Page 22 of Operation Daddy

“Tsk. Tsk,” Tuff said, making it hard for July not to laugh again.

July squared his shoulders. “Okay, here’s the deal. As these men have told you several times, you’re trespassing. They will shoot you. No one would likely find your body afterward, so being a cop means nothing here. You’re really brave for coming here, but I don’t want you to die for me. That would make me sad, and I’m tired of being unhappy. I’ve found my happy place here. You’ve seen me. Now, my advice would be to never admit you’ve seen me. Not only would that put me in danger, but these men will also definitely kill you.” July switched his attention to Fletch. He didn’t want to know what happened next. “Tuff is taking me to look at his new kittens.”

Fletch met his stare for a moment. “Good idea. You don’t want to be here for this.”

July gave him a sharp nod and walked away with Tuff in tow. He knew who he had attached himself to, and he was damn glad for it. Every new situation he found himself in since arriving proved Fletch was the one. July felt safe, like he never had. He desperately wanted this life with Fletch. July should act like it.

Fletch waited until the last wisp of July disappeared before poking the detective's head with the gun. “Get moving.”

Dutch took a step and then spun. He never got the chance to snatch Fletch’s gun as he obviously planned to do. Fletch had him on his back with his boot on Dutch’s neck.

“Now why would you do something dumb like that?”

The detective smiled. “You can’t blame a man for trying.”

Fletch lifted his foot and helped Dutch to his feet. “I can, but I’ll let it go this one time. You obviously have no idea how out of your league you are.” He patted Dutch down. Oddly, he wasn’t armed. “Damn, you’re an even bigger idiot than I thought. Not even a service weapon.”

“Well, technically, it’s my day off.”

Fletch shook his head. “You have a strange idea of fun things to do in your free time.”

Dutch shrugged. “You don’t know. Maybe I’m a masochist.”

“This is an unfortunate situation. I might actually like you under normal circumstances.”

“I don’t hang out with thugs.”

Dutch’s words didn’t cut as he no doubt hoped. Fletch led the way to the edge of the property. “Never mind. I take it back. You’re an asshole.”

As they passed through a line of trees and the road came into view, a group of guards waited for Dutch. The moment Dutch had stepped foot on the property, he had triggered alarms. They had watched him for a few minutes to see his plan. It looked to Fletch as if Dutch didn’t have one.

Fletch focused on the head of the perimeter. “Follow him home. Make sure he gets there safely.” He met Dutch’s dark-blue stare. “This isn’t a mistake you can afford to make twice. You have no idea what you're mixed up in. Do you really think they’re calling in all the detectives to find one missing grown man? You should think about that as you forget you saw July. You’re walking away with your life today. Remember that because the people who led you here won’t give you the same grace. Don’t come back.”

“Noted.”

Fletch dipped his chin and headed back toward the compound. It seemed Tuff had kittens. Fletch had a feeling he was about to get one. He sighed. Fletch didn’t mean it. He couldn’t wait to see July with a new fur baby. Honestly, that sounded like it was exactly what July needed.

Halfway back to the house, Tuff met him. He didn’t wait for Fletch to ask about July. “I left July with the cats. There’s an entire household watching out for him. We need to talk alone.”

Fletch stopped walking and gave Tuff his attention. “What’s up?”

“I think I need you to tell me everything, so I’m not caught off guard if this happens again. July said someone used to get off on killing his pets to hurt him. What the fuck, dude? Now police are showing up looking for him. If I’m going to be his full-time guard, you have to let me know what I’ve walked into. Obviously, I’ll guard him with my life no matter what, but pre-warned is pre-armed.”

Fletch didn’t miss a beat. “That’s fair. I thought you had been given the rundown when Henry assigned you to him.”

Tuff shook his head. “All I was told was July is your man, he lives here full-time now, and he would require a soft touch. Obviously, I wondered why he was beaten all to hell, but didn’t want to be nosey. Now I’m thinking I should’ve asked a lot more questions.”

Fletch nodded along. He got it. “Like I said, that’s totally valid. What does the name Rex Rich mean to you?”

Tuff shrugged. “He’s the government’s idea of a drug lord.”

“That’s who did all the damage you see, everything July’s told you, and then too much more to name. He almost killed July last time he got a little upset. July ran. He ended up in my care. Unfortunately, in Rex’s mind, July is still his property. Before that detective showed up, Rex only suspected that July is in our care. If that detective talks, it’ll likely bring a lot of heat. I don’t think it’ll be a problem much longer. Rex won’t live long enough to touch him again.”

“He’s brave.”

Fletch smiled at Tuff’s compliment. “He is, even though he doesn’t realize it.”

A smile exploded across Tuff’s face. “Has Kylo met him yet?”