Warrior Daddy

by Roberts, Laylah

  Who the hell. . .

  He slammed on his brakes as he recognized the person. What the hell did she think she was doing? He’d told her to stay inside and now she was out, running around with bare feet? If she wasn’t careful, she’d roll her ankle again. He steered his car over to the side of the road, putting it into park before he jumped out and ran towards her.

  “Gigi? Gigi! What’s wrong? Baby?” As he grew closer, he reached out for her. He could now hear her labored breaths, could see the fear on her face. His heart raced. What the fuck had happened? Had someone hurt her? Scared her?

  She shied away from him, throwing her arms up in a defensive position. She let out a cry as she fell backward onto the ground.

  “Gigi! Careful, you’ll hurt yourself.” He crouched down and she shoved herself backward.

  “Stay away from me! Don’t hurt me!”

  Confusion filled him. Why was she so scared of him? Then he took a good look at her, noticed the glazed look in her eyes and he wondered if she wasn’t seeing him at all.

  “Gigi? It’s Macca.” He kept himself low, making certain to keep some distance between them, trying to make himself as unintimidating as possible. She was obviously terrified. She didn’t need him to add to her fear. Fuck. All he wanted to do was pull her onto his lap and wrap his arms around her. To protect her from whatever had obviously scared the crap out of her. He’d been gone less than two hours. He’d still expected her to be sleeping. What the hell had happened?

  “No. No, I won’t. I won’t!”

  “Gigi, it’s all right. You’re safe. No one will hurt you. I’m here.”

  She shook her head frantically, her arms wrapping around herself protectively. Worry chilled his blood. What was going on? Had she had a bad dream? Had someone come to the house?

  “Stay away. I won’t do it. I won’t.”

  She wouldn’t do what? What the hell was going on here?

  “Gigi?” She didn’t reply. Didn’t even acknowledge his presence. Okay, so that wasn’t working. He took a deep, calming breath. He had to keep himself under control to help her.

  “Little girl, Daddy is here. And he needs you to look at him.”

  Shoot. Still nothing. What was he going to do? An idea occurred to him, but he felt like a bit of an ass for doing it. Then again. . .he couldn’t help her when she was like this. He was all too aware that she’d been running on a hot road in bare feet. He took a glimpse at the soles of her feet. They were filthy and scratched. Her foot looked slightly swollen. She didn’t need to be out in the sun, either. She was still suffering the effects of her Lupus flare-up. She didn’t complain much, but he knew that her joints were still giving her issues at times. And she was still very tired and run-down.

  “Little girl, look at Daddy.” He made his voice sterner and she seemed to still, as though she was listening. “If you don’t look at Daddy right now, you’ll be in trouble.”

  She wouldn’t be, but she didn’t know that. He let out a quiet breath as she raised her gaze to him.

  “D-Daddy?”

  “That’s right, it’s me.” Relief flooded him. And he dropped the stern persona gratefully.

  With a cry, she reached out for him, her arms outstretched. Gratitude flooded him. That one gesture told him more than anything how much she trusted him. He sat right there on the side of the road and tugged her onto his lap. She was still shaking, her skin hot and sweaty. He placed his fingers on the pulse on her neck. Fast and erratic. Not good.

  “Baby, what are you doing out here? Why are you running outside in bare feet? What happened?”

  “I-I-I. . .”

  She shook so hard she couldn’t even speak. “Easy, baby. Let’s get you out of the sun.” He stood with her in his arms. He carried her into the car, settling her in the passenger seat. He drew the seat belt across her and stepped back. She let out a cry of distress, reaching for him.

  “No, no, don’t leave me. Don’t go.” He cupped the side of her face, leaning in to kiss her lips gently. “I’m not going anywhere, baby. I just need to get in the driver’s seat so I can take us back to the house.”

  “No!” she cried out, clear alarm filling her face. “We can’t go back there! He’s there!”

  “He? He who?” Fuck, had someone been at the house? Had they tried to hurt her? “Who is it?”

