Page 86 of Beauty and the Daddy

"I have to make sure all the bad guys are gone. Then I'll come get you." I kiss her forehead, breathing in her baby shampoo smell. "Be brave for me, okay?"

She nods, tiny and solemn. "I'm always brave."

Belle stands, shifting Sofia to her hip. Fear lives in her eyes for one beat, then purpose eats it. That's Belle for you.

"Take care of our girl," I tell her, every word iron. "Do you hear me?"

Belle nods. "I will. With my life."

I believe her. That's the craziest part—I actually believe her.

"Follow the service corridor," I instruct. "Stay low. Don't stop for anything."

I put a small .38 into Belle's free hand. She takes it without hesitation.

"You know how to use this?"

"Point and pull," she says. "Can't be that hard."

Another surprise from Belle Donovan.

"Good girl."

Sofia reaches for me, and I hug them both. My family. My reason. "Go."

Sofia curls into her like she chooses it. "Where are we going?"

Belle lies beautifully, smoothing Sof's hair. "We're going somewhere special, okay? I'm with you. I won't let anything bad happen to you."

That's the last I hear as they disappear down the corridor—Belle's voice, calm and sure, promising the impossible and meaning it. The door swallows them; the noise of the house turns up again.

My chest tightens. I allow myself exactly three seconds of fear at having sent them away without me, at what might happen if they take a wrong turn, then I lock it down.

Time to hunt.

Then I'm moving, memory-mapping the floor plan, counting the men I can't afford to lose and the ones I already might have lost.

I move room by room, clearing the entire floor. Nothing. The attackers must have come in a small team, making this a surgical strike, not an all-out assault.

That's worse.

It means they were targeting someone specific.

Belle. Sofia. Me.

Outside, the gunfire has stopped completely.

"Status," I snap on the radio, cutting through cross-talk.

"Perimeter holding, boss. We killed the ones outside and two intruders confirmed inside, but we believe you got them both."

"Yeah."

"Unknown if more coming through the east wall—sensor tripped then died."

Jesus. Gate cam down. East sensor dead. Security rotation changed two hours ago becauseDeclanthought an earlier shift would "keep the men fresh."

I told him no.