Page 16 of Daddy Defender
“Hurry up,” I mutter, turning away so he can’t see my face.
Henry moves to the driver’s side, popping the hood, and I’m left standing there, arms crossed, trying to ignore how his calm is both infuriating and weirdly comforting.
I’m planning my exit—gas up at dawn, head north, ditch Sunny Ferns and Henry and all this mess. I’ll be gone before he can play hero again, before I do something stupid like trust him.
“Hey, is that really necessary,” I begin, my sentence suddenly cut off…
A sharpcracksplits the air, and the van’s side panel dents inward, a jagged hole punched through the metal. My scream catches in my throat, raw and terrified, as Henry’s head snaps up.
“Get down!” Henry barks, and before I can move, his hands are on me, firm but not rough, pushing me onto the mattress in the back of Shred.
I hit the blankets, Poot tumbling beside me, my heart hammering so hard I can’t breathe.
“W-w-w-w-what the hell!” I scream. “Henry!”
Anothercrack, and the van shakes, a second bullet slamming into the frame. I scream again, curling into a ball, my hands scrabbling for Poot.
“Vince!” I gasp, the name spilling out, my worst fear confirmed. He wasn’t bluffing. He found me, and now he’s shooting, and I’m gonna die in my own van, with my nursery rhymes still playing on that stupid cassette player.
Henry’s already in the driver’s seat, digging the keys out from my open bag like he owns the place. Shred’s engine roars to life, and we lurch forward, gravel spitting as he floors it.
“Stay low!” Henry roars, his voice cutting through my panic, steady as steel. “I’ve got this.”
I clutch Poot to my chest, squeezing my eyes shut, the van swerving as another shot rings out, this one missing, thank God.
My mind’s a blur—Vince’s green eyes, that ledger, the truck in the lot, Henry’s hands on me, pushing me down.
I want to scream, to fight, to dosomething, but all I can do is hold Poot and pray Henry knows what he’s doing.
The van speeds through the night, the ocean fading behind us, and I’m trapped, not just by Vince’s bullets but by the sinking feeling that I might have to rely on Henry for just a little bit longer…
Chapter 6
Henry
“Remain calm,” I say, fully in Guard mode as my heartrate settles and my brain begins to make plans for our next move.
Shred’s engine roars as I floor it, the van’s tires chewing gravel as we tear away from the cove. My knuckles are white on the wheel, every muscle taut, my Guard instincts telling me everything I need to know.
“Please let me and Poot be okay,” Bodie says, desperation in his voice as he clutches his stuffy.
“Don’t worry,” I reply, my jaw clenched, ready for anything. “I’ve got you and Poot covered.”
Those bullets weren’t warning shots—they were kill shots, aimed to end Bodie. The only reason he’s still breathing is because I was there, and whoever pulled the trigger didn’t expect a fight.
And they certainly didn’t expect to come up against one of the most elite protection and extraction forces in the world. Bodie’s a lucky boy, whether he wants to admit that or not.
But this isn’t over. Not by a long shot.
The night’s too dark, the road too empty, and I know better than to think we’re clear just because no one’s tailing us yet. The reality is that whoever set this up probably didn’t send a full squad because they assumed it would be easy. I’m willing to bet the house on the fact that more will come, and they’ll come with bigger weapons and even worse intentions.
I glance in the rearview mirror, catching Bodie’s reflection.
The boy’s curled up on the mattress in the back, clutching that walrus stuffy like it’s his lifeline. His face is pale, eyes wide, darting like he expects another bullet to rip through the van any second.
Bodie’s on edge, teetering, and I can’t blame him.
Most people would’ve cracked after two near-misses like that. But he’s still fighting, still got that fire, even if it’s buried under fear right now.