  She gulped in her breath. “Your dad.”

  Shoot. She shouldn’t have said that. Should she? But then, he’d seen what a mess she was, he was going to want to know why. And his dad was still back there. Oh fuck, she couldn’t go back inside. Not even with Macca. Nausea bubbled in her tummy.

  Macca had already started the car and was driving them up the road.

  “Sick, gonna be sick.”

  He gave her an alarmed look and drew the car off to the side once more. He jumped out, racing around, getting her out of the car just in time as she vomited her lunch up. Gross. Gross. Ick. She hated vomiting. Her body trembled, and she would have fallen if he hadn’t held her steady.

  “Easy, baby. Easy,” he murmured to her. He quickly got her back into the car and they were off again.

  “Sorry. Sorry,” she murmured to him. “I’m sorry to be such a nuisance.”

  He turned and gave her a firm look as he parked next to his father’s BMW. “You have nothing to be sorry for. And you are most certainly not a nuisance. Now, before I go in there and confront that asshole, can you tell me what he did?”

  She didn’t want to. Not just for her own sake, but for Macca’s. But she knew she had to tell him some of it at least.

  She clasped her hands together tightly. “He knocked on the door. I wasn’t going to answer it, but then I saw he was searching for the spare key, so I knew he’d get in on his own. When I opened the door, he stormed inside and he started searching through drawers in your nan’s study. I don’t know what he was looking for. I. . .I came in and told him to stop.” Her hands fisted together in her lap and he reached across, clasping them with his much bigger hand. His touch gave her the strength to continue. “He told me this was his house now; he spoke like your nan was already dead. Then he. . .he said I’d work for him once she was gone, that I owed him a debt for being allowed to live here for free while she wasn’t here.” She let out a small sob.

  He undid her seat belt and drew her close, kissing her forehead. “Easy, sweet pea. What happened next?”

  “He grabbed my wrist and shoved me into a wall. I-I got away and took off.”

  He frowned and she felt guilty at not telling him all of it. But how could she tell him that his own father had stripped off in front of her, had wanted her to suck his cock? She raised a shaky hand to her head, rubbing at the headache that had started throbbing there.

  He lifted his hand from hers and lifted her right hand, staring at the bruises that had already formed around her wrist. “That fucking bastard. I’m calling the cops.” He reached for his phone but she grabbed his forearm.

  “No, please don’t!”

  “Why not? He assaulted you. The bastard is still here, trashing Nan’s house.”

  “They won’t believe me. Remember how you said your mum didn’t go to the police because your dad had connections there?”

  “Fuck. You’re right. But you didn’t get those bruises on your own, Gigi.” Frustration filled his voice and she flinched. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Sorry, baby. I’m not frustrated at you. But you can’t let him get away with this. I’m going in to deal with him.”

  “No, don’t!” But before either of them could move, his father stepped out of the house. He glared over at his father and her heart raced. Nausea bubbled again and she let out a small whimper.

  “Stay here,” Macca told her. He climbed out and slammed the door then started striding towards the house. To her shock, as soon as he got close to his father, he pulled his fist back and hit him.

  Shit! She scrambled to get out, her hand fumbling on the door handle. She hadn’t expected that. She
raced towards them, determined to protect Macca. Obviously, his father was no match for him physically, but she would never trust that old bastard.

  Macca was bent over, dragging his father up, his fist coming back. “Stop! No!” She grabbed his arm.

  “Get back in the car, Gigi. Now.” He turned to his father, shaking him. “How dare you touch her!”

  She didn’t move. Instead, she kept a tight hold on his arm. As much as she wanted to see his father suffer, she didn’t want him going to the police with a complaint against Macca.

  “Her? Why would I want to touch that slut!” his father sneered.

  “She has a bruised wrist!”

  His father shrugged and attempted to shove himself away from Macca, but her man was strong.

  Not hers.

  “Let me go!” his father demanded.

  “You’re going to pay for touching her,” Macca told him.

