Protector Daddy Page 5

  Jerry returned, his breath coming in harsh pants. “She’s disappeared.”

  Steele glared at him. “Then find her!”

  Spike sighed. “I know where she is.” Question was, did he want to go after her?

  Fuck it.

  If it was her then he obviously needed to give her a harsher warning about staying away from him. He strode out of the room, coming to a stop as he realized Steele was moving with him. “Stay here.”

  “But this woman did come here asking for me. I feel rude just turning her away.”

  “Didn’t bother you two minutes ago,” Spike pointed out with a scowl.

  “Ah, but that was before I knew that you knew her. You never get involved with women.”

  “Not fucking involved with her.”

  Steele just gave him an amused look. Fuck him anyway.

  * * *

  “Oh look at the pretty puppy!”

  Millie smiled as she watched Chardonnay cuddle Mr. Fluffy. Mr. Fluffy sent a look back to Millie as though asking her why she was letting some other woman accost him. But she figured Mr. Fluffy was her way in. She’d been watching Chardonnay up on the dance floor while she’d been waiting for that nice man to find Mr. Steele.

  Hm. Actually, she probably shouldn’t have wandered off the way she had. She really should go back and find out if Mr. Steele would see her.

  She’d just had to come back and tell Chardonnay how talented she was.

  “I wish I had your talent for dancing,” she told Chardonnay as she took back Mr. Fluffy before he suffocated against the other woman’s impressive cleavage. “The way you twisted and turned. I’d have found myself flat on my back, probably with a twisted ankle.”

  Chardonnay gave her a look that was equal parts amused and cynical. “It just takes a bit of practice. And yoga. Lots of yoga.”

  “Back in my hometown, one of the residents started up a yoga class. Only Mrs. Larsen slipped and broke her hip and we decided it probably wasn’t a good idea to keep continuing on.”

  “That’s too bad. If you ever want me to show you some moves, you can come in here while I’m practicing.”

  “I can?”

  Chardonnay smiled at her. “Sure.”

  Another girl walked through the changing room, completely naked. Chardonnay had pulled on a robe as soon as she’d left the stage. But the dark-skinned, beautiful girl who took a seat in front of a mirror to adjust her make-up didn’t seem to care.

  Millie sighed.

  “What you staring at?” the other woman snapped. “Who’s she, Chardonnay?”

  “Chill, Tawny. She just came back here to tell me how good I was on stage.”

  “You’re not supposed to have clients back here,” Tawny told her.

  “Relax. Not like she’s some old perv come to gawk at you.”

  “I don’t know, she seems to be doing plenty of gawking,” Tawny said slyly. “Like what you see?” She wrapped a gown around her body.

  Millie felt her face grow red. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me. It’s just that you’re beautiful and I was wishing I had hair like yours and eyes like yours and that body . . . I’m so sorry.”

  She stood, feeling flustered and like a complete moron. Just a country bumpkin making an idiot of herself. Spike was right. She didn’t belong here.

  Problem was, she didn’t belong anywhere. Not back home. Much as the people cared about her, there wasn’t much there for her. Not here, where she knew no one.

  Loneliness assaulted her.

  “Hey, don’t go.” Chardonnay reached out a hand to stop her as she turned away. “Don’t worry about Tawny, she’s snappy with everyone. It’s just her nature.”

  “I should go anyway,” she said. “I asked some nice man to see if Mr. Steele would talk to me, he’s probably wondering where I’ve gotten off to.”

  “Where is she?” a loud voice demanded.

  Tawny let out a gasp, looking terrified as she jumped to her feet. A skinny man pushed away a girl who’d just entered the room, shoving her against a table. She let out a pained cry and instantly, Millie slid her hand into her bag, feeling around for her stun gun.

  She set her bag on a table, she didn’t want to risk Mr. Fluffy getting in the way, and hid the stun gun in the folds of her skirt.

  The man wore baggy jeans and a holey wife beater. His head was shaved bald and he had tattoos that went up one side of his neck and over his face.

  “Yo bitch!” he said, his gaze zeroing in on Tawny. “What the fuck did I tell you about running from me? You’re not fucking working here, showing off what fucking belongs to me. You want a good fucking, you’ll get it from me!”

