Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
The following morning, Trixie had to stop and think about whether she’d really confessed her fantasies to John or if that had been a dream.
Best she could determine, it was real.
She also wracked her brain, trying to remember if she’d used the D-word.
Had she called him Daddy? She couldn’t remember it, but last night was pretty hazy.
More than that, she wondered if he’d used the word!
Should she ask?
No. There was no reason to. It was best to just let it lie for now. They’d only recently met. She was moving way too fast.
You’ve found the man of your dreams, Trixie! Don’t scare him away. He’ll think you’re a total psycho if you start talking about things like forever and happily ever after.
But he was sure talking like he was her Daddy.
“You’re going to be a good girl at Auntie Athena’s, right?”
John asked the question as he stood near the table where Trixie and the other Littles were eating breakfast. The Daddies had cooked and eaten quickly and were now getting things ready for the day.
It seemed as if they were on a mission and Trixie suspected it was about her case.
“I’ll be a good girl. I promise. But why aren’t we going to Athena’s regular place?”
John smiled reassuringly. “Because, honey, the people after you followed you to her house yesterday. They might be watching it, waiting for you to come back.”
Suddenly Trixie wasn’t very hungry for the remaining bites of pancakes on her plate. She gripped the table and waited for the wave of nausea to pass.
She could only imagine how pale—or perhaps green—her face was. John clearly noticed, too, because he asked, “Are you okay?”
It took a few moments before she could respond. “Did I put Auntie Athena or Trevon in danger?”
John shook his head.
But it was Cami who spoke up. “No one puts Trevon in danger.”
Everyone laughed.
“Yeah,” Iris agreed. “Pretty sure if the bad guys came, he could just throw a car or house at them or something.”
Trixie was laughing a little too now, and she appreciated the moment of levity. But she was still literally worried sick over this. She crossed her arms across her stomach, hoping to alleviate some of that feeling.
“Don’t worry, Trixie,” John reassured her.
“Athena, Trevon, and all the Littles who visit the Nursery will be just fine. These people only want you. I know that is scary. But it means they’ll leave everyone else alone.
” He stepped closer and took a sip from the steaming coffee mug he held before adding, “Remember, they don’t want to draw attention to themselves.
A bunch of heat is the last thing they need.
They’ll try to be discreet. Especially after last night. They know that we’re on to them.”
She nodded. The information made her feel a bit better. But she prayed Auntie and Trevon were truly all right and out of harm’s way.
“So we’re spending the day somewhere the bad guys don’t know about?” she asked.
Iris gave the answer. “Yes! At the warehouse. Or that’s what we call it. Auntie Athena recently purchased it. You’re going to love it!”
“Yeah,” Samantha chimed in. “I’ve only been there once. But it’s awesome! There are slides, ball pits, a foam pit, and lots of cool things!”
“Don’t forget the giant inflatable obstacle course,” Annika added. “It’s my favorite!”
All of that sounded like fun to Trixie. But she wished she could stay with John. She aimed her eyes at him. “You’re going to help the Daddy Guard?”
“Yes.”
“But you’re not part of them officially, right?” She knew it was a longshot. The idea of being apart from him just didn’t sit well. Hopefully he didn’t take her comment the wrong way, though.
Thankfully, he smiled, indicating he wasn’t offended.
“Think of me as an honorary member right now. Until we can get all this straightened out.” His posture hardened a bit, his voice taking on a more serious tone.
“You know, it’s a Daddy’s job to protect his Little.
I’m not just going to sit by on the sidelines while you’re in danger. ”
Trixie wasn’t surprised. Helping people was what John did. He was a rescuer. She’d learned that much about him the first time she’d met him after getting stuck on the mountainside.
Some people just had helping in their blood. John Bartlett was clearly one of those people.
“While I’m away, I expect you to follow the rules. Do whatever Auntie and Trevon tell you. You’ll be safe there,” John stated.
“Yes, Sir. I’ll be good. I promise.”
The other women at the table didn’t seem to bat an eye at the display of dominance and submission. Trixie knew such was simply life around the mansion.
It was the way they all wanted it. They were living life as their most authentic selves. And now, she was, too.
The reality of it all hadn’t quite set in yet. Those past several days had been a whirlwind and everything was moving so fast. Yet she still somehow felt at peace.
That must be Daddy’s presence, she decided.
When all this was over and things calmed down, she knew she’d get to explore things with John and see where their budding relationship went.
She couldn’t wait.
But first, she had to let John and the Daddy Guard do what they did best.
Her job was to simply wait. And obey.
The other Littles weren’t kidding about how awesome the warehouse was.
It was a Littles’ heaven!
“Look at that!” Trixie said, pointing to a tall slide that extended nearly to the warehouse’s high ceiling.
And it was actually more than just a slide. It was four slides, each one a different color, but connected with dividers separating the lanes. They all dropped down, had a bump, then dropped the rest of the way to a long landing strip on the floor.
“Awesome, right?” Iris said. “We race on that one.”
“But check that thing out,” Cami said, pointing to another portion of the vast room where an inflatable obstacle course was set up. “You get to climb up stuff, slide down things, and bounce all over the place. It’s so much fun!”
“There’s a swing set back there, too,” Lana mentioned. “And a couple of tire swings. Want to go spin on them until we all feel sick?”
The Littles cheered and Lana led the way.
After playing on the regular swings and tire swings for about forty minutes, they went to the obstacle course and made it through several times. Trixie loved every moment of it. Playing with other Littles was just like she’d dreamed. And falling and bouncing on the soft surface was a blast, too.
By the time they climbed off, she was sweating and winded, but Auntie Athena was waiting with water bottles.
