Dangerous Daddy

by Sarah J. Brooks

  Reid stopped and turned, “What do you mean messed with?”

  “Some of my clothes are gone!” She was getting agitated, which was evident in her voice.

  “Oh, those. I had Mariska take them out,” he said in a casual way.

  “What? Who’s MARISKA?” she shouted the name.

  Reid shrugged. “The girl in the store,” he said. “I told her to take out all the nerdy stuff and dump them.”

  “How could you do that to someone? You invaded my privacy.” Her anger was starting to rise. The heat of it was burning her cheeks. Her emerald eyes blazed as she stared into his cold, steely ones. “How could you throw away my clothes?”

  “Calm down, Chelsea,” he cajoled, but she was having none of that.

  “Calm down? You throw away my clothes, and now you’re telling me to calm down?”

  She moved her hand from her chest and gesticulated while she spoke. Her emerald eyes sparkled, and her cheeks gleamed bright pink, flushed from her ire. Her robe slipped a crack, revealing her ivory skin beneath.

  “Those were my things. I should have a say in what happens to them. Where are they?” she asked tightly while her heart thudded heavily with adrenaline.

  She was breathing heavily as well as she tried her best to keep her rage under control. With each breath, her chest heaved. She found that her annoyance was increasing thinking about all that she’d encountered since she started working with Purple Crush. Reid throwing away her clothes was the icing on the cake, even though he’d bought her new ones. With a determined stride, she stomped into the room and picked up the bag of new clothes. She brought it and shoved it at her boss.

  “Here, take them back and return my own!”

  “Let’s be reasonable, Chelsea.” Reid ignored the bag. “You need to calm down.”

  A wolf whistle got her attention. Her head snapped up to see three men in the corridor. They were lounging against the wall of the motel passage and ogling her with grins on their faces.

  “What are you looking at?” she shrieked at them.

  At that moment, Colt stepped from one of the rooms and looked in her direction. His eyes cruised her, and then his face darkened into a scowl. He stepped towards the men menacingly and growled at them. She did not hear what he said, but they moved off. She was still breathing hot air when he walked casually towards her and stepped between her and Reid.

  Slowly his hands came up, and she cringed, not knowing what to expect. She shrank back a little, and her eyes widened. Her already unsteady heart took off again like a runaway train. She flushed deeper as his hand reached up and closed her robe.

  “Agh!” she gasped, just now realizing that she had been exposed.

  As realization dawned on her, she turned and ran into the room, slamming the door behind her. On wobbly knees, she leaned against the doorframe, trying to steady her breathing. Her heart pummeled her ribcage so badly that she feared her ribs would crack. No, that’s silly, she chuckled.

  “How could you not tell her she was exposed like that, Reid?” Colt’s asked. His voice came through the door.

  She pressed her ear to the door to listen.

  “I tried to tell her to calm down, but she was so angry,” Reid replied.

  “No, you didn’t try. I heard it all; I saw the look on your face!”

  “She’s a woman; I’m a man. It happens,” was Reid’s amused reply.

  Chelsea’s mouth fell open. She could not believe Reid said that. There was a thwacking sound and a groan, then Reid’s voice again.

  “What the fuck?”

  “Stay away from Chelsea. If I see you looking at her the way you did before, you and me will have problems,” Colt’s voice sounded deathly calm.

  “What’s with you? Are you in love with her?” Reid asked. She could hear the surprise in his voice.

  Chelsea’s breath stopped as she waited for Colt’s reply. There was only silence and then footsteps. She wanted to see what happened but was afraid to open the door. What was that sound? Did Colt hit Reid? No, he wouldn’t’ do that, would he?

  Chapter 16

  She eyed Reid intently, trying to find any signs of Colt hitting him. There didn’t seem to be any. She pushed what happened that morning from her mind as the bus continued on its journey. Since the incident, she hadn’t seen Colt. She knew he was on the bus, but he closed himself off behind the screen where the bed was.

