Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
A dam strode into Austerberry Management, Inc., offices in one of the main LA Center Studios buildings like a man ready to storm the castle and murder the king. He’d spent hours in the air stewing over everything Mattie had said. All he had were questions that he couldn’t answer: Did Lucas hire the photographer? If he did, why? Were more photos going to drop?
It was the last one that made his jaw hurt and put him in an extremely foul mood. Mattie already thought he was the worst kind of slime. What would she think if another photo, one of something far more intimate, was posted? He’d do anything to stop that from happening.
He ignored the receptionist, who took one look at him and the gang of jet-lagged rock stars who followed him and picked up the phone.
LT held up his index finger. “Don’t.”
They stalked to the largest office at the end of the hall. Adam was slightly disappointed that the door was open. He’d had visions of kicking it in .
Lucas looked up from whatever had his attention on the computer, and his eyes widened. “Adam…”
“Did you hire Don Donnelly?” Adam demanded.
Lucas glanced at the rest of the band. “You’re back early. Everybody have a good time?”
“Answer the damn question,” Cooper said in a tone that promised dark, painful things. He stood on Adam’s right, while LT stepped up on the left.
“Yeah,” Brandon said as he sat on the edge of the desk. “What they said.”
Flynn crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Enquiring minds definitely want to know.”
Lucas frowned. “What’s with the hostility so early in the morning? I thought tropical vacations were supposed to be relaxing.”
Adam leaned on the desk and rapped it with his knuckles. “Did you hire Don Donnelly?”
“Sure. I’ve hired him many times over the years. Why?”
“Dude, answer the question,” LT said.
“Let me spell this out plain and simple,” Cooper said. “Did you hire that asshole to take potshots of Adam and Mattie and sell them to the tabloids?”
Lucas leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “Obviously.”
He sat there with smug satisfaction all over his face like he’d just won the lottery with a fake ticket.
Brandon swore. LT muttered something incoherent.
“Unbelievable,” Cooper said.
Adam stared at the man he had considered a friend. He’d known Lucas since he was seventeen years old. He’d found them raw and green at a high school dance and seen them through their first real gig, their first world tour, and three Grammys. He was a father figure, a mentor, and the one they called when they’d had too much to drink or needed a quick getaway from the paparazzi.
Lucas was also the one who had ripped Adam’s world apart. Mattie was right. His manager had orchestrated her worst nightmare. Lucas hadn’t just crossed a line, he’d obliterated it.
“You son of a bitch.” Adam’s voice shook with suppressed rage.
Lucas’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “What’s the problem?”
“You knew what she meant to me. You used me, and her. How dare you?”
“How dare me what? Seize an opportunity?” Lucas spread his hands wide. “It’s what you pay me to do, gentlemen.”
Adam shook his head. “We don’t pay you to invade our privacy.”
“Yes, you do. You pay me to organize and foster your careers. You pay me to make sure the money and awards keep rolling in, and you pay me to keep your names on the tip of everybody’s tongue. All that doesn’t happen by accident, and besides, I wasn’t the one who planned or executed this little escapade.” Lucas pointed at Adam. “You did that all on your own.”
Adam shook his head. “I did not do this.”
“Yes, you did.” Lucas leaned forward and put on his earnest it-wasn’t-me face. “You told me to get Mattie Bellamy, remember? You took over an entire island so you could have her all to yourself. Everything that happened on that island was all you. Nobody pushed her into your arms, Adam. You did that. The only thing I did was send Donnelly to get some spontaneous publicity shots.” Lucas shrugged. “He got a great shot.”
“Yeah, and then you sold it,” Flynn pointed at Lucas with a drumstick. “That’s messed up. ”
“That’s publicity,” Lucas countered. “And it cost a pretty penny to orchestrate, believe you me. The Sniper doesn’t come cheap, especially when he has to camp out all day. He’s worth it, though. You boys are solid gold tickets, and the return is exponential.”
Mattie’s words haunted him. You tricked me into coming here.
Adam had wanted her to come with him. He hadn’t meant for her trust to be abused the way it had been, but he couldn’t deny that he did trick her into going. Bile rose in the back of his throat. “I thought we were friends, Lucas. I’ve counted on you since I was seventeen. How could you betray me like this?”
“This isn’t betrayal. This is business.” Lucas glared at him. “Who do you think made sure the last album went triple platinum? How do you think that happened? It sure as hell wasn’t the songs. It was the marketing.”
Lucas pointed at a framed poster on the wall from their last tour. Cooper and Tina were in the center making googly eyes at each other while the rest of the band catcalled from the edges.
“Are you saying that Tina was a setup?” Cooper asked.
“Come on, Coop,” Lucas said with exasperation. “You had to know. You met her at my party. Marketing is all about strategy, and that album was full of love songs.”
“You saying you paid Tina to screw him over?” Flynn shoved off the wall and stalked over the desk. “All his women were scams?”
