by Smith, Maren
Da-da-da-da.... swing, batter-batter!
The bat connected to the back of Big Daddy’s head with a sickening thud.
Chapter 11
Defeat.
It had a bitter flavor. Not that he’d have the opportunity to taste it for very long, because it seemed as though Big Daddy really was going to end him today. Derrick struggled, trying to knee Big Daddy, to pry the hands from his throat, to punch the other man in the face—whatever he could do to avoid being strangled to death. His shadow armor kept his windpipe from being crushed, but it couldn’t do anything about the lack of air flowing to his lungs.
Fuck this was a nasty way to go.
And he still didn’t know what had happened to Chaotica. Was she still lying on the floor? Had she run away? Was she just sitting there, watching Big Daddy choke him?
The last thing he was going to see was Big Daddy’s face, screwed up with rage, a gleeful light in his eyes.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
He tried to smash Big Daddy’s inner elbows, to at least make them bend, maybe break his hold, but he was already too weak...
Then something slammed into the back of Big Daddy’s head and Derrick heard the gut churning sound of bone cracking. The other man roared, his fingers releasing Derrick’s throat. Sucking in a deep breath, Derrick tried to lunge, reaching for the other man to keep him from turning on Chaotica.
“Consider this my pink slip!”
There was another loud crack and then Big Daddy fell, his weight pinning Derrick’s legs down as he lay across them, completely unconscious. Chaotica stood above both of them, frowning down at the villain as she rested her bat against her shoulder. It was bright orange.
“Wait, that was a bad line... can I get a do-over?” She bit her lower lip and then her gaze switched to Derrick, her eyes widening in worry. “Ooo, you look terrible. Are you okay?”
Sudden laughter bubbled up in Derrick’s abused throat and he pressed the palm of his hand against it, massaging the sore flesh. Even now, she was adorable. She smiled back at him, but then her smile turned sad and she looked back and forth between him and Big Daddy’s unconscious body.
“So... I guess you have to turn us over to the police now, huh?”
“Big Daddy is definitely going to the police station,” Derrick rasped, still massaging his throat. It would recover, but he wouldn’t be surprised if it was bruised. If it weren’t for his powers, it would be crushed, so he was grateful to be alive. Especially because now he got to offer Chaotica something. “As for you... well, that’s up to you.”
Dark brown eyes widened with surprise. “Up to me?”
“You have three choices. You can run. I’ll be preoccupied with Big Daddy. I’m likely not going to be able to chase you down while I’m securing him.” He didn’t mention the shadow in her braid. If she wanted to flee, it was doubtful she’d keep her hair braided long enough for him to catch up to her again. If she returned to a life of crime, they’d meet again eventually, but at least this way she had the chance to leave and make a better life for herself. “Or you can cooperate fully, come with me and turn yourself over to the police. You may earn some points with the DA for cooperating, especially if you act as a witness against Big Daddy.”
She scraped her teeth over her lower lip, pouting slightly as she cuddled her bat like it was her teddy bear. “What’s through door number three? You said there were three options.”
Number three was, by far, Derrick’s favorite option and the one he really hoped she’d choose. The shadows slid away from his face. Not all the way, but enough that she could see his eyes and lips, leaving him with the partial mask he’d used to hide his identity before.
“You can come with me to turn in Big Daddy and then we’ll go home. My home. I’ll take responsibility for punishing you for past misdeeds and keeping you on the straight and narrow.” His already rasping voice became even rougher. She was staring at him like she was entranced, her breath quickening in response to his words. “I won’t go easy on you, little girl, but when I’m done, you’ll have a clean slate. What happens after that... well, that will be up to you. But I think you’re looking for a Daddy like me, and I know I’ve been looking for a little girl like you.”
* * *
Staring at Pluto, Chaotica pinched herself.
Ow.
Okay, definitely not dreaming then. For a second, she’d thought that maybe Big Daddy had actually knocked her out when he’d kicked her and that this was all happening in her head, but that pinch had hurt.
“You want to be my Daddy?” She couldn’t keep the tremble out of her voice.
Pluto with his hands that could be either rough or gentle, Pluto with his patient temper but firm lines, sternly sexy Pluto who had her dream room in his house...
He wanted to be her Daddy? Wanted to take over caring for her, guiding her, and disciplining her?
“Yes,” he said simply.
“But... but why?” Confusion reigned. Why would he want her? A thief. A loser. Someone who hadn’t been able to make it on her own and so had hooked up with his nemesis. And it turned out Big Daddy hadn’t even wanted her. She’d just been convenient pussy. Useful to his criminal endeavors. But not actually worth anything to him.
Why would someone like Pluto want someone like her? He could probably have any woman he wanted. He was hot, sexy, kind, and—going by his house—doing pretty well for himself. Nighttime vigilante activities notwithstanding, what on earth could she offer a man like him? What could she offer a Daddy like him?
“Many reasons,” he started to say, and then was cut off when Big Daddy groaned and stirred. Pluto’s eyes darkened as he turned his attention back to the villain. “Which we can talk about later. You can run now, or you can help me deliver Big Daddy to the police station, then we can go talk. Unless you decide to turn yourself in.”
