Dangerous Daddy

by Sarah J. Brooks

  “Good morning,” she greeted in her soft voice while Colt’s door closed with a snap.

  “Yeah, morning,” Reid grunted while walking to the door. “See you in a bit.”

  As the suite door closed, Chelsea stared at it in confusion. Something was off. She could sense the tension in the room. Usually, Colt would stare at her for a few minutes before closing himself off, but today he barely glanced her way. Reid’s eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, that much she was able to discern in the short span in which they crossed paths. It was apparent he had little to no sleep. Moreover, he was not dressed, wearing his shirttails out and in the same clothes as the day before.

  Something was definitely amiss. Was Colt in trouble again? She quickly pushed that from her mind and picked up her to-do list. There were a million and one things to do before the press meeting. She started by making a few calls before the phone on the desk rang. The hotel was kind enough to give them a private extension to make their business calls. Reid knew how to set up his business while on the road.

  “Hello?”

  There was a click and then dial tone. By the time she started to dial one of the numbers on her list, the phone rang again.

  “Hello?” There was silence. “Hello!’ she said much louder. “Can I help you?”

  She replaced the cordless in the cradle and stared at the instrument, almost afraid to pick it up again. When it rang once more, she jumped. She expected it, but still, it startled her. She was almost afraid to pick it up. Slowly, she retried it, took a deep breath and steeled herself.

  “Hello,” her voice was curt and clipped. There was what sounded like someone breathing. “If you are trying to scare me for some reason … go fuck yourself!” She pressed the red button and slammed it into the cradle.

  “Chelsea?” Reid’s voice came from the door. “You?” His brows were raised and his eyes wide.

  She didn’t have time to be amused by his expression. Her blood was running hot in her veins. “Who the hell does that?”

  “What happened?” He walked over to her and searched her face.

  “Someone keeps calling but says nothing. Then there was heavy breathing. If I get my hands on them for wasting my time!”

  “It’s perhaps a crazed fan. I’ll handle the rest of the calls. Go pick up some food. You know Colt is fussy, he hates hotel food, delivered food …” Reid said.

  “He hates everything doesn’t he?”

  The manager chuckled. She left him to handle the calls while she was glad for the fresh air.

  Reid watched as Chelsea closed the door behind her. He had to send her on an errand so he could get Colt alone. The boys were sleeping and perhaps would not awaken until noon. The press meeting was at 1:30 p.m,, so they had time to rest.

  He knocked Colt’s door and pushed. He was lying on his stomach, crossway on the bed and obviously asleep, still in the towel he had on earlier. He entered the room and noisily shut the door. Colt’s eyes shot open, and he turned to look up at him.

  “You’re disturbing my beauty sleep,” he said, waving Reid away.

  “He’s harassing Chelsea,” Reid stated.

  Colt turned over, undoing the towel and revealing more than Reid cared to see. “Cover yourself, I don’t need to see that,” he told him.

  Colt stood and dropped the towel, then pulled a pair of jeans from the hotel room closet. “Talk to me about Chelsea and stop joking around. What do you mean he’s harassing her?”

  “She got some weird text and a call while we were in transit. But since we arrived, she’s gotten several blank calls.”

  Colt turned sharply while zipping his jeans. “And you’re now telling me this?” Reid noticed the glint in the musician’s eyes. He noticed it the other morning at the motel. He knew Colt. He’d known him for more than a decade, and he knew his moods. This was different. He would watch to make sure his instincts about Colt were right.

  “If you’d done what I asked …”

  “He will not get a penny from me, got that?’ Where is Chelsea?” Colt inquired.

  “I sent her on an errand,” he replied.

  Colt raked his hand through his hair. He was clearly angry as he gave Reid a cutting reply, “How can you send her out there when you know that bastard is harassing her? What if he confronts her?”

  “Do you think …?” his voice trailed off as he realized that was a very real possibility.

  He’d been so preoccupied with the promotions that he failed to realize that Jason was actually following them across the country. The itinerary was publicly displayed on the website for the fans. He must know where they were at every step of the way.

  “Jeez, that motherfu … he’s following us!”

  Colt glared at him. “I’m going to break that twit’s neck,” his tone dripped with venom.

  Chapter 18

  The press brief was … brief. There were exactly six journalists, all by invitation only. They were from five magazines and one newspaper. This was a deliberate set up by Reid in his style of promoting Colt. Of course, Purple Crush needed no promotion. According to the manager, he needed organization, and that’s what he was doing. He wanted Colt’s image to shine and not be tarnished by the likes of Carl Benson.

  Chelsea watched as the last journalist, a pretty redhead smiled and batted her eyes at Colt. She leaned over and placed a dainty hand on his knee. They were facing each other in two armchairs, in a casual type setting. Chelsea observed as Colt grinned and settled his eyes on the woman’s breasts. Her own chest tightened, and she felt a twinge of annoyance settle in there.

  She snickered and turned away, but not before the girl casually placed a business card on his thigh. He picked it up and turned it over with a grin. She turned away, starting to feel a dark mood come over her.

