Chapter Thirty-Six
Two Days Later
Jace
“Be sure to monitor the VIP room closely. There’s been word underage girls are getting into the club.” Everleigh stands up from the boardroom table as her husband, Victor, winks and places his hand on her back.
“Not so long ago, I remember a young girl who did the same thing.”
“Shut it.” Her eyes narrow as she glares at him. “I’m sure the girls have very good reasons for being here. There’s probably some sexy older guy who’s playing hard to get. But sadly, she’s going to need to get his attention somewhere else.”
He kisses the top of her head. “I’m sure she already has his attention. He’s probably just making sure he doesn’t go to prison or get his ass beat by her dad.”
When they reach the door, Victor turns on his heel. “Hey, man, I forgot to mention I heard your latest track last night. It was amazing.”
“Thank you.” When my feed glitched the other night when Zoe was watching, my heart stopped beating. I went right back live as soon as the internet was solid again, but she wasn’t there. And she wasn’t there last night either. Maybe that’s the sign I need. The sign that it’s time to let go and move on.
Everleigh tilts her head sideways. “Have you thought about my offer to sing at the club?”
“No. I haven’t.” She’d brought it up months ago when I wasn’t singing and assumed it was a placating statement.
“You should. You know we have casinos, clubs, and resorts all around the world. We’d be willing to talk about shows in different locations if you were interested.”
“Absolutely. We’re always up for adding talent to our schedules.”
“Without an agent setting it up?” I don’t even have an agent at this point, and not sure my old one is the direction I want to go.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Victor rolls his eyes. “I don’t care if your agent contacts us or not. That’s not how the world works anymore. If you’re popular enough online, you can skip all the gatekeepers.”
“If you aren’t comfortable with the thought, pretend we didn’t say anything. I don’t want to cause issues with your sobriety. But you’re good.” Everleigh rests a hand on Victor’s chest as my heart thumps wildly in mine. Sing in public again? In large venues?
I mean, these clubs aren’t arenas, but I’m no longer looking for that type of presentation. I’m enjoying the intimacy of singing online, and a couple of thousand-seat locations would be perfect for what I’ve been producing. Holy hell. My armpits are sweating. I pull off my suit jacket and lay it on the back of the chair.
“I don’t know what to say.” Damn it, yes, I do. “Thank you for the offer, and I would love to pursue the idea more.”
“Perfect.” She smiles from ear to ear. “Just wait until you hit one of the resorts for an intimate setting. You can relax all day at the beach and sing at night. This is going to be fabulous.”
“I’ll work up a tentative contract this afternoon. After that, we can discuss locations, frequency, and timeframes. We’re booked solid for this year, but we’re currently working on next year’s scheduled attractions.”
My knees buckle, to keep from falling on my ass, I grip the back of the chair. When I hit my jacket, it slips toward the floor. I snatch it before it hits the ground. Lord. My hands are shaking.
Victor shakes his head. “Babe, it looks like next year you’re going to be looking for a new head of security.” He twists the knob, and they disappear, leaving me alone. That’s when my knees give out for good, and I flop onto the empty chair.
Just like that. I rub my forehead and rake a hand through my hair, after all these years, and just like that. I chuckle and shake my head. This is crazy.
The door snaps open. “What did you forg–”
Shit. Double shit. Zayden stalks into the room, slams the door shut, and crosses his arms over his broad chest. As his gaze rakes over me, his nose crinkles in disgust. “When I left the resort, I didn’t expect you to fuck my sister in an attempt to use her to get close to our father.” My stomach drops to the floor. This is not good. “I don’t take kindly to people who use others for their own gain.”
“It wasn’t like that.” I swipe my hands on my pants and stand. He’s wearing jeans, combat boots, and a skintight black T-shirt, looking like a special ops recruit that’s intent on kicking my ass.
“Oh, it wasn’t, was it?” He stomps across the floor with his hands balled into fists. “That’s not what you said to my sister. You told her that you used her body for fun while your girlfriend was on the island. To get a record contract. What kind of sick fuck does that?”
His eyes glisten in anger as I brace for the punch. I don’t blame him for hating me. He should. I violated his trust. I violated Zoe’s trust. I close my eyes. I violated Zoe in so many ways.
