SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Three: Discovered
Lyra looked across the room. She hated that she had to hide behind the wig, vest, and paddings. But her father was right. If she wanted some kind of life, she couldn’t be herself… Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Right?
She saw the man look up at her again and turned back to the bartender. She has had dreams about him—and knew he was there to keep an eye on her. But he never came close enough to say hi.
“Hey, Lyra,” the bartender said with a smile when he saw her.
Lyra looked at him with wide eyes. “How did you know it was me?”
The man chuckled. “You have been coming in here for the past two years since you turned twenty-one. I think I would recognize you, even with a wig, and—did you gain weight?”
“Uh-yeah. Can’t get enough of those donuts.”
The bartender laughed. “The usual?”
Lyra nodded and turned her attention back to the man who had been tailing her for the past two days. She knew her father was worried before she was shot—had he had people following her before that? Where were they if they were supposed to protect her?
“You okay, honey?”
Lyra looked up into the eyes of a stranger and almost fell out of her chair. Who was he, and what did he want?
Holy fuck, she’s acting like her father!
“I am fine, thanks,” Lyra said, giving the man a shy smile.
“Want to dance?” he asked, looking her up and down.
Lyra felt her cheeks burn and turned to her drink. She picked it up and took a sip, then turned back to the stranger. Why not?
“Sure,” she said, getting to her feet.
The man grinned and led her to the dance floor.
Lyra didn’t let the man get too close to her as they danced and knew something wasn’t right when he looked at her “protector” then back at her and took hold of her arm.
“Where are we going?” she asked, pretending she had no clue what had just happened.
“Somewhere private,” the man said, not looking at her.
Lyra tried to pull her arm free from his grip, but his hold on her was too strong. Fuck, she shouldn’t have danced with him.
They burst out the back door and into an alley. He turned right and slammed her against the wall of the bar. She tried to move forward, but he shoved her back against the wall again.
“Wh-what do you want?” she stuttered, staring into his brown eyes.
He smirked. “I want you to tell your father to pull out, or next time, I won’t stop,” he said, pulling a knife out and sliding it across her throat.
Lyra gasped, but there was no blood. She looked at the blade. He had used the dull side as a threat—or a promise.
“Get your hands off her.”
The sultry voice came from her “protector”; she just knew it. Who else would follow them into the alley?
The man holding her turned to the large man and laughed. “I saw you watching her. Not an ex then, huh?”
Lyra’s “protector” smirked. “You’re going to wish that I was just an ex,” he said, then reached out faster than Lyra had ever seen anyone move and ripped the man away from her.
Lyra watched as her “protector” kneed the man in the stomach, then punched him in the nose. The attacker cried out as blood sprayed from his nose. The large man hit him again, knocking him to the ground. Lyra watched her “protector” stand over the would-be attacker and sneer down at him.
“You tell your boss that she is protected by me, and anyone who comes within a mile of her will feel my fist,” he said, then punched him in the face, knocking him out.
Lyra stared wide-eyed at the large man.
Maverick smiled at Williams’ daughter. She was pretty, even with the scraggly wig and bit of weight.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Maverick nodded. “Just doing my job, ma’am.”
Lyra grunted, “please don’t call me ma’am. I feel like my mom when you do that. Call me Lyra.”
Maverick smirked. “Yes, ma’am. I mean, Lyra.”
Lyra shook her head. “I knew you were following me. Did my father hire you?”
“Yep.”
She nodded. “Thanks again.”
“Are you going home now?” he asked, watching her.
She shook her head. “I’m going to go inside and have the fun I promised myself.”
Maverick chuckled.
Lyra started for the back door, then paused and turned to him. “What do I call you?”
Maverick looked at her. She wasn’t what he had expected, that was for sure.
“My friends call me Mav.”
She smiled. “Short for Maverick?”
He chuckled, “yeah.”
She nodded. “You can join me after you take care of him,” she said, nodding to the man on the ground. She looked at him and felt her heart skip a beat. “If you want.”
He shook his head. “I was told to keep my distance.”
Lyra snorted, “I knew you were there for days, and you just saved me. I think it’s past time for you to hide. I won’t tell my dad if you don’t.”
He watched her for a moment, then shook his head and chuckled.
“All right, Lyra. I will join you in a few.”
Lyra nodded, then turned and headed inside.
Maverick watched her, then turned to the still unconscious man and pulled out his phone. He called his boss, then the leader of the other team watching Miss Williams. When he was through, he stepped back into the bar and found Lyra Williams at the bar again. He joined her and ordered a soft drink. He can’t protect her if he’s wasted.
~🎃~
“Thank you for a great night,” Lyra said as Maverick walked her up the steps to the porch at her parents’ front door.
“You are something else,” he said with a chuckle. “Most women would have run home right away after what happened.”
She shrugged. “I’m not most women.”
He shook his head. “You can say that again.”
“I’m not most women,” she said, then winked at him and entered her parents’ house.