  Reid had given her a bunch of things to do on the internet, including updating the social media accounts and the blog. He’d avoided her eyes though and hadn’t said much. When he handed her the to-do list, all she heard was a grunt. She was still angry with him for dumping her clothes. Still, the ones he bought were nice; they were just not her usual type.

  The bleep of her cell phone caught her attention, and she tore her eyes away from Reid to check it. It was from an unknown number. All the message said was, ‘He is not who he appears to be.’ There was nothing else. She was not sure what that meant. About whom were they talking? She waited for another message to clarify things, but nothing came. She dismissed it as a mistaken number. Not long after, the phone rang. She snatched it up after two rings and answered before viewing the number.

  “Hello?”

  “He’s going down … click.”

  “Who is this?” she blurted out as the click came.

  The voice was distorted as if the person was using a voice scrambler. The click of the phone echoed in her ear.

  “Hello? Hello!” she yelled.

  She knew it was futile because the caller hung up. How did they get her number? Was it the same person who texted her before?

  “What’s the matter?” Reid’s head snapped up from his seat. “What happened?” His eyes connected with hers the way they used to. The old Reid was back. He stared at her a moment before he rose, walked over and slid beside her in the seat.

  “It’s nothing, maybe a prank call,” she said. She fidgeted uneasily.

  “Look,” he began, resting his elbows on his knees while turning his head to look at her. “I’m sorry, okay?” His voice was low and calm. “I shouldn’t have thrown your stuff away, but I knew you’d want to still wear them even with the new stuff.”

  “I ... you shouldn’t have done it,” she replied with a slight stutter.

  “I know, I’m sorry. I just need you to start looking the part. You do good work; we all like you …” he was saying.

  “That’s not true. Colt doesn’t like me,” she blurted out without thinking.

  “Colt likes no one … don’t tell him I said that.” He chuckled.

  She smiled. “What about what he said. You were looking at my breasts?” She cast her eyes down as she asked. Her heart fluttered just a little.

  “I’m sorry about that too. I … didn’t intend to … it just was there … I’m sorry,” he said.

  “Okay.” She smiled. “You did try to calm me down.”

  “So tell me what happened just now, prank call? You looked concerned.”

  She wasn’t sure if telling Reid was a good idea. He perhaps would have the number traced and arrest the person for harassment. On the other hand, they texted and then called. Who was to say they wouldn’t do it again? She found the text, showed it to Reid, and then told him what the caller said.

  His face became like stone. His eyes hardened while she told him what the caller said. But all he told her was, “You’re probably right, prank call. You need to block your cell from receiving unknown calls.”

  “Can I do that?” She was surprised that was possible.

  “Yes, call your cell phone service. They will do it.”

  “Thank you” She said with a smile.

  “Now, am I forgiven?” He smiled back.

  His face softened, and his eyes crinkled. She never noticed that before. He looked completely different when he smiled. Even his eyes softened and reflected baby blue flecks. For the first time, she saw how attractive he was.

  The bus rolled to a stop, and Chelsea c
hecked the itinerary to see where they were scheduled to be. Wild Orchids Resort and Spa. They were to spend the next 48 hours there, where they would have a press meeting, CDs and T-Shirt giveaways.

  “Wait for Colt, I’ll get things settled in the hotel,” Reid told her. “Don’t leave the bus without him; he’s known for his disappearing acts.”

  “Okay.” She nodded.

  The others left the vehicle while Reid rushed to the hotel front desk to make sure everything was in place. Though he had called to confirm their rooms, he always did a final check when the group arrived. There was no movement from Colt’s corner, so she gathered her belongings and went to rouse him. The bus could only stay for ten minutes in front of the hotel.

  “Colt,” she said his name loud enough for him to hear through the curtain. There was no answer. She called aloud, “Colt!”

  When he did not respond, she pulled back the drapery just a little and peaked in. He was lying on his back with his eyes closed and a pair of headphones on. What should she do? It was seven minutes since they arrived. She reached her hand out to touch him but dropped it.

  “Colt?” she called out. Her voice was not as clear as she intended.