Lucas scoffed. “Of course not. I just documented the inevitable outcome of Cooper’s bad choices. His exploits are all on him.”
“Where’s the rest of the shots?” Adam couldn’t remember ever being this angry, not even when Dad took his guitar to keep him from playing at the prom .
Lucas shrugged. “Donnelly has them. I only buy the ones worth paying for. The rest are his to do with as he sees fit, same as always.”
Adam snarled. “You fucking son of a bitch.”
Cooper put a restraining hand on his arm. “Let’s get out of here, man. He ain’t worth it, and we need to track down Donnelly.”
“Look at these numbers,” Lucas said. He tapped something on the keyboard, then turned the screen toward them. “Your sales are up across the board, and the preorders of that song you haven’t even recorded are through the roof all thanks to the excellent publicity I arranged on your behalf. A little gratitude is in order.”
“Gratitude?” Adam almost choked on the word. “You think we should be grateful for you meddling in our lives like this?”
“Yes. My tactics never bothered you before. You were just fine as long as the money rolled in. So what’s the problem?” Lucas asked.
“The problem is I love her,” Adam roared. “The problem is you just ruined any chance I had to be with her, for the sake of a little fucking publicity.”
Lucas snorted. “Love. Love is nothing but a distraction. Keep your head in the game, son. This is what you said you wanted. I’m handing it to you on a platinum platter. Go back to being the playboy and let me make the sausage.”
Having Lucas dismiss the worst moment of his life with a casual wave of his hand flipped a switch somewhere in Adam’s head. “Don’t bother. You’re fired.”
“You can’t do that.” Lucas spread his hands out in pseudo-apology. “We have a contract.”
“Actually, he can,” Cooper said. “There’s an out clause that’s pretty damn clear. All it takes is all five of us to agree. Boys, what say you?”
“Fired,” LT said.
“Toast.” Flynn tapped out a quick rhythm on a nearby lamp for emphasis.
Brandon shook his head. “You’re a real piece of work. You have no idea how much of an ass you really are, do you?”
“Yes or no, Brandon?” Adam asked.
“Oh definitely fired.” Brandon wrinkled his nose and stared pointedly at Lucas. “It stinks in here.”
Adam exchanged glances with Cooper, and they all turned and stalked out.
“You’ll be back,” Lucas called after them. “When the numbers tank, you’ll be back in the high school gym, begging me to take you on. I’m the rainmaker.”
“Delusional,” Brandon said.
LT stabbed the elevator call button. “Arrogant bastard. We don’t need him. We never did.”
Adam’s thoughts raced ahead to next steps. “I want The Sniper, and I have to talk to Mattie.”
The elevator doors opened, and they all stepped in.
“We got you, man,” Cooper said. “We’ll hunt down the rest of those photos. Go get your girl.”
Adam sat in a rented generic black SUV in the parking lot and dialed the first person he thought would have the information he wanted. When Kat Marshall answered the phone, she skipped all the pleasantries.
“Asshole.”
Adam blinked. He should have expected this kind of reception. “ I’m looking for Mattie. She’s not home. I was hoping you knew where she was.”
“Yeah, I know where she is. But I’m sure as hell not telling you.”
Frustration bubbled up in his chest. “Please. I need to talk to her. If you won’t tell me where she is, at least give me a way to reach her.”
“I talked her into this project with you. Shows what a fool I am. You and Lucas make my ex-husband look like a decent human being.”
“Dammit, my manager hired that asshole, not me.”
“Look, the only reason I took your call was to tell you I’m sending over termination of contract paperwork for you to sign this afternoon. It lets you split the work already done but drops the third song. Get them back to me by tomorrow, or we’ll sue for full rights of the two songs Mattie worked on.”
“I’m not signing that.” It was his last link to Mattie. If he signed it, he’d never see her again, and he desperately wanted to see her.
“Yes, you are,” she snapped. “The lawyers assure me if you force this into court we’ll win, and it’ll cost a hell of a lot more money. Plus, it’ll become my personal mission in life to make yours miserable.”
“Can you act human for a couple of seconds? I need to talk to her. Please.” He wanted to reach through the phone and strangle the information out of her.
“Eat. Shit.” Kat hung up.
“Dammit!” Adam pounded the steering wheel with his fist.
If Mattie’s manager wouldn’t help him, he’d have to hope one of her sisters would. Della and Piper were both all over social media, but he couldn’t find a phone number for either one of them.
He sent a quick text to LT and Cooper. Mattie’s hiding. Need phone numbers for Della, Piper, and Lizzie Bellamy.
He received a quick response from Cooper. Struck out with Kat?
Adam huffed out a frustrated laugh. Told me to eat shit.
LT responded, Give me a few…I know a girl.
Cooper shot back, Understatement.
Adam waited for a few seconds, but nothing happened. He couldn’t just sit there. He didn’t want to be in the parking lot when Lucas came out.
