by Jen Talty
“Oh, he’s still the brooding type and has the worst pick-up lines, if you can get him out of his cabin, but I’ll tell you this, his singing kept us all from losing our minds sometimes.” Shamus took Piper’s parka and rested it on the coat rack. “My wife is a huge fan of your dad’s. She has our twins dancing and singing to his tunes. We are so sorry for your loss. Jaden has had nothing but great things to say about both of you.”
“Thank you.” There was no mistaking the water pooling in the corners of Piper’s eyes.
Jaden wanted to reach out and catch them before they streaked down her silky skin.
“Why don’t you two come back to the main office,” Hank called from down the hall.
Jaden rested his hand on the small of her back as they followed Shamus into Hank’s large office.
She sat on the sofa, while he rested his ass on the arm. “Do we know who is watching my cabin and for how long?” Jaden asked.
“We know there is only one person on the property,” Hank said.
Jaden never drew his curtains closed. There had never been a need, and he wondered now if perhaps he should have gotten in that habit. Naked pictures were the last thing either one of them needed to hit the tabloids. He’d been happy to stay out of the public eye, except for the occasional impromptu mini concert while overseas.
“Clayton is doubling down the hillside, and Dustin is coming in from the south. I suspect they’ll have whoever is staked out there inside this cabin in thirty minutes,” Hank said, leaning back in his big, leather chair behind his new desk with his hands clasped behind his head.
Shamus leaned against the wall. “But Derek just called and informed us that Piper’s mother has gone missing.”
“My mother doesn’t go missing. She does, however, take off without letting anyone know, often for weeks.” Piper glanced between Hank and Jaden. Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits, but wide enough to shoot daggers from.
He’d seen that look before on her sweet sixteenth when her mother had promised to take her and a couple of friends to a spa for the weekend and never showed. Once again, her father had come to the rescue. Not only did he give up his weekend of golf, a treat for himself he rarely indulged in, but he arranged for a special performance at his daughter’s private school. It wasn’t something he liked to get in the habit of doing, but he did similar activities every time Rebecca dropped the ball.
“Derek said she had called him, concerned because someone sent her a threatening email, demanding Jaden’s address or they’d kill her daughter,” Shamus said.
“Did she use the word daughter?” Tenderly, Jaden placed his hand on the back of her neck and massaged gently, focusing on the three knots he found near the top of her shoulder.
“What other word choice is there?” Hank cocked his head.
“The only time she would recognize me as family was if a television camera was pointed at her, otherwise she gets nothing out of being my mom. And since this was after someone took a shot at me,” Piper huffed, folding her arms across her chest, adding more tension to her muscles, “I’m sure she’s just looking for attention.”
“I’ve met the woman, and I’d have to agree. However, I want to know why she didn’t call the cops,” Jaden said. “And then get herself on any news station or interviewed by any reporter that would listen.”
Hank opened a folder. “Here’s the email. Whoever it is threatened if the cops were called, Rebecca would be dead.”
“Now that makes more sense for her to be quiet. God forbid anything bad happen to her,” Piper muttered.
“It’s from the same AOL email address that we have yet to find the origin of. But where it gets real interesting is, I had Trisha hack into Cal’s email account, and it appears someone was blackmailing him.”
“That’s not possible. I would have known if that were the case.” Piper bolted from her seat, but Jaden eased her back, wanting to keep her as even-keeled as possible under the circumstances.
“Blackmail for what? People have tried to get dirt on Cal for years, and there is nothing to find. The man was literally a saint.” Jaden reached out and took the folder, scanning the documents.
If you don’t record another record and go out on tour, I will tell Piper, and the world, who her real father is.
Jaden re-read the statement three times, making sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. He glanced down at the email address.
[email protected]
Jaden stood. “That motherfucker. I will kill him myself.” Cal had always known Piper might not have been his biologically, but his name had been on the birth certificate, and he’d raised and loved her because he was her father in every sense of the word.
“What are you talking about?” Piper rose about as gracefully as any confused woman could, resting her hand on his shoulder. “What does that folder say?”
Jaden slammed it shut.
Robert Gula, Cal’s original business partner, could very well be her biological father. Cal had told him that Robert wanted nothing to do with the child if it were true, and Cal was happy to take on the role of father. He even gave his wife a second chance, trying to make them a family.
That had turned out to be a disaster on many levels, but in the end, Piper ended up where she belonged: with a father who loved her no matter what.
“Can we have a moment alone?” Jaden asked.
Hank nodded. He and Shamus disappeared out into the hallway.
Jaden leaned against the desk, clutching the folder between his fingers. He didn’t want her to read the words. If she didn’t already know the ugly truth, then she’d hear them from his lips.
“You’re freaking me out,” she said, biting down on her fingernail like she used to do when she’d sit back on the corner of the sofa while he and her dad read her latest song.
“I need you to sit down for this.”
“Like hell. I’m standing up, and you better fucking spill whatever it is in that folder.” She waved her hand wildly in the air.
