Daddy’s Law by K.C. Crowne

Chapter 22

Theo

“How long is Miss Cruise’s car going to be in the garage?” Cory asked from the backseat. “Emilio told me that his mom had to take her car in for repairs, but the mechanics kept it for weeks because they kept finding something wrong to fix. Emilio said that it was a scam to charge his mom more. I hope that’s not happening to Miss Cruise.”

I took a right turn. We were a few blocks away from Ava’s duplex. “I’m sure that’s not the case, buddy.”

“Her car must be a real wreck.”

“Must be.” I glanced at him in the rearview. “Do you not like giving Miss Cruise a lift?”

“I don’t mind,” he answered honestly. “I just don’t want her to be overcharged.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you.”

“Do you think we can invite her for dinner again? I really enjoyed movie night.”

“How about we ask her when she gets in the car?”

Cory smiled. “Okay. I’ll even let her pick the movie this time.”

I was just about to comment that maybe I’d like to pick a movie this time around, but as I pulled up to Ava’s place, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye.

A dark blue sedan.

Just like the one I thought was tailing us before.

I stepped on the brakes and put the truck in park at the side of the road. To anyone else, this was just another vehicle. Totally mundane. Nothing out of the ordinary.

But I knew better. I twisted in my seat, killing the engine and handing my son the keys. “Lock the door,” I commanded.

Cory startled. “What?”

“Do as I say. Don’t open it for anybody but me, do understand?”

“What’s going on?”

“I said do you understand?”

My son nodded, shakily taking the keys.

I got out of the truck in a hurry, sprinting over to check the suspicious vehicle. It was empty. Through the window, I could see that the back had been gutted, seats removed to make more room. The engine beneath the hood clicked and hissed, cooling down. Whoever drove the car here was likely still in the area.

I had to move. Fast.

I rushed to Ava’s front door, pounding my fists. “Ava! Ava, are you there?” My heart railed against my ribs. I prayed I wasn’t too late. This couldn’t have been a coincidence. If it was, I wasn’t willing to take any chances. “Ava, open the fucking door!”

I was two seconds away from kicking the damn thing down, but she appeared, cracking the door open with a confused expression on her face.

“Theo?” She had a piece of toast stuffed into her mouth. I’d interrupted her breakfast. “What’s going on?”

I brushed past her, searching her place for any signs of an intruder. This could be a hostage situation, Ava forced to say any manner of things at gunpoint. No broken windows. No signs of duress. Ava looked perfectly fine, albeit concerned.

“Theo?”

I hurried back to the front step just in time to see the sedan speed away, tires screeching as it made its escape. I chased after it for a few yards before it careened around a corner and disappeared from sight.

Fuck.

I forgot to check the license plate.

Double fuck.

Ava pulled on her jacket and closed her door. “Theo, what the hell’s going on?”

“Grab a bag,” I told her. “Pack some clothes. Necessities. You can’t stay here anymore.”

“What—”

“You’re being followed.”

The color drained from her face. Her mouth dropped open, but she made no sound.

“Remember the other day when I thought we were being tailed?”

“That was them?”

“I think so, which means this location is compromised.”

“Where am I supposed to go?”

She had a point. I couldn’t take her to her father’s because that’d lead his enemies straight to him. The safest place for Ava would be a hotel or—

“With me,” I answered. “You’ll stay with Cory and me.”

“Are you sure this isn’t an elaborate ruse to get me to stay the night?”

“Ava.” I held her gaze. “I’m not kidding. You’re in danger here.”

She held her breath. “Okay,” she said slowly. “Give me five minutes.”

I stayed with her as she packed. The basics, mostly. A couple of shirts, pants, a change of underwear, her toiletries. Everything else I could provide her. Once she stuffed everything into her duffle bag, I took it from her and led the way, falling back into my strict security routine.

I kept my eye out for any sudden movements. There was a good chance the sedan might come back and attempt a brazen, mid-morning kidnapping. I helped Ava get into the back of the truck with Cory, not the front, just in case things took a violent turn. Mr. Cruise said an eco-activist group was after them, but there was no telling what their stance on guns was. If bullets started flying, keeping Ava and Cory in the back was the safest place.

I got in the driver’s seat and floored it. We weren’t going to the art center today. We were headed straight home.

Cory’s eyes were red and puffy from crying. “Dad? What’s going on?”