  They were scheduled to go hand out T-shirts at a local club later in the evening, but suddenly a splitting headache pressed at her temples. She cleaned up after the last interviewer left and went to get some alone time.

  As she was about to open her room door, a hand shot out and grabbed the knob. “Hello. It’s Chelsea, right?” a man’s voice asked.

  She turned, and her eyes made contact with Carl Benson’s sharp ones. “Please, let go of the door. I have nothing to say to you about Colt.”

  He dropped his hand and replied. “I don’t want to talk about Colt. I want to talk about you.”

  She turned sharply to face him. “What … why?” She scrunched her face in confusion.

  “People want to know about the mysterious girl that works with the group.”

  She recalled what Reid told her. He’d said that her image was important and that she would be on the radar. However, she did not trust this Carl Benson fellow. Was he the one calling her and hanging up.

  “Did you call me yesterday and today, then hang up?”

  His brow shot up. “No, you have a secret admirer?”

  “No,” she shook her head. “It must have been a prank call.”

  “Tell me what happened,” he suggested.

  She looked gravely at him. There was something he was fishing for; she just knew it. There was no way he was there just to interview her. He knew about the press meeting and wanted information. Should she play along to find out what he was after? Maybe she could find out why he was after Colt as well.

  “I’ll talk to you, but not here,” she said. “Let’s have coffee on the dining room terrace.”

  He allowed her to lead the way to the elevator. A smile seemed to permanently affix itself to his face. She figured he felt he’d got her where he wanted. She planted a smile of her own. Her temples were still pounding, but she needed to figure out what Carl Benson was up to. They found a seat on the terrace, and she ordered a cup of mint instead of coffee, the mint would relax her.

  “So, Chelsea where are you from,” Carl threw at her.

  With a sweet smile, she replied, “Virginia, and you?”

  “California. So tell me, how did you land a job such as this
all the way from … which town is it?”

  “A very small town that nobody cares about.” She shrugged.

  She removed her glasses and ran her fingers through her hair to detangle it. She’d watched it in the movies that these things were seductive. Was she trying to seduce this person? Maybe. She closed her eyes and slightly tilted her head back while fluffing her hair. When she opened her eyes, Carl was staring at her with his strange smile.

  “What’s it like working for Colt?” he asked.

  “I thought you said this interview is about me.” She leaned forward and placed her elbow on the table.

  “It is. How you get along with the rock star is about you.” The scornful way he said ‘rock star’ didn’t go unnoticed by her.

  She shrugged. “Why don’t you ask the questions you really want to ask, Mr. Benson?”

  “What do you mean?”

  She met his eye. Tapped her right foot under the table, something she did when she was unsure of herself. However, she presented a confident smile and held the journalist’s gaze.

  “Stop beating around the bush and ask what you really want to ask.”

  He grinned, still holding her stare. She tried hard not to blink or look away. This was strange for her. It was not like when she and Colt’s eyes met. That was different. She could do nothing about the mesmerizing effect Colt had on her. However, this was all her own willpower, something she was never used to doing.

  “That all depends how much you’re willing to tell,” he leaned forward and said.

  “What do you want to know?” She smiled again, trying not to let her face hurt.

  “How well do you know him? Are you close with him?”

  She forced her foot to stop its tapping and took a deep breath. With the need to know exactly what he wanted, Chelsea knew she needed to act as if she was willing to talk. There was a buzzing in her ear, and the throbbing at her temple was at a steady beat. A wave of nausea washed over her, but she swallowed hard, trying to keep her smile.

  “Are you okay?” Benson asked with a frown.

  “Why?”

  He pointed to her forehead. “Beads of sweat there, and you look pale.”

  “Just a headache,” she said.

  She blinked, and that did it. The second her eyelids touched was the second she felt a wave of dizziness over her. She tried to keep her focus, but when she tried to look at Carl, he was swimming before her eyes. She was sinking into a dark abyss, and then everything went black.

  Colt paced his room in the suite with his back rigid and jaw clenched. The tension was making his neck stiff, but as long as Jason Williams was around, he would have to deal with it. It was one thing dealing with the prick, but now he was pestering Chelsea. Was he the one with her when she passed out? The jerk did not even have the courage to call for help; he slipped away and then called the hotel front desk to tell them she’d passed out.

  “Coward motherfu …” he pursed his lips, cutting off the expletive.

  He opened the door and called for Reid. The man was standing by the window looking out over the hotel gardens. He turned when he heard Colt’s voice. Concern was etched on his face, and Colt’s fury escalated.

  “Do it,” was all he said.

  Reid shot up one brow, and then he relaxed his face. “Yeah,” he nodded his head.

  “How is she?”

  “She’s awake, says she had a headache and nausea,” Reid replied.

  “Why did she go to the terrace with him, did he threaten her? I swear if he’s threatened her, I’ll kill him myself.”

  Reid shook his head, “I don’t know. We’ll ask her when she feels better. She’s resting now.”

  He needed to see her to make sure she was alright, but that wasn’t his style. Going to her room, inquiring about her welfare would shock her and everyone else. They all knew he was a jerk, and he intended to keep it that way. It served him well in the past, and he intended to make it serve him way into the future. He would just have to ride it out and wait.

