Daddy’s Wild Girl (Montana Daddies #16)

Chapter 21

21

C orbin reached the door at the top of the stairs and headed out into the small foyer. Then he grabbed his phone, calling Hayes as he headed for the entrance.

“Where are you both?” Hayes demanded.

“Bebe’s upset. She’s run off. I’m following. We’re at the entrance.”

He headed out the door.

Please let her just be standing in the alleyway.

If she’d taken off on him . . .

Christ.

But when he exited into the alleyway, she wasn’t there. He raced toward the street, just in time to see her getting into a taxi. Running to the SUV, he was thankful he’d driven and had the keys.

Hopping in, he started it up and followed the taxi. Where did she think she was going?

He called Hayes again. “I’m following her. She’s in a taxi.”

“I’m coming now,” Hayes barked.

“I have this. Might not be much point in you following, especially as I’ve got the SUV.”

Hayes grumbled. “I’ll head back to her place, perhaps that’s where she’s going. Call me if anything happens.”

“Yep.”

Ending the call, he tried to call Bebe but she didn’t pick up. And it didn’t seem like they were heading to her place.

Where was she going?

They drove for a long time and he managed to keep up with them okay until the taxi sped through a yellow light.

Fuck. He hit the steering wheel with his hand in frustration.

The light went green and he took off, breathing a sigh of relief when he caught sight of the taxi pulling off to the side of the road.

Bebe jumped out of the back of the taxi and took off just as Corbin parked.

And she headed straight toward the bridge ahead of them.

What?

Fuck!

He jumped out of the SUV, not even bothering to lock it as he took off after her.

“Bebe!” he screamed. “What are you doing? Get back here!”

What the fuck?

“Bebe!”

At three in the morning, with heavy fog, the traffic was pretty much non-existent. But he felt the years slipping away from him as she ran across the road without even looking.

He was going to spank her every night for a month!

From now on, he would be buckling her into a car seat she couldn’t get out of herself.

She wasn’t allowed to go anywhere unless he was holding her hand.

Yes, he knew he couldn’t actually do those things. But he’d had enough.

That was it.

No more Mr. Nice Guy.

He ran across the road, following her, his heart in his throat. Until he had her safely in his arms, he wouldn’t be able to fucking breathe!

She reached the rail of the bridge and was staring down at the water. He could barely see her between the darkness and fog, but something about the way she stood made him come to a stop.

Caution.

At that moment, she wasn’t the Bebe he’d come to know. The funny, intelligent girl who lit up the room with her smile. Who everyone seemed to gravitate toward. Who loved a challenge and didn’t back down when things got hard.

No.

Right now, she looked fragile. Breakable.

And terror gripped his throat. If he handled this badly, then he might lose that Bebe.

Forever.

All because of that bitch of a mother of hers.

How could she do this? Did she seriously think that she would pressure Bebe into filming the show? And why? It wasn’t like Barb needed the money. So what did she get out of all this?

Was it just to torment Bebe?

Well, mission accomplished. When he looked at his girl right now, all he saw was someone who’d been tormented.

Hurt.

And it made his insides twist even as he promised himself that he was going to ensure she didn’t hurt like this again.

“Bebe,” he said quietly. “Baby, it’s cold and dark out here. Come to me. Come here.”

“I . . . I . . . I can’t.”

“Sure you can.”

She shook her head, letting out a cry that was so full of pain it hit him hard in the stomach.

Was he already fucking this up?

Be careful. Don’t push her. Baby steps.

He took a step forward and she shied back. “Stay away from me, Corbin.”

“I can’t, baby,” he replied gently. But he did pause. “I can’t leave you, but I will give you some space.”

But only for a few moments.

Why hadn’t he realized just how fragile her state of mind was? Several times, he’d noticed that she seemed almost sad beneath her smiles, but he’d written that off as his imagination. Or just something normal.

He wouldn’t do that again.

She shook her head. “You should leave me. I’m a mess. Such a mess. Everything I touch turns to crap.”

“That’s not true.” Why would she say that?

“It is! Which is why you should stay away from me! I’m just going to infect you too.”

Infect him?

What the fuck?

“You are not a disease,” he told her firmly. “I don’t want to hear you say that about yourself again.”

“Why not?” She still wouldn’t look at him or come close, but at least she was talking to him. It eased some of that tight knot in his gut.

“Because it’s not true. And because I care about you too much to let you speak about yourself like that.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“I’m sorry, baby, but you can’t tell me how to feel about you.”

She wiped at her eyes.

“Tell me what’s going on in your head, Bebe.”

“What’s going on in my head? What’s going on?” she reiterated, smacking the palm of her hand against her forehead.

“Stop it!” he said sharply. “Don’t hurt yourself. I don’t like it when you hurt yourself.”

“What if I deserve to hurt?” she whispered.

“I don’t believe that. What the hell could you have done to deserve being hurt?” he snapped.

“Plenty. I wasn’t the nicest person when I was a teenager. I was rebellious and selfish. Perhaps this is my penance.”

“Then all teenagers will have to be punished. Because that’s what teenagers do. They rebel. They don’t think of others. Christ, they’re kids and just feeling their way. It’s nothing that they should have to serve penance for. You were a kid. Baby, you don’t deserve to be punished, and I don’t like where your thoughts are headed.”

A car went past, and he hoped like hell that they didn’t stop or report them to the police. That was the last thing they needed.