I set my jaw. “I think some bad people are after Miss Cruise.”

“Bad people?” Cory frowned. “Are you working, Dad?”

I gripped the steering wheel tight. “Yes, buddy. I am.”

“That job Uncle Jesse gave you… It was Miss Cruise?”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He looked between me and Ava. “Why didn’t anybody tell me?”

“We didn’t want to scare you,” Ava said softly.

“You didn’t want to scare me?” he echoed, incredulous. “Well, I’m scared now, so how’d that work out for you?”

“Hey,” I snapped. “Watch your tone, young man.”

Cory crossed his arms. “You watch your tone. You two have been lying to me.”

“We never lied.”

“But you didn’t tell me the truth, either.”

“Enough,” I said. “We’ll talk about this later. Right now, we have to get Miss Cruise home.”

My son didn’t reply. His silence spoke volumes.

He ran straight to his room when we got there, slamming his door hard enough that the frame of the house shook. I would have scolded him were it not for the fact that he was right. I hadn’t told him the truth. He admitted to being scared. He had every right to act out.

Ava wandered into the living room, leaning against the back of the couch. She picked at her fingernails, staring off at nothing.

“I’m sorry about him,” I said. “I’ll try to talk to him later.”

“Don’t apologize. I get it. This is…” She took a deep breath. “This is a lot. Even for me. I can’t imagine what he’s going through right now.”

“I need to make a phone call and report this. Is there anybody you need to contact?”

“I should call Cindy in case she pops by for a visit. And the school. I don’t want my students waiting for me.” She paused, then added, “And Dad, I guess. I’m sure he’ll want to know they’ve made a move.”

“You can make the calls from my room. You can stay there until we’ve determined it’s safe for you to go back.”

“Okay,” she said, shaken.

I wanted nothing more than to kiss the worry from her brow, but I had a job to do. We were in this mess because I wasn’t being diligent. It was pure luck that I managed to get her in time before anything actually happened to her. If they’d managed to get their hands on her…

I wouldn’t know what to do.

“I’ll be in the kitchen,” I said. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Sure,” she whispered, retreating up the stairs.

I called Jesse. He picked up on the first ring. “Phillips, my man. To what do I owe the—”

“They came for her,” I rushed. “They were parked outside her place when I got there. I’m not sure if they were planning something or scouting the area.”

“Whoa, slow down. The senator’s daughter, right?”

“Yes.”

“You saw their vehicle?”

“Navy blue Toyota Camry. I want to say 2015 model.”

“License?”

I bit my tongue. “I didn’t get it.”

“It didn’t have plates? That should be easy enough to spot.”

“No, I mean—” I sighed. “I forgot to look.”

Jesse laughed. “Sure, you did. Nice try. Give me the number and I’ll run it through my guy at the DMV.”

“I’m not joking, Jesse.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me. Theo, that’s rule number four.”

“I had to get to my principal to make sure she was safe.”

“Ah, Christ. Where are you now?”

“My place.”

“And that right there is breaking rule number seven. Never bring a principal back to your place. Jesus, Theo. You know this shit.”

“She’s safe with me. That’s all that matters.”

“It goes against protocol. And let’s not forget that you’ve got a kid to worry about. Bringing her with you is only going to put a target on Cory’s back.”

I swallowed the burning bile rising in my throat. Shit. Fuck. Jesse was right. What was I thinking, bringing her here? What was wrong with me? Why was I making mistake after careless mistake?

“What do I do?” I asked.

Jesse exhaled. “I need to get a couple of safehouses together. Separate ones for her and the senator. I’d give you the one near Rogers Park, but I’ve got a billionaire philanthropist with a drinking problem stashed there currently. You’ll have to stand your ground until I can arrange a secure transport.”

“How long is that going to take?”

“Depends. Is she in imminent danger?”

“I’m not sure. They didn’t actually do anything. Just canvassing.”

“Give me a couple of days. I’ll have to inform Mr. Cruise. Can you manage a few days solo?”

“Yes.”

“You really dropped the ball, Phillips. You’re lucky I’m letting you off with a warning. It better not happen again.”

“I understand.”

“I’ll be in touch. Keep your ringer on.”

I hung up and tossed my phone onto the kitchen island. It landed with a clatter. That could have gone better.

It also could have been much, much worse.