* * *

We made it to the cottage where my brothers had already started questioning the men. The rescued women were in the other room with blankets and sipping the cups of coffee someone had made.

I passed her the bag of food and indicated that she should take it to them. “In just a minute.” She walked across the room and I watched my brothers watch her as she moved.

My skin burned and I gritted my teeth as the men in the room had eyes on her. Okay, I don’t like other men near her; check. That might prove to be a problem. Fuck, I’m turning into Cord.

I barely stopped myself from pulling her back when she stopped just in front of them.

“Eenie-meenie-minie.” She pointed at Lo, Con, and Dev and seemed to dismiss them before looking at one of the perpetrators.

“Moe.” She gave him what I would call a death ray glare then hauled her arm back and socked him in the face. Badass.

“Whoa brother, that’s yours?” Dev had moved over to stand beside me.

“Yep.” I answered him feeling more than a little proud as we watched her along with everyone else. She shook her hand off and Lo lifted a brow at me.

“Kelly, come here.” I held out my hand to her and she came to me and took it without question. The sweet little girl was gone. Her face looked like my brothers’ and I did when we were ready to fuck shit up.

“Guys, this is Kelly McCullum, as in Admiral Kyle McCullum’s daughter.” The only people in the room who didn’t react to the name were Lyon and the other civilians in the room.

Even Mancini who we still didn’t know if he’d done anytime in the service or not, seemed to recognize the name. There was an obvious shift in the room.

Con’s, ‘oh fuck’. Was a sentiment I think we all shared. Her old man was one of the CO’s best friends. Not to mention his reputation among the SEALs going back forty years.

The men had served together back in the day and he happened to be on the list we’d found with the codes. I was afraid that this shit had just gone nuclear on our asses.

“Yes and I need to call him soon before we lose most of the western seaboard.” She wasn’t lying. From what I know of the man he would most definitely level the whole country to find his kid.

“We will.” I squeezed her hand in mine before turning back to Lo.

“What have we got?” He looked at her and I got the message.

“You might as well tell him because I already know something’s going on. My guess, it has something to do with a run my dad made back in the day with his team.”

“I recognized some of the names after I had everyone introduce themselves when we were being held.”

She glared at the men again and the one she socked stepped back, trying to disappear through the wall. She gave Lo a look that said she wasn’t going anywhere and I couldn’t help but admire her guts. Pure trouble!

“Fine, let’s get to it.” Lo was still looking at her like he expected her to strike. Either that, or he was just plain studying the offspring of a legend.

“Yeah but I have to call my dad first.” She actually stared him down with her hand on her hip. The message that she wasn’t about to budge came through loud and clear.

“You sure?” Lo’s question was directed at me and I knew just what he was asking.

“One hundred percent.”

The groans started, as my brothers interpreted the little byplay. “That shit’s going to be trouble.” Ty grinned and walked over to us.

“Hi I’m Tyler, your new big brother. You’re mad-dog’s kid huh!”

“Yes sir, but you better not let him hear you call him that. It makes him rabid.”

The room cracked up and the tension eased slightly, but I realized that she hadn’t called Ty on his big brother crack. Maybe she doesn’t know what he’s getting at.

“Okay boys and girls, assholes to elbows. We still have that thing and then we have to leave.” Connor moved towards the room where the five young girls waited and the rest of us followed.

A cute Latina teenager jumped up from her chair as soon as we entered the room and made a beeline for Kelly.

“Oh thank shit, they said you were okay but I didn’t believe them.” She glared around the room with a look that in a few years was sure to make some man’s balls retract in fear.

The two women hugged and Kelly reassured the girl before she went to all the others and whispered to them.

She gave them the sandwiches and ordered them to eat, reassuring them in her words, that we were navy and they were safe now.

I noticed she didn’t get into too much about who we are though I knew she knew that we were more than that. Her daddy had really trained her well.

It took a couple hours to get the whole story from each of the girls. They were indeed all military brats, some marine and air force.

A pattern was forming. There was no doubt that these men had worked together at some point and whatever it was they’d done, Khalil was at the other end of it.

“Quinn I really need to call my dad.”

“I know baby but we have to make sure the call’s secure first.” When she became distressed I caved.

“I’ll make the call.” I kissed her temple and told her to stay there even though I was in no hurry to be separated from her.

My brothers followed me out of the room, leaving the girls and the kidnappers behind with Law’s crew.

Technically Lyon and Mancini shouldn’t be privy to the calls we were about to make but I’m pretty sure that my brothers, like me, knew they’d earned their place by our side.

Of course she followed us out of the room which was good because I’d already begun to feel like there was some shit missing.

It hadn’t even been a minute but already I knew, that it was going to be like this for a long time to come. That being away from her was always going to have an affect on me.

I’ll have to brush up on my memory of that part of the old legend, but I’m pretty sure it says she owns my ass now. Fuck me!

As long as Ty never learns about that shit I’m straight. “I thought I told you to stay put lil bit.” I took her hand and pulled her along with me, totally contrary to what I was saying.

We headed to the mansion for a secure line to make the call. I could see my brothers were still sizing her up, probably asking themselves some of the same questions that were running through my head.

Her hand was relaxed in mine as she walked silently beside me and I wondered how long it would be before she adrenaline crashed.