“My thoughts . . . my thoughts are that I can’t believe she did that. And at the same time, I don’t know why I’m so surprised, you know? If she can exploit something for her own gain, then she will do it. And it doesn’t matter that I’m her daughter. I doubt it occurs to her to take my feelings into account. I don’t know what to do! Corbin, I don’t know what to do!”

“With your mother?” he asked.

“With these feelings inside me . . . they don’t have anywhere to go!” She stared down at her hands. “I’m shaking . . . sometimes I shake when I’m anxious. But that’s not what I feel right now. It’s . . . it’s rage! All I feel is so . . . fucking . . . angry.”

Okay. This was something he thought he could deal with.

At least she wasn’t hurting herself or thinking dangerous thoughts.

Well, he hoped not.

“So tell her,” he said.

“Tell her? How do I tell her? No, I don’t know if I can. She probably wouldn’t listen anyway. She probably wouldn’t care.”

“What would you say if she was here right now?” he asked.

“She’s not.”

“No, but you can still say it. At least then, it won’t be festering inside you. Get it out. Don’t let her win. Because that’s what’s happening. By letting her get to you, letting her hurt you, she’s winning. You don’t want her to win, do you?”

“No.” Bebe shook her head, her hair wild around her face. “No, I don’t want her to win.”

“So tell her. What would you say?” he asked.

She turned to him, her teeth chattering. She was cold, and he’d left both of their jackets back at the pub. Shakespeare had put them in a closet for them. Well, he’d kind of chucked them all in a closet.

“Baby, it’s too cold for you out here. You need to come and get into the SUV.”

“No, no, I can’t.”

“Will you let me hold you?”

She shook her head, another tremble running through her.

Fuck.

He wanted to just do it. His hands itched to grab her and pull her into his embrace. To carry her to the car and bundle her up, keep her warm and safe.

He hated that he couldn’t get close to her.

The only thing he could do was get her to a place where she would let him help her. He just hoped that happened sooner rather than later.

“I’m going to take my shirt off, all right? You can put it around you.”

She shot him an incredulous look, her eyes widening as he stripped off his shirt. He had a white T-shirt underneath.

“What . . . what are you doing?” she asked. “Put your shirt back on!”

“Really? But this way, you get to look at my forearms,” he teased her.

She shook her head as he held his shirt out to her. “Put that back on.”

“Rude. What? You don’t think my forearms are porn-worthy anymore?” he asked, still holding out the shirt.

Take the shirt, darling.

Take it and keep yourself warm because it’s killing me seeing you standing out in the dark, shivering with cold.

“Of course they a-are,” she said, her teeth trembling. “But y-you’re going to get cold without a shirt on.”

“I’m bigger than you are. I don’t feel the cold as bad.”

And better I feel cold than you, baby.

“Take the shirt, Bebe,” he said firmly, injecting more dominance into his voice.

To his shock, she took it without another word, slipping it on.

Okay. He could breathe easier now.

“Now, if your mother was here, what would you say to her?”

Damn, she looked adorable in his shirt.

“I’d . . . I’d tell that she’s a terrible mother,” she said without much conviction.

“Say it like you mean it. Get it out, baby. Scream it. Feel it.”

Turning back to the water, she leaned over the rail and his heart leaped into his throat. Nausea engulfed him, but she simply stared down at the water.

“You’re a terrible mother!” she yelled.

Good girl.

He let out a sigh of relief.

“You’re a selfish bitch who only thinks of herself!” she screamed. “How dare you! How dare you do all of this to me? Why? Why do you keep hurting me over and over?”

A sob broke her voice.

God. Baby.

It was taking all of his control to stand back here and let her do this on her own. He should be behind her, cradling her close.

“W-why?” she cried, her voice cracking. “You were never there for me as a kid. You were only interested in me when you thought I could do something for you. You . . . you selfish bitch!”

The words were screeched and he nearly winced.

“Do you realize what you did? What you’ve done? You paid someone to pretend to fall in love with me!”

What?

She’d done what?

“Instead, you should have been the one loving me. Why? Why don’t you love me?” She started crying. Huge, heaving sobs.

That was it.

He was done.

He couldn’t hold back anymore and just had to hope that she wouldn’t freak out on him.

Striding quickly forward, he picked her up in his arms. He expected some protest, but she simply turned her face into his chest and cried.

He shifted her around so his arm was under her ass as he pressed her face to his chest.

“Shh, baby. Shh. You’re all right. You’re okay. I have you. I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again.”

The heavens chose to open up then. Of fucking course. The rain pelted them as he walked them to the car. She tilted her head back, staring up at him.

“W-why?”

“Why won’t I let anyone hurt you?” he asked.

“Y-yes. Why w-would you care?”

“I’ve told you that I care about you. And you deserve someone to care about you, Bebe.”

He knew that part was something she struggled with. Believing that she deserved to be loved and cared for.

“Because y-you’re my bodyguard?”

“No. Because I’m your friend.” He winced as he said that. She’d been lied to and deceived enough in her life. But now didn’t seem like the right moment to share his feelings for her.

“Oh. Friend.” She pressed her face back into his chest before he could say anything more.

Corbin could feel her trembling and knew he needed to get her inside and dry before she got sick.

God, she felt so light in his arms. He had to do a better job of looking after her. When was the last time she’d even eaten?

As he grew closer to the car, he had a strange feeling of being watched. Glancing over into the trees on the side of the road, he swore he saw a large figure standing there.

What the fuck?