Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

The holiday movie with Santa and elves had worked to diffuse all the stuff that had happened the day before. When Melissa opened her eyes on Monday morning, she knew everything was going to be better.

The handoff went well, and she set off for Tim’s first stop. Getting to meet all-new four-legged friends and one Tripod who enchanted her with his unbeatable spirit absolutely made her day go well. It took her a bit more time than normal because she had to stop and read the directions, find the code, and introduce herself.

By the time she hopped in the car after the last stop, it was almost fully dark. She hit the lock button to seal herself in the car as Rocky had instructed. There’s no reason to sit in an unlocked car.

Picking up her phone, she texted him.

Daddy. I’m on my way home.

I’m glad to hear it, little girl. I’m delayed at the gym on Cincinnati Street. Want to come meet me here and I’ll show you around? We can grab some dinner.

She’d wanted to see the place he’d created for a long time. Boxing was violent and scary to her, but it was part of her Daddy. Hopefully, the only thing getting hit in there tonight was one of those hanging bags . I wonder if he’ll let me kick one of those?

On my way, Daddy.

Call when you’re parked. I’ll come walk you in.

She sent him a salute emoji and found the address for her GPS. In a flash, Melissa was on her way. Singing to the radio as she drove, Melissa enjoyed the signs of the holiday season—the lights, decorations, people shopping...

Oh! She needed to get her Daddy something for Christmas. It couldn’t be anything too expensive. She didn’t have the money for that, even though Rocky wouldn’t let her pay for anything. And what would she get him? He didn’t seem to spend money on frivolous things—but he wasn’t a miser, either. Deciding to watch him and find something perfect for him, Melissa belted out a couple of songs as she navigated through the crowd.

The gym was easy to find, and the parking lot was well lit. There was a group of young men hanging around at the front of the building. They were joking and having fun. She parked and saw a familiar figure emerge from that gathering. Grinning, she waggled her phone at him as she called.

“Good girl,” he said quietly as he answered the phone.

In seconds, he was at her door. She clicked the unlock button and allowed him to open the door. “Hi. This looks like a nice place. I thought you were one of the boxers,” she commented, waving at the group who watched them with great curiosity.

“I am one of the boxers, little girl,” he said with a laugh.

“Why are they watching?”

“I’ve never brought a woman here. They know you’re special.”

She could only grin at him. He meant it.

“Come on, sweetheart. Let me introduce you and show you around. Start thinking about what you want for dinner. I can’t wait to hear about your day.”

In a few minutes, her brain whirled with so many names. There was no way she could remember all those. It was so obvious the staff and clients at the boxing center thought a lot of Rocky.

The building was well lit and incredibly clean and organized. Pockets of activities were scattered across the large interior. Energy filled the space. Her gaze darted from each different exercise. It definitely wasn’t the dingy, dark atmosphere she’d expected from the movies.

When they were alone, she asked, “How many of these gyms do you have?”

“There are two here in town. They’re on opposite sides. There are others scattered in different cities. I think there are seven now,” Rocky guessed.

“Do you visit all of them?”

“I do. I haven’t left town for a while for a very good reason, but I do try to spend time at all the gyms. They’re important to me.”

“Am I the good reason?”

“You are. I’ll take you with me on my next road trip. The weekends are the busiest times. That works for both our schedules,” he told her with a smile.

He’d thought of everything. Melissa felt the corners of her lips curve up in response. “I’d like that.”

When she’d seen everything, Rocky walked her back to her car. “Where do you want to eat?” he asked.

“There’s a new restaurant a client told me about. It makes like a hundred different types of macaroni and cheese.” She crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping he wouldn’t think it was too unhealthy.

“I can’t imagine that many varieties. Sounds like we need to check them out.”

“Yay! I’ll send you the name and address,” she said, typing on her phone.

“Thank you. I’ll be right behind you,” Rocky promised, opening her door for her to slide inside.

