Her Sensual Protector: A Navy SEAL Romance (Night Storm Book 5), Caitlyn O'Leary [uplifting book club books TXT] 📗

him. Daisy hadn’t had much dealing with the military, but maybe this was the way it worked.

He reached for her hand and held it tightly. “Please,” he said.

Her jaw clenched. She didn’t have time to wonder if this was just another empty promise despite Leo’s honesty. She needed to get in to see her father. If she agreed, maybe he’d back off.

Daisy nodded.

“You need to leave,” he said.

“Oh hell no. You have your part to play. I understand that. So, I never saw you. I get that. Maybe I’ll hear from you, maybe I won’t.”

His face became stony. “You will. Take that to the bank.”

“Whatever.” But her heart was bleeding. “But I get it, this talk isn’t taking place right now. So, get the hell out of the car. I’m going to play my part, which is I’m going to storm the hospital and rattle some cages until they have no choice but let this troublesome woman see my dad.”

“Daisy—”

“Leave, Leo.”

He looked over at Malek’s nephew, then grabbed her clenched hand and pulled it open. He brought her palm to his mouth and kissed it. She closed her eyes.

Please, please, please God, let him call me. He sees me.

“Go, Leo.”

He slid out of the car as silently as he had come into it. She blinked back tears. Then she got out on her side, her purse over her arm. Ready for battle.

She hadn’t seen Ethan Squires for five years, and he didn’t look like the man she remembered. He’d aged twenty years, and it wasn’t just the bruises. It was the wrinkles and the gray hair she hadn’t noticed in the video.

“Dad? Can you hear me?”

“We sedated him two hours ago. He was getting pretty agitated.”

“When will he wake up?” Daisy asked the doctor.

“Probably in another three hours.”

“I suppose that’s when the welcome party is due back to question him some more?” she deduced.

“Actually I told them that he would sleep through the night,” the doctor told her with a twinkle in his eye.

What a wonderful man. For the first time since entering the hospital room, Daisy smiled.

“Can I sit with him until he wakes up?”

“When was the last time you’ve eaten? We serve a mean grilled cheese sandwich.”

“Tomato soup?” Daisy asked.

“Of course.”

Daisy sank down in the plastic chair and gave the doctor a wan smile. “Who do I have to kill?”

“I think we can save you from a murder charge. I’ll have it sent over. Your dad’s going to be okay. We’re more worried about Dick Summers.”

Daisy frowned. Where had she heard that name before? Then she realized that was the reporter who had been kidnapped months before. “He was rescued too? That’s wonderful,” she grinned. Then she looked at the doctor. “Wait a minute, are you saying he might not make it?”

“Yes, he’s going to make it. Sorry, I shouldn’t have said what I did. But yes, he should make it. I’m really tired. It’s been a long night.”

“Perhaps you need a grilled cheese before heading to bed,” Daisy suggested.

“Perhaps you’re right,” the doctor agreed. “Anyway, you stay here with your father. He’s going to be fine. He’ll be glad you’re here.”

“I hope so,” Daisy said with a frown.

“I know so.”

Daisy was in the midst of answering her e-mails on her phone when she heard her dad’s breathing change. She looked up and saw him watching her.

“Daisy?”

She got up and stood over his bed.

“Yeah, it’s me, Dad.” She grabbed his hand and he hung on tightly.

“How’d you get here?”

“It’s a long story. How are you feeling?”

“Like someone beat the hell out of me.” His laughter ended in a coughing fit. Daisy raised his bed and grabbed the glass of water by his bed.

“Here, drink slowly.”

He tried to hold the glass in his hands but they were too shaky. She helped him. Four sips later, and he’d stopped coughing.

She saw his eyes well up with tears.

“Dad, it’s going to be all right. You’re safe now.”

His lips tightened, and he nodded.

“Can I get you something? Food maybe? They have a really good grilled cheese and tomato soup.”

“No, just having you here means everything to me.”

His words threatened to open her up so she deflected. “How did this happen? What happened?” she asked.

“Baby, I don’t want to talk about it right now, okay? I have more than enough people asking that. Hell, they want to know my shoe size and I swear to God they’d really like to perform a colonoscopy on me if they could. So no questions about that, okay?”

“Sure, Dad.”

“I like hearing that,” he said softly.

Shit. This emotional shit is a lot to handle.

“Yeah, well…”

“It’s okay, I won’t always expect it. Just hearing it now is enough.”

She nodded.

Damn it, am I tearing up?

“You have some really determined children. They were getting senators involved to pressure the State Department to get you released.”

“But you’re the one over here.” Again he squeezed her hand.

“They just knew I was the ballbuster of the family. They figured if anyone could knock some heads I’d be the one who could do it.”

His lip twitched. “You were like that even at two years old. Your terrible twos were awful. Once you learned the word ‘no’, your mother and I were in hell.”

“Like you were around,” Daisy said. Then she immediately regretted the words.

“Oh, there were a couple of years I was there. You can ask your mother. I knew you would set the world on fire one day, and you have.”

“Look, you don’t have to be handing out the compliments. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

He closed his