by Anthology
I was already a weepy mess, but I crawled back up off him anyway and, without waiting to be asked, I lay myself down across his lap.
I’d like to say I made it through that spanking like a champ. When and if spanking ever becomes an Olympic sport, not only will I be on that team, but I will happily bring home the gold knowing nothing would or could ever be worse than the spanking I took for endangering my life. He took me through every level of hell, first with his hand, and then with that awful wooden spoon, which broken halfway through because, let’s face it, Wal-Mart special. Sadly, $2.99 bought a dozen more just like it. Seriously, someone needs to burn down that store.
And finally, the only ring of hell left to go was the one he took me through with his fist in my hair holding me captive, and my body pinned beneath his on the mattress, my naughty phrase for the evening being “Naughty little angels get their bottoms fucked by Daddy,” and god, did he ever. First slow, then hard. I spent all the next day barely able to sit with a bag of frozen peas tucked up between my nethers.
I’d like to say that life went back to normal, but that would be a lie. With Daddy’s help and a hefty payout from the insurance company, I reopened my pawn shop, albeit in a different part of town. I got to know my brother, and Daddy even promised never to be the one to arrest him no matter what he did without talking to me first. But there was never a ‘normal’ between Brian and me.
How could there be? He was my Super Daddy.
THE END
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Daddy’s Sassy Little Superhero
by Adaline Raine
About Adaline Raine
Adaline Raine is an international bestselling author. She is an avid reader of all romance but loves contemporary and paranormal the most. What's sexier than a stern alpha hero with a big heart?
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Copyright © 2019 by Adaline Raine
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including, but not limited to, photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, locales, and events are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, and events are purely coincidental.
Chapter 1
Caitlyn
I contemplated what saying no to my boss would do after I took the unusual order. Joe’s Pizzeria was my second part-time job, and though I could probably find another one relatively easy, it would set me back a week or so in pay. I wasn’t in a position to afford such a set-back. Devil’s Park, as it was referred to by the locals, earned its name because nothing good happened in the surrounding area. I knew better than to do something stupid like deliver a pizza there after dark, but if I refused, this asshat would fire me.
“It’s probably a prank, Joe. No one actually places orders out there.” I tapped my fingers on the counter. “We’re closing soon.”
“We can’t risk it, Josie. A customer is a customer and if we don’t get them hot delivery, then we’ll get blasted on that foodie thing.”
“Caitlyn,” I corrected with a huff. “Josie quit three weeks ago. And no one even pays attention to the online reviews that you’re referring to.”
Nobody around here anyway.
If the pizzeria received any review at all, it would be the first. We were a tiny hole in the wall restaurant, but our food was the best for miles around.
“Go deliver the pizza, sweetheart, or you can march your perky little behind out the door and not come back.” Joe narrowed his eyes into a glare. “Understand me?”
Yeah, I understand you, asshat. Now ask me if I care.
Unfortunately, I do. I need this job, even if it sucks big monkey balls.
Still, I didn’t want to deliver a pizza to Devil’s Park at this time of night. There was desperate, and then there was desperate. I might have been the latter. All I could really do was try to talk some sense into Joe.
“What if I don’t come back, Joe? What if someone makes off with me?”
“Well, from what you’ve told me, cupcakes,” he sneered, “no one would really miss you.”
Without another word, Joe patted me on the shoulder and walked into the main dining room.
What an asshole!
Shaking my head at his retreating back, I shot a frustrated look at my co-worker Amanda. She shook her head so hard that some of her dark auburn hair fell out of the tight bun at the nape of her neck.
“Don’t go out to Devil’s Park. You’re right to think it’s a trap. Or a setup. You can go work anywhere. Joe needs you more than you need him.”
If only that were true.
Amanda folded her arms over her chest and pleaded with me. “Please, Cate. It’s not worth it.”
“I’m a big girl, and I can handle myself.” Even as I said it, a feeling of foreboding rushed down my spine.
I hugged her, longer than I ever had before. She squeezed back as if it were the last time we’d see one another. Amanda was my only friend. Pulling away, I swallowed past the lump in my throat and hung up my apron. “It’s no big deal. I’ll text you.”
“All right.” She worried her lip. “I live at the big complex on fourth and main. It’s about fifteen minutes from the edge of Devil’s Park. I’m at 1725, if you need help, okay?”
“Got it. Thanks.” We both knew she crashed on couches, and whomever she was staying with wouldn’t really want me to show up, but it was sweet that she offered. “I’ll be fine.”
There wasn’t enough time to deliver the pie and then return to the restaurant since we closed in twenty minutes. No way of checking back in to the relative safety of the pizza parlor. It was just dropping food off in the worst part of the city.
I took a deep calming breath and tried to shake off my unease. No one would bother a pizza delivery chick who obviously had no money.
I balanced my register drawer and handed over a portion of my tips to Stan, the cook who was on. He agreed to make two pies late in the night, and the customer demanded multiple toppings.
“Fuck whatever Joe says. Be careful, Cate.” He winked. “You would be missed around here. Our customers love you, and you always have my back.”