  To her surprise, his father started to laugh. “All those years and I wanted you to stand up for yourself and you do it for her. What makes this little slut so special?”

  Macca’s arm moved and she knew he was going to hit his dad again. She clung on tight to his bicep, knowing she looked ridiculous, basically hanging off him like a rag doll, but she also knew he wouldn’t hit his dad with her right there. He wouldn’t put her in harm’s way like that.

  “Do not fucking call her that.”

  His dad’s eyes widened with surprise and delight. “Oh, don’t you know? Well, that’s just priceless. Do you care about her, son?”

  “Don’t call me son. You’re no father of mine. Of course, I care about her. She’s looked after Nan these last few months.”

  Was that the only reason he cared about her? No, it couldn’t be. He probably didn’t want to admit to anything in front of his father. She knew all about hiding your true feelings. She’d learned not to let her father know when something truly mattered to her.

  It just gave him a way to hurt her.

  Her breath shuddered in and out of her lungs as she waited for his dad to tell Macca her secret. But he just smiled. “That’s going to be interesting, isn’t it?”

  “What is?” Macca growled.

  “I’m leaving now. I don’t have time for this.” Mr. McKenzie smacked his son’s arm away, although she figured that Macca let him.

  He turned towards his car, stopping to look down at her. “My son won’t be around forever. He chose sides a long time ago. Just remember that.”

  A cold shiver ran through her. What would happen when Macca wasn’t here to protect her?

  She’d be on her own again. Like always.

  15

  “All right, baby girl,” Macca crooned to her in a quiet voice. “Let’s get you in the bath.”

  She looked around the bathroom. She’d been in a bit of a daze since Macca’s father left. All the adrenaline that had flooded her as she’d fled had drained away, leaving her exhausted. Luckily, Macca had taken over. He’d carried her inside, murmuring comforting words. He’d taken them straight into the main bathroom, setting her down on the counter.

  She grabbed hold of his hand with a small cry. “Don’t leave me.”

  “I’m not leaving, sweet pea. I promise. I’m staying right here. I just need to fill the bath for you, all right? We need to clean those feet and a bath will help you feel better.”

  She let go of him reluctantly. “Tired.” That nap she’d just had felt like a lifetime ago now.

  “I know, baby. You don’t have to do anything. I’m going to take care of you.”

  She should tell him the full story of her past. But once she did, would his opinion of her change? Would he still want anything to do with her? He was here for such a short time anyway, what did it matter if she kept her secret? Once he was gone, she’d never see him again.

  Sadness stabbed her. With every day she spent with him, she knew it would hurt just a bit more when he left.

  And she wouldn’t change a thing.

  “Once you feel better, we’re going to have a little chat about obeying Daddy’s orders,” he told her as he stripped her then lifted her up, placing her in the bath.

  She hissed as her feet hit the water. “Ow! Ouchie!” She raised her feet out of the water, grasping hold of the sides, so she didn’t go under the water.

  “I know, baby girl,” he said gently. “But we have to get them clean. Put them back under please.”

  Tears filled her eyes. “Hurts.”

  “I know it hurts. Daddy is going to make it all better, though.”

  She wished that were true. Wished she was really a child with a father who cared about her. Who protected her. Loved her.

  “You’ve been sorely treated by the McKenzie men, haven’t you, sweet pea?”

  “Not you. You’re not like him. He’s. . .he’s. . .evil.”

  He watched her solemnly. “I’m so sorry you had to be in his presence. I promise I never would have left you if I thought for a minute he’d come here.”

  “I’ve only met him once before. He never comes here. You couldn’t have known.”

  “Still doesn’t make me feel any better for leaving you. That won’t happen again.”

  Except, he would leave her soon. Permanently.

  She took in a shaking breath. A sob rocked her body, surprising her.

  “Don’t cry, little one. I’m here. He won’t hurt you again, I promise. I won’t let him near you.”

  She wasn’t worried about his dad. Or at least, that wasn’t her main worry. She just wanted to turn it all off.

