Impossible Odds: Rescue Team Nine (Book 3)

Chapter 7

Cloey

I suspect the underground has gotten wind about me, Brad's sister. I have no doubt my name is now plastered on their most wanted wall, probably offering the most money to the person who can give me the most gruesome death. I shudder. That piece of humor isn't as funny as it first sounded in my head. I'm pretty sure I'm starting to lose it. Right now, I have two options: find a way to get away and run as far away as possible, or come out and tell Dice the whole story. Running sounds more appealing, but I'm smart enough to know Rescue Team Nine's reputation for finding people. Damn it, I need help. I'm in way over my head.

Pulling into my driveway, I place my head on the steering wheel and muster up the courage to get out. A light rap on my window causes me to look up. Dice opens the door.

"Are you okay?" The worry in his warm brown eyes touches places in me I tucked away over the last couple of years. Should I lie? Shaking my head, I let him know without words that I'm not okay—far from okay.

Dice starts coming around the vehicle's other side when I stop him. Pushing open the door, I step out and signal him to follow me inside the house. I know he will call in his guys when I open up and tell him the truth. Secretly, I'm terrified. If I'm being honest, his leaving has nothing on me not telling him he has a daughter, even if I thought he wasn't ready for fatherhood. But I panic when I walk in the door and close it behind us. I'm not ready. He must notice the look on my face because he looks like he's ready to catch me if I fall.

"Cloey?"

This may be a bad idea. I may lose myself if I validate the truth. Oh crap, I'm pretty sure I'm having a panic attack. I'm feeling lightheaded and sweaty.

"Cloey, what the hell?"

I can hear the panic in his voice when he nears me. He's getting ready to catch me if I pass out.

"We have a child," I blurt out.

His eyes widen, and I have to sit down before I pass out altogether. Thankfully, we've made it into the den, and there's a recliner to catch my fall. The cool way he's assessing me, I'm prepared for battle. I need his help to keep our daughter safe. I'm not stupid to think I can do it alone. If it weren't for her, I would go against this alone, but I won't risk her life.

"What do you mean we have a child?"

Swallowing, I meet his gaze head-on and refuse to back down. Reaching into the purse I carried inside, I pull out a picture and hand it to him.

"Meet Felicity Sanders."

It's a picture of her and me taken only a few months earlier when summer was in full bloom. It's in the middle of a field, and she's laughing. I hug her tight, and she grips a hand full of flowers. There's no mistaking who she belongs to. I may have carried her, but she's the spitting image of her father. As he studies the image, his posture is ramrod still. Not a muscle moves except a tick in his jaw that shows his anger is growing. I brace myself for the blow.

"Whoever started the fire in my home doesn't know I have a daughter. I managed to get her out and hide her with a trusted friend of mine. She's safe for now, but I'm afraid something will happen to me. If this person has his way, I won't come out of this alive, and I need you to know. I need you to keep her safe."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

And there it comes, the blow I was waiting for, except his voice is too calm.

"You left me that day knowing that you had no intention of settling down or ever having a family. You were clear about your intentions, Dice. What did you expect me to do?"

I know he has to remember that day. Or maybe he doesn't. I'd been a notch on his belt. A conquest. I knew better. Anyone who is anyone would know better with Dice. He was bluntly honest about what he wanted out of any relationship. Women know him for his good time, and that's it. Sex and nothing else. No promises or commitment. However, with young age comes ignorance. Being a rebellious woman made him the perfect choice until my heart got involved. I made the colossal mistake of getting to know him, talking to him, and spending non-sex-related time together. It felt too much like dating and less like a negotiated sex agreement. It was inevitable I would fall in love, but I'll never regret it.

"I didn't expect this. That's one hell of a confession you're unloading on me, Cloey."

His voice is the only indication that he's upset. Outwardly, he's calm—too calm, but I know better. A calm Dice is an angry Dice.

"Whatever my sins, whether I walked away or not, does not justify not telling me I have a kid."

He's right. Guilt slams into me, but I hold my ground for her. Always for her.