Midnight Stage

30. Raleigh

Raleigh

30

The past two weeks have been a wild ride of ups and downs. I’ve spent days on end in Ezra’s bed filled with absolute bliss, while also doing what I can to ignore the vile paparazzi. They try with everything they can to exploit the rumors spreading like wildfire about the abuse I suffered at the hands of my father.

We had hoped that the news would eventually blow over, that some other scandal would hit the internet and I’d be free, but I’ve never been that lucky. Instead, I was left with no choice but to make a statement, and refusing to sugarcoat anything or allow my father to be seen in any way except for the monster he is, I laid it out for everyone. I gave specific details, times, and dates. I gave them the number of bones he’d broken over those two years, listed the different ways he had raped me, the places of my home I had to fear. I offered up every last detail until there was nothing more to give, and then turned off my phone.

It was humiliating, shameful, and made me feel weaker than ever before, but the moment it was sent out into the wild, I felt as though I suddenly had the power. I felt like a survivor, not a victim, and as the world finally knew what kind of monster my father was, I felt free.

Sadly, that little moment of power only lasted within the confines of Ezra’s home—our home. The second I stepped out into the real world and was flooded by the paparazzi again, I realized nothing but time was truly going to free me. All that matters is that I’ve done my part. I don’t have a shred of proof to back up my story, nothing I can physically use to see my father locked away, all I have is my word, and I don’t know when, but someday, that’ll be enough to give me the justice I deserve.

I stand in the hotel room I share with Ezra, staring out the hotel window at the beautiful view of the ocean. It’s one of the most stunning sights I’ve ever seen, and while I love that I get to share this with Ezra, it makes me wish Ax could be here to see it.

“Did you ever come here with Axel?” I ask Ezra as he steps out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped low on his hips, making my mouth water.

Tonight is the first show in Portugal, and while I’m thrilled to be here, a part of me wants to stay right here and hide away from the onslaught of paparazzi. I’m not sure I can handle it just yet.

“Umm . . . yeah,” he tells me, moving in behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist as I stare out at the ocean. “Maybe five or so years ago. It wasn’t like this though. It was raining the whole time we were here. Not a hint of blue skies, and to be honest, we were still pretty young then. We didn’t really take the time to appreciate where we were, not the way I do now. But he always made sure to take pictures of all the sights to send you.”

“I know,” I say, resting my hand over his on my waist. “I have a whole album saved in my phone of all the pictures Axel sent me from tour. I think he considered himself to be a bit of a photographer, but honestly, he sucked. They’re all terrible, but that’s what makes them so good.”

“Really?” He laughs, pressing his lips to the side of my neck. “I always wondered if you hated getting those pictures.”

“Sometimes I did,” I admit. “Especially right at the start of your first tour. Every one of them was a knife straight through the heart. By the second and third tours, I started to look forward to them.”

“I’m sorry, Rae,” he tells me. “All those years with you not here with us. I never should have left you behind.”

I turn in his arms and lift my chin to meet his haunted stare. “There are lots of things both of us should have done differently, but we were young and didn’t know any better. You couldn’t have known what hell I’d go through, and I should have been honest. But I’m here now, and that’s what counts.”

“Damn straight you are,” he says as his hands drop to my ass and lift me into his strong arms. His lips come down on mine as he turns and starts walking to the bed, but I pull back, a stupid grin on my face.

“Don’t even think about it,” I laugh, knowing just how carried away we can get. “You know damn well that there’s a full team meeting starting in . . .” I glance at the clock on the wall, my eyes widening. “Oh shit! It’s already started!”

“It’s fine,” he murmurs, nuzzling into the side of my neck and making me groan as his lips and tongue work over my skin. I feel him harden between us, and as he grinds against me, my eyes roll in the back of my head. “They won’t even know we’re not there.”

“You’re the lead singer of the band. They’ll more than notice that you’re not there.”

