Chapter 44 Tally
TALLY
Rust drops the hammer. “When you asked why I broke up with you, I didn’t spill the whole truth.”
“But why? Were you scared I’d be mad?”
He shakes his head. “I lied cause Dalton threatened to ruin your career if I ever told you what really happened in Vegas.”
“Rex? What does Rex have to do with this?” I ask.
Rust’s lips pinch.
I throw away the screwdriver and grab the front of his shirt, shaking him. “I don’t give a shit about my fucking career right now. I just gotta know. Half my life I’ve been looking for closure. Please…”
He braces himself. “When you asked me to get some ice…” He hesitates, shoulders heaving with a heavy breath as he cups my cheek. “Dalton was waitin’ for me in the parking lot. He’d been watchin’ us and made me an offer.”
“What offer?” I choke out.
“Ten thousand dollars to break up with you.”
My hands drop as my body goes cold. “And you took the cash.”
“Hell naw! I didn’t take a cent of his dirty money!”
“I don’t understand…” I shake my head. “Then why did you leave me?”
“Dalton claimed I kept you from reaching your full potential and with me gone, he’d make you a star. If I refused, he threatened to put your name on a blacklist, so you’d never get a record deal.”
It all comes back to me in a flash. Rust’s expression when he returned to the room. The way he hugged me too tightly. How he asked me to remember that he loves me.
Now it makes sense.
Tears spill down my cheeks. “You broke my heart to protect me?”
Rust laughs sadly. “I would’ve done anything to make you happy, even if that meant lettin’ you go. And I knew you’d find someone better than me. I’m just the son of a small-town rancher.”
“Find someone better than you?” I pound his chest with my fist. “There’s no better man for me than you!”
Rust drops to his knees in the dust, pressing his forehead to my belly. His shoulders shake as he grips my thighs, looking up at me with glassy eyes.
“I’m so sorry I lied, Tally. I’m so fucking sorry I hurt you, but I couldn’t be the one to ruin your dream. Going back to the small-town life would’ve killed you!”
He’s right. I never admitted it to myself then, but I wouldn’t have survived going back to Redbird Creek. Being a failure.
“Can you forgive me?” Rust whispers.
I step back. He collapses onto all fours, one hand braced on the tip of my boot like I’m the center of his gravity and he’s barely holding on. His head hangs low.
He looks miserable. Broken.
“Get up,” I say.
His eyes lift.
“Didn’t you hear? I said get up.”
He scrubs both hands over his face, leaving traces of dirt in the wake of his fingers. Then he rises.
I put a hand on his heart. “There ain’t nothing to forgive you for, Big Guy. You were forced to make an impossible choice and through it all, you tried to do right by me.”
Rust’s breath hitches. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me into a deep, passionate kiss.
“We’re still partners in crime?” he asks against my lips.
“Partners in crime.” I seal my words with another kiss. “But I don’t understand why Rex wanted us to break up so badly he even offered you money.”
Wolfe clears his throat. “If I may explain?”
I groan. “Enlighten us.”
Wolfe nods. “That’s Rex’s strategy with every new, promising talent.
I’ve seen it hundreds of times. He separates them from friends, family, and loved ones so he can manipulate them easily.
It keeps them earning for him without distractions or financial obligations.
If he can’t isolate them, he blacklists them exactly as he threatened. ”
I rub over my aching forehead. “But some stalking and abuse isn’t going to ruin Rex. Many men have done worse and gotten away with it. Unless I put him behind bars for something big, he’ll continue holding my career hostage.”
Wolfe’s eyes turn to slits. “Well, he didn’t ask me to get rid of Rust. He specifically asked me to kill him.”
I sway. All this information is overwhelming.
“I caught up with you in Pine Bluff because I had to catch a flight from my home base here in Phoenix. When Rustin got arrested, I thought I’d go with a little blackmail for bonus cash first.” Wolfe grins like he’s particularly proud of that idea.
“After the drop, I planned to use the tracker app Rex gave me to find your motel and shoot Rust the next time he left the room alone at night.”
I raise my hand, stopping him. “One part I don’t get. Why the fuck did you talk to us in the honky-tonk? That was super suspicious.”
