Daddy’s Wild Girl (Montana Daddies #16)

Chapter 2

2

C orbin ran along the path through the woods.

Something changed in the air. He couldn’t put his finger on it . . . but something was off. Suddenly, he whirled, catching sight of his attacker as they rose out of the bushes.

His attacker’s reflexes were obviously excellent as they dodged his immediate punch, then moved to the side, disappearing into the trees. Corbin watched warily, keeping his breathing even.

He kept his heart rate slow, his hands steady as he waited for the attack.

Again, he felt him rather than heard him. He managed to duck, getting clipped slightly on the top of his head. Dropping and rolling, he moved up behind the large man.

But the other man whirled before he could attack.

Both of them stared at each other before Corbin grinned. “Well, that was fun.”

Jed shook his head, his face not changing. “How did you know I was there? I know I didn’t make a sound.”

“Nope, you’re as silent as ever. I just felt it coming.”

Jed eyed him suspiciously.

“Plus, I thought you were due to try and sneak up on me,” he confessed. “And I knew you had downtime today. So I was on guard.”

“Bastard,” Jed said without heat before disappearing.

Corbin just kept grinning as he headed off to finish his run. Cooling down, he moved past the barn and spotted Clint standing next to the fence. With a sleeping baby attached to his chest.

Baby Annabel had arrived six weeks ago. She’d been eight weeks premature and it had been a shock to everyone when she’d made an appearance.

She’d spent the first five weeks of her life in hospital and had only been home a week, but she was a fighter. She had a lot of her daddy and her mama in her.

Corbin was ecstatic for them, along with everyone else on the Ranch, especially Clint and Charlie had been trying to get pregnant for a while and it had been a difficult pregnancy.

Still, he wondered how Clint was going to survive raising a girl, especially given how overprotective he’d always been of Eden, his younger sister.

It was definitely going to be funny as hell from the sidelines.

“Morning,” he called out to Clint as he focused on his breathing.

He needed to head to his cabin for a shower as he had a meeting in an hour with Kent.

Along with Hayes. The new guy.

Hayes was an old friend of Zeke’s, they’d been in the Navy together. Hayes had just recently started working for JSI.

He’d lost his wife several years ago, something Corbin couldn’t even fathom. And you could still see the pain in his eyes.

“It’s morning?” Clint squinted up at the sky.

Corbin took in the state of him as he swayed back and forth with the baby. His dark hair was a mess. His T-shirt was on back to front and there was a stain on it just above Annabel’s head. And he had something on his cheek that looked a bit like ketchup.

Not to mention the black marks under his eyes and the way he was looking around as though he didn’t know where he was, let alone what day it was.

“Are you all right? Did you get any sleep last night?” Corbin asked in concern.

“Sleep? What’s that?” Clint grumbled.

“It’s the thing you need to keep functioning during the day. And so you don’t get sick.”

Clint just grunted, obviously too tired to even talk.

That wasn’t a typical thing for him. Sometimes, the guy never shut up.

“You do realize she’s asleep, right?” Corbin said. “You can stop swaying.”

Clint eyed him like he was stupid. “If I stop swaying, she stops sleeping. I do not want her to stop sleeping.”

Yeah, that sounded like a fate worse than death.

Corbin had to hide his grin. No way did he want Clint to think that he was laughing at him.

That was never a smart idea on a good day. But a day like this when he was skating close to the edge?

Yeah, that would be stupid.

Really stupid.

“Got it,” he said. “Where’s Charlie?”

“Sleeping,” Clint barked. “And if anyone disturbs her, I’ll kill them.”

Corbin held up his hands. “I wouldn’t dream of it, man. I was just going to say that I have some experience with babies. I’d be happy to look after her for a few hours for you today.”

Clint put his hand protectively over the baby’s back and took a step away, glaring at Corbin as though he’d just threatened to dangle Annabel upside down over a bridge with rushing water underneath it.

“You can’t have my baby.”

“Clint, I don’t want your baby,” he soothed. “I just thought I could take care of her for a while.”

“Come near her and you’re dead.” Clint backed away, eyeing him suspiciously.

Okay. Perhaps it’d be best if he left.

