Daddy's Angel (Montana Daddies Book 7)

by Laylah Roberts

  Maybe he just liked the view.

  “Why would they do that? I don’t understand any of this. How did those letters get on my laptop? I never wrote them. I swear I didn’t.”

  Wolfe returned with a glass of Scotch. She didn’t drink it. She only kept it here for her father and Larry. She wrinkled her nose. Caleb took it from her and held the glass to her lips. “Just have a sip, Squirt.”

  “It won’t help.”

  Nothing was going to help. Her family were treacherous liars. And Bain. . .where had he gone? Why had he barely looked at her? Did he believe them?

  A sob broke from her lips.

  “Karisma, drink the Scotch,” a cultured voice said gently. She looked up through blurry eyes. It was the brother who hadn’t spoken at all yet. “It will help settle your nerves.”

  “I. . .I. . .”

  He took the glass from Wolfe and crouching, held it to her lips. “Drink.” His voice held a firmer note of command and she took a sip, grimacing at the turn. “Good girl.”

  She blinked at him.

  He smiled. Holy hell, he was gorgeous. Was it wrong to notice things like that when she had a man? When she loved Bain?

  “He believed them,” she said.

  His smile dropped from his face. “If he did then he is a complete fool. Anyone with a brain could see that they were lying.”

  She sniffed. “You didn’t believe them?”

  “Not a word, Karisma. And if your man has any sense, he will know they lied.”

  “He’s smart, but his ex-wife lied to him all the time. Maybe he thinks I’m like her.”

  “If he knows you at all, he’ll know you’re not a liar,” Wolfe growled.

  “Shall we introduce ourselves?” the kind prince asked. She suddenly realized who she was talking too. Eek! Where were her manners?

  “Oh, excuse my manners, your-your majesty. I. . .uh. . .umm. . .can I get you. . .umm. . .Scotch?” she squeaked. She tried to rise but the prince put his hand out and shook his head.

  “Please, do not treat us any differently than you would Caleb, Aleki and Wolfe.”

  “She’s never once offered me Scotch,” Aleki moaned.

  “That’s because you don’t drink it. You’re a beer only man,” she countered. She turned back to the prince in front of her. “Sorry, please, I’d love it if you told me your names.”

  “Of course, Karisma. The one standing, looking so stern by the door is my oldest brother, Kassim. The fool behind me who is trying to steal Scotch without being caught is Aric. The moody one looking out the window, is Matek. And I am your greatest fan. Tavi.”

  “You wanted the concert.”

  “I still do. Maybe you should come to Escana and give it?”

  Her eyes widened. “I would love that Prince Tavi, but. . .”

  “But your heart lies elsewhere.”

  “What does Karisma mean?”

  “It is equivalent to beauty.”

  They thought she was beautiful? She blushed.

  The door to the room opened and Dominic stepped inside.

  “Where’s Bain?” she asked, trying to look around Dominic. “I need to talk to him.”

  She stood and Tavi stood with her. When she wobbled slightly, Tavi clasped hold of her arm to steady her. She gave him a small smile.

  “Ari, who had access to your laptop?” Aleki asked before Dominic could speak.

  She didn’t want to talk about her damn laptop. She wanted to know where Bain was. Why wasn’t he here? Did he really believe her family?

  “Don’t worry, Ari,” Dominic said to her. “He’ll be back soon.”

  “But where did he go? Did he believe them? I didn’t lie!” Tears dripped down her face. Everything was crashing down on her. What if he left her? Panic seized hold of her lungs. She couldn’t breathe. She flashed hot then cold, her entire body trembling.

  “She’s having a panic attack,” a deep, accented voice said. “Sit her down. Breathe, Arianna. Calm down and breathe. In. Then out. You can do this. Just breathe.”

  She tried to follow the voice. Breathe, Arianna.

  “That’s it. Calm down. All will be well. Good girl.”

  The black dots swimming in her vision faded away as she took in a deep breath then let it out. As she became more aware, she was shocked to find that it was Matek crouched in front of her. Who had been guiding her through the panic attack.

