16. Kane

Leaving Haylee in the apartment had been hard. He wanted to demand that she stay in his guest room so he could keep her near him. But he had no right to make that demand. She wasn't his. Not yet anyway. When he mentioned being a Daddy Dom, the flicker in her eyes made him feel hopeful. Not that she would necessarily want him to be her Daddy Dom, even if she were a Little.

He walked around the house aimlessly, checking the locks and windows to make sure they were secure. The day had been a nonstop test of his temper. The only reason he'd been able to keep control was because of Haylee. She was already scared enough as it was, and he didn't need to make it worse, even though his fury was solely because of the bastard, Tim Parker.

She had been so strong throughout her interview with Luke and then her exam with Logan. He knew she hadn't wanted to go through either of those things, but it was necessary so they could nail Tim to the wall. Kane needed to make sure the guy wasn't released from prison for a very long time once he was caught. It didn't matter, though. He would keep Haylee safe, even if she didn't stay with him. He would look after her.

Knowing he couldn't sleep, Kane went into his office to get some work done. He needed something to keep his mind busy and off the tiny Little girl in his garage apartment. He called Damian and got caught up with him. There were three guys set up at different posts around his house, and three more would be showing up the next day to cover Luke and Ally's house.

"You really like this girl," Damian said.

Kane nodded to himself. "There's something about her that I'm drawn to."

He heard Damian sigh. "Have anything to do with trying to make up for what happened to Mom?"

Damian knew him better than anyone. They had gone through hell together when they were kids. They were only eleven months apart in age and had been the best of friends all their lives.

"It might. I'm not really sure. I feel this need to take care of her. Protect her. I couldn't just stand by and not help her, and now, I don't think I could walk away even if she asked me to."

"You're a good man. You always have been. You've always kept the weight of the world on your shoulders and are always looking to protect those who need it. Mom would be proud of you."

Sadness filled him as he stared blankly at the laptop screen. They didn't talk about their mom very much anymore. It was too hard. Too heavy and painful.

"I love you, brother. Thanks for all your help."

"Anytime. I can't wait to meet her. I'll plan a trip down to Pinebrook soon. Need to come to see your new house."

Kane hung up with Damian and sat back in his chair, taking a deep breath. He hadn't been able to save his mom, but he would do whatever he had to do to save Haylee. He would die to protect her. To make sure she never experienced that kind of hurt and pain again.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Mom. But I will save her if it's the last thing I do," he said out loud, running a hand over his face.

He sent a text to the group of employees he had assigned down in San Bernardino to see if they'd found any leads to where Tim might be. His phone vibrated back almost immediately, letting him know that they had no leads yet. Shit. Was this guy crazy enough to travel to another state to try to find Haylee?

He decided to call his friend Ian, a tech wizard up in Seattle. They'd met at a BDSM club and were both into boxing. Despite being a tech geek, Ian could scrap like no other he'd ever met before. If he were to need someone on his team for a fight, Ian would be the first person he called.

"Ian, it's Kane."

"Yeah, buddy. I know. It's the twentieth century, and there is this thing called caller ID nowadays."

And he was also a smart-ass when he wanted to be.

"I have a problem."

"Well, I kind of figured as much since you don't usually call me to ask me out on a date. What's up?"

"How can I find out if there's some kind of tracker on a phone?"

Kane explained the situation and about Tim texting her.

"Overnight ship the phone to me. I will check it out. I can also put my own tracker on it to track locations of where he's making calls and texts from in case the jackass is dumb enough to keep calling or texting. Turn it off before you send it to me."

"Are you sure? I hate to put more work on you. I know you're busy sitting up in your office, not doing shit."

"Can't wait to see you in the ring again soon, my friend," Ian answered playfully.

"Do I need to get her passcode for you or anything like that?"

Ian made an exasperated sound, "I could hack the White House if I wanted to. I'm pretty sure I can get into a smartphone without the passcode. But sure, go ahead and text it to me."

Kane rolled his eyes. "Thanks. I owe you."

"Yes, yes you do."

He called Luke back and asked if he would pick up the phone first thing in the morning and take it to a FedEx store to get it shipped off. Kane didn't want to leave Haylee alone yet. She was still fragile, and if he were completely honest with himself, he wanted her as close to him as possible at all times.

Feeling as though he had a lot of pent-up energy, Kane went to his bedroom and changed into a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. He walked outside to the detached shop on his property, where he had a gym set up with a punching bag. He needed to expel some of that energy and anger, and maybe, just maybe, he would actually be able to get some sleep for the first time since he'd met Haylee.

By the time he was done, his T-shirt was drenched with sweat, and he felt a little lighter. Using the punching bag had always been a way for him to work through things in his head. It made him think clearer and come up with ideas and solutions. The only idea he came up with while beating on the bag was that he wished the bag was Tim Parker's face, but as he walked back into the house and up to his room, his shoulders felt a lot less tense.

Stripping out of his clothes, he left them on the floor and stepped into the shower. His cock had been aching, and no matter how much he stroked himself off, it seemed to go right back to being hard. Everything about Haylee had stirred it to life. Sure, he had played with other Littles over the years and even had some short-term relationships, but nothing had ever stuck. He had never had a magnetic pull toward a Little as he did toward Haylee. But he was pretty sure that she had no idea that she was a Little. Gripping his cock, he stroked himself as the hot water sprayed down on him until his orgasm shot out into the stream of water. Yeah, he was relaxed now.

When he was done showering, he dried himself and put on a pair of pajama pants that hung low on his hips. He picked up the sweaty clothes to take to the laundry in the garage, not wanting them to stink up his hamper. It was nearly three in the morning, and he needed to go to bed so he could be up to make Haylee breakfast.

