Page 23 of Daddy’s Pursuit (The Daddy Guard #1)
Chapter Twenty-Three
“You used to work cattle?”
The question came from Uncle Ace. He was sitting in a chair on the patio, nursing a cold bottle of beer, clearly more relaxed than he had been during the day’s helicopter pursuit.
Sitting near him, on Daddy’s lap, Iris giggled. “Cowboy Jack!”
All the Daddies laughed.
They were at Matteo Batista’s house for dinner. Iris was enthralled by those who’d gathered.
Besides Uncle Ace and the evening’s host—whom she was instructed to call Uncle Matteo—there was Isaiah Colton, Kendrick Vaughn, Ryan Cross, and Jordan Whitaker.
Isaiah was a strong Black man with close cropped hair and a military look.
The tight gray polo shirt he wore—the one that strained to contain his bulging shoulders and arms—didn’t quite cover a tattoo that looked like part of the Navy anchor.
But Iris couldn’t see the whole thing. Still, she was willing to bet he was former military all the way.
Kendrick Vaughn appeared to be of mixed ancestry and had mocha-colored skin, green eyes, and muscles to spare. He was gorgeous and would have looked at home on a magazine cover or a billboard, Iris thought.
Next to him sat Ryan. He had dark blond hair, blue eyes, and a tall, lean frame.
It was obvious he had a close relationship to Jordan, because the two men had arrived together and seemed inseparable throughout the night.
They even sat close, only inches apart. Iris wondered what their relationship was exactly, but it wasn’t her place to pry.
She’d probably learn soon enough. After all, they were her Uncles now, too.
Jordan wasn’t quite as tall as Ryan and had jet-black hair with dark eyes. He was maybe five to eight years younger than his friend, so Iris guessed he was around thirty or so.
“I hated working cattle,” Jack told them. “I guess I’m too much of a city boy.”
“And you’re too good at being a cop to ever do anything else,” Isaiah noted. “Man, that was some idea you had today. Now there are less of Frank’s guns on the streets thanks to you.” He raised his bottle of beer. “To Jack and Ace. Two of Los Angeles’ finest!”
“And to Precinct 17,” Ryan added. “We keep this city safe!”
The other men cheered as they raised their drinks in salute. Iris did the same, raising her juice and then taking a sip.
A moment of silence passed before Jack posed a serious question that caught Iris off guard. “Do you all ever wish we could do more?”
The quietness that followed seemed heavy. Iris felt a change in the atmosphere.
“Are you asking if we’re tired of the bullshit?” Isaiah asked. “Tired of a department that refuses to reform? Tired of busting our ass for ungrateful higher-ups who have their heads so far up their asses that they?—”
Kendrick cleared his throat. Iris watched as he jerked his head toward her, clearly imploring his fellow officer to remember they had a Little in their presence.
Isaiah nodded, a look of understanding in his eyes. After taking a sip of beer, he said, “Yeah. I get tired of it. We all do.”
The others nodded.
“But what else could we do?” Ace questioned.
No one seemed to have an answer for that, and the silence once again seemed heavy. Maybe even stifling, Iris thought.
“Hey, did you like that helicopter ride?” Ace asked her.
The men’s smiles returned and things appeared back to normal.
Iris laughed as she thought of her wild afternoon. “It was amazing! Like a movie or something! And did you see all the reporters there when we landed? I think I was on TV!”
The men chuckled, clearly amused and finding her adorable.
“Damn, where did you find someone so cute?” Kendrick asked. “And does she have a sister?”
The guys laughed again. Blushing, Iris buried her face in Daddy’s shoulder for a moment.
Wearing a short, pink babydoll dress and matching ruffled panties over her thick diaper, she felt a bit exposed. That excited her, though, and the men clearly approved of her attire. They’d been making comments since arriving.
It seemed as if she’d spend a lot of time blushing tonight.
“Hey, when do I get a turn to hold her?” Ryan asked.