  “I don’t want to think,” she told him.

  “So, turn it off, baby.” He ran his finger down her nose. “Let me take care of you and forget everything else. Put yourself in my care. I promise, I’ll look after you.”

  She knew he would. He did nothing but look out for her, it seemed. She leaned her head back on the rim of the bath. “Okay, Daddy. I trust you.”

  The words were so sweet. They spoke to him on all levels and his hand actually shook as he picked up the washcloth and started to bathe her. Her pale skin was looking a little flushed and he worried she had a fever again. He’d need to check her temperature. That box of goodies he’d bought had arrived just in time.

  If he hadn’t left her to pick them up, then his asshole dad wouldn’t have scared her to death and sent her running from the house. He had the feeling she was holding something back from him. He wasn’t certain if it was about what happened with his father, or something else.

  If his father was to be believed, she had things in her past she was hiding. But Macca had learned a long time ago to take what his father said with a hefty grain of salt. And if there was something she hadn’t told him, then she had her reasons. He wouldn’t push her.

  He ran the cloth down over her breasts. His cock was already hard. Sometimes it seemed like it was permanently that way around her. But now wasn’t the time for his needs.

  She trusted him. She should probably hate him after the way his father just treated her.

  She was so precious. She deserved the world.

  It amazed him how the small things made her light up. As though she’d had very little kindness in her life. Well, that had obviously been the case before his grandmother found her. And thank God she had, he hated to think about Gigi out in the world on her own. She was so sweet and loving, she needed a protector. A champion.

  Him.

  No, not you. At least not permanently. What would he do with her when he left? He didn’t know. He couldn’t just leave her. That wouldn’t be right. Yet he couldn’t think about that right now. Like her, he just wanted to forget about everything for a while. Everything except taking care of his baby girl.

  He moved the cloth over her slim stomach and down to the apex of her thighs. He cleaned her quickly, not wanting to linger. Not when the urge to claim her was so demanding. When he got to her feet, he raised them one by one to clean the soles. He winced as he saw the small cuts.

  “Ouch, no, D
addy!” She tried to tug her foot out of his hand, but he held her steady.

  “Stay still, baby. These need to be cleaned.”

  “Hurts. . .”

  He hated that she was in pain. Hated that she bore the bruises of his father’s temper. Nothing like that should ever mar her perfect skin.

  “Easy, baby girl. Nearly done. That’s a good girl. Daddy has to make sure that you aren’t badly hurt.”

  He moved to her other foot. He noted it was a little swollen. He’d keep her off her feet for the rest of the day. A soft sob escaped her. He couldn’t believe she’d been so frightened she’d ran from the house in bare feet. He wished she hadn’t opened the door to his father, but he knew she was right. He would have found his way inside.

  “If my father ever comes back and I’m not around for whatever reason, you are to hide. Understand me?” he said in a sterner voice than he’d intended.

  She nodded; eyes wide. “I’m s-sorry. Are you g-gonna spank me?”

  Spank her?

  “What do you mean?”

  “I opened the door. And I ran outside when I was supposed to stay inside.”

  He shook his head. “Much as I might wish you had hidden instead of opening the door, I know you couldn’t expect he’d do anything like he did.” Even he hadn’t imagined that happening. He wondered what the hell that bastard had been searching for.

  He’d go have a look later. After he got his girl settled. He placed her other foot down.

  “And you were right to run away from him, even in bare feet.” He grimaced. Her feet didn’t look as bad as he’d feared. A few scrapes and blisters. They weren’t going to be any fun to walk on, though. “But from now on, please put shoes on first. I know you wanted away from him. But unless it’s fight or flight, footwear is a necessity.”

  He met her gaze with his stern one. “I won’t be spanking you for either of those reasons. However, I do distinctly remember telling you to wait in the car while I confronted him. And then you followed me. And again, I told you to go back to the car, and you ignored me and stayed where you were. That was very naughty.”

  “I didn’t want you to keep hitting him.”