“I don’t understand,” she whispered.
“Well, I admit I didn’t understand at first, either,” he admitted. “This whole Daddy/Little girl dynamic seemed rather odd to me. But as I did a little research, I came to realize that perhaps I’m a Daddy Dom. I rather like the idea of having a Little under my complete control. Maybe even two. Yes, I often work away so they could keep each other company. But then there’s the whole discipline aspect. How would I care for them if I have to leave? Do you know if there are nannies you can hire for that sort of thing?”
She just gaped at him. “That. . .that’s not the way it works. I’m not under Duke’s complete control.”
He frowned. “Hmm. . .but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t work that way. You see, I have such an issue with trusting others. Happens when you have so many enemies. But if I had someone who was completely dependent on me, well, they wouldn’t be able to betray
me, would they?”
What was happening here?
“You can’t choose to be a Daddy Dom just so you can get someone to be completely dependent on you because you have trust issues.”
“Well, why not?”
“Because that’s just not right.”
He surprised her by grinning. “Would it surprise you to hear I have a warped sense of what is right and wrong?”
“No. Not at all.”
He chuckled. Then he clicked his fingers. “I have an idea. Why don’t I just keep you? You’re already broken in.”
“Broken in? I’m not a dog!” She knew she should be scared of him. He was clearly batshit crazy. And yet, this was Marv. She’d never sensed any ill-will from him. Then or now.
Don’t be foolish, Sunny. He drugged you. Kidnapped you. He’s talking about keeping you.
“That was a joke.” He winked.
Was it, though? She eyed him warily. He pulled the stool over from the writing desk and sat, facing her. He leaned his elbows on his legs. “All right, enough about the fun stuff, let’s get onto serious business.”
“What’s going on? Why disguise yourself as a homeless person? Why bring me here? Where is here?”
“This is one of my safe houses.”
“Safe houses? You’re a cop?”
He threw his head back and laughed. She just stared at him until he reached for a tissue and wiped under his eyes. “A cop? Oh, Sunny I didn’t realize you were so funny. Are you sure you won’t stay? No? Shame. No, I’m not a cop.”
“Then why do you need a safe house?”
“It’s always a good idea to have a place to retreat to if things get a bit hot. This time, I sacrificed one of my houses for you. Did I do a good job of creating a room for you to be comfortable waiting in?”
Her mouth dropped open. “You created this room because you wanted me to be comfortable?”
“Yes.” He frowned. “Did I not get it right? I think it needs more toys; however, it’s late and little girls should be in bed. And I’m hoping those bikers combine their meagre brain cells and actually manage to find you by morning.”
Her mind raced, trying to work all of this out. “I don’t get it. If you expect Duke to find me then why take me in the first place?”
“Because you’re my distraction, of course. I need them to focus on something else for a while so they’re not in my way. So, I gave them a little treasure hunt. Laid out my clues that will lead them here. Quite clever really.”
Yep. He was definitely deranged. And his ego was out of control.
“Distracted from what?”
“Oh, from the senator. I need to kill him tonight. While I’d normally just take out anyone in my way, I thought that might upset you.”
Take out? What was he talking about?