Chapter 13
Lila
At Daddy’s house, the guys laid him down on his bed while I fussed around him. I could see that he was trying to be a big man and pretend like he wasn’t in pain and didn’t need anyone’s help but what he was saying about it being just a scratch on his calf was a lie. I still hadn’t been able to make the bleeding stop.
After a lot of arguing, he finally agreed to get Rodeo to call Doctor Simpson, the man who treated members of the MC when they couldn’t be taken to the hospital for legal reasons.
After the doctor had been called, Daddy asked the others to leave his room but I remained. When I looked at Girth, I could see that he was skeptical to leave me even for a few minutes alone with my dad. He hesitantly left the bedroom but I knew he was going to stand right outside the door and I was glad he was here. With Girth around, I felt like nothing could happen to me.
I shut the door behind all of them, and walked over to Daddy’s bed. His pillows had been fluffed up and someone had handed him a cold bottle of beer which he was in the process of guzzling down.
“Daddy, I don’t know if you should be drinking so much right now,” I said to him and he smiled at me.
“It helps with the pain, mouse, don’t worry so much,” he said with a laugh and I noticed the way his shoulders shook.
“So you are in pain, then? I thought it was just a scratch,” I said and he looked away from me.
I knelt down beside his bed and reached for his hand. The fact that he was the only one who’d been shot had bruised his ego, I could see that.
“Daddy, look at me,” I demanded and he had no other choice but to face me now.
“Can we agree that things have gone too far?” I asked him.
I was itching to tell him, to beg him to let me leave the city but it wasn’t time yet. He would never agree to it, not right now.
“Things had gone too far when they took a shot at my daughter, you don’t have to tell me now, mouse,” dad said and he sounded tired. I knew he needed rest, but it was important to have this conversation with him in private.
“Then, you need to make it stop,” I said and he nodded his head.
“Trust me, Lila, I’m doing everything in my power to stop this. I promise I will take care of it, just give me some time,” he said and I gulped.
“How much time is some time, Daddy? What kind of a life will I have to lead till then? I’m always looking over my shoulders, I’m constantly scared for my life,” I said. I wasn’t being aggressive, because that was not going to work. I needed him to see things from my perspective.
Daddy’s eyes had narrowed on me, he was studying my face closely.
“Aren’t you happy with your new bodyguard?” he asked and I shook my head.
“Girth is good, I like him, I feel safe with him,” I said and my father’s face instantly lit up.
“There you go, then, you don’t have anything to worry about,” he said and I straightened up. Why was it so hard for him to understand?
“But I don’t want to live with a bodyguard, Daddy,” I said.
“I’ll talk to Girth and make sure he’s giving you some privacy. I can see that the guy is too passionate about his job,” Daddy said.
“It’s what makes him so good at it,” I snapped and his eyes narrowed on me again. I quickly gathered myself.
“What I mean is that you don’t need to talk to Girth. He’s giving me enough privacy. I don’t feel uncomfortable around him, I just…I just want…” I was fumbling with my words and I felt embarrassed under my dad’s hot stare.
“What do you want, mouse? You know you can have anything you want. Do you need more money?” he asked and I gulped and shook my head. The two things I wanted, I knew he would never give me. He wouldn’t let me go to New York, and he would never approve of me being with Girth.
“No, Daddy, I don’t need more money. Forget it, just take care of yourself,” I said and leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his forehead.
Dad smiled at me and I squeezed his hand.
“I’ll be fine, mouse, it’s nothing,” he said. I shook my head and rolled my eyes.
“I know, it’s just a scratch,” I joked and we smiled at each other as I walked towards the door of his bedroom.
“Lila!” I heard dad call out and I stopped in my tracks. For a moment, I was afraid that he’d figured out what was going on between Girth and me. I turned to him slowly, my face felt pinched and flushed with guilt.
“I’m glad you’re happy with Girth. He comes highly recommended by your godfather. Let me know if you’re having problems with him, I want the best for my daughter,” he said. I nodded my head and walked out of the room. I could feel the guilt coursing through my veins.
I was more than just happy with Girth, I was falling for him. For my dad however, Girth was nothing more than an employee. He would never see Girth the way I saw him.
