Page 158 of The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The Second Collection

I drop my bag off my shoulder and hold it out to Manny, who takes it so I can swing Cynnie up into my arms. She wraps her legs around me. I kiss her silly before I let her down, drape my arm over her shoulder, and follow Manny out of the terminal.

“I’m so happy to see you, baby,” I say, tucking my head against hers and kissing her temple.

“Me, too, me, too. Couldn’t wait. Good surprise?”

“The best surprise.” I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to see her until the rescheduled gala tomorrow night, since I know she was planning a day of primping tomorrow with members of her family. Seeing her tonight feels like a gift. “Can you stay with me tonight or do you need to go home?”

“Stay with you, Oppa. I haz to be home for lunch tomorrow when the hairdresser comes.”

“I’ll make sure you’re home by then.”

When we get to Manny’s limo in short term-parking, I open the front passenger door for Cynnie and climb in beside her. I buckle us both in and kiss her temple again.

“You don’t want some privacy in the back?” Manny asks.

I want to be close to my family. “Not this time.”

As we drive back into the City, I tell them about the hack, about Lindy wanting to be friends again, about De Leon taking him off somewhere to spank him straight. Cynnie begins giggling when I mention Lindy’s punishment. I lick my little finger and poke it into her ear just to hear her squeak. She swats me.

“Oppa!”

“Don’t make fun of my moral dilemma. You should be the voice of reason, here. The assholes he hired tried to grab you off the subway.”

“But they didn’t. You kept me safe.”

“You kept yourself safe. You were so smart and so brave, my baby.”

She tips her head back and I give her the kiss she deserves.

“If I’z forgive him, you’z forgive him? You said he made mistakes on those jobs where people got hurt. He didn’t mean for it to happen.”

“He also stalked me for several years and pretended to be my friend.”

“No, he stalked you tobecomeyour friend.” She’s silent for a moment, then cuddles in even more tightly. “We’re not like other people, Oppa. My best friends except for Emmy and Amy and Sammi are all online. I haven’t met most of them face-to-face. You’re the person I trust most in the world and I’ve only known you for a month. A lady Papa made me see told me I don’t form normal attachments. Neither do you. Neither does he. I think he’s been looking for you for a long time. He was looking for someone like him. Someone he could form a real attachment with.”

I bury my face in her hair, nuzzling and kissing her. “My wise bumble.”

“I been lonely, too, Oppa,” she whispers. “I understand how he feels.”

“I don’t want you to be lonely anymore, baby.” I take a deep breath and let out what’s in my heart. “I want you to be with me all the time. I’m not asking you to leave your family right away, but when you’re ready, would you consider moving in with me?”

She twists her head to look up at me, those depthless eyes full of wonder. “Yes? You want me to move in with you?”

“I do.”

“Yes. Yes-yes-yes. All the yes. I want that.”

I hug her as tightly as I can, given the seatbelts, and smile all the way back to the East Village.

In the morning, I take the train with Cynnie, because it’s hard to let her go. When she gets off, I take the train back and walk five blocks to Namboolu for Men. Cynnie and her stepmotherand grandmother are having a full day of pampering before the party. I don’t needthatmuch pampering, but a haircut and hot towel shave make me feel like a king.

With the cool breeze teasing through my fresh fade, I stroll through the Saturday-busy streets of the East Village. Yes, I know privacy and safety are illusions. I know the smart phones in every bag and pocket around me are listening. I know the black beady eye of CCTV is on me. But without the threat of Ness and his fucking drones weighing on me, I feel safe.

I feel free.

I pull out the phone De Leon’s left with me—again—and text him.

Is Lindy still alive?