“Holy fuck, that guy was heavy,” Rhett grumbled, rubbing his shoulder where he’d struck the stone steps when he’d been shoved to the ground. “I can already feel the bruise coming up.”
“Better than being shot,” Grayson commented, and I smirked my agreement. Rhett was just being a little bitch to gain sympathy from nurse Billie. Sly bastard. “I wonder what this is about.” Gray was looking over my shoulder, and I turned to find a harried Brenda striding toward us through the remaining mourners. We’d been waiting until our car was ready to take us to Florence’s wake; the front of the cathedral was already roped off in a crime scene. Now, though, it seemed like something else was going on.
Brenda’s lips were pursed tight, her brow tight with frustration. “Don’t make things difficult. You lot have already caused enough of a headache as it is.”
Jace bristled, his bad mood darkening with every passing moment. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Brenda drew a breath, presumably to explain, but before she could get a word out, Big Dick Hamilton—Big Noise Records CEO and my father’s newest lapdog—slithered over to us.
“Angelo,” he greeted me with a frozen smile. “I wasn’t aware you’d be attending. Did you know Florence?”
I leveled him a hard glare. “What can we help you with, Dick? The band are in mourning, as I’m sure you can appreciate. All business matters can go through their manager.” I gestured to Brenda, who nodded her agreement.
Big Dick’s complexion blanched somewhat. “Actually, this is a matter that requires urgent attention from the band directly. It’s with regards to Florence’s estate and her namedbeneficiary.”
This couldn’t be good. More money games?
“Flo didn’t have an estate,” Rhett rasped, red around the eyes. “And she had no family. So what—”
“Ah, see, that’s the problem. Someone has come forward claiming to be her legal spouse and, therefore, the sole beneficiary of Miss Foster’s estate, which, incidentally…” He trailed off, glancing around. “This isn’t the time or place. I’d, of course, like to save this for another day, but with Florence’s spouse pushing the matter through legal channels, it really can’t wait.”
Jace was two seconds away from losing his shit; I could see it all over his drawn features. “What the fuck are you trying to say, Big Dick?”
The designer-suited CEO sighed. “Miss Foster’s spouse is demanding a meeting with the remaining members of Bellerose to discuss future royalties and remuneration for the canceled portion of the recent tour.”
Jace squinted at the businessman a moment, then just shrugged. “So? I assume this is TomFuckerwe’re talking about. Tell him to get fucked or to deal with Brenda. That shit doesn’t need our personal attention. They weren’t married, so he can’t—”
“He says they were,” Dick disagreed. “And apparently has proof.”
“What?” Gray snarled. “Since when?”
One of the event staff came over then to let us know our cars were ready, and Big Dick scowled daggers at us all. “Just head over to Big Noise’s Riverside office; the lawyers will all meet you there.”
“Now?” Jace exclaimed, horrified.
“Yes,” Dick snapped. “Now. Christ, as if I don’t have anything better to do than deliver messages for some spoiled musicians.” He started to walk away, then hesitated and glanced back awkwardly. “Uh, sorry for your loss, also. We will wait a week before auditioning replacement bass guitarists. Out of respect.”
That man wouldn’t know respect if it came up and bit his shriveled balls off. I didn’t know Florence, aside from our brief interaction before she’d been killed, but even I was insulted by the lack of sensitivity for the band who’d lost a family member.
“Fuck him,” Jace spat, raging as we exited the cathedral through the back door. “I’m not fucking dealing with lawyers. Not today.”
Rhett shook his head, agitated and visibly pissed off. “I will. I’m not letting that lying snake get away with taking anything from Flo, even if it’s just her legacy. Regardless of what she had in the bank when she died, she’s still entitled royalties from future sales, and that slippery shit isn’t going to touch one fucking cent of it.” He stormed over to the first town car and gestured to Jace. “You go on to the wake. I’ll deal with Tom.”
“I’ll go with him,” I said quietly. “And keep him out of jail.”
Rhett was likely to pitchfork someone in his current mood, and while I’d thoroughly enjoy watching that happen, he was too high profile to commit murder like that without repercussions.
Jace shot me a hard look, then sighed. “We’ll all go. Bellerose is a family, no matter what. We can’t let Tom weasel his way into that. You can take Billie to—”
“She’s coming with us,” Grayson snapped, grabbing Billie’s hand and dragging her into the second town car without waiting for a response.
Flames shot out of Jace’s ears, and I bit back a smirk as I clapped him on the shoulder. “Looks like we’re all going.” I didn’t wait for him to argue either, sliding into the first town car with him following a moment later. Rhett had switched to the second car with Gray and Billie, and it didn’t escape my notice that I was alone with my old best friend again.
“Don’t,” he said in a cold voice when I started to speak. “Justdon’t. She told me everything. The baby…” He trailed off as his voice broke, and it made me feel like the lowest of scumbags. Jace had been my best friend, closer than a brother, and I’d screwed him over hard.
“She told me,” I murmured, acknowledging the fact that I knew he knew. “You’re understandably pissed at both of us, but one day you’ll see that we both made choices out of love foryou. Even back then, you were the most important person in the world. Nothing mattered more than Jace Adams’s future, Jace’s happiness and success. Everyone else? Fuck them. Who cares, right? So long as Jace Adams becomes a superstar.”
Stunned silence met my bitter statement. Of course he hadn’t seen it like that, he never did. Selfish prick.