But he needed to talk to Kent about his brother. Because Clint couldn’t keep surviving on no sleep.

An hour later, he walked into the meeting room. Hayes was already there, standing against the wall.

The other man nodded at Corbin in greeting.

Hayes wasn’t much of a smiler. Or a talker. He was all business. He was muscular with broad shoulders and thick arms covered in tattoos. But it was the dark look in his eyes that caught your attention.

It was a look that Corbin had started to see in his own eyes when he’d looked in the mirror. And the reason he’d left the CIA and taken this job with JSI.

The operations he’d participated in had usually been clandestine. Sometimes skirting that edge of what was legal.

And at times, going right over that edge.

What he’d had to do had started to darken his soul. And that wasn’t the person he wanted to be. Working for JSI might not be as high adrenaline, but at least he could look at himself in the mirror without wondering whether he was one of the good guys or not.

“Want some coffee?” Corbin asked, moving to the coffee pot.

Hayes shook his head and stared silently at the door.

Right. Cool. Good talk.

Corbin sat as Kent walked in. “Sorry, I’m late. Asher and Digger had a mud bath together this morning. I’m not sure which one was more of a mess. At least Midnight wasn’t involved.”

Asher was Kent’s toddler, while Digger was their one-year-old pup. They also had a cat, Midnight.

Corbin had to grin. “Hmm, I wonder who the instigator was?”

“Oh, there’s no secret about that. It was definitely Asher. He’s gonna give his mama gray hairs by the time he’s five.” Kent was grinning as he said that, though.

“Talking of children . . . I saw Clint earlier with Annabel.”

Kent winced. “I can imagine how that went.”

“I asked him where Charlie was and he threatened to kill me. Then I offered to take Annabel for a few hours so he could sleep and again, he threatened to kill me.”

“Jesus.” Kent took a seat and ran his hand over his face. “The baby stage is hard, especially when they’re born early. You don’t get any sleep. You’re constantly worried you’re doing the wrong thing. You’re trying to support your wife while she heals and recovers. It’s hard, but you have to learn how to let others help. Unless you’re Clint and have a premature baby girl and a superhero complex, then you simply try to do everything yourself and lose your mind. I’ll try to talk to him.” Kent grimaced. “I’ll take Asher and Abby with me. He won’t kill me if they’re with me. I hope.”

“He sounds perfectly reasonable to me,” Hayes said.

Both of them turned to gape at Hayes. It wasn’t normal for him to offer his opinion about anything that wasn’t work-related. Or to show any interest in anything beyond his work.

“He does?” Corbin queried. “Because I thought he sounded like he was losing it.”

“He’s protecting what’s precious to him. If you love someone, you do whatever it takes to keep them safe.”

“I’m not a threat to Charlie or Annabel,” Corbin told him.

“Everyone is a threat.”

Corbin stared at Kent with wide eyes. The head of JSI just sighed. “Clint will be all right. It’s just an adjustment period. He knows that you aren’t a threat, Corbin.” Kent threw Hayes a look as he said that.

Hayes just shrugged.

“It’s all good,” Corbin reassured Kent. “I’m not worried about what he said to me. I’m worried about him. And Charlie.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Kent promised.

“Maybe we could start talking about work now. Or is this social chitchat going to last a while?” Hayes snapped.

“Yeah. I need to talk to you both,” Kent said, not taking offense at Hayes’ words.

Corbin was pretty sure that Hayes was suppressing some massive emotions. And he didn’t want to be around when the big guy lost his control over them.

“I have a job for you both. In San Francisco.”

Corbin frowned. He didn’t often leave the Ranch. But it wasn’t completely unheard of if they needed a tech expert on site.

There was that time months ago when he’d gone to LA to relieve Dominic when everyone else had the stomach flu. That wasn’t something he wanted to think about right now, though.

“Both of us?” Hayes asked. “I thought Corbin worked support.”

“Yeah, I do. Kent, I don’t know if it’s a good idea for me to go to San Francisco.” Corbin turned to look at Hayes with a frown. “Although I like to think it’s more than just support. And I can hold my own on the field.”

