Chapter Twenty-Three
LUNAR
After meeting with Luke, I had a sit-down interview.
A one-on-one with a reporter of his choice, and she took down my side of the story.
I told her I was taking some time away from the band so they could have their success without my background becoming an issue.
She asked about my affair with Danger, and I started to get annoyed, stating it wasn’t an affair but a legitimate relationship.
However, Luke quickly shut that down, ending the interview.
Who knows what’s going to go out into the media?
I found myself on a plane to Adelaide after a terrible time at the airport. Reporters swarmed around me while Recoil fans hurled insults, accusing me of being a whore and probably giving Danger syphilis, herpes, and whatever else they were screaming at me.
My confidence has been shattered.
I was never ashamed of my past as a club girl.
In fact, I was proud of who I was and what I was doing there.
But now, I can see why society views club girls with such disdain.
The media portrays them as nothing more than a common whore, making it hard to argue.
That’s precisely what the Australian press is painting me as right now, and all it’s doing is bringing Danger’s reputation and Recoil’s name into disrepute.
I can’t allow that to happen.
So I’ll take all the spotlight on myself, and I’ll bear the consequences while Recoil continues to pursue success. I refuse to let Danger suffer because of my past.
I can’t.
I chose to live that life, and now I must face the repercussions of my actions.
I hope my tough exterior holds out longer than my flimsy interior, because I want to burst into tears right now.
But I won’t, not in front of the media. I won’t give them the satisfaction of knowing they’re breaking me and my heart.
I know my feelings for Danger are stronger than anything I ever felt for Steel at the club, and honestly, I don’t see my life without Danger in it.
I just hope he can forgive me and that one day I can go back to him.
The plane lands, and I take a deep breath before I depart. The flight attendant smiles, complimenting me on my hair. She obviously doesn’t know who I am, but some passengers have been staring and sending me knowing glares. It’s been an uncomfortable flight, but I’m glad to be back home.
I’m going to live with Mom and Stuart for a while. Mom saw everything, which only made me more upset. She was, of course, supportive. She knew about everything that happened at the MC and the strip club, but she never wanted me to be outed like that.
My muscles are tense as I walk through the airport.
So far, I’ve avoided cameras and reporters, but who knows what might be waiting outside or at baggage claim.
I step onto the escalator and look down.
My body stiffens when I see around five paparazzi waiting.
Pulling down my sunglasses, annoyance creeps over me when they start snapping shots.
The other people on the escalator start looking around—they’re confused yet curious.
When I get to the bottom, I shield my eyes from the bright flashes, and they start firing their questions at me while I walk past them to the baggage claim.
“Lunar, are you ashamed you brought the band into disrepute?”
“Lunar, have you left Danger for good?”
“Will you return to the Satan’s Savages to be their club whore again?”
My body flinches at the last question, and I turn to the man who voiced it, glaring at him even though he can’t see that action through my glasses.
“I won’t ever be returning to the club. My days there are over.
If you bothered to ask, you would know they have been for a while.
I’m not that girl anymore, and you would do well to remember that,” I snap.
I spot my mother and brother. Stuart is wearing his earmuffs, but I’m concerned that the paparazzi and flashing cameras might frighten him. He can be sensitive not only to crowds but also to light and noise.
“Mom, get Stuart out of here,” I call out to her.
She nods, but one paparazzi spins around, catching my mother’s attention as she grabs Stuart, who’s looking in my direction. His eyes light up, and he rushes forward awkwardly while I shake my head in dismay.
“Stuart, no,” I call out as Mom rushes up behind him.
His arms reach out for me, so I hurry to Stuart, enveloping him tightly, attempting to shield his eyes from the inevitable camera flashes.
“Alise, you home. I miss you, sissy,” he chimes, so happy to see me.
My chest tightens, and I can’t stop the tears from cascading down my cheeks while the cameras flash like crazy lunatics.
“No, stop!” I scream. Stuart moans, grabbing hold of me tightly. “Please stop! He’s autistic. This is frightening him,” I beg.