I shut the door behind me and just as I predicted, I saw Girth standing next to it. I stifled a smile when I saw his eyes light up.
***
Girth and I were silent as we walked out of my father’s house together. I had my head turned down as I walked beside him. I had too many thoughts whirling in my head; especially the disappointment of not being able to tell dad about my wish to go to New York. It was never going to happen.
“Are you sure you want to go back to your place? Don’t you want to stay with your dad?” Girth asked, once we were outside.
We were standing facing each other now, and I could see traces of worry still on his face.
“No, I’d like to be home and I know my dad, he wants to be alone too. He can’t stand the thought of suffering through pain in front of everyone else,” I replied and Girth stuck his hands into the pockets of his pants and nodded his head.
I couldn’t stop staring at him, admiring the power of his body, the strength in his eyes. The way his biceps clenched tightly as he stood there in front of me. Every inch of him was sexy and he didn’t even know it. He had a way of looking at me that made me feel naked under his gaze, beautifully naked.
“Okay, I’ll take you home,” he said and he was about to step away from me, but I reached for his hand, unable to stop myself in time. When our hands touched, he quickly slid it away from me like he’d been burnt.
I gulped and looked into his eyes.
“I was so scared,” I said, in all honesty. I felt like there was nobody else I could really communicate my feelings to, except him.
When the men arrived on bikes and started shooting, I had frozen to the spot. I’d not been able to do anything other than scream with my hands pressed to my ears. It wasn’t until Abe pushed himself against me, making me fall to the ground that I was able to get out of the line of fire. I would have been dead by now, and while the carnage continued all around us, while Daddy got shot; all I could think about was Girth and how I wouldn’t have felt so alone if he was there.
Girth looked at me again, as though he’d forgotten that I’d just tried to hold his hand.
“I’m not going to leave your side, Lila, I promise. It was my mistake to leave you alone there,” he said and I could see that he was genuinely blaming himself.
I shook my head.
“You needed sleep, I know you didn’t get any last night. I was checking on you through the peephole,” I said and a smile tugged at the corners of my lips. Girth was grinning too.
“Looks like I have my own bodyguard too,” he said and my smile grew, but Girth checked himself quickly.
“I’m fine, I’ll get some sleep tonight, I’m not really that tired. I’ll get the job done,” he said and made to walk away.
I was feeling desperate, I liked the fact that he’d smiled at me, even if for a second when he forgot himself.
“In my house,” I stated and Girth stopped in his tracks.
“What are you talking about?” he asked, turning to me again with his brows crossed. His golden brown eyes were on fire again.
“My dad gave his orders, he thinks you need to stay closer to me at all times,” I said, and I tried to make my voice as firm as possible. Girth was staring at me, and I stared back at him holding his gaze.
“Your dad said this?” he asked and I nodded my head. I was lying through my teeth. Daddy had said nothing of the sort, instead he’d mentioned giving me more privacy. But now I felt like I was losing Girth, not that I had him to begin with, but he was slipping away. He was blaming himself for betraying his MC and his captain, and I wanted him closer to myself.
“He told me right now. This incident has really shaken him up, he’s just being paranoid but maybe he’s right, maybe I’ll feel safer if you’re in my house,” I said.
Girth hadn’t stopped staring at me, like he was trying to figure out if I was lying or not. I was hoping he couldn’t see the desperation in my eyes.
“How am I going to keep an eye on your entire property if I’m inside the house?” he asked and I shrugged my shoulders.
“I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out,” I said and walked past him towards his bike, so that he didn’t have a chance to change his mind.
I could sense Girth following me now.
“Are you sure about this, Lila?” he asked, and this time it was him who’d reached for my hand. I didn’t slip my hand away from him and I thrilled at the warmth of his touch.
“Why Girth, are you saying that you wouldn’t be able to resist me?” I asked him and he let go of my hand. I could see that he was clenching his jaws now, like I had hit the nail right on the head.
He stepped past me and got on his bike and I sat down behind him. This time, I didn’t just place my hands on his shoulders, but I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him tightly.
We rode together all the way to my house, and even though my dad had just been shot, and I’d been screeching and crying just a few hours ago; I had a smile on my face. I felt closer to Girth now. He was going to stay in my house, and this way, I would always have him with me.