Ezra groans, and as his lips meet mine, my eyes widen in horror, and I pull back, breaking our kiss. “Oh my god,” I breathe in horror. “They’re going to assume we’re doing it.”

He arches a brow and holds my stare. “And?”

“And?” I squeak, fighting his hold until he has no choice but to put me down. “Every moment we’re not there, they’re already assuming you’re ten inches deep. I work with these people. I need them to have some level of respect for me.”

“They do.”

“Yeah,” I scoff. “They respect the fact I’m Axel’s sister and the girl who was somehow able to reel in the spiraling rockstar. But I want them to respect me for the fact that I’m good at what I do.”

Ezra holds my stare, and I watch as his begins to soften. “Don’t start acting like you don’t already know how much they already respect you. They know you’re good at what you do. They can see it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Lenny offered you to go on tour with every fucking band he represents. I’ll be fucking pissed, but not surprised.”

“Pissed?”

“Mm-hmm,” he murmurs, stepping into me. “You’re mine, Rae. I’ve already let you go once before, and I’m not doing it again, and especially not for some job. Besides, once this tour wraps and your contract is up, don’t be surprised if Lenny begs you on his hands and knees to represent Demon’s Curse indefinitely.”

My eyes widen. “You think he’d do that?”

“If the conversation I had with him last week is anything to go by, then yeah. He’s already sniffing around and wanting to know what your plans are following the tour.”

“And you said?”

“Nothing that we don’t already know.”

“Which is?”

Ezra grins and lifts his fingers to my chin, gently raising it until my eyes are locked on his. “That wherever you are, I’ll be. Even if it means I’ve gotta chase your fine ass around the globe.”

“Oooh, how the tables have turned,” I tease. “How’s it feel being the one who’s doing all the chasing now?”

Ezra shakes his head, his eyes dancing with laughter. “Baby, I’ve been chasing you since the day I met you, and nothing is about to change that. I’ll keep chasing you ’til the day I die.”

Everything melts inside of me as a stupid smile pulls at the corners of my lips. “That was definitely the cheesiest thing you’ve ever said.”

Ezra laughs and finally releases his hold around me before crossing the room and letting his towel drop, showing off his delicious ass. I groan. Maybe I was a fool to give up hot sex for a team meeting. “Quit staring at my ass, Raleigh Stone,” he says as he continues walking away.

“Never gonna happen.”

Ezra glances over his shoulder, a wicked smirk resting on his lips. “Just so you know, after the show tonight, I’m gonna bend you over that balcony, spread those pretty thighs, and just when you can’t take the anticipation a moment longer, just when you’re begging me to take you, I’m going to fuck you until your sweet little cunt is spasming on my cock and your knees can no longer hold you up.”

Well, fuck.

All I can do is stare at him as he drags a pair of black jeans up his thighs, not bothering with underwear and leaving the button undone. He reaches for a shirt next, and as he lifts his arms over his head and his abs and pecs stretch out, I’m pretty sure I come.

“Whatcha waiting for?” he asks me when his shirt settles into place, and he reaches for the button of his jeans, acting as though I’m the one holding us up for this big team meeting.

“That wasn’t fair.”

He smirks at me, and my stomach releases a million fluttering butterflies. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Asshole.

Finally able to pull myself together, we make our way down to the function room on the second floor of the hotel. It’s big enough to be used for weddings and special events, and while our team definitely isn’t that big, I appreciate the hotel making the arrangements to accommodate us. It was either this or we overcrowd their restaurant, and honestly, I thought that was a dick move.

We walk through the door of the function room, and I let out a relieved sigh, finding everyone only just starting to take their seats, and while we were definitely late, it seems everyone else was too.

Lenny remains on his feet at the front of the room, and Ezra and I make our way past the dancers and backstage crew. Ezra’s phone rings, and he pauses in the middle of the floor to pull his phone from his pocket. “I gotta take this,” he says with a cringe, spinning on his heel and hightailing it straight back out the door while Lenny throws his hands up in frustration, probably annoyed that this meeting isn’t already over.

