Chapter Twenty-One #2
While the chaos died down, Derick set up the laptop.
Isley distracted himself, allowing his gaze to travel around the brothers, seeing if he could pick up anything.
But it wasn’t them that hinted something bad was coming.
It was when he landed on Frey who sat on Booker’s lap with Emmy asleep in his arms. Deep lines bracketed his lips, the fear in his eyes giving him away. Did Frey know what was coming?
Isley suspected he did after overhearing Booker that morning. The taco churned on a spin cycle, faster than a top speed washing machine. Laken striding to Derick and Oakland caught his attention. He wished he was closer to hear whatever hushed conversation they were having, to gain some insight.
Laken’s chest moved rapidly up and down, his eyes shutting as if he was in pain from overexerting himself.
Before Isley could go to him, the chimes of a computer drew everyone’s attention.
Derick walked over to the laptop set up on a coffee table, which had been moved from its usual position so that it faced the room and not just the seating area.
A moment later, Rue’s face appeared on screen and Isley’s washing machine guts when crazy at the obvious distress.
Monty and Kendrick were in the background, and Monty gave a wave that held no enthusiasm.
This is not good!
“Now that everyone is present, I want to reiterate that what is discussed in the room is not spoken about without Laken’s permission.” Derick aimed a hard stare at not only Isley and the other PAs but at his sons, too.
Once there was agreement, Derick stepped to the side and Oakland took center stage. “I was tasked originally to find any threats to Laken and remove them as I saw fit.”
Wow, what did that mean?
“I failed.” He glanced at Laken with a bleakness that Isley would never have expected from the stoic man. “I’m sorry.” The level of sincerity caught Isley off guard as Laken nodded.
“Not your fault some slimy motherfucker—”
“Laken, language!” Lane gave him a stern look, and Isley chewed the inside of his cheek to hold back an inappropriate giggle at a contrite Laken.
“Sorry Popi. Some slimy blackmailer was clever enough to hide those photos from you.”
Blackmailer? Photos?
The washing machine action halted so abruptly, Isley felt a surge of vomit hit the back of his throat, burning it as he valiantly swallowed.
I will not puke in front of everyone. I will not.
His mind tried to piece the puzzle together with what he now knew.
“Blackmail! What are you talking about?” Rue growled, and at the same time as Silas, Kari and Taylin stood as if looking for the threat in the room.
“Is this why you’ve been acting like you’ve shouldered the entire company on your own?” Taylin demanded. “You could have told us, you asshole.”
“Taylin!”
“Sorry, Popi, but he is if he didn’t think we’d be there for him.”
Silas slapped Taylin on the shoulder. “Nicely put.”
“Let’s strap down the temper tantrums,” Derick asserted with such authority Isley got how he had created a huge business empire.
The man took no shit. “Laken does not need to explain his reasons. He has been through enough. We are here tonight so that you are all made aware of the threat to Laken. If exposed, something that happened to him against his will as a child will damage him.”
Isley sucked in a sharp inhale and blinked hard to stop the sudden rush of tears blinding him.
This wasn’t about big business even though, whatever they were talking about, would affect the company.
This was all about how it would hurt Laken, and he was what was important.
Isley respected Derick, the man was a powerhouse.
He even fell a little in love with him for how he put Laken’s needs above everything else.
That showed the true strength of the man.
“What in his past?” Rue asked, silencing whispered conversations happening around the room.
Ziggy held out a hand to Isley, and he took it. It was as clammy as his own. He couldn’t breathe at the look of wariness when Laken stepped next to Oakland.
“The short version is that I was drugged, raped and used by several men who took pictures of what they did to me. I have little memory of the events because of the drugs they used. I woke up in a dirty alleyway a day after they’d taken me.”
He ran a shaky hand through his hair, not looking directly at anyone in the room. “Someone has been sending me these photos, then this week I got a demand for one million dollars to stop them going to the press.”
When he’d finished, Laken was so pale, a ghost would have looked vibrant compared to him. Derick wrapped an arm around his shoulders, holding him as Lane rose to rush to the other side. Uniting them.
From the outraged demands from Silas, Taylin, Kari and Rue, Isley surmised that what Laken had to do the night before had something to do with this awful situation.
Isley was right, whoever this was they were a twatwafflecunt too.
There was a kind of stunned silence, and everyone turned to glance at Isley, whose cheeks flamed at the realization he’d spoken aloud.
“Twatwafflecunts? Why Isley, who knew you had it in you to be such a potty mouth?” Jupiter choked out through his laughter.
Lane looked utterly alarmed, and Isley shrank in his seat, mumbling defensively, “It’s the truth, they are.”
The room erupted with laughter and somehow broke the tension. Except Isley’s attention was riveted on Laken, who wore one of those rare smiles.
I did that. Me! His insides melted like marshmallows over a flame.
When he got his body back in shape, it was never going to be the same, of that he was sure.