  He grabbed his crotch and pumped his hips.

  Ew. That was disgusting.

  Thankfully it was over quickly. But then he shoved past Chardonnay and Millie towards Tawny who cowered away from him, with such a terrified look on her face that it actually made Millie’s stomach hurt in fear for her.

  “Come on, Tawny, I won’t tell you again, bitch.” He grabbed Tawny’s arm. Hard if the way she cried out was any indication. Then he started dragging her from of the room. Where the hell were the bouncers? Why wasn’t someone stopping him? It was obvious that Tawny didn’t want anything to do with this asshole.

  He was creepy and terrifying.

  But that wasn’t going to stop Millie from doing something. She stepped out in front of him, keeping her stun gun hidden. Her full skirt was pleated with a layer of tulle sewn between two pieces of material so it flowed out from her waist. It was one she’d made herself. And it was perfect in this situation.

  Millie stood between him and the door.

  “Get out of the way, bitch,” he spat at her.

  “Corey, please,” Tawny begged.

  “Let Tawny go and I will.”

  Chardonnay stood frozen off to the side, watching with wide eyes. Tawny just stared at the asshole, face filled with terror, her entire body trembling.

  Corey grinned. It wasn’t a pretty sight. His teeth were yellow and he was missing one at the front. “Listen, you fat bitch, get out of the way now and I won’t mess you up. Much.”

  Yeah, she could see just how much he’d love to ‘mess her up.’

  “Let Tawny go and I won’t have to hurt you. Much.”

  “Jesus fucking Christ, what are you doing?” Chardonnay whispered.

  Corey turned to glare at her and she shied away. Millie had had enough of this asshole. “Let. Her. Go.”

  To her shock, he shoved Tawny away. Then he took a step towards her. There was death in his gaze. And Millie had to work hard not to run. To stand her ground.

  “Oh, you’re gonna regret that, bitch. I am gonna mess you the fuck up.” He reached out for her and she struck, pressing the stun gun to his arm and pushing down.

  He stumbled backward, looking dazed and confused. Tawny gasped as he tripped over a bag on the floor and fell onto his back.

  “What the fuck!” a deep voice exclaimed.

  Somebody walked through the door. A huge man that had on black pants and a black T-shirt with Pinkies written on it. The bouncer. About time. Following him was a calm-looking man dressed in a suit. It had to be especially made for him, considering his large build. His pale blue gaze flickered from her to the stun gun in her hand, the man groaning on the floor to the two scared women.

  Another man walked in, dressed in black pants and a white shirt.

  His gaze immediately took in the scene then moved down to Corey who was starting to swear up a storm as the bouncer grabbed him, picking him up and holding his arms behind him.

  “You fucking bitch. You fucking tasered me. I’m gonna mess you the fuck up. I’m gonna lay you out. Fucking mess you up inside then I’ll put a fucking bullet in your brain.” She tuned him out before his words could truly terrify her. Well, terrify her even more than she even was.

  “What. The. Fuck.”

  She spun at those words, spoken in a voice she recognized and met a pair of
furious eyes.

  Uh-oh.

  Spike was so angry he was nearly shaking.

  At least he told himself it was pure anger. And nothing to do with fear. But he figured he might just be lying as he listened to the asshole spouting off shit at Millie. Unable to take any more without losing it, he stormed up to him, grabbed him by his ratty wife beater and smashed his fist into his face, knocking him out cold. The bouncer let go of him as he dropped to the floor, unconscious.

  “Well, that was one way to take care of things,” Steele drawled. To anyone who didn’t know him, he likely sounded relaxed and uncaring. But Spike knew differently. He was pissed. Somebody had fucked up by letting this guy in here. And that someone was going to be subjected to Steele’s wrath. It wouldn’t be pretty. He turned to the bouncer. “Take him into the back room and stay with him there until we decide what to do with him. Actually, get Jerry to watch him. You go back out front.”

  The bouncer nodded and grabbed the asshole by the feet, dragging him out, uncaring if his head hit anything on the way out.

  Steele turned to Grady. “Find Mitchell. I want to know how he got in here.”

