40. Brooks
40
brOOKS
For all the times that Brooks had played in local fairs at the start of his career, as he twirled Maddie on the dance floor of the Brandywood fair, it occurred to him that he had never once actually attended one. Especially not with a date.
But then, I’ve never had a date with a woman I’m in love with.
Being in love with her was every single thing he’d written about in a song, but never fully lived in the flesh.
Mesmerizing, intoxicating, surreal, and petrifying.
He pulled her into his arms as the song a local country band was playing ended, then kissed her. His own band members had arrived the night before, which had been a reunion he’d been unexpectedly glad to make. He’d also brought Cormac in to play with them for the evening, considering this was his hometown.
All of it made him feel sickeningly normal. Like life was finally getting back on track, but better than ever.
He’d moved out of the lake house for the last time and simply shifted his belongings to Maddie’s apartment, where he’d stay . . . indefinitely. They’d been talking around the next step still, because she was clearly torn about what she wanted to do regarding her grandfather’s offer and he wanted to avoid the topic as much as possible.
Someone bumped into them and Brooks pulled away from Maddie to see an “apologetic” fan who held out a pen and a pad of paper for him. She hadn’t been lying about the size of this fair. The place was crushed with people from out of town, and it wasn’t even noon yet.
“Sorry, I don’t do autographs in blue pens,” Brooks told the fan, who pouted and went her way.
Maddie gaped at him. “Is that for real?”
He nodded, and they started hand in hand toward the apple fritter food truck he’d promised her they’d visit next. He gave her a mischievous grin. “Don’t know how true it is, but that’s the advice. I always figured it was one less autograph to do.”
“You’re a rat sometimes, you know that?” She cringed at the line for apple fritters as they drew closer, then stopped. “You’re not going to want to stand in that line, are you?”
He followed the direction she’d pointed out. The line had to be at least thirty people long and looked to be crawling.
A long-ass wait meant he’d be a sitting duck for fans to ambush him.
The disappointment in her eyes was palpable, and he squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry, babe.”
“Ugh, it’s fine. Maybe I can get one of my siblings to grab me some and bring them backstage with you later or something. I just wanted you to try one since you don’t eat that stuff normally.”
“I’ve spent the last month eating stuff I don’t eat normally.” He nodded toward one bodyguard. “But if you don’t mind waiting in the line, Trent can hang out with you and I’ll head over to the petting zoo with Ryan and meet Kayla and Audrey. Just meet me over there with your apple fritters when you’re done here.”
Maddie’s face brightened. “Okay.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, flipping his baseball cap backward. “I like this better like this, by the way, Clark Kent.”
He rolled his eyes, then switched it back. “You’re cute when you’re annoying.”
She sauntered off toward the line, bodyguard in tow, and he started in the opposite direction.
She’ll be fine. She has a bodyguard.
But, shit, this place was crowded. Too crowded. Too exposed. His own bodyguard, Ryan, had to remain practically at his elbow not to get separated.
He was halfway to where the petting zoo was located when he got a text message from Maddie.
Maddie: Trailer. Right now.
Maddie: P.S. leave the guard outside ;)
He smiled to himself. They’d started the morning in the shower together—after waking each other up a few times during the night. Damn woman was going to exhaust him.
Brooks: Yes, ma’am.
He couldn’t help wondering if the need for her would ever diminish. It had to, right? He’d have to be naive not to think so. But all it took was a flash of those tits or a sly grin, waking up with her ass pressed against him and he was a goner.
Peter Yardley had delivered the trailer, a rental, to the fairgrounds the night before—a place for him and his band to hide away. He was grateful for it, and it was large and luxurious, with several beds. One of his band members had even used it rather than rent a hotel room while here.
Due to its size and function, the trailer was parked off the beaten path, in the far corner of a field that was being used for parking for vendors and the amusement ride trucks and trailers. A good five minutes from the main fairground.
“I’ll check inside and make sure it’s secure, Brooks,” Ryan said.
Maddie had Trent with her, so he wasn’t worried. “Nah, it’s fine. Trent’s with Maddie inside, so just make sure no one else comes in,” he said, eager to get to his girl.
“Of course, sir,” Ryan said.
When Brooks stepped inside, he locked the door and called out for Maddie.
“Madison?” Brooks glanced around the empty living room and kitchen area. The television was still on, the volume low, and he found the remote and turned it off.
Maybe she was in the primary bedroom waiting.
The door was closed, and he tapped on it twice, then turned the knob. Stepping into the darkened room, he flipped the light switch.
The bed was empty.
The door closed behind him. “Ready to get lucky?” a familiar male voice said.
Brooks startled, readying a punch as he turned—then he froze.
Mike stood just off to the side. His hands were wrapped in latex gloves, and there was a gun in his hand.
Oh fuck.
His throat went dry, his heart pounding hard in his chest.
“If you use that, your source of money will quickly run dry, asshole.”
“I’m aware. I only brought it to make sure you didn’t call for your armed brawn.” Mike held out an open Ziploc bag. “Cell phone. Take it out, send one message to your girlfriend. I’m sorry. I had to go. Don’t try to reach me. Then drop it in the bag. No alarm. Nothing else or I’ll shoot. I’m watching.”
