6. Cage

6

CAGE

R ylan and Koda are waiting for us when we arrive at our meeting spot. And just like we’ve already done a couple of times, I move Ember from the SUV into the one my brothers brought. One of our contracted people who arrived with them takes my vehicle and drives in a different direction to throw off anyone who might be trying to follow us.

Koda doesn’t say anything, but Rylan decides to be Rylan, sending a prickle of irritation down my spine.

“You must be Ember.” He flashes his bright white smile at her. “I’m Rylan. This big guy over here is Koda, but you can ignore him. You should probably ignore Cage, too. I hear we’re going on a road trip. We’re going to have a blast.”

Ember giggles and reaches out to shake his hand. Meanwhile, I’m shooting daggers at my brother, trying to decide whether to annihilate him now or wait until later when he’s sleeping and least expecting it. Because he sure as fuck can tell it’s coming based on the smirk that he gives me as Ember climbs into the back seat.

“She’s cute,” he mouths.

I shake my head and drag my finger across my throat as if I’m slitting it, which will happen to him if he doesn’t keep his eyes and thoughts to himself.

“She’s a client,” I snap after I shut her into the car.

“Uh-huh. Weird, considering we’re not bodyguards,” Rylan replies with a shrug before he rounds the hood to the passenger side and gets in.

Almost as soon as he does, he says something that makes Ember laugh again. Fucking asshole.

I don’t know why I care that he’s making her smile and laugh. It doesn’t matter. It’s not my job to get her to like me. I’m here to protect her. To keep her alive and safe.

Normally, people find me so damn likable, and for whatever reason, she hates me. I still don’t fucking know why she had such a problem with me following her into the bathroom. Maybe I should ask Rowie. She might be able to explain it to me in a way I’ll understand. Although, I’m pretty sure Ember was the unreasonable one. Not me.

As soon as I get into the SUV next to her, Ember’s smile falls, and she stops talking. Yeah, I don’t like that.

“We need food,” I tell Koda.

He nods, and twenty minutes later, we’re in a drive-thru line.

“What do you want?” I ask her.

Ember glances out to the menu. “A burger with no lettuce or pickles or mustard. Fries. Oh, and a Mountain Dew.”

“Koda,” I murmur. “Sprite.”

“Got it,” he replies, then turns toward the speaker. “Need a number one with no lettuce, pickles, or mustard. And a Sprite.”

“Mountain Dew,” Ember hisses, tapping Koda on the shoulder.

“A small Sprite,” I add.

Koda repeats my order before he pulls forward.

“I wanted Mountain Dew,” Ember snaps, glaring at me.

I shrug and lean my head against the seat. “That’s full of caffeine. You’re having Sprite.”

She scoffs and scrunches her nose.

Something settles inside me, but I’m not sure what it is. She might not realize she’s a Little, though I’m almost positive she is. It’s possible she doesn’t even know about Age Play. Lots of Littles have no clue about it until they finally discover what it is and begin to understand their true selves. Whatever the case, it’s not up to me to expose her to what she might be. Maybe being around Rowie will open her eyes.

“I don’t like Sprite.”

“You may have Sprite, water, or juice,” I reply firmly.

The corner of Koda’s mouth twitches, but he doesn’t say anything. Meanwhile, my other asshole of a brother twists around to look at Ember.

“You know what’s really good?” Rylan asks. “Adding some cherry flavoring added to the Sprite. It’s fucking delicious. You should try it.”

Ember’s eyes light up, and she sits a little taller. She looks Little, and something churns inside me.

“Do they do that here? Can I try it?” she asks.

Rylan nods and leans over the center console to talk past Koda to the cashier. As he does, Ember glares at me and crosses her arms over her chest.

Man, if she were mine, she’d be sitting on a red ass right now and Rylan would be roadkill.

Thank fuck she’s only a client.

When the food gets handed to Koda, I grab the bag and her soda, then go about unwrapping her burger. She watches me curiously but doesn’t say anything. I hold it out for her, pleased when she takes it and starts eating.