  She met his gaze, noted the deep concern and something else. Something dark and tortured.

  “In. Out. Good girl. In. Out. All will be well.”

  “If he d-doesn’t believe me?” she whispered.

  “Then he is a fool and I shall chop off his head.”

  She gaped at the stern-looking man. Then he grinned. A couple of people gasped, and she wasn’t sure why. “Or just beat him up for you?”

  She shook her head. “You never told me they were all crazy,” she said to Caleb without thinking.

  Tavi and Aric laughed. Kassim smiled but Matek kept his stern gaze on hers.

  “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean any disrespect.” She ran her hand over her face. What was she doing? These guys were princes and they were Caleb, Aleki and Wolfe’s employers.

  “None taken, little one,” Kassim told her.

  Dominic looked over at her. “Bain didn’t believe them, sweetheart. Not even for a second. He just wanted to speak with them.”

  “What’s taking so long?” she whispered. She needed him. Needed him to reassure her that he knew they spouted bullshit. That he loved her. “Are you sure he doesn’t think I’m like his ex and lied to him?”

  Dominic snorted. “No way would he ever think you were like that bitch. Bain knows exactly who you are. But he wanted to have a chat with your family. In private.”

  Caleb made a rumbling noise of agreement. “Good.”

  “Arianna,” Aleki said, getting her attention. “I need you to focus. Who had access to your laptop yesterday? Was there someone else in the apartment besides you, Dominic and Bain?”

  She frowned. “No one else had access. Why?”

  “Your sister was here,” Dominic said.

  “Oh yes, I forgot she was here.”

  “Was she left alone in here? At around quarter to three?”

  “Yeah, it would have been that time,” Dominic said. “

  “Bingo. Got you bitch,” Aleki said smugly.

  “What are you saying? That my sister planted those letters on my laptop?” She shook her head. “How would she access it? Its password protected.”

  “What’s your password, sweetheart?” Caleb asked dryly.

  “Oh, umm, Soul and Heart, all one word.”

  Tavi shook his head. “You used the name of your first album as your password?”

  She blushed. “Okay, maybe not the smartest idea. But how did Gaby guess it? She wasn’t in here that long.”

  “Larry ever see you unlock your computer with your password? Any chance he knew it?” Aleki asked.

  She rubbed her pounding head. “Yeah. It’s likely he knew it. Oh God, you really think she planted those letters?”

  “The file was put on your computer at 2:48pm yesterday. Gaby didn’t even try to hide her tracks. Any idiot could figure that out.”

  “It’s only the first three letters,” Dominic said, looking over Aleki’s shoulder. “Because they didn’t know about the fourth. Their story was so weak it was ridiculous. She’s off her meds? Seriously? She hired someone to deliver the letters? She got Larry to go along with it all? They must think us all idiots.”

  “They’re blinded by greed,” Caleb rumbled. “Always have been the most self-centered, morally corrupt people. Don’t know how my girl was even born to the same family.” He turned to her “I’m proud of you for standing up to them, Squirt.”

  “For so long I just wanted them to notice me, to love me, now I’m thinking I might have been better off if I’d always stayed in the shadows.”

  “Arianna Silvers never belonged to the shadows,�
�� Caleb told her. “You shouldn’t have been relegated to the background and you never will be again. Some things are sent to make us stronger. And you are the strongest person I know.”

  She leaned into Caleb and he wrapped her up in his arms. “Don’t know what I would have done without you all these years. You were my only real friend for so long. Then you brought me two more friends.” She looked over at Wolfe and Aleki. Wolfe just smiled.

  Aleki leaned back in his seat. “Brothers, babe. He brought you brothers.”

  “Family doesn’t have to be blood,” Wolfe added. “You might think you lost something today when really you gained something. Freedom. They held you back. They kept you down. They wanted you under their command, doing their bidding. That’s not what family is. Family supports you. They make you better just by being there, by loving you. And you’ve had that for years.”

  Tears blurred her eyes. She nodded. “You’re so right.”