Where the fuck to begin? “Our IT girl, Trisha, found an email that came from an account I know belongs to Derek. He’s used it to contact me on occasion.”
“What did the email say?” She planted her hands on her hips and glared much like a mother would do when scolding her children. “And is it an email he would have used to contact me?”
“It’s a gmail account. DG8879.”
“Never heard of it. How do you know it belongs to Derek?”
“It’s the account he used asking me if I wanted to sell my portion of CC Music the day after Cal died.”
“He suggested I ask you. I can’t believe he suggested you sell to him so quickly.”
Jaden arched a brow. “You didn’t know he wants my share?”
“He didn’t specifically say he wanted it, just told me I should ask you.”
“How shocked was he that Cal left me any?”
“Maybe a little.”
“A little, my ass.” Jaden scratched the back of his head. “He never liked me much. Always thought I was out for a free ride.” Jaden lowered his gaze to his feet, so he could gather his thoughts before looking her in her brash eyes. “You know he’s always wanted a bigger piece of the pie. Have you ever thought he took you to bed to ensure he would get more?”
“You’re a fucking asshole. Derek has been nothing but loyal to my father, longer than you’ve been in our lives. Who the fuck do you think you are to question whether or not Derek has my best interests or not?”
It didn’t matter how he went about this, it would be a game changer in her life, and she’d take it all out on him. Blame him, most likely. He pulled out the single piece of paper and handed it to her. “I’m just the messenger.”
He waited a good five minutes while he watched her hands tremble. Her lips parted with an audible gasp, before pinching together in a tight line.
“Lies. This is all lies.”
“It’s possible that the email might not be Derek’s. Our IT girl is
all over that, and she’ll have an answer in a few hours, at most. But what about paternity? What do you know about that?”
“Are you asking me if I think my father isn’t Cowboy Cal?” She tossed the papers across the wood surface.
“I just need to know if you knew about your mother’s affair with—”
“No. I didn’t know, and I don’t believe one word of this. Someone is trying to make it look like Derek was blackmailing my father, and I’d bet my bottom dollar that person is my mother.” She raised her hands, rubbing her temples. “Which means, it’s possible I’m not Cowboy Cal’s daughter.”
Chapter 5
“What are you doing?”
Piper stared at Jared while she fumbled with her cell. Her vision blurred, and rage twirled in her gut like twisting a wet rag, trying to remove all the water.
Only, she had no idea who to blame for any of it. No place, but Jaden, to cast her wrath.
“I’m calling my mother. Then Derek to get Robert’s contact information.”
Jared took the phone from her trembling fingers. “I can’t let you do that. Not just yet anyway.”
“We share a pity fuck, and you think you can tell me what to do?” She clenched her fists so tight that what short nails she had dug into her skin. Her throat tightened, and it became difficult to breathe.
“What happened this morning was far from pity and has nothing to do with why I won’t let you contact any of them, yet.”
The fact he emphasized the possibility that he’d let her contact them in the future just fueled the fire burning in the pit of her stomach. She raised her hand and poked him in the center of the chest. “You can’t stop me from doing anything. Now give me my damn phone.”
“You hired me to protect you. I’m an expert—”
“I employed the Brotherhood Protectors, not you.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Shamus? Hank? One of you want to come in here and let our client know that it’s not a good idea for her to call anyone and that it’s time to shut her phone off and move to a new location?”
Shamus peeked his head inside. “I don’t pretend to understand the dynamics here, but Jaden is right. Our men are bringing our visitors in, so once we’ve had a little discussion with them, we’ll know how to and when to reach out to anyone who might be involved.” As quickly as he stepped into the office, he disappeared.
“You’re going to have to trust me.” Jaden curled his fingers around both her biceps.
She shoved him away. “Trust you? How the fuck do you expect me to do that when you’ve been lying to me for years?”
“What? I’ve never lied to you.”
“Oh, really? You’re going to stand there and tell me that you didn’t know about Robert and my mother?” Needing to move her body, she paced in front of the big desk in the center of Hank’s office. A large bookshelf lined the back wall, and a picture window filled the front.
She’d met Robert only once in her life at a ceremony celebrating her father’s career. When Robert left her father’s employment, Piper believed it had been on good terms, and during a brief exchange during the function, she had no reason to think otherwise, even though rumors flew about the industry that Robert had a shady side.
“That wasn’t for me to tell you, and I promised your father I’d not tell a soul.”
“How exactly did you find out?” She ran her fingers across the hard desk as she walked back and forth, not able to even glance in Jaden’s direction for fear she’d either punch him in the gut or throw herself into his arms for comfort.
“Your father and I had been working in the studio when your mom randomly showed up.”
“When? Give me the date. I need details.”
“I was sixteen, and we were recording ‘Killing Time.’”
“That would piss my mother off since she believed that should have been her comeback song.” Piper took in a deep, calming breath as she braced herself against the desk, bending forward, her back toward Jaden. If he’d been sixteen, then she’d been twelve. She had spent more time on the road with her father, touring, only seeing her mother once or twice a year, and it often ended up with drama and tears.
“She’d heard we were in the studio and marched herself in, screaming that she was going to do a paternity test and take you away from Cal if we didn’t give her that song.”
Piper squeezed her eyes shut. Tears trundled down her cheeks, gliding across her lips, leaving a salty taste on her tongue. “Did anyone ever do a paternity test?” All her life, she’d been told she had her father’s voice and her mother’s good looks. She’d never thought to look in the mirror, searching for something physical that could have come from her dad.
“Not that I ever heard, and your dad and I only discussed the topic twice. Right after your mother left that day, he poured himself a scotch and asked me never to breathe a word of what had happened. I was a kid and finding myself on a rocket ship to the top of the charts. I was both in awe of your dad, and scared shitless. I kept my head down and did what I was told.”
“What about the second time?”
“On my twenty-first birthday, about the time I found out Andrea was cheating on me, he told me about your mother’s affair and how he hadn’t known about it until after you were born. He was trying to make me feel less like a total moron for not seeing the signs.”
“What did he say about me and being his daughter?”
“I asked him why he never took a paternity test.”
Piper wiped her eyes and turned.
Jaden sat on the sofa, leaning forward with his forearms on his thighs. His own eyes were moist with tears.
“What did he say?”
“That he didn’t need any test to tell him that he was your father. He also mentioned that he honestly believed that Rebecca never pushed the test because she was afraid of the results.”
“As in he was or wasn’t my father?”
“Was,” Jaden said as he pushed himself to a standing position. “She always tried to use that as a bargaining chip, and Cal always called her on it and she never pushed.”
“So, he was confident I’m his biological daughter.”
Jaden shoved his hands in his pockets. “I honestly don’t know. But you do have his nose.” A slow smile spread across his face.
She let out a half-sigh, half-laugh as she rubbed the honker that she’d always thought was too big for her face. “Any other secrets I should know about?” The fury that filled her body like an out-of-control volcano cooled.
“I have one more.”
“Fucking wonderful,” she mumbled.
“When your father sent me a copy of his will, giving me a large share of the company, he told me that he thought Derek was up to something. Part of the reason I booked a flight back to Nashville was because your father wanted me to look at some things that bothered him. He didn’t give me the details, but he said he didn’t trust Derek and needed my help.”
She tried to swallow, but her throat wouldn’t work properly. Her father had always tried to protect her from the big, bad world, shielding her from the ugliness of the music industry, as well as life. “Had he told you about the threatening emails?”
Jaden nodded, inching closer. “There is one more thing you need to know.”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“When Cal called and asked me to come home, he figured I’d say no, so he was prepared to come here. When he asked me why I agreed so easily after years of staying away, I told him that I missed you and owed you an apology.”
“Don’t fuck with me.”
“I’m not.” He tilted her chin between his thumb and his forefinger. “He told me it was about time.” Jaden’s warm lips brushed over hers with a tenderness that reminded her of all the times she’d close her eyes, listening to him sing, letting his voice roll across her skin like warm butter. “I don’t regret leaving Nashville, or the music business. But I do regret leaving you the way I did.”
She took a
step back. “This is a lot to take in all at once. Is there a restroom I can use?”
“Down the hall. Second door on the right. When you’re done, Amber will meet you in the living room. I want to question whoever was up on that mountain spying on us.”
“Can you promise me you won’t lie to me anymore and keep me completely in the loop?”
“Lying won’t protect you, so yes. But, in the same turn, you need to trust me and the people I work with and do as we say, even if you don’t like it.”
“I don’t like any of this.”
Chapter 6
Jaden closed the barn door and shook off the snow from his pant legs.
Dustin leaned against one of the wood posts, chewing on a straw while Clayton straddled a chair, facing a photographer by the name of Toby Gretchen.
“I haven’t seen you in ten years,” Jaden said as he pulled up a bench where a camera and a lens the size of the state of Texas had been placed. “I’m shocked I’m even on your radar.”
“You weren’t until I got a tip that you were holding Cowboy Cal’s daughter hostage.”
Jaden picked up the camera. For years, he had to learn to flash a smile every time one was pointed in his direction. Cal had always told him to make the paparazzi his friends, not his enemies. If they caught him out getting a cup of coffee at a local diner, just wave and walk away.
Never engage.
But never ignore.
That had been the motto Cal had and one that Jaden adopted. It worked well, for the most part.
Of course, there were a few scumbags over the years that tried to create dirt, like matching him up with Piper when she was a mere fifteen years old. Perhaps, in part, that slanderous story had impacted him so deeply, that when he did start to have feelings for Piper, he pushed them away.
Cal had blown the entire thing off, because he knew the truth and eventually, after lawsuits were threatened, the story died down and had been seen as the rubbish it was.
“Why would you think that?”
