Chapter 24 #2
Nonplussed, Esme smiles. “We can help with the medical bills if Thierry needs it. There’s no need to go to court when the gym is willing to accept the compensation. Plus, do you really want to sue when the silent witness—the camera on the wall—shows your client launching at mine?”
“Yours came to fight and baited Thierry.”
Esme’s shoulders lift delicately. “Speculation as to motive, Hank? Rio and Tito went there invited by a friend because they’re interested in a membership.
It was a misunderstanding at best, especially since Thierry assaulted him first. He felt he had to defend himself.
Still we are trying to resolve this amicably.
You should probably discuss with your client before you make hasty decisions. ”
We go outside of the room.
“If I’m not able to play for weeks, that motherfucker shouldn’t get to go on tour,” Thierry tells Hank.
“We can go ahead with the charges and request that he surrenders his passport. We can drop it later if you choose to.”
The flare of red over my eyelids is too intense I need to breathe and force my body to calm down.
“He’s a savage. Look at what he did to you, babe,” Adina whines.
“He said you were in his DMs. That’s what set me off.” His tone is downright accusatory.
“Shhhh,” Hank admonishes. “Stop admitting to shit.”
“It’s on video,” I remind him.
“Videos can be manipulated.”
“It’s a lie. He’s in my DMs, not the other way around.” But Adina plays with her ear like she always does when she’s lying.
This bitch. She and Thierry are out to hurt Rio, and with this sleazy-ass lawyer, they may succeed, given how Rio beat him.
If he can’t leave the country, he’ll have to cancel the tour.
I can’t let that happen. As stupid as he was for not controlling himself, I’m not letting these three play with his career after the comeback he’s had.
“I have not told my story to anyone yet.”
All three turn to me.
“What story?” Hank asks.
“Tell him to give us a minute,” I tell Thierry.
And though Hank protests, Thierry waves him away.
Once he’s out of earshot, I say, “You’re going to agree to Esme’s terms, or I will be doing a little sharing of my own.
To be specific, I’ll talk about what happened the night of Chico’s concert, how you fed me those drinks, and your mom’s manipulations, and how this idiot tried to take advantage of me. ” I look at Adina as I say it all.
“Lulu, you can’t.”
“Don’t fucking call me that,” I snap. “And yes, I definitely can. We don’t have an NDA, and I’m not scared of what your mom can do to me or my mom anymore.”
“This is blackmail,” Thierry says through clenched teeth.
I manage a smile. “How can it be when I work for you? Let’s recap. You got your homeboys to bait Rio with their shitty podcast, and then you threw the first punch because you got caught up in the heat of the moment.”
“Are you crazy? I didn’t put those guys up to that.”
Adina’s hand travels to her ear, and she looks away.
Yup, got her.
“Well?” I ask.
“Fine,” Thierry says and calls Hank back.
It takes a few minutes to convince his lawyer, but we go back to the room.
Esme flips her hands and asks, “What did we decide?”
Hank turns a sour look my way. “Go ahead. You seem to know more than I do.”
“Thierry will cover his own medical bills. Your client must replace the mirrors and damaged equipment,” I say, without looking at Rio. “Maeven and I can prepare twin statements.”
I walk out, followed by my group. Hank turns to me outside the room and whispers, “Start looking for another job. Victor will hear from me.”
Adina faces me. “We held up our end. Now you keep your mouth shut, Luna.”
They walk out, leaving me alone. My heart is pounding fast. My decision echoes in my ear, and the consequences are already dragging my body down.
What the fuck did you do, Luna?
What I had to. For him.
And that’s when the anger really hits. This is Rio’s fault. He couldn’t control himself, and I think I just ruined my career to help him.
Because I couldn’t bear the thought of this bringing him down.
And now you’re the one going down. It will look as if I couldn’t cut it. Victor is probably calling for the pink slip as we speak.
Rio and his team walk out. Our gazes cross, and I pivot, heading for the door.
“Luna.” He rushes after me. I throw a hand up before he can come any closer.
“I can’t talk to you right now. I’ll call you later.”
I walk out into the summer air. It’s hot as hell and feels like I’m in a swamp cloud. I don’t even call an Uber as I take the first set of stairs down into the subway.
He knows how important this job is to me, and he let himself get baited into this dumb fight.
He doesn’t even look like he regrets it, while I’m on the verge of losing my dream job.
I didn’t think twice about putting myself on the line to defend him, and he didn’t think about me once before he got into this shit.
Now I’m pissed.
* * *
Rio
I keep staring at my phone, only half listening to Esme’s instructions. Sel arrived minutes after we came home. She’s alone, and Luna is not answering any of us.
She stands in front of Tito and me. “I’m not sure if anyone told you a million times, but the two of you are idiots.”
Tito folds his arms in front of himself. “Were we supposed to let them beat us, Sel? He swung at Rio.”
A light crosses over Sel’s eyes, but she turns a stone-faced look at my cousin.
“Do I look like a fucking cop? No, right? Then don’t bullshit me, Tito.
Do you think we’re all stupid? You morons went there to bait him.
” She turns to me. “I mean, you did a good job. The idiot fell for it. But now you got in hot water again.” She points at me.
“Not only that, but you’re probably going to get Luna fired. ”
“What are you talking about?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes. “Are you dumb? How do you think she got them to drop the charges?”
“She blackmailed them,” says Maeven, walking back in the room. “She used the night of the concert.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “They can sue her.”
Not that I will let that happen, and if they do, I’ll pay whatever I need to. This is not going to bleed on her.
Maeven grunts. “They can, but they won’t because there’s a little something called discovery, and that’s the one thing Bethany Belmont is most afraid of in the world.
In discovery, lots of things can come to light.
So Luna is safe there, but the lawyer went to the head of Elevate because he realized what she did.
Bethany is also moving pieces. They’re trying to get her fired and blackballed. ”
“Blackballed?” I ask, my stomach clenching. If she loses her career, I’m going to lose her.
“Luna is radioactive. No one is going to touch her after this.” Esme’s lip curls. “She turned on her client to save the person who beat the living shit out of him. In what universe does someone who does that get to keep a successful career?”
The heat settles on my neck. “Whose side are you on?”
“Luna’s. My disgust is for the two of you. I feel her. We’ve all done dumb shit for someone we love.” Esme turns to Maeven. “I know you got something up your sleeve.”
“Victor’s not answering my calls, so I had to call in the big guns. Third time ever, twice today, thanks to you, Rio.” She sends an angry look my way. “You’re going to make this up to me. Meanwhile, we wait.”
Sel looks up. “Luna texted me. She’s been called to the principal’s office and has made peace with whatever happens.”
My stomach constricts. “I’m going to go down there.”
“Sit your ass down. Luna is going to yank your balls right off if you show your face while she’s fighting for her job,” Sel says.
Maeven looks at her phone. “Come on, Mel.”
Sel turns rounded eyes on her. “Amelia Solis? That’s who you called? Jesus, how do you even know her?”
Maeven shrugs. “Mel and I go way back. She’s the only one who can help us right now.”