Page 11 of Daddy's Wild Girl

“Oh, no, Bluebelle isn’t here. Lord forbid she should want to see her awful mother.” She laughed, but there was no amusement in her face.

Although her face didn’t really move even when she spoke. Botox? Facelift? He wasn’t sure.

Corbin shared a look with Hayes. He wouldn’t want to see his mother if she’d done what Bluebelle’s mother had done to her.

He’d already taken note of the security system at the house and it was a good one. They could have gotten the same company to put in a security system at their daughter’s place.

He’d seen the threats made against Bluebelle. While they warranted some caution, he was surprised that they wanted two bodyguards for their daughter.

Then again, you could never be too careful with the things that you love. Better to be over-cautious than not care at all.

He and Hayes followed Barb into an office, which was done all out in pastel pink.

It was . . . something else.

Corbin had no objections to the color pink. But there was a thing called overkill. Even the damn carpet was pink.

The only thing that wasn’t pink was the massive white desk.

“Please, have a seat.” She smiled as she gestured to the two velvet chairs across the desk from her. There was a darker look in her eyes.

Well, if she thought it was going to worry them to sit on a pink chair . . . she’d vastly underestimated them both.

They both sat and she lost the edge of her smile.

“Well, let’s talk about why you are here,” Barb tapped her clawlike fingernails on the desk.

“Good,” Hayes grunted. “I don’t like wasting time.”

Corbin sighed. This was going to be a long assignment.

“We have received several threats against Bluebelle. They have come through to my assistant, who handles my correspondence. Bluebelle has refused to move back in here or to the guest house, where it would be safer for her. As usual, she is creating more work for everyone by being stubborn and unwilling to listen or compromise.”

Ouch.

“She refuses to even believe there is a credible threat. Her father and I are just so worried about her safety. And now we have to go out on this month-long tour. I can’t bear to think about what she might get up to while we’re gone.”

“Get up to?” Corbin asked cautiously. What did she mean?

She waved her hand through the air. The gigantic rings on all of her fingers gleamed under the lights.

“Bluebelle is a very . . . how shall I put this? She’s reckless. She doesn’t always think things through. I blame myself. I should have been around more for her as a child. I’m afraid she’s turned out rather selfish.” She sighed sadly.

Yeah, Corbin wasn’t certain that he believed her. Also, she really wasn’t holding back about her daughter. Which seemed harsh.

“Ridiculously, she even refused to buy a suitable house. She lives in this horrid house across the city. Terrible area. Awful people. But what can I do? She refuses to see reason. I swear that she is doing this to spite me.”

Well, considering that Bluebelle was twenty-five, he could see why she didn’t want to live here.

Especially with this woman.

“Bebe refuses to stay in the house because her mother won’t stop trying to pressure her into taking part in one of her shows.”

Corbin glanced over his shoulder as Benton Benner walked into the room.

The rock star hadn’t lost his charisma. He had long dark hair to his shoulders liberally sprinkled with gray and a weathered face that spoke of a long, tough life. Corbin knew from his research that his wife was a lot younger than him.

Both Corbin and Hayes stood to shake his hand, introducing themselves. “Could we not meet in my office, Barb? This office gives me a headache.”

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