Page 6

Bash

I washed the blood from my body and watched as it swirled down the drain at one of the buildings we went to after a job. Something about seeing the blood wash away felt metaphorical since we’d just rid the world of its owner’s putrid existence. I’d been doing jobs for Jasper for almost a decade. Jasper was the brains behind the operation, an undercover badass who took down some of the worst people in the world. He was a brilliant IT mastermind and honestly an evil genius. The job we’d just done was for two rapists that the justice system had to let free due to a technicality. They’d traumatized too many women to count and that wasn't acceptable. They’d died slow and painful deaths and they’d never hurt anyone again.

It had been our first job in three months. The last time we’d all worked together was when we’d taken down the bastard who’d kept Eloise hostage in a prayer closet and all the loons that had helped him or followed his crazy beliefs. It had been a gruesome assignment and I’d fucking loved every second of it. The mission we’d just completed had felt equally as amazing. As sick as it sounded, I was made for work like this. I didn’t carry the guilt some people felt after killing scum. I felt like I’d actually contributed something to society by ridding the streets of the vile people out there and making the world a little safer. Since I’d had Allyson in my life, my itch to kill was even greater than before. I wanted to destroy anyone unworthy from even breathing the same air as my sweet baby.

I just wasn’t sure how she would feel about it, though, and I knew if she was upset, I’d leave it all behind for her. But would she even want me when I came clean about what I did? She was so pure and innocent and I was plagued with worry that she would be disgusted by me.

“You good?” Smoke asked, coming into the shower area. He was fully dressed and I realized I’d been pondering over my thoughts for a while.

“Yeah, sorry.” I moved faster to finish my shower.

“You thinking about your Little one?” Smoke asked, stepping into the tiled area as well.

“Is this a peep show?” I laughed, turning the water off and grabbing a towel.

“Eh, not really interested,” Smoke teased, tossing me my pants.

“Definitely not interested,” Layton, Smoke’s step-brother chimed in. He carried our new burner phones and started handing them out. We received new ones after every job; Jasper was very on top of us being incognito.

“I’m so interested,” Maverick, one of Jasper’s higher-ups, said. He cocked his head and gave me a theatrical wink. He knew I was straight, he was just a goofy dude.

Laughing, I pretended to do a strip tease and he pretended to throw dollars at me.

He was such a riot.

“I remember how I felt about this particular lifestyle after I met Eloise,” Blade said, bringing us back to the topic at hand.

“Yeah?” I asked, hoping he’d continue.

“Yeah. It was several weeks after we’d killed Billy and his people and that job hadn’t bothered me. I’d do it again given the choice, but I started thinking about future jobs. I didn’t know if the man I was would be the man Eloise wanted or even needed. I thought about quitting, just like I’m sure you’re doing.”

“What made you stay?” I asked.

“I talked to Eloise about it and she wanted me to keep going. She said that I’d saved her from her past because I’d taken down her monsters and she felt like everyone deserved to have someone willing to fight their dragons for them.”

I finished getting dressed as I thought over Blade’s words. I wondered what Allyson would want me to do. She and Eloise had similar backgrounds in that they’d both lived at the shelter, but aside from that and being Little, they were very different people. A cold sweat broke out on my skin and I considered the possibility that she would be too scared of me to be mine the way I wanted her to.

***

I punched in the code to the keypad, and kicked my shoes off as soon as I opened the door. I was exhausted and worried and just wanted to snuggle the Little girl upstairs in my bed.

Kay came from the living room and opened the microwave. “I saved you some pizza. I figured you’d be hungry.”

“Thank you,” I said, taking the plate and hugging her.

“How did tonight go?” she asked. Kay was one of the few outside of Smoke, Blade, and I that knew what we did. We’d never planned to tell her, but she was smart and intuitive. She figured out it was something dark pretty quickly and cornered me one day. She’d been surprised, but supportive. I didn’t know about her past, but I felt like she’d related somehow.

“Good,” I answered, taking a bite of cold pizza. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until right then.

“You got the bad guys?”

I chuckled at her directness. “We did. How’s my girl?” I was very careful to never give more information than was needed for everyone’s safety. It didn’t keep Kay from asking, though.

“She’s asleep. Leland, Rouge, and Eloise stopped by. They played some games and ate pizza and donuts. She tired out pretty quickly. She said her stomach hurt before she fell asleep, but she only had one donut and a half a piece of pizza, so I think maybe she was just missing you.”

My heart hurt to know that she missed me, but it pleased me as well.

“Thank you, Kay. I really appreciate you.”

She waved me off. “Don’t go getting all mushy on me, you big oaf.”

Laughing, I opened the door and walked her out to her car while I finished devouring the pizza she left me. “Text me when you get home, okay?”

She stuck her tongue out at me. “Yes, Daddy.”

“No offense, but you are not the woman I want to hear calling me Daddy, Kay.” I shut her door before she flipped me off.

