Chapter Seven
Maybe he hadn’t heard her.
Half an hour later, Daisy was still wondering about thosethree words she’d said right before the world had exploded.
Nate had carried her up to his desk and set her down,pointing at the chair, telling her in that super Dommy way of his to have aseat.
His boss, Tessa Hawthorne, had ordered him into her officeto check his arm and get a report on what had happened.He’d told Daisy to notmove a muscle until he got back.He’d been incredibly bossy, and she wished itdidn’t do something for her.
But then he’d taken a really long time and she needed to seeher da, who was probably looking for her, so she’d left him a note and comeback upstairs.
After all, she was supposed to report for her job.Thephones weren’t going to answer themselves.
“Holy crap, Dais.Are you okay?”Devi Taggart walked out ofher mom’s office.She was dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt, her red hairin a ponytail.It let Daisy know Devi had likely taken the day off.Devi had adegree in fashion design and was currently interviewing for jobs with bigdesign houses across the country.Until then she was working at Top as aserver.“I had breakfast with my mom and I thought I would stop by and say hito you, but then the whole place went into lock-down and my mom told me not toleave the office.”
Daisy stared at her friend.She and Devi and Brianna hadgrown up together.Her girl gang.She knew them well, and there was somethingDevi wasn’t saying.“You wanted to say hi?Or you heard rumors about lastnight?”
“Okay, I might have heard something about you going to themasquerade party,” Devi admitted.
“And?”
Devi’s ponytail shook.“Girl, why are we talking about thiswhen you were apparently just shot at?Are you okay?You didn’t get hit?”
“No, and we can’t be certain they were shooting at me.Itcould have been regular, normal street violence.”Naturally everyone pointedfingers her way.It wasn’t like no one ever got randomly shot at in Dallas.That was a normal Tuesday in Deep Ellum.
“Oh, I think we can definitely say they were shooting atyou.”MaeBe Hawthorne’s head popped up over the walls of her cubicle.Mae was asuper-cute thirtysomething with a pair of adorable moppets and a husband whoworked in the investigative unit.MaeBe had been in the cybersecurity unit foryears.“I pulled the plates, and it didn’t take me long to trace that suckerback to a known cartel assassin.I’ve been on the Dark Web since your dad wentnuclear yesterday.”
“In the conference room, please.”Ian Taggart was stridingtoward her followed by a couple of what she thought of as the old-school crew,including Devi’s mom, Erin Taggart.“Liam, she’s here.You can rescue her now.”
Her father turned down the hall, his eyes lighting when hesaw her.He rushed up to her, putting his hands on her shoulders as he studiedher.“Daisy.What the hell is going on, girl?Tell me where the little bastardwent.I’m going to send him back Down Under in pieces.I swear it.If hetouched a hair on your head…”
Only her da would call a man who outweighed him by at leasta hundred pounds of pure muscle and had a half a foot on him height wise alittle bastard.
“I’m pretty sure it was her ass he touched,” Uncle Ianquipped.“That was a warning slap, Daisy.You should be careful with Aussies.I’m surprised he let you roam around without him.”
He was good at that.Sarcasm was fuel for the parentalunits.Most of the time she found it funny, but she had a da on the edge todeal with.“I’m fine.Nate saved me.He was just a wee bit overstimulated.Hewanted to get me to safety as soon as possible, but see, I’m here and I’mperfectly fine.”
Erin Taggart had been her father’s partner since long beforeDaisy had been born.She had been the sister her father never had before, andshe was usually good at calming him down.“Except for the bullets flying yourway and the massive possessive Aussie you’ve attracted.”
Not today.Nope, today her Aunt Erin had chosen violence.
“Possessive?”Her father’s brow rose.“What the hell wouldhe be possessive about?”
“Absolutely nothing.Nate was simply saving my brother fromhaving to drive me in.I had to stay at Aidan’s last night, and he and Caryshad early calls at the hospital this morning.Nate was merely being kind.Andthen he went through something traumatic.It seems to have disturbed him.”Natehad obviously forgotten how to use his words.Or maybe it was a function of hisAustralianness.He’d barked orders her way, and she could still feel that slapon her ass.He’d meant it.His hard palm had come down on her ass like apromise of retribution for future brattery.
“Is this how you’re playing it, kid?”Uncle Ian asked, abrow raised over his blue eyes.
Of all the uncles in her world he was both the most tolerantand the one who saw through twelve feet of bullshit with ease.Still, therewasn’t anything to see here.He was also the one who should know what happenedat the club should stay at the club.“Playing?Not at all.I was explaining tomy da that Nate is new to all the crazy stuff that can happen around here.Ittakes some getting used to.Not everyone handles things with the cool calm wedo.”
“He was a bloody commando, Daisy,” her da pointed out, alsoproving he was not in the cool and calm “we” she’d talked about.
Men could be emotional creatures.“I’m sure he’s excellenton a battlefield, but traffic is a whole other story.It can be brutal, Da.Wehave to make allowances.”
Devi stood there looking at her, shaking her head.“Thismight be the Daisiest thing you’ve ever done.”
Aunt Erin leaned against the doorjamb next to her not somini me.“Nah, calling Liam in the middle of a gunfight and asking him if he’shad breakfast this morning before mentioning the whole ‘we’re being shot at’thing—that’s the Daisiest thing she’s done today.”
“Well, he gets cranky if he doesn’t have his breakfast.”Heraunt should know that, and when had they started using her name as anadjective?Maybe she should stuff a couple of bangers down her da’s throat.Hewas better when he wasn’t hangry.
