Page 3 of Mercenary Daddy’s Girl (Daddy’s Girl #9)

GEMMA

“ W e can’t go over this again, Mom. We need to go.” I’ve spent the last twenty hours preparing to leave, but Mom hasn’t been too keen on the idea.

I’m sure that Ghost letting me run is a sign of our safety. That if he wanted me dead, I wouldn’t be here checking and double-checking my luggage for the essentials. But putting distance between us and Hamlet is the best way to know we’re safe.

“I don’t understand. What’s the rush?” Mom’s brow furrows.

Even though I’m not face down in some ditch, I can’t be certain I’m in the clear. Trying to explain that to her without exposing the gory details has been challenging.

“If we don’t go soon, we’re going to?—”

“It’s the middle of the night.” Mom scoffs. “Don’t worry, little Gem. I’ll get you to school on time.”

Her words hit me like an arrow through the heart .

“We talked about this.” I reach out to touch her shoulder. “We need to go away for a bit. A little vacation for just the two of us.”

“But we can’t.” She snaps her head side to side. “Your dad’s picking you up after school. You know how he gets when things don’t go according to plan.”

My heart sinks into my stomach. Dad’s been gone for over a decade. A classic case of stepping out for a box of smokes and never coming back.

“Mom,” I start, catching the threat of tears in the back of my throat. “I’m twenty-one, remember? You baked me a cake. We ate it together on the couch, watching old movies.”

Her eyes narrow like I’m lying.

I turn away from Mom, staring outside the kitchen window and into the night. But the fear of her seeing me cry is short-lived when I see bright white headlights parked just outside our yard.

Had it been any other car, it wouldn’t be cause for alarm. However, the sleek SUV that blends into its black surroundings isn’t what you’d see in my neighborhood.

Which can mean only one thing.

We took too long.

“I don’t remember that.” Mom’s talking more to herself than to me. “My, how time flies.”

The headlights dim, and the car door swings open. Then he steps out. Tall, broad-shouldered, and rigid in a way that shouldn’t be this hot. I don’t even have to see his face, or rather his mask, to know it’s Ghost. No one can command this sense of power other than him.

“Mom, I need you to go to your room.”

“You just said we need to leave? ”

“Please. Just do it.” I’d be screaming if I weren’t stunned in awe of the goliath approaching our front door.

He disappears out of the window's view, and my heart starts pounding against my ribcage while I wait for it.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

There it is.

“Mom, go to your room.”

“Someone’s at the door. I should ans?—”

“I’ll get it.”

I wait for Mom to leave before I head to the door. By the time I reach it, my belly’s doing cartwheels, and I’m ready to collapse. I’m afraid. I should be after what happened. And his arrival at my house can’t spell anything good, either.

Yet, as I stand with my hand trembling on the door handle, fear isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.

Instead, heat rips through my body and settles on my cheeks like I’m about to go on a first date.

I hate that I’m feeling it. After what happened at Eduardo’s place, I should be sick to my stomach and should be putting as much distance between me and Ghost as I can.

But it’s too late for that.

I open the door.

He’s standing in it the same way he stood over me last night. Those dark eyes not just looking into mine but peering through them into my soul.

He swipes a hand through the mess of black hair hanging over his forehead and pins it back.

That single motion is enough for his massive arms to test the quality of his charcoal suit, and somehow it manages to pass.

I can’t tell what’s happening beneath that mask, but I like to imagine there’s a smile. Twisted and delighted to see me here .

I really have lost my fucking mind.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he says.

That’s my line.

“Have you packed yet?” he continues.

“How did you?—”

“You’re not the first runaway,” Ghost cuts me off. His voice is smooth, but it almost sounds like he’s holding back.

“Who says I’m going to run?” Finding strength where there is none, I’m managing to hold a conversation. That’s a good sign, right?

“No one, but you’re smart.”

“You think I’m smart?” Come on, Gemma. Now isn’t the time to get all blushy from someone’s compliments.

His head tilts slowly in a nod. “Have you packed yet?”

“I have.” Reluctant as I am to admit it, I’m not holding any of the cards. Going along with whatever he says is probably the best way to stay alive.

“Good. Grab your things. You’re coming with me.”

“What?” My brow furrows, and I start shaking my head. “You can’t expect me to bring my mother?—”

“I don’t. She’s staying.”

