Chapter 34 #2
‘I agree that your first booking should be to look after Cai. Not just because you’d be leaving me in a tight spot, but because I believe you’d put together the strongest team to protect him.’
‘Of course. Number one priority. Always.’
‘I do have a counter offer, if you’re amenable to it.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Starting a business can be tough. I’d like to mentor you through your first few years.’
‘Yes. Fucking, yes.’ This is more than I dared to dream of. Gethin’s got years behind him. His businesses make millions.
‘Good. I’ll need time to read through your plan properly, but you can consider this an oral agreement.’
He holds his hand out across the desk, and I shake it so hard, I’m surprised I don’t yank it out of its socket.
‘My motivation is purely selfish,’ he continues. ‘I’d prefer to keep you close. Have you discussed this with Cai yet?
‘No, not yet.’ Cos I’m chicken shit, and I’ve been avoiding thinking about it. It’s been me and him for so long. How’s he gonna cope without me? How am I gonna cope?
Gethin nods. ‘You’ve worked together for a very long time, but you’ve been friends for longer.’
‘I don’t want him to think that I don’t appreciate the chances he’s— you’ve given me.’
‘Wanting more for yourself doesn’t make you ungrateful, Rhys. He’ll understand. It might just take him a while to get over it.’
That’s what I’m worried about.
The git’s right outside the office when I open the door, and he doesn’t pretend he’s not earwigging. Maybe that’s good. Helps me get this over and done with.
No matter how hard I’ve tried, I’ve not been able to put together the right words to explain what I want, to tell him I’ll be staying behind while he goes on a world tour. Off the hoof worked for me with Gethin. Maybe it’ll do the trick with Cai as well.
‘Ain’t you s’posed to be in the gym, butt? Only three weeks until your last shows here. Gotta work off all that lying around.’
‘Yeah,’ he replies, ‘guess I should get in there now I have to fight all the bad guys by myself.’
He stares at his shoes. Bugger. He’s definitely been spying. Time to rip the plaster off.
‘Come with me.’ I lead him down the corridor to the kitchen. ‘Sit.’
I point to the breakfast booth and wait for him to do what he’s told. Once he’s plonked his backside down, I nab two beers out of the fridge. Tea’s not gonna cut it, and there’s only fifteen minutes to midday. A perfectly acceptable drinking time.
‘You’re leaving me,’ he says before the bottles get a chance to sweat in the warmth of the kitchen.
I’m a tool. Made a fucking mistake leaving it this long to tell him. Lucy’s known for weeks, but I’m a coward when it comes to Cai. If I’d floated the idea with him first, hinted that I was thinking of leaving, he might be more supportive of it now.
I settle on the cushion opposite him, pop the caps on both bottles, then push one towards him.
‘Yeah,’ I admit. ‘I guess I am.’
‘You not having fun with me anymore?’
‘Nah. That’s not it. Fucking loved this tour, apart from all that Aled shit.’
‘Yeah, but I bet it's Lucy that made it good.’
Me and him’ve been nothing but hard truths from the start. No bullshit. We’re used to talking like this. But I still wince when I say, ‘She’s helped, yeah. But protecting you’s always fun. You’re my best mate.’
I hate how small my voice is when I say that last part. It’s not like one of us’s fucking dying.
‘Is Lucy leaving too?’
‘No way. She loves working after you. It’s so much better than any other job she’s had cos you look after your staff.’
‘So why’re you going then?’
I tell him everything. Even though I left my business plan in Gethin’s office, I can recite it word for word – the evidence I collected, the reasons why it’s a good plan, the assurance that I can absolutely still keep him safe, even if we’re thousands of miles apart.
‘I want to be my own boss,’ I finish. ‘I want my own success.’
‘I want all of that for you, too.’ He picks at the label on his bottle. ‘Can’t believe you wrote a whole fucking business plan. That’s what I get for letting you take leave.’
I kick him under the table. ‘Leave I had to take so I could care for my girlfriend after she got kidnapped.’
‘Yeah. I needed the break, too. Took Beth ages to feel safe enough to go back to London.’
I fucking know. She’s my sister, and I’ve been looking after her just as much as I’ve been looking after him and Luce.
‘Gonna fucking suck touring without you,’ he adds.
‘Yup. You’ll be stuck with Bryn and Alina, and they’re not half as much fun as me. They did good this tour, though. They’ll look after you.’
‘I like them. Bryn’s shit at Pictionary, though.’
‘He didn’t know he isn't allowed to draw the numbers.’
Cai shakes his head. ‘Everyone knows that rule. Good job he knows everything else, though.’
‘Cos he learned from the best.’
We clink our bottles together, then drain them.
‘You gonna come visit?’
‘Of course, I will. Like I’m gonna stay here where it’s always pissing it down while you’re having the lushest time on the other side of the world. I can charge it to your account if I say I’m there to check on the others.’
‘I can ask Lucy to schedule some fun stuff for us to do.’
‘Bet she’d love that.’
His gaze drifts past me to the bifold doors, which are open and letting in the summer sun. Birds chirp, and a light breeze rustles the trees in his overgrown garden.
Finally, he smiles and nods. ‘All right. I’ll allow it.’
‘Wasn’t asking for your permission.’ But my shoulders relax a ton.
Thank fuck. His approval means more to me than Gethin’s.
Not that I didn’t think he’d give me it.
Reckon he’d send me all his money if I asked him.
Still could have gone tits up, though. I could have killed a friendship that spanned decades.
‘Will you give me insider information?’ he asks. ‘I want all the gossip on Topaz.’
‘As if that wanker will hire me.’
‘I could make him. Got a ton of shit on him that’ll be great for bribes.’
I wrinkle my nose up. ‘It would be the greatest betrayal of all of you if I went to work with that dick. Lucy’d kill me, for a start.’
Which reminds me I was supposed to go find Lucy and tell her how the meeting went. I drop her a quick text, then shove my phone in my pocket. Got plenty of time to chat with her later. Right now, I just wanna shoot the shit with my best mate.