DaphnieI sat on the couch with Adam's head on my lap as he was lying down. Going bowling caused Adam to wake up in pain, but he wouldn't take painkillers. I gently stroked his hair while holding an ice pack on his side.We suddenly heard a noise and looked up at the door."Don't Worry! It's me. Jeffrey is helping me.""Ben?" Adam sounded confused.The door opened, and Ben walked in on crutches. He turned to the lobby man, handing him some money."Thanks, Jeffrey.""You're welcome, sir."Ben closed the door and began walking toward us."Well, you two look cute.""Why didn't you tell me you were coming home today?" Adam tried sitting up, but I held him down. "I could've gone to get you.""I didn't want to bother you; I figured you were in bad shape, and it looks like I was right."Ben sat down on the recliner in front of us."So, how much damage did that psychopath do?" Ben asked me. I looked at Adam, unsure of how much he was willing to tell Ben."I ended up needing stitches," Adam mu
BenAdam and Daphnie looked excited as I served them breakfast. They insisted that they didn't need a fancy breakfast, but my mind was set on what I wanted to make. Cooking Breakfast was therapeutic to me; after weeks of lying in bed, it was nice to do something. I was in control when cooking - something I hadn't had in a long time.Daphnie's eyes lit up as I placed a plate of French Toast, Bacon, and Scrambled Eggs in front of her, and Adam smiled when I served him a dish with two over-easy eggs and steak. I carefully sat down with a plate of pancakes and began to eat."Oh my gosh!" Daphnie said. "This French Toast tastes amazing!""Thank you," I smiled."Better than the restaurant we went to?" Adam asked, concern evident in his voice. I chuckled to myself; Adam had overly high standards for his restaurants, and they had to be the best food you've ever eaten."Actually, yeah," Daphnie smiled. "No offense at all. The restaurant was great; it's just this French toast is fantastic."Ada
DaphnieDecember flew by as so many things happened. I became an assistant to a social worker for a women's shelter. Although the starting income was crappy, I managed to get a small, two-bedroom apartment near the Loop. Adam negotiated with the owner, so my rent was only six hundred dollars plus utilities. I admired him for his business skills.Amber was jealous of the promise ring Adam gave me and immediately began nagging Chad for one. Being the spoiled brat she is, Amber assumed Chad would give in immediately, but he was firm and told her he wanted to wait until graduating college before making such a serious commitment. As expected, Amber was furious despite my multiple attempts to point out that graduation was a few months away.My relationship with Adam changed after we had kissed; it changed in a good way. We went on lunch dates daily, spent our evenings talking on the phone, and went on special dates every weekend. The more time we spent together, the closer we grew. In my he
Adam"I love you," I said nervously.Daphnie's eyes grew wide for a second. She seemed surprised by my confession. I felt my anxiety rise when she didn't say anything back.Oh crap. Did I make a huge mistake?After a few seconds, her eyes turned soft, and a smile appeared. Daphnie looked straight into my eyes."I love you too."I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, and my heart swelled with joy. A few tears threatened to escape my eyes as a smile crept onto my face."You do?" I asked, making sure I didn't hear random things."Yes." A few tears escaped Daphnie's eyes.I closed my eyes and rested my forehead on Daphnie's, still holding onto her chin. A massive wave of relief took over me; everything would be okay."So, are you gonna kiss me or what?" Daphnie interrupted my thoughts, making me chuckle."I was waiting for permission," I softly said."You're such a gentleman.""I'll take that as consent."I pulled back a little so that I could look at Daphnie. She had a gentl
BenAs Adam drove me to the airport for my trip to Vegas, I couldn't help but notice how happy he seemed. It was somewhat scary."Why are you in such a good mood? Did you get laid for Christmas?Adam furrowed his eyebrows and frowned."No.""Why are you in such a good mood then?""I told Daphnie that I love her," Adam said with a small smile."Really?" I was shocked; Adam wasn't one to talk about how he felt about anything."Yeah.""What did she say?""That she loves me too." Adam's smile grew."Dude... I'm so happy for you." I couldn't hold back the smile that formed on my face."So, can I be your best man at your wedding?"Adam started laughing."Dude, come on. She's the one for you.""Let's not get too ahead of ourselves. There are some obstacles we'll need to overcome before I propose. Besides, I just barely gave Daphnie a promise ring on Thanksgiving.""Yeah, after you just barely started dating in mid-October.""Touche. I want her to enjoy our relationship's current status befor
AdamI woke up still holding onto Daphnie. It felt nice waking up with her in my arms.I could get used to this.It was still dark out. I didn't know the time because I didn't have my phone, but that didn't matter. It was Saturday, so we could stay in bed as long as we wanted to. I buried my face in Daphnie's hair, enjoying the softness of it. I listened to her breathing; it was soft and steady. I kissed her cheek and fell back asleep.I was woken up by some playful barking. Vader began jumping all over my face and started to lick Daphnie's. Daphnie just laughed; her laugh was a beautiful sound to wake up to."Does someone need to go potty?" Daphnie playfully asked. Vader barked once; I assumed that it was yes. "Okay. I'm gonna take Vader out so he can go relieve himself."Before I could protest, Daphnie put on a sweater and walked out of the room with Vader in her arms. When I heard the front door close, I groaned and pulled a pillow over my face.Why did I get her a dog?There was n