I look over my shoulder to see if Mom’s in the hall, trying to eavesdrop. It’s only then that I realize she actually went to her room, and she’s humming a tune.

“You think I’m just gonna drop everything and go with you? That’s … that’s…”

“I don’t think.” He leans in closer, and the air around us starts to buzz. “I know you are. ”

Heat curls low in my belly, and I hate how fast my body reacts. How much it wants to obey, the same way it did last night.

“How do I know I can trust you?” I ask, even though I sort of do already.

He doesn’t answer right away. But he doesn’t need to either, as his hand rises from his side, and he pulls his mask off, slow and deliberate.

“Wouldn’t do this if you couldn’t.”

His words nearly don’t make it into my ears while I steal my first glimpse of his face. Ghost is beyond handsome, with a jaw sharp enough to cut through diamonds and a perfect peppering of yesterday’s stubble clinging to his cheeks. Strong, defined temptation hidden beneath his mask.

“Gemma.” Mom’s voice pulls me away from my shameless gawking. “Who’s at the door?”

“Shit,” I mutter under my breath, and Ghost’s full lips perk up in a devious grin. “It’s a … friend. Someone from…”

“Work.” He jumps in to save my fumbling. He speaks again, but this time softer. “Your mom?”

I nod.

“My little Gem never told me about any friends.” Mom cranes her neck to meet his eyes, her mouth slightly agape. “Especially none as handsome as you.”

And as if Ghost really was just a friend from work, he chuckles at her flattery.

A sound I wouldn’t believe he could make after the introduction he gave last night.

Worst of all is how it scrambles every logical thought I have.

Almost like I can actually see him as human when I know he’s something far worse .

“Little Gem? I like that.” His burning gaze shifts between me and Mom. “May I come in?”

He doesn’t wait for either of us to answer, stepping forward and expecting me to crumble. What he doesn’t know is how close I actually am. Especially when he plays this role way too well.

“Of course,” Mom says, pleasantly. “I’ll boil the kettle for tea.”

I step aside to let the giant pass. He ducks to get through the door, but before he delves farther into our little house, his hand brushes the small of my back.

The gentle brush sends my mind into a spiral.

Radiating warmth courses from the place his fingers touch, sending tendrils of pleasure rippling through my nerves before settling in that hollow place in my core.

“I have to apologize, but we won’t be here long enough for tea.” Ghost turns to me with a smirk on his face. Smug, confident. He holds all the cards, and he knows it.

“Oh?” Mom looks at him quizzically. “I thought we were going somewhere, Gem?”

“We—” I choke on the word. It’s way too comfortable in my mouth.

“You are, but first I need Gemma’s help with something. I wouldn’t be bothering you so early if it wasn’t important.” Ghost takes over before I can object. “But you can rest assured, I’ll have her back before you know it.”

“Well, all right then. I’ll keep the kettle warm for when you get back.” Mom smiles at me, then him, and heads for the kitchen.

“How about you grab those things we spoke about, little Gem?” His tone is still eerily pleasant. I’m not sure if that should make me less nervous or more.

“Give me five minutes,” I say, only now realizing the hand that sent my world into a spiral hasn’t moved since he entered .

“Wonderful.” He smiles, ducking back out the door.

Making my way to my room to grab my overnight bag stuffed with clothes and other essentials, I’m not sure what to make of my current situation. He wouldn’t be here talking pleasantly with my mom if things weren’t heading in a good direction. But what’s his endgame?

I gather my things and stop in the kitchen to give Mom a kiss on the cheek before I go. She giggles and waves me off. Guess I can’t blame her. She doesn’t know the severity of this situation.

Outside, the air’s much colder, but even the chill can’t seem to penetrate my scorched cheeks.

“It’s part of the adventure,” I mutter to myself as I stand face to face with the black SUV that’s going to whisk me away. “Another hill to climb. Everything’s going to be okay.”

“You’re damn right it is.” Ghost’s voice comes from behind, and I jump at it.

“I thought you were in the car.”

He scoffs, brushing past me and walking to the passenger’s side. “What kind of man would I be if I didn’t open the door for you?”

It takes me too long to find my footing. Everything about him sends me down another rabbit hole. Savage and vicious, soft and kind, who the fuck is this guy?

And why am I starting to feel safer the longer he’s around?

“I don’t even know your name.” Flustered words fight to the surface.

The corner of his lip ticks up, and he speaks softly and sultrily. “You will, little Gem.”

I get in without another second of thought.