Untamed Daddy Page 2

  “Who. Are. You.”

  “I’m insulted, don’t you recognize my voice?”

  He stilled. His voice?

  “Fox?” He straightened up. It couldn’t be anyone else, right?

  “At your service, well, not really, since you’re not paying me. Now, unfortunately, I don’t have time to wait any longer for you to finish burping the worm. I need your help.”

  “You need my help.” He decided to ignore all the references to him masturbating. For now.

  “Yep.”

  “And you think I’m going to give you my help?”

  “You owe me.” The Fox’s voice changed. The lightness turned to dark. Warmth to cold. Reyes actually felt the cold fingers of death creeping out to him. Not that he hadn’t felt them before, they were old friends. But never like this.

  Reyes couldn’t forget that the Fox was extremely dangerous.

  “I owe you?”

  “All of you owe me. I saved my sweet girl. Gave all of you alibis. Then I rescued Betsy and took care of that tree issue for Ink.”

  Tree issue. Not the first time he’d said that. Which they all took to mean that the Fox had something to do with Forrest’s plane crashing and him dying.

  It was hard to deny that they owed him. Even though they hadn’t asked for his help with any of that. Still, someone like the Fox wouldn’t forget a debt owed.

  “And you’re calling me rather than Duke or Ink?”

  “Yep. You’re up, big guy. We both know they’re getting actual sex tonight rather than—”

  “What do you need?” he interrupted.

  “Touchy. I can see those blue balls are really affecting your attitude.”

  “Do you want my help?” Reyes snapped through the phone.

  “Well, that is why I’m calling,” the Fox said matter-of-factly.

  “Then you’re gonna have to stop talking about my balls.”

  “Odd rule to have. But fine.”

  “What do you need?” Reyes asked.

  “Oh, can’t tell you that until you get here. That’s one of my rules,” the Fox said cheerfully. “Meet me at this address.” He rattled it off. “You have forty minutes to get here. And bring your truck, not your motorbike. Also, don’t tell anyone. Fox is over and out. Hmm, no, I don’t like that as a sign-off. Will have to work on that one,” he muttered, then the phone went dead.

  Fuck.

  What was going on? What was the Fox getting him into? If that asshole got him killed . . . well, he was going to fucking haunt the shit out of him.

  * * *

  Reyes drove up to what looked to be an abandoned barn. What the hell? Why would the Fox ask him to meet him here?

  And what did he want?

  Too many unknowns were starting to piss him off. Did the Fox think he could just call him up at any time and he’d be at his beck and call? He was going to make it clear this was a one-off.

  The passenger door opened before he could even turn off the engine. He quickly reached for the gun he had hidden under his jacket.

  “Relax, it’s me.”

  “Fox?”

  “You were expecting someone else?” the Fox asked, slipping into the passenger seat and placing a backpack at his feet. His face was covered in a black ski mask.

  “Why am I here? What’s going on? Why call me?”

  “So many questions. All will be revealed soon. Now, drive.” The Fox pointed ahead of them, out into the dark road. They were in the countryside, there were still houses here, but they tended to be spread far apart.

  “I’m not your fucking servant.”

  “No, but you are going to do what I say, aren’t you?” the Fox asked coldly.

  Reyes was no man’s puppet. But he was here for information. And he didn’t like owing anyone. It didn’t sit well with him. If this carved off part of their debt to this asshole, then he would do it.

  Well, once he found out what it was. There were some lines even he wouldn’t cross.

  “Within reason.”

  “Don’t worry, old chap,” he said in an impeccable British accent. Damn, he was good. But then Reyes already knew that, didn’t he? “I’m not going to ask you to do anything illegal. Wait, yes, I am. Let me rephrase that. It’s perhaps considered illegal by some.”

  “And by some, you mean law-abiding citizens?”

  “Well, I suppose. However, you’re committing a small crime for a greater good.”

  “A greater good?” Reyes repeated.