Maverick chuckled as he turned and headed into the bushes. After the night he has had, he could do with a bit of nature calling.
~🎃~
Lyra ran up the stairs to her room and looked out the window. Just as she knew he would, Maverick disappeared into the bushes. She wondered what he did there all night, other than watch her window. She also wondered how many men worked with him or if he did it all alone. And how could someone be as big as him? She sighed and turned from the window. She looked at her bed, and a fleeting feeling of wishing Maverick was there with her shook her body, and she groaned.
“No, no, no. You will not, I repeat, you will not think about him like that.”
With a heavy sigh, Lyra pulled the padding from under her clothes, then pulled her clothes off and sat on the edge of her bed.
“But what if he was thinking the same?”
She shook her head. There is no way he was attracted to a fat daddy’s girl. She chuckled and tossed the wig across the room.
~🎃~
“A Halloween party?” Lyra asked, looking up at her father from her breakfast.
“Yes. I think it would shift the younger generation onto my side. Show them that I can party like the rest of them.”
Lyra laughed, “Dad, the last party you threw, even granny was bored.”
Albert grunted, “okay, missy. What do you suggest?”
Lyra smiled. “Let me take care of the preparations.”
“She has a point, dear,” Janessa said from her seat beside her daughter.
Lyra smiled at her mother. “Thanks, Mom.”
Janessa smiled at her daughter, then looked at her husband.
Albert looked at his wife and daughter and sighed. “Fine, you can plan the Halloween party.”
“Great,” Lyra said, jumping to her feet.
Lyra shoveled the last few bites of her breakfast into her mouth and headed for the stairs.
“Where are you going?” her father asked.
Lyra turned and grinned. “Heading to the store, need grapes, and lights, and skeletons….”
“What in the world do you need grapes for?” Albert asked, confused.
Lyra laughed, “for eyeballs, of course.”
~🎃~
Maverick followed Lyra to the store. He hasn’t been able to get her out of his mind since the other night at the bar. She was different than you would expect the daughter of Albert Williams would be. But then again, she did live her life outside the spotlight. But honestly, he had a feeling she wouldn’t be any different.
“I can hear your breathing.”
Maverick looked up and smiled. Lyra had turned and found him following her. Well, she’d heard him…wait, what?
“Breathing?” he asked, his eyebrow raising.
Lyra snickered, “you were breathing heavily as if we were running rather than walking through a grocery store.”
Maverick shook his head. “I have a lot on my mind.”
Yeah, like you. He wanted to say—but smartly kept his mouth shut.
She grinned and turned back to her cart.
Maverick watched her walk down the aisle, her hips swaying. Damn, she really is something to look at. He closed his eyes. Ugh, he’s going to get fired.
“Mav—are you coming?” she called from down the aisle.
Maverick felt a chill run down his spine at her words. Yeah, he needs to find someone else to follow her ass around…
’Oh hell no,’ he thought when the thought of someone else tailing her made his anger rise. He could feel his fire burning inside him and didn’t know what to do. Why was he so hung up on this girl?
“Maverick?” she whispered.
Maverick shook his head and headed toward her. Yeah, he needs to get his head on straight before he does something stupid.
~🎃~
“Everything looks great,” Janessa said with pride as she looked around at the decorations and games her daughter had set up for the Halloween party.
Her daughter made sure to include kid games—because what is a Halloween party without kids? If her husband is going to be mayor, he may as well start kissing babies now.
“Thanks, mom,” Lyra said with a smile.
“Did you get the invitations out?” Albert asked, entering the room.
Lyra smiled at her father. “Yes, Daddy. I sent them out last week. Oh my God, I am so nervous.”
“Don’t be,” Janessa said, hugging her daughter.
“Can’t help it,” Lyra said, bouncing on her toes.
“You better go get your costume on,” Albert said, pointing to the stairs that led up to the bedrooms. “Guests will be here soon, and no one….”
“Can know about me, I know Dad, I know,” Lyra said with a sigh.
“Things will get better soon,” Janessa promised.
Lyra nodded and headed up the stairs to her room. She went to her closet and got out her Halloween costume. She had bought it months ago when she had seen it in a window. But had to have it taken out when she started “gaining” weight. With a deep sigh, she pulled the costume on, then stuffed herself and pulled on the wig. When she was satisfied she was ready, she headed down the stairs and around the corner—so no one saw her. She can’t look like she knows this place—because no one can know she lives here.
She waited in the shadows while her fathers’ guests joined her parents in the party room. Once she was sure no one would notice her, she snuck out from her hiding place and headed for the room. She smiled when she saw the children shove their hands into the bowl of “eyeballs” and pull their hands out, screaming.
“You did a great job.”
Lyra spun around and stared up into the most beautiful green eyes in the most handsome face, connected to the most fabulous body…
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Maverick grinned. “You’re in the wrong fairy-tail.”
She blinked up at him.
Maverick leaned in closer to her and whispered into her ear. “I’m not the big bad wolf, my Little Red Riding Hood.”