After twenty minutes of making beautiful music that would never see the light of day, Presley set down his guitar. Only then did his gaze lock on me. He beamed, seemingly happy to see me, despite our previous face-to-face interaction after he’d tried to kiss me. That wouldn’t last long. I hooked a thumb at the door.
“Give us a minute, would you, Luke?”
“Oh, sure.” He slipped into the hallway.
Seconds later, the door between the control room and the sound booth opened. “Aspen, what a great surprise.”
“Sit down, Presley.” I jabbed a finger at Luke’s chair.
A momentary flicker of unease crossed his face as he sat. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes. Something is wrong.”
“Is it the album? Don’t you like it? Because we just re-recorded a couple of songs, and they’re gonna blow up big. You just wait. Anything you don’t like, I can fix it.”
“It’s not the album. And no, it won’t blow up big, because I don’t intend to release it.”
His eyes flared wide. “What?”
I leaned forward, elbows braced on the sound desk. “I know, Presley. I know everything.”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
The momentary stutter was a dead giveaway. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out it was you who leaked Joz’s diary?”
“Me?” He pointed at himself, then released the fakest laugh I’d ever heard. “What makes you think it was me?”
“Erin Raynor.”
A fleeting ‘Oh, fuck’ crossed his face, then his entire expression hardened. “She’s a liar.” He got up, and I did, too. “Whatever she told you, she’s lying.”
“So, you didn’t pretend to like her so you could sleep with her and gain access to Joz’s apartment? You didn’t go through his personal effects, find his diary, and leak it to the press? Tell me, Presley, how did you know Joz had written that diary? No one knew.”
With his crime out in the open, Presley’s mask slipped, and what lay beneath the genial image he portrayed was a whole load of ugly. He smirked.Smirked.“Not true. Someone knew.”
“Who?”
“A guy he was in rehab with. On my trip home, I was in a bar one night and got chatting to this guy. Raynor came up in conversation. No idea how he knew about the diary, but I guess secrets are hard to keep in those places. Isn’t it all about sharing and getting your demons out there?” He shrugged. “Not that I’d know.”
“But why? Joz was the one who championed you. If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t have had this shot.” A shot he’d now wrecked beyond repair.
“I wanted to show you who he really was. He’s not good enough for you.”
Jesus Christ. Not this again. “And you think you are?”
“I know I am.”
I heaved a heavy sigh. “Whatever feelings you think you have for me, they’re not real. It’s a crush that will pass as soon as you meet a girl you like. You’ve committed a crime, Presley. You see that, don’t you?”
He shook his head. “All I see is you being taken for a fool. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up like Caroline.”
A flash of anger surged through me. “You’re done here. Get your things and get out.”
I turned, ready to leave, but as I reached for the door, he grabbed my arm, spinning me. His body slammed into mine, momentarily knocking the air from my lungs. He smashed his lips to mine, clamping his hand around my throat. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t bring my knee up, not from this position. He was too close, too strong.
Adrenaline shot through my system, and an icy sweat broke out all over my body. For a split second, I panicked.
Remember your self-defense classes.
