Page 162 of Her Daddies' Everything

Tobias reached into his pocket and pulled out a fifty dollar note, then reached over to put it in the swear jar. She leaned over and placed her hand over the opening.

“Today is a free day,” she told him. “Swear as much as you want.”

She and Jenner had just put two trays of cookies in the oven when Tobias’s phone rang. He stood and left the room.

“Oh God,” she cried, feeling ill. “Do you think she’s all right?”

Jenner picked her up, holding her so she was pressed to his chest and then he started humming to her, rocking her back and forth.

She hadn’t had a chance to explore her Little side more. If she was honest, she wasn’t really sure how. What to do or how to do it or what the heck she was doing. Apparently, her Little side popped out a lot and she was just supposed to fully embrace her.

But how the heck did that happen? And no matter what they all said, she was still kind of concerned about being too much, about being annoying. About making a fool of herself.

Not that she thought the guys would think that about her, or make fun of her or anything like that.

It was just . . . how did she relax and fully let go?

She was trying to be kinder to herself. And to not listen to her father’s voice telling her all the time how childish and useless she was.

It was difficult, though. She wasn’t immediately fixed or anything. Maybe she should be thinking about therapy again. But she didn’t know if she could bring herself to go. It was hard to talk to a stranger about all of this. They didn’t have any idea what it was like to grow up the way she and the others had.

Tobias strode back in just as everyone’s phone beeped. She saw the guys checking their messages. Relief filled their faces and then something else. Something darker that scared her.

“They’ve found her,” Tobias said with clear relief. “She’s safe. She’s well. Rafael is in the hospital, though. He was heavily drugged.”

“Oh no. Poor Rafael,” she said, even though she’d never met the guy. “But Cat is all right?”

“Cat’s fine,” Sampson said. “But we’ve got another fucking problem.”

“What is it?” Jenner asked. “I can’t reach my phone.”

“Her kidnapper, Mikey, he had a Sentinel tattoo,” Tobias told them.

Oh no.

No, no, no.

“What does this mean?” she cried. “Isheback? Has he come back?”

“He’s not back,” Jenner said fiercely. “He’s fucking dead. They told us all that he’s dead. Him and our fathers.” He nodded to Sampson and Isaiah.

Isaiah stared at them all grimly while Abe had his head in his hands, his shoulders slumped.

“But there must be a copycat,” Sampson said. “It’s the only explanation. Someone out there fancies themselves the new Deity. And for some reason, they’re coming for us. Or, at least, for our girls.”

A shiver ran through Immy.

That could mean she was next.

29

There was a knock on her bedroom door and Immy walked over to open it. Jenner was sitting on the armchair in her room, sipping on a glass of Scotch and eating chocolate chip cookies.

Interesting combination.

But hey, whatever got him through. She couldn’t blame him for needing a drink and some sugar.

She’d eaten so many cookies that her stomach hurt.

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