  She stood and gave Wolfe a hug then Aleki.

  “Someone take a photo,” Aleki said jokily. “Might as well torture that man of yours. He seems the possessive type.”

  To her shock, someone did take a photo. She turned around to glare at Aric who just grinned at her. “Shall I put it on Instagram? Singing sensation’s secret love. Has a nice ring to it, yes?”

  “Don’t you dare,” she growled. She strode over to the prince. “Give that back.”

  He just whistled and put the phone in his pocket. She put her hands on her hips, giving him a stern look. “Do you think I won’t grab that out of your pocket?”

  “Ahh, please do, I think the headline would read, The princess of pop meets her very own prince.”

  Tavi groaned. “That was a terrible one, brother.”

  “No good? Hmm. I shall think on a better one.”

  She gave up on Aric. She wasn’t worried about photos going on Instagram. She knew he wouldn’t really do that and right now, it was the least of her concerns.

  “How did they get the letters though?” Kassim asked. “Do you think they just re-typed them?”

  She rubbed her forehead. “I took photos of them to send to Caleb. Soon after Bain and Dominic arrived, Larry demanded I send copies to him as well. I didn’t even think about it. . . he claimed he wanted copies so that he was kept up-to-date on what was going on. In case the police wanted to talk to him or something. I just gave them to him to shut him up. I guess he typed them out into a word document.”

  “Not your fault, Squirt,” Caleb told her.

  She just couldn’t believe any of this was happening. And she really wanted Bain.

  “Shouldn’t Bain be back by now? How long a chat is he having with them?” she asked Dominic.

  Dominic frowned. “I’ll try calling him.”

  She needed him. Needed to have him reassure her that he believed her. That he loved her.

  Those motherfucking bastards. He stepped out of the stairway, having run the whole way down ten flights of stairs rather than wait for the elevator and risk losing them. He walked into the foyer just in time to see them walking past.

  “I want a word with all of you,” he said, storming up to them. How dare they make up lies like that?

  They turned. Arianna’s mother gave him a haughty look. Her father appeared furious. But Larry blanched, looking worried.

  “Mr. Grady, I can assure you that every word we said up there is the truth,” her mother said coldly. “If you would like to consult with Doctor Jones, we can arrange that.”

  Bain folded his arms over his chest. “Is that so?”

  “Yes, of course. I’m sure he’ll see us straight away.”

  Oh, so not only would he willingly break patient-doctor confidentiality, but he could fit them in immediately? He wondered how much of Arianna’s cash was being used to grease the doctor’s palms.

  He turned to Larry, watching the other man until he started fidgeting. “You know making false reports to the police is an offense, right?”

  The other man swallowed. “Yes, but I was trying to help Arianna. And if I get into trouble so will she. Surely you won’t be taking that further.”

  Bain raised his eyebrows. “But according to you all, Arianna has delusions. I’m sure the police wouldn’t hold her accountable.”

  Larry started sweating. So he should.

  “Didn’t come down here for proof or because I believe any of you. You’re all miserable excuses for human beings. Arianna would never make up such a hoax like that. She isn’t a liar. She doesn’t have delusions. She’s honest and kind. Nothing you jerks would know anything about.”

  “Well, really,” her mother huffed.

  “Yeah, really.” And he realized he believed every word. He hadn’t believed them. Not for a minute. She was nothing like Jillian. “Ari is worth a million of you. She’s finally doing what she wants. Not your bidding.”

  “And what she wants is to move with the backwoods with you?” her mother sneered.

  “Yes,” he said firmly. “If you’re all wise, you’ll leave without making a fuss. But from now on, you stay away from Arianna. You don’t call her. You don’t message her. You don’t do anything to hurt her. Or I will come after you. And it won’t be pretty. Any secrets, anything you’ve been hiding, I will hunt them down and expose them. Hurt Arianna and I will destroy you.”

  Her mother just sniffed, looking undaunted. But the other three all appeared worried. Good. Maybe now they would behave themselves. If not, he would be watching. He’d have Corbin start looking into their backgrounds now in preparation.

