Page 49 of Irish

“Fun's all well and good,” Mitch added, his tone light, “but we're here to make sure it stays safe and if Margot spins around one more time that close—” Before he could say another word, Savage sighed, and headed over to talk with Margot.

“It’s not going to be good,” Lucky said. “It’s like a train wreck, you can’t turn away.” The men all laughed as Margot stomped her foot and threw her hair over her shoulders. She pointed her finger and jabbed it into Savage’s chest all while shouting, “you aren’t the boss of me.”

One of the Dungeon Monitors came around then to check on the couple who were making quite the scene. Irish watched as Margot backed down and turned quietly to join the girls.

“She’s more than a handful,” Lucky said when Savage returned.

“Good thing I have two hands,” Savage quipped.

Dax sidled up to Irish, leaning in so only he could hear. “Got an update on that Darian situation.” Dax's voice was steady, his expression revealing nothing.

“Thanks, Dax. We'll deal with her soon enough,” Irish murmured, his mind already mapping out the confrontation that awaited them. His conscious warred with his commitment to justice. It didn’t sit well with Irish to put the mother of his children behind bars. His children were his priority, and he couldn’t imagine the emotional harm that would come to them because of it. On the other hand, she’d stolen thousands of dollars not only from his company, but from the teens who needed the camp and the donors.

“It might not be yours to deal with,” Dax said. “I can see the conflict in your expression, and I might have a way out. After Makenzie asked Arrow for his help going over your books, he decided to take a look back at The Watchmen’s ledgers, since he allowed Wyatt to help him, as well. There are some discrepancies he will be looking into further.”

Irish nodded. If she’d stolen money from The Watchmen, the decision to prosecute would be out of his hands. Irish could sit back for a moment and let Arrow investigate.

His attention snapped back to the now as he caught sight of Makenzie's petite form weaving through her friends, coming toward him with a rare frown on her face. She crossed her arms, her lower lip jutting out defiantly. “Daddy, the new girl won’t share. She is being a meanie face!” She stomped her foot hard.

“What’s going on princess? Whatever it is, we can solve it like a big girl. Good girls do not stomp their feet at people.” Irish's voice was calm but carried an edge of command. He took her hand gently, leading her away from group to a quiet corner. Her protest faded, replaced by a flush of anticipation that colored her cheeks.

“Using your big girl words, can you tell me what is going on?” he asked her.

“There’s a new girl over there, Emilee. I wanted to be nice to her because Mia is being really mean to her which is really not like Mia at all and I remember what it was like to be new and everyone be mean to me, not here but you know?—”

“Makenzie, I’m going to need you to slow down and take a breath, sweetheart.” He sat on the floor, back against the wall and pulled her down into his lap.

“I tried to be nice to her cause it doesn’t look like the others are being nice to her and she snatched the bucket of kitchen toys and yelled at me to go away. She won’t share.”

“Is it possible she is going through something rough that maybe you don’t know about and she’s scared to make new friends?”

“Maybe…” he could see Makenzie thinking things through.

“How about this, we let her be for tonight and I can ask Jay to invite her over for a one-on-one playdate sometime and we can get to know her better? Now, we have to leave in about fifteen minutes because we have an early meeting with--”

“No! I don’t want to leave. Nu uh, not going!” She jumped out of his lap and turned as if to head back to her friends.

“Look at me, Makenzie,” he instructed, grasping firmly onto her upper arm. “You know that 'no' isn't an acceptable way to communicate your displeasure and you never run away from Daddy. Do we need to take this conversation into one of theprivate rooms and waste the little time you have left to play?” His words were firm and scolding.

“No, Daddy!”

“Good girl. When I tell you it’s time to leave, are you going to come willingly? We had this discussion before we came tonight that it would be a shortened time.”

She nodded. He delivered a measured hard swat on her behind. “You may go play with your friends now.”

“Thank you, Daddy,” she sang out, skipping off to rejoin her friends.

Back with the men, he kept a careful watch on Makenzie. The room was full of laughter and playful squeals, but there was one girl there who didn’t seem to be having as much fun. A lone figure standing off in the corner, playing at the kitchen. He waved Jay over.

“Who is that?” he asked.

“Emilee. Has she done something wrong?”

“I’m not entirely sure. Makenzie said she wasn’t sharing and something about the other girls being mean to her.”

Jay frowned. “There’s an entire long backstory there. However, Emilee is a member just like anyone else and should be treated kindly. We’ve gotten to know her the last six months and she has a rough past but she’s a good person.”

“Was Mia rude to her?” Mitch asked directly. “Mia has a deep sense of loyalty and because of the situation with Catie, she’s not been as open and welcoming as I’d like. If she is still being mean to that girl, we are going to leave now and have a long talk.”

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