled over the group.
Finally, John said, “Girls, why don’t you go play or show Little Kelsey that hot tub she was just talking about.”
Taking Marco’s hand, Kelsey said, “Sir, I don’t mean to be disrespectful. But I need to be with Daddy right now.”
“We’ll, uh, go get some drinks,” Trixie said, grabbing Stephanie’s hand.
The two women left, but none of the tension did.
“All right, let’s get to it. You don’t know a damn thing about me,” Marco said to Breaker. “So I don’t know why you’ve had it out for me since the moment we met.”
Breaker scoffed. “At first, I thought you were one of those mafia pricks hunting Kelsey and I take that sort of shit seriously. But then I realized you were just the mafia prick who put her in danger in the first place. Bad news though, bub—I take that shit seriously, too.”
Kelsey gasped as Marco let go of her and stepped closer to Breaker. Thankfully, the dining table separated them, but she feared one of them or both might charge forward anyway.
“I love my babygirl more than anything! I escaped jail to find her!”
“You’re an escaped detainee!” Breaker said, his fists balled. “You sound like the type of trash I’ve dedicated my life to putting behind bars. It might have been overseas, but criminals are criminals no matter where you go. You all are the same.”
Kelsey didn’t even realize she was crying until her vision was wet and watery. The sound of her sobbing must have cut the thick anger in the room, because all the men were suddenly surrounding her.
It was Daddy, though, who took her in his arms. “It’s okay, honey. I’m sorry. Everything is going to be just fine.”
She snuck a glance at Breaker and saw that he seemed to be calming down a bit, a look of sympathy on his face.
“Look, why don’t we all grab a drink, go into the den, and hash this thing out,” John suggested.
The taut tension came back as Breaker said, “I don’t hash things out with criminals. I take them in.”
“Well, you’re going to be disappointed, bub, because I don’t have any outstanding charges,” Marco countered.
Breaker’s laugh was loud. “You just said you escaped from jail. I could make one phone call right now and have your ass back in custody within ten minutes.”
Panic filled Kelsey. She knew she might have to say goodbye to Marco again. She wasn’t ready to so soon after just finding out he was alive. “But Uncle Breaker, I need my Daddy here!”
A minute passed where the sound of heavy breathing was the only thing that filled the space.
“Look,” John said, “there’s no harm in talking about this.
One of the things I’ve learned during my time as a first responder is it’s always better to stop and assess a situation even when you want to charge in.
Gain a fuller picture. It might save lives in the long run.
” To Breaker, he said, “Look, you obviously care about Kelsey.”
The big man nodded. “Hell yeah I do.”
“And Marco,” John said, “I believe you care about her, too.”
“More than anything.”
John nodded. “So, you both have Kelsey’s best interests in mind. What would it hurt to let this thing lie for a few minutes and just talk?”
Kelsey was impressed with John’s peacemaking abilities. They worked too, because the other guys finally nodded in agreement.
“I’m willing to talk,” Marco said.
“I am too,” Breaker added. “But I’m not making any promises.”
“No one is asking you to, other than the promise to keep Little Kelsey safe, which we all agree on,” John said. “Come on. Let’s get some sodas and move this chat into the den.”
Kelsey was thankful a crisis had been averted and she still had Daddy close by.
For now…