Debating all the different cheeses and ingredients she’d seen on the menu, Melissa drove toward the restaurant. She could see Rocky’s vehicle in her mirrors. Her final concoction decided, at least for the moment, Melissa turned into the parking lot.

A knock on her window made her turn and smile. Gosh, he was fast. Her gaze locked with someone much different from Rocky. It was him .

“Come on out. I thought I’d lost you.”

“My… my boyfriend will be here in a second. He’s the big boxer guy you met.”

“Right. Get out of the car,” he demanded, striking her window so hard, she automatically flinched away.

“Hey! Get away from her.” Rocky’s low voice held a menacing tone she’d definitely not heard before. Not even when the two men had squared off in the hallway.

It softened just slightly when he said, “Melissa, get in the passenger seat.”

Without hesitating even a fraction of a second, she maneuvered over the console between the seats and cowered against the far door.

“She’s off limits,” Rocky growled.

“Says who?”

“Do yourself a favor and walk away,” Rocky advised.

The roof of the car blocked Melissa’s view, and she could only see their torsos. She watched her former neighbor’s hand shift in his pocket and knew that wasn’t good. Before she could yell, the jerk lunged forward.

Curling her fingers into her palms, Melissa clamped her mouth close. She didn’t want to distract Rocky. Her heart raced inside her chest. Melissa leaned forward. She needed to see what was happening. A flash of light on a silver object lanced into the car, blinding her for a second. Is that a knife?

She slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from distracting Rocky as she scrambled for her phone. Dialing 911, she tried desperately to see what was going on. All she could hear in the darkness were thuds and masculine grunts of effort. Was that Rocky?

“911. What’s your emergency?” The strong masculine voice steadied her.

“There’s guy demanding I get out of my car. He’s pounding on my window. My… my boyfriend is out there with him. I think I just saw a knife.”

“What’s your location?”

“I don’t know. It’s the macaroni and cheese restaurant. I just put it in my GPS.”

“Look at your navigation program. See if it’s still there,” the dispatcher coached her.

“They’re fighting now,” she reported before reading off the address.

“There are police officers on the way. Stay on the phone with me so I can update them.”

A body fell past the window and thudded to the ground. She yelped into the phone.

“Are you okay, Melissa? What’s happening?”

“Someone just fell. I’m trying to see who it is.”

“Can you look safely from inside the car? If not, stay inside. The police are almost there. Can you hear the sirens?

She froze, trying to decide whether to get back into the driver’s seat to see. A thump on the roof of her car made her jump.

“Call the police, Lissy.”

“Daddy! I did. They’re on the way.”

“Tell me what’s going on, Melissa. Your dad’s okay. I thought your boyfriend was outside,” the dispatcher asked. Was that humor in his voice?

Her face heated, and Melissa shook her head in disbelief at her stupidity. “I call my boyfriend Daddy. Sorry.”

“Ah. That makes more sense. So, he’s okay?”

“Rocky? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, Lissy.”

“He says he’s fine. Are they close?”

“Pulling into the parking lot. Stay in the car until they get to you,” the dispatcher ordered.

“I can see the lights. Thank you.”

“Be safe, little girl. Wait until an officer or your—boyfriend gets you out of the car.”

She stared at the screen as he disconnected. Little girl?

“Stay there, Melissa,” Rocky told her.

They sounded so alike. Was that dispatcher a Daddy?

“Sir, I had a report that someone was threatening a woman in a car.” The officer’s voice was hard.

“He’s here. I’ve got him pinned to the ground. He’s my fiancée’s former neighbor. There’s a history of threats that we reported to the police,” Rocky told him.

“Step away, sir.”

“Get ready. He’s going to run,” Rocky advised.

“Leave that to me, sir. Step away.” The officer had his hand posed by his weapons belt.

“Of course.”

The minute Rocky moved, the jerk jumped to his feet and took off. Immediately, the police gave chase.

