Daddy's Angel (Montana Daddies Book 7)

by Laylah Roberts

  “Fuck,” Bain said with a frown. “No signature? Nothing on the envelope? Where was it mailed from? Cops find anything?”

  Kent cleared his throat. “That’s the thing. These weren’t sent. They were hand-delivered to her apartment. An apartment with security. And none of these have been passed onto the police.”

  “What?” Dominic asked. “Why not?”

  “I’m not sure. I haven’t spoken directly to Arianna.” Kent frowned.

  “She got her assistant to call you, huh?” Bain asked. “She’s so afraid and yet she couldn’t call you herself?”

  Kent stared at him for a moment. “No, actually. An old Navy friend of mine contacted me about this job. Caleb Pierce.”

  “Caleb Pierce?” Dominic repeated.

  “Know him?” Kent asked.

  “Heard of him. Isn’t he overseas guarding some rich prince?”

  “He is,” Kent confirmed. “He’s a good man. I owe him a favor, he’s never called it in. Until now.”

  “He involved with her?” Bain tapped his finger against the photo of Arianna.

  “Not like that. Apparently, they grew up together. He said she’s a close friend. She sent him the letters and he contacted me. Asked me to send some people out until he can arrange something more permanent.”

  “Does she even want us there?” Dominic asked, glancing over at Bain. This could be a tricky fucking job if she didn’t.

  “Apparently she agreed to you both coming. She’s expecting you. She, or perhaps her assistant, sent me some details. She’s bought you both first-class tickets on a flight out to New York and her driver will collect you. Everything you need has been emailed to you, along with copies of the other two threatening letters. This could all fizzle out, like so many of these things. But she’s scared. Caleb is worried and I owe him. See if you can get her to send those letters to a lab so we can have them tested. Guessing she has her reasons for not wanting the cops involved.”

  Probably more worried about her reputation and career than her life.

  This was going to be so much fun.

  “Fucking hate these jobs,” Bain muttered to Dominic as they collected their bags at the airport. They each had duffels with personal items along with hard, locked cases containing firearms. Standard for jobs like this.

  Hopefully, like most of the others, this one would turn out to be a dud and finished quickly.

  Dominic grinned at him. He was currently sporting a salt-and-pepper beard. His bright blue eyes twinkled with merriment. “Which is why Kent doesn’t usually send you on these jobs.”

  “My fucking luck that Macca wasn’t available.” He’d just arrived home with his new girlfriend, Gigi. She was Australian, she’d moved halfway across the world to be with Macca.

  He was fucking lucky to find someone special like that. Someone who was willing to uproot her life. Bain had never had that. His ex had been selfish. More interested in material things than him.

  But that meant Macca wasn’t available for this job and unfortunately for him, neither were any of the others.

  So he got babysitting duty. At least Dominic was with him. He’d let the other man do the talking. Actually, Kent had ordered him to let Dominic do all the talking. They were all aware that Bain didn’t have much of a filter. Catering to some rich brat’s every whim just wasn’t something he was good at.

  Give him an enemy to take down, a good fight, he was there.

  But getting his charge a double-shot mocha almond latte from a café halfway across town wasn’t something he was ever going to jump to do.

  And yes, the last time he’d been on babysitting duty for some small-screen actress whose fame had been waning, that’s exactly what she’d demanded.

  He’d told her he wasn’t some glorified errand boy and she could make her own damn coffee.

  Yeah, letting Dominic do the talking wasn’t a bad idea.

  “At least she sent a driver,” Dominic told him as they approached an older man holding a sign with JSI written on it. “That’s more than most do.”

  Bain just grunted. He hated having someone else drive. He might have a few teensy-tiny control issues. They followed the older man, who’d introduced himself as Joe, out to a dark town car and climbed in the back. Bain tapped his fingers against his leg. Probably just as well he wasn’t driving. Manhattan traffic would do his head in.

  “Nice ride, Joe,” Dominic said, making small talk with the driver as they weaved their way through traffic. “So you worked for Ms. Silvers for long?”