“I know you can do this,” Kent told him. “I really need you there for a couple of weeks. I need you to set up some cameras and put in an alarm system while also keeping an eye on the client’s daughter.”

The client’s daughter? Not the client himself?

“Basically, this is a slightly strange situation and I need some delicacy. Normally, this would be the sort of job I’d send Dominic on, but he’s in New York. And everyone else is busy or not suited for the job. Which means it’s either me or you,” he said to Corbin.

And Kent didn’t want to leave Abby and Asher.

Fuck.

The last time Corbin had gone out on a job, things had not gone well.

He had no interest in repeating that disaster.

“I’ll work support while you’re gone,” Kent added. “This is a short-term job at the moment. And I know you’ll be able to handle this situation diplomatically.”

Because Hayes wouldn’t be able to. Corbin got it. Hayes was a straight-shooter. Zeke said he’d always been like that. Grouchy. Blunt. But after his wife died, he’d become even less social.

There was nothing delicate about Hayes. Or diplomatic.

So Kent was sending him to smooth the way for the other man. Fuck. He was making it impossible for Corbin to say no.

“Who is the client and their daughter?” Corbin asked.

“The client’s name is Benton Benner.”

“Wait, the Benton Benner?” Corbin asked. “As in the rock star?”

“Yes, he’s about to start a tour overseas. He’ll be gone for a month and needs someone to watch his daughter while he’s gone.”

“Why us?” Hayes asked. “Surely he could hire someone local?”

“Yeah, he could. But this is a favor. Benton was an old friend of my dad’s. What isn’t widely known is that he spent some time during his childhood here in Wishingbone. He and my dad were in school together and were good friends. Benton doesn’t feel like he can trust just anyone with this job, so he came to me. I feel like I owe him this.”

“Have there been threats against his daughter?” Corbin asked.

“Apparently, there have been some threats made against the family. But these are against just the daughter and they’re intense.” Kent laid out some sheets of printed paper. Corbin stared down at the news headlines.

Rich and Reckless.

Money Can’t Buy Loyalty. Or sense.

“Jesus,” Hayes muttered.

“These are all old tabloid articles about Benton’s daughter, Bluebelle. Benton’s wife, Barbara, is the self-professed queen of reality TV. Several years ago, she started a reality show called The Benner Life . Basically, they have cameras following them around everywhere, recording their lives for other people to watch.”

Corbin couldn’t think of anything worse than having people with cameras in your house, following you around, and showing it all to the world.

“Why the fuck would you want cameras recording your life? My life wouldn’t even be that interesting,” Hayes muttered.

No doubt.

“And who watches that garbage?” Hayes added with a grumble.

“I think I saw it advertised,” Corbin said, trying to sound more positive. “She’s not still filming it, right?”

Kent waved his hand in the air. “You don’t have to have seen it. And no, the series ended when Bluebelle, the daughter, pulled out and refused to be on it anymore. But after that show ended, Barbara went on to produce several more reality TV shows. Like that one where they deliberately put a group of single people into a scary situation and see how they react. For example, they’d put them on a boat that starts to sink, and they’d have to get on the life raft and paddle to an island.”

“Sounds like riveting stuff,” Hayes muttered. “You couldn’t pay me to watch that. So, is the daughter a troublemaker?”

“Maybe when she was younger. She had a bit of a reputation. But I couldn’t find any recent press about her. Could be a matter of him being overly cautious.”

Corbin grew pensive. “Are you saying we’ll be less bodyguards and more handlers?”

“That’s not what I signed on for,” Hayes added.

“Like I said, there have been some threats against Bluebelle. Enough to worry Benton into putting in a security system at his daughter’s house and leaving her with bodyguards while he’s away for these four weeks. After that, he said he’ll reevaluate and look at his options. I made it clear we can only be there for a month. We’ll work on the security system and guard Bluebelle.”

It seemed simple enough. But he knew that things rarely worked out like that.

“How old is she?” Hayes asked.

“Twenty-five.”

“And she’s agreed to all this?” Corbin asked.

“Yes, I asked him that. He assured me that she has. Apparently, people either loved her or hated her on that show. And she hasn’t done anything on-screen since. I found a tabloid article about a guy she was dating who was only using her for her connections. He said as much on camera. And then her mother played that back for her. Which was also shown on the show.”