  In the meantime, he needed to take care of Jason. Reid was already making the necessary arrangements to have the money delivered. Losing 250 grand was nothing; he just knew that the deadbeat would keep coming back if he caved. But he could not have him harassing Chelsea. That’s why he gave in.

  “The lawyer’s drawing up the contract,” Reid interrupted his thoughts. “Go see her,” he added.

  “I don’t need to; you take care of her.”

  Reid placed a hand on his shoulder. “Colt, I know you want to see her. I can see it in your eyes.”

  “That’s bullshit and you know it,” he replied and shrugged off his manager’s hand. “Since when have I ever needed anyone?”

  His heart skipped several beats talking about Chelsea and thinking about her. He could feel his blood rushing hot in his veins at the sound of her name. She was like a drug, giving him a heady sensation, making him feel high. What the fuck? he swore in his mind at his train of thought. Drug? More the hell like poison!

  “Anything you say, buddy, anything you say.” Read nodded.

  “Just make sure when we’re done with that little twit, I never hear from or see him again,” he told the older man.

  “Yes boss.” Reid grinned.

  He snickered. They were leaving to go back on the road the following morning, but he was concerned that Chelsea might not be up to it. He could have her fly there instead of the long trip driving through several more states.

  “Why the hell did we buy a bus instead of a jet?”

  Reid looked at him sharply. “Because a bus brings you close to the people. We talked about this, Colt.”

  “I know, but look what happened. How can she manage the road if she’s sick?”

  “Colt, she ain’t that sick. It happens. She said she had a headache, and then she was dizzy; that’s what happened.”

  Colt was not convinced. “Did you ask her about Jason? What did he say to her?”

  “No, I haven’t asked her yet.”

  There was a few minutes silence while he thought of what to do about Chelsea before they left in the morning. He was about to suggest to Reid that he fly her to LA and have her wait there when the door opened and she slowly entered. Her skin was still pale, but her emerald pools seemed to glower at him. Her face was also set as if angry. He decided to leave well enough alone until a later time.

  Chapter 19

  5 p.m. …

  The fax machine whirred noisily as the paper slowly pushed through the exit. Reid had borrowed the machine from the hotel office and set it up in his room. It was reasons like this that he always got his own private quarters whenever they stayed at a hotel. No one needed to know what happened behind the scenes with Colt. They would not understand.

  Even Colt himself would not understand why he protected him so much. He came from a similar situation and knew exactly what Colt and his mother experienced. He respected Colt for what he did to save his mother. He wished he’d had the courage to do the same. That was why he promised the rock star’s mother always to protect him no matter what. He only wished Colt would remember so they could wrap up the past and be done with it.

  There was a beep, indicating the fax was complete. He picked up three sheets of paper signed by Colt’s personal lawyer and looked over the contents. Everything seemed to be in order. There was also a gag order included. Reid didn’t know how the lawyer pulled that off, but there it was, signed by Judge Hendricks of California with a nationwide gag order.

  He picked up the phone, dialing Colt’s cell. He answered after three rings. “Speak to me,” the cocky bastard said into the phone.

  “I got the papers. You want to check them out before tonight?”

  “Why do I need to check them?”

  Reid rolled his eyes. “Colt, you should do these things. How can you sign documents you haven’t read? I keep telling you that’s not wise. One of these days, I’ll just take all your money and disappear.”

  “Yeah … right. Wh
at time are we supposed to go meet that twit again?”

  “Eight.”

  At 8 p.m. …

  Reid thought it best they hired a car, and he agreed. He wasn’t in the mood to see Jason but wanted to get this over with. When he left home all those years ago, he never thought he’d see the evil stepbrother again. His father died when he was about two, and his mother remarried when he was about eleven and Jason was twelve. Their stepfather was a drunk … a very abusive one.

  Colt shuddered at the memory and pushed it from his mind. He hoped that after this deal, the bastard would leave him the hell alone. He would have been willing to let things be as they were if the scumbag didn’t get Chelsea involved. The thought of him even getting close to her, speaking to her made his blood boil.

  Absently, his fists doubled as he stared out the car window into the blackness. Reid was at the wheel, and they were on their way to the rendezvous. Only for Chelsea, he thought. But the thought surprised even himself that he would take such drastic measure for a girl, let alone one with which he had no relations. But there was something about her. She was stuck with him, and he couldn’t shake her. He wanted to protect her; that was all.

  “That’s it,” he muttered to himself. “That’s all it is.”

  “What?” Reid asked, taking his eye off the road a second.

  “Nothing,” he said with a smile. “How much longer?”

  “We’re there,” the manager replied slowing the vehicle.

  Through the glaring headlights, he made out a figure in a white suit. He didn’t look strapped for cash. In fact, he must have lived a comfortable life after collecting on the insurance for his father. His sister had run away at 17, and no one heard from her since. He would have been the only one left to enjoy all that money.

  Reid got out of the car and beckoned Jason over. They both slid into the back seat. He knew Reid had a licensed firearm in the glove compartment, and he wasn’t afraid to use it if necessary.