Chapter Five

Ringo

"You keep her safe and comfortable. And if your dick touches her anywhere, I'll cut it off and feed it to you."

Yeah. I got it. Dom wasn't OK with me being with his daughter. I mean, I was pretty sure I could get around him cutting off my dick by the mere fact he'd never willingly touch my dick, but I'd never take advantage of any woman in Calista's position. Especially not this one. Not only was she my MC brother's daughter, but she was special.

I wasn't too proud to admit I was taken with her. I wasn't sure why, but she'd snagged my attention and wouldn't let go. Even now, I itched to pull her back into my arms to comfort her. It was where she belonged. And that wasn't me. I didn't claim women. Not like I wanted to claim Calista. No, I didn't know her. All I knew was that she'd braved the wild at night on her own to save herself instead of calmly walking to her fate. Or waiting for someone to rescue her. That alone made her fierce.

Once Dom was gone, Calista sagged against the wall. I could tell she was bone tired.

"Hey, baby girl," I murmured as I stood and stepped toward her. "You've got to be starving. Apple left some stuff on the table. Wanna see what she brought?"

She looked up at me. It was easy to see the exhaustion on her face. "Yeah. I'd like a bath first, though. I've got mud and swamp water all over me." She wrinkled her nose delicately. "I stink."

I chuckled. "Darlin', I don't think you could ever stink. I should know. I carried you here. That's about as close as a person can get." Then I winked at her. "At least with our clothes on."

I had no idea why I said it -- flirting with her wasn't a great idea -- but her smile when I did made me not care so much about what Dom thought.

The beauty of that smile made my breath catch. Instead of the sunrise, I wanted to wake up to this smiling woman every fuckin' day.

Finally, I let my grin fade. She continued to look at me shyly but not like she was embarrassed. Yeah. She was interested. Put the ball decidedly in my favor.

"Come on. These apartments in the main compound are pretty much the same. Let me show you the bathroom, and you can have some privacy. I'll keep breakfast warm for you."

"Thank you, Ringo. Thanks for believing me and bringing me to Dominic. I wasn't sure what I was going to do if I couldn't get in."

"I knew you the second I got a good look at you. Dom showed me pictures of you as soon as he got them. He's always been very proud of you. Broke his heart when he heard about your mother. He wanted to go after you, but he knew Tina had married and that the man you were staying with was the only father you'd ever known. No one turned up anything on Illivitch, but I don't think Crush or Byte dug too deeply. They knew you were safe, at least, at the time. They had measures in place to alert them if you were in extreme danger. But this? If they'd've turned up anything like the selling of young women, they'd have told Rocket and Dom immediately. We'd have come for you."

She shook her head. "I don't understand. None of you know me. Dominic doesn't know me. All he has are pictures sent to him by a dead woman."

"You have the same expressions he does sometimes," I pointed out. "I saw how you dealt with Redwood. You're your father's daughter. Anyone not blind can see it."

She nodded at me once. "Thank you. If my mom was to be believed and not just giving me a reason to not hate him, Dominic was always a brave man, serving his country and protecting all of us."

"That pretty much sums up Dom. Though, he no longer works for the government officially." I shrugged. "Once a SEAL, always a SEAL."

She nodded again, then disappeared into the bathroom.

I leaned back against the wall. It was all I could do to keep my legs underneath me. This girl had the power to bring me to my knees with a fucking look . "God, I'm so fucked," I muttered to myself.

With a grunt, I moved to the table to check out what the women had brought up. Leftover brisket, potato salad, baked beans, and biscuits. There was an assortment of fruits and a vegetable tray, both with dip. They'd also brought a single cup coffeepot as well as an assortment of juices and sodas. Of course, Dom already had beer. No coffee pot of his own, but a whole fridge full of beer. I found it amusing the women knew this about Dom and came prepared.

I put the warm dishes in the oven on a low temperature, just to keep it all warm until she was ready to come out.

Twenty minutes later, she did. She was dressed in men's lounge pants and a T-shirt, both of which looked all too familiar. The sight of her in my clothes was a little bit more than I could bear. Because all I could think about now was stripping them off her. How the fuck Lemon ended up bringing my clothes I had no idea, but I was sure it was a conspiracy.