I continue across the room and drop down between Rock and Dylan, smirking to myself as I find Dylan fully immersed in his phone, and judging by the look on his face, I’d dare say he’s texting Madds.

The whole shopping experience in LA was a disaster, but it wasn’t a complete waste. With the love of their mutual sex tape, Dylan and Madds have bonded, and while I certainly have my hangups and am nervous about two of my best friends getting close, I’m also really excited about it. Neither of them is typically the relationship type, and yet for some reason, they seem to be working. It’s still new, and who knows if it’ll actually go anywhere, but a part of me hopes that this can be their version of a happily ever after.

As for Rock, I think the only thing he’s interested in banging is his drum set. Don’t get me wrong, he’s no stranger to the occasional one-night stand, but those drums will always be his one true love.

“Alright, we have a big show tonight, so let’s not make this any longer than it needs to be,” Lenny starts.

I sit up a little straighter, wanting to soak up every detail like a sponge. We had a huge team meeting the night before the first show in Paris, but since then, it’s been crickets. On the other hand, Rock doesn’t feel like listening to the boss is in his best interest. “You two were fucking, weren’t you?” he murmurs, leaning toward me.

My cheeks flush, and Rock simply laughs and shakes his head. “Fucking knew it.”

Dylan scoffs from beside us. “Shower sex, right?” he asks, clearly having noticed the tips of Ezra’s hair were still wet from his shower when we walked in.

“Nah. They hit up the balcony for sure,” Rock says.

Holy fucking shit. I’m going to kill Ezra for making us late. “Would you two shut up? I’m trying to concentrate,” I say just as Ezra opens the door and shoves his head through, cutting off whatever Lenny had been saying.

“Rae,” he says, his gaze searching out mine in the big function hall. “Need you for a minute.”

Rock laughs beside me. “Wow. Only been separated for thirty seconds, and he’s already gunning for round two.”

Dylan laughs on my other side, and I smack them both at the same time before flying to my feet and turning on them both. “At least he’s thoroughly getting his world rocked, over and over and over again, which is a lot more than either of you are getting right now.”

Both their faces fall, and I turn before dashing past Lenny to the door. Ezra knew this meeting was a big deal for me and wouldn’t have pulled me out of it unless it was important. Though, Rock might be on to something. This older version of Ezra who can’t seem to keep his hands off me, he very well might pull me out of a team meeting just to drag me into the broom closet and have his wicked way with me.

“What’s up?” I ask, stepping through the door and right into Ezra’s side, my gaze locked on his.

“It’s my lawyer,” he tells me, still clutching his phone as he pulls the door closed behind me, giving us just a fraction of privacy in the middle of the hallway. “He’s been looking into Axel’s will and has some information.”

“Oh, really?” I ask as he presses his hand to my lower back and leads me down the hall to where we can be alone from any prying eyes and ears.

“Yes, Miss Stone, I presume?” a deep voice says from the speaker of Ezra’s phone.

“Yes, that’s me,” I say.

“My name is Martin Browne. I am Mr. Knight’s lawyer. He requested I look into the handling of your brother’s will.”

“Oh, yeah,” I say, briefly remembering how Ezra mentioned that he would ask his lawyer to look into it, but so much else was going on that I’d taken that little bit of information and stored it away for another day. “Ezra seems to think that Axel would have left everything to me, but I don’t know. There might have been a time when he wanted that, but he was also a very generous man. I figured he left everything to his charities.”

“You received nothing?” he clarifies.

“That’s right,” Ezra responds for me.

“Well, it seems this is a bigger issue than I first realized.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Ezra was right in his assumptions,” Martin tells me. “Your brother left his whole estate to you. Money, cars, properties, his royalties earned from the band. Everything belongs to you and was officially signed over to your name shortly after his death.”

“No. That couldn’t be right,” I say. “I haven’t got a thing.”