The foreboding rushed back at Stan’s warning, and I swallowed hard, shouldered my purse and picked up the pizza warmer. “Thanks, Stan. I’ll see you around.” I exited through the back door and got into my car, still feeling nervous.
There was a buzz of something in the air tonight, but I pushed away the fear. It was one stupid delivery and I was a big girl.
I can handle it.
Kade
I blinked not believing the sight in front of my eyes. Just where did the sweet little blonde strolling along the sidewalk in the epicenter of Devil’s Park think she was going after dark? Pinching the bridge of my nose, I let my head fall back against the brick wall behind me. I had been patrolling the area as I waited for Antonio Morrelli’s car to turn up the street. I had clocked it a few miles back, and it would take another few minutes to get here. As usual, Antonio was up to no good, and I was not in the mood to be interrupted.
And then she showed up. I couldn’t seem to keep my eyes off of this girl. She looked so out of place here, in her tiny pair of black shorts, sneakers, and a hoodie, with that flat, square something perched in her arms.
Pizza?
A pizza delivery in Devil’s Park. That didn’t make any damn sense. Either the delivery girl meant to cover up something nefarious or she was being setup. I rubbed a hand over my beard and waited.
I could be wrong, of course, but her presence was out of the ordinary. A lot of bad shit happened here in Devil’s Park. Cute little
young women like herself weren’t often seen randomly roaming the streets.
I didn’t want to call attention to myself, but I couldn’t help but watch her. Devil’s Park had more crime per square inch than most of the city. There were criminals, drug dealers, human traffickers, and the like on every corner and in every shadow. I didn’t usually see a lot of common folk around here. Most pizza parlors had this neighborhood on their ‘no way in hell’ list. And yet, this woman was here, delivering a pizza.
She stopped and stared at a few houses, and then she pranced up the steps and rang the doorbell. I waited with a knot in the pit of my stomach, ready to pounce.
Someone’s going to open that door and knock her out.
Surprisingly, she collected the money, handed over the pizza, and skipped back down the steps without so much as an incident.
I relaxed some and turned my attention back to the spot where I was expecting Antonio to appear. But they didn’t stay there. Again, I was drawn to the delivery girl. I squinted into the darkness, trying to get a better read on the men lurking in the radius around her, but I was too far away to get a real pulse.
My eyes followed her as she made her way back down the same street she had just come up. The delivery may have gone off without incident, but she wasn’t safe yet.
I continued my watch, when the car I had been waiting for raced up the street and stopped near her.
So help me if someone tries to grab her. Oh no. Sheila and Antonio.
Fiery as fuck, Sheila Delgado jumped out of the passenger side and cursed at the top of her lungs at the driver, Antonio, who I knew would get out of the car and undoubtedly drag her back inside in just a moment. I had been semi-patiently waiting for an opportunity like this one, a moment to get Antonio alone without his band of merry thugs around. This was supposed to be it. But it wasn’t, and I didn’t know when I would get another chance to have him alone. Or semi-alone, as the case may be.
“Fuck,” I swore again, under my breath.
Caitlyn
I stopped dead in my tracks when a woman with an olive complexion and chestnut colored hair jumped out of a moving car, slammed the door, and then proceeded to curse out the driver. She sounded like she was screaming in Italian, but I didn’t know enough of the romance language to be certain.
I offered my hand out to her. “Hey, do you need help?” I didn’t know what I would be able to do for the angry woman, but I couldn’t just stand there and not offer.
“Stay out of this, girlie.” An angry bald man got out of the driver’s side, brandishing a gun. “Don’t get involved.”
My mouth went dry at the sight of the metal revolver. Sure, I had seen guns before, but never so close to my person and pointed in my general direction.
The dark-haired woman grabbed my hand. “He’s fucking crazy. He broke into my townhouse and forced me into his car. I don’t want to go nowhere with him!”
“Don’t listen to her, girl.” The man sneered. “This is my fiancée, Sheila. She’s just angry that I wanted to have our wedding reception on the river instead of at a dock. Come on, doll. Get back in the car.”
Something didn’t quite add up. “If she’s your girlfriend, what’s with the gun?”
The two of them stared at me, stupid looks on their faces, and the guy rounded the front the car. He aimed the handgun straight at my face. My heart stopped and my life flashed before my eyes, but I wasn’t scared. I didn’t feel powerless the way you would think one might feel with a gun pointed at one’s face. Instead, I got angry, a rage like I had never felt overtook me and I wrapped my fingers around the barrel and squeezed. To the surprise of everyone, including myself, the metal crunched and groaned under my grip until the weapon folded in on itself.
The man’s eyes widened in disbelief, and the woman let go of my arm.
Breathing heavily, I placed my palms on my thighs and bent at the waist.
Fuck. It was a stupid toy gun and I had gotten pissed over nothing.
“What the fuck, bitch?” The bald man held up the crumpled gun. It had looked so real. “That was my father’s gun, and his father’s before him, and his father’s before him. You is gonna pay for that.”