  “You can leave now. Might want to go home and start on your resumes.”

  “Well, I never—” her mother began to say, but Arianna’s father grabbed hold of her arm, tugging her away.

  Fuckers.

  He waited until they left, before turning around. He needed to get back to Arianna. He hated having to leave her immediately, but he needed to make sure her parents knew exactly how he felt. He hadn’t wanted to threaten them in front of her.

  “Hey, um, Mr. Grady.”

  He looked over as Rob, the head of security approached him. He sighed. “What?”

  “Can you come into my office? Found something on the camera feed you might find interesting.”

  Bain eyed him. He’d never been useful before. But then, it wasn’t going to hurt to look.

  “Sure. I only have a minute, though.”

  He followed Rob into his office, moving towards his desk.

  “What is it?”

  Too late, he sensed the attack coming in from behind him as something landed on his head.

  Then he knew nothing.

  Bain woke up with a splitting headache.

  Instead of immediately opening his eyes, he took a moment to figure out his surroundings. His instincts screamed at him that something was wrong.

  Wherever he was, it was cold. Damp. He could smell diesel.

  Was he in some sort of basement? His hands were behind him, secured together. He tried to move his legs. Tied as well. All right. What was his last memory?

  Ari. Her family. Listening to their plans. The superintendent. Rob. Then pain. Had that bastard had hit him with something? No. Not Rob. He’d been in front of him. Someone else. Someone else had been hiding behind the door and had hit him on the head. Then they’d somehow dragged him to where? Down to the basement? Made sense.

  There wasn’t much street noise. Was he in a boiler room?

  He couldn’t hear anyone near him, but they could be silent, waiting. Finally, he heard a door creek open.

  “This wasn’t the plan, Jerome,” someone whined. It sounded like Rob. “He can’t be here, what if someone finds him? I’ll lose my job.”

  “Shut up, Rob. Who cares about your job? As soon as Arianna is mine, I’ll give you enough money to move to some island and live out your days drinking Mai Tai’s and sunning your white ass. My girl is loaded.”

  “You better,” Rob said in his nasally voice. “So what are we going to do
about him? Why did you hit him over the head?”

  “You overheard what her sister said to the doorman yesterday, she’s moving to Montana with this prick. If you’d put listening devices in her apartment like I told you to we would have known about this earlier and come up with a better plan. I had to move on the fly.”

  “They’ve upped security. I couldn’t get into her apartment without one of them finding out. What makes you think it’s this guy she’s moving away with?”

  “Because her sister said it was the big black hunk. That sister always was a slut. Might have to take care of her. And the rest of her family. They never treated her right.”

  “What makes you think she’ll want to be with you if she’s planning to go away with him?”

  There was the noise of a scuffle and it took all of his control to stay still. He tugged carefully at the ropes around his wrists. There was some give there. Perfect.

  “I told you, we have a connection. She kept my secret for all these years. She could have told. Could have gotten me in trouble. But she didn’t. She even shared her cookies with me when my bitch mother wouldn’t give me any.”

  Fuck. Who was this guy? How long had he known Ari? And why the fuck was he going on about damn cookies?

  “Fine. Fuck. She’s yours. Whatever. Let me go.” Rob sounded winded. Like this mystery guy was holding him by the neck.

  “Then that bitch got fired and we were separated. It wasn’t until I heard her message that I knew she needed me. I came to rescue her. But this asshole is in my way.”

  He kicked Bain’s boot. He forced himself to stay relaxed. Slumped.

  “But what if she hires other bodyguards?” Rob asked. “Then you won’t be able to swoop in as the hero to save her from her stalker.”

  So this guy was the stalker and Rob was his partner. Made sense.

  “The plan has changed. It wasn’t working, anyway with these bodyguards around. They kept her from me. I couldn’t make a move with all the new security measures.”

  “Should we be talking about this in front of him?” Rob whispered.

  “He’s unconscious. Besides, even if he is listening in, he’s not going to get a chance to talk.”