Us three guys wolf down an obscene amount of food while she eats at a snail’s pace. When she’s halfway through, she wraps the burger and shakes her head.

“Do you not like it?” I ask.

“My stomach hurts.”

Panic rushes through me. “What’s wrong? Do you need to vomit? Fuck. Koda, pull over.”

Ember reaches over and puts her hand on my forearm, instantly soothing me in a way I don’t expect.

“I’m fine. I think it’s because of everything that’s happening. I woke up this morning thinking I would go pick up my final transcripts and then take myself out for a celebratory piece of cake. Instead, my life is being threatened, I had to go on a stupid plane, and I’m now driving across the country with three men I don’t even know.”

Her eyes sparkle with tears. As soon as the first one falls, it guts me. I hadn’t considered how she must feel about all of this. Does she know what’s going on? Has her father told her anything at all? I need to do some research on the guy. I didn’t get a good feeling about him when we met, and I’m rarely wrong about these things. Reading social situations isn’t always the easiest for me but being able to tell if someone is trustworthy is something I excel at. And something tells me Ember’s father isn’t a man to put much faith into. His weak handshake was the first clue. The second was that he wouldn’t look me directly in the eye. He kept his gaze on my chin the entire time. A man who can’t look another man in the eye isn’t to be trusted in my book.

Without whether it’s the right thing to do or not, I use my thumb to swipe one of her tears away. She blinks several times as if I surprised her, but she doesn’t pull away.

“I know this is scary, firefly. I promise you’re safe with us. I’ll never let anything happen to you.”

She looks up at me like she’s trying to decide if she can believe what I’m telling her. When she finally nods, I let out a deep exhale. I don’t know why it feels so important that she trusts me, but it does.

“You just finished college?”

“Yes.”

“What did you go to school for?”

Why the fuck do I care?

“I got a degree in English Lit.”

I quirk an eyebrow. “A politician’s kid, and you got a degree in Lit? Surprised your father was okay with that.”

A ghost of a smile spreads on her face. “He wasn’t happy about it. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps. There’s no way in hell I’m stepping foot into that world, and he knew it, so he didn’t try to argue with me.”

“And what are you planning to do with that degree?”

Her expression sobers, and she sighs, not saying anything for several seconds. “I honestly don’t know. Everyone’s been asking me that for the past four years. My teachers, my father, his campaign manager, people who have no business asking, though they think they have the right since I’m a politician’s daughter. I should know exactly what I’m going to do, but I don’t.”

“It’s okay not to know.”

For the first time since I dragged her from her father’s car, she smiles at me. A real, genuine smile that makes my heart pound harder.

“Thanks,” she says quietly.

Giving her a nod, I hand over her soda and take the wrapped-up burger from her. “We’ll stop for more food in a bit. The Sprite will help settle your tummy.”

“Sprite is so gross,” she mumbles.

I shoot her a stern look as she takes a drink. Her head pulls back in surprise as she stares at the cup for a second. Then she starts sucking it again.

“Oh my God, this is so good.”

Rylan looks back at her and winks, and my mood instantly sours. Why the fuck is he being so flirty with her? And why does she seem to enjoy it? He’s a dead man.

N othing but darkness surrounds us. We’re driving in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night.

Ember finally fell asleep an hour or so ago, and I haven’t stopped watching her. Every time I try to focus on something else, my attention is drawn back to her. Yet I continue to try to fight it.

All three of our phones sound with our message tones, and when I look at mine, I chuckle.

Lex: Why is it that when it’s time for Rowie to go to bed, she’s suddenly dying of thirst, needs to use the toilet half a dozen times, and wants to know the meaning of life?

Theo: You fucking idiot. She’s stalling. Tell her to go to sleep or she’ll lose five Good Girl Points.

Cage: I don’t know. She made me feel like a real asshole this morning when I threatened to take some away.

Rylan: Get ready because there’s about to be another Little in the house, and she’s nearly as sassy as Row.

I silently growl at my brother. Why is he talking about Ember like he knows her? I don’t like it.

