Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Kendrick Vaughn balled his fist as anger seized him.
Nothing made him madder than a man who would prey on the defenseless. But that’s the kind of trash he was watching.
The call had started out simply enough. A Little—who knew about the Guard from her time at Auntie Athena’s—had driven over something that had popped her two front tires. She didn’t know a thing about putting on a spare, and anyway, only had one.
So, she’d called the Daddy Guard.
They were happy to help. It’s what they did.
Funded by a group of millionaires that included some of Hollywood’s elite talented who were also part of the ageplay community, the Guard existed to help Littles who had no one else to turn to. Problems big or small, the Guard would answer the call.
Kendrick had fielded this request and asked Isaiah to go with him.
Like Kendrick, Isaiah was a former LAPD officer. They’d both handled their share of roadside assistance requests when on the Force.
That was the part the TV shows rarely showed. Being a cop wasn’t all chases and shootouts. In fact, it was rarely those things. Thankfully. Many officers never had to draw their guns in the line of duty.
Sometimes, it was helping change a tire. Or pushing a stalled car out of the roadway so it didn’t impede traffic and create an unsafe situation for commuters.
Kendrick had every reason to suspect this was one of those calls—only taken by the Guard instead of police dispatch.
The fact that two tires were flat would prove a little more challenging.
But they could easily take care of it. Probably just call a wrecker, get it to a shop, and get new tires put on.
Hopefully the wheels were in okay shape and the rims hadn’t been bent.
But upon arriving to the scene—at the intersection of Crescent Heights and Sawyer—Kendrick found an unpleasant surprise waiting for them.
Zach Snodgrass.
The name sounded ordinary. But Zach had a rap sheet a mile long.
His specialty included posing as a casting agent to prey upon young women. Kendrick knew because he’d busted him for that very thing multiple times.
Technically, it wasn’t illegal to lie and say you were a casting agent. It was, however, illegal to coerce women into taking “headshots”—often nude—and then blackmailing them with said photos.
And it was highly illegal to hold them against their will; trapping them inside your house, and telling them they couldn’t leave until they posed for some pics.
That was called kidnapping.
Kendrick didn’t know why the asshole was out of jail. But as he saw the slimy man pretending to help the stranded motorist, his blood began to simmer.
As he pulled the Guard’s van against the curb, from the front passenger seat, Isaiah said, “Is that…” His words trailed off as if he couldn’t quite believe it.
“Snodgrass?”
“Yeah.”
“Sure is,” Kendrick confirmed. He shook his head. “Damn. What are the odds?”
Isaiah chuckled. “Oh, he’s going to love seeing us.”
Something felt familiar to Kendrick as he stepped out of the vehicle. Almost like he was back on the force. He’d nearly reached down to unfasten the strap that held his Glock pistol securely in its holster.
Only he didn’t have a holster. Nor a gun.
He didn’t need one against Zach Snodgrass. The guy was as tiny as he was slimy. Of course, even little guys could still pose a threat. Guns and knives were the great equalizers. But Kendrick knew he and Isaiah could handle it.
What mattered was keeping the Little safe.
His mind raced as he tried to recall her name.
Lucy.
Walking toward her and Zach, he could hear the conversation now as Zach spoke excitedly.
“You’ve really never been in a movie? I could have sworn I’ve seen you in something.”
The young woman giggled. “Never.”
“Not even a TV show?” Zach studied her and snapped is fingers two times. “The Rookie! You did an episode of The Rookie. Or was it High Potential? It was one of the cop shows over at ABC.”
Lucy laughed again, this time a little longer and louder. “I haven’t been in anything.”
“That’s crazy. I could have sworn I’ve seen you.” The sleazebag stepped closer. “You just have that look. You know? Like a star. Are you interested? I’m a casting director. The studios hit me up all the time.”
Kendrick rolled his eyes. Zach was still trying the same old lines. He just prayed they hadn’t worked on any women since whenever it was Zach got released from prison. The thought of there being more victims of this monster made Kendrick’s blood go from simmering to boiling.
“I’m not an actress,” Lucy replied—though the slightly hopeful tone in her voice made Kendrick suspect she was at least considering the possibility.
“Hey, everyone starts somewhere. And some people have natural talent. It’s hard to explain. But we in the industry know it when we see it.” Zach stepped even closer. “And I see it now.”
Kendrick couldn’t listen to another second of this crap. He glanced over at Isaiah. Based on the look on his face, he couldn’t listen to more, either.
So, Kendrick called out, “Hi, Lucy. We’re here.
” He then stopped walking, feigned surprise, and pointed at Zach.