  “Me and the wife, we’ve worked for Miss Ari for close to six years now. Just after she went big with her first album. The wife does all the cooking and cleaning. Well, not that there’s much of that to do seeing as Miss Ari just lives on her own. We probably should have retired by now, but we can’t leave Miss Ari on her own.”

  That surprised Bain. Hard to believe a famous singer like Arianna Silvers would be on her own for long.

  They pulled into an underground parking lot. Bain climbed out of the car and looked around as Joe shuffled to the back to pull out the bags. He quickly grabbed both of his bags, before the older, stooped man toppled over under the weight.

  “Come, come. This way.” Joe waved his hand and shuffled forward at a painfully slow pace.

  Bain looked over at Dominic who just grinned. When Joe said he should have retired already, it seemed that probably should have been around ten years ago.

  “Are there cameras down here?” Bain asked.

  Joe had to use a card at the entrance to the garage to get in, but it wouldn’t take much for someone to get hold of one of those. At the elevator, the old man swiped his card again.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Joe answered. “Rob, he’s the head of security for the building, he’d probably know.”

  Bain spotted one above the entrance to the elevator, but none in the actual basement garage itself.

  “Are we going to the lobby?” Dominic asked, as the lift rose.

  “Oh no, that’s the good thing about this place. You can go straight up to the penthouse where Miss Ari lives.”

  Bain sighed. He could feel a headache forming.

  “So all someone needs is that card and they can not only get in the garage, but go straight up to the penthouse apartment?” Bain demanded. “Without checking in at all?”

  “Well. Yes. But only me and Miss Ari have these cards,” he boasted proudly. “Oh, and the wife of course. And Larry, her agent. Can’t remember if her parents have one. Don’t think so since Miss Ari wouldn’t want them showing up whenever they liked.”

  Christ. Hopefully the client had a better memory than her driver. The elevator opened into a small foyer.

  “Tell me that the same card doesn’t access the penthouse?” Bain asked Joe.

  “Course not,” Joe replied.

  Joe entered a six-digit pin code into a panel next to the door. Then there was a click and the door opened. Bain looked around, spotting a camera discreetly mounted in the corner of the foyer. There was only the one, though.

  “Gonna have to talk to her about improving her security. More cameras. New keycards for the elevator. Have to check if there’s some sort of alarm when people reach the foyer.”

  Dominic just nodded with a frown.

  They followed Joe inside, where he was soon greeted by a short, round woman with white hair and a wide smile.

  “This is the wife. Estelle.”

  “Hello, so nice to meet you,” she said warmly. “Can I take your bags for you?”

  Dominic shook his head. “We’ll carry them, ma’am. If you could just show us where we’re sleeping, we’ll go introduce ourselves to Ms. Silvers.”

  “Of course. But call me Estelle, please.” She turned and unlike Joe, thankfully moved at a faster pace. “Joe, don’t you touch that apple cobbler, it’s for Miss Ari. Girl hasn’t been eating at all lately,” she confided in them. “Apple cobbler is her favorite, I’m hoping it will stimulate her appetite.”

&
nbsp; She led them down a passage. “Now, Joe and I are here every day except the weekends, so if you need anything let one of us know. Miss Ari thought you’d be happy in these two rooms.” She opened a door and they followed her in. His eyebrows rose. The room was huge, with a large window that showcased the Manhattan skyline. “Each room has a private bathroom. And the rooms connect through that door.” She nodded at a door to the side.

  “Where is Ms. Silvers bedroom?” he asked abruptly.

  The woman gave him a puzzled look then the smile dropped slightly from her face. “It’s at the end of the passage. Joe will have told her that you’re here, if you’d like me to take you to her. I’ll give you a short tour.”

  “Thanks. Just give us a minute.”

  The woman nodded and left the room. Dominic moved into the room next door as Bain quickly set up his gun, putting it in a side holster and grabbing his jacket to hide it. Dominic knocked and then returned. They both moved out into the passage where Estelle waited.