  “Yep. See, you should actually be thanking me for this opportunity.”

  “I should? Why is that?” This guy was delusional.

  “Because I’m going to give you the chance to be the white knight. That’s what you like to do, don’t you? Rescue the helpless? Does it make you feel better? Does it erase old guilt?”

  Old guilt? What the hell? Reyes felt his temper stir and had to push it down. He nearly ground his teeth into dust with how hard his jaw was clenched. What did he know?

  “I’m no one’s white knight. I’m the shadows, not the light.”

  “Ahh, but without light, shadows don’t exist. Right? And I’m not a shadow. I’m darkness. I’m death. You’d do well to remember that.”

  Fuck. There it was again. The warning that he wasn’t dealing with someone normal.

  “What is it you want me to do?” Reyes demanded.

  “It’s simple, really. I want you to rescue the girl. See? You get to go off and be the good guy.”

  “And what are you doing while I’m rescuing the girl?” What girl?

  “Pull over into this side road,” the Fox told him. “We can’t drive any further, it will alert the security.”

  “What security?” Reyes snarled.

  “If I knew you would have so many questions, I’d have asked someone else to come along. Jason doesn’t seem to talk much. Yes, he probably would have been a better choice.”

  Reyes pulled onto the side road and parked, but left the truck running.

  “You should turn off the lights, we’re trying to be stealth here. I prefer a quieter approach rather than anything big and flashy. Although I have been having fun with fire lately. I’m starting to wonder if I have pyromaniac tendencies.”

  “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what is going on.”

  “Yes. You are. Because you owe me. And you don’t want me calling Jason in because you’re too much of a control freak.”

  He thought that he’d rather deal with the Fox who made stupid jokes than this too-perceptive side of him. “Have you been spying on me?”

  “I don’t have time to spy on you. Not anymore. But do you really think I’d let anyone around my sweet girl who I didn’t vet?”

  “Your sweet girl? Meaning Sunny? You do know that she’s Duke’s, not yours.”

  “You think I couldn’t get rid of him if I wanted to? But she seems to love him and I want her to be happy.”

  “She’ll never be yours, Fox.” It was a risk telling him this. He seemed more than a little delusional. Or was that an act too?

  “Sunny is important to me, but she’s not my soulmate.”

  Soulmate? He couldn’t seriously believe in soulmates? Christ. He had to stop trying to figure out what was bullshit and what was real when it came to the Fox. It was giving him a headache.

  “Why is there security here and who am I rescuing?”

  “I told you, a girl.”

  “From who? I can’t just kidnap her.”

  “It’s not kidnapping. You’re helping her.”

  “Who is this girl?”

  “Actually, we’re on a bit of a time crunch. You rescue the princess. I’ve got something to do. Who knew you’d want to talk so much? Next thing you’ll want to have a chat about your feelings. You’re worse than having a wife.”

  How had no one killed this asshole before?

  Deep breaths. Patience.

  The Fox opened the bag he’d brought with him, pulling out two pairs of night-vision goggles and ha
nding one pair to Reyes. “You armed?”

  “Yep,” Reyes replied.

  “It loaded?”

  Reyes sighed. Did he think he was a fucking amateur? “Yep.”

  Maybe he should have just shot the bastard.

  “Good.” He drew out another black ski mask, handing it to Reyes, along with some gloves.

  “Here, you might want a gag and rope. In case she won’t go quietly.”

  Reyes gritted his teeth together. “I thought this was to rescue her, why wouldn’t she go quietly?”

  “Well, I suspect that some strange man turning up in the middle of the night might be kind of upsetting to her. Hmm, maybe I should have brought a sedative.”

  “If she doesn’t want to leave, I’m not forcing her.”

  The Fox sighed. “How annoying to have such morals. Let’s go.” The Fox seemed to be all business as he set off through the trees. Reyes followed him. The Fox didn’t make a noise. Reyes had to admit to being impressed. They made their way to the edge of the trees. Beyond that was a huge concrete fence.