  This time when she reached out to touch him, her stomach fluttered. Slowly, she bent and reached down to touch his shoulder. That was a safe place to nudge. She gently gripped his shoulder, giving it a slight nudge. His eyes flew open, immediately settling on her. She withdrew her hand and stepped back, but he grabbed her before she could slither away. He used the other hand to pull away the headphone.

  “What is it?” His lips barely moved, but his voice was still the same … deep and rich.

  His grip was hot, burning through her skin. The fire shot up her arm and spread through her body. She tried to pull from his grasp, but her attempts were weak. The more she wiggled her hand, the hotter his palm felt.

  “Hum … well … the bus … hotel …” she stuttered. Oh God, why do I feel like an idiot around him, blabbering like a fool?

  “Oh, we’re there?” he said in a toneless manner, dropping her hand.

  She rubbed the area, trying to relieve the feverishness on her skin. Colt swung his legs from the bed and picked up a notebook. When she walked out of the bus, he was right behind her. She half expected him to disappear by the time they reached the hotel lobby. He did not.

  Chapter 17

  A figure stepped from the shadows at the end of the hall near the emergency staircase, just as Reid closed his door near 3 a.m. The lonely figure walked briskly towards the suite door, bent and slipped a white envelope beneath the door. Just as quickly, they slipped away to the elevator and punched in zero for the lobby.

  Reid kicked off his shoes and peeled off his socks, after which he wrangled himself from his jacket. The approaching summer was becoming quite humid. They were to spend two days in Missouri, and those 48 hours were going to be quite hectic. Colt was in one of his silent modes, and Chelsea was acting weirder than usual. He wondered if she had gotten over the fiasco with her clothes.

  He was unbuckling his belt when he realized he left his cell phone in the suite. The setup was similar to the last time, four-bedroom suite, living, dining, and kitchenette. This was smaller than in NYC, but it would do for the two days. He booked the suite for the boys, a single room for Chelsea and another for himself. Colt hated it but knew it was better for appearances. Moreover, they needed a place to set the instruments out and the suite of rooms with extra space was ideal. The press would be coming to the hotel a few hours later that afternoon, so the setup was ideal. There were two sets of instruments. The ones used on stage and their personal collection.

  He was of two minds. Should he let the phone stay until he returned in a couple of hours? No. There was always something happening, and he needed to stay alert. He snapped the buckle back in place and retraced his steps, stepping into the hall without his shoes. As he pulled his door closed, he thought he saw the elevator door shut. He paid it no mind. This was a hotel after all.

  He opened the suite door, and his bare foot crunched something. There was a white envelope under his foot. He picked it up and peered closely at the letters scrawled across it. It looked like a child wrote it. A smile spread across his face.

  “Fan letter from a child? Maybe a boy who wants to be a rock star.” He chuckled.

  He went over to his desk and looked around. His cell phone was not there. While rummaging through the desk drawer, Colt’s door opened. He looked surprised when he saw Reid and cocked a questioning brow.

  “I thought you left,” Colt stated.

  “Ha, found it.” Reid withdrew the cell phone from under a pile of files near the laptop. “Came back for this.” He held up the phone and handed him the envelope. “Oh, and I found this pushed under the door.”

  Colt snatched the envelope and stared at his name scribbled across the front. He wedged his forefinger under the flap and ran it along the glue strip. The small crackling sound broke the silence, followed by the rustling of paper as he withdrew a single sheet.

  His eyes narrowed, and he stepped closer to the light bulb on the wall. Colt stared at the single sheet of white paper for a long time. His knuckles became white as he gripped it before he crunched it in his fist and tossed it across the room. It hit the opposite wall and slid to the floor. Reid’s eyes narrowed. He was across the room in seconds, picking up the ball of paper. He smoothed it out, trying to make out the similar handwriting as on the envelope.

  “A hundred grand, and I keep my mouth shut. If not, you’re finished.”