Wolfe deflates. “I hoped if I pressed the issue, your thick-headed, blond friend would recognize you as the Tally Creed and start a ruckus. Would’ve given me some good snapshots.
But she was oblivious. Smart as I am, I had prepared a plan B to start a scuffle.
I slipped the guy in the white hat a fake note from you, asking to meet you for sex after the concert when Rust was busy. ”
A shudder runs through me. “Ugh, you’re revolting! That’s the fucking message Trevor was talking about!”
Rust grumbles. “I’m insulted Dalton sent Mr. Sports-Mode-Crocs to assassinate me. Can’t the walkin’ money bag spring for a proper contract killer?”
Wolfe sighs. “Actually, I begged Rex to hire a professional, but he doesn’t trust anyone except me with the really bad stuff.”
“If he was so keen on havin’ me meet my maker, he should’ve done it himself. Fucking coward!” Rust spits with disdain.
Wolfe tuts. “Rex would never get his hands dirty with murder. That’s too hot.
Drugs. Blackmail. Manipulation. The occasional hired beating.
Manufacturing scandals to cull singers not earning their expected share.
That’s all fine with Rex. But he insisted it had to be me who kills you so it couldn’t be traced back to him. I had no choice.”
Rust barks a laugh. “Oh, don’t give me that ‘I was just following orders’ bullshit you saw in a movie once.”
Something like fear plays in Wolfe’s eyes.
“But it’s the truth. If I don’t stay on Rex’s good side, my career is over, too.
He could reveal my identity and there are plenty of people who don’t enjoy my brand of journalism.
They’d drag me to court for defamation or try to claim some vigilante justice.
But at this point, I’d rather lose my career and retire in a nice, non-extradition country. ”
Rust trembles with rage. “How did you keep your identity hidden this long?”
Wolfe’s lips tip into a smug grin. “I’m pretty good with computers.”
“And that means?” he asks impatiently.
“I put my articles and pictures on a USB stick, all personal or trackable data erased. Delivery happens via a courier who delivers to another courier. The second courier uses a designated dead drop, which then gets picked up by some unsuspecting intern at the ‘Gossip Grove’ or whatever other magazine bought the scoop. In addition, I only accept cash payments, also via dead drops.”
Rust’s eyes are filled with question marks. All the tech talk seems to have put him off asking for any more details.
“Rex asking you to kill Rust is a big deal, but right now it’s your word against his. That ain’t good enough for any judge,” I point out.
“I have proof!” Wolfe cries.
“Then you better convince me quickly. My screwdriver hand is getting itchy,” I threaten.
“Friends or not, I recognized early that Rex is an opportunist. I realized I might need a bargaining chip against him. He never suspected anything when I started recording our phone calls and made copies of our emails. Everything can be traced back to him. It’s all on my laptop and one external hard drive.
I don’t keep copies anywhere else. Too dangerous. ”
Wolfe glances at his messenger bag. “If you let me go, you can have the whole thing. All my gadgets. All my files. I’ll even help you put together a USB stick to give to the police, so you won’t have to let them see the videos and pictures of your trip.
But don’t try to trick me. The data is password protected and I’ll permanently unlock it for you after you free me. ”
I massage my throbbing temples.
Revenge is within arm’s reach and if I pull this off, I’ll finally break free from Rex Dalton’s chains of abuse. Taking him down will help the other talents caught in his web, too. But if I don’t take this chance right now, it might be lost forever.
Glancing at Wolfe, I shudder. He’s a disgusting creature, and I don’t mean the piss and blood. I mean his character.
His greed. His selfishness. His complete lack of remorse. He hasn’t apologized once!
Making a deal with this weasel feels dirty, but for the moment, I need him.
I crouch in front of Wolfe, avoiding the puddle of bodily fluids. “If we let you go, you’ll give up your gear and footage, including the incriminating pictures of our road trip. And you’re gonna testify against your friend Rex Dalton.”
“You have my word.”
“That ain’t good enough,” Rust says decisively. “We want a taped confession, right now. You’ll tell the whole story again on video.”
“Sure! We can record it on my laptop. It’s got a good webcam,” Wolfe suggests.
I wince as I look over his meatball-studded chest. “Hate to say it, but we’re gonna have to clean him up a bit first.”