Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Xavier took a winding way back to the Daddy’s Guard headquarters.
He wasn’t worried about anything happening to Nova during the drive. He’d taken the “regular” Daddy Guard van rather than the emergency truck. So, he was drawing less attention to them now. But that didn’t mean someone wasn’t following.
So, he took random side streets. Made erratic turns. Took a meandering route. And the whole time he kept a sharp eye out for tails.
Breaker watched even closer. Using the vehicle’s multi-camera system, he kept his eyes on the monitor in the back to check for anything suspicious.
Sitting in the front passenger seat, Nova said, “No one can see me in here, can they?”
He briefly took his eyes off the road and glanced at her. “Nope. Not that they’d recognize you through the windshield in that ball cap with your hair pulled back.”
“True.”
He returned his gaze to the scene ahead of him and continued, “But this thing is bullet resistant. Even the glass. We have a run-flat tire system that means even if they blew, a tough reinforced rubber ring in ‘em bears the weight of the vehicle. We could get wherever we need to go without stopping and changing them. The body of the van is armored too. Basically, it’s about as secure as the presidential limo. Maybe even more so.”
“Holy cow! That’s a lot of rescuing Littles,” she said.
Xavier chuckled. “Well, we take our mission very seriously. But also, Stryker—one of the guys who funds this operation—just likes to do cool stuff. Wait until you see the drone.”
The Strip was behind them now and they arrived at the nondescript warehouse district that held multiple large, sprawling industrial buildings. Stopping at a gate, Xavier hit a button on the visor and waited while the black iron rolled back.
Once the vehicle was inside the perimeter, the gate closed quickly. The van then drove to a large building ahead but stopped before entering the garage door that had risen.
“Sending the drone out now,” Breaker called from the back.
Xavier looked over his shoulder with Nova and they watched as a panel on the vehicle’s roof slid open and a drone zoomed straight up with a quiet electronic hum.
“Whoa!” Nova said.
“Pretty cool, right?” Xavier responded. “This thing will go up high, look around and send the video to that monitor right there so we can make sure no one followed us and is hanging back somewhere. Not that they could get in our building, anyway.”
“The building is hard to break into?” she asked.
It was Breaker who answered, though he kept his eyes on the monitor before him. “You think the van is secure? It’s nothing compared to the compound.”
A few moments passed.
“Nothing,” he said.
The drone was recalled and landed itself in a charging station in the van’s floor. Then, the roof slid closed, as did the section of floor that housed the drone beneath it, and Xavier drove them into the Daddy Guard’s lair.
It was ten the following morning by the time everyone was up and around.
Xavier normally got up every morning at six, using the time of silence to meditate, go for a run, shower, and enjoy his morning coffee in peace. But being out late responding to Nova’s call had worn him out. It had been nearly three in the morning when he’d finally fallen asleep.
Everyone else was usually up before ten too. But that little swimming excursion must have taken it out of them, he thought. Chuckling, he raised his coffee to his lips and wondered if the Littles had all gotten their bottoms busted for that naughty stunt.
He hoped they had. That was pretty crazy what they’d done.
Trixie and John were the first ones to reach the kitchen.
“Coffee! I need coffee,” Trixie said.
John nodded. “This little cutie had one too many margaritas at the pool yesterday.”
The woman groaned and rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah. But it sure was fun.”
“The pool?” Stephanie said, walking into the spacious kitchen area along with Breaker. “It was a blast. But I think I got a little burned.”
“That’s what happens when you’re topless and don’t put on enough sunscreen,” Breaker noted.
“Hey, as my Daddy, it’s your job to make sure I do.”
The man looked offended but then grinned. “Oh no you don’t, little girl. This isn’t on me. You hadn’t put any on when I got there. I was the one who made you stop and lather up. But by then, it was too late to do anything about the previous hour when you were baking. Right?”
Stephanie hung her head. “Yes, Daddy.”
A moment later, Marco and Kelsey had joined the group, as well.
“How did last night’s call go?” Marco asked.
John sat a box of Shredded Wheat he’d pulled from the pantry on the island. “Yeah, I was just about to ask that.” He turned toward the fridge and opened it, grabbing the milk.
Xavier exchanged a glance with Breaker and then said, “Well, about that. The call was okay. Though this Little we are helping is being stalked.”
“Stalked?” Trixie gasped. “Oh my!”
“Yeah. She’s staying here, actually. Brought her home and put her in one of the spare bedrooms,” Xavier explained. “But before you see her, there’s something we need to tell you all. And please don’t freak out. We don’t want to make her feel funny, ladies.”
The Littles were all listening intently now, leaning in, as if hanging on his every word.
“She’s—”
Before Xavier could finish, Trixie stood straight, pointed behind Xavier, and yelled, “Nova Monroe! At our place!”
Stephanie and Kelsey lost it, too, shouting loudly, with Kelsey even jumping up and down and grabbing Marco’s arm, pulling on it hard as she said, “Daddy! It’s her! It’s really her!”
“Holy shit!” Stephanie yelled.
“Language,” Breaker said.
Xavier swiveled on the stool he sat on and looked to see Nova—already ready for the day—standing in the mouth of the hallway.
“Hi, everyone,” she said with a little wave.
The other woman swarmed her in a matter of seconds. They were all talking so loudly that Xavier couldn’t sort out what they were even saying.
To her credit, Nova didn’t seem fazed. She must get that reaction a lot, Xavier thought.
“Oh my gosh!” Trixie said once the chatter had died down a little. “You’re my absolute favorite. You’re right next to Sabrina and Olivia! Ooh. Are you going to record another song with them? That last one you all did together was amazing!”
“Okay, honey,” John said, moving toward his wife. “Let’s not crowd our guest.”
“Sorry,” Trixie told her in a quieter tone. “It’s really good to have you.”
“It’s wonderful to be here. Thank you for opening up your home to me,” Nova told them all.
From across the big, open room, Xavier shot her a smile. She returned the gesture and their eyes remained locked for a few seconds.
Once the ladies started talking to Nova again, Xavier turned back around on his stool and picked up his mug of coffee, holding it close to his lips.
Don’t get too used to having her around. It wouldn’t work between you two. You need to keep a clear head, don’t make this personal, and find whoever is stalking her.
And don’t get carried away in some fantasy of you being her Daddy!
Well, Xavier thought, part of that advice he’d just given himself wouldn’t be hard. He’d find out who was stalking her. He was damn good at his job.
But that other part would be hard.
Because, already, he sure wanted to be Little Nova’s Daddy.