Daddy’s Law by K.C. Crowne
Chapter 23
Ava
“Do I need to kill a bitch?” Cindy shrieked over the call. “Name a time and place, Ava. I’ll beat them to a pulp. No one sneaks up on my girl. I’ve been taking krav maga lessons, you know.”
“Would you please calm down? Nothing happened. I’m only here as a precaution. I think.”
“Are you sure? I’ve been looking forward to taking someone’s eye out for real.”
“You’re surprisingly violent for a nurse.”
“Let’s not make this about me. Are you okay?”
I sat on the edge of Theo’s bed. I was still trembling. I’d never seen Theo so alarmed. The fear in his eyes had chilled me to the bone. “I’m fine,” I lied. “I’m safe. I just wanted to call and tell you not to go to my place and not to panic.”
“Telling me not to panic is only going to make me panic, Ava.”
“He’s got everything under control. I just can’t stay at my place for a while, that’s all.”
“Does this mean you’ll still be teaching?”
“I called in for the week earlier. Told them I’ve come down with a bad flu. Kids are always spreading their germs around, so it’s believable. No need to freak them out, either.”
“God, I’m glad you’re alright.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Ah, shoot. They need me in the NICU.”
“Go. You’ve got important things to do.”
“You call me the second you need anything, alright?”
“I will.”
“I love you, Ava. Please be careful.”
“Love you, too, Cindy.”
The call ended. I twiddled my thumbs, unsure what to do next. I thought Dad was being paranoid, guarded. Knowing that someone was waiting outside my home, watching my every move… I shivered. Even if it was a false alarm, I trusted Theo’s judgement. If he thought this was the best course of action, I wasn’t going to fight him on it.
I could hear him speaking to someone downstairs through the floor, an edge to his tone. A bitterness, maybe? A hard anger, but stoic disappointment. I decided it was best to remain in his room, not wanting to disturb his conversation.
I walked around his bedroom, noting little things like the decorative vase of fake flowers on the bookshelf and the closed jewelry box on the dresser. I doubted Theo had chosen these things. They had a woman’s touch, and I knew exactly who that woman was. Out of curiosity, I peeked past the glass lid of the jewelry box, spotting both a diamond engagement ring and white gold wedding band tucked inside.
Next to the box on the dresser was a framed picture of Theo, Cory, and a blonde woman. Cassandra Phillips. She was gorgeous with an old Hollywood starlet quality about her. Cory had her eyes and smile, possibly her demeanor, too. She looked sweet, like the kind of person who’d listen to you when you needed a shoulder to cry on.
Through the wall, I could hear Cory stifling his sniffles. The poor boy looked downright terrified when he learned that someone was after me. I wasn’t sure if he was more scared or angry or both. After a few more minutes of listening to him cry, I left Theo’s room and tread lightly down the hall, knocking on Cory’s door.
“Go away, Dad,” he grumbled.
“It’s me,” I said. “May I come in?”
“No.”
“Please?”
His bed creaked, followed by the sound of his footfalls approaching the door. It creaked open, his blotchy face appearing through the small crack he made. “Dad’s not out there, is he?”
“No. It’s just me.”
Cory wiped his nose on the back of his sleeve. “What do you want?”
I crouched, remaining on my side of the door to respect his space. “I just wanted to check on you. Are you alright?”
“I should be asking you that.”
“I’m alright. Your Dad might have prevented something really bad from happening.”
“Who’s after you?”
“They’re not really after me,” I explained. “They’re after my father.”
Cory frowned. “Why? Did he do something wrong?”
I shrugged, not sure how to explain it. “My father’s a politician. They tend to be very polarizing.”
“What does polarizing mean?”
“Oh. It means that people either really like him or don’t like him. Opposites. Like the North and South Pole. Polarizing.”
“And the people who don’t like him… They want to hurt him?”
“Maybe. I’m not sure. One of them tried to, a little while ago.”
“Why would they be after you, too? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“No, I suppose I didn’t.”
“Then why?”
“It’s complicated. There are angry people out there. And sometimes those angry people think the only way to be happy is to hurt others.”
“Does it work?”
“No. They’re very misguided. A lot of them need help, and many don’t get it.”
Cory’s bottom lip quivered. “That’s awful.”
“Yes, it is. But your father… He’s a very brave man. He keeps me and countless other people safe.”
“I know he’s brave. I just don’t understand why he didn’t tell me.”
“He didn’t want to worry you. The world can be a frightening place sometimes, and he wanted to protect you the best way he knew how. Me, too. That’s why I didn’t say anything.”
“Are you not scared?”
I smiled gently. “I am. But it’s okay to be afraid, Cory. Because no matter what, the good guys always win.”
“Like in the movies?”
“Exactly. How many movies do you see the villain win?”
“None.”
“See?”