Of course, the goon didn’t have good grammar. Figured. He even talked like a gun-wielding gangster.
“Shut up,” I snapped at him, suddenly annoyed. “You didn’t have to threaten me with some child’s toy and scare me half to death for nothing. Get out of here before I call the police.”
His eyes darkened and he moved menacingly toward me, but he didn’t look half as threatening as he had before. He looked scared. “No, you’re going to get out of here. You freaky bitch! Leave.” He dismissed me.
“Come on.” Rolling my eyes at the goon, I motioned for the woman to follow me. “I’ll bring you somewhere safe.”
I had no idea where I would take her, but anywhere was better than Devil’s Park with this asshole.
The idea of me taking her anywhere seemed to enrage the goon. He moved faster than I thought he could, and grabbed me. He probably meant to knock me back in order to make off with the woman again, but his hand groped my right breast and, reacting on instinct, I kneed him in the balls so hard he dropped to his knees and vomited.
Angry goon slowly got back on his feet, seething, and took a swing at me. I ducked under his half-assed attempt, then grabbed him under each of his arms and chucked him with all of my strength. He flew through the air, crashing into a group of trash cans several houses up the street and on the other side of the road.
What the hell? I stretched my fingers out in front of me and stared at them, shocked.
What. The. Actual. Hell.
“Listen, freak,” the woman said, staring at me with a mixture of awe and disgust. “I don’t know what the hell just happened to you, but you just knocked out Antonio Morelli. He will remember this.” She let out a low whistle. “It ain’t safe around here, and it’s clearly not safe at my house, but you need some protection. When he wakes up? Phew. You’ll be at the top of his list.”
Antonio Morelli? The name meant nothing to me, but she spoke as if it should.
“I just didn’t want him to hurt you.” I stared down into my hands and then up again into her worried face.
“Just do yourself a favor and get out of here. Thanks for saving my life. Seriously. You did, but you also brought on some bad times for yourself.” Sheila hurried away in the opposite direction.
I sank down on the sidewalk. My whole body was trembling, and my vision blurred. What was wrong with me? What had just happened?
“Hey! You can’t stay here. It’s not safe. Especially not now.” A deep, gravelly voice reached my ears.
I pressed a hand to each of my temples. My head was pounding. “I-I need a moment.”
“It’s not safe,” the voice stated again, as if I didn’t already know that.
Tears poured down my cheeks from the sudden inexplicable pain pounding my nerves, and I brought my knees up to my chest. Something was wrong.
“You cannot stay here.” The voice was getting annoying.
“I just need a minute,” I insisted, laying down on the sidewalk in a semi-fetal position.
The voice was silent, but I heard movement on the walkway beside me and, suddenly, a face appeared in front of me, crouching down at eye-level. The face was unrecognizable, something covered the features. A mask?
No, my vision had worsened in the span of a few short minutes.
People didn’t go around wearing masks.
“Let me help you, okay?” The voice behind the mask had softened. If I could see his face, I knew I’d see compassion there.
“My-my car is parked at the top of the street. If I can just get back there, I’ll be fine.” I sniffled and tried to get to my feet, but my limbs felt like they each weighed a hundred tons.
“It’s okay, I’ve got you.” His arms gripped my waist as he tried to pull me up.
The world tilted even more. “I’m really strong,�
� I mumbled incoherently, and then the lights went out.
Chapter 2
Kade
Well, that was not how I had anticipated that going down.
I scooped the young woman into my arms and carried her up the street. Her car had been destroyed, picked apart, and scavenged in the few minutes while she had been delivering food. Welcome to Devil’s Park, sweetheart.
I hated the injustice done to her, especially when she had intervened to protect Sheila, but she had fucked up all of my plans. I had been waiting for six months to capture Antonio with his pants down, figuratively speaking. Now, with his merry band of goons missing from the picture, would have been a fantastic opportunity save for the tiny little problem of him being knocked out cold.
Oh well. It wasn’t meant to be. Not tonight anyway.
Now that Sheila Delgado had run off and left the mysterious beauty on the sidewalk, I had little choice. I hoped this woman would trust me when she awoke, but I wasn’t entirely sure how to explain. I had some unique traits, some called them gifts, and some called them unholy and monstrous. It appeared the pizza delivery girl had some rare talents of her own. It also seemed like she had only just experienced them for the first time tonight. Which would explain her passing out. Fuck. She was in shock, coupled with all the nasty physical repercussions that came with sudden full-on power manifestation—that would cause this kind of stress to anybody. Fuck again.
Not knowing what else to do with her, I brought the small woman home to my house and searched her for identification. I found what I was looking for stuffed in a worn leather wallet in her back pocket. Her name was Caitlyn Monahan. It was a perfectly boring name for a woman who seemed to be the complete opposite of boring. According to her driver’s license she was twenty-four years old. Her address was far from both Devil’s Park and my neighborhood. I wondered again if the pizza had been a cover for some nefarious activity, but she just looked so innocent.