There’s silence for a moment, and I hear the soft sounds as Martin flips through some paperwork. “Okay, I have copies of the letters that were sent to your address, and documents signed by yourself.”

“What? No. I didn’t sign anything.”

He digs a little further. “I have banking details for you for where your brother’s funds were allocated, and the transfers of his assets into your name.”

I shake my head, meeting Ezra’s confused stare. “What address were those letters delivered to?” Ezra questions.

“I have an address in Michigan,” Martin confirms as the blood drains from my face.

“My father,” I breathe, my hands starting to shake as realization dawns on me. “He received the letters and signed on my behalf. He stole my inheritance, everything Axel worked for. He stole it from me.”

“Fuck,” Ezra grunts, reaching for my hand. “What about the assets that were transferred into her name? Does Rae still hold the titles?”

“I will have to do some title searches, which may take me a few hours,” he tells us. “I’ll get my associates started on this. In the meantime, I’ll look into the funds transfer and find out where your inheritance is, and once we have something concrete to work with and some answers, we can start putting a case together. Don’t worry, Miss Stone. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

“Okay,” I say, letting out a shaky breath.

Ezra wraps up the rest of the conversation as I just sit here, unable to take in another word.

My father has already stolen so much from me, and to realize he’s taken everything of Axel’s as well is beyond devastating. Axel would never have wanted this, and granted he didn’t know just how vile our father had become, their relationship was strained since the moment he came home drunk and told us that Mom was never coming home.

He hated our father, and if he knew who he really was, I have no doubt that Ax would have ended his life.

Years later, and the asshole is still fucking with me. When is it going to end? He should be incarcerated by now. He should be locked up with the worst of the worst, spending the rest of his miserable life suffering at the hands of the men he’s imprisoned with. But instead, he’s out there somewhere living the high life off the money my brother left for me.

Fuck. I’ve never hated someone more.

Ezra’s hand falls to mine, bringing me out of the torturous thoughts circling my mind. “You good?” he questions.

I let out a heavy breath and shrug my shoulders, not willing to let on just how much this has messed with me. “I’ll never escape him,” I admit. “Even a million miles across the globe, and he’s still right there, taking anything good in my life. He’s not happy unless I’ve been stripped of everything that’s worth living for.”

Ezra pulls me in closer. “He can’t hurt you, Rae. You’re the one who has the power here. You’re not some scared sixteen-year-old girl anymore. You’re a woman now, and I won’t let him take your power. This is your chance to finally take him down. I know you’ve always hated that you’ve never had the evidence of what he did to you in that house, but we can get him for inheritance theft, and he’ll be sent away for the rest of his pathetic life.”

“I want him to suffer,” I tell him.

“Don’t you worry about that,” he promises me. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Ezra swipes his thumbs across my face, wiping away tears I hadn’t realized were tracking down my cheeks. “Come on,” he murmurs. “Game face on. Let’s get this meeting done, get to the stadium, get the show over with, and then I’ll spend the rest of the night loving you.”

A stupid smile pulls at my lips. “You better make it worth my while.”

“Just you wait, baby.”

We make our way back to the function hall, and just as the door opens, Lenny’s words flow through to us. “The paps are searching for a story, and we won’t be the ones to give it to them,” he says. “We’re here to put on a show, not to insert ourselves directly into Raleigh’s story. She’s been through enough to have to worry about one of us feeding the media about her past.”

Ezra pauses by the door, his gaze shifting to me, his brow arching and silently asking if I’m ready to walk in there, and I let out a sigh. “What did I tell you?” I murmur, stepping over the threshold to the function room. “I can’t escape it.”

Ezra’s hand finds mine and gives it a firm squeeze, and as we walk across the room to where Dylan and Rock sit, Lenny goes on. “Despite this story breaking two weeks ago, it is still making headlines, and we will not be the reason for it to continue. When asked—which you will be—you are to divert your answers back to the show. We have brought a team on board who are able to give a crash course in media training if any of you would like some guidance on how to answer these questions.”

