Maggie
"So what do we do now? When I woke up this morning, I never thought we were in any kind of danger. I'm not prepared for anything you just said." I spoke up, but dickhead over there has barely said a word. His daughter's life is at stake, and he looks bored.
"We've scoped your home out, you have construction workers in and out and a full staff. That is putting you and Greer at risk. I can have men come in undercover and add a few to your staff. That way we can keep you safe without causing any alarm.
Asher, your involvement is up to you, I don't feel you are under the same level of danger as the girls. You're free to go on with life as usual. Otherwise, if you choose to protect your daughter, I would suggest you also take up residence at the Hawthorne mansion." Grant said.
The asshole took a deep breath.
"In the off chance Greer is not my child, I would like to establish paternity. I do believe she is my child, and I also believe that causes her more danger." He said.
"My wife would be the best one to answer that question," Dalton said.
"Yes, I do agree with you, Mr. Bianchi. We can and should do that, but it will be done through our own lab. I understand you believe she is yours, but we should hold off on filing anything with the courts. Once this is over, we can see about transferring custody to you." Mrs. Dalton said.
"What if that's not what Greer wants or needs?" I said. My heart beat hard against my chest.
"That is something we can visit at a later time." She said to me.
Mr. Dalton began to speak. "Maggie, I'm aware of the amount of money Mrs. Hawthorne left for you, and working isn't necessary for your survival. I would suggest a leave of absence. We do feel your level of danger is high enough to make that kind of a move. Asher, if you decide to stay involved, I would suggest the same for you. Of course, you can work remotely, and make a few meetings if we have enough agents to spare." He said.
Asher just stared off into space somewhere, and didn't answer.
"It's up to you, but we would need an answer. We already have men placed outside the mansion, and Dario needs to know your decision." He said.
"Mr. Dalton, I myself have been to training, and as you can see I have access to weapons. Your men are welcome to whatever they need. Greer is my daughter, it's not just her photo, but a gut feeling I've had ever since I learned of her existence. She is my responsibility, and I should be there to protect her, so I'll be coming along." Asher said.
Dammit!
He looked at me. "We need a plan on what we tell Greer about why I'm there in your home. I think for the sake of some off chance that she's not mine, we should wait until after the test to tell her that I'm her father." He said.
"I agree Mr. Bianchi, I can have that test arranged for this evening." Mrs. Dalton said.
I didn't expect this man to step up to the plate.
"I'll just tell her you are a family friend," I said, and the word friend is used loosely.
"None of your staff are to know these agents identity. I'll have them in place this evening, but until then, stay with Dario. He usually doesn't do fieldwork, but in this case, we feel it's necessary. Asher, I'll leave a man here, and do what you can to be at Maggie's soon. Like I said, Greer is already being watched, but we should have been here weeks ago. You are all lucky he didn't make a move." He said.
"My friend Victoria is staying with us for a few days, but she's leaving for Paris on Monday." I said.
Why did Asher's eyes light up when I said her name? He must be a fan I guess.
"I'm guessing she's also a model?" Dario asked.
"Yes, but don't worry about Victoria. She's been my only family since my parent's deaths, and we've been friends since childhood." I said.
"Your parents have passed?" Asher asked in a sad tone.
"Yeah, but it was a long time ago," I answered.
"We will need a list of all your staff, so we can run our own background checks, that will include your friend." Mr. Dalton said.
Mr. and Mrs. Dalton explained they will be heading back to D.C. tonight, but Dario will be staying.
Asher stayed behind and said he will be over in a few hours, while Dario drove me home. Both Dario and Asher will be introduced as friends to both the staff and Greer. I'm not even able to tell Victoria.
The first thing I did when I got home, was run up to Greer's bedroom and gave her a huge bear hug. To know she's been in this kind of danger her whole life kills me.
"Greer, you need to know that your coming into my life has been a blessing, I love you, just like I love your mom." I hugged her, and she hugged me back tightly.
"I love you too, Aunt Maggie." That was enough to make me cry. It's only been weeks, and I'm falling at this child's feet. I can't let Asher take her from me, I have to be very careful what I do from this point forward. If he wants Greer, he better be prepared to have me in her life, I'll never leave this child.
I pulled back. "I've got a few more friends that are going to stay with us for a short while. One's name is Asher and the other is Dario. Aunt Vicky will be here for a few more days, but the guys might be here a lot longer." I said.
"Okay, Aunt Maggie." She went on playing with the dollhouse.
"Greer, do you remember when I said I wanted to try and find your daddy?" I asked.
She just nods while she played.
"Later we are going to take a special test, they might want to use a q-tip like we use sometimes for our makeup, but this time they will rub it on the inside of your cheek. Do you think that would be okay?" I asked.
She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess so."