Page 31 of Sawyer (Sabre Security Daddies #6)

S awyer glanced in his rearview mirror as he pulled into his driveway, trying to figure out how in the hell he’d lost control in a matter of minutes.

They’d been packing up Lele’s things… and then, this.

His gaze shifted to the tiny spellcaster beside him.

“Tell me again, Half-Pint. How in the hell did we wind up bringing that pink road hazard on wheels back to Darling?”

She flashed him one of her brilliant smiles that stole his breath every time.

“We wound up with Lola Motor-Bunny because you are the most wonderful Daddy in the world. And because I promised to wear full body armor and a special, super helmet every time I even walked by her. And it’s pink with bunny ears!

I can’t believe you found one that matches Lola Motor-Bunny. Now I’ll never crash again.”

Yeah, he hadn’t exactly been scrolling the internet and found it.

He’d custom-ordered the helmet for her the first time he’d seen her riding it to work.

He’d almost had a heart attack when she slammed on her brakes to let a turtle cross the road unharmed.

After she’d skidded to a halt on the wet pavement, she’d parked her bike in the middle of the street and directed traffic until the thing made it to the other side of the road.

Her helmet was the top of the line in head protection.

Even if it was covered in bunny decals and had long pink ears sticking out of the top.

“You're not gonna need to worry about that, babygirl. That helmet is for when you ride with me. You may have talked to me into bringing it to Darling, but that doesn't mean you’re gonna ride it.”

“Daddy, that's not fair!”

“Fair is a place with rides and funnel cakes. If I see you on that bike, we’re gonna have a problem. A serious one that involves your grandma’s wooden spatula.”

She humphed and took in the sights of Darling as they drove through town. He was going to show her every one of them. He hadn’t told her they had a Cravin’ Cookies in town. She was going to love it here.

When they walked through the front door of his house, shouts of “surprise” filled the air.

Beach balls dangled from the ceiling, and pool toys covered every surface in his family room.

The Musketiaras had arrived with their Daddies in tow, all of them.

Littles in cute swimsuits jumped and squealed all around them, each wearing a sparkly crown.

With a grin, he turned to his girl. Wrapping his arms around her thighs, he lifted her high and spun her around. "Welcome to Darling, little girl,” he said. “Welcome home.”

When he returned her to her feet, she stared at the gathering of all her new friends and promptly burst into tears.

Sawyer scooped her up in his arms again.

Yeah, his Little girl was a crier, and that was perfectly fine with him.

She had big feelings, and she wasn’t used to the positive kind of love and attention.

He was just the Daddy to dry her tears and hold her tight.

With everyone there to help and celebrate her moving to Darling, it only took a few minutes to unload his truck.

He refused to let himself get angry again over the ridiculously small number of belongings she had to bring.

That was okay, too. From now on, he was going to shower her with everything she’d ever wanted.

Once they were done, Sawyer turned to the excited group of Littles now standing in his kitchen. “I can't help but notice you all are wearing swimsuits. Does that mean it's time for a pool party?”

“Yes!” the girls all chorus.

Minutes later, the girls were coated in sunscreen and eager to dive into the pool. He had to be the bearer of bad news. “You can’t get in the pool for twenty minutes for the sunscreen to soak in.”

Wringing her hands, Lele asked, “What are we supposed to do until then? Everyone’s going to get bored and leave.”

It was time for his Little girl to learn what true friendship was.

“Half-Pint, they aren’t here for the pool.

They’re here for you. They aren’t going to leave.

Besides, you can't have a party without music.” Pulling out his phone, he asked.

“What would you like to swim to today, babygirl?” As if he didn't know exactly what his Half-Pint would say.

Lele did not disappoint. Not that she ever could. “The only thing better than a pool party with new friends is a disco pool party with new friends!”

“Disco?” Gabi said. “I've heard of that, but I don’t think I’ve ever listened to it.”

Rory smirked. “I have,” she said. “I’ve watched clips online of John Travolta in that sexy white suit, shaking his booty and strutting all over the dance floor.”

“Hey,” Ezra Harper, a detective on the Darling police force and a good friend, called out, “That’s enough talking about sexy men who aren’t me.”

Rory laughed and stuck out her tongue. “Yes, Daddy, but don't worry, Johnny Travolta can't hold a candle to you. ”

“That's right,” he said with a toothy grin. “And don’t you forget it.”