Okay, she might be a little crazy, but she wasn’t that crazy. Given the option, she definitely wasn’t turning herself in. Especially because it was likely that the Haden DA would expect her to turn witness against Big Daddy. While she might not owe the man any loyalty, she didn’t like the idea of being a rat either.
Law enforcement had plenty of evidence against Big Daddy anyway; he’d been holding the number one spot on its Most Wanted list for years. They didn’t really need her to put him away.
Every fiber of her being wanted to take Pluto up on option number three, but she needed to know the why. As much as Big Daddy’s words had hurt her tonight, she was pretty sure that given half a chance Pluto could hurt her even worse. One afternoon with him and she already felt attached to him, already didn’t want to disappoint him.
One week and she’d probably be half in love with the man. Heck, she might be half in love with him right now, but her emotions were so chaotic that she couldn’t really tell what she was feeling. Talk about irony—she was supposed to cause chaos for other people and yet here she was feeling nothing but chaos herself.
She watched as Pluto secured Big Daddy with cuffs on his wrists and ankles, as well as tying his arms together right above the elbow. Pluto seemed tired, but he carried Big Daddy back to the little motorboat that Chaotica had used to get to the ship. Fortunately, they didn’t see anyone on their way out. The Robs seemed to have disappeared entirely, probably because they didn’t have any strong ties to Big Daddy’s operation anyway. Chaotica and Herc had been Big Daddy’s inner circle, the Robs had just been the hired muscle.
By the time they were on their way back to the pier, Big Daddy was awake and glaring at her. His blue eyes were icy with displeasure and Chaotica avoided his gaze as much as possible. When she couldn’t take it anymore, she hefted Harley in his direction.
To her shock and relief, Big Daddy finally looked away from her, wincing slightly. There was a sizable lump already on the back of his head; apparently, he was smart enough to worry about adding to it.
One for the home team!
Pluto gave her a stern look a
s if to warn her about hitting the helplessly bound prisoner. She widened her eyes innocently at him and she was pretty sure that he almost smiled.
She wasn’t going to actually hit Big Daddy again, after all.
Probably.
Chapter 12
Leaving Big Daddy trussed up and spitting mad on the doorstep of the police station was one of the most satisfying acts of Derrick’s life. He wreathed himself and Chaotica in the shadows so they could watch as, mere minutes after leaving Big Daddy like a Christmas present, someone came out and found him there. The officer immediately went running back inside and seconds later multiple officers were swarming the villain.
They carried him into the station, obviously taking no chances with undoing his cuffs until they had him secured.
Derrick grinned, feeling a wave of peace wash over him.
Sure, there would be a power vacuum left and someone would probably end up taking Big Daddy’s place as the city’s top villain eventually, but it wouldn’t be right away. And in the meantime, there would be enough in-fighting to keep the criminals occupied with trying to climb to power.
Chaotica shifted on her feet in front of him. He had his arms wrapped around her, her back to his front, so that she could watch the show. Thankfully she hadn’t been harmed by Big Daddy. Derrick had already checked her over and, other than a small bruise on her ribs from when he’d kicked her, she didn’t have any real injuries.
He was trying very hard not to get his hopes up, but it was difficult. The fact that she hadn’t already run made him think that maybe there really was a chance.
Once Big Daddy had been taken away, Derrick let the shadows dissipate enough that she could see him and turned her around to face him. A passerby would see nothing but darkness in the alley, giving them the privacy they needed. He promised himself that whatever her decision was, he would respect it, although he kept his arms around her right now, his palms gently resting on her lower back just above the curve of her ass.
“Okay, little girl. You need to decide. Are you going off on your own or coming home with me?”
Her eyes were wide and full of anxiety as she looked up at him, uncertainty still clear in her features. “But why do you want me?”
Derrick’s expression softened as she asked the question for the second time that night; he’d almost forgotten since they’d been interrupted before. He gently tugged on the end of her braid, smiling down at her.
“The easiest reason is because I’m attracted to you and we’re looking for the same thing,” he said. She nodded agreement but her eyes shuttered slightly, as if she were shielding some emotion from him. Derrick gently cupped her chin in his palm. “It’s more than that too, though, little girl. I don’t just want any little girl. I want one that’s like you. Sweet but naughty, a little mischievous, smart, loyal, and pretty kickass. I want to get to know you better, but already I feel a connection to you. I think there’s something here, if you’re willing to give it a chance.”
* * *
If Build-A-Bear had a section for Daddies, Chaotica was pretty sure she would have put one together that was just like Pluto.
Yeah, her heart was bruised, but truthfully, Pluto had already been healing that particular organ even before she’d found out what Big Daddy really thought of her. The way Pluto had treated her from the moment he’d captured her, that was what she’d really wanted. That’s why she’d had fantasies about him, long before today.
Granted, she hadn’t known that he would actually be that way, but she had known that Big Daddy wasn’t giving her everything she needed. Even if she hadn’t been willing to admit it at the time. And she did know that Pluto had already shown himself to be a better, more caring Daddy than Big Daddy ever had been, in just a few hours’ time.