“I know you!” Looking over at Isaiah, who was walking beside him but a few feet away, spread out, like they did when they were cops as to not present themselves as one target, he continued, “It’s our old buddy! ”
Isaiah nodded. The smile on his face was more than a little exaggerated. “Zach! Zach Snodgrass. I haven’t seen you since… well, since you went to prison. How long ago was that?”
Kendrick answered for the sleazy man. “Oh, I’d say three years or so. Wonder why he’s out? Must’ve been time off for good behavior.”
Lucy’s eyes were wide as she studied the man before her, clearly in a new light. “You said your name was Aaron.”
“You sly old dog, you,” Kendrick said. “Did you tell a fib? That doesn’t sound like the Zach Snodgrass I know.”
Isaiah shook his head slowly and clicked his tongue. “It sure doesn’t. Man. What’s this world coming to? Just when you think you know someone…” He shook his head again with a heavy sigh.
Zach backed up a few paces. “I heard you two aren’t cops anymore. That means I don’t have to listen to you.” Despite the bravado of his words, his voice trembled a little, betraying his fear.
“It does,” Kendrick said, inching forward. “But it also means we don’t have to consider things like, oh, your constitutional rights. Meaning, we can just kick your ass now. No need to Mirandize you are anything.”
He popped his knuckles on both hands for dramatic effect.
“Hey! You can’t do that! I’m gonna call the cops!” Kendrick saw a lot of desperation in Zach’s eyes when the guy looked at Lucy. “Help me! Call the police.”
But Lucy simply stood there wearing a mask of skepticism. “Why were you in jail?”
Kendrick was glad she asked. Going to jail didn’t automatically make someone a bad person.
Some people were wrongfully incarcerated.
As a cop, it had kept him up nights. That’s why he dotted every I and crossed every T, not rushing to snap judgements, and making sure he truly believed the guilt of the person he arrested.
And unlike some police officers, he had welcomed tough questioning whenever the trials had rolled around. Everyone deserved legal representation. He wanted slick lawyers to try and poke holes in the prosecutions’ arguments. It was imperative the right person was going to jail.
So, again, he was glad that Lucy wasn’t rushing to judgement.
But he knew for a fact Zach Snodgrass was a disgusting human who got his rocks off by victimizing young ladies.
And that was something Kendrick couldn’t abide by. Not when he was on the force. Not now. Not ever.
“These guys are just messing around. I don’t even know them.”
Lucy’s posture shifted and she put her hands on her hips. “But you just said you heard they weren’t cops anymore.”
“Uh. I…well…I kinda remember them, but they’re not…”
Kendrick knew what the guy was going to do before he even did it: he turned around and bolted from the scene.
For a moment, Kendrick stood there, debating on whether or not he should chase him. He didn’t have any sort of jurisdiction, obviously. It wasn’t as if the Daddy Guard was a legal entity.
But he couldn’t let Zach get away to victimize more women. If he was even doing that. Odds were good he was. After all, he’d been caught red-handed trying his old scam on Lucy.
A few moments passed before Kendrick settled on a course of action.
Pulling out his phone, he sent a text to a few of his officer buddies who were still on the force.
“You sending a not-so-anonymous tip to our pals?” Isaiah guessed correctly.
“Yep. Letting them know our other old buddy is up to the same old tricks.”
He put his phone back in the pocket of his jeans and smiled at Lucy. “Sorry about all that. We’re glad you called.”
Her hands trembled and her face was pale. “He was going to hurt me, wasn’t he?”
“More or less,” Kendrick confirmed, not bothering to share the more lurid details, though. “He’s a gross guy. But if he’s hurt anyone since getting out of jail, my friends at the LAPD will stop it.”
She rushed to Kendrick and threw her arms around him.
It felt good to have a sweet Little clinging to him. Obviously, she wasn’t dressed in her Little outfit right out there on the street. But he’d seen her around Auntie Athena’s enough to know how she identified.
That’s why she’d called the Daddy Guard, after all.
Yet, he knew she wasn’t his Little. She might very well be single. He had no idea about her relationship status. But she didn’t feel like his Little. Somehow, he just knew he’d know when he met her—whoever she was.
Kendrick just knew it wasn’t Lucy.
Pulling away, he looked at her car. “Let’s get this off the road somewhere safe and then get you where you need to be.”
“Thank you! I’m going to work. I, uh, don’t have a lot of money. But I can give you some and then pay it out over time—”
Holding up a hand, Kendrick shook his head. “Nah. This is what the Guard’s for. If you trust me with your keys, I’ll make sure you have new tires and your car returned.”
Clearly elated, Lucy squealed and hugged him again.
Kendrick was glad she was so happy. Deep down, though, he couldn’t help but wish it was his Little there with him.
Mmm. Just thinking of her made him close his eyes and nearly sigh. He couldn’t wait to hold her tight and breathe in the scent of her hair.
Whoever she might be…