Daddy's Adorable Assassin (Daddy's Little Deviants)

“How did she punish you?”

“She made me eat an entire chocolate cake until I got sick. I had a tummy ache for three days straight.”

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. Those people had gotten away with what they’d done to him too easily. They deserved to be tried and to live out their miserable existence in prison. At least Knight was still trying to trace the whereabouts of his mother.

“They won’t be able to hurt you anymore, Cosmo.”

“I know.” He sighed. “I’m so glad I have a new Daddy.”

Cosmo stared out the window and gasped when I slowly turned into my driveway. Petra and I had bought the four-bedroom house when we’d had high dreams of having a big family, but after Nate, she had difficulty getting pregnant again. She hadn’t wanted to try harder until I quit the police force like we’d talked about when I first joined. It’d been the source of all our arguments, which had ended in tears.

The day she’d been kidnapped, she was supposed to have boarded a plane to the Caribbean to spend some time alone before she decided whether she would go through with the threat of a divorce. I’d been sure the trip would calm her down and let her see that I loved my job and didn’t want to resign.

“Daddy?”

Cosmo shook my arm, and I snapped out of the past. “Yes?”

“I like your house.”

“You haven’t seen the inside.”

“I bet I’ll like it too.”

I hopped out of the car and took the boxes from him so he could get out. A sweeping glance along the street showed nothing amiss. We walked up to the front door, and I unlocked it, then ushered him inside.

“Coat closet is to your left. Shoe rack is inside too if you want to kick your sneakers off.”

He shrugged off his coat. Then I handed him the boxes so I could get my jacket and shoes off as well. We passed the formal dining room to the right, to the end of the hall, which opened up into a living room. Next to it was the staircase that led upstairs. The kitchen, my office, and the half bath were to the left.

“Wow, this place is fancy.”

I glanced around at the pristine white-and-slate-gray furniture and the crystal lamps that were mounted on the walls and sat on tables. Petra had been an interior designer and had taken pride in having our home look classy without losing the comfortable feel. I’d tried to keep that up, even after she was gone.

“Who’s this?” He walked up to the mantel and took up the photograph of Petra.

“My wife.”

He replaced the photograph. “Were you happy with her?”

“I was.” We’d fought, and the last couple of years had been rough, but we’d been in love. Happiness didn’t always mean peacefulness.

“And your son.” He picked up the photo with the three of us. “You all look happy, like a normal family.”

I cleared my throat. “We were.” I put the photo back on the mantel and took his hand. “Let me show you around.”

There wasn’t much downstairs. A hall off the kitchen led to the garage. He clapped in delight when I opened the doors to the patio.

“I can go outside?” he asked.

“Sure you can. Weren’t you allowed?”

He shook his head. “Only when the sun set. Mother said the sun would change my skin color.”

“You are pale. Just use some sunscreen, and you’re free to run all over the backyard.”

He threw his arms around my middle. “You’re the best Daddy ever.”

I wasn’t a Daddy at all… just going through the motions to satisfy him, but in that moment, I felt like one.