Page 237 of Rogue Daddy (Montana Daddies 12)

“What? No. I just . . .”

“I won’t let her hurt you.”

“You can’t protect me from everything, Daddy. And she has a right to her pain.”

Reaching over, he tilted up her face with his thumb on her chin. “She’s doesn’t have the right to take it out on you. You okay?”

She nodded, letting out a deep breath. Even if Angie hated her, Keira still wanted to help her.

“You will wait here. I mean it, if you move, I will take my belt off.”

“Be safe, Daddy,” she said, feeling nervous. She’d insisted on coming because she didn’t want him doing this without her. Somehow, she felt like she’d be able to keep him safe.

He climbed out and moved to the front of the truck. Then a guy climbed out of the Jeep.

The Fox.

The Fox held a laptop, and he took the pen drive, plugging it in. He had that same ball cap on again. Finally, he closed the laptop and gave a nod. Zander spoke to him for a long moment, and the Fox smiled before returning to the driver’s seat with the laptop.

Wait! What about Angie? Just as panic flooded her, the backdoor of the Jeep opened, and her sister jumped out. She didn’t race over to Zander but walked. And as the Jeep turned and left, her sister actually waved goodbye.

What the fuck?

Zander opened the backdoor and her sister climbed in. Keira tried to turn to look at her, growling in frustration as the harness wouldn’t let her move. Undoing it, she turned, staring at Angie with trepidation. Would she reject her?

“Kiki?” Angie asked. She looked surprisingly good. A bit tired, but other than that, she appeared fit and healthy. “Oh, Kiki, I’m so sorry about the way I spoke to you. I didn’t mean any of it! I was trying to protect you. I didn’t mean that stuff about you not being my sister.”

That was all Keira needed. She shoved herself between the two front seats just as Zander opened the driver’s door.

“Careful,” he barked.

Keira ignored him as she hugged Angie tight.

“I’m okay, Kiki. I’m sorry. Don’t cry.”

“I’m sorry,” Keira cried. “I’m sorry we couldn’t find you earlier. I’m sorry I couldn’t get you away from Bartolli or from that weird Fox guy.”

“Hey, hey, look at me.” Angie drew back and grabbed Keira’s shoulders. “The Fox didn’t hurt me. In fact, in his own way, he protected me. He kept me safe, gave me money, a place to live. Sure, I was in a gilded cage, but for the most part I was free.”

“Really?” Keira wiped at her eyes. “He wasn’t mean to you? Didn’t hurt you?”

“No, he’s odd and weird, but he never hurt me. Promise.”

“Do you . . . do you blame me for not helping you escape Bartolli? For not getting to you before your bastard father gave you to him?”

“Of course not. I hated having to push you away when you turned up at that cottage in Bricks, but the Fox warned me that no one I cared about was safe. And the only way to keep them safe was to cut myself out of their lives. I told the Fox that we had nothing to do with one another. When you turned up with the big guy here, well, I panicked.”

“It’s okay,” Keira said. “I understand. I’m still sorry for not getting you away from Bartolli earlier.”

They hugged again.

“I don’t know what to do now,” Angie said with a sigh. “What’s going to happen next?”

“You’re coming home with me. After the wedding. We live in a bunker. Well, me and Zander and his team.”

Angie’s eyebrows rose. “Okay. A wedding? A team? A bunker? And does any of that have anything to do with why you’re sitting in a giant booster seat?”

Weirdly, she burst into laughter.

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