Cage: Shut the fuck up, Rylan. We don’t know if she’s Little.

Rylan: Cage is a bit touchy about Ember. I can feel his eyes burning into the back of my head right now as he glares at me.

Ghost: Ah, shit. Does Cage have a crush? Is she actually Little?

Theo: Rowie has never been around another Little. It might be good for her.

Cage: Or it could be a fucking disaster. We don’t know for sure that Ember is Little.

Cassian: Way to be positive, Cage. BTW, why the hell didn’t you want another plane?

Cage: Ember is terrified of flying.

Ghost: C-R-U-S-H

Cage: Fuck off, Ghost.

“Hey,” Koda murmurs quietly.

I glance up at him and then follow the direction of his gaze. My heart thuds against my sternum as I take in the sight of Ember, sound asleep with her head resting against the window and her thumb firmly lodged in her mouth.

She looks so fucking small and innocent. A surge of protectiveness washes over me.

I’m going to keep her safe.

Forever.

When I look at Koda again, Rylan is turned in the front passenger seat, staring back at her.

Leaning forward so my face is only inches from his, I give him a death stare. “Keep looking at her like that and I’ll end you,” I say quietly.

Rylan chuckles and winks at me before turning to face forward again and muttering something about me being a jealous bastard.

Fuck him.

I’m not jealous. I’m being protective. Maybe more than I should, but I can’t help it. She brings it out in me even more than usual.

Ember is a client. That’s all. It’s my job to keep her safe. Not that Rylan would ever harm her. He would give his life to protect her if it came down to it. We all would. It’s the life we signed up for. Just because he wouldn’t hurt her, though, doesn’t mean I want him looking at her like he was. Hell, I shouldn’t be looking at her like that, either. There’s just something too fucking sweet about her. Every second I’m near her, it becomes harder and harder to remember why she’s the last thing I need in my life.

“ Y ou need to tell me everything you know about this job because it seems you may have left some shit out.”

Rylan and Koda are standing guard outside of a rest stop bathroom while I make a call to Ruth to chew her ass out.

“What are you talking about, Cage?”

I huff and shake my head. “Don’t bullshit me, Ruth. The second I left DC, there was a plane following me. Who exactly is after Ember, and what do they want with her?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do they think her father has?”

“I don’t know.”

“Jesus Christ,” I snap. “Then what the fuck do you know, Ruth? I can’t keep her safe and stay ahead of the threat if I don’t have all the information.”

“Don’t be an asshole, Cage. You know I would give you more details if I had them. We weren’t even sure the threat was a credible one.”

I pace, keeping my eyes on the bathroom. I’m not sure why. My brothers are there to keep lookout. If it were me, I’d be inside that restroom. I don’t give a fuck if it’s crossing a boundary or not. Honestly, I’m surprised Koda didn’t bulldoze his way in after her. He’s so goddamn over the top sometimes.

“Well, I’d say they are credible, Ruth,” I grind out, barely holding on to my temper. This is fucking bullshit. Giving me a mission without the correct details can be a death sentence. She knows that—so why the fuck does she not seem concerned? “I need you to find out more information.”

Ruth sighs, and I can practically picture her seething on the other end of the phone. The woman doesn’t like being told what to do.

“I’ll be in touch,” she says before ending the call.

It doesn’t matter what she finds out. As soon as we arrive at The Ranch in a few more hours, I’ll get to work finding the information myself. Ruth might be CIA, but I’m Cage fucking Black, and her resources don’t have shit on mine. If she hadn’t sprung this job on me, I’d be a lot more prepared.

“Ready?” I ask when Ember shuffles wearily out of the bathroom. I should have followed her in there to help. She’s too drained to take care of herself right now. That’s what Daddies are for.

Fuck, goddammit. I’m not her Daddy, though.

She needs more sleep. I hate seeing those dark circles under her eyes. Maybe I’ll put her down for a nap when we get home.

No. I won’t put her down for anything. She’s not my Little girl. She’s a client. And for whatever fucking reason, I seem to keep forgetting that.