Page 46 of Scarlett's Mountain Man
“So, what are you worrying about?” he asks.
I suck in a deep breath. “Just that something bad is going to happen. I can’t shake the feeling in my gut that it’s going to happen. We aren’t going to be prepared.”
I close my eyes before I finish speaking, not wanting to see Daddy’s expression. I told him the same thing this morning before he left, but he didn’t do anything about it. Is he going to change his mind or stick to what he was thinking before?
“Bad like what?” Daddy runs his thumb across my cheek. “Do you know, or just a bad feeling like something is off?”
I shrug.
“Look at Daddy.” he gently commands.
I open my eyes slightly to find nothing but worry across his face.
“Talk to me,” he begs. I don’t want you to shut down because you think I don’t care. I do, and I want to know everything.”
“It’s just a bad feeling that I can’t shake. Like something bad is going to happen to people and there will be no way of stopping it. I just worry that it’s going to be something to do withhim,” I whisper, not wanting to utter his name.
“Nothing is going to happen. We have people patrolling around the compound at all times to make sure everyone is safe,” Daddy calmly says. “Brix and Elijah are going to get another Little from a nearby town, but they will be back before anything happens.”
“Anything happens,” I repeat. “You think something is going to happen as well!”
I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling this way.
“Nothing is going to happen,” Daddy repeats.
“But you just said ‘before anything happens.’ So you think something is going to happen,” I point out.
Daddy cups my face, giving it a firm squeeze. “I shouldn’t have said that because I won’t let anything happen, not when you are here.”
I struggle to believe him, but I want to.
“Do you want to go see everyone walking around the perimeter to make sure nothing happens?” Daddy asks. “I can show you them on the camera or I can show you in person.”
I open and close my mouth several times, not knowing if that will help.
“Why don’t I show you on my phone, and if you find out that you want to see it in person, we can wait until Juniper wakes up or get Aiden to watch over her,” Daddy offers as he pulls out his phone.
I stay where I am, looking down at his phone as he pulls up the security cameras.
“See, they are all walking around and making sure everything is safe,” Daddy points out as he shows me multiple different camera feeds.
“How will they fight off the bad guys?” I whisper, staring at the phone screen.
“They have guns, but they are also trained. Each guy on this mountain knows how to protect people. It’s a qualification they need to have in order to stay on the mountain,” Daddy explains. “But everyone here carries a gun in case of something, but we’ve never had anything happen.”
“But I’m bringing danger,” I mumble, feeling nauseous at the thought. “Maybe we should go somewhere so we keep you all safe.”
Daddy places his phone on the couch and cups my face once again. “This is a safe haven for a lot of people. We aren’t going to send you and Juniper somewhere because someone is after you. You two will stay here, where you are safe, and I can keep an eye on you. Nothing is going to happen to you, I promise.”
I lean forward, letting my forehead hit his chest as he continues to cup my face. It’s awkward, but I don’t really care.
This is what I need.