After she pulled out of the driveway safely, I headed back inside, my mind set on holding Allyson while I still had her. I knew the next day we would need to have a serious talk about our future.

***

Allyson

I rolled over and into a warm body.

“Daddy?” I asked, picking my head up and hoping to see Bash. I flushed when I realized what I’d called him in my excitement. He’d been gone much longer than I thought.

He had his head propped in his hand and he’d been watching me sleep. I lifted my eyes to study his face and was relieved to see he was smiling.

“I’m sorry,” I said, sheepishly. I hadn’t meant to use that title. I’d just been so excited to see him.

“I’m not. That’s a wonderful way to wake up, Allybaby.”

“Is silly,” I said, fearful of his rejection.

“What’s silly?”

“That I called you Daddy. I’m sorry, we haven’t even talked about it.”

He chuckled. “We have talked about it several times, baby.”

“But we didn’t talk about it like normal. Like…” I trailed off as I struggled to find my words.

Bash chuckled again before pulling me even tighter in his arms. “Hey, Allybaby?”

“Yeah?”

“Life isn’t normal. It’s crazy and weird, and beautiful. I’ve wanted you to be my Little girl from the second you walked into the shop. You are beautiful, funny, and so damn sweet. Every piece of me lit up the second I laid eyes on you. I’ve become attached to you like a drug and my skin physically itches when you’re not around. I wanted to swoop you up into my arms and keep you safe for the rest of my life, but I didn’t because I knew I wouldn’t be good enough for you. I am a good Daddy, but I’m not a good man.”

Jerking away from him, I struggled to sit up.“You are a good man,” I protested, refusing to hear any differently. He’d been so caring and gentle with me, and extremely patient. He hadn’t asked for anything in return. How could he be a bad man?

He sat up too and took my hands in his. “You don’t know everything about me, Little one, but I’m ready to share with you if you think you’re up to hearing it.”

I nodded. “Yes, Sir.” Leaning toward him, I worked to stay very still, hoping to convey that he had my full attention. Placing my hand on his leg, I urged him to continue.

“When I was fourteen, my mom was killed in a hit and run. The man that hit her thought she was his ex and he took her life.”

Reaching out I took his hand and held it gently, trying to comfort him.

“He had some very powerful people in his life and they tried to protect him from the ramifications of his actions. His uncle was a deputy sheriff and he covered up part of his crimes. I, like you, was sent to foster care because I had no other family. That’s where I met Uncle Blade. His dad was a piece of shit who beat him so badly that the state took him away. He and I spent lots of nights talking about how we wanted to take matters into our own hands and get justice on the people who’d done these things. Years and years of built-up anger and bad choices led us to someone who made righting wrongs his mission. He worked with us to help us kill the man who murdered my mother. Blade’s dad was dead by then, he’d drunk himself into an early grave, but had he been alive, we would have killed him too. I’ve spent nine years of my life ending the lives of others who don’t deserve to even breathe the same air as their victims. Working these jobs is what paid for the majority of this house and has given me the step up in life I have, but I would have done it all for free. I get satisfaction in knowing I can rid the world of some evil. I know that’s a hard thing to hear, baby. I know it’s probably scary, and I understand if that means you want to keep things from going any farther. I hope you won’t be fearful of me, though, because I will never do anything to hurt you. I do want you to know if you do decide you want me as a Daddy, I’m willing to leave it all behind for you. The choice is yours, baby, and there’s no rush to make it.” Bash’s expression shifted and for the first time he looked almost unsure of himself.

I sat frozen for only a second before I launched myself into his broad body and wrapped my arms around him. I didn’t realize I was sobbing until I felt the tears rolling down my face.

“Thank you, thank you,” I cried, struggling with all of the words I wanted to say. The world was dark and scary and knowing he did what he could to make it a little safer for us brought me so much hope.

His arms wrapped around me and it felt so damn much like the security I’d always longed for.

“You’re the reason Eloise is safe from her ex, aren’t you?” I asked, refusing to lift my head from his shoulder. Trying to wrap my arms all the way around him wasn’t working, so I locked my fingers behind his head.

“We are,” he answered. His own voice was thick with emotion.

Finally pulling back from him, I took his face in my hands. “You are a good man. You do hard things to protect people, people you might not even know, from even worse things. Yes. Yes,” I said, nodding, “I would be honored to have you as my Daddy. You don’t have to stop. Please don’t stop. Please keep being a superhero.”

He chuckled, it was thick with tears, but he smiled. “A superhero, huh?”

“Yes. That’s what you are, Daddy. You’re my superhero.”

He took my chin in his hand and lifted my head up so he could look in my eyes. “And you are my Little girl,” he said before lowering his mouth to mine. His tenderness took my breath away and my stomach filled with hundreds of butterflies as he pulled away and rested his head against mine. “You’re mine, Allybaby.”