Chapter 57
River
T his is going to change everything. Everyone’s going to see me as a different person, but I guess my past was bound to catch up to me.
The family I've been trying to outrun will have me right back in their grasp. I don’t have a choice, because when it comes to covering up a death, there are no better people to call.
They won't handle the body themselves. No, they'll pay someone to come in and do the dirty work for them like nothing ever happened while still leaving me indebted for the rest of my life.
Who knows the scope of what this is going to look like moving forward?
There could be galas, or festivals, or even small get-togethers with family friends.
Surely, the consequences will be far beyond the already required family dinners.
I'm about to willingly cement myself to the very world I tried to steer clear of for so long.
For her, I'll do it. I'll do anything to protect Alara.
My eyes fall closed as her face fills my mind. She looked terrified. The sooner we get her out of there and back to the safety of our apartment, the better.
I take a deep breath, scrolling through the contacts on my phone until I see the name Mr. Montgomery and click on it. Most people wouldn't have their father saved in their phone as their last name, but I'm not most people.
The phone only rings twice before he answers, and his deep voice rings in my ear. "Son. It's so nice to hear from you."
"This isn't a social call," I state blankly.
The phone goes quiet for a moment.
"I see. This should be discussed in person. I can be at your apartment in a few minutes. I'm already in the area." His tone is flat, not giving anything away.
"The sooner the better. This is time sensitive," I insist.
"Fine. Make sure the door is unlocked." He hangs up, leaving me more annoyed than anything.
I'm left to pace back and forth in the kitchen with Lane on the couch losing his marbles. Ender disappeared into Alara's bedroom after we talked to her so he could find something comfortable for her to change into.
The wait for my father to show up feels like an eternity as I try to piece together what I'm going to say. He's going to ask if she's worth it. She’s one of the few people I would do anything to protect.
He strides into the apartment without knocking, only to stop directly in front of me with a phone extended in my direction. "This is what you should have called me on." The disappointment in his tone seeps right into my bones.
"I need your help cleaning up a mess." I waste no time.
The lines on my father's forehead deepen as his eyes move to where Lane sits in the other room .
"He already knows what's happening. He's part of this, too."
"Fucking hell, River. How messy is this?" Old hands reach up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"There are five people who know for sure, and two security guards who think something suspicious is happening."
"The whole band?" His hand shoots up, and I flinch. "Jesus Christ, I'm not going to hit you."
"There's blood. A lot of it. One dead body and two of my people in the room with it. The door is closed. Nobody has access to get inside without pushing through our security team."
He doesn't need the details of how things happened, only what sort of clean-up will be required.
"How big is the body?" he asks, pulling a phone out of his pocket and typing into it.
"Bigger than the average man."
He peers up at me, shaking his head. "And is this worth it?"
We both know what he's asking. Is this worth giving up the small amount of free will we've offered you?
"Yes, sir," I breathe out, chest rising and falling.
He nods. "I need an address."
I lift my phone, glancing at the address before holding it out to show him.
"Of course you had it texted to you. So fucking sloppy. You never think before you do things." He shakes his head. "Someone needs to go down for the arson. Pick or I will."
His eyes meet mine as Ender walks into the kitchen and says, "I'll do it. "
Our glances both shoot in his direction, and I make an attempt at dismissing his offer. "I can take the fall. It's fine."
"Don't try to be the hero, River. It will be more believable if it’s me. Just say it was a party that went sour, or I got fucked up and accidentally started a fire. Drunk rockstar is an easy headline when there’s a prior history of it." Ender shrugs.
"He's not wrong. He's been in the headlines quite a bit for his drug and alcohol use," my father agrees. "And it would explain why you all have the address in your phones. I'm assuming you all have it."
He waits for my nod.
"I'll take whatever consequences I need to if it keeps her safe," Ender declares.
My father types something in what’s probably a burner phone before looking back at us.
"You’ll most likely only end up paying a fine.
Although, there could be some community service or court-mandated rehab.
It depends on whether or not the judge decides to be a hardass.
Re-elections are coming up, so he could try to push back a bit.
That’s a big IF someone even looks into it.
I'll have everything put into motion to keep things as clean as possible. "
"Whatever it takes." Ender nods.
"The headlines could rip you apart." I sigh.
"Nothing worse than what they've already done. It will be fine." The nonchalance in Ender's tone only makes this whole thing that much worse .
Nothing will come from it because he is famous and has money to pay people off. It's just like the privileges my family has. Yet another example of how money can, in fact, buy happiness, or at least the illusion of it.
"Okay, there is someone on their way to assist your friends. Once my contact gets there, they will escort everyone to our family guesthouse for the evening."
"I need to take these to her." Ender holds up a bag of clothing. "She's covered in blood."
"None of you are going into that building," my father commands.
"But–" I try to object, and he cuts me off.
"But nothing. You can go home, River. Don't question me on this. Do you really think it's a good idea to go there and risk potentially being photographed?" He raises a brow.
I hate that he's right. "No, sir."
"I–" Ender starts, but my father cuts him off, too.
"Unless you want to clean this up on your own, you will follow my orders. One of you may record a voice note on this phone that I will send to my contact to play for them. That is more than generous," he surprisingly offers. Maybe there is a shred of humanity in him after all.
I grab the phone, hitting the record button, and decide to make this short and sweet.
"Alara, Nix, I need you to listen to the person in the room.
They are going to get you somewhere safe, where Ender, Lane, and I will be waiting for you.
Please don't give them a hard time. I promise everything is going to be okay.
We just have to get through the day, one step at a time.
" I end the recording, doing my best to keep any specific details out.
"Very good, son. Gather your things. You three can ride with me." He looks around the room, shaking his head disapprovingly in Lane's direction.
They've seen me on tour. They know we touch on stage even though I’ve never openly confirmed our relationship.
You know what, I’m already in for some long lectures.
I might as well lay everything on the line.
Having a boyfriend might not seem like the worst thing in the world when he is actively having someone cover up murder for me.
"Lane’s my boyfriend. Actually, we're all together. All five of us." I sway from side to side, trying to keep the nerves at bay.
It's true. Maybe Ender hasn't been in the bedroom with all of us, but at some point, if Alara wants it to happen, it will.
"We can discuss that later." His blank stare doesn't give me any insight into his feelings about me being bisexual. "He looks like he's about to have a mental breakdown. Deal with it."
"He will be fine." I quickly come to his defense, not liking what my father is insinuating.
"Get your things and let's go." He doesn't bother to say another word, just turns around and stalks toward the door where he stands waiting for us to follow.