Page 40 of Her Daddies’ Everything (Crime Boss Daddies #5)

T his couldn’t be happening again.

Immy glanced up as Sampson entered the kitchen. She was mixing together the ingredients for some chocolate chip cookies. Sure, she could use the industrial level mixer that Jenner had gotten her for her last birthday.

But she needed to do something to get rid of this fear-fueled energy coursing through her.

It was happening again.

Tobias was on his phone at the island, frantically calling and messaging people.

Cat had been kidnapped.

“What have you heard?” Sampson snapped at Tobias.

Jenner, Abe and Isaiah all rushed into the kitchen. Jenner ran straight to her. A few weeks had passed since Tobias had caught her up the ladder in the living room. And the others had all told her that she was the heart of their group.

That still had the power to make her feel weak in the knees. But she couldn’t give into that right now.

Because Cat had been kidnapped.

First Maeve, then Cat? Well, actually, this wasn’t the first time that Cat had been kidnapped.

“I’m having trouble getting through to anyone,” Tobias said with frustration. “But apparently, her bracelet sent an alert to Alejandro and Nighthawk and they’ve been tracking her.”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Sampson paced up and down while Abe sat on a stool next to Isaiah who already had his laptop on the counter and was doing something on it.

“Baby, you all right?” Jenner asked.

“I’m making chocolate chip cookies. And then I’m going to make some brownies. Is there something you want? Do you want me to make lemon squares?”

“I want you to put the bowl down so I can check on you,” he told her.

“I can’t . . . I can’t . . . I have to keep moving.” She slid away from him and set the bowl down. Then she added in the chocolate chips. She tipped the bag too much and way too many of them landed on the soft dough.

“Oh no!” she cried. “There’s too many!”

“They’re never too many chocolate chips in chocolate chip cookies,” Jenner told her.

“Are you sure?” She glanced over at him.

He gave her a soft look. “I’m sure.”

“Everything is going to be fine, Immy,” Tobias told her firmly.

She let their certainty fill her.

Cat would be fine. She was indestructible. Hell, right about now, her kidnappers were probably really regretting taking her.

“She’ll be giving them heck,” she said as she mixed in the chocolate chips.

“Of course she will.” Jenner moved in behind her and she leaned against him, feeling exhausted. “Want some help?”

“Yes, please.”

Tobias started swearing.

“What?” Sampson snapped. “What is it?”

“Fucking Mikey kidnapped her. I cannot fucking believe it! And Gage found Rafael, he’s alive.”

Rafael was Cat’s bodyguard. Although she liked to call him her nanny. Something Immy didn’t think that Rafael liked much.

“Mikey? He’s one of Alejandro’s men?” Sampson snapped.

“Yes,” Tobias clipped. “Fucking bastard is a fucking dead man.”

Immy let out a small squeak.

Tobias shot his gaze to her. “Sorry, Cherry. I worked with the guy and this just feels like a fucking betrayal.”

“It’s all right. I understand.”

Tobias reached into his pocket and pulled out a fifty dollar note, then reached over to put it in the swear jar. She leaned over and placed her hand over the opening.

“Today is a free day,” she told him. “Swear as much as you want.”

She and Jenner had just put two trays of cookies in the oven when Tobias’s phone rang. He stood and left the room.

“Oh God,” she cried, feeling ill. “Do you think she’s all right?”

Jenner picked her up, holding her so she was pressed to his chest and then he started humming to her, rocking her back and forth.

She hadn’t had a chance to explore her Little side more. If she was honest, she wasn’t really sure how. What to do or how to do it or what the heck she was doing. Apparently, her Little side popped out a lot and she was just supposed to fully embrace her.

But how the heck did that happen? And no matter what they all said, she was still kind of concerned about being too much, about being annoying. About making a fool of herself.

Not that she thought the guys would think that about her, or make fun of her or anything like that.

It was just . . . how did she relax and fully let go?

She was trying to be kinder to herself. And to not listen to her father’s voice telling her all the time how childish and useless she was.

It was difficult, though. She wasn’t immediately fixed or anything.

Maybe she should be thinking about therapy again.

But she didn’t know if she could bring herself to go.

It was hard to talk to a stranger about all of this.

They didn’t have any idea what it was like to grow up the way she and the others had.

Tobias strode back in just as everyone’s phone beeped. She saw the guys checking their messages. Relief filled their faces and then something else. Something darker that scared her.

“They’ve found her,” Tobias said with clear relief. “She’s safe. She’s well. Rafael is in the hospital, though. He was heavily drugged.”

“Oh no. Poor Rafael,” she said, even though she’d never met the guy. “But Cat is all right?”

“Cat’s fine,” Sampson said. “But we’ve got another fucking problem.”

“What is it?” Jenner asked. “I can’t reach my phone.”

“Her kidnapper, Mikey, he had a Sentinel tattoo,” Tobias told them.

Oh no.

No, no, no.

“What does this mean?” she cried. “Is he back? Has he come back?”

“He’s not back,” Jenner said fiercely. “He’s fucking dead. They told us all that he’s dead. Him and our fathers.” He nodded to Sampson and Isaiah.

Isaiah stared at them all grimly while Abe had his head in his hands, his shoulders slumped.

“But there must be a copycat,” Sampson said. “It’s the only explanation. Someone out there fancies themselves the new Deity. And for some reason, they’re coming for us. Or, at least, for our girls.”

A shiver ran through Immy.

That could mean she was next.