Chapter 5

Chapter Five

A sound made her lift her bow from the strings to listen. When it came again, she confirmed she'd heard something—a knock on the door. She shifted the large instrument away from her body and stood. Cautiously, she walked to the wooden barrier and listened.

"Lyra? It's Sadie. It's lunchtime," a kind voice said.

Sadie. That was the woman at the reception desk. Lyra opened the door. Four women stood in the open gathering area in the middle of the apartments.

"Hi. It's lunchtime already?" Lyra asked.

"It's after twelve. Phoenix asked that I make sure you eat. I brought friends to invite you to join us downstairs."

"Downstairs?"

"Hi, Lyra. I'm Zara," a gorgeous woman said, introducing herself before continuing, "The basement. It's our other private safe space. It's where we always meet for meals. Not all of the guys can make it to lunch. They're busy sometimes with their jobs here at Danger Bluff."

"Hi, Zara. Will Phoenix be at lunch?" Lyra asked hesitantly.

"He's stuck doing a repair and was afraid it would take a while. I promise we won't bite. We're so excited to meet you," Sadie said.

"Oh. I guess I could come…if Phoenix wanted me to."

"Of course, he wants you to eat. He's a Daddy!" a green-eyed blonde encouraged her. "I'm Juniper, by the way."

"Okay, I'll take a break if you'll help me get back up here," Lyra said.

"Of course. Yay!" Sadie said, clapping.

The final woman gave a little wave behind the others. "I'm Celeste. So nice to meet you."

Lyra glanced around at all of them, nearly overwhelmed. "It's so nice to meet all of you, too."

Walking out of Phoenix's apartment, Lyra's gaze fixed again on the pictures on the doors. "So, whose door is whose?"

"The penguin is mine," Sadie told her. "I have a penguin stuffie named Edgar."

"Mine is the swan because my Daddy calls me Little Swan," Zara explained.

"Mine is a Kiwi. That's a bird here in New Zealand," Juniper explained.

"I've heard about them, but I haven't seen any since I've gotten here," Lyra said.

"They're nocturnal and shy. There are some sanctuaries where you can go see them, but online is probably the easiest," Juniper explained. "I have a kiwi stuffie that a childhood friend gave me when I used to visit Danger Bluff as a kid. His name is Beaky."

"The black cat is mine," Celeste said, claiming the last door. "I have a stuffie named Hades."

"Everyone has a stuffie?" Lyra asked as they walked to the elevator.

"We do. Do you not have one?" Celeste asked with a concerned look.

"I do. His name is Harry," Lyra shared, not really understanding why she felt comfortable enough with these ladies to share what, to her, was private information.

The doors of the elevator opened for them to pile inside. As the car descended, Sadie asked, "What's Harry? A wooly mammoth?"

"A tarantula."

There was a moment of silence, and then the other women laughed. It wasn't mean laughter. Lyra could hear the delight in the cheerful sound. "You all don't like spiders?"

"Oh, sorry. We should explain. Phoenix hates spiders. They creep him out," Zara said.

"I know."

A few seconds passed, and Lyra couldn't keep her giggles inside. The look on Phoenix's face when he'd seen Harry for the first time popped into her mind. "You should have seen his expression."

That statement fueled the laughter between the women. Lyra held her sides as she joined the merriment. I haven't laughed like this in forever.

"I would have paid to see that," Sadie confessed.

That added fuel to the fire of delight. By the time the elevator opened, mirth spilled out before anyone could move an inch.

"Hello, Littles," a deep voice called from out of sight.

"Daddy! You won't believe what stuffie Lyra has," Juniper declared as she skipped away.

Lyra followed the others into the large basement space. Scanning the room, she watched Juniper settle onto a large man's lap. She couldn't see much of his face due to the scruffy baseball cap he wore, but she could see a delighted grin directed solely at Juniper.

"That's Magnus," Sadie told her. "Juniper's Daddy."

"Hi, Lyra. I'm glad to meet you," Magnus greeted as he hugged Juniper to his body.

"Is anyone going to tell me what kind of stuffie Lyra has?" he asked.

"I have a tarantula named Harry," Lyra explained.

"A spider. That's the best thing I've heard all day," Magnus said with a snort of laughter.

"He really doesn't like spiders, huh?" Lyra asked.

"He made me clean out the corners in the gun safe yesterday because there were a few cobwebs scattered around—just in case there were spiders," Magnus said.

"Harry's very good. He only bites strangers," Lyra said, defending her stuffie.

"I think having a fierce stuffie is a great thing, Little girl," a familiar voice commented from behind her.

Lyra whirled to see Phoenix behind her. As if her feet had a will of their own, she ran toward him to stop just in front of him. "Hi."

"Hi, Little girl." Phoenix stepped forward to wrap his massive arms around her. Picking her up, he pressed a kiss to her lips before setting Lyra back on her feet. "I decided to take a break. Good thing. Everyone is telling you all my secrets." Phoenix glanced around the room, looking stern.

One by one, the Littles burst into laughter. Lyra couldn't help but join them. She hid her face against Phoenix's chest. His hand stroked over her back reassuringly.