  Grady nodded and disappeared. Mitchell was the club manager. He was in for a rough time from Grady and Steele. Neither accepted failure.

  Steele turned to the three women. The two strippers huddled together against a table. Millie stood slightly in front of them. As though protecting them. She watched Steele with guarded eyes. Her gaze seemed assessing. It surprised him. But that look cleared from her face almost as quickly as it had come.

  She smiled as she looked over at him. Was she insane? She’d just tasered some asshole who was now out for her blood. What reason could she possibly have to smile?

  “Spike, I’m so glad to see you. What are you doing here?”

  What was he doing here? He was pretty certain he should be asking her that.

  “So you two do know each other?” Steele asked him.

  Millie turned to Steele. “We met last night. Who are you?”

  “That’s Mr. Steele,” one of the strippers told her. The one with bright, red hair. “He owns this place.”

  “Mr. Steele? Oh good. I need to talk to you. Do the two of you know each other?” Her gaze slid between him and Spike. “Because that will make things easier.”

  “I’ll be happy to have a chat with you, Miss?” Steele said smoothly.

  “Just call me Millie.”

  Steele smiled. And instead of looking like a shark’s grin it was almost gentle. Spike found himself frowning at him. He better not get any ideas about her. She wasn’t his type anyway. Then again, she wasn’t Spike’s type either, but that hadn’t stopped him from worrying about her all night. From wishing he’d swung her over his shoulder and taken her home himself.

  Fuck.

  “First, though, I need to take care of this problem. Is that all right?”

  “Oh yes. Of course.” Millie frowned. “I’m surprised that horrible man was allowed entrance. He didn’t even have a proper shirt on.”

  “Indeed,” Steele drawled. “He did not. And be assured he won’t be allowed entrance again.” His sharp glance went to the two women. “Tawny? Chardonnay? Are you both all right?”

  Both women nodded.

  “I’m so sorry, Mr. Steele,” the dark-skinned girl said, her eyes wide. She was rubbing at her arm. Where the asshole grabbed her? Had he come in here for her?

  “I take it you know him?” Steele asked her.

  “We used to date back in Seattle. He’s a jerk. He liked to hurt me.”

  Millie made a pained noise and he stepped closer, ready to whip her out of here if this was all too much. But the look of anger on her face shocked him.

  “I managed to get away from him with the help of my cousins. I don’t know how he found me here. I haven’t seen him in months.” Tawny’s breath started coming in sharp pants.

  “Come. Sit.” Steele pulled out a chair and Chardonnay helped Tawny sit. Millie moved forward but Spike reached out and gently grabbed hold of her arm.

  When she gave him a questioning look, he just shook his head. He couldn’t explain it, but he wanted her close to him. There was no obvious threat in the room. Well, anyone would be an idiot to discount Steele as a threat, but he wasn’t a threat to Millie. Not physically. Although if the other man didn’t stop giving her interested looks then Spike was going to . . .

  Chill. Fuck, man. Not yours.

  Steele turned to the other girl. “Chardonnay, can you tell us what happened?”

  Chardonnay ran a shaking hand over her face. “Uh, we were in here talking—”

  “Miss Millie too?” Steele asked.

  Spike narrowed his gaze at Steele who didn’t miss a beat. A slight grin twisted up the edges of his mouth.

  “I came back here to talk to Chardonnay,” Millie told them. “I caught the end of her act. She’s so good at what she does. She was offering to show me some moves.”

  Spike felt his eyebrows rise. What the fuck?

  “She wasn’t bothering anybody.” Chardonnay glanced at Steele warily as though she thought they were going to get in trouble for Millie being back here.

  Steele just nodded and made a motion with his hand for her to continue on.

  “Tawny came in and then that guy stormed in.” Chardonnay looked at Tawny who still appeared ill. “He pushed Lily aside. He was threatening Tawny, telling her how she was going to pay for leaving him. He grabbed her hard and was dragging her out the door, when . . .” Chardonnay stopped talking, looking over at Millie. She swallowed heavily.

  “I stepped in front of him,” Millie told them both, shoulders back.

  “You. Did. What?”

