Page 24 of Koa’s Little Girl (Soldier Daddies #8)
Caden stood silently next to the young woman who’d saved her. She was glad Brooklyn had someone in her corner.
When Brooklyn turned and waved a hand at Giana, Koa told her, “You’re next to be interviewed.”
He was right. Turns out the police had received numerous calls from drivers on the road, reporting a car chase.
When Giana identified herself as a fire captain who supervised the man locked in the military police cruiser, the officer quickly called for a supervisor.
Giana had worked with that superior officer.
It took a while for them to gather all the necessary information and transfer Tom into a squad car. Giana could see his flapping mouth still shouting back at her as they drove away. What had she done to create this much anger?
“Are you okay, Giana?” Koa asked, hugging her to his side.
“He hates me so much. I don’t have a clue why? I think that’s the scariest part,” she told him.
“I’m sorry, Flame. This shouldn’t have happened. Don’t you have a psychological screening along with physical qualifications?” Koa asked.
“We do. He passed with flying colors. I check everyone who works at my station.” Giana shook herself and stepped back into fire captain mode. “I’ll have to call my supervisor. He’s not going to believe this.”
“He wasn’t in a blue car, Flame.”
“I noticed that too. I think he had a tracker on my truck.”
“The team will take care of that,” Koa assured her. “Are you okay to go back to work?”
“I’ll have to be. Thank you for being here.”
“Do you need me to come with you?” he asked.
“No. This is my job. I need to stand on my own feet. It will be a long time before I get back home.”
“Call me and I’ll come pick you up,” Koa suggested.
“I’d like that. Could you all pick up my truck from the apartment complex? I don’t ever want to go there again,” she admitted, shaking her head.
“Of course. Keys?”
Giana reached into her pocket, but the wrap on her hand stopped her. “Can you get it?” she asked, offering him her hip.
“My pleasure, Flame.” His fingers brushed over her thigh and the side of her freshly shaved mound. Her mind instantly focused on the feelings he started inside her with the brief touch.
He gave her a wink as he pulled the key free of her jeans.
“You did that on purpose,” she accused.
“Guilty as charged. Just something more appealing to focus on, little girl,” he said quietly to her.
“I need to say something to Brooklyn. I think she’s leaving.”
Giana walked around the car and wrapped her arms around Brooklyn. “Thank you,” she breathed in the other woman’s ear. “I owe you one.”
Stepping back, she asked Koa, “Could you find a piece of paper for me to write my phone number down on?” He nodded and ran to the guard station.
“Brooklyn, I want you to call me if you need anything.” Giana held her gaze until the quiet woman nodded.
“Here, Giana. I added your contact information and mine as well, in case it takes a while for you to get a new phone,” Koa told her.
“Good idea,” Giana said.
Caden snagged the paper and pen before Giana could hand it over.
He jotted his phone number down as well.
“Call me first,” he ordered. A moment later, he stepped in front of Brooklyn and shielded her from the reporters who had arrived.
His muscular form protected Brooklyn from their videos and photographs.
“Let’s get you out of here.” Caden pulled off his sunglasses and perched them on Brooklyn’s face. “Zale? Got a mask?”
“On it,” Zale answered. He was back in a minute with a white mask.
Caden helped Brooklyn further disguise herself. “You’re as safe as possible. Take the long way home and make sure no one is following you.”
“Thank you, Caden. Could I ask you to drive my car out of here? I think they’ll swarm the car,” Brooklyn asked in a trembling voice.
“I’m so sorry you were dragged into this,” Giana told her. She didn’t know what the woman’s story was, but it was something serious.
“Let’s go. Get in the passenger seat and keep your head down,” Caden recommended. He moved with Brooklyn to the driver’s door, and she crawled over the console to huddle on the floor.
Caden leaned in to listen to something the mysterious young woman said and nodded.
He glanced up at Giana and Koa. “Brooklyn wants you to be happy.” His tone echoed with sadness.
Usually stoic and focused, Caden’s face softened for a split second.
He slid into the driver’s seat and navigated out of the crowd.
Giana met Koa’s gaze. He didn’t need to say anything. He’d seen his senior teammate’s expression as well.
“Your car is here to take you to the station,” Koa said, pointing to a fire department vehicle on the far side of the assembled crowd. He turned to his team. “Protection detail?”
The men formed a wall around her. Giana stayed in the middle and remained silent as they escorted her to the waiting car. The reporters pelted her with questions, trying to figure out who she was. As Giana expected, they followed her.
Giana spent hours coordinating with her supervisors before finally making a statement to the media. Of course, she got to add to her microphone collection. Surely by now, the news station charged the super pushy reporter for each one she lost.
As the day progressed, she reminded herself frequently that Koa would come get her soon and help her escape from this shit show. Thank goodness she had Koa. Thank goodness she had her daddy.