  She took them on a tour of the penthouse. Which was fucking huge. What did one person need with six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a jacuzzi, an infinity pool as well as a large study?

  Rich people. He’d never fucking understand them.

  Okay. Perhaps he had a slight chip on his shoulder when it came to people with money.

  Estelle finally led them towards their client’s study. She knocked and waited as someone with a soft voice called out.

  “Miss Ari, the two gentlemen from JSI are here.”

  The woman, who was standing in front of the huge windows that looked out towards a large park, turned to look at them.

  He felt like someone had sucker-punched him. He actually froze for a moment. The photos he’d seen of her hadn’t prepared him for her beauty. Wavy, red, thick hair. She was short but had curves in all the right places. A small waist, wider hips and fucking gorgeous breasts.

  Fake? He guessed they probably were, but she hadn’t gone overboard with them. Moss green eyes studied them both. She wore ripped jeans that probably cost more than he made in a week and a tight, blue-green T-shirt. She had to be one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen, hands-down. And there was just something about her that drew him in, that made him want to get close to her, to touch her, to see her smile.

  She opened her mouth just as there was a shout from the foyer.

  Bain immediately gestured to Dominic. He walked towards Arianna, standing in front of her, while Bain moved out into the corridor. Grabbing hold of his gun, he held it lightly at his side.

  “Arianna!” A short, thin man dressed in a suit stormed down the passage. He froze as he spotted Bain.

  “Holy fuck, you’re enormous!”

  “Who are you?” Bain demanded.

  “I’m Larry,” the other man sneered. “Arianna’s agent. And I’m guessing you’re the bodyguard she hired without consulting me? Well, you’re fired. Get your stuff and get out.”

  Bain quickly glanced over at Dominic and watched as their client stepped out from behind his friend. He narrowed his gaze at her. Didn’t she know that she was supposed to hide behind the bodyguard? Dominic gently pushed her back behind him.

  “Get out of the way, you overgrown ass. Jesus, you need to ease up on the ‘roids.”

  “Larry!” Arianna snapped, sounding appalled.

  Bain just glared down at the asshole in an expensive suit. Larry sneered and moved past him into the room. Bain took a look down the corridor and went to check that the front door was secured. Larry seemed the type to only care about himself.

  When he moved back to the study, he could hear yelling. What the fuck? He strode into the room, to find Larry pacing up and down. Dominic stood next to Arianna, by the dark wood desk. The room surprised him. There were built-in bookshelves on two walls, filled with paperbacks. A fireplace was featured on the far wall with a couple of comfortable looking chairs resting in front of it. The whole room was cozy and welcoming.

  Larry’s thin, weasel-like face scrunched up like he was constipated as he flung his hands around as he yelled.

  Jesus. Did he have to scream every word?

  “You had no right to hire them without consulting me, Arianna! I’m your agent. I should have vetted them first! Fuck, we could have at least got one who has guarded a celebrity before. What about that guy who guarded that actress, Jenna Stone? I think he’s free.”

  “He’s free because she was murdered,” Dominic stated. He frowned at Larry. Took a lot to rile Dominic. He was one of the most easy-going guys Bain knew. That’s why Kent usually sent him on these jobs.

  Larry ignored him. “Or at least one who isn’t a hundred.” Larry looked Dominic up and down with a sneer. A hundred? Dominic had just hit fifty. This guy was a complete prick. He turned to Bain. “Or one who looks like he shoots up with steroids daily. Mind you, the fact that he’s black isn’t a bad move.”

  Arianna made a small gasping noise and Bain turned to see her gaping at Larry, looking ill. As though she felt his eyes on her, she turned her gaze to his. She almost immediately dropped her eyes from his. Something stirred in his gut. Had she dropped them due to shame? Or something else? He didn’t give a fuck what this asshole said about his size or his skin color.

  Bain had long since stopped caring about what others thought of him.

  He crossed his arms over his chest, aware that the arms of his jacket strained across his biceps. He heard another strangled noise coming from the little singer and looking over at her, saw the way she stared at his body.

  Liked the way he looked, did she?

