Longing For The Beach Billionaire Daddy
Chapter 29

*Michael*

I rolled over in bed; the glare of the sun from the window had streamed across my face, pulling me from some much-needed sleep.

I couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened with Shelby on the beach. I wanted to talk to her, to see if she was okay, but I hadn’t seen her since the incident.

My mind went over it, reliving every aspect in vivid color….

“Michael, there is a man taking pictures of us!” Shelby had squealed.

I’d turned my head, and sure enough, a man was standing on the rocky outcrop hanging over the cove.

“s**t! Stay behind me, Shelby. I’ll get you out of this,” I’d said as I protectively shifted her body behind mine.

She’d buried her face in my neck, and I could feel her nervous heartbeat against my chest. I had been so foolish to pull her into this mess. I knew instinctively that this was Blaine’s doing.

I should have accepted the extra security when Bruce suggested it.

I’d swam for a group of rocks as fast as I could. My summer spent in the ocean made me a stronger swimmer than usual, thankfully. I’d reached for the rocks and strategically placed Shelby behind them, out of the cameraman’s view.

I could see the fear on her face as she’d grabbed onto one of the smaller rocks.

“You stay right here, and I will go handle this,” I’d said. Shelby had nodded weakly at me, and I’d swam hard for the beach.

I’d looked up and saw the photographer frantically packing up his tripod and camera equipment. Had he been waiting for us? How could he have possibly known about this secluded spot? He must have been following me and set up his equipment after watching me strip down on the beach.

I’d grabbed my clothes and made a beeline for the thick vegetation below the man. I’d thrown on my clothes haphazardly before I’d started climbing up the rocks. Once I’d reached the top, the dust was barely settling. He must have run for it when he’d realized I was coming after him.

I’d debated on going back for Shelby, but I’d figured I was not far behind the photographer. I could do more damage control if I caught up with him. Men are easily persuaded by money, and I’d known with a big enough bribe, I could buy the pictures back.

The only problem was I would have had to replace the man first.

His footprints had been plain to see in the sandy earth, so I’d taken off running after him. Eventually, the sand had faded into a dirt road. I had been scared I’d lost him when I noticed fresh tire tracks in the dirt; he must have taken off fast to leave such obvious divots in the ground.

I’d followed the tire track, but when the dirt connected with the main road, I’d lost him.

Not ready to give up, I’d spent hours searching the surrounding area and asking the few people I’d run into if they had seen someone speed out of the area. I’d gotten nothing. The guy was a ghost.

When I’d returned to the cove, it was illuminated by the stars, and Shelby was long gone.

I’d returned to the house well after dark; I hadn’t wanted to wake Shelby up, so I’d returned to my own room, where I showered off the mud and the grime. As soon as I hit the bed, I’d fallen into a deep sleep, completely exhausted from the unsuccessful chase.

My body still felt sluggish this morning, but I forced myself to get up; I needed to check on Shelby to make sure she was alright. I didn’t know how I was going to break it to her that I hadn’t been able to track down the man with the camera.

I grabbed my phone off of the nightstand, surprised to see that I had slept late into the afternoon. I had several messages and emails that needed my attention.

I opened my messages and had an image from an unknown number; I already knew the picture I would see before I opened it. But I opened it anyway. I had to see exactly how bad the situation was.

I was relieved that Shelby’s face was covered by her hair and that she was hidden behind my body. That would help protect her. I could handle a little public scrutiny, but it could be career-ending for her if the public got ahold of her name.

I typed out a quick message, seething with every letter I typed into the phone.

Michael: What the f**k do you want?

Unknown: One million or this picture will be sent to every gossip tabloid.

Michael: Do you really want to play that game with me? I know it is you, Blaine. You are going down a very dangerous path.

Unknown: I need the money, or the picture will be leaked at midnight. I think it is you that is playing a dangerous game, Michael.

Michael: Leak the picture, Blaine. You are not worth my time.

Unknown: Are you willing to risk your reputation over a measly million dollars?

Michael: I can take a little hit on my reputation. If I give you what you want, you will just come back for more. That is the nature of leeches.