AdamA few hours had passed since we arrived at the hospital, and Daphnie's father was still in surgery. Daphnie and I hadn't spoken a word since the detectives left."I don't know how to feel about this," Daphnie suddenly said. I turned to look at her."Feel about what?" I asked."My father. Honestly, I feel nothing; I could easily go home and not come back, but my conscience keeps reminding me that he's my father.""So you feel like you have to be here?""Yeah.""Daphnie, you don't have to do anything you don't want to.""Would it make me bad if I said I didn't want to be here?""No. Not at all. You and your father don't have the best relationship, and I don't think anyone would expect you to stay."I pulled Daphnie close, but we both flinched at the sound of everyone beginning to count down. We looked up at the tv and saw the New Year was approaching."HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Everyone shouted all at once. Fireworks could be heard on the television and outside, causing me to drop to the gr
Adam"Given his record," the prosecutor said."Objection, your honor, all previous charges against my client were dropped," my attorney interrupted.My plan to avoid prison would go into action soon. In the meantime, my attorney was trying to negotiate a way for me to not go to jail. Luckily, I had given him a heads up on what was to come. I didn't go into specific detail about the whole situation, but I gave my attorney enough information that he could plan out how the entire case would go.Despite knowing everything would work out in my favor, I worried about the person sitting two rows behind me. I didn't expect Daphnie to attend the hearing. Although she accepted me when she found out I had a record, would she stay by my side now that accusations were made? Would she believe those accusations? I knew she didn't want to."Your honor, the victim identified Mr. Carter immediately.""The victim has yet to be considered a reliable witness," my attorney defended. "He just woke up from a
Adam"Shhh... You're okay," I gently cooed as I swayed side to side with Nightingale on my shoulder. She had been crying all morning, no matter what I did. We were ready to go and waiting for Chad and Ben to pick us up.I heard the front door open, and Ben called, "Adam, it's me!""I'm in the living room," I said, hoping Ben could hear me over Nightingale's cries."What's going on?""She won't stop crying."Ben quickly came to my side and asked, "Is she sick?""No. I checked her temperature, changed her diaper, fed her, and she's still upset."The front door opened again. I expected it to be Chad telling us it was time to go; I was surprised to see Maybell walk in."Oh, no. What's wrong?" Maybell asked as she stepped into the living room."I don't know. She won't stop crying, no matter what I do."Maybell gestured for me to hand her Nightingale, and I reluctantly did so. She cautiously walked over to the couch and sat down."She knows what today is; she's sad too."I took a deep breat
AdamI sat in the back of my SUV, trying to calm my rage. We finally found the house. Alexandros has his vacation home signed under a different name; his distant cousin was the legal owner. He probably arranged that for a scenario like this, where he had to go into hiding. It was so obvious yet so challenging to figure out.What was driving me toward insanity was that we had to wait; Alexandros had gone on a brief vacation and took Nightingale with him, leaving Daphnie alone. I wanted nothing more than to break down that door and hold Daphnie in my arms, but Alexandros had a security system that would let him know if someone broke in or out. If he knew I found Daphnie, he would take off somewhere with Nightingale. I needed to make my move when they were together.As we waited, I hacked into the security cameras and would occasionally check on Daphnie. Being so close yet so far away was fueling my anger. I wanted to beat Alexandros to a pulp, crush his skull, stab him repeatedly, and w
AdamThe worst part of any mission was waiting. Alexandros had a vacation home in Pittsburg that was an hour and twenty-five minutes flight, yet I had to wait. Chad had concluded that Alexandros had left his Michigan home a few hours before I arrived. He needed time to get settled and check if I was after him. If he knew I knew his whereabouts, he would relocate Daphnie and Nightingale, making it difficult to get them back.In the meantime, Chad kept an eye on security footage in Pittsburg. At the same time, I strategized how we would get Daphnie and Nightingale back. Chad and I would only be on this mission; it was too risky to send all my men to Pittsburg, and Ace would give away our position if he barked."Sir," Chad said."What?""Security footage shows Alexandros shopping for groceries; Nightingale was with him.""What about Daphnie?""No sign of her, sir.""He knows Daphnie won't run without Nightingale; he must be keeping them separated.""If Alexandros wants a happy family, he
AdamDaphnie and I lay together on the couch. I was leaning against the corner as Daphnie lay her chest on my back so my arms could wrap around her waist. The television wasn't on, nor did we say anything; we sat in peaceful silence. I gently grabbed Daphnie's left hand and ran my thumb over her promise ring.I smiled as I gently kissed her cheek; I was so lucky to be with Daphnie, and I couldn't wait to call her my wife someday."I love you," I softly said.Daphnie giggled and said, "I love you too."I snapped out of the flashback and refocused on checking the accounts of some of Phil's benefactors. I couldn't believe the number of people who supported his work. Then again, these were people in high places, probably unaware of what happened in his clinic. I narrowed it down to a few men closely linked to the stock market and the Greek mafia. Surprisingly, few had private planes; they preferred to fly first class or business.My attention was caught when I noticed one man had bought s
AlexandrosI was foolish to think this would be easy; I paid the doctors to keep Adam Carter hospitalized for several weeks. Still, the man managed to escape and somehow found out I was the one who had taken Daphnie and Nightingale. Now I understood why so many people feared him; the rumors about 'The Devil Dog' were true.I let out a frustrated sigh. I had spent so much time preparing this home for my family, and now we would have to flee. I heard rumors of how quickly Adam Carter worked and hunted down his enemies. I knew it was a matter of time before Adam figured out our location, and I had no doubt he'd bring an army with him.We were currently in Port Huron, Michigan. I had a vacation home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where we could stay while preparations at our new Ireland home were finishing. If we left now, we could easily escape before Adam Carter could find us. My only challenge would be getting Daphnie to come with me without a fight. After her reaction toward me when she
AdamWith Ace by my side, I walked into my central hotel, ignoring everyone who greeted me. I wanted to hunt down whoever kidnapped my family as soon as possible. Diego could only do so much as this wasn't his expertise. Chad would've been able to find a lead by now and deduce where my wife and daughter were, but he wouldn't help me.I was practically on my own.When I stepped into the elevator, it couldn't move fast enough. My patience was running dry. Every moment I was without Daphnie caused the ache in my chest to worsen. I needed to find her. Without Daphnie and Nightingale, my life had no purpose.I stepped out of the elevator and walked to my office. I stopped a few feet from the door, feeling uneasy in my stomach. Ace's body tensed, and he began to growl. I took out my gun and slowly approached the door without a sound. I kicked the door open and stepped into my office to be greeted by Dr. Phil Sweetheart sitting at my desk."Hello, Adam," he casually said."Dr. Sweetheart," I
DaphnieI woke up with a headache. The pain worsened as I opened my eyes and blinked a few times to clear my blurry vision. I suddenly remembered what had happened. I quickly sat up, ignoring the throbbing pain in my head."Adam?" I called out. "Adam!""Shhh! You'll wake her up," someone said.I looked in the direction of the voice and saw Alexandros sitting in a chair, holding my daughter in his arms."Alexandros," I said in a threatening tone. "Give me my daughter.""OUR daughter," Alexandros said as if he were correcting me. "You know, I was excited when you were pregnant; I was a little worried she would look like that lousy excuse of a husband, but I see she looks just like you. Except for her eyes, we can always have that taken care of. Hopefully, doctors will figure out how to change eye color in a few years, and then she'll be perfect.""What the hell are you talking about?" I asked.Alexandros chuckled and sighed, "Daphnie, you're a smart woman; it shouldn't be difficult for
Daphnie"I'm home!" I called out as I stepped through the front door with groceries in my hands. Adam usually did the grocery shopping, but I wanted to make something special for dinner to surprise him. I walked into the kitchen and put the groceries on the island. I decided to head upstairs to check on Adam and Nightingale since Adam didn't reply.I peeked into Nightingale's room and found it to be empty. I walked down the hall to my and Adam's room and smiled at the site. Adam was sleeping on his back with one hand behind his head and the other protectively on Nightingale, who was curled up on Adam's chest. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and took a picture. After setting the image as my wallpaper, I quietly walked over to the bed. I gently kissed Adam and Nightingale on the cheek and went to start cooking.It didn't take long to prepare the pork shoulder; I started prepping to make mashed potatoes and corn once it was in the oven. After boiling the potatoes, I was startled by Ada
Daphnie"Okay, so the stage will be set up along the east wall, and our table will be to its right," Adam said as he looked over the floor layout for the gala."Will anyone be joining us?""Unfortunately, yes. The board members of my company will be sitting with us.""You invited the board members, who may be working with the FBI, to a mafia gala?""Yes.""Why?"Adam looked at me with a smile."So I can show them who's boss.""Oh, Lord. I don't want to know what you're doing.""I think you'll like it.""Whatever you say."Adam chuckled. "How are the decorations going?""Great, actually," I said as I looked at Adam. "The tablecloths will be white with a smaller gold tablecloth over them. There will be a clear vase in the center of each table with a gold ribbon wrapped around it and white carnations inside, along with the table number. The chairs will be white cushion ones with gold accents on them. The entrance and the stage will be decorated with white and gold balloons. Since everyon