  Sorry, sweetheart, you can use my body as protection but nothing else.

  Even if sleeping with a client wasn’t against JSI terms of employment, he wouldn’t do it. Not with someone like her. Larry continued on with his tirade. Occasionally she would open her mouth, but then he’d go off on another spiel.

  Did the ass ever shut up?

  He watched her wince as Larry grew particularly loud. Then she appeared to pale as he said something about calling her parents. Although why that would bother her, he didn’t know. According to his info on her, she was twenty-six. Old enough to make her own decisions. Without her parents or this dickhead’s permission.

  Still, irritation filled him at her obvious discomfit.

  “A bodyguard could be a good move if we spin it right. Not this one, obviously.” He pointed at Dominic. “But I guess the other one will do until we can find someone with more of a following.”

  A following? Did bodyguards have followings?

  Larry turned to him. “Are you on Instagram? Are you known? Is there anything I can use to get some media attention for Arianna?”

  Bain just glared at him. He wasn’t even going to dignify those fucking questions with an answer. What the fuck? An Instagram following? Was he fucking insane? He was a security operative.

  “Come on? What’s your problem? Don’t you talk? Doesn’t he talk? Arianna, how am I meant to work with him when he doesn’t fucking talk? It’s bad enough dealing with your shit.”

  Her shit? What did that mean? That she was a problem to deal with?

  Arianna’s eyes widened at those words and she actually took a few steps towards Bain, standing between him and Larry. Bain glanced over at Dominic; whose eyes had widened in surprise.

  Surely, she wasn’t. . .was she trying to protect him? From Larry the dickhead? Did she not understand how the whole bodyguard thing worked?

  Dominic watched Arianna with interest, but Bain couldn’t see her face from this angle. He moved forward so he was standing just a few feet back and to her right. Just in case Larry made some dickhead move on her.

  “Larry,” she said in a low, warning voice.

  “Look, darling,” Larry wheedled. “I didn’t mean it like that. Arianna, you know I love working with you. It’s so refreshing. I think you’re so courageous the way you deal with all your problems.”

  Problems? What the fuck? What was up with this guy? First, he
yelled at her now he was trying to sweet-talk her, except his tone was condescending as fuck. And if the tension in Arianna’s body was any indication, she thought so as well.

  “It’s just, you can’t make decisions like this on your own. We’ve talked about this. Anything to do with your career has to go through me. I’m your agent. I get paid to handle this shit, so you don’t have to worry your pretty head about it.”

  Could the guy be more of an ass?

  Then he ran his hand down her arm. Yep, seemed he could.

  Arianna shook off his hand immediately, moving backward. Bain quickly reacted, stepping forward to place a hand on her back and steady her. She stiffened and stepped hastily away from him.

  Right. He got it. She didn’t want the help touching her.

  Larry waved a hand around. “Obviously this isn’t going to work, babe. Just give me a couple of days, I’ll find you a bodyguard that’s far more suitable to your situation than these two. I just wished you’d told me you were feeling so unsafe. You know I’d do anything for you.”

  Jesus, could this guy lay it on any thicker.

  “I did tell you,” she said in a low voice. “You brushed me off. How did you even know they were here?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Obviously, you dreamed that. The two of you can run along now. I have this all figured out.” Larry gave them both a dismissive look. Bain couldn’t work out what Larry’s issue was. Was it the fact that they weren’t famous enough for him? Or that he hadn’t chosen them himself and therefore didn’t get to control them?

  A bit of both he was guessing.

  “Well, Larry, we can’t do that, I’m afraid,” Dominic told him, watching the other man with that grin still on his face. Bain bet he was the only one who could see the irritation in his eyes. “Arianna hired us. We only go where she tells us to. And I don’t think she wants us to leave.”

  Larry sighed. “You’ve met her for two minutes and you think you know her? Look, I get that you’re after your two seconds of fame, no doubt being seen with Arianna will bring all sorts of jobs coming your way. But it’s my job to look after Arianna’s interests. She listens to my advice. Don’t you, darling?”