Page 58 of Baby Daddy
“I think the motherfucker was high on something. He assaulted Dee again.”
“Shit.”
“If I hadn’t shown up at her apartment, he might have raped her or done something worse.”
“Jeez. Did he hurt her or the kid?”
“No. But he left me with this memento.” I pointed to the small scab on my forehead, which was now fading. The memory of Dee lovingly taking care of me popped into my head but only for a fleeting moment.
Brock eyed my face. “Crap. He could have beat the shit out of you.”
“Actually, it’s the other way around. I could have beat the shit out of him if he hadn’t fled.” I exhaled a breath. “Seriously, I would have killed the fucker for touching Dee if I could have.”
“I’m glad you didn’t. You would have needed a criminal defense attorney, not me.”
Brock knew the extent of damage I was capable of on the ice. I’d knocked out a few players’ teeth over the course of my hockey career and sent several to the emergency room for stitches. I’d lost count of how much time I’d spent in the penalty box.
“Did you or Dee file a police report?”
I shrugged. “No, I wasn’t thinking straight.” In retrospect, maybe it was for the best. The last thing I needed right now was a media shit storm—getting my name smeared all over the news in the midst of my father’s big takeover. And that was the last way I wanted my father to find out about Dee’s checkered past.
“Brock, I’m worried about Dee and Tyson. I don’t think they’re safe. Or Lulu for that matter. They have security bars on their windows and an alarm system, but I’m still worried.”
Brock’s expression softened. “You really care about this girl, don’t you?”
I took in a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. There was no hiding my feelings about Dee. I wore them on my sleeve.
“Yeah, I do. I have some kind of weird connection to her. And to her little girl too. When I’m around her, an explosion of fireworks goes off inside me. Dee does things to me no woman has. It started from the minute she stepped into my office.”
“Get out. Love at first sight for LA’s biggest player?”
My cheeks flushed. “I think that title belongs to you, but yeah.”
“So, why haven’t you fucked her?”
Hunching, I rested my elbows on my thighs and slid my head between my fists. “I’m taking it slow. I don’t want to hurt her or her daughter, and I guess I don’t want to get hurt either. I don’t know how to do serious relationships and this one has disaster written all over it. To use her own words, she comes with a lot of baggage I don’t know how to handle.”
“Is there an issue with fraternization?”
“Yes and no. I told my father about her, but left out the sordid details. For now, he’s okay with her being my temp and having a kid. The bigger issue is what if her past leaks out in the middle of the Saxton Enterprises deal.”
Soaking in my words, Brock ran his hand through his perfectly groomed light brown hair. I could tell from the intense expression his face that his sharp legal eagle mind was at work. After a few minutes, he broke his silence.
“Listen, Drakester. You’re right. This is complicated. There are a lot of issues at stake here, but you’ve got to prioritize.”
I cocked my head, my ears perked.
“Number one on the list is Dee’s safety and that of her daughter.” He took a sip of his water. “And Lulu’s too.”
I detected unease in his voice. I wasn’t sure if Dee had told Lulu what had happened the other night with Kyle. What was obvious was that Dee’s sister was more to Brock than a passing fling. Still pensive, he stroked his chin with his thumb.
“Do you or Dee know where this asshole lives?”
I shook my head.
“Do either of you have his driver’s license or license plate number?”
“I don’t,” I replied, regretting that I didn’t chase after him. “Dee might.”