Wow. That was some motherly love for you.

Awesome.

“Some crazy shit goes on in the TV and film industry,” Corbin muttered. “I was just reading about how Rhodes Ripley had a stalker who turned out to be his sister’s personal assistant. The personal assistant killed Rip’s agent. Somehow, his ex-girlfriend was involved too. But that part seems to be hush-hush.”

“Lots of crazy stuff happening everywhere,” Kent muttered. “That’s what keeps us in business.”

“So there’s been a few threats against her,” Hayes said. “Some people wrote some awful things about this girl back when she did a shitty reality TV show, and her parents are worried that while they’re out of town, she’ll be attacked?”

“About sums it up,” Kent said. “And try to be discreet about it all. We don’t need the press catching on that there might be a story here.”

“Doesn’t sound like much of a story,” Hayes muttered.

“Our job is to keep Bluebelle safe.”

“This sounds like a fun job. Glad I left the SEALs for this. I’ll go pack.” Hayes stormed out.

Kent sighed.

“I don’t know about this,” Corbin said. “Are you sure about me going? About him?”

“Zeke is worried about Hayes. He thought . . . well, after leaving the SEALs, he was worried that he wouldn’t have anything to keep him going. Grounded. That he might become increasingly reckless. And he’ll be good at this job. He’s got the skills; it’s just that he . . . well, his people skills aren’t quite there. That’s why you’ll be good for him.” Kent grinned at him.

Corbin rolled his eyes. “Yeah? Sure you don’t want to send him out with Jed?”

Kent grimaced. “God, could you imagine the two of them together? No. Lennox would be better, but he’s on another job with Dominic in New York.”

Dominic didn’t like to be away from Gwen anymore, but she’d gone with him to New York for this job so she could see her best friend, Reuben.

Lennox had worked for JSI for about six months. He was quiet and secretive but still had more social adeptness than Hayes.

“And if I sent him to Zander . . . well, either they’d kill each other or become the best of friends.”

Corbin had to grin.

“Zeke said it’s best he doesn’t go out with him. Hayes claims Zeke is trying to smother him. Bain and Donovan are in Colorado. So . . . you’re it. Or me. And it’s not me. I own the company, so I get to decide shit like this.” Kent grinned at him.

Corbin ran his hand over his face. “I never wanted to go back out on a job like this.”

“What happened with Lindsay wasn’t your fault. She became infatuated with you. You didn’t lead her on. It’s not unusual for clients to become . . . attached to their bodyguard. It’s that whole Whitney Houston-Kevin Costner thing.”

“Showing your age.”

Kent sent him a scowl. “You’re not that much younger than me.”

“Hmm, tell that to your gray hairs.”

“You know there’s still time for me to kick your butt in the ring before you leave.”

“Dream on, old man.” Corbin grinned.

“Seriously, though. It wasn’t your fault. And she took it to an extreme. That sort of thing isn’t normal. Just . . . keep an eye on him for me, okay? I’m not as worried about what he says to the clients as I am about him.”

And that was why Corbin could look at himself in the mirror now. He was a better man because he had such a good man to look up to. Kent took care of everyone who worked for him. And Corbin used him as a role model. Even though they weren’t that far apart in age.

“I will. This job sounds a bit off, though.”

Kent grimaced. “I know. And if something is fishy, pull back. I told Benton we are there for the month and that’s it. If it turns out they want babysitters rather than bodyguards, let me know. I feel like I owe him something, but I don’t owe him everything. And I know you’d rather be here. So I’ll get you back as quick as I can.”

Shit. Kent was making him sound like he never left this place.

“I leave the Ranch sometimes.”

“And you hate it.”

That was true. His last away job had sucked. And this place? This was his home.

His phone rang, and he frowned when he saw it was Zeke. The other man was working in the control center today, so it was unusual for him to call.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Um, yeah, there’s a disturbance at the gate.”

“What? What is it?” And why was he calling Corbin rather than Kent? Maybe Kent didn’t have his phone on him. “Do you want Kent? He’s right here.”

“Bring him along. He’ll want to see this too.”