Page 77 of Daddy’s Naughty List (Dirty Daddies 2024 Anthology #4)

Chapter Twelve

“Good job, Lissy! That stopped me in my tracks,” Rocky praised her from the mat.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” she asked, dropping to her knees next to him.

“You’re supposed to run away when your opponent is unable to chase you,” Rocky reminded her.

Melissa rolled her eyes. “I guess that means you’re okay.”

“It does. You did very well today, sweetheart. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you for giving me some lessons. Can we practice every once in a while to help me remember?”

“Of course.”

Melissa looked around the gym and smiled. She liked it here. Rocky and his managers had built quite a community. They’d all welcomed her.

“I’m going to head home and get out of your hair. I know you have some lessons today,” she said before pressing a kiss to his lips and jumping to her feet.

“Be good, Melissa. I’ll be home soon,” Rocky promised.

“I’m always good,” she teased as she grabbed her stuff and headed for the door.

She was still smiling as she walked out the door. Passing several people she recognized, Melissa greeted them as she headed for her car. The thought of how different life was now struck her. She’d kept the job she loved and added so much more that she adored. It didn’t get better than this.

Jumping in her car, she headed for home. Was it possible to be this happy? She turned on the radio and pushed the buttons to open the windows. Singing with enthusiasm even when she didn’t know the words, Melissa enjoyed the chilly air that reminded her Christmas was coming and blew away the cobwebs in her mind. This day would go down as one of her favorites.

The traffic cleared as she drove further from the gym in the busy downtown area. A horn sounded behind her, and she looked back to see a black car behind her speed through a red light she’d just coasted through on yellow.

Melissa turned down the radio to concentrate. It was a straight shot for a couple miles to Rocky’s house. Impulsively, she turned right at the next light. The car behind her turned as well.

“Okay. That could be a coincidence,” Melissa announced to the empty car. She wished she had Rwahr Rwahr with her for reassurance.

Testing her hunch, Melissa took two lefts followed by a right to end up back on Main Street. The black car drifted back as if they suspected she knew they were following her. Melissa swallowed hard and reached for her phone.

“Rocky? There’s a car following me.”

“Following you? Where are you? I’m pulling you up on my tracker.” Rocky had insisted on enabling the location finder on her phone and linking their accounts.

“I’m on Main Street. I just passed that German restaurant we love.”

“I want you to head to the police station. Take a left on the next street.”

She could hear his keys jingle and the sound of his pounding feet as he ran to the parking lot.

“When you get to Franklin, turn right. The police station is on the left in about two miles,” Rocky told her before slamming his car door and starting the engine. “I’m almost there, little girl.”

A motion behind her caught her attention. “It’s closer!”

“Speed up, Lissy. Start honking your horn. Get people’s attention.”

Unable to maneuver the car and hold onto the device, Melissa dropped her phone in the passenger seat. She banged on the steering wheel in different places, trying to find her horn without taking her eyes from the road and finally, it blared just as she came to the turn. Melissa slowed to turn on Franklin, then floored it. The black sedan followed and moved closer. The residential street was empty. Melissa guessed Rocky had sent her that way as a quick connection to the next main road.

She continued to honk but guessed it would attract very little attention. The houses were set far back with gates over their drives. She had nowhere to go for help but to reach the end of the street.

Reaching blindly for the phone, her fingers brushed the device. She leaned sideways slightly to nab it. Pulling it close to her face, she babbled, “Daddy! It’s just me and him on this street. He’s so close to me.”

“Go as fast as you can.”

A tiny bump on her bumper made her car jump to the side. A scream erupted from her mouth as she struggled to keep the car on the road. The phone tumbled to the floorboard on the passenger side. She could hear Rocky calling her name and swearing when she didn’t answer. Her tires skidded on the gravel that formed the shoulder. Melissa pulled with all her might and dragged the car back onto the road.

“What’s wrong with this guy?” she yelled to no one in particular.

Melissa could hear some sound coming from the phone, but since she hadn’t put it on speaker. Who knew what Rocky was saying. “Daddy, I can’t hear you. I’m almost at the turn.”

Her wheels screamed as a second impact tilted her car sideways. Her yell echoed it. The car was completely out of her control. She saw a tree looming ahead of her and stomped on the brakes. The back tires skidded, continuing her spin until she faced the opposite direction.

The car lurched to a stop, rocking her in the driver’s seat. She panted, trying to understand what was happening, and remembered the danger. Her gaze rose to lock with the man who stalked forward to her car.

Anger coiled in the pit of her stomach. Who was this man to make her a victim? She’d moved on to a better life. He wasn’t going to hold her back.

Without taking her eyes off the man, she forced her fingers to release the steering wheel. Melissa pressed the panic button on her bracelet before looking into the passenger side to search for the phone. It had fallen somewhere. She yelled, “Daddy, I’m okay. Come get me!”

As the man approached with a slow, deliberate gait that seemed more threatening than a run, she pushed the buttons to raise the windows. Nothing responded. Melissa pressed firmly on the horn in a long continual blast and enjoyed seeing him jump in surprise. Maybe someone would hear her.

