25. Chapter Twenty-Three
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
ECHO
“ W -what?” Echo whispered, not believing a word he just said. “You have people following me, right?”
Daddy shook his head, his face suddenly very serious. “Tell me everything.”
She thought it was weird she couldn’t see any of his men. It was weird because they didn’t usually care if she saw them or not. Why hadn’t she thought it was odd at the time?
Someone was watching her, making her uncomfortable. Who was this person? Did she know them? Were they out to get her? Why were they following her?
There were so many questions running through her head, and she didn’t have an answer to any of them. She didn’t know a lot of people in town. Who could it be?
Her breathing picked up when her mind came up blank. It couldn’t be any of the other Littles or their Daddies. They were all her friends. No one in the coffee shop would do it. Maybe the person from the knife store? He might hate Daddy for threatening him and wants revenge.
“Little Bit.” Daddy cupped her face, bringing her back to him. “Slow breath in.”
She pulled away from him and tried to get off him, but he quickly held onto her and pulled her face into his chest.
“Just listen to my heartbeat. You’re okay,” Daddy gently said. “Everything is going to be okay. Daddy is going to take care of everything, but I need you to calm down.”
How was she meant to when someone was watching her? Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything so she didn’t have to think about it. But then, what if something happened to her?
“Echo.” Daddy held the back of her neck, holding her in place. “Breathe.”
She inhaled deeply and listened to Daddy’s heartbeat. How was it so steady at a time like this? Was he not worried someone was after her? Why else would they watch her as she walked outside? What were they planning?
“You’re okay,” he whispered. “Everything is okay.”
But everything wasn’t okay. Someone was watching her. Who could it be?
“That’s it. Slow breaths in. Hold. And slowly let it out. Such a good girl,” he praised.
In any other situation, she would have been growing wet from the praise.
He slowly rocked them back and forth. “I’ve got you. Everything is going to be okay. I am going to take care of it.”
She found herself slowly relaxing into Daddy’s embrace, trusting him. He would keep her safe because he cared about her and wanted the best for her.
“Can you tell Daddy everything?” he asked.
She pushed against his hand, but he kept her still.
“Just listen to my heartbeat as you tell me. It will help keep you calm.”
She took a deep breath. “It started a couple days ago. I thought it was just some of your men following me and making sure I was safe. I didn’t think anything of it.”
“That’s okay, you’re okay.”
But it wasn’t. She should have realized it wasn’t okay the first time it happened. She should have told Daddy. What if she hadn’t mentioned anything? What would have happened?
“Today was worse though. I had an eerie feeling, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. It felt like they were right behind me, breathing down my neck, but they weren’t. I checked several times,” she whispered. “Then, two people ran into me as I was walking to the clubhouse. I was so disoriented because I just wanted to get here to be safe.”
She felt safe in Daddy’s arms now, like nothing was going to touch her. That was what she always wanted.
“They ran into you?” Daddy asked.
“Yeah.” she attempted to nod, but it didn’t work out with Daddy’s hand on her neck. “I mean, the sidewalk was a little busy but not enough for them to bump into me. But one seemed to be in a hurry and the other asked where the library was, I think. I’m not sure anymore.”
Did he ask about the library or was it the coffee shop? Was it important to remember? Or was it just a minor detail she could forget?
“Can you describe them for me?”
Tears pooled in her eyes, and she sniffled. “I wasn’t paying attention,” she whispered, her voice getting choked up. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. I should have been paying attention to what they looked like, but the feeling of someone’s eyes on me put me off.”
It really had. Echo couldn’t be for sure she would have remembered even if someone wasn’t watching her.
“That’s okay,” Daddy gently said. “And it was right outside the club?”
Her mind was getting all jumbled up as the tears slid down her face.
“I think? Wait, no. It wasn’t because I still had to turn a corner to get to the clubhouse. It was before.”
“Shit,” Daddy mumbled.
“What?” Echo asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Out of our camera’s shot. I’ll have Ace look into the surrounding shops to see if they have anything.”
“What if he doesn’t find anything?”
What then? Was she going to have to stay in one place until they discovered who was following her? What if they never found out who it was? What if they were smart and kept out of the camera’s view?
Echo didn’t want to move, not when she had so many friends here. Would they understand if she had to? Would they still want to keep in contact with her? Would they come visit her if she had to move?
“Ace will find something. He’s damn good at his job.” Daddy ran his hand up and down her back.
She forced herself to relax even more into his embrace. If she started worrying about it too much, she was going to make her stomach get all upset.
“Everything is going to be okay,” Daddy gently said, reminding her again.
“Really?” She was doubtful.
What if there was nothing to see? Could she have made it up?
Nope .
Echo definitely couldn’t react to someone’s touch on demand. Couldn’t make up the feeling of being run into either. It was real, so real.
