Page 6 of Daddy’s Oath (The Daddy Guard #2)

Chapter Six

“I never get tired of this place,” Ace announced as he walked into large den in the back of the mansion.

The Daddy Guard’s headquarters was amazing. It had become his home, too, along with the other guys. They’d each traded in their own places, choosing to live where they worked.

Ace didn’t know about that. He just thought it was awesome.

In the large den that ran the entire back length of the house, the Guard had set up several computer stations, along with posh leather furniture, a pool table, and a fully stocked bar.

Ace’s favorite feature, however, was one that visitors wouldn’t even realize was there upon first glance.

One of the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves was a secret door that opened to a small equipment room. The Guard was keeping some pretty cool tech stashed away in there, thanks to one of their benefactors. Stryker was quite the inventor and his creations were legendary.

The back wall was mostly windows and plenty of sunlight cascaded into the space. The large TV was on, but the sound was down, the evening news silently flickering by without any of the guys watching it.

Isaiah racked the pool balls and then lined up his shot behind the cueball.

Ace watched the other man for a moment.

He was a strong Black man with protruding muscles barely contained by the tight gray polo shirt he wore. His hair was close-cropped, and Ace noted that his friend had never left the military look behind even though it had been years since he’d been in the service.

The same couldn’t be said for Ace. Before he was flying choppers for the LAPD, he’d flown them in and out of various warzones for the United States Army. Then, in the National Guard, he’d flown them into natural disasters, assisting in hurricanes, wildfires, and even tornados.

But he’d let his salt-and-pepper hair grow out a bit. It wasn’t long by any means. It wasn’t that Army buzz-cut, though.

He continued to watch as Isaiah took his first shot. The cueball slammed into the triangle-shaped collection of other balls, sending the solid and striped ones scattering with loud clacks.

“Can you believe I moved those things so much and didn’t get one of ‘em in?” Isaiah asked with a shake of his head. “Damn.”

Ace just chuckled as he grabbed a cue from where they hung on the wall. He already knew which shot he’d go for. A striped one was teetering on the edge of a middle pocket. It was an easy layup.

“While you two play we can breakdown today’s op,” Jack announced.

Jack was often like that, Ace thought: all business. But he could let loose and have some fun, too. His Little, Iris, brought the fun side out of him more and more.

He’d also relaxed a little now that Frank Holloway was off the streets.

Back when the guys who now formed the Daddy Guard had been in the LAPD, Frank was one of them.

He was a Daddy, too.

But he’d turned into a traitor. After stealing a bunch of guns from the evidence locker, he’d begun selling them on the streets. That greedy move had put a lot of people in danger, including Jack’s Little, Iris.

That was all behind them now, though. Iris was safe and sound. Frank was behind bars. And Ace and his buddies were no longer on the Force, instead forming the private Daddy Guard.

That didn’t mean they didn’t still protect and serve, though.

They worked hard keeping Littles safe. Harder than when they’d been on the Force, possibly. And while Ace didn’t really miss the badge, there was one thing he missed.

His chopper.

He was eager to get back in the air.

That desire was second to the burning ache he felt every day to find his own Little, though.

Maybe one day soon.

He shook those thoughts from his mind and focused on what Jack was saying, along with the game of pool.

Sinking his shot while Jack spoke, he surveyed the table until he found his next target.

“That went well. But the cops were on to us,” Jack said. “I know, that sounds funny. We used to be the cops. Now, though, we need to watch out for them. Sometimes. If we are crossing any lines.”

“We don’t cross any lines the LAPD doesn’t,” Ace called out just as he sent the cueball toward another target. It clacked against it, a successful turn.

He studied the table to find his next one. Isaiah shot him a dirty look. Ace just grinned.

Pool was one of his specialties.

Among other things.

“I didn’t like that Athena was there.” The comment came from Kendrick Vaughn. He’d been in Santa Monica, nearby, monitoring things from the command van parked in a busy city lot.

Ace looked over at Kendrick. He was sitting on the couch, sipping a tumbler of bourbon.

He was handsome, of mixed ancestry, and had mocha-colored skin and green eyes that all the ladies seemed to swoon over.

“I didn’t like it either,” Jack said. “But she insisted. And it was better than putting an actual Little in harm’s way.”

“We’d all be crushed if something happened to Athena,” Kendrick pointed out.

“True,” Jack replied. “But we weren’t going to let that happen. Besides, she’s cunning. It would take a lot for someone to pull one over on her.”

Ace laughed just before taking another shot. He missed this one. “It was Athena who switched those drinks. She would have had that guy on the ropes whether we were there or not. We’re tough, boys, but I think in this instance, the Guard wasn’t needed.”

The others laughed.

No one disputed Ace’s assessment, either.

Before anyone could add anything, the excited, giggling voice of a Little filled the air.

“Daddy! You’re home!”

Ace turned around to see Iris running into the room, her pigtails swaying with her swift movements.

“Whoa there,” Jack said. “Slow down, babygirl. You know you are not allowed to run in the house. That’s an outside activity.”

The Little just giggled some more. Her diaper crinkled loudly as she jumped on Jack and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Her short black skirt pulled up, revealing her padded bottom, as she gave her Daddy kisses.

He staggered back but managed to stay on his feet.

Ace watched with a smile. But inside, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.

He was happy for his friend. Truly. He longed to experience that same love and intimacy, though.

What was it like having your own babygirl to hold and care for? Would he ever know? Was she out there somewhere?

“Daddy, I want you to play with me! I have the Uno cards already out,” Iris pleaded.

“Honey, me and the guys need to chat,” Jack countered.

“Debrief about the op?” Iris asked.

Jack’s eyes twinkled as he chuckled. “You’ve been listening to me.”

She giggled. “I always listen to Daddy.”

The scene made Ace’s heart happy. But that longing deep in his core intensified, too.

Damn. He longed for a cutie of his own.

Suddenly, Ace needed some fresh air. Walking to the wall where the pool cues went, he put his back with the others and said, “Hey, we all know how the thing at the beach went down. And if we have concerns, we can talk about it later. But if you ask me, Athena had that wrapped up. We were all secondary.” He turned and looked at Jack.

“Go play cards with that sweetie of yours.”

The other Guard members agreed.

Iris seemed elated by the idea. Jack relented, gave her a kiss, and carried her out of the room.

“You don’t want to finish the game?” Isaiah asked Ace.

“We can later. Or you can give in now. You know I’ll win.”

Isaiah huffed but didn’t argue. He’d never once beaten Ace at pool. Ace was proud of that fact.

Ace went to the bar, opened the mini fridge beneath it, and grabbed a bottle of beer. The cold glass felt good against his palm. He carried it to the patio and sat down. It was a pleasant evening and normally he would have been in heaven.

For some reason tonight, though, he was preoccupied with the desire for a babygirl. That wasn’t uncommon, but normally he could shove it from his mind and enjoy his time with the guys or just sitting out on that patio. But tonight, it was different.

His desire was nearly all-consuming. Perhaps it was the fear he had. A fear that had been dogging him for days. He couldn’t put his finger on it, either. Where was it coming from? Did it stem from something that had happened?

Perhaps it was just born of the knowledge he had, as a member of the Daddy Guard, of how many Littles out there needed help.

Or maybe it was something else. Maybe it was a Daddy’s intuition.

Whatever the case, he couldn’t get rid of the nagging, sinking feeling that somewhere out there was a Little in desperate need of help.

His help.

His Little.

Was this real or just his imagination spinning in overdrive?

Ace had no idea. But he knew one thing.

If there was a Little out there needing him— his Little needing Daddy —he’d find her. Somehow. Some way.

Daddy would find her.