The shirt came down to mid-thigh and slid off one slim shoulder. She wasn't wearing a bra that I could tell. She was slight and my shirt was at least four or five sizes too big, but there was no strap over that creamy shoulder. I was pretty sure I saw a nipple tenting the cotton when she moved. Though the pants were several sizes too big, she'd rolled up the bottoms so they clung to her ankles. Her hair was wet, but she brushed out what I now saw were long, curly strands of silk that rolled gently down her back to the curve of her ass.

"Sweet Jesus." I must have whispered it out loud because Calista stopped and looked in my direction. I scrubbed a hand over my mouth. Try as I might, though, I couldn't look away from her. There was nothing remotely sexy about the way she looked, but I'll be Goddamned if my dick wasn't hard as a motherfucker now.

She studied me for a moment, then took a careful step toward the table, never taking her eyes off me. I probably looked exactly like what I was: a predator who'd found his prey.

Calista sat at the table and picked up the bottle of water I'd left out and removed the cap. Never taking her eyes from me, she took a long pull… Until her thirst overrode her trepidation.

The water was cold and, even though I knew she'd likely drunk while she was in the bathroom, there was nothing quite like an ice-cold bottle of water to quench a thirst. Her eyes slipped shut, and she groaned as she gulped down the water.

"Christ," I muttered again. "You're gonna be the death of me, baby girl."

I went to the oven and took out the food Apple had brought, setting everything on the table. "I know it's not breakfast food, but it's something." I got the fruit and veggies out of the fridge, too. "If there isn't anything here you want, I'll go down and snag some breakfast. Apple's made it her mission to feed everyone while she's here and, I have to admit, the girl ain't a bad cook."

Calista gave me a small smile. "This all looks wonderful. Don't let me forget to thank whoever made and brought this up."

"That'd be Apple again. And don't worry. I'm sure they'll all be back later. Right now, though, you need food and rest."

"What's going to happen next?" She met my gaze and for the first time, she looked haunted.

"Nothin' you need to worry about, baby girl. Let your daddy take care of everything. It's what he does."

"I brought these problems straight to him. I should help."

"You are. By staying here and lettin' him do this." I sat down next to her and gripped her hand in a tight squeeze. Immediately, pleasure zinged through my hand up my body and went straight to my cock. I had to get a handle on this! If Dom walked in and saw me sporting the mother of all hard-ons he would not be impressed.

I cleared my throat and forced myself to let her go. Then the woman had to go and turn her hand so she grabbed onto my fingers. Our gazes clashed. Her breathing sped up until a small sob escaped her.

She let go of my hand, but I wasn't having that. Everything inside me screamed to comfort her in any way she needed. Right now, I thought she just needed to feel safe again.

"Talk to me, honey. Tell me what you need."

With a heart-wrenching sob, she stood so fast the chair fell over backward and she threw herself at me. I caught her, wrapping my arms around her tightly. I urged her onto my lap, draping her legs on either side of my hips. Then I stood with her and walked to the couch to sit.

Calista clung so tightly she nearly strangled me, but I wasn't about to make her let up. I just rubbed her back with one hand while the other arm was around her, holding her tightly to me.

Of course, Dom chose that moment to come back. "Christ, Ringo," he growled. "I'm gonna hate it, but when she's feeling safe and more like herself, you know I'm going to have to kill you. Right?"

"Yeah, brother. I hear you." I didn't stop, though. If this woman needed, I provided. Even if providing for her meant taking a beating from her old man. It was scary really. How far gone I was on this woman already. Hell, the only thing I knew about her was that she was brave beyond measure. Kind of like Lemon. Which… Yeah. I wasn't thinkin' about that one. I wasn't sure I was man enough to endure that kind of a woman. But, by God, I was going to try. And just like that, I knew Calista was going to be mine.

Calista stirred then, wiping her nose on the back of her wrist with a grimace. "You can't kill him, Dom," she said in a soft voice. "I jumped him. Not the other way around." Then she stiffened, moving from my lap to the floor. I shot Dom an annoyed look. It was his fault she was trying to raise her shields again.

