Page 11 of Daddy’s Pursuit (The Daddy Guard #1)

Chapter Eleven

Iris hadn’t stopped crying since leaving the garage apartment.

It wasn’t that she was particularly attached to the place. She’d often dreamed of moving out and finding something better. But it was a roof over her head, at least. Far more than she had right now. She was literally homeless.

Why hadn’t she gone to the shelter with the deputy? Sure, it would suck, but it was better than nothing. As it was, she’d be spending the night on the streets.

Deep down, she knew why.

She was going to walk all the way to West Hollywood where she could sleep by Auntie Athena’s. Pride wouldn’t let her ask Auntie for a place to stay. But she would at least be close to it. If someone attacked her or something in the night, maybe she could yell loud enough to get Trevon’s attention.

That was the real reason she hadn’t gone to the shelter.

She’d had to stay a few nights in them before over the years and had learned the hard way that they could be dangerous places for single ladies.

It would be safer, in her opinion, to find a row of hedges or something to sleep behind, close to the Nursery.

As strange as it might seem to some people, just being close to Auntie Athena and Trevon would give her peace of mind.

It was a ten-mile walk to West Hollywood. The buses ran twenty-four hours a day, but she didn’t even have money for a ride right now. She’d spent what little she’d had on the trip home earlier.

Or, to what she’d thought was home.

Should she call Elena?

No, she decided. Her friend was probably already in bed. And even though it was getting late, traffic in LA was thick.

It was always thick.

She didn’t want to force Elena to go out in that.

This was her problem. Not anyone else’s.

Tomorrow, she’d hit the pavement, looking for better work.

And the day after tomorrow, she had a shift at the coffee shop.

That same night she had a shift at the laundry mat, too.

Those paychecks wouldn’t come for another few days, but soon she’d at least have enough to eat for a while.

And maybe get a motel, if it was a cheap one. Just take it night to night.

If she could just hold out that long...

As was usual when she was out walking, particularly after dark, her senses were heightened. There’d been a few close calls in her past. Spending time on these LA streets could be dangerous.

It wasn’t all bad. Los Angeles was just a huge city like any other. You had good people, bad people, and those in between. But a scrawny young lady walking alone might prove an easy target for some of those bad folks. So, as was her custom, Iris prayed she didn’t run into any predators that night.

She always told herself she was going to buy some pepper spray or something, but every time she got paid all her money went to rent or food. There just never seemed to be anything left for luxuries.

So, the only thing she could do was keep her eyes peeled for potential danger.

The sidewalk was cracked and broken, but it would level out a bit when she got to the “nicer” side of town.

That bugged Iris. People assumed just because an area’s residence experienced more poverty than others that it was automatically a “rough” area.

Why dump taxpayer money into fixing it up?

Those people would just mess it up soon, anyway.

That’s not the way she saw it.

The area was full of great people just trying to get by.

Sometimes it was tougher for them to make ends meet, sure, but that didn’t mean they were bad.

And more than the “nice parts” of town, they needed good sidewalks.

Many of the residents, like Iris, didn’t have cars.

They walked a lot more. Or rode bikes or skateboards and stuff.

Why not make it safer for them by giving them a smooth path?

Maybe she should run for office someday, espousing those views.

The thought made her chuckle. As if anyone would vote for her.

She walked along. There were a couple of people pushing shopping carts full of various things they’d collected in their quest for survival.

Others rode by on bicycles or skateboards.

On the street, cars, trucks, and motorcycles came and went.

Several city buses passed her, and she wished she had enough money to hop on one.

She even checked her pockets twice, just to make sure she hadn’t missed a stray dollar, or some coins tucked away, but just came up empty-handed both times.

So, she continued walking. The plastic wheels of the tattered old suitcase she was dragging behind her rolled loudly over the busted concrete.

A tingling sensation started in the back of her neck and then spread elsewhere, alerting her to the fact she was being followed.

Trying to appear casual, she cast a glance over her left shoulder and then her right, curious if anyone was coming up fast on her heels.

Or maybe hanging back a ways but keeping pace.

All she saw was the older lady she’d just passed and a young man who was talking on his cell as he walked, but they were both heading the opposite direction.

Looking to her right, though, she saw a car slowly rolling along the curb.

That was it. That had to be the source of that internal warning.

Should she run as fast as she could? Being on foot was actually an advantage as she could go places cars couldn’t. She could dash into yards or go between businesses and hide. She would have to leave her suitcase behind, which would suck, but maybe she could come back for it later.

Oddly, though, just as she was about to bolt away, a sense of calm washed over her. It was something she’d experienced at the nursery earlier. It made perfect sense there. Auntie was loving. There were guards and the whole thing was behind locked gates. Of course she’d feel safe and settled there.

But here, on the street with a vehicle she didn’t recognize slowly creeping up on her? What was going on?

The answer came a moment later when the window rolled down to reveal a newly familiar face.

It was the cop from the nursery! Jack Daddy!

A smile turned her lips upward. Her prayers had been answered.