A heaviness settles into my chest, somehow feeling like I’m a burden on the rest of the team, and I try to keep my expression neutral. The last thing I wanted was to be a distraction to the team or to try and take any attention off the band. This is about them. The headlines should be about how magnificent the boys are, how they’re unstoppable in their prime, not about the lead singer’s girlfriend who was abused.

“We are still unaware of where these stories are coming from—” Lenny continues, making me cringe. We haven’t exactly told him our thoughts on that. I’m almost certain this is my father’s doing. It just doesn’t make enough sense for me to come forward with it. Why the fuck would he go bragging to the media about what he’s done? Does he think he’s untouchable? Does he think it’s something to be proud of? “—and until we’re able to get to the bottom of this, we all need to do our part. Raleigh is family, and we protect our own. Is that understood?”

There’s a unanimous yes that sounds through the room, only a soft scoff has my gaze flicking to the left, and unfortunately for the dancers, I wasn’t the only one who heard it. “You got a problem?” Rock asks, already on his feet.

“Come on,” Jessica says, her gaze flicking toward me. “You don’t think this is getting a little over-the-top? Everybody has stood by and watched Raleigh throw herself at Ezra, and that lap dance on stage? She’s not even a dancer. Clearly this . . . behavior is typical of her. She’s provocative. We’ve all seen it.”

My blood runs cold as every eye in the room turns toward me, horror sweeping through my body.

“If you’re trying to make a point, you better hurry up and make it,” Rock grunts, shifting closer to me.

Jessica lets out a sigh before waving her hand toward me. “She’s been acting like a whore since the moment she arrived,” she states. “She’s clearly in love with the attention she gets. Don’t you all see what’s happening here? She’s the one who’s leaking these stories. I bet they aren’t even true to begin with. Nobody fucking touched her. She’s just making up bullshit sob stories to keep her name in the media and have everybody feeling sorry for her. It’s embarrassing, and she should be fired for bringing all this heat down over the band. It’s making us all look bad.”

No, she fucking didn’t.

My hands ball into fists, humiliation and anger infecting my body.

Ezra doesn’t move even an inch beside me, just relaxes into his chair as though he doesn’t have a care in the world. “Jessica,” he says, watching her gaze sweep to his. “Pack your shit. You’re fired.”

“What?” she demands, her eyes widening in shock. “That’s bullshit. You can’t fire me for expressing an opinion.”

“I can do whatever the fuck I want,” he says, as my knee bounces, desperately needing to rearrange her face. “Now pack your shit. You’re out of here.”

“But . . . no. There’s a show starting in an hour. You need me.” Jessica gets to her feet, looking between Lenny and the rest of the band, waiting for someone to tell Ezra he’s being dramatic, but no one does, no one even breathes a word.

“We sure as fuck don’t need you. Your performances are doing nothing but cheapening our show. In fact,” he says, turning his gaze toward Stacey. “You might as well pack your shit too. I’m done having these two fawn all over me on stage. It’s humiliating.”

Stacey sucks in a breath, and I almost feel sorry for her. I don’t exactly like her, but she’s never been a bitch to me the way Jessica has. “But—”

“Don’t worry,” Ezra continues. “We’ll pay out the rest of your contract, and you’re more than welcome to stay here the rest of the week on us. Live it up a little. I’m just . . . The show doesn’t require dancers. We never should have hired them.”

Lenny cringes. “I’m sorry, girls. I’m inclined to agree with him. And of course, Stacey, we’ll pay out your contract, and you can stay if you’d like. As for you, Jessica, why the fuck are you still here?”

Her eyes widen in horror as though having those words come directly from Lenny’s mouth is the finality she needed, and bless her cotton socks, the bitch looks like she might cry. Only, those sad eyes quickly turn toward me, and the sadness morphs into pure, undiluted hate. “I bet you begged him for it. Quit playing the victim and realize that every lie you play up to the media only dirties your brother’s legacy. You should be ashamed of yourself. Or maybe you should just go back home and beg Daddy for more, you fucking whore.”