As he got closer, Melissa slid from the driver’s seat. She was trapped there. “Hey. You need to stop. I won’t be anyone’s victim.”

“You’re a born victim.”

The dead voice he spoke in sent a shiver of alarm down her back. Melissa stiffened her pose automatically before reminding herself to be balanced on her feet as Rocky had taught her. “Not anymore. You need to turn around and get out of here.”

“You can’t hide behind your boyfriend. It’s just you and me.”

“What do you want?” she asked, exasperated by her instinctive reaction to cringe in front of him.

“I could have given you everything, but you chose him. I don’t lose. So I’ll make sure you never forget me.”

“I wouldn’t have chosen you if you were the last man on earth. You don’t even know me.”

“It doesn’t take much to spot your weakness,” he said, stopping right in front of her. “Your fate is in my hands.”

Hands. That reminded her of all her training. When he reached for her upper arm, she shrugged him off and raised her hands into a ready position. All she had to do was hold him off until Rocky got here.

He reached for her again, and she reacted. Turns out he was a pretty good victim himself. Melissa stared down at him on the ground. “Stay there. I don’t want to hurt you.”

The man groaned and tried to get up. She swept his feet from under him, tumbling him back to the pavement. “You bitch.”

“Stay there,” she repeated without taking her eyes off the man lying before her.

Thudding footsteps alerted her that Rocky had arrived. He stopped next to her. “Did he touch you?”

“Just my arm. Turns out one of us trains with a badass boxer and the other one enjoys picking on those he thinks are weak,” Melissa reported.

“Look, man. I’ll just get out of here. I’ll back off. Leave her alone,” the man said, scooting backward to get away.

In a lightning-fast move, Rocky leaned over and wrapped his hand around the attacker’s ankle. With a yank, Rocky returned the jerk to his back. “Stay there. She gets to make that decision. She has the power here.”

Rocky didn’t even glance at Melissa, just kept his eyes on the prone man. “What do you think? Let him disappear or let the police put him in jail?”

“Jail,” popped out of her mouth. This guy would go on to find someone else to pick on. She had the feeling he’d never change. At least he’d be off the streets for a while.

Sirens and flashing lights appeared. There was a benefit to having this altercation close to the police station Rocky had sent her toward.

In a few minutes, Melissa stood with her arms wrapped around herself, giving an officer a report of what happened. When she finished, the officer told her, “I’ve seen the previous reports. Sounds like you can handle yourself. He chose the wrong person to mess with.”

“I need to get my car fixed. Before you take him away, could you get his insurance information?”

“Definitely.”

Rocky’s arm wrapped around her waist as she watched the officer walk forward to speak to the handcuffed man. His response didn’t seem to answer the request.

They watched the officer open the passenger door and check the glove box. He froze for a minute before setting a roll of duct tape on the roof of the car. The next few things Melissa couldn’t identify from that distance. From the reactions of the officers watching, those items weren’t good.

Finally, the cop walked back to Melissa. “Take a picture of this card. You can tell your insurance company that he will face a number of charges and was taken to jail.”

Quickly, she searched for her phone and realized she didn’t have it. Rocky pulled out his and closed the call between them before snapping an image. When they were alone again, Melissa asked, “You still had me on the phone?”

“I wasn’t closing the connection until you were safe. Let’s go check out your car and get your phone.”

Melissa’s heart sank as they walked around the car. The bumper was pushed in and one wheel was dangerously low. “I think if I put some air in the tire, it will be okay.”

“It’s not safe, sweetheart. I can tell the alignment is off. They’ll tow your car to a mechanic I know. Let’s go home, little girl.”

“I can’t just let them take my car. I have to work tomorrow! Tami is counting on me.”

“Then we get anything you need from the car before they take it and put it in my trunk,” Rocky said without hesitation.

“Why?”

“You can drive my car until yours is safe.” He reached out to loop a lock of hair that had fallen over her cheek back behind her ear.

He always takes care of me. “What will you do?”

“I’ll work from home, take my bike, or take a rideshare if something urgent comes up. It’s not a problem, sweetheart. Come on. Let’s grab everything. Get your phone and pop the trunk open.”

In a few minutes, they had everything loaded into Rocky’s car. He’d already given the keys and directions on where to take the car to the tow-truck driver, so everything was handled.

As they walked away hand in hand, Rocky repeated his earlier statement, “Let’s go home, little girl.”

“Home sounds fantastic. Can I plan in the nursery?”

“It’s your nursery, sweetheart. I can’t wait to see what you think. I put our Christmas tree up in there today.”

“I love Christmas,” she breathed. Her body vibrated with excitement next to him.

That enthusiasm was infectious. Rocky couldn’t wait to show her the special lion ornaments he’d added to the traditional balls he usually hung on the tree. Melissa made everything more enjoyable. Thank you, PLAYTIME.

Rocky leaned over and scooped her up into his arms. Keeping her steady against him, he took big steps to reach the car. Quickly, he tucked her into the passenger seat and buckled her belt. Rocky kissed her lightly before stepping back to close the door. He knew any date would feel like a holiday with Melissa in his life.