Page 26 of Unplanned Target

“What your mother would or would not have done is irrelevant.” Owen steps in, his calm, reasonable manner managing to defuse the situation before it spirals out of control the way it so often does. “Right now we need to go over some basic safety parameters. Because I think you know if I allow something bad to happen to you, your Uncle Tony will murder me.”

My daughter looks Owen up and down. “My Uncle Tony is kind of a badass, but I’m pretty sure even he couldn’t murder you. You’re at least twice as big as he is.”

“I think you underestimate how much motivation can alter man’s abilities.” Owen goes to the kitchen and takes over making the coffee my daughter has obviously forgotten about. “But I’d also rather not give him a reason to try, so how about we discuss the do’s and don’ts of trying to not get ourselves killed.”

My daughter pouts, her lower lip pushing out. “That sounds boring.”

Owen chuckles as he dumps the grounds in the filter. “I’ve never heard someone describe not getting killed as boring.”

My daughter shrugs. “There’s a first time for everything.”

Owen shakes his head, looking amused instead of frustrated. “Very true.” He sets the machine to run and then turns to lean back against the counter, crossing both arms over his chest. “We don’t have enough time for me to successfully teach you how to physically defend yourself right now, so I need you to keep in mind that pretty much anyone is going to be able to physically win against you in a fight right now.”

Those were not the right words to say to my daughter. He just basically told her she couldn’t do something. From experience, I know telling someone like my daughter—or me—they can’t do something, is the fastest way to make them attempt to prove you wrong.

But that’s not what happens with my daughter this time. She locks on to something else that Owen said. “Will you teach me how to defend myself later?”

“Absolutely I will.” Owen angles a brow, giving her a serious look. “But that doesn’t do anything for you right now, so you’re going to have to do everything possible to stay out of a dangerous situation.”

My eyes move from him to my defiant daughter as I hold my breath, waiting to see what she’ll say.

Allie seems to mull it over, like she’s still genuinely considering trying to fistfight a grown man, just to prove she can. Eventually, she sighs. “Fine. I won’t get in any dangerous situations where I might have to try to fight someone.”

“Appreciated.” Owen turns to the cabinet and pulls out a few coffee cups. “The same goes for your mother.” His head twists, eyes coming to me, brow angled in question.

Twenty years ago, I probably would have gone out to find a grown man to fight to show him I could do it, but I’ve learned a thing or two over the years, regardless of what my mother believes. I don’t have any interest in fighting a man. They annoy me, and once all this pent-up rage starts coming out, I’d probably end up accidentally killing him.

And, as Owen pointed out earlier, I don’t actually have any means of cleaning up dead bodies on my own.

“Fine. I am not going to try to fight anyone either.” I concede.

“Thank you.” Owen turns to the coffee pot as it finishes, filling each mug before passing them out. “Now that that’s handled, why don’t you tell your mom and I what you were able to find out yesterday, Allie?”

I swear my daughter looks giddy. Like being able to help find her friend is euphoric. I guess I get it. It did feel pretty euphoric to find her last night. But she’s my kid. Of course I would feel that way to discover she’s safe instead of being trafficked.

“Let me go get my phone.” She practically bounces to the bedroom, dark hair swinging around as she disappears.

I turn to Owen. “You do realize she’s going to be a problem, right?”

“Absolutely I do. That’s why we need to head it off before it gets anywhere.” He takes a sip of his coffee. “And then assume she’s still going to try to do something stupid.”

I try not to smile, but fail. I’ve never had anyone around to help me manage my daughter. Even when her dad was still around, I was on my own. He was too self-centered and too focused on everything besides being a husband or dad to offer any sort of input or provide any assistance. Having someone so capable and calm around who’s willing to help me juggle my high-maintenance daughter is strange. Not bad strange, but that’s also weird.

Because men suck.

Except maybe this one.

“I try not to be too hard on her because it’s my fault she’s like this.” I take a sip of the coffee and wince at the acrid taste. “This is awful.”

“It’s not the freshest.” Owen downs the rest of his in one go. “But it’s better than nothing.”

I wrinkle my nose, because I’m not so sure about that. “I should probably go get dressed.” I’m not super excited about giving Owen his shirt back, but I can’t keep holding it hostage. “I’ll be right back.”

I collect my clothes from where he left them folded neatly on the table, carrying them into the bathroom. After switching his shirt for my freshly laundered jeans and top, I brush my teeth, fluff my hair, and go out to find him scrolling through Allie’s old phone.

And he doesn’t look happy.

“I don’t like knowing you were this close to these guys.” He gives my daughter a stern look. “All it would have taken was for one of them to notice you, and they could have had you before you could even scream.”