Rocky focused on Melissa. “Open the door, Lissy. I need to hold you.”

She pressed the button a million times on the remote to open the doors and flew out when Rocky opened the one closest to her. “Daddy! Why’s he doing this? How did he find me?”

Rocky hugged her close and kissed her lightly. “You’re okay. That’s all that matters.”

At the sound of loud complaints about being permanently injured from Rocky’s action and then the police apprehension, Rocky moved Melissa behind him. The cops didn’t seem inclined to investigate his allegations. They hauled him to the squad car, checked his pockets, and locked him in the backseat before walking to Rocky to ask a million questions.

“He’ll be at the police station while we figure out what’s going on. If he hadn’t run and resisted arrest…” one police officer reported, letting them fill in the blank that they might have been limited in what they could do.

“Thank you for coming, officer. He’s a problem,” Rocky told him, shaking his head.

“You’re Rocky Harrison. I go to your gym. That bout for the middle-weight title was epic,” one said to Rocky. “He’s yelling about assault, and you could have taken his head off.”

An “eep” escaped from Melissa’s mouth at that visual image.

“Sorry, ma’am. Go inside and have a good dinner. If he’s released today, it won’t be for several hours,” he suggested.

“Thank you. Stop by the office the next time you’re at the gym. I’ll give you some pointers if you’d like,” Rocky offered.

“That would be incredible. Thank you. I’m going to take you up on that.”

“Stay safe, officers,” Rocky said as he guided Melissa away.

“You were right. Making that report was important,” Melissa said as they approached the building. Her body started to shake.

Rocky tugged her close and squeezed her against his hard body. “You’re okay, little girl.”

“He’s going to come back. Not before we leave. It’s just a coincidence that he was here. This is the safest time to eat here if you’d still like to go in.”

When she didn’t answer immediately, Rocky added, “Or I can take you home, wrap you in a soft blanket, and I can rock you.”

“Can we do both?” she blurted. She didn’t want him to have the power to keep her from going and doing what she wanted with her Daddy. Or alone.

“Of course. Hungry?”

Her stomach growled ferociously.

“I’ll take that for a yes. Come on, Lissy. Let’s order something decadent.” Shifting to her side with his arm wrapped around her, Rocky guided Melissa inside.

“Hi!” the hostess at the desk welcomed them. “I’m so glad you came in. We were watching from the window. I’m glad you’re okay. The chef is poised to make you something incredible.”

“Oh! Thank you. I’m good. That was scary,” Melissa admitted.

“I bet. Come with me. I’ve got a splendid table by the fire. The best seats in the house,” she said, leading them to a beautiful spot.

“Thank you, miss,” Rocky said when Melissa was in her chair.

“My pleasure. The server will be with you in a minute. You can make some tough decisions on the menu. My favorite is three-cheese macaroni with veggies and bacon.”

“That sounds amazing,” Melissa said, looking over the menu.

“Everything is delicious. Just choose your favorite combination,” the server said before returning to her station.

“She was so nice. I think they were worried about us,” Melissa said.

“I’m sure the flashing lights attracted their attention. Look at the decorations in here. This mantle is gorgeous. We need stockings with our names on them,” Rocky decreed.

“I’d like that. Can I have Lissy on mine?”

“Of course. What should I put on mine?” he asked, winking at her.

“Daddy,” she decided. “Can Rwahr Rwahr have a stocking?”

“Yes. What should we put in it for him?”

“Candy.” Melissa relaxed against the back of her chair, feeling the tension that had stiffened her body ebb away. Not letting that jerk ruin her chance to come here and enjoy an evening out with her Daddy was the best thing to do. She wouldn’t have missed this for anything.

“Lissy? Are you okay?”

“I’m good. Just glad we’re here.”

“Together,” Rocky added, reaching across the table to take her hand. “Look at the menu. Let’s see who can come up with the best dish.”