It’s all I can take, and I spring from my chair, more than ready to put the bitch in the ground. Jessica screams in terror and makes a break for the door, only I don’t get very far when Dylan’s strong arm locks around my waist. “LET ME GO!”

Ezra murmurs beside me, his gaze shifting to Dylan’s as the desperation pulses through me, knowing Jessica is getting away without the ass-whooping she deserves. “Let her go. Let’s see what happens.”

Mmmm. Nobody ever claimed Ezra didn’t know how to please me.

Dylan’s hold around my waist begins to loosen, and I see red, the rage building up behind my eyes, so potent I could explode. I can almost taste the blood.

“I swear to God, Dylan,” Lenny warns. “You let go of that girl and your life won’t be worth living.”

“Uhhhhhhh . . .” he says, not knowing where to go from here, but realizing there’s not a chance in hell that I’d catch her, the fight begins to fade from my chest, and my body relaxes in Dylan’s hold. “You good now, Rae? You’re not about to beat a bitch?”

I shrug my shoulders, never having felt so dejected.

How could someone just say something like that?

Ezra steps into my path, and as Dylan releases me, I fall right into Ezra’s arms. “It’s okay,” he tells me. “You never have to see her again.”

“But, she said—”

“I know. I heard her,” he says. “And don’t you worry. Just because you didn’t get the chance to beat her ass doesn’t mean I can’t still ruin her. She’ll never work again, Rae. I’ll make sure of it, and she’ll know it has everything to do with what she just said here. She’s not getting away with this.”

I swallow over the lump in my throat and nod as Lenny desperately tries to dissolve the meeting. “Alright, everybody. Let’s have a great show tonight. You’re all excused. Get a good meal in and remember to hydrate, and let’s hope that tonight goes off without a hitch.”

The crew begins filing out of the room until it’s just me, Lenny, and the guys left behind.

“Are you okay?” Lenny asks, striding up to me and bracing his hand on my shoulder.

I give him a tight smile. “No,” I tell him, deciding honesty is probably best. “I, ummm . . . If it’s not a problem, I think I might skip out on the show tonight and just chill in my hotel room.”

“Of course,” he says. “We don’t require your presence at the shows. You know that.”

“Are you sure?” Ezra asks. “I don’t want you being alone like that. Maybe we should cancel tonight and reschedule. I don’t—”

“The fuck we will,” Lenny grunts as Dylan and Rock throw in their immediate objections as well. Canceling a show isn’t something they should ever do lightly, and the fact that Ezra is even willing to let down over fifty thousand fans just to be there with me means more than he could ever know.

“I’m not about to let you do that,” I tell him. “I’ll be okay. I’ll just chill in our room, maybe take a bath with a glass of champagne and watch the live stream of the show. I’ll be there in spirit, and when you get back, we can—”

“Okaaaay,” Lenny says before this can get any further. “Time for me to see myself out.”

Then as if on cue, Lenny, Rock, and Dylan see themselves out, leaving me wrapped tightly in Ezra’s arms. “I love you, Rae,” he tells me. “All you’d ever have to do is just say the word, and I burn down this whole enterprise just to be there with you.”

A stupid smile pulls at my lips, and I push up to my toes and kiss him. “I would never ask that of you,” I tell him. “Just getting to be the girl in your arms is more than enough for me.”

Ezra grins at me. “And to think you claim that I’m the cheesy one.”

I roll my eyes and shove him away, knowing he has to start making a move to the stadium soon. “Get your ass out of here and let me enjoy my night for a change,” I laugh. “You stupid rockstars are far too demanding for your own good.”

“Talk it up, baby. But when this rockstar is sliding into that sweet cunt tonight, I bet that smart mouth will have something different to say.”