"It's okay to laugh, Little girl," he whispered before announcing in a louder voice, "Even Achilles had a weak spot. Spiders are mine. I bet each Little could name something their Daddy dislikes as much as I hate spiders."

She watched Magnus's hand cover Juniper's mouth to keep her from immediately sharing. That fueled the laughter again.

"Come on, Littles. Let's have lunch," Phoenix invited, waving everyone toward the table.

When they were seated, he lifted the cover on a large platter of hamburgers. A delicious aroma wafted Lyra's way, making her hungry. Phoenix held up the plate and offered her a burger.

"It's okay to use your fingers. You're among friends," he told her quietly.

Nodding, she helped herself to a huge burger and watched as he stood to walk around the table, allowing everyone to select a burger before placing it back on the table. Magnus took care of sharing the other platter. It contained fries. Lyra sat politely, waiting for everyone to get their food.

She watched as Sadie immediately popped a fry into her mouth and chewed with delight.

"I love kumara fries," Sadie said to the group. Everyone else agreed except for Lyra.

"What's a kumara?" she asked.

"It's like the New Zealand version of a sweet potato," Zara explained. "It tastes even better. Try one."

Lifting one to her mouth, she took a small bite. "Oh, this is good," Lyra said, helping herself to another. "I like these a lot."

Phoenix leaned over to tell her softly, "New Zealand burgers are often served with an egg on top and a slice of beetroot. It's okay to take them off if you don't like them. You might wish to try it first, just in case you love it."

"Thanks for the warning."

Lifting her burger, Lyra took a small bite. Flavor burst through her mouth as she chewed. "It's good. I don't think I got any beet in that bite. Why do they put it on a burger?"

"I think New Zealand is one big Daddy, trying to sneak vegetables into our diets," Zara claimed.

"It's the crunch," Celeste explained. "I think you all put pickled cucumbers on your burgers in the U.S. for the same reason."

"Pickles?" Lyra echoed, shrugging. "That would work the same."

The conversation at the table flowed easily. Everyone was eager to know more about Lyra, but they didn't pester her with questions. She had time to eat and enjoy her food—as well as her Daddy's presence.

"How long have you played the cello?" Sadie asked as they all finished their meals.

"I started on the violin when I was three. I loved it, too, but the cello always drew me. When I was six, my private instructor let me try the cello. I was too small for even the smallest size cello they make, but I insisted, and even though I struggled, I was determined. It felt so right in my hands. I eventually grew into it and rented larger ones until I was fully grown and got the one I have now at fourteen."

"You had a private instructor at six?" Juniper asked.

"I did. My parents were very busy. They encouraged me to pursue individual activities. I wasn't into watching TV or sports. I did love music, so I practiced during all my free time."

"No wonder you're so good," Sadie exclaimed.

"Natural talent had a hand in Lyra reaching her level of expertise as well, I assume," Magnus pointed out drily.

Lyra nodded. "It did. One by one, all the students dropped out as they became interested in dating, sports, and even video games. Some maintained their playing ability and continued to play in school or community college bands. I did that, too," Lyra explained. "I enjoy continuing to challenge myself."

"You play in a quartet now?" Zara asked.

"I do. Or I did before I ran away. They're going to hate me," Lyra said, feeling sad.

Her Daddy's arm reached around her to hug her tightly. "It's possible they'll understand. They had to be under pressure, too."

"Yes. Over the last year, Boyd became everyone's manager. But enough about me. I want to hear everyone's story. What brought you all here to Danger Bluff?"

"A bank robbery," Juniper stated simply.

"Human traffickers," Zara said.

"A scientific discovery," Celeste threw into the conversation.

"A crappy former boss," Sadie shared.

"Wow. I'm sure there's a lot more story to all of those. Will you tell me about them sometime?" Lyra asked.

"Of course. You're one of us now," Sadie assured her. "We're glad you're here."

The other Littles nodded, as did the Daddies who were present. Phoenix hugged her a bit tighter to his hard frame before pressing a kiss to her temple.

When Sadie's phone trumpeted a message, everyone jumped. "Oh, no. I set a warning on my phone if a reservation came in for your old manager, Boyd Zhivers. He's arriving this afternoon."

"How did you know his last name? I've only called him Boyd?" Lyra asked, stiffly sitting up straight to distance herself from Phoenix.

"Looks like it's time for the two of us to chat, Little girl," her Daddy said firmly. "Are you finished eating?"

Lyra looked down at the remains of the delicious burger and fries. She couldn't eat another bite, especially now that she was on edge. "Yes. I'm done."

"If you all will excuse us?" Phoenix asked.

"Of course," Celeste said, sending Lyra a smile. "We've loved chatting with you. Everything is going to be okay here, Lyra."

"Thanks." Lyra knew that response was snappy, but she was too pissed about being investigated.

"Come with me, Crash," Phoenix said as he stood. He offered his hand to Lyra.

Putting hers against his palm, Lyra vowed to listen to what he said, but she'd never allow someone to manipulate her again. Lesson learned. Gritting her teeth, Lyra tried to convince her heart to heed the warning her brain was sending as they walked to the elevator.