When he stepped out into the garage, he found Haylee standing in front of the washing machine, stuffing her sheets in. She looked up at him, wide-eyed, as though she'd been caught in the act of committing a murder. His eyes skirted over her, and he noticed instead of her blue pajamas that she had gone to bed in, she was wearing a pair of pale pink pajama pants and a matching tank top. He looked at her with concern and confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh… Uh… I-I'm sorry. I didn't know you were awake."

He studied her and then looked toward the sheets that were only partially loaded into the wash, noticing a large wet spot on them. Oh. Shit. Her eyes lowered, and she stood frozen in place. He moved quickly toward her, gently taking the sheets out of her hands, and finished loading them into the wash, poured in the soap, and closed the door.

"I'm so sorry," she said, her voice cracking.

Kane turned toward her as tears dripped down her cheeks. He felt terrible for her. Was this a regular occurrence, or did she have a nightmare?

"Baby, it's okay. It's not a big deal."

She sniffled, using her fists to rub her wet, sleepy eyes. "I h-had a b-bad dr-dream, and I ju-just…"

Kane reached out and pulled her into his chest before he could stop himself.

"Shhh, it's okay. You're okay. I'm here."

He ran his fingers up and down her back gently until her crying quieted, only the sound of sniffling filling the garage. Without thinking, he reached down and lifted her up, carrying her into the house and up the stairs.

"What are you doing? Where are you taking me?" she asked, her voice getting higher as she spoke.

"You're moving into the room next to mine. I don't want you out here away from me. I would have heard you having a nightmare if you were in the house, and I could have come and comforted you."

"But…"

"No buts. I'm making this decision. I'm in charge, not you."

Okay, he knew he was being kind of an overbearing ass. But he also knew that she wanted to stay in the apartment because she didn't want to be a bother to him. So, he would take the decision away from her.

"Oh," she whispered.

Oh? Oh! That's all she had to say? A thrill ran through him. Did she like him taking charge like that even though he was being completely unreasonable?

Toward the end of the hall, he kicked open the guest bedroom door. The closed nursery was across from the guest room, with his bedroom being at the end of the hall between them. He'd be able to hear her if she had any more nightmares. He sat her on the bed, and she immediately drew her legs up, wrapping her arms around them until she was in a tiny ball. He knelt in front of her so he was at eye level with her head.

"Look at me, Haylee."

She shook her head.

"Baby alligator, look at me right now."

Her head moved up from her knees slowly until her gaze met his, and the pain he saw in her eyes made his bones ache.

"I ruined your bed. I'm so sorry," she whispered in the tiniest voice.

He didn't give a crap about the bed. He cared about the scared Little girl in front of him. Her tiny body trembled, and he couldn't help but reach out for her, only to pull his hand away when he saw her flinch.

"Baby girl, I don't care about the bed. I'll buy a new bed. It's just a material thing. What I do care about is you and making sure you're all right."

She shook her head. "I don't know if I'll ever be all right."

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare?"

She shook her head.

"Can I touch you, Haylee? I promise I won't hurt you."

She eyed him for a brief moment before nodding. He sat on the bed next to her, pulling her onto his lap. Her body sagged into his as he wrapped his arms around her.

"You will be all right, baby. I will make sure of it."

He rocked her against him, rubbing her back until he noticed her breathing start to slow. Standing with her in his arms, he carefully turned down the covers and placed her in bed, tucking the blankets all around her body. Her eyes fluttered open to look up at him as he was leaning over her.

"Kane?" she whispered.

"Yes?"

"I think you'd make a really good Daddy."

He smiled down at her and brushed a wayward hair from her face.

"Thanks. I think you'd make a really special Little."

She smiled softly and closed her eyes, nestling herself deeper into the blankets. He walked to the door to shut off the light and leave, but she was suddenly sitting up.

"What's wrong?"

She looked embarrassed. "Uh… Can I have the light on?"

He tilted his head in confusion. "You want the light on? Do you not like the dark?"

She shook her head.

"Ahh, okay. Does it need to be the overhead light, or would the bathroom light or a night-light work?"

"The bathroom light or night-light would work too. I just don't like it to be pitch-black."

Kane nodded and smiled reassuringly. "Got it. Be right back."

He went into the nursery and grabbed a dim lamp that would display stars on the walls and ceiling. He took it into Haylee's room and plugged it in, turning it on before he turned off the overhead light. Dozens of stars illuminated the bedroom, and he could see her smile in the dim light as she lay back down.

"Is this okay?" he asked.

She nodded, grinning wide. "Yeah, it's perfect. You'd totally be a good Daddy."

He chuckled. "Need anything else? Need to go potty one last time before you go to sleep?"

"No. I think I'm okay. Thank you, Kane. I really wish we had met under different circumstances."

Yeah, he did too. Because then he could give her all his attention and not be on edge over her ex. But there would be time for that in the future.

"You're welcome, baby. I wish we had too, but I'm just glad I met you at all. Do you think you'll be able to fall back asleep?"

"If I say no, are you gonna stay up with me all night?"

"If that's what it takes for you to feel better, then yes."

Haylee stared up at him, smiling softly. "I'm okay. I'm really tired. I think—" Yawn. "—I'm going to—" Another yawn. "—fall back asleep."

Bending over, he kissed her forehead. "If you need anything, I'm just in the next room. Don't hesitate to come get me. I'm leaving both our doors open so I can hear you in case you have another nightmare."

She nodded, burrowing under the covers again. As he walked out of the bedroom toward his room, he heard her whisper.

"Such a good Daddy."