He screams and starts lashing out. I quickly grab his hands, trying to hold him back. Mom joins me, and together, we try to restrain him while he yells and screams, tears streaming down his face, while the cameras are forced into his face.
“You fools, can’t you see you’re scaring him!” Mom yells.
Stuart drops to the floor, kicking and screaming, while clawing at his eyes and ears as the paparazzi continue snapping photographs and yelling at us.
“This is gold! Your brother is just as crazy as you are, Lunar,” one of the assholes says.
I look at Mom, and she shakes her head, glaring at me in a warning while she comforts Stuart, but my rage is too far gone.
I stand, clenching my fist, and throw it forward, connecting with his jaw.
He slumps to the side, dropping his camera, and I stomp on it, venting my frustration, my foot smashing into it forcefully until it’s nothing but a mangled mess.
“You fucking psycho bitch. I’m going to have you charged for assault!” he blasts.
“I don’t care! Think about the psychological damage you’ve inflicted on my little brother, and then see if I care about facing charges.
All I’m concerned about is getting him out of here, away from you invasive terrorist, and calming him down after you’ve put him into this state, you despicable arseholes.
I hope you’re proud of yourselves. How about I will see you in court? He’s autistic, not fucking crazy.”
They glance down at Stuart, who’s on the floor, rocking back and forth, crying into Mom’s chest. His earmuffs are broken, and his ears are bleeding. He has scratches on his face, and I can’t help but release a small sob while looking at him.
“Fucking animals,” I murmur.
They slowly lower their cameras, and security finally decides to intervene. They pull the paparazzi away from us as another man helps Mom lift Stuart, who is inconsolable.
“I’m so sorry.” I wipe the tears from my cheeks as I help Mom.
She pats my shoulder. “Not your fault, honey. Let’s grab your bag and get him home.”
I swiftly reach the carousel and hurry outside with Mom and the kind man carrying Stuart.
Luckily, he’s sturdy because Stuart, despite his small stature, is not lacking in height, considering he’s sixteen.
We settle Stuart in the car, and he’s calmed down enough to be in the tired phase of his meltdown.
Buckling him in, his head falls to the side, and I can finally relax.
Mom turns to the good Samaritan. “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here to help us,” Mom says to the kind man.
“My pleasure. My five-year-old daughter is autistic, so I know all about it. When I saw what was happening, I knew how to help.”
“Well, thank you again. Can I give you some money or something for your trouble?” Mom asks, and I smile at her.
“No, of course not. He’s had a hard day, poor kid. Just get him home and look after him. That’s payment enough.” He smiles, grips Mom’s shoulder in support, then turns and walks away.
After Mom and I slide into the car, I glance back at Stuart, whose mouth is slightly open, and he’s softly snoring. Turning back, Mom starts the car, and I slide down in my seat, feeling the weight of the world drowning me.
“I wish I’d never met Steel,” I murmur.
Mom exhales, patting my leg. “Honey, don’t say that. The club was a big part of your life. And while it may feel like they ruined things for you right now, if you weren’t in the club, you wouldn’t have met Danger.”
Tilting my head, I know she is right. If I hadn’t been working at Strapless as a stripper, our paths would never have crossed, and I would have just been another girl listening to him on the radio, wishing I knew him.
“I was having so much fun on tour with the band, Mom. I guess I’ll need to focus all my energy on the gala now…” I pause, “… that’s if the foundation is still alive after everything that has happened.”
I close my eyes and sigh. “I’ve already had countless emails from businesses pulling out since the news went live about my past. So I’ll have to work doubly hard to find new investors and donors if that’s even possible at this stage.
My advisors told me it would be best to appoint an interim director until the drama surrounding my association with the Savages MC has subsided.
Once that settles down and we have investors back on board, I can step back into the director’s role.
Technically, I am still the director, just a silent one, but this could all still fall in a heap. ”
She glances at me and exhales. “It might fall in a heap, but you have to try everything in your power, honey, to keep this thing going. You’ve put too much effort into this foundation to let it fall to the wayside now. You can do this, Annalise. I believe in you. You’re stronger than you know.”