"He's not really gonna kill me, baby girl." I used the nickname deliberately, needing Dom to see he could threaten, could even follow through with those threats, but he was not going to intimidate me into staying away from Calista. She was his daughter, but she'd chosen me as her protector. That was very clear.

"Don't bet on it," Dom grumbled. "Baby." He reached for Calista. She was hesitant, but went to him. He pulled her into a loose embrace. He still almost completely enveloped her with his much larger frame. Calista allowed the show of affection and returned it, but she didn't relax. It was more like she was doing something she felt like she was expected to do.

"I'm gonna get those fuckers for you, honey. You'll be safe and can do anything or go anywhere you want without thinkin' they'll be on your tail."

"I don't…" Her voice broke. "I don't have anywhere to go."

"Then you stay here. Hell, I'd have suggested that first, but I didn't want to freak you out. I'm much rather have you here where Lemon and Apple can get you into all kinds of mischief than have you by yourself in the city."

Calista glanced in my direction before ducking her head. "It's really OK if I stay here? Even after I kicked Peckerwood in the balls?"

"Yeah, honey. Maybe even because you busted his balls. Means you can hold your own with the men in this outfit." He gave me a hard stare. "Any of ‘em come on to you, I want to know about it."

"I'm sure no one will do that," she said softly, her gaze flickered to me several times.

"Hey." I winked at her. "I'll be comin' on to you. But don't worry. It'll be our secret."

To my surprise -- and to Dom's if the expression on his face was any indication -- Calista let out a small giggle before clapping her hand over her mouth. Christ! The woman was a combination of hardass and innocence. How the fuck was I supposed to resist that?

Dom grumbled under his breath. "I suppose this is why Tina didn't want me in your life. She knew I'd smother any girl child I had to within an inch of her life."

Calista shook her head, amusement still on her face. "Actually, she told me she would have loved watching you interact with me. Said you'd have run off any boy I tried to date and would probably forbid me from dating until I was forty. And only then because you'd be too old to prevent it."

"Oh, make no mistake, honey. You want to date when you're forty, I might be going downhill in the fitness department, but I'll still be able to pick up a gun and shoot with complete accuracy." Dom said this as a reflex. By the time he finished, there was a look of abject horror on his face and Calista was grinning like a loon.

"Looks like Mom was right."

"Ah, hell." Dom laced his fingers behind his head and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. When he looked up again, there was a soft expression on his face. One I'd never seen on the big bruiser before. If this is what having kids did to a man, I wasn't really sure I wanted to go down that rabbit hole. Which, I knew, is where I was headed. "I'm sorry, Calista," he said, sounding very contrite. "But I just can't stand by and watch you date that one over there." He nodded in my direction. "He's fuckin' Army." He said that last word like it left a bitter taste in his mouth. "Now, if he were Navy, or even Marine, I might be able to tolerate the thought. Not sayin' I'd let him date you, just that he might get to live if he tried. But a fuckin' Bullet Catcher? Ain't fuckin' happenin', baby."

That really got the giggles from Calista.

"Hey," I said. "We all know Joe's are better'n Jarheads."

The banter between me and Dom seemed to defuse most of the tension. At least, Calista's shoulders were more relaxed, and she no longer looked like she was afraid of stepping a toe out of line.

"No one said I was dating anyone," she said primly, but her gaze slid to mine and she ducked her head.

"You're not old enough to date," Dom groused. "You're barely out of your teens."

"Dad, I'm twenty-one." Calista smiled but I could see the exact moment she realized she'd called Dom "Dad." An unsure expression crossed her face before she shut it down, her face going blank.

I gave Dom a hard look, wondering if he'd pick up on it and call her out or simply roll with it. I wasn't sure either one of those options were great.

To my surprise -- and one I'd gleefully relay to Lemon later -- Dom sucked in a breath, his eyes filling with tears. The big, bad sergeant at arms for one of the most feared group of men in the world, sank to his knees in front of Calista and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face into her abdomen and sobbed like his heart was breaking.