Maybe not how he thinks I did. But I did all the same. I came on to her when I had no business to do so. I should have stayed away. I yearn to tell him the truth, but I can’t. Just because my brother believes me doesn’t mean anyone else will. I can’t prove it was all a lie. I don’t have a shred of evidence. And without it, she’ll be dropped from the music industry and lose everything she’s fought so hard for.
He fists my white button-down dress shirt and yanks me closer. When I open my eyes, pain slices through my chest. I’ve lost both of them, and I deserve it. “Do it.”
“Do what?”
“Punch me. Go ahead.”
His lips twitch as he studies me. “Are you going to fight me back?”
“No.” I shake my head and wait.
The corners of his eyes crinkle as he breaks into a chuckle and pulls me to his chest in a bro hug. “I love you, man.” He smacks my back hard enough that the air leaves my lungs.
“I’m not sure I understand.” My head spins in confusion as I take in his rapidly changing demeanor.
He laughs harder, smacks my back again, and rocks back onto his heels. “Dude, I’m a trained interrogator. I can play bad cop with the best of them.” His eyes narrow into slits. “So, do you want to press charges against my father?”
I blink, trying to decipher what he means. “How? Why would I?” Did my brother tell him? And he believed him? I can’t go to court with this story. I’d be laughed off the stand. Does Zoe know? Does she believe me? My heart aches for that to be a reality.
He paces the floor in front of me. “My father is a lying piece of shit.” He stops in mid-step and winks. “But you have him on video. Zoe found it two nights ago in your phone when she was trying to find a way to get ahold of you. She saw the recording on your phone.”
She wanted to get ahold of me? My hands shake uncontrollably as my knees buckle. A recording?
“What recording?” My eyes widen. The video I was recording while waiting for Zoe to return from talking to her father. It didn’t stop. Fuck. Why didn’t I think of that?
Who cares about that. She wanted to call me. I swipe my hands on my pants again. “Is she okay?”
“Yes and no.” He shrugs. “She’s upset with our father for being the ass we always knew he was. She’s worried you’re angry with her because our father is a colossal douche who ruined your music career. And I don’t think she’s eating or sleeping like she should. She looks like a ghost. But–”
“Stop.” I grab his upper arm. “Where is she? Did she come with you?” The need to be with her and take care of her overrides everything else.
“No. She wanted to confront our father before she saw you to apologize. She wanted that out of the way. And I want you to press charges against the asshole.” His eyes are dark. “The lengths he went through to destroy you is disgusting. And all because he thought you were using Zoe to get close to him. For a man who manipulates more than he breathes, he’s surprisingly hypocritical.”
“I didn’t use her. I never did. I’ve always had feelings for her.” I bite my bottom lip. I hurt her and must make it right. Whatever it takes. “I didn’t want to upset anyone. Including her. If she didn’t feel the same way. So I pretended like she didn’t mean anything to me.”
He snorts and slams his hand into my chest, shoving me backward. “If you shoot music videos, you might want to hire a guy who looks like you to play the part because you’re a shit actor.”
“Bite me.”
“Why else do you think Mom and Landon planned this entire trip?”
“What?” I clasp the chair again. I didn’t go into details with them on what happened at the resort, so as far as I know, they don’t realize we had sex. Or do they? Blood drains from my head. Shit.
“They set the entire thing up.” He smirks. “All of it but me leaving. I was supposed to be there to force the two of you to interact. But I guess my leaving proved to be a better stimulus than my being there. And I’m grateful I was called back to the States. I didn’t need my virgin ears hearing all that endless headboard banging. With my sister of all people.”
“Don’t say anything you’ll regret.”
He raises his hands in defense. “No worries. I respect you.” He waggles his eyebrows. “Even if you are banging your niece.”
“Stop,” I growl as I yank him to my chest. “Thanks for coming. I don’t know what I’m going to do about your father, but I need to fly home and set things right.”
“The flights booked for two o’clock.”
After letting him go, I punch him in the gut. “Asshole. That’s for fucking with me when you came in.”
“That’s warranted.” His chest rises and falls with laughter.
God willing, tonight, Zoe will be in my arms, and this will all be a thing of the past.