Sawyer pulled up his disco playlist and connected his phone to his sound system.

Disco music burst through the backyard speakers.

The girls spread out on the lawn practicing their Hustles, Bumps, and Electric Slides.

Sawyer and his brothers grabbed a beer and pulled out chairs, settling in to watch.

With the girls distracted, it was time to talk business. Sawyer took the lead. “Okay, give me everything you know about Hector Cortez.”

Deke didn't hesitate. “I know he's a weasel and a worthless sack of shit.”

Sawyer could feel the vein in his temple pulsing. “That doesn’t surprise me, but I need specifics.”

“As far as police records go, he flies straight as an arrow. They got nothing on him in Elk Jaw. At least, not in records I can get into,” Law said.

Sawyer gave a feral grin. “I'll bet they don’t.

It's because he figured out early on, after he moved to Elk Jaw, that Lele would be the perfect fall guy. Connor, do you feel up to taking a ride to Elk Jaw tomorrow? I have a few names, people who were at the forefront of accusing Lele of everything from shoplifting to street walking when she was in high school. Not to mention being involved in the drug scene.”

“Holy shit,” Connor said. “Look at her. Who could think a tiny thing like that could deal in that shit?”

“I don’t know.” Sawyer’s lips thinned. “But no one would change their story back in the day. I'm hoping the years have given some of them a spine. Maybe you can work your magic and get to the truth about the things that happened.”

Connor nodded. “You know it, brother. I'm on it.”

Sawyer nodded his thanks, then turned to Law. “I’ll hack into the courthouse system over in Elk Jaw and get all of the records and transcripts for Lele's trial. Hell, Lila's whole childhood. Can you get Lovie to see if she can make any sense of it?”

Law met his gaze and held it, giving Sawyer a quick lift of his chin to indicate he would. Yeah, Law wasn't much of one for words. Then his brother surprised him by saying, “She finds something worth pursuing, you good with her bringing in Raleigh in?”

“Fuck, yes,” Sawyer said. The General had his fingers in every pie in that whole damn town, even then.

He manipulated Lele just as much as he manipulated Jaxon.

Maybe more. I know they used her to add credibility to their case.

“Innocent girl caught up in things she didn't understand by the evil FBI agent. That shit wouldn't have worked if I’d been there. And Hector Cortez is at the bottom of it, mark my words.”

“I got your back, brother,” Law said. “We’ll make this right.”

And that was what he loved about his Sabre brothers.

They weren't connected by blood. They grew up together in the same small town, all taken under the wing of the same great man, Reid's stepfather. His name was Liam Thomas, but they’d all called him Sarge because he was a former army drill sergeant.

Sarge had taken them in when they were teenagers. Some of them had decent homes. Most of them didn't. But he taught them what it meant to be a man. He taught them discipline and courage and what being a Daddy really meant.

Jaxon had been part of that special group.

That's when they became brothers. That's why they all moved home as soon as one of their own was in trouble and spent the last six years trying to make it right. They were close to gaining Jaxon’s release.

He could feel it. The General's days were numbered. He could feel that, too.

Even a man as powerful as Alex Boucher, though he loved being called the General, ran out of cards eventually. He’d pushed his trial for the attempted murder of Susi Daily as many times as he could.

If there was any karma in the universe, the General was going to the same prison he'd sent Jaxon and his Half-Pint, too. Sawyer didn't think the General would last long in whatever prison he landed in. Not if he had anything to say about it anyway.

Sawyer leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees.

“I’m digging into Hector’s life tomorrow.

He's dirty, I know it, and I'm gonna prove it. I also have a photo I need to enhance. Hector, at least I think it was Hector, met a guy behind Videotopia. I want to find out who it is. I couldn’t get the picture clear enough with the equipment I took to Elk Jaw, but now that I’m home, I can. ”

“We're with you, brother,” Reid said. “You tell us what you need and we're there.

Jaxon's moving back into the general prison population this week.

They've tried to kill him once. It won't take them long to try again. Time is not on our side in this. We also need to find out who in the DA’s office is still playing ball for the General.”

Gage’s lips tipped into a knowing smile. “Have I told you guys lately what's happening with my younger brother Dax?”