“Me first!” Matteo said.
“Why you?”
“Because it’s my damn house. Shithead.”
The men laughed.
“Hey, I know we bust balls. But we should probably watch our language in front of the little angel,” Isaiah noted.
“I would appreciate that,” Jack said. “I’ve been trying to watch mine.”
“You’ve done a bad job of it, Daddy,” Iris chimed in.
Everyone laughed uproariously at that.
Jack kissed her lips and then the top of her head, holding her close. “I’ve got a sassy little thing here.”
“Just like I like ‘em,” Ace said. “Hey, does she need a diaper change? I’ll gladly volunteer.”
“I was going to!” Jordan told him.
“Guys, guys,” Jack said. “Find your own cutie. Little Iris is all mine.” He stood while holding her, as if the feat was easy for him. With his muscles, it probably was, Iris figured.
He continued. “But speaking of her diaper, I probably should take her inside and get her tidied up. I can feel it. It’s pretty squishy.” He squeezed her bottom while she hid her face in his shoulder. Looking at Matteo, he asked, “When are those steaks going to be ready?”
Matteo stood, walked to the grill, and pulled open the cover. Smoke billowed out, releasing a pleasant aroma into the air. “Ah. We got about five minutes or so.”
“I’ll be back,” Jack said with a nod.
Iris continued to cling to him as he walked through the open sliding patio doors and into the house.
“Let’s go to the spare bedroom, honey, where I left the diaper bag.”
“Thank you. I did make tinkles, Daddy.”
He chuckled. “I know, honey. I could feel it. But don’t be embarrassed. That’s what diapers are for.”
As he carried her down the hall, she voiced a burning question that had been on her mind for much of the day. “Daddy, who is Frank?”
She could feel Jack’s body go rigid.
Turning into the guest room, he sat her on the bed and then stood in front of her. She waited patiently as it seemed it was difficult for him to form a response right now.
Finally, he cleared his throat and said, “Why do you want to know that, honey?”
Smiling up at him, she answered, “Because I’ve heard a lot about him. I think he’s a bad man who’s selling guns or something. And I think it’s been keeping you busy and stressed the last few days, the way you have to step out and take calls and, of course, that whole helicopter thing today.”
Jack grinned and nodded. “My Little girl is too smart to keep anything from, huh?”
“Yep!” she replied with an emphatic nod.
He laughed, bent down, and kissed her forehead. Standing upright again, he said, “Okay. You’re right. Frank is a bad man who sells guns. But it’s more than that. You see… he used to be one of us.”
The admission took Iris by surprise. Once she’d recovered, she said, “You mean like a cop?”
“That’s right. And… one of us . This group here tonight. The Daddies from the precinct. He was… my best friend.”
Iris stood and put her hands on Daddy’s arms. “Your best friend turned into a criminal?” She was talking to herself more than him, trying to make sense of it all.
She had naively assumed that all Daddies were good. But it stood to reason that such wasn’t the case. They were humans, after all—some good, some bad, and some in between.
“He stole these guns he’s selling from right under the LAPD’s noses. These are all ones we fought hard to take off the streets. Decades worth of dangerous work. And that asshole just—” Jack’s nostrils flared as his fists balled, but a moment later, he smiled.
Iris was glad to see it and she wondered if it was her presence that was calming him down.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I need to watch my language. And you don’t need to worry about all this.
I’d never let Frank hurt you. Soon enough, he won’t be hurting anyone.
He’s going to go down hard and answer for his crimes.
Me and your Uncles will make sure of that.
” He playfully bopped her nose. “Now, come on, cute stuff. Lay down. That soggy diaper needs to come off and a dry one is going on. If I don’t get you back outside soon, I’ll have a riot on my hands. They all want turns holding you.”
Iris giggled, but inside she still felt a bit worried.
This Frank character sounded dangerous. And tough. But she knew one thing that gave her hope.
Her Daddy was tougher.