Page 28 of Daddy’s Pursuit (The Daddy Guard #1)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Jack was exhausted.

After his long shift, he went home to shower and then drove over to the nursery in West Hollywood.

As tired as he was, he just wasn’t ready to settle in yet. He needed to be there when his sweet girl got home. It was Daddy’s job to see that she got in safe and sound, after all. Besides, he really hoped she’d want to stay with him.

In fact, he was ready for her just to move in. Come home. Be with Daddy all the time where she belonged.

But he didn’t want to scare her away and she might not be ready for that kind of commitment.

So, he’d play it as slow as she needed to. He wasn’t in a rush. Iris’s comfort was what mattered most.

When he pulled up to the nursery, he was greeted by Trevon barreling out of the gate.

“We’ve got to go! I have the address.”

“Where?” Jack asked, confused.

“That party the girls went to. It’s up on Mulholland. Iris is in trouble!”

Jack’s blood ran cold.

“What’s wrong?”

Trevon was already climbing into the passenger seat of the SUV, forcing the vehicle to lower a couple of inches under his bulk. “Don’t have the details. But I just got the call as you were pulling up. Elena said some men were messing with Iris and?—”

Jack didn’t really hear what his friend said next. He fired up the engine, pulled away from the curb, and headed in the general direction until Trevon got his attention once more to give him the actual address.

He wasn’t sure what was going on, but his babygirl needed him.

And he’d be there for her, no matter what.

“Why didn’t she call me?” Jack wondered aloud as he pulled up to the curb in front of the house.

Trevon was hopping out before the engine was even cut off.

“I don’t think she has the ability to. I’m not trying to scare you.

But she doesn’t have a cell. And the way Elena made it sound, some guys were sort of getting in her way.

Blocking her from leaving and taking her to another room or some shit like that.

” An angry snort escaped his nose, combining with a sort of growl, reminding Jack of an angry bull about to charge.

Heaven help anyone Trevon charged at.

“If they hurt her, you know I’ll shove ‘em through a wall,” the big man added. “You might want to leave. I don’t want to put you in a bad spot, you being a cop and all.”

Jack shook his head. “She’s my babygirl. The badge doesn’t mean shit if she’s hurt.”

Trevon nodded.

The two hurried toward the house, with Jack’s mind spinning the entire time as he thought of ways he’d make people hurt.

If anyone touched his babygirl… Hell, if anyone even scared her…

They were almost up the driveway when red-and-blue lights lit up the night in a dizzying display. Jack didn’t even have to look over his shoulder to know a black-and-white had arrived. A second later, Matteo was at his side.

“What’s up?”

“Don’t know yet,” Jack said as they approached the front door. “But thanks for coming.”

“Man, you know anytime you call I’ll be here. The others are on the way,” Matteo responded.

Jack didn’t have to ask who he was referring to.

When you messed with one of the Daddies of Precinct 17—or their Littles—you messed with them all. He’d put out the call on his way over and now his brothers were responding.

Just like they always would.

Just like he’d do for them.

While he wanted to run inside first, he hung back to let Trevon enter. There was no sense in trying to walk side by side through the doorway with him. It was best to just let the big man go where he was going to go.

Once they were all in the house, the scene looked chaotic.

Some people were scared and frantically collecting purses and other personal items as they scrambled to leave.

An inflatable pool held some plastic balls, but there seemed to be more scattered about the floor than actually in the makeshift pit.

“Nothing breaks up a party like the cops showing up,” Matteo said.

“Yeah. But these people were already running before we got here.” Jack looked around and shook his head, his muscles feeling tense as a bad feeling crept into his gut.

A couple of topless women wearing diapers and angel wings scampered past.

“Damn. I need to hang out at more parties like this,” Matteo noted.

Before either of the other men could respond, the frantic voice of Elena rang out and she and Macy hurried toward them.

“They took her! Jack Daddy, they took Iris!”

Alarm bells rang inside Jack’s head, but he did his best to quiet them.

At first he was under the impression someone had messed with his sweet girl at this party.