Brooks’s jaw clenched.
Goddamn motherfucker.
He did as Mike directed, then dropped the phone in the bag.
Please do your Maddie thing and demand we talk . He sent the silent prayer out, hoping somehow, she’d get it.
“Watch, too. Anything that has Wi-Fi.”
After Brooks had complied, Mike shoved the bag into his jacket pocket.
“How in the hell did you hack into my messages?” Brooks snapped. He was going to have to fire the people he had handling that. Change his number. Fuck. A whole annoying cascade of changes. But if a “normal” guy like Mike could hack into his messages, they clearly weren’t doing their job.
Mike smiled. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Guess you’ll have to keep wondering. Sit on the bed.”
Brooks sat, his eyes trained on the gun. That was one of Mike’s smarter moves. If not for the gun, which he didn’t doubt Mike would use if he wanted, Brooks would have tried to rush him by now. Mike wasn’t much smaller than him, though.
“You get one minute to decide. I’m gonna show you on the TV screen in here some things I have, and if you don’t want them out, you’re paying up. Today. Something happens to me, I have a friend on standby who’ll release them. I get arrested, same. You make a phone call, talk to anyone, same deal. You talk only to me, deal only with me. You have one move, Brooks, and it’s to pay. Once we leave here, you’re gonna be my best buddy and you’re gonna act like it and not one person is going to know a damn thing or these will get out.”
Sweat broke out on Brooks’s forehead.
What the fuck does he have? And how does he really believe this will fly?
Then Mike lifted the remote and turned on the television and a montage of images started across the screen.
Him and Maddie in the orchard after Applepalooza—with her in a bra and underwear. They got progressively more explicit from there.
The first time they’d had sex on the balcony.
Sext messages they’d sent each other.
Footage from inside the damn lake house.
Oh my God.
Brooks almost vomited at the idea of all of this in Mike’s possession.
He shut the TV off. “You get the idea. I’ll post it to every porn site out there, Brooks. And I’m a man of my word.”
“How the hell did you get all this?”
“You were out of that rental house every weekend, Brooks. It wasn’t hard.”
Dammit, dammit, dammit. How in the hell had that never occurred to him?
Brooks’s chest was wound so tight he could hardly breathe. “How much?”
“One million, in cash. And that’s me being generous.”
He swallowed. “There isn’t a bank around that can get me that in cash today.”
“Well, we’re not going to a bank. We’re going to Vegas. Right now. They’ll give you a big line of credit, you’ll cash out, and then hand it over to me.”
Vegas?
Going there meant he wouldn’t be here to do the concert for Maddie.
Although, maybe that would worry her enough that she’d sound the alarm.
Stupid piece of shit. “You think you’re so smart, don’t you, asshole? I’m just going to turn around and sue you for extortion. Put your ass in jail.”
“No, you won’t. Because if you do this, I’ll also drop the custody case with Kayla.”
“You never would have won that anyway.”
“Really? You think I won’t tell the judge about Kayla leaving Audrey with her drunk uncle? Or the time a stalker tried to attack my daughter on a fishing trip with that uncle? Kayla was on a date, right? Audrey drove to the hospital without a car seat, too.”
How the fuck does he know all this?
How the fuck did he get so close?
His astonishment clearly showed. “You made this so much easier for me than I ever could have imagined, Brooks. I had a good source, and damn, you made it easy.”
A good source? What the hell did that mean?
Someone in town?
Mike checked his watch. “Your minute is up.”
He wanted so badly to punch him.
Brooks met his hard stare. “I need a guarantee in writing that footage will be destroyed.”
“I’m keeping a copy in a bank safe for five years. Once the statute of limitations for you pressing charges expires, you get the code.”
“That’s not good enough. What’s going to stop you from coming back when you run through your money? You always do, Mike.” Brooks glared at him. “No way in hell I’m giving you a cent without a written guarantee you will destroy that footage and stay away from Kayla, Audrey, and Madison for the rest of your sorry, miserable life.”
He was talking out of his ass at this point. He had no way of being sure he could make that happen. But maybe Christine could come up with an ironclad contract that Mike could sign online. “I’ll need one email to my lawyer.”
“You think I’m stupid enough to give you your phone?”
“Didn’t you say you’d release the footage if you get arrested?” Brooks raised a brow, a strange sense of calm coming over him.
Breathe, Brooks. Mike’s actions spoke of desperation. He couldn’t afford not to take anything Mike said seriously. Stupidity on his part could get him killed . “One email. You can point a gun at me and watch me type the whole time if it makes you feel better.”
A bead of sweat ran down Mike’s temple. “Fine. Once we get to my car. Let’s go. Out the back door.”
Brooks stood, his head spinning.
What else can I do?
How can I beat this prick at his own game?
How can I make sure that Maddie doesn’t believe what this asshole made me send her?
Could he code the message that only Christine would understand?
If I relent today, will he really leave Kayla and Audrey alone? And who the hell was this “buddy” and what was the guarantee that he wouldn’t simply choose the same path as fucking Mike?
But he came up empty.
For once, Mike had him by the balls in an iron grip.
Fuck my life.