Possessive Daddy Next Door

“Motherfucker!”

We both look back. Two men are down at the other end of the hall. A staffer is on the floor and one of the men is wiping his gun down with a rag.

Wiping blood from the barrel.

“Run,” Max says, raising his weapon. He fires off two shots. The guys scatter and curse, returning fire. Max runs and shoves us into the music room. We sprint to the back wall and he opens the hidden door. Tab is wide awake now, groaning and crying in shock and surprise. The gunshots are deafening in the small space.

“Get in,” he growls.

“Max!”

He shoves me back and shuts the door. I stick my foot out and stop it from closing all the way. I keep it open a crack and watch as the two gangsters come to the doorway. Max posts up behind the piano, his gun drawn.

“I know you two are here for me,” Max says.

“That’s right,” one of them answers. I recognize the voice. I’m pretty sure it’s Mikey. “We’re only here for you, Max. We don’t want the girl or your daughter. We’re not monsters.”

“I worked with you before, Mikey,” Max says. “I recognize you. I know what you do. You’re a fucking monster.”

“You think I’m bad?” Mikey laughs. “I got Lorenzo with me.”

“Hi, Max,” Lorenzo says.

“He wants a piece of you bad. Honest, Max, I’d just turn that gun on myself if I were you. There’s no getting out of this.”

Max doesn’t answer. He moves from behind the piano and pushes himself against the wall where the door is. He sneaks toward the doorway and presses his gun out in the gap, firing off two shots.

Someone out there curses. More gunshots go off, then a man comes rushing in through the door. Max is on him, pushing and smashing with the butt of his gun. It’s Lorenzo, fighting like a wild man.

It’s a brawl, dark and horrible. Max punches Lorenzo in the face over and over but Lorenzo keeps coming, punching Max in the ribs. Both men lose their guns and turn to fists, fighting like animals. I can’t believe how strong and crazy Lorenzo is, but Max matches him blow for him. Mikey’s nowhere to be seen but I bet he’s just outside the door, maybe dead from those gunshots.

Max ducks a swing and grabs a violin off a stand. He smashes it over Lorenzo’s head, the strings breaking in a clatter. Lorenzo stumbles back as Max comes at him, punching, hitting hard. Lorenzo runs into the piano, making a dissonant clang, as Max slams his elbow into the man’s nose. It cracks and breaks, splattering blood all over Max’s shirt. Lorenzo slides down to the floor and groans, not moving.

Max hurries over to the guns on the ground. He picks up his and finds Lorenzo’s next. There’s a commotion in the hall and screaming. I put Tab down.

“Don’t move,” I say. “Hear me?”

“Okay.”

I hurry after Max. I stare in horror as Mikey runs off, back down the hallway. Blood drips from a wound but he’s alive. Mikey shoves past staff as Max takes a step toward him.

“Max!” I say.

He whirls around. “Where’s Tab?”

I point back at the door. He moves past me and I follow. Lorenzo is starting to groan and Max gives him a hard kick for good measure. Archie appears in the doorway, looking horrified.

“Tie him up,” Max says to Archie as he reaches into the hidden door. “Tie him up right now.”

Archie hesitates before barking some commands to some staffers lingering in the hall.

“I have to call Patricks,” Archie says. “And the police.”

“Wait,” I say. “Don’t.”

Both men look at me.

“Why not?” Archie asks. “This man broke into our home. He hurt a member of your staff. He tried to kill Max.”

“We can talk to him. Find out where the other one is staying.”

Max lets out a breath. “It’s not a bad idea.”

“No,” Archie says, eyes wide. “We’re not torturing that man.” He turns and hurries away.

Max growls and winces. I hurry to him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he says. “Nothing bad.”

His lip is bleeding and his cheek is puffy. He’ll have some bad bruising, but he’s right, I don’t think it’s bad.

“Come on,” he says. “Help me get Tab to bed again.” We wait until staff comes back to tie Lorenzo up before leaving.

Tab looks wide awake as she clings to her dad. We walk together back to his room and manage to get her calm enough to put her down in the crib. When that’s done ad we’re back in the living room, I throw myself into his arms.

He hugs me tight. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“I was so afraid you’d get hurt… or worse. God, I was so scared.”

He smirks at me. “Don’t worry. I told you, I can handle these assholes.”