“You cuties need to take a break,” the matronly woman told them. “Drink some water. I have juice boxes in the lunchroom, too. And snacks.”
Trixie and the other Littles thanked her and drank their water. While she had the bottle to her lips, she felt her phone buzz in the pockets of her jeans. She was thankful the device had turned out to be clean. No trackers or anything on it. The people after her hadn’t found her from it.
The text from John wasn’t very long, but it did relay some good news.
Went in your hotel room. Got your stuff. No sign of anyone visiting. Think it’s clean. But if they come back, we’ll know.
That made her happy. Even though she wasn’t staying in the room—and it wasn’t technically her space—the thought of being violated by someone going inside and rummaging through her things made her nauseous.
She fired off a quick response.
Thank you! Please be careful. Miss you.
She followed up with a heart.
Was the miss you and emoji dumb? It was forward. But it was honest.
Too late to take it back now. The read receipt indicated John had already seen it. Seconds later, three hearts came back.
Trixie giggled.
She went and enjoyed a snack and some juice with the other Littles and introduced herself to some folks she’d never met before. The group from the Daddy Guard mansion weren’t the only ones there that day, and she enjoyed making new friends.
The idea of moving to L.A. and being a part of this community resonated with her. But only to a certain extent.
Could she leave Vegas?
Vegas was her home. She loved it there. Why should a few evil men get to drive her from her own city?
Then again, Daddy—or rather John—was here in Los Angeles.
Accidentally mentally referring to him as Daddy made her giggle.
Who knew if he’d ever leave L.A. or if she’d ever leave Vegas. Who also knew if there would be a reason to. She was developing strong feelings for John. He seemed to be developing feelings for her as well. But what if he just felt that way because she needed his help?
Would they stay together?
She corrected her question to would they even officially get together in the first place? She’d spent the night in his arms, and they’d flirted, but that was all so far.
Right now, though, she didn’t want to think about that too much. Her nerves were already frayed as she worried about John and the other Guard members, even though she was having fun playing.
So, she tried to just focus on the good time. After the snacks, a bunch of the Littles did slide races.
Sitting on special mat, they zoomed down the giant slide, giggling the entire way down. It felt as if Trixie would fly off each time she hit the bump, and her stomach always turned a nervous but excited somersault.
She absolutely loved it.
But after the sixth race, a thought occurred to her.
“My key!”
“What?” Samantha asked.
“Sorry. I just realized I forgot to tell Daddy—I mean John—that I hid the key to my storage locker in a special spot in my hotel room!” She took out her cell and said, “I’ll be right back.”
Samantha and Iris were both grinning.
“What?” Trixie asked, though she already had a pretty good idea what they were smiling about.
“You called him Daddy,” Samantha pointed out.
Trixie just blushed as she turned away and made the call.
John didn’t answer. She immediately tried again, only to get the same results.
Crap.
She walked back to where her friends stood near the end of the slide.
“What’s up?” Annika asked. “You all good?”
Trixie thought about it for a moment. “I think so. It’s just that… I have a bunch of evidence in a storage locker I rented in Vegas.”
“Evidence?” Annika said.
“Yeah. Those people who are after me? It’s stuff that’ll take them down.”
The other Littles nodded.
“Anyway,” Trixie continued, “when I checked into my room, I hid the key. Just in case someone came looking for it. I wasn’t really expecting trouble, but it’s a good thing I did that.
” She shrugged. “But I forgot to tell Da—” She caught herself with a wry grin.
“John. I forgot to tell John that I did that. So when he grabbed my stuff from my room, he didn’t get that key! But now I can’t get a hold of him.”
“Ooh, I’ll call my Daddy,” Cami offered. “I think they’re all together.”
She grabbed her phone, put it to her ear, and waited.
After a moment, she lowered it.
“He didn’t answer.”
“Let me try Jack,” Iris said.
She did so, but it yielded the same results.
“They must all be tied up,” Samantha stated.
“Maybe doing important Daddy Guard stuff,” Lana suggested.
Trixie chewed on her bottom lip as she thought it over.
“I might need to run to my hotel room and grab it.”
“You can’t do that!” Iris protested. “What if the bad guys are waiting for you?”
“She’s right,” Lana said. “Trixie, that would be really dangerous. It’s best just to wait until we can get a hold of the guys and let them handle it.”
Trixie turned it all over in her mind a few more times.
She shook her head. “But what if they checked me out of the room?” Glancing down at her phone, she noted the time.
“Check-in is at three. That means if another guest gets that room, I might never get my key.” Her voice was full of desperation. “I have to get it!”
She watched as the other women exchanged nervous glances.
“But how will you get there?” Samantha asked.
“That part is easy.” Trixie waved her phone at her. “I’ll just call a rideshare.”
“Auntie won’t allow you to leave here,” Cami said. She cast a glance over her shoulder to where Trevon was sitting at a table against the wall, sipping coffee and reading a newspaper. “But maybe she’d let you if you took him.”
The idea was tempting. But what if she asked Trevon, and he said no and told her to wait? Then she was back at square one and might lose the key.
She had to make sure she had it. Her life depended on it!
“I saw the back door against the wall, when we were doing the obstacle course.”
Lana groaned. Samantha frowned. Cami shook her head. Annika winced.
And Iris said, “Oh, honey, don’t do it. It’s not worth it.”
“I have to,” Trixie said. “Just do me a favor. If you have to tell—and I don’t mind if you do, because I don’t want you all to get in trouble—just give me a few minutes of a headstart. Deal?”
Iris was chewing on the inside of her cheek as she looked at her friends and then back at Trixie. “Be careful.”
Trixie nodded, hugged each one of them, and then scampered off quietly toward the back.
She just hoped this worked out. One way or another.