The Art of Discipline: Dani’s Discovery (The Mockingbird Chronicles) (10 page)

Dani quickly found herself trying to squirm from Emma’s lap, her cries starting almost the instant Emma’s hand did. It didn’t take much to reignite the fire in her already sore bottom, and she knew that Emma was right; next time, she’d think twice about breaking her grounding.

“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again,” Dani sobbed, too tired to fight any longer.

“Glad to hear that, Danielle,” Emma replied, finishing the spanking with a dozen hard swats to her sit spot. Now done, she rubbed Dani’s bottom gently before releasing her hold.

Dani didn’t move but lay still sobbing on Emma’s lap.

“Hey now, it’s all over,” Emma cooed as she helped Dani to an upright position on the bed.

Dani put her head on Emma’s shoulder as she struggled to stop her sobs. “That hurt,” she whined.

“I think that’s the point, Danielle,” Emma chuckled. She kissed Dani’s forehead and helped her get comfortable on her stomach in the bed.

Bending over, Emma gave Dani another kiss on the temple before standing. “Sleep well, Dani.”

“Stay?” Dani turned over and looked up, her blue eyes still glistening with tears. “Please.”

Emma locked eyes with Dani. She wasn’t going to lie to herself. She was certainly attracted to the younger woman, but they were just friends. Still, her friend needed comforting, and she was available to do it. “Tell you what, I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”

Getting a nod from Dani, Emma crawled under the covers and let Dani put her head in her lap. Emma tucked a bit of hair around Dani’s ear and continued to stroke her hair until she felt Dani’s body relax.

Once she’d fallen asleep, Emma carefully moved Dani’s head off her lap and onto the pillow before scooting out of the bed. Relocating out to the living room, she straightened up a bit before settling on the couch and finding an old movie on TV. She didn’t think Dani would mind her staying. The meeting with her father had bothered her more than she let on, and the last thing she wanted was to be alone for the night. She’d make herself comfortable on Dani’s couch tonight, and tomorrow she could figure out how to deal with Patrick Sampson.

* * *

Stretching, Dani looked at the clock and grinned. The sun had barely come up, but it was the perfect time to go for a run. Knowing that Emma was probably still comfortably down the hall in her own bed, Dani wondered if she should surprise her with breakfast again. Maybe she could make a morning person out of her yet.

Quickly getting ready, she padded down the hallway only to chuckle at the sight that met her eyes. Emma was stretched out on the couch with one leg hanging off and one arm over her eyes, blocking the morning sun. Her red hair was askew and strewn all over the pillow, while a small puddle of drool glistened at the corner of her mouth. It was quite possibly the most adorable thing Dani had ever witnessed. Easily deciding on a course of action, Dani scooped the smaller woman off the couch and returned to her bedroom. Gently tucking her into her bed, she smiled before grabbing her keys and heading out for her run.

It was nearly an hour later when Dani dropped the now empty soda cup into the trash can. Figuring Emma would never find out about her new morning habit, she ran up the stairs, carefully holding the bag from the diner. Entering her apartment, she put the food on the table before peeking into her bedroom. Emma was still asleep. Deciding to let her slumber a bit longer, Dani took the opportunity to grab a quick shower and disappeared into the bathroom.

Emerging a short time later, Dani noticed Emma still hadn’t moved. Dani, however, was dressed and ready to wake up her sleeping friend. “Wakey, wakey, Emma,” she whispered, shaking her shoulder.

The only response was a groan from Emma. “Breakfast is waiting for you,” Dani said a bit louder.

“Alright, I’m coming,” Emma muttered before opening her eyes. Confused, she sat up. “How did I get here?”

“I carried you in before my run. Figured you’d be more comfortable in here than on the couch. Now, come on, I stopped by the diner for breakfast, and it’s getting cold.”

“It’s breakfast time already?” Emma whined.

“Yup, come on, Emma. If I have to work on a Saturday, so do you.”

“That’s what you think, young lady,” Emma teased, crawling from the bed. Running her fingers through her hair, she headed for the kitchen and helped Dani set the table.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of a catered breakfast?”

“Just thought it would be better if I didn’t cook. Didn’t want to burn the place down around you while you slept,” Dani joked as she grabbed a pillow from the couch and looked at Emma.