He opened the door a little wider. “Thank you, Miss Cruise. That makes me feel better. I’ll apologize to Dad later. I’m still a little mad.”
“Perfectly understandable. You take your time.”
“Miss Cruise?”
“Yes, Cory?”
“Can I please have a hug?”
My heart melted into a puddle. “Of course, sweetie. Come here.”
Cory wrapped his arms around me. I hugged him tight, patting his back reassuringly. I put myself in his shoes. If I knew my father constantly put himself in harm’s way for the sake of others, I’d be terrified, too. Especially since Theo was his only parent. I was glad Cory was honest with me. It wasn’t good to keep these sorts of feelings locked up inside.
Theo cleared his throat. He stood at the end of the hall near the stairs. “I know it’s a little early, but I’m going to make something for lunch,” he said. “Would you like to eat at the table or in your room?” he asked his son.
Cory wiped his eyes. “In my room, please. I want to paint, if that’s okay?”
Theo nodded solemnly. “Okay.”
I rose from my knees, ruffling Cory’s hair. “I’ll go help your dad. Show me what you’re working on later?”
He nodded. “Sure,” he said, before gently closing his door.
Theo outstretched his hand. I went to him, slipping my palm into his. We descended the stairs together and walked to the kitchen. Theo pulled me close and hugged me, kissing my hair.
“Thank you for talking to him,” he murmured.
“You should talk to him, too.”
“I know. I’m just worried I’ll say the wrong thing. Sometimes I don’t know if I’m doing it right.”
“Doing what right?”
“Being a father. I could be screwing my kid up and not even know it.”
I stroked my fingers across his cheek. “Impossible. It’s obvious how much you love him. He’ll understand one day. I promise.”
He smiled into my palm. There were dark circles beneath his eyes, a heavy weariness making them appear much darker than usual. “I called Jesse. He’s arranging to have you moved to a proper safehouse.”
My mouth went dry. “For how long?”
“Hard to say. What I do know is that they’re getting brave. Overconfident. Camping out like that… They’re going to make a mistake sooner or later, one that will help us implicate them and get them thrown behind bars.”
“When would I have to go?”
“You’ll be staying here for a few days, until Jesse finds a secure location and crew.”
“Crew?”
“Standard protocol. Principals get a whole security detail when staying at a safehouse. More manpower to cover exits, do perimeter checks, that sort of thing.”
“Will you be coming with me?”
Theo chewed on the inside of his cheek. “I’m not sure. Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“I screwed up, Ava. I should have trusted my gut when I thought we were being tailed. I should have grabbed the plate number. I left my eleven-year-old son terrified in my truck. I wasn’t thinking. When I thought you were in danger, I just—” He didn’t finish his sentence. Something told me that he couldn’t.
“I’m here,” I said. “Theo, I’m here. Nothing happened.”
“But it could have.”
“It didn’t. There’s no point stressing about the what ifs. Trust me. Beating yourself up over things you could have done differently will make you feel worse.”
Theo swallowed, Adam’s apple bobbing. “You’re right.”
“I know.” I kissed him on the cheek. “So, what’s for lunch?”
“No. I’m sure you must be pretty shaken. I’ll handle it.”
I took a deep breath. “Oddly enough, I’m actually fine. I feel safe when I’m with you.”
The way he looked at me… with a hint of something soft hidden behind the hard edge of protectiveness. He reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair away from my face, tucking it behind my ear. Theo’s mouth opened like he was going to say something, but he suddenly grew rigid and took a step away instead.
“You’ll take my room tonight,” he said flatly, suddenly very business-like. “If anyone tries to get to you, they’ll have to trip the security camera I have out front first.”
“Will you be sharing the bed with me?” I asked in a whisper. I thought it was an innocent enough question. I didn’t particularly like the thought of him having to camp out on his own couch.
“No,” Theo replied, far more bluntly than I was expecting.
“O-oh.”
“Now that Cory knows I’m your bodyguard, I don’t want to do anything that might bring up unnecessary questions about our relationship.”
I picked at my fingernails, a sudden uneasiness washing over me. “Do you ever want him to know? About us?”
The thought had been lingering in the back of my mind for a while now. I tried not to dwell on it because I knew I’d spiral. If I started questioning what we had, what we meant to each other… I might have been too afraid to ask. Sometimes it was best just to blurt things out and ask for forgiveness later.
Theo stared at me, and I wished I hadn’t said anything at all. He cleared his throat, struggling to find the right words to say.
“N-never mind,” I stammered, brushing everything off with a watery laugh. “Uh, if you’re sure you’ve got lunch handled, I’ll just head upstairs. Maybe take a nap or something.”
He nodded. “Alright.”
I retreated quickly, ignoring the sting in my chest and the throbbing pain behind my eyes. That couldn’t have gone any worse even if I’d tried.
