I switch the flight mode off on my phone, willing there to be something from Chloe. Anything. I’d take abuse over silence. At least that would mean she’s still thinking about me.
Forty-eight work related emails.
A reminder for a check-up at the dentist.
Nothing from Chloe.
The second I’ve sorted this mess out, I’m going to hop on the next plane to wherever she is, but right now my priority is to confront the Johnsons and put a stop to this madness before they can do anymore damage.
As I stalk purposefully through the airport towards the exit, Declan rings.
‘Are you ready for this?’ he says.
I step out into the blinding sun where Kim is waiting, as instructed, with my car. ‘What did you find? Don’t tell me, I shagged the wife? I barely remember