BONNIE
Bonnie was going to throw up. She watched as her Daddy walked out of the car and toward her brother. She couldn’t see any guns, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have any.
“Take a deep breath in,” Daddy Ray said. “You’re going to make yourself throw up.”
She shook her head as she kept her eyes on Daddy. She didn’t want to look away and have something happen to him.
“Now,” Daddy Ray commanded. “I’m not going to have you throw up and pass out.”
Bonnie turned her head and glared at him. Was he really telling her what to do right now?
“I would listen to him. Unless you want your bottom spanked right here,” Lucius said.
“Stop ganging up on me,” she whined.
“We’re not. We want you safe and healthy. You’re worrying yourself so much you aren’t breathing properly.”
She sighed and closed her eyes for a couple of seconds. Daddy Ray was right, but she couldn’t help it. Daddy was out there talking to her brother. What if her brother shot Daddy? Or what if Daddy shot Ethan? She wouldn’t be able to deal with either one of those things happening.
“Copy that,” Lucius said.
Bonnie turned her head toward him. Who was he talking to?
“What’s wrong?” she whispered, dread filling her stomach.
“Ethan wants to see you,” Lucius replied. “Both of you are coming out of the car on my side. You both will stay right next to me and won’t say a word. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Bonnie whispered.
“Raynar?”
“Yeah, I understand.”
She watched as Lucius opened the door and climbed out. Her hands started to shake as she scooted over and let him help her out. She was going to be sick.
“Deep breath,” Daddy Ray reminded her. “Slow deep breath in.”
Bonnie took several deep breaths in as Daddy Ray got out of the car. It helped some, but she was definitely still feeling a little queasy.
“Stay by my side,” Lucius said.
Daddy Ray grabbed her hand as all three of them walked toward Daddy. She could see Ethan standing on the other side. He looked like his normal self. Maybe a little more tired, but nothing had changed.
“Bonnie,” Ethan said as they came to a stop.
“Ethan,” she gently said.
Daddy was right in front of them, and they were standing to the side. She could see several of Ethan’s men she recognized.
“Hi Dahmere, Jason, Mathias, and Clinton,” Bonnie said, waving at them.
She was nervous and needed to keep her mind occupied. They were some of Ethan’s most trusted men and people she’d gotten to know really well. Everyone but Mathias gave her a smile before turning back to looking at her Daddy. Right, they were working right now and shouldn’t be getting distracted.
“Come here, Bonnie,” Ethan said. “We’re going home.”
Her eyes went wide and she took a step back. They were meeting up so she could go home with Ethan? Daddy didn’t want her anymore.
“She isn’t going anywhere,” Daddy growled.
“Bonnie. Now,” Ethan commanded.
She shook her head. She didn’t want to go anywhere. Bonnie wanted to stay with Daddy and Daddy Ray. She loved them.
“Bonnie.” Ethan’s tone was full of warning. “We’re going home.”
“Ethan, no.”
He gave her a shocked look. “No?”
“Yes, no.”
“Bonnie. They aren’t good for you. Come home with me and I’ll find you a suitable husband.”
“No, Ethan. I don’t want that. I want Daddy and Daddy Ray.”
Ethan was staring at her, probably trying to figure out if she’d been brainwashed or not. Well, that was what Bonnie thought. Who knows what Ethan was actually thinking. His face was deceptive.
“Bonnie,” Ethan slowly said.
“Ethan, I don’t want to leave them. I absolutely love them and I can’t imagine a life without them,” Bonnie rushed out.
She’d had no clue what he was going to say, but that was what had come out. The truth. She needed to let him know she found two people she loved and who were going to take care of her.
Bonnie wished she could see the emotions flashing across his face, but he kept his expression neutral. Like he always did. Even when they were alone, he didn’t show much emotion. Would he ever show emotion?
She remembered when they were growing up, he’d had this one girl he was sweet on, Margery. Bonnie knew they were madly in love and thought they were going to get married and have kids. But when Mama died and he started to fight, he broke it off with her.
After that, even more inexplicably, Ethan had gone through great lengths to make sure everyone thought he was dead. The people they grew up with. He didn’t want any one of them to know he was who he was. Everyone in the city knew about the horrible accident that supposedly killed Ethan. It was tragic.
They’d changed their last name to Montgomery after he supposedly died.
But Bonnie didn’t understand why or how it was really a secret. Maybe it instilled fear whenever people thought they saw him walking around the city. It was huge, and even she didn’t ever see many people they grew up with. A lot of them had moved to different states. But Margery hadn’t. She was still in New York.
She’d thought about messaging Margery several times, wanting to meet up with her, but Bonnie didn’t want to bother her. Margery thought Ethan was dead and she didn’t want to slip up and mention he wasn’t or make her grief worse somehow.
“What?” Ethan asked. “Have they brainwashed you?”
“No!” She raised her voice. Tears of frustration filled her eyes. Why couldn’t he just understand she’d found two people she loved. Two people who also happened to be Daddies and could keep her safe. “I promise you they haven’t brainwashed me. I love them. They can protect me and keep me safe like you want, and they happen to be my Daddies, as well.”
Bonnie wasn’t ashamed to say she had Daddies. That was who they were and Ethan knew she was a Little. Sometimes, Bonnie thought he was a Daddy, but she didn’t know for sure. He was very secretive.
“No,” Ethan said. “Unacceptable.”
“Unacceptable?”
“Do you know who they are? What they’ve done? They killed some of my men.”
Daddy stepped to the side so he was blocking her view. “You will not speak to her like that. You have seen she is well and is happy. Now we can talk about what we need to talk about.”
“No. I’m taking Bonnie home with me and that is the end of the discussion.”
“Ethan, please just hear Daddy out. There’s been a huge miscommunication. You two can solve this and not be enemies anymore!
Please, just hear him out,” Bonnie begged.
“I’m not talking to him. I’m going to take you home,” Ethan replied.
“Please, Ethan. It was all a miscommunication.”
“We’re going to end this. Kill them all,” Ethan commanded.
Before she could stop herself, Bonnie rushed in front of Daddy and put her arms up.
“You’ll have to shoot me,” she said, fear coursing through her body.
“Step aside,” Daddy said.
“No! If he won’t listen and is going to kill you then I’m going to stop him. He’ll have to kill me because without you two, I would want to die.” “Stop!” Ethan yelled.
Bonnie stared at Ethan and for the first time in a while, she saw a flicker of shock cross his face.
“You would die for them?”
“Please, just listen to what Daddy has to say. I promise it’ll all make sense,” she begged.
Ethan let out a sigh and looked over at Rogan. “Fine.”