Sawyer had completely forgotten about Dax.

He wasn't sure why Gage was bringing it up now. In Sawyer’s mind, Dax was a scrawny kid who trailed after them.

He’d always wanted to be included, even though he was at least nine years younger than most of them.

They’d always treated him like one of their own, because he was.

Well, that and the fact that Sarge would have kicked their asses if they hadn’t.

But that didn't mean they hadn’t all secretly thought he was a pain.

“He got a scholarship to Vandy, right?” Deke asked. “Man, I hadn't thought about that kid in years.”

Gage smirked. “He’s not a kid anymore. After he graduated from Vanderbilt, he decided to go to law school. His scores had lots of schools across the country fighting over him, but he decided to stick with Vanderbilt. He finished up in two years instead of three.”

Yep, pride shone in Gage’s face like a lighthouse on a foggy night. Sawyer needed to keep things on point, though. “That's great, man. I know you're proud, but you want to tell me why we're talking about your kid brother?”

Gage grinned, and this time it was real. “Guess who just got hired as the newest junior prosecutor in the Darling District Attorney's office,” he said.

It took him a minute to process what Gage had said. “You’re shittin’ me. How the fuck did that happen?”

“Baby brother had his name legally changed to Daxton Montgomery, our mother’s maiden name. No one caught it until all the paperwork was signed.”

Connor laughed. “That’s brilliant. Score one for our side. When does he start?”

“Started a week ago. He's already reached out to Raleigh to let him know that Dax was named as the primary point of contact for the General's prosecution team.”

Deke asked, “So, does that work for us, or against us?”

Irritation flashed in Gage’s eyes. “There’s no way my brother would do anything to help the General,” he said.

Deke held up his hand to stall Gage. “Hold on. I wasn’t saying he would help the General.

I was just asking if having someone on the General’s team would be something we could use, or something the General would try to use against us.

Like to get an appeal or something. Like you said, with everything the General did to you and Breezy, your brother might be in a dangerous position. ”

Gage settled back in his seat and took a long pull on his beer. He cracked his neck, then said, “I’ll be watching out for him. And he’s not going to do anything illegal. But he might be able to keep the DA’s office from bending over backward to help the General’s lawyers.”

“Agreed,” Deke said. “I've been holding Suzi back for years now.

She's been collecting data on the corruption in the DA's office, but after everything that went down, I didn't want her to put anything out there and have them gunning for her again. I still have nightmares about the way we found her in that garage.”

Hutch clapped Deke on the shoulder. “Don't think about it. You look right out there.” Hutch pointed to the grass where the girls were still dancing. “Your Little girl’s here. She's happy, and what is she doing?”

Deke watched his girl spin and slide. It wasn’t hard to see the love he had for her. Turning back to Hutch, he said, “That, my friend, is the best disco move you'll ever see.”

Deke was not wrong. The girls were laughing and joking, having the time of their lives. And his Little girl was in the center of it all. He’d given that to her, and damn if it didn’t make him feel like a king.

Connor put down his beer, smiling at his girls, all four of them. Standing, he announced, “Well, gentlemen, it looks like we have our assignments and a lot of work to do. But I suggest we get busy on that first thing in the morning. Right now, I'm gonna go disco with my darlings.”

He walked over to the group of girls who had somehow broken out the bubble guns and now chased one another around the yard, squealing.

Reid followed suit, setting down his beer. “Think I'll join him.” When he reached Winnie, he grabbed her around the waist and whirled her around in his arms.

Soon, all the Daddies were dancing with their Littles and “shaking their groove thing” until they’d had enough. They tossed their girls in the pool, everyone having a blast.

They played in the pool till all the Littles were tired.

“We should probably go and give Lele time to get settled in and put her things away,” Reid said.

The exodus took a while because the girls all wanted to hug Lele’s neck and make sure she knew how excited they were to have her in town .

When everyone left, Lele threw her arms around Sawyer’s neck and wrapped her legs around his waist, a coy smile on her face. “Thank you, Daddy. I had the best time ever!”

Sawyer nuzzled his face against her neck, and she shrieked. “Daddy, your face is scratchy. Stop!”

“Tell you what, Half-Pint. We’ll go inside, and I’ll take care of that… and then, I’ll take care of you.”