Emma shook her head, and Dani frowned before tossing the pillow back to the couch. “You are evil, Emma, plain evil,” she kidded, before wincing as she sat down. “Wooden chairs should be outlawed,” Dani muttered, grabbing a biscuit.

* * *

Emma was helping Mrs. Pemberton find the perfect book for her granddaughter while Dani was covering the front counter. Anna was busy with another customer, filling out an online order, and Will wasn’t back from lunch yet. Dani groaned, wondering when Stevie would come visit. It had been a week since the accident, but her hand was still sore, and the doctor wanted her to keep it immobile until it had healed. All in all, she’d taken nine stitches across the width of her palm. It wasn’t a particularly dangerous wound, but it was deep, and because of the location, it made doing just about any task impossible.

Hearing the familiar bell, Dani looked up and was met with an unfamiliar face. She’d begun to get to know their regular customers, and since she’d been jogging through the town for over a week now, she was starting to know people by sight. As the stranger approached the counter though, something about his eyes made her wary. She stepped back before asking, “May I help you?”

“Yes, I’m here to see my daughter, Emma Sampson.”

Dani stiffened and took a step forward, her voice lowering, “I’m sorry, you must have the wrong business. Nobody by that name works here.”

“Oh, I know that. I think she’s the owner.”

Dani gave him her best smile. “I’m sorry, sir, but I’m the owner of Ryan’s Books, and as I said, nobody by the name of Emma Sampson works here.”

“Don’t play dumb with me. I know she’s here.” The man’s eyes flashed, and Dani stiffened, bracing her legs in case she had to move quickly. Praying that Emma wouldn’t come to the front, she continued, “My name is Danielle Ryan, and I own Ryan’s Books. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.”

As he narrowed his eyes at Dani, she wasn’t the least bit convinced when he seemed to agree, “Maybe I do have the wrong place, Ms. Ryan.”

Dani resisted the urge to shudder. His eyes, they were so like Emma’s but so different. He was cold, and he was giving her the creeps. She managed to force a smile. “I suppose so. There is another bookstore on 5
^th
Avenue. Maybe that’s where she works.”

“Maybe,” he seemed to consider.

Watching him go, Dani exhaled slowly, letting a shudder course through her. What on Earth was he doing coming into the store like that? The man really must be crazy if he thought that Emma would want anything to do with him. Dani’s thoughts were interrupted by the small gray-haired woman in front of her. “Mrs. Pemberton, did you find a book for Chloe?”

“I certainly did, dear, thanks to Emma.” The elderly woman smiled warmly at Dani. “So how long have you been here now?”

“Almost a month.”

“That’s wonderful. It’s too bad about you being sick last week though. I hope you’re feeling much better.”

“Oh, I am. Thanks for asking, Mrs. Pemberton.”

“I just hope whatever you had didn’t get passed along to Emma, the way she ran upstairs so quickly. Poor girl, she said she wasn’t feeling well and she’d talk to you later.”

“I’ll be sure to check on her as soon as I can,” Dani assured the elderly woman as she handed her the bag and smiled.

“It’s so nice that the two of you look out for each other. Sean would be proud.”

Dani watched her go while she fought all her instincts to run up the stairs. Not wanting to upset Emma even more by closing down the store or getting the employees involved, she waited twenty minutes until Will came in to relieve her. Quickly explaining that Emma wasn’t feeling well, Dani raced upstairs to Emma’s apartment.

“Emma, Emma,” Dani called knocking loudly on her door. Hearing the door being unlocked, she entered the apartment and was almost knocked over as Emma fell into her arms.

“I heard his voice and ran.”

“Shhh, it’s okay, Emma. I told him that I owned Ryan’s Books and nobody by the name of Emma Sampson worked here. I think I might have confused him just enough for now,” Dani explained, sitting in a large leather chair and pulling Emma into her lap.

“What am I going to do? Sean’s not here to stop him now.” Emma curled up and put her head on Dani’s shoulder. Dani rubbed her back until she was able to even out her breathing.

“Well, the first thing you’re going to do is get Atticus and move in with me.” Dani held up her hand as Emma started her protest. “It’ll be safer, and I don’t want you being alone with him on the prowl. The second thing we do is call a family meeting to brainstorm how to get rid of Patrick Sampson for good.”