So, shouldn’t she at least give this a chance?
It might be a rebound, but it was a rebound with a reason.
“Okay,” she said in a small voice.
Pluto’s eyes lit up with an inner fire, his lips curving upwards, and he leaned in toward her, looming over her. “Okay, you accept me as your Daddy, want to come home with me, and are willing to submit yourself to my discipline?”
Oh my. Chaotica squeezed her legs together and locked her knees. She was in serious danger of turning into a little puddle of lust. Just when she thought he couldn’t get any sexier, he upped the ante again. Still. A girl had to be prudent.
“Um, exactly how much discipline are we talking here? And starting right now, right? Because I don’t think I should be held accountable for misdeeds from before you were my Daddy.” Especially because she didn’t want to have to tell him about everything she’d done before today. A sense of shame washed through her just thinking about it. Something about the way he was looking at her didn’t make her feel like he agreed.
“Nice try, little girl,” he said dryly. The corner of his lip still quirked, making her think that she was amusing him. “Let’s compromise and say that it starts from the moment you came into my care earlier today.”
Without really thinking, just relieved that he wasn’t going to hold her whole past against her, Chaotica immediately nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay, you’ll be my baby girl?” he asked, obviously intent on their agreement being clearly understood by both parties.
“Yes, and go home with you and all the um, other stuff,” she said a little nervously, not wanting to actually say the word ‘discipline’ out loud, as if somehow avoiding it would also avoid the act.
“Oh, we’ll get to the ‘other stuff’ soon enough, sweetheart,” he said with an almost sadistic chuckle that made all the little hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention while all her girly parts tightened. “I’ve been making a list from the moment you jumped out of the window.”
Oh dear.
That was when Chaotica realized her mistake. She’d agreed from the moment she came into his care earlier today. AKA, from the moment he’d basically kidnapped her and taken her home with him. Where he’d told her to not move from the room he’d put her in until he came and got her.
I’m in so much trouble.
She stared up at him, horrified as she realized just how much danger her butt was in, and Pluto laughed. His shadow mask fell away from his face so that she could see his features fully for the first time—confirming that he was just as hot as she thought he was—before he bent his head to catch her open mouth in a kiss.
And what a kiss.
His lips were warm, firm, and utterly compelling, drawing her into the kiss and teasing her with promises of pleasure. At the same time, his hands slid down to her bottom, fingers curving over the soft mounds. Her butt had stopped hurting from her previous spanking already, but now her skin tingled as he gripped the vulnerable area.
Chaotica had no doubt that he was thinking about exactly what he was going to do to her bottom even while he kissed her, and she whimpered against his lips. She couldn’t forget what was coming her way, not with him so blatantly fondling her bottom, but at the same time she was so aroused by his kiss that it didn’t matter.
His tongue dipped into her mouth, caressing and teasing her, making her toes curl as she clung to his neck. Heat surged inside of her and she shuddered in reaction. His fingers continued to explore her backside, making her squirm with discomfort, even while part of her rejoiced enough that someone cared enough to discipline her.
Especially because she already had experienced a punishment at his hands, so she was anxious but not scared. It had been hard but fair and, while she wasn’t exactly looking forward to more, there was a part of her that felt like she needed it. A part of her that was actually relieved he wasn’t just going to let her get away with everything.
The other part of her was hoping maybe she could distract him with sex because she really needed to find out if that hard bulge rubbing up against her stomach was as big as it felt.
Chapter 13
Finally tearing his mouth and hands away from Chaotica took a
n act of willpower that Derrick rarely had to use. She was a hot, sweet little bundle in his arms and he probably could have gone on kissing her for a lot longer... but he wanted to get her back to the house. They had things to do that didn’t involve making out in an alley.
First things first though. He looked down at her, his hands still gripping the pert mounds of her bottom. Her eyes were sultry, and her lips slightly swollen from his kiss, as if tempting to him to take another.
“What’s your name?” he asked. “Your real name.”
A little pink flush rose in her cheeks and her eyelashes fluttered in surprise. “Oh, um right.” She actually seemed to turn a bit shy and her voice dropped a little. “My name is Elizabeth. Lizzie.”
“That’s a beautiful name, sweetheart.” He liked it a lot better than Chaotica, although in some ways her villain name did fit her. Already she’d brought some chaos to his life, without even meaning to.
The look she gave him was somewhat doubtful. “Big Daddy said it was old-fashioned and boring.”
Derrick rolled his eyes, quirking the side of his mouth to invite her in on the joke.
“Big Daddy named himself Big Daddy and thought that was a creative super villain name. I think we can ignore what he thinks about any names.” Derrick smiled as she giggled. “Did he come up with Chaotica?”
“No, I did,” she admitted. Reluctantly sliding his hand away from her ass, Derrick booped her on the nose with one finger.
“See? Far more creative than Big Daddy.”
She drew herself up a little bit, eyes scanning over his face, as if memorizing it. Derrick was taking a small risk, showing himself to her so completely, but he thought it was worth it. After all, she was trusting him enough to put herself in his hands, under his control, and submit to him. The least he could do was show her trust in return.
