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Rueben didn’t move to go into the house, his large frame not quite towering over Adam, but giving him the impression of a guard dog ready to pounce. He had no idea what had Rueben so riled up, but whatever it was couldn’t be good.
“Rue, you’re kind of scaring me here, what happened?” Adam ventured, proud that his voice didn’t waver.
“Alisha got a package. In it was...” Rueben dragged his hands through his hair taking a deep breath before trying again. “Fuck, Addy. The stuff in there was bad. If it was anyone else, I’d have phoned in back up and opened a case, but she kept crying about how this would ruin her career, and I just couldn’t make the call.”
Rueben’s face was filled with a mix of rage and fear. Adam couldn’t take it anymore so he took the last step separating them and wrapped his arms around the older man’s middle.
“It’s okay, Rue. I can be strong for you if you need a break.” Rueben’s strong aftershave filled Adam’s senses.
“I’m okay. Just worried. Some guy sent her fucked up love letters about how she was really his, and his alone. He told her all about her online presence, detailing her profile name and stuff he really shouldn’t know. He made veiled threats about outing her if she didn’t come to her senses soon.”
Adam wanted to pull away so he could look at Rueben as he shared all of this, but Rueben had tightened his arms around Adam too, making it impossible. He also had a feeling that wasn’t the worst of it.
“What else, big guy?” Adam asked, his voice firm, determined to be strong for his Daddy.
“There were photos. Of Alisha. So many. Some were so old that they had to be from her high school days. All of them stuck together like some messed up collage covered in red paint.”
That shocked Adam so much that he immediately pulled from Rueben’s embrace. He looked at the other man, his mouth hanging open. “What the fuck?”
“I know.”
Adam shook his head in denial. “No. Why the fuck aren’t there more officers here checking out the shit this fucker sent?”
“Adam...” Rueben tried to interrupt, his tone hardening from worry to impatience but Adam was on a roll.
“Who the fuck cares if anyone finds out about her lifestyle? Her life is more important, Rue. This can’t be allowed to happen. Phone them. Now. For fuck’s sake, man.” The younger man stomped his foot on the ground in a temper tantrum.
“Adam!” Rueben shouted, once again shocking him enough to halt his tirade. “Just shut up for a minute and listen, will you?”
His only response was a reluctant nod because he had a sneaking suspicion if he opened his mouth, he would start shouting again.
“Shecares, okay? She cares very much if our lifestyle gets out. She’s up for a promotion. And even though there are definitely people in the department who are friendly, she’s still a female cop in a very male-orientated environment, and the last thing she needs is anything to count against her.” Rueben’s eyes begged Adam to listen to him. “I understand. I’m fucking scared, too.”
Having Rueben admit to his fear was a sobering moment for Adam, and in response, he stepped back into his embrace so he could listen to his Daddy’s heartbeat as the older man carried on speaking.
“My gut reaction was to phone in the cavalry. And I promise you, Addy... I will. The ones we can trust to help us and still keep our secrets safe. Alisha’s safety is above all. I promise you this. But for now, we try to keep it on the down low. We carry on with our lives and make sure we keep an eye on her at all times.”
“So we can be undercover cops, on an ultra-secret mission to keep the princess safe?” Adam asked, trying to break the tension. When Rueben responded with a chuckle, he considered himself successful.
“Okay, let’s go inside and see if there’s anything to eat. I’m starving. I missed breakfast for a work meeting,” Adam admitted, knowing that would get the Daddy Dom in Rueben riled up enough that it might help draw some of the worry for Alisha from him.
It worked.
“Oh, boy. You’re asking for punishment, aren’t you? All that swearing, and now you admit to skipping a meal.”
Chapter 11
The smell of burned bacon and the sound of deep laughter met Alisha as she wiped away the sleep from her gaze. It took her a moment to realize she was tucked into her own bed, the secret one she kept for those nights she needed to feel safe. It had bars on each side that slipped up to mimic the sides of a cot and it had cost her a fortune to have it made.
She hid it away in a spare bedroom by covering the rails with a large bedspread. She’d mentioned it to Rueben once, telling him about how it made her feel safe and cherished, and he’d remembered.He’d remembered.She had the bright purple bedspread tucked around her and the rails had been pulled up, cocooning her into her own special space. Next to her was a collection of stuffed animals, and she couldn’t help the giggle that escaped. Even if her emotions were still all over the place, she found it incredibly amusing that her Daddy thought she’d need so many companions in bed with her, when in reality, all she needed was him and Adam. And maybe Sir Lancelot.
Her giggle had drawn the attention of the two male voices she heard when she woke up, because they’d both quieted and before she could think to sit up and get out of bed, Rueben was standing at her door with a soft smile on his face.
“What’s so funny, sweetness?” His voice was as soft and sweet as his smile, but before she could answer Adam horned his way into the doorway. It was way too small to house both of them, but he solved that by wiggling past and rushing to her side. He quickly slipped the one side rail down, but before Alisha could move to get out he surprised her by tossing the stuffies out of the bed and digging under the blanket to worm his way beneath it next to her. Seeing as the bed was barely any bigger than a twin bed it was a rather tight fit, but Alisha liked it. His strong presence next to her helped to rid her of the last of her frayed edges that the crying bout and nap hadn’t quite gotten rid of.
The pleasant surprise of having Adam there when she woke up was exactly what she’d needed. Of course her Daddy had known she would need both of them here with her. She had been silly for thinking the scary letters would frighten her men away. Things were still new, very fresh, but she knew, justknewthat they were building something real. Something that wasmore. Stronger than the horrid box with all the terrifying pictures in it.
“Isn’t this cozy?” Adam whispered against her neck, his arms wrapped around her middle. He pulled at her shirt until it was loose enough for his fingers to slip underneath to trace lazy patterns on her tummy.