  “How do we get past that?” he asked.

  “That is the fun part.”

  Holy. Shit. He really hoped this fucker didn’t get him killed.

  * * *

  Emme couldn’t sleep.

  Kind of hard to relax when she was wound so tight. Plus, she was curled up behind a chair in her bedroom. Not a great hiding place, but it didn’t make her feel claustrophobic like hiding in the closet did. And she didn’t feel safe enough to get into bed. If he came for her again, she didn’t intend to be asleep in bed.

  She was lucky that he’d gotten called away before he could really harm her.

  You’d think after all these years that she wouldn’t care anymore. But he was her father. He was meant to love her. Take care of her.

  He wasn’t supposed to be the one who hurt her. Most of it was verbal abuse. But that bruised and damaged her soul.

  You are worthy. You are intelligent. You are capable of being loved.

  She froze as she heard the telltale creaking sound of her bedroom door being opened. Was he back?

  But there was no shouting. No demands for her to show herself. Nothing but silence.

  She peered around the back of the chair. Who was that? There was no light on in the room. All she could make out was the shape of him. Tall. Broad. Her heart raced. Why was he here? Shit.

  Was he one of the guards? Had he been sent in here to kill her?

  But why be sneaky? It wasn’t like anyone would care.

  The man moved so he was standing directly over her bed. Maybe he had something else in mind. Her heart raced. She placed her hand over her chest, certain she was about to have a heart attack.

  “Fuck. I’m going to kill him for this,” the man muttered quietly. “I’m really fucking sorry about this, sweetheart.”

  So he was here to kill her. He sounded like he regretted having to do it. So that was something, she guessed.

  Still, she wasn’t going down without a fight.

  Slipping out from behind the chair, she jumped up. “Die, asshole!”

  Holy fuck!

  Where had she sprung from?

  The tiny sprite, dressed all in black, kicked him in the shin before landing a punch to his stomach. Which definitely hurt her more than him. Her pained cry made him feel guilty, for some idiotic reason.

  Before she could hurt herself further, or land a kick somewhere it might do some actual damage, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in against him. Her back was to his chest, her legs kicking uselessly as he widened his stance and drew her up off the floor.

  “Easy, wildcat,” he told her in a low voice.

  “Let go of me, you asswipe, dipshit, pig-butt-licking, slimy worm.”

  Interesting insults.

  “Quiet, girl. I’m not here to hurt you.”

  Even he realized how ridiculous that sounded.

  She stilled. “Oh, right. Sorry. My bad. Please, feel free to carry on.”

  He rolled his eyes at her sarcasm. “I’m here to help you.”

  “Good job so far. You sneak into my room, then you hurt my hand and now you’re holding me captive.”

  “You hurt your own hand when you punched me. And I’m not holding you captive. I’m stopping you from hitting or kicking me.”

  “You’re just lucky I didn’t launch my crave maggie skills on you!”

  Crave maggie?

  He frowned, thinking that one through. “Do you mean Krav Maga?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I said.”

  No, it wasn’t.

  “So if you’re here to rape me then you should know, I know Krav Maga. Did I say it right that time?”

  “You don’t know Krav Maga.”

  “Do too.” She continued to wiggle in his grasp. He wondered why wasn’t she screaming for help.

  “If you know Krav Maga, wouldn’t you know how to say it?”

  She was silent for a moment. Shit, he really shouldn’t be just standing here having some ridiculous conversation about Krav Maga.

  “I’m self-taught.”

  “Right.”

  “Do you know any martial arts?” she asked.

  “No, but I have a gun and a bad attitude.”

  “Huh. I suppose you win, then.”

  He wasn’t aware they were having a competition. Also, this was a weird conversation.

  “Why aren’t you screaming?” He couldn’t help but ask.

  “Do you want me to scream? I could try. Screaming never helps anyone in horror films, though. Are you here to kill me and use my skin as a mask?”

  “God, no.” What the fuck?