For now she seemed to be holding her own though so I’ll just keep an eye on her and be there when she falls. And she will fall, unless she’d inherited that hard core her dad was known for.

The women were at the windows of Zak’s place looking out but we didn’t even acknowledge them for now. Shit had escalated quick and we had to move. Right now the five women that we’d rescued, including her, seemed to be at the center of this whole mess.

We don’t know if there were other undesirables in the area or not, but I was sure my brothers and the others had secured our perimeter while I was tending to her.

She was already disrupting my shit, because I didn’t even have a chance to ask them what they’d found out so far. My mind was still wrapped up in her.

Is this what they all felt? It wasn’t so much that I was being pulled in two separate directions, but more like there was an internal shift.

Yesterday the Op would’ve been first on my agenda. In a few scant hours she had taken its place. Now all I can see is her.

I pushed her inside ahead of me and followed Lo into the secure Intel room with the others right behind us.

No one else was allowed in here but I guess we’d come too far with these guys to turn back now.

I reached for the modified SAT phone and tried to work out what the hell I was going to say to this man. He was no longer just a senior officer, but the father of the woman I’d claimed.

I guess Lo had decided to give me point on this one because usually he would’ve been the one making the call. But he just stepped back in line with the others and looked at me to proceed.

I realized then that we’ve been doing this same dance with each woman that came into our lives. It was his way of accepting that she was mine, my responsibility. Kind of like passing the torch.

“Put it on speaker Quinn.” Lo ordered as I dialed the number she gave me. It was snatched up on the other side before the first ring ended.

“McCullum.” That voice was commanding even through the phone. “Admiral sir, this is lieutenant Quinn….”

“You found my kid?” I squeezed her hand in mine.

“Yes sir.” He didn’t let me finish, but I realized he didn’t ask if I had her, but if I’d found her. He knew who I was before I said a word.

I looked at my brothers who’d also caught on. This line was secure, but it ran off the CO’s grid, the only way for anyone to recognize the frequency was if the two men had been in regular contact. We’ll save that for later.

“Who?” I didn’t need him to explain that he was asking me who had taken her, and from his tone I knew he was already whisky tango foxtrot.

“We think it’s Khalil with local help and someone high up on the inside, sir.”

“This motherfucker. Hang tight, I’m coming to get my kid.”

“Ah, you’ll have to hold off on that sir I’m taking her in.” I held up a hand to silence Kelly when she started to speak. Everyone else in the room was silent.

“Say what again?”

“I’m taking her to a safe place. I’ll call you when we get there and we can make arrangements for you to see her.”

There was a long pause on the other end before he asked in the calmest voice.

“What do you mean come see her? I’m bringing her home.”

“Negative sir.” There was another long silent pause on his end but I heard him loud and clear. He’s gonna kick my ass first chance he gets. That’s fine but he can’t have her. I took the phone off speaker when he started to get personal.

“Boy, what the hell are you talking about?” How can I explain to him that I knew his daughter on sight?

I damn sure can’t tell him that I was afraid if she was too far away from me I’d have a fucking meltdown.

Or that my dick hadn’t gone soft since I found her on the beach. Now was definitely not the time to have this conversation.

“She’ll be safe sir, my life on that.” Please don’t ask me for any more than that. I’d feel like a complete fucking idiot baring my guts in a roomful of men. Ty was already giving me looks, fucking heel and I was completely out of my depth.

“Give me the phone.” She took the phone from my hand before I could say yes or no.

“Daddy, I’m fine, Quinn’s taking very good care of me.”

She did that girly twirling her hair around her finger shit and even that sent a message straight to my dick. Is this shit for real?

“Quinn is it?”

“Well yeah, that’s his name. When we get to where we’re going I’ll call and you can come out to see me.”

Damn he’d raised her too well, she didn’t even question the Op. That or she trusted me. I prefer the latter.

But listening to her, it was obvious that she’d accepted that this thing didn’t end here, and she was giving her consent to stay and see it through.

Or, she felt the attraction and… For fuck sake it’s like walking a fucking maze in my head.

“Didn’t you two just meet? Why does it sound like you’re staying with him?”

“Daddy he’s a SEAL hello.”

“Shit.”

I couldn’t hear his end of the convo but I could imagine. She put the phone back on speaker I’m guessing at his direction. In the background it sounded like her mother came into the room.

“She’s safe Isabel.”

“Where is she?”

“They’re keeping her safe…”

“Kyle McCullum you take me to my child right this second.”

“Dammit woman I said she was okay.” There were some muffled sounds which made Kelly roll her eyes but the rest of us were in the dark.

“You’re at the CO’s place I see. We’ll be there in two. Be there or you won’t know hell until you’ve met my other half.”

He hung up and the rest of us just looked at each other. Kelly turned back to me and I couldn’t quite read the look on her face.

I got it when she leaned into me and whispered in my ear as the men filed out of the room.

“You better have a good story to give dad if you plan on keeping me with you.”

Again I was blown away by her easy acceptance.

“You know this is about more than keeping you safe right.” She looked me dead in my eyes. I can’t remember the last time anyone except my brothers had done that.

“I know.” That’s all she said before heading out of the room ahead of me. I shook my head and grinned as I walked out behind her.