Emma looked up into Dani’s caring blue eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered, before putting her head back and relaxing into Dani.

* * *

Two pizza boxes, six cans of soda, four water bottles, and three juice boxes littered the crow’s nest. Dani had her arm protectively around Emma as they continued to debate what to do about Patrick Sampson.

“Why don’t we see if he’s wanted on any charges?” Will suggested, crushing his latest juice box.

“That’s actually not a bad idea. Any idea how we go about doing that?” Dani asked.

Stevie smiled. “Yeah, we ask my brother, the cop.” She tossed a full bottle of water to Will. “Knew there was a reason we let you stay with us.”

Will grinned. “And here I thought it was my charming personality.”

“Nope,” Anna chimed in. “Free manual labor was the first draw.”

Emma tried to enjoy her friends’ bantering but was still tense. “Actually, Will,” she began. “Stevie and Anna just wanted a free pet sitter for Roxy.”

“I knew they loved that Rottweiler more than me,” the boy grinned as Anna lunged across the open area to hug and tousle his hair.

“Well, the dog doesn’t talk back,” Stevie retorted, as the group laughed.

Dani couldn’t help pulling Emma closer to her. “Okay, so everyone know the plan then?”

Will nodded. “Yep, first thing in the morning, you guys go to the police and file a restraining order against the bastard.”

Emma squeezed the hand around her shoulder as she listened to their plan being solidified once more.

“Then, if he comes into the store, we can call the police for violating the restraining order,” Anna added.

“We also deny that Emma Sampson works here and let him know that Dani is the owner of Ryan’s Books,” Stevie concluded. “Though, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

“It’s all we have for now. You be sure to check with your brother on outstanding warrants, and we all need to keep our eyes and ears open.” Dani squeezed Emma’s shoulder in support. “Uncle Sean isn’t here to protect her now, so it’s up to us.”

Chapter Six

A week and a half passed without incident or word from Patrick Sampson, and although attempts to file a restraining order were halted when Emma couldn’t produce a current address for him, Stevie’s brother had come through, finding that a bench warrant had been issued for not checking in with his parole officer. Knowing that he would be arrested when found allowed everyone to rest a bit easier.

Unfortunately, even though there was no physical sign of Patrick Sampson, he was still affecting Emma. Emma had begun to be plagued by nightmares. She needed her sleep and without it was becoming jumpy and moody. The lack of sleep and the constant worry that he’d come back was starting to affect not only those around her, but also her work.

Opening her eyes, Dani yawned. Kissing the top of the Emma’s head as she clung to her in her sleep, Dani allowed her thoughts to wander. Last night had been rough. Emma had nightmares most of the night, and if the clock was right, she’d hardly had five hours of sleep. Dani could relate because she had been plagued by nightmares as long as she could remember. She understood what it was like to wake up, your heart pounding and drenched with sweat. She also knew that sometimes a change in venue could help. As a kid, she always felt safer here with Uncle Sean then at home with her grandparents. Maybe that was what Emma needed as well.

Things had been so busy, and Dani hadn’t had time to return to Chicago. Well, she’d been using the excuse of staying busy to keep pushing it off. Up until now, she hadn’t really known what she wanted to do, but looking down at the redhead tightly wrapped around her suddenly made the decision easy. It was time to go back to Chicago to pack up her condo and make a more permanent home here, with Emma. Yawning again, Dani decided that this would be the perfect weekend to do so. She could use the excuse to pack up, as well as to give Emma the respite she desperately needed. Deciding her early morning phone calls could wait another hour or so, she snuggled back into her pillow and tried to sleep once more.

* * *

Dani returned from her jog and was already showered and dressed before Emma started to stir. Sitting on the bed, she kissed Emma gently on the forehead. “Hey, sleeping beauty, time to get up. It’s 10:00 a.m. already.”

Slowly sitting, Emma rubbed the sleep from her eyes and ran her hands through her hair. “Why didn’t you get me up? We’ll be late for the store.”

Dani smiled as she handed Emma a cup of hot tea. “Don’t worry about it. Will and Anna are covering for us until one.”

“Dani, we don’t need to be gone from the store that long,” Emma protested. “Why on Earth did you do that?”