“I’m going to try my hardest to make everything okay. Ace is going to look into it, I’m going to have people follow you when I can’t be with you. Although, you won’t go out much,” Daddy explained.
She pushed against his chest this time, breaking free from the hand around her neck.
“Daddy.” She looked at him.
“Yes?”
“I can’t just stay inside.”
“Why not?”
She looked at him funny. Was he serious?
“Why not? It would be the safest and nothing would happen to you. We can stay at the clubhouse so you are protected at all times, even when I’m gone.”
Echo shook her head. “I can’t. I need to go outside for fresh air. I need to go to the coffee shop so they know I am alive and you haven’t killed me. Well, not that they would think that now, but before they would have…” She trailed off.
“Do you really?” Daddy asked.
“Yes!” she exclaimed. “I do! The coffee shop is where I get the most work done. I still have to work. I can’t call out and leave them hanging. I have to give them proper notice so I can get everything done beforehand.”
“You aren’t going to stop working, but you can’t leave the clubhouse.”
“No.”
He growled. “I don’t like that word.”
“Well get used to it,” she sassed. “I’m not going to stay here for who knows how long. I need to go to the coffee shop to work. I need to.”
“Echo, no.”
“Daddy, please. I don’t care if people watch me walk to the coffee shop, your men. I don’t care. I just can’t work here,” she whispered.
She had been at the clubhouse several times and each time it was the same. Music on, girls there, and loud men. She couldn’t work in that environment.
“Please, Daddy,” she begged.
“I’ll think about it, but tomorrow, you are staying here until Ace can get back to me,” Daddy said.
She nodded, needing to pick her battles. She had gotten the okay to leave the clubhouse as long as she stayed in tomorrow. She could do that, right?
“You can work in my office tomorrow,” he stated.
She grimaced. “Do I have to?”
Echo had sat in his office a couple of times as she read or colored. People came in and out all the time; she didn’t know if she could concentrate with all of that.
“You will.” He left no room for argument.
Maybe she could see if anyone had noise canceling headphones. Maybe then she would be able to turn her back to the door and get work done.
Her mind went back to the person following her, watching her the past couple of days. Worry filled her once again. Was she going to be all right? Was Daddy going to be able to catch them and make sure they never did it again?
“What’s wrong, Little Bit?”
She shook her head. It was silly. Daddy said she was going to be okay.
“Why do you call me Little Bit?” She turned her head to the side.
He had called her that since the beginning, and she wanted to know why. Sure, they had a little height difference, and he was more muscular than her, but that couldn’t be it, right?
“Because you are small, but also because you are a Little. I love both things about you. Little Bit just seems to fit,” he explained.
Her breath caught in her throat. Two things he loved about her. So that meant he loved her? Or was she thinking about it too much? Did he not love her and was just saying that to make it seem like he did?
“Yes, Echo. I love you. I heard you tell me you loved me before you fell asleep the other night,” he gently said.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” she whispered.
“Because I wanted the first time to be special. I’m not trying to make you feel bad that you didn’t tell me during something special; I just wanted to make it memorable,” he explained. “I did say it after you, but you were already asleep by the time I said it.”
Echo opened and closed her mouth several times, not knowing what to say. He wanted to make it special for her.
“I’m sorry,” she blurted out.
“Sorry for what?”
“Sorry that you couldn’t make it special like you wanted.”
Daddy cupped her face. “It’s okay. I could see the worry cross your face. And knowing you have someone after you, I wanted to tell you before.”
Her eyes went wide. “Someone is after me. You wanted to tell me before in case something happened? So you think something is going to happen?”
She had a feeling he was worried, and he wasn’t telling her. Did she need to be even more worried about it?
“Shhh, you’re okay.” He kissed her forehead.
“No.”
Daddy growled again. “I really don’t like hearing that come out of your mouth.”
“Tough. Do I need to be worried? Do I need to actually be worried about whoever is after me? I mean, what could I have done for them to come after me?”
At this point she was spewing out anything and everything. She wanted to know what was going on.
“You have nothing to worry about right now. Let Daddy take care of everything,” he reassured her.
“You’ll tell me when I need to start worrying?”
Echo didn’t know how she was going to put it out of her mind. He had planted the seed, and she was going to. It was hard.
“Yes, Little Bit. I’ll let you know.”
“Pinky promise?”
Daddy sighed. “I’ll tell you if I think you need to know. I don’t want you worrying and making yourself sick. So, if I think it’s going to do more harm than good I may not tell you.”
“Not fair.”
“Tough. That’s how it’s going to go.”
She dropped her shoulders and nodded. “Okay.”
There was no room for argument. Daddy had already made up his mind.
“Daddy is going to take care of you. I’m going to keep you safe.”
Echo snuggled into his chest and relaxed. She needed to trust him. He knew what he was doing.