  “Fucking piece of shit!” Reid blurted. He raked his hand through his hair and strode over to Colt. “Give him a call. Let’s get rid of him before the concert. You …” he started to say.

  “I’m not giving that piece of shit a dime!” Colt almost shouted.

  “He won’t go away, Colt. He’s been following you from state to state. Now he’s making demands.”

  Reid seethed inside. This stepbrother issue was beginning to piss him off. He wanted to beat the crap out of that Jason fellow and send him home. Wait. They were headed to Colt’s home state in less than a week. It was going to be difficult getting rid of him without paying him off. He could do the transaction, but the accountant would have to know about it, and eventually Colt would know. If he took the money from his personal funds, Colt wouldn’t have to know right away. Nevertheless, he would need to be reimbursed.

  “No!” Colt’s voice penetrated his thoughts.

  His head shot up and met the rock star’s glare. “What?” he asked.

  “I know what you’re thinking, and it’s no,” his deep voice was gravelly.

  “Look Colt, let’s get rid of him once and for all. We’ll have the lawyer write up a contract, we give him 250 grand and have him sign the contract. If he breaks it, then we take action.” He had not thought it through. The words just slipped from his mind.

  “No fucking way I’m giving Jason 250 grand. You must be crazy!”

  Reid stepped close to him. He was fast becoming annoyed with Colt’s stubbornness. “Can’t you see that Jason is out for blood? You know that Carl Benson won’t rest until he takes you down for what you did to his sister.”

  “I didn’t do anything! She was crazy; how was that my fault?”

  “We know that, but the fellow blamed you. Now, he’s …”

  “… a fucking stalker, like his mentally ill sister!” Colt finished.

  Reid shook his head. “I was going to say that he’s out for blood, but you hit the nail on the head.”

  They both fell silent for a moment while Reid contemplated his next move. A concert was scheduled the very next day that they would arrive in LA, which was five days away. He had to do something or Jason would show up again, like the last time. He thought about what Jason would say to Carl if he weren’t paid what he asked for. With a new idea forming in his head, he turned to Colt.

  “What if you tell your story, just get it out?”

  Co
lt looked at him incredulously. His brows knitted in a deep frown as he stared at him in disbelief. Reid saw the answer in his eyes. He tried to think of something else, but the other solution was putting a stop order on Jason saying anything. It would not be easy. Getting a stop order would mean having reasonable cause to get one. He would have to prove that what was being said would be an invasion of Colt’s privacy.

  “You’ve flipped a switch, Reid,” was Colt’s grating reply. “How can I tell something I can’t even remember?”

  No, he hadn’t flipped a switch. He’d spent the last ten years working to build Colt’s reputation. He’d spent the last decade running around making sure his past stayed where it belonged. He was a child when all hell broke loose.

  Although Colt suppressed most of his memories, no one would blame him for what went wrong. Reid knew the entire story, but Colt had no clue what that story really was. However, if that information got into the wrong hands, it could be a death sentence for Colt. Carl Benson was out to destroy the star, and that information could be the ammunition he needed to do just that.

  “Why can’t you do one thing I ask, Colt?” He sounded tired. “Just tell what you remember.”

  Reid was tired. Tired of all the drama. When he wasn’t running around clearing Colt’s name from association with drugs, he was keeping his sex life out of the public eye. People were fickle, and Colt didn’t care. They claimed they love bad boys, but the minute his picture appeared under a negative headline, they went crazy. They say they love him, but where are they when he needs them to defend him? He could not leave things to chance. Both Benson and Jason needed to be taken care of … fast.

  “Paying the blackmailer or bearing my soul to the world?” was Colt’s sarcastic query.

  It’s not bearing your soul, Colt,” he retorted.

  “Then what do you ca …” his voice cut off mid-sentence.

  There was a sound at the door, and then it pushed open. Reid glanced at his watch and noted that it was near 6 a.m. He was mortified. How could the time run so fast? He needed some shuteye, but the thing with Colt ate away at the time. Chelsea stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. Colt grabbed the paper he’d been holding and walked to his bedroom.