LA Center Studios was a twenty-acre campus that served as a hub for the recording industry. There were sound stages, recording studios, and offices handling everything from voice-overs to location filming. The longer he sat here, the more likely it was he’d see someone he knew. That would lead to a lot of questions he wasn’t in the mood to answer. The only person he wanted to see right now was Mattie.
How could he apologize for everything that had happened if she wouldn’t even talk to him? He hadn’t meant to lie to her. He’d just wanted to get to know her.
Hell, he’d wanted more than that. No sense lying to himself anymore.
A spark of a song tickled his brain. The melody had a country-rock vibe, very different from his usual stuff. Words tumbled into his brain as he hummed.
I didn’t mean to deceive you,
I just wanted to make you mine.
The phone rang. He hit Accept .
“Hey,” LT said. “You still at the Center?”
“Yeah, why?”
“You have no idea how lucky you are, man. I mean, stars have aligned and shit like that.”
“You got a number?”
“I got better than that.” LT sounded extremely satisfied with himself. “Piper’s working on that animated gig today. She’s thirty minutes away, and in session until three. If you leave now, you’ll be there when she gets out.”
Adam started the car. “Thanks, man. Text me the address?”
“Sure thing. Uh, according to my girl, Piper’s not in a good mood today. She might just blow your head off. You got a strategy?”
“I’ll come up with something.” Adam shifted into gear and sped out of the parking lot.
He pulled up to Day Dreams Productions with fifteen minutes to spare. He parked in the visitor lot, then checked the directions LT sent. He needed Building 2. He raced across the lush central garden, past the fountain, and down a path he hoped led to the building he wanted.
He caught sight of Piper exiting the next building over and changed direction.
“Piper!” he shouted. “Wait!”
Piper saw him and kept walking. “Fuck off, asshole.”
He was getting that a lot today, and he was starting to feel like he deserved it. What Lucas said had stuck with him. He’d never questioned how Lucas had managed their careers. All he’d cared about was that Lucas was as driven as Adam was to make it work. He’d never asked about the photos of Cooper that had leaked to the tabloids or about the headlines that had popped up about his own escapades. He’d never cared. Not until Mattie .
He was a little out of breath when he reached her. “Please, just hear me out.”
Piper stopped and rounded on him. “Why should I? I can’t believe I stood up for you. She didn’t want to go out with you. Did you know that? I’m the one who talked her into it. Me.”
Piper started walking again. “It’s a real slick move. Offer up pretty vacations and the chance to work on a meaningful project. You really had all her buttons pushed, didn’t you? She’s always felt like the backup to Della and me. She’s always felt overlooked, then you come along and make her feel wanted, and valuable. Except it wasn’t real, right? It was a ploy to trick her into a little sack time on camera just to push your own career.”
Adam chased after her, feeling like the last lifeline he had was slipping through his fingers. “I didn’t hire that photographer. My manager did. I didn’t know.”
Piper gave him a one-finger salute. “Get lost, dickwipe.”
“Dammit, listen to me. I love her!”
Piper stopped walking. She turned slowly around and gave him an appraising look.
He rushed to finish before she walked out of his life forever.
“Mattie’s not a backup anything. She’s…dammit she’s everything .”
Piper raised an eyebrow.
“I can’t stand that she thinks I was only with her for a PR stunt. I just wanted to get to know her. That’s all. Even if she never speaks to me again, she needs to know that.”
He couldn’t quite read the expression in her eyes. He hoped it was understanding, or at least not hatred. “Please, can you tell her that I fired Lucas. The guys are making sure there won’t be any more photos. She doesn’t have to worry about anything else dropping. ”
Piper looked surprised. “You fired your manager?”
“He crossed the line a long time ago, I just didn’t know. Or maybe I didn’t want to know.” His jaw ached from holding his emotions in check. “There’s no excuse. I should have known. I should have paid more attention. I should have done a lot of things.”
He paced around. He had too much keyed-up energy and nowhere to put it. Piper watched him like he was an animal that couldn’t be trusted.
She was probably right about that.
“Look, I know you hate me. I’m the last one you’d do a favor for.”
“You got that right.” She crossed her arms.
“Could you please just tell her not to give up? I might have screwed up any chance I ever had to be with her, but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t try again. Some things do last forever. Her songs will. Maybe the next guy will too. She deserves that. She deserves to be happy.” He took in a tortured breath. “Can you tell her that?”
Piper hesitated. Some small measure of consideration flitted across her face, like maybe he wasn’t the biggest scumbag ever to walk the earth after all. He forced himself to wait in silence for her decision.
He’d spilled his guts and ripped his heart open. If it wasn’t enough he’d have to try something else. He had to make sure Mattie knew that what they had was real, no matter how things had started and no matter how they ended.
Piper pressed her lips together, then finally met his gaze. “Yeah. I can tell her that.”
It was like a judge had just granted him parole. He closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”