Bodyguard: Ace Cain

|44| You're The Rat!

|You're The Rat!|

Tonight was the night when Ace carried out his plan to get my father and me out of here. It is safe to assume it will work, but Noel was far too smart. Something told me not to get my hopes up, but Ace would not disappoint me. Whatever it took, he would find a way to get me out of here. That much was certain.

I paced around his office, impatiently waiting, trying not to lose my cool. I was getting nervous because I was afraid someone would be hurt. It could be me, my dad, Tana, or Jake. Everything about this was risky, and we had a less than 50% chance of survival. We all needed to be alert, and it started by shaking off my nervousness.

As I took a deep breath, the door locks began to come undone. The moment we would have waited for had finally arrived. Ace entered the office with a determined look on his face. This was the most serious I would ever see him appear. It was a bit of a turn-on, but now was not the time to be horny.

"Are you ready?" he asked me.

I nodded my head, relieved to be out of this dump. My hair was messy, and I had been wearing the same clothes since I arrived. Despite the food Tana prepared for me, I was hungry for more variety. Noel can now kiss my ass. They were getting us out of here, and it could not have been a happier occasion.

Ace took my hand and led me down the dark brick-walled hall, with Tyler following behind us. They both maintained their guard as we walked to where my father was being held. The first step went smoothly, and when we arrived at my father's door, Hailey was already there, undoing his handcuffs.

Once he was free, I wrapped my arms around him, relieved that he was okay. Ace did me a huge favor by saving his life. If he had not taken the time to reflect on his actions, I would have lost both of my parents to Noel's recklessness. Our relationship is not perfect, but he is still my father.

He smiled to himself, surprised that I would consider embracing him. "You're...you're not mad at me," he said, relieved.

I looked up at him through watery eyes. "Not exactly," I replied. "No matter what, I just wanted you to be fine."

He looked around as he squeezed me tightly, unsure of what was happening. "Um, what is going on?" He wondered because Ace was there with a not-so-happy expression.

"We are getting out of here, Dad," I said, pulling myself together. "Noel will not harm us any longer."

My father did not seem to be confident in this plan. We had not told him what was going on because we wanted to keep the plan between those of us who were carrying it out. He would also clearly refuse to agree because he was aware of Noel's situation. We were taking a huge risk by attempting to slip past him, but we were determined to do so, even if it meant crawling out. Seeing his face any longer would only make me angrier about what had happened to my mother. If I were stronger, I would kill him myself, but I am willing to delegate that responsibility to Ace and Jake.

He made no objections, but he could not pretend Ace was not present. This was the man who attempted to kill him a few days ago. The man whose father he was ordered to kill. I am sure there was an awkward energy around them given the circumstances. However, my father was only concerned with one thing: Ace protecting me.

So, being the man that he is, he approached Ace with a tight-lipped smile. "We may never agree, but I would like to thank you for protecting my daughter," he said.

Ace turned away as his face turned crimson. "Yeah, well, I was just doing my job," he said, playing down the situation.

My father chuckled a little. "Something I should have done long ago."