I raised my phone and took a picture. “Offended Pride or Appalled Nobility?”
“Determined Idiocy,” Nix said with an easy grin. “Thing is, I don’t like you. There isn’t anything personal in my dislike, which makes it okay to punch you. Dirk here, he’d make it personal, and that would mean that you’d need a surgeon after he was through with you, not that there aren’t plenty of options in this land. You really should thank me for beating him to beating you. Now, get out.”
Clint was sputtering, but he had the sense to climb into his ridiculous car and peel out, leaving a cloud of dust that we stood through, waiting for it to die down.
Nix waved it away. “He didn’t beat her. Beating isn’t in his lexicon. Too bad, because I haven’t had a really good drag down in a long time.”
“You beat Sand bloody last night.”
“Yeah, but that was for show, not fun. Las Vegas gets less fun every year. This year Pinkie is making it miles better. When does she finish the music thing and get back to paperwork?”
I raised an eyebrow. “You sound attached.”
He slapped my shoulder. “And you sound jealous. Good. I can keep her and you if I play you off each other. The most talented eye and someone who actually understands business law, interest rates, and your generic spreadsheets? I’d marry her myself if I were the marrying kind, and if she weren’t so cute.” He elbowed me with more force than necessary, making me grunt in spite of flexing my core for the blow.
I shook my head. “Lucky for her, she is. I’m worried about her. That clown isn’t going to stop until he’s made things unpleasant for her.”
“He won’t physically force her.”
“He might. Even if he doesn’t use violence, he could kidnap her.”
He rubbed his chin. “She’s rehearsing at the Providence and living with Jezebel. The only weak points are travel time and whatever random stops she makes between those two, mostly involving chocolate. You’re tracking her and her car. It would be best to have a bodyguard with her at all times, but I don’t think that she’d appreciate it.”
“I could still offer her Tom.”
“He’s the best we have. He’d be good if you don’t mind the risk of him falling in love with her.” He winked at me and walked off. “Soft face,” he muttered, studying his fist. “Softest face I ever had the pleasure of punching.” Then louder, “Any time you need help with Porsche, I’d be delighted to serve.”
He left me alone to worry and plan the best ways to keep Daniela safe. Also, try not to kill Clint for breaking her.
26
VILLAIN
There was no time to really appreciate the horribleness of Dirk’s house, not when we had music to rehearse. I will say that the colors were orange and green with a mix of hot pink that was truly nauseating. The view over the edge of the disappearing pool outside the sliding glass doors was so breathtaking that not even the lack of taste could ruin it. It was terrifying, but also beautiful.
We practiced in the main space between the open kitchen and the wall of glass until it was dinner time, and then we took an hour break to order dinner, to fall in the bathroom floor in Ziggy’s case—who submerges a tub in water? There is absolutely no logic in it—and to go through the material we’d already worked on. I’d taken video of our practice, and there were so many things that needed to be fixed if we were going to be as amazing as I needed us to be.
Maybe I should have lower standards for my first official performance, but imperfection wasn’t something I was used to accepting. This was not the moment to embrace mediocrity. I needed Dirk to be impressed. It was starting to feel like an obsession.
Harrison always ended a piece plucking a chord with too much force, Ziggy got distracted in the middle of a piece and skipped over essential notes, while the drummer/harpist got bored and started throwing in extra things that didn’t add to the whole. I’d watched Maestro lead the orchestra, but those were musicians who had been playing together as a whole for years. At the same time, there was no sense in starting out with too many demands that they were incapable of handling.
By the time midnight rolled around, Harrison was falling asleep on the floor with his legs on a black leather couch and his guitar on his stomach.
“Okay. Let’s take a break,” I said, trying for a smile. “We should rest, and then wake up early for a good rehearsal before we have to go to the club.”
Ziggy came over and patted my shoulder. “You shouldn’t stress so much. I’ve seen you, the video, and if things aren’t going well, you can just take off some clothes.”
The suggestion that I was a prostitute made me want to light her on fire, but I only nodded and gave her a tight smile before finding a blanket to replace Harrison’s guitar. After everyone found places to crash, I was left nervously pacing in the dark living room with the lights of the city past the deck and the infinity pool, which looked like it dropped off into nothing. That’s how I felt about Dirk. It was terrifying but so beautiful.
I stepped outside, sliding the door closed behind me. I shivered and crossed my arms as the chill wind swept over my skin. Too many things could go wrong. Too many things were out of my control.
“You stole my house,” Dirk growled from behind me.
I leaned back into him, and he wrapped his arms around me, giving me warmth and comfort whether he intended to or not. “I’ll hold it hostage until you’ve wired me the money and turned the account over to me.”
He brushed his nose against my neck, sending another shiver through me. His voice was low, rough. “Maybe I like being held hostage, although one of your friends snores abominably. You haven’t broken into my garage yet. That’s where I keep all the tech designs I’m working on.”
“First, I’d have to cut all your feed, and I’m too busy working to have fun. The only room in this house that isn’t wired is your bedroom.”
