They walked upstairs together after they talked about Merle a bit more. He turned and gave her a goodnight kiss before entering his bedroom.
"Daryl?"
"Yes, Carol?"
"I realize you are just across the hall, but would you sleep in here with us? This whole thing has me freaked out."
"Sure, I can do that."
He followed her into the bedroom her and Sophia had been using. Walking over to the window, he lifted the curtain as Carol took off her robe and kneeled down to check on Sophia. There had been issues with falling out of the bed, so Carol had made a nest on the floor next to her. Finding her daughter sound asleep, Carol slid into bed.
"All's quiet out there," said Daryl as he let the curtain slide back into place. Facing her again, he noticed she had pulled back the covers and patted the bed for him. Looking up at her, she graciously said, "After what happened in that shower, Dixon, I think we can sleep in the same bed."
"What about Sophia?"
"It is ok, we're just sleeping. She is too little to understand anything beyond that anyway." Her face turned serious as she continued, "I will feel safer with you here with us."
"I understand. This is a king size bed, why don't we put Sophia between us? That way, she won't fall off the bed and I will feel more secure with both of you by me."
"Sounds great," answered Carol as her heart warmed a bit. He really was a good man and little things this just reiterated that fact.
After they got Sophia settled, Carol reached out and touched Daryl on the shoulder. He reached up, grabbed her hand and kissed the inside of her palm. Laying it back on his shoulder, he placed his hand over top of it and held it. She let a big sigh and closed her eyes.
He was still wide awake and knew she had fallen asleep when her breathing evened out. He was not used to being at the disadvantage in a situation like this and it pissed him off. He carefully got up and began to pace the floor next to the bed. He grew up with Merle's bullshit and really thought he wouldn't ever have to see him again. But NO, fuckin Merle showed up in this case; the mastermind behind some seriously jacked up stuff.
"No, no, no, not Sophia," Carol said in her sleep. He heard the pain in her voice and stopped walking. Shaking his head and scrubbing hands over his face, he was done feeling sorry for himself and focused on keeping his girls safe. Wait? His girls? Smiling, he thought, yeah, my girls. There is no way I am letting you get to them Merle. Climbing into bed he turned and faced Carol. He began to caress her shoulder and she settled down once again. Eventually, he gave way to sleep.
Shaking his head, Merle slammed his phone against the wall. "FUCK ME!"
Startled, Gareth looked up as Phillip came running from the bedroom. "What the hell is that all about!?"
"I just paid some serious cash to find out who the agent is that has been working Shellie's case. Carol! Damn, whatever her name is! You guys aren't gonna believe this. It's my brother, Daryl. I knew years ago that he had become a police officer. I had no idea he was working with the witness protection program. Out of all the cases they deal with, I get my brother's case."
Gareth walked over to Merle and said, "Look, I understand you are pissed, but you need to stay focused. We have been busting our asses for the last two years trying to track this bitch down. We have done all of this for you, so snap out of it!"
Merle grabbed Gareth's jaw and squeezed it tightly as he said, "I know that, mother fucker. Get the hell out of my space before I smack you around. Do you seriously think I don't know what I am doing? I been dealing crazy ass shit for years now. This is just a bump in the road."
Phillip watched the exchange between the two men before he walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink. "Settle down. We have worked for you for years. Gareth isn't questioning your ability or the mission. He is just telling you to slow down. Seriously, Merle, how are we going to deal with this now that your brother is the one protecting her?"
"Gentlemen, I am only going to say this once. I am an escaped convict because of what that bitch did to me. When the time comes for her to be taken out, I will kill Daryl if I have to in order to get to her. Don't ever doubt that."
"Damn dude," said Gareth as he popped a beer open. "I don't always get along with my brother, but I certainly wouldn't be so casual about killing him."
"Let me clear this up for you bastards now. Daryl and I have never really been the kind of brothers who go fishing, set up camp, start a fire and sing kumbaya as we look at the stars. Our parents were druggies who left us alone most of the time while they went to find their next hit. I was left in charge and hated having to take care of us. Of him. I wanted to be a kid, hang with friends as I grew up and couldn't because that little fucker was always around."
"Even after he was a grown ass adult, he never thanked me. Figured it was owed to him, I guess. I would call him to help me out and he'd lecture me on how I needed to 'change my ways.' Get a real job and find a nice lady. Screw that and screw him! I make more money in a month than he makes in a year and always have hot pussy when I need it. Believe me...it will be my pleasure to put a bullet in his fuckin head and watch him bleed out."