Page 2 of Daddy’s Oath (The Daddy Guard #2)

Chapter Two

About twenty miles west of the studio, Michael “Ace” Riggs stood on the shore at Santa Monica beach.

A cool breeze came off the water, bringing with it that salty air he loved. The waves that lapped at his feet were refreshing. He’d love nothing more than to wade deeper into the Pacific and enjoy a nice walk while the ocean rose to his knees.

But he was on a mission. Beach time would just have to wait.

He couldn’t even afford to really watch the ocean right now.

Which was too bad, because no matter how many times he’d seen it—and as a lifelong southern Californian, he’d seen it a lot—he never tired of it.

It was so blue and vast. Huge. Seemingly endless.

It made him feel insignificant and reminded him of his place in the world.

It was paradise.

But right now, the most important thing was keeping precious Littles safe.

So, Ace continued to walk along the beach, his shoes in his hands, acting as if he was just on a casual stroll along the water’s edge like so many others.

Yet he was actually monitoring the chatter of his team, their voices coming through the small, nearly invisible earpiece he wore.

It was Jack Kimble who spoke now.

“Ace, they’re headed your way. Do you have them?”

“Sure do.” Ace stopped, looked at the water, and stretched as a man and woman walked by a few feet in front of him. The woman laughed as the water splashed against her feet before being pulled back into the ocean.

The couple never glanced his way.

Why would they? He was just one of the hundreds who were around Santa Monica Pier. Any given day, that little slice of heaven was busy. That’s why Ace personally preferred El Segundo or Topanga Beach. Less people.

Obviously, though, this wasn’t about him.

The peacefulness the ocean always brought faded as the couple continued past him. A moment later, Ace was seething mad.

To anyone else, it probably looked as if they were just a normal man and woman, out on a date, enjoying the Pier. But Ace knew the truth.

“I want to punch that guy,” he said, once the couple was outside of earshot.

“Me, too,” Jack said. “We might get our chance, too.”

Ace faked a yawn, stared at the Pacific for another moment, and then casually turned and began strolling behind the couple. He let them get further ahead, as if he wasn’t in a hurry and had no particular destination in mind.

All around him, the beach was teeming with activity.

Kids ran into the waves, laughing and cheering.

A large Japanese family in matching t-shirts—obviously tourists—posed for a picture with the water as their backdrop.

People laid out on towels and blankets, some with umbrellas.

The sounds of the carnival rides competed with the sound of the incoming waves.

Just a typical day in Santa Monica.

Except for the fact that there was a dangerous predator hoping to victimize his prey.

That wouldn’t happen.

Ace and the Daddy Guard would make sure of that.

“They’re headed to the showers,” he said.

Jack’s voice came back crystal clear in his ear. “Copy that. Stay on them.”

Ace hung back casually as the man and woman stopped at the thick, square metal poles, each one with a showerhead on each side. The pair waited in line and then washed the sand off their feet before sliding back into the shoes they’d been holding.

When they moved again, so did Ace.

“Looks like they’re headed up to the pier,” he said.

“Copy that,” Jack said again.

“I’m down at the end, near that Mexican place,” Matteo Batista chimed in.

“And I’m close to the Ferris Wheel,” Isaiah Colton added.

“Not sure how far down they’ll go,” Ace replied. “At some point, he’s going to want to get her someplace private.”

“Yeah,” Jack agreed. “But you know how it is. If he follows his usual M.O. He needs to get her a drink, spike it, and then give it a while to work. He’ll probably buy her a Coke or something from a vendor.”

Now Ace was really angry. This asshole had pulled shit like that before. That’s how he was on the Guard’s radar. They’d received numerous complaints about him from Littles. He posed as a Daddy online, met them, then took advantage of them, thinking Littles were easy victims.

He was going to be sorely disappointed when he learned the Guard was on his tail.

Somehow, he’d always managed to stay one step ahead of the police. Nothing concrete ever got pinned to him.

Maybe that would change today.

And maybe Ace would get to punch him in the face.

Time would tell.

“We’re on the pier now,” he said quietly.

He passed a woman selling churros and smiled at her, but shook his head as she pointed to the sweet treats. As good as they looked, he couldn’t get distracted. He made a mental note to get one after completing the mission, though.

Right now, the only thing that mattered was protecting the woman who walked happily along with a vicious predator. And making sure he didn’t hurt her or anyone else again.

It was what the Daddy Guard did.

And they were damn good at their job.