Saving Little Jenna by Ruth Kennedy

Chapter 17: Clark

"Forget it, John," I said as I wrapped a Barbie and Ken set in a pink wrapping paper. "It's too risky."

The moment I had laid eyes on the set at the toy store, I knew it'd be the perfect gift. Jenna liked to play house with her toys but each time she needed a male toy to play my role, she'd use an animal toy instead. Now she could use Ken and Barbie to play our roles every time she has a tea party with Michael.

"Risky how?" John asked, putting away the largest gift in the pile once he was done wrapping it. "Most of my friends are Daddies like us and they'd understand how important it is to keep your Little safe. They'd understand. You know what, let me do all the talking. I'm sure they'd be more than willing to join in."

I could barely contain the excitement of getting to watch Jenna's face when she realizes she's getting twenty-one presents for her twenty-first birthday, one for each year she had to go without gifts or celebrations. It was brilliant of me to get Michael to ask for Jenna's star sign a few weeks ago. I'd instructed Michael to act natural and just like I'd hoped, he got Jenna to unknowingly reveal to him her birthday.

The best part was that Jenna probably had no idea that I knew it was her birthday. She seemed completely oblivious to the fact that I dropped her off at Michael's place so John and I could decorate for her surprise birthday party back at my place. The party was supposed to be Little themed, but I decided to add Christmas notes to it despite it being so far away. When finished, there would be balloons all over the floor and ribbons hanging from the ceiling. The guest list had to be small so she wouldn't get overwhelmed.

"It isn't about that." I sighed and put the gift down on the floor by the Christmas tree. "I don't want us to be discovered. The more people there are, the likelier that we'll get caught. Who knows what Jenna's parents will do to her siblings if they discover rescue attempts are being made."

John rubbed his stubbled chin as he thought for a moment. "You know what, if you want this to go risk-free, I think we should have the authorities involved. I know Jenna thinks there isn't much evidence, but I have a friend working in law enforcement who's a Daddy too. I could have him talk to Jenna and see if there's enough to get her siblings out of the house and press charges. Of course, if he says from a legal standpoint that the kids need to leave with their own free will, we'll have no choice but to get them out ourselves."

I knew I could count on John to help me out. He truly cared for Jenna's safety ever since he became her uncle.

"You know what, that does sound a lot safer than getting them out ourselves. I'm not concerned for my safety, but I couldn't forgive myself if something happened to her siblings because we weren't careful enough."

"Neither could I," he said quietly. "How have you been holding up? You must be pretty scared your girl's life is in danger. I would lose my mind if I knew my boy's life was in danger."

"Oh, I'm not concerned at all." I shrugged. "I'm more worried about saving Jenna's siblings. It's like I told her. She's run far away and she hasn't left a trace. Otis will never be able to find her."

Maybe if I said it out loud enough times, I'd eventually believe it. I didn't want to accept it, but I was scared to death that something might happen to Jenna. However unlikely it was, the chance of Otis finding Jenna and hurting her was low, but never zero. As a Daddy, nothing other than zero was acceptable to have a sound sleep at night, which I had learned firsthand over the past few days. Ever since she told me, I kept waking up several times at night to check if she was still by my side. Yesterday night when I woke to find her missing in the bed, I had panicked so bad I was ready to run out on the streets to search for her in nothing but briefs. Luckily, I heard the toilet flush and my heart stopped racing.

"Yeah?" He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you truly believe, or is it something you want to believe? Come on, Clark. How long have we known each other? Straight men are afraid to show their vulnerability, fears, and emotions, but you don't have to be like that. Being scared doesn't make you any less of a man."

"I can't hide anything from you, can I?" I shook my head with a forced smile. "The truth is that I'll never be able to sleep at night knowing a psychopath is out to get my sweet innocent girl. He's clearly a nut job with all the cruel rituals and rules he's set up to torture the children and women. He's a monster, but I won't rest until I stop him."

I had made up my mind about the action plan. With the exception of today, I wasn't going to leave Jenna alone for a second until Otis was behind bars. It was a foolproof plan and Otis could only lay a finger on Jenna over my dead body.

"See, now was that so hard to say out loud?" John said in his soothing voice.

I shook my head in amusement. "Only you could try to lecture a Daddy about not being vulnerable enough."

John chuckled and looked at his watch. "Where the hell is Marcus? He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago. I'm gonna call him."

Just when he fished the phone out of his pocket, Marcus rushed through the front door.

"Sorry I'm late." He was panting as he bent over with his hands on his knees.

John went into the kitchen and returned with a glass of water. "You didn't have to run to get here. A call telling us you'd be late would've been enough."

Marcus gulped down the water in mere seconds and collapsed onto the floor next to me. "Kristen and I were having a moment and I didn't want to ruin it. I just dropped her off at your place and she's looking after your Littles."

"Yeah, what kind of moment are we talking about here?" John asked suggestively as he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Not the sexual kind, John, if that's what you're implying." Marcus rolled his eyes, hands on his heaving chest. "For starters, we had an honest chat about her behavior problems. She's obviously been through a lot, with all the bullying and everything. But she confessed to me everything."

"Everything?" I asked, looking at John who was just as surprised.

"She told me how she treated Michael and Jenna and how sorry she is. She's a good girl, but there's a side to her that fights for control, a side that isn't so nice. She just lets the bad side have too much power over her. Anyway, thank you for holding her responsible for her behavior. I've tried my hardest, but she doesn't confide in me anymore. It felt good that she came to me willingly this time. Maybe it's because that's just how Middles are with not wanting to confide in grown-ups.."

I lay down next to him and looked up at the ceiling. "You know what, I've had the same problem with my girl. She's kept secrets from me and hidden her feelings and emotions. But you know what the best part is? It gets easier with time. So just hang in there and see how she trusts you more with time. Meanwhile, be the caring and loving Daddy she needs you to be. It's the only way to speed up the process."

My chest swelled with pride when John gave me a nod of approval. It was finally my turn to give advice instead of receiving it, and I couldn't do it without John's help.