  Spike’s voice was a quiet whisper dripping in menace. She had to hold in a grimace. She didn’t owe him an explanation. He had no say in what she did. So why did she get the sense that she was in a world of trouble?

  Still, she forced herself to look at him then over to Mr. Steele. Actually, that wasn’t much easier. Mr. Steele looked nearly as upset as Spike did.

  “I stepped in front of him,” she repeated herself. “I couldn’t just let him drag her out of here. He didn’t, uhh, seem very nice.”

  “He didn’t seem very nice?” Steele repeated.

  “He was hurting her,” she whispered, staring at Tawny. A small shiver worked its way across her skin and she quickly suppressed it. Now was not the time to fall apart. She needed to keep herself together. Taking a deep breath in, she tried to calm herself. “I couldn’t let him hurt her, right?”

  “What if he fucking hurt you?” Spike ran his hand over his bald scalp as she shrugged.

  “I guess I had to take that risk.”

  “For fuck’s sake. This isn’t some damn game, woman. He likely had a weapon on him. He would have gutted you and walked over your bleeding body without a second glance.”

  Millie grimaced. She didn’t do well with blood. Especially her own. She knew she’d likely paled and Spike gave a satisfied nod. No doubt he thought he had suitably scared her.

  “What would you have had me do?” she asked him.

  “Run for help.”

  “Huh.”

  Spike cursed. “That never even occurred to you, did it?”

  She shrugged. It hadn’t. “I try to avoid running whenever I can.”

  “What about common sense? Do you try to avoid that too?” he snapped.

  Now he was just being mean.

  Mr. Steele obviously thought so too because he turned to give Spike a quelling look. “Spike.”

  She gave Mr. Steele a big smile.

  He gave her a small one back. “Right, then what happened?”

  Millie pulled out her stun gun. “I let him get close to me, then I zapped him. I thought about using the pepper spray but I didn’t want it getting in anyone else’s eyes.”

  “You used a stun gun?” Mr. Steele said slowly. “And you also have pepper spray. On you?”

  “In my handbag, see?�
�� She walked over to where she’d put her handbag on one of the tables. She reached in and drew out a sleeping Mr. Fluffy. Maybe she should take him to the vet. He seemed to sleep a lot. Then again, he was a puppy.

  “Is that . . . a dog?” Mr. Steele asked, sounding incredulous.

  “Isn’t he so cute?” Chardonnay cooed as she reached for him, pulling him into her breasts.

  Mr. Fluffy gave her a look that said, why did you wake me for this?

  She had to bite her lip. “Ahh, yes, this is Mr. Fluffy. I’m not sure what sort of dog he is yet.”

  “You brought a dog into my strip club?”

  “Yes. Is that a problem?” She looked over at Mr. Steele. “Oh dear, I didn’t think about that. Are dogs allowed in here?”

  He shook his head, appearing dumbfounded.

  “I’m sorry. I won’t bring him next time.”

  “There won’t be a next time,” Spike grumbled. She didn’t know why he was so grumpy. She figured it was just his personality as she was certain she hadn’t done anything to annoy him.

  As Chardonnay cuddled a clearly disgruntled Mr. Fluffy, she drew out her pepper spray and her rape whistle and set them down by her stun gun.

  “Anything else in your arsenal?” Mr. Steele asked.

  “Well, there’s my gun but I forgot to put bullets in it again,” she explained.

  “You have a gun?” Spike asked in a strange voice.

  “Yes. Why? Did you want to see it?” She pulled out her Smith & Wesson.

  “It’s pink.” There was something odd with his voice. Was he coming down with something? Maybe she should offer to make him some of her grandma’s honey and lemon drink. Guaranteed to cure all ills. Then again, maybe not considering he was so rude. She only made that for people who were nice.

  Oh, who was she kidding. She’d make it for him if he wanted it.

  “Isn’t it pretty? Mr. Spain had to special order it for me and we picked it up from the next town over since we don’t have a gun shop in Nowhere.”

  “Nowhere?” Mr. Steele asked.

  “It’s where I’m from. Nowhere, Nebraska.”

  “Interesting name,” Mr. Steele commented.