Or maybe harassed her in some way. But if someone took her, that elevated things to a whole new level.

Remaining calm was key, even if it was hard.

“All right, honey. Take a deep breath. Go nice and slow. What happened?” he said in an even tone.

Elena exhaled slowly and then replied, a bit more calmly, “Some men approached Iris when she was about to jump into the swimming pool. One of them took her arm and made her go in the house.”

“We jumped out of the pool,” Macy took over, “and followed. We thought they were… you know… coming on too strong or something. Auntie Athena warned us about guys doing that.”

Elena nodded as she broke in. “But they didn’t take her into a room. They took her away! Like outside. Into a silver SUV!”

Jack’s worst fears were coming true. Someone had actually kidnapped his babygirl!

Perhaps there was a logical explanation.

Maybe she knew this person. It didn’t sound like that, but as a detective he knew not to assume anything.

He’d been trained to gather clues first, then see where they lead.

But it was hard not flying off the handle.

This was his babygirl in danger.

“Did she act like she knew these men?” he asked.

Elena shook her head.

“No,” Macy confirmed.

Jack exchanged concerned glances with Matteo and Trevon.

“Look! We followed them when they were taking her out,” Elena said. “I got this.” She thrust out her unlocked phone to reveal a stilled image. Jack pushed the triangle in the middle and the screen started moving.

What it showed turned his blood cold.

Five men were clustered around Iris, forcing her to walk down the home’s front walkway and toward the driveway.

The video was recorded from far away, and it was shaky, but even from that distance Jack knew damn good and well who several of the men were.

“Frank.” The name came out more as a growl than a word.

His cell rang and he looked at the screen to see the call came up as UNKNOWN.

Somehow, he knew who it would be.

“We’re being watched,” he whispered.

He accepted the call and placed the phone to his ear.

“I’m listening.”

“Man, so rude. Is that any way to greet your old friend? How about ‘ good to hear from you’ or even the usual ‘ hello’ .

Jack turned a slow corner until he noted a camera mounted in a corner of the living room.

“So this is your house, huh?”

“One of them. But don’t bother combing over it,” Frank replied. “I don’t keep anything here. It’s a party pad.”

“So that’s what this was tonight? A party?” Jack probed.

“Exactly. You didn’t get your invite?”

Jack just rolled his eyes and shook his head. He didn’t care if the camera picked it up or not.

“Why did you take Iris?”

“Well, you see, Jackie-Boy, I know she belongs to you. She was on TV yesterday after that helicopter incident.”

Jack felt his hand strained as he gripped the phone tighter. “And you think you can hurt her to get to me?”

“Nope. I’ll let her go. In a little over twenty-four hours. All I require of you is to sit on your ass. Drop your pursuit of me. Give up the case. You do that—just for a day or so—and you can have your Little back. No big deal. Right?”

So many thoughts raced through Jack’s mind, but he fought hard to fend them all off. Right now he just needed to listen. Not doing so would risk missing out on vital clues.

“Frank, you know how this works. You were one of us. The LAPD doesn’t just drop cases because a suspect tells us to.”

Frank snorted a laugh. “The LAPD doesn’t know I have her. And they don’t have to, beyond you and Matteo. And Trevon, of course. But he’s not a cop. Hey, give him my regards, will you? And Athena. I miss hanging around the nursery.”

Jack drew a deep breath and exhaled before asking, “So, you expect me to actually believe you’ll just let Iris go?”

“Not only that,” Frank said, “but I’ll take good care of her.

You know I don’t want to hurt a cute Little.

I will. If I have to. But the choice is yours.

You can just forget about me for a day or you can keep up the chase and her blood will be on your hands.

I sincerely hope you pick the first option.

The thought of cutting this Little girl up just doesn’t set well with me. ”

Images of Iris being hurt flooded Jack’s mind and he had to fight hard to keep his composure. Again, right now wasn’t the time to lose his cool. That might just get Iris killed.

“Deal,” Jack said.

Frank laughed.

“Oh Jack. I hope you’re being honest. For Little Iris’s sake.”