Unknown: If I am a leech, what does that make you? You think about no one but yourself, but what about the girl? Can she handle the scandal? What will it do to her life?

Michael: Even the FBI wouldn’t be able to figure out her identity from this picture. Maybe next time, you should splurge on a better photographer. It is amazing to me that you can’t even get blackmail right.

Unknown: I know exactly who the girl is. My guess is that I know more about her than you do. How else would I know that she left on a plane earlier today? She must be so ready to be back at home. I guess she wanted to be as far away from you as possible before the picture is leaked.

Michael: You know nothing.

Unknown: Play tough all you want Michael, but those you care about will be the ones to get hurt. Get me the money, or else.

I slammed my phone back down on the nightstand. There was no way Blaine knew who Shelby was, but a sinking pit in my stomach made me rush from my room and up the stairs. The walk to her room seemed longer than ever before. I just needed to see her face.

When I got to Shelby’s room, the door stood open. My stomach dropped, the room was empty…

Shelby was nowhere in sight, the bed was made, and the room looked barren despite the perfectly styled decor. I rushed into the bathroom, hoping to replace some sign that Shelby hadn’t really left, only to replace it empty as well. The closet was also empty of all of her clothing, and Shelby’s suitcase was gone.

She truly had left.

I sank onto Shelby’s empty bed, my head in my hands, trying to accept the situation and figure out what I had done wrong. I glanced over to the nightstand and realized Shelby had left something, possibly on purpose.

The only thing left in the room was a small pink shell set on her bedside table. I picked it up, rubbing the smooth side against my thumb. Where had she picked this up? It must have been significant enough that she felt the need to keep it. I slipped the small shell into my pocket.

I should have gone after Shelby instead of the guy taking pictures, but now I couldn’t help but wonder if she even wanted me to.

“Sir?”

The voice shook me from my thoughts, drawing me back to reality. Reggie was standing in the doorway, a somber expression on his face as he rocked gently from side to side, as if contemplating how to tell me something.

“Yes, Reggie? Is there something I can do for you?” My voice sounded exhausted even to my own ear. I hoped that whatever he had to say didn’t have anything to do with work. That was the last thing on my mind at the moment.

“No, I was actually coming to tell you I just got back from dropping Shelby off at the airport. I ran into her when I was driving back from picking up a few things at the store for the chefs this morning. She was dragging her suitcase through the gravel at the end of the drive.”

My heart crumbled again at hearing the confirmation that she was really gone. She’d left–without a word. “Thank you for making sure she got to the airport. Did she say why she was leaving?”

“She didn’t give me much detail. She looked really upset, though. She mentioned fighting with Lauren. I have no idea what they fought about, but a couple of the maids said they heard Lauren screaming at someone early this morning. No one really thought much of it; they just figured she was yelling at a member of the staff.”

It certainly wouldn’t be unusual for Lauren to scream at a staff member–or her friend for that matter. “That girl needs a reality check,” I said with a loud sigh.

I truly was embarrassed to replace out that my daughter had yelled at my staff members so frequently that it was considered perfectly normal. I would have to rein her in before she did some real damage. I also needed to replace out what she had said to Shelby to make her leave.

I suddenly felt exhausted at the thought of having to confront my daughter. Getting blackmailed by my deranged, bastard half-brother was enough for one day.

“Thank you, Reggie. Will you call my housekeeper at the New York home and let her know to prepare for my arrival please?”

Reggie raised his eyebrows slightly but then nodded. “Of course, sir. When should I tell her we will arrive?”

“Tell her we will be there tomorrow. I don’t want to stay here any longer than I have to.” My mind was made up, which did make me feel slightly better about the situation.

Reggie nodded and left me alone with my thoughts.

So she really did leave. The fact that Blaine knew she left meant he was having her followed.

If I went to see her, I would lead Blaine right to her.

My only option was to act as though Shelby didn’t matter to me. The only way to keep her safe was to keep my distance.

I wouldn’t go after her.

Not until after I’d tracked Blaine down.