  “Are you going to stab me to death with a kitchen knife?”

  Shit. Is that what she thought? Well, who could blame her, asshole?

  “Listen, girl. I’m not here to harm you.”

  “Pretty sure that’s what someone who was going to set me free only to stalk me through the house in some weird game of cat and mouse would say.”

  “I’m not going to do any of those things. I’m here to help you.”

  “Why?

  “I owe someone a favor,” he gritted out. Yep, should have gone with his gut and just shot the Fox. “I’m going to get you out of here.”

  “You’re kidnapping me?”

  He winced. “I’m not kidnapping you.”

  “That’s good. Getting kidnapped really isn’t fun.”

  Who was this girl? None of this made any sense. What had the Fox brought him into?

  “I’m here to help you leave.” He didn’t know how much time he had. The Fox had somehow managed to get them past the guards and dogs then inside the house. He’d led him to this girl’s bedroom, pointed to the door with a finger to his lips, then left.

  Reyes was starting to wonder if this was a set-up. If the Fox was using him as a scapegoat. Fuck, he was here to murder someone, wasn’t he?

  Why had that only just occurred to him? Of course he was here to assassinate someone. That was what he did.

  And Reyes was now going to be a fucking accessory. Motherfucking bastard. Yeah, he was no saint. He was no stranger to breaking the law. But he’d never murdered someone. Or helped anyone else do it.

  “Fuck it.” He set the girl gently down, then turned and headed towards the door. He needed to get out of here before he was caught. Only, without the Fox how did he get safely past all the security?

  “Wait. Where are you going? Aren’t I coming as well?”

  He froze. Shouldn’t she be happy that he was leaving? Instead, she sounded sad. Defeated.

  Unless . . .

  Did she actually need help?

  Christ. Why did he answer his phone tonight? If he left without her, he would have gone through this for nothing. The Iron Shadows would still owe the Fox a debt.

  Spinning back, he strode to the girl. “Listen. I know this is weird, but I’m not going to hurt you. I was told that you needed help. Do you want to stay here?”
/>
  “No. I hate it here. But he’s not going to let me go.”

  “Who?”

  “My father.” There was a note of fear in her voice that he hated.

  “I know you’re scared. A strange man sneaking into your room in the dark doesn’t inspire trust or confidence, but I don’t hurt women. And I won’t let anyone else hurt you while you’re with me.”

  “Who are you?” she whispered.

  Should he tell her? Fuck, he had to tell her something. “My name is Reyes. You?”

  “I’m Emme.”

  “Well, Emme. Are you coming with me?”

  There was a beat of silence. “Yes.”

  He ran his gaze over her, she was wearing a dark hoodie and tights. “Then quickly grab anything you need and some shoes. Don’t turn on any lights. You have to be quick.”

  “My father is going to be mad.” But as she moved to the closet. “He’ll try to hurt you. To find me.”

  “Not scared of your father.”

  It was too dark to get a good look at her. She was short, though. Slight. The scent of caramel and green apples hit him and his dick hardened.

  What the hell? What was wrong with him?

  Feeling ill, he moved back towards the door, opening it carefully and peeking outside. No sign of anyone.

  “I’m ready,” she whispered from behind him.

  He spotted something down the hallway. Someone moved quickly towards him, sticking mostly to the dark areas.

  He gestured at Emme to get back.

  A surge of protectiveness filled him. Women were his weakness. He’d tried to harden himself, to make himself not care. But time and again, he found himself ignoring his vow not to care about anyone. He’d let too many people close, that was his problem. There were now cracks in his armor. He needed to shore them up.

  But not tonight, it seemed. The girl slid into the shadows. At least she listened to him this time.

  “Time to go.”

  The whisper came from the shadows, but he recognized the Fox’s voice.

  “What the fuck is going on? What have you been doing?”

  “No time to talk. Time’s run out. Where’s the girl?” The Fox sounded calm enough, but Reyes still got the feeling something was going on.