âBack door open.â
The alarm system John just had to have in the house going off. It woke you up a bit, the haze of sleep still nipping at your eyelids. You figured it was just him coming in late, finally calling it with his paperwork at the office. Youâd hear his boots be kicked off, keys tinging when they hit the bowl he keeps them in, the scent of outdoors and cigar making its way to you when he checked your room.
But it never happened.
It was eerily quiet, like all had gone still in the world. No dog barking, no bird chirping, no air movement. You took a breath, creeping your eyes open. It was hard to see in the darkness of the room, nothing stood out in particular, but goosebumps arose on your arms. Bile filled the back of your throat, every instinct told you to run.
You went to peel back the covers but it was too late. A figure out of the darkness lunged, gripping your arms hard enough to bruise. You let out a scream as a gloved hand covered your mouth, a hard breathing huffing into your ear. You flailed, but it was no use. Any amount of basic training wasnât going to work, they were too big and obviously more than experienced. Hot tears streamed down your face, the glint of what you just knew was a knife finally slipping in the persons hand.
It felt like minutes, but in reality it was probably seconds.
The person was ripped off of you, as you scrambled back. Then there was your dad, fighting the guy with only moves you could learn from years of being in the military. With every amount of murderous contempt he ripped the guy apart, the crack of bones cringing in your ears. A gun was pointed at the intruderâs head, as he laid bleeding on your cow-print rug. It reminded you of those nature documentaryâs you watched, when antlers clashed and maim each other.
If you ever thought John Price was dangerous, then see him fight for his childâs life.
â__, donât look. Donât look, just go to my room love.â
It took you a minute to snap out of your own tearful dissociation. You scrambled and ran, clutching onto a stuffed animal as you closed yourself in. There was a lot of noise and yelling, and then the men that you only knew as your dadâs team was in the house.
You didnât leave his bed until he came in, immediately pulling you into a hug. You shook and sobbed, but he remained a pillar of strength.
âDad- daddy-â
âSh, sh, sh. Itâs ok, pumpkin. Itâs ok. Itâs over. I promise.â
âI- Froze-â
Your teeth chattered and your limbs felt cold from anxiety. All that self defense training he had tried to teach you and in the end you had chose flight instead of fight. Your only saving grace was that he had been here. But he only hushed you, pressing a bearded kiss to your forehead.
âNo, no, donât think about that. Donât do that to yourself, anybody would have froze. You arenât a soldier, love. You did so good, exactly as I asked.â
He rocked you until you stopped hiccuping, brushing fingers through your hair.
âYouâre ok, baby girl. I promise.â
You were wrapped in a blanket and brought downstairs, mostly because you didnât want to be without him. He laid you down on the couch with the tv remote, his men watching. He turned on a cartoon like you were two again, but you didnât complain. You simply watched it, taking comfort in the old familiarity. His fingers scratched your back as he checked you over for scars or bleeding. Finding none, he was seemingly satisfied and went on to join his group.
You donât know what happened to the man, you didnât know if you cared. You knew they talked for a long time and dad was on the phone with Kate at one point. You could hear her voice coming through the phone, but you could never pinpoint what she was saying. Everything seemed a little blurry with the adrenaline coming down. Somewhere between Ghostâs eyes watching over you and the noise of the tv, it all became background to doze off too.
You woke up to him slowly picking you up off the couch, as the men had made their own beds on the leather couch of the cabin you called home. You pretend to be asleep as he took you back upstairs into his room, cradling you into bed with him. The quilt that smelled of him was pulled over you, his arm as a pillow. His hand rubbed onto every part of your body, like he was reminding himself that you were safe and ok. A shaky exhale, the closest youâll know to your dad showing a vulnerable side. He cradled your cheek, a thumb wiping over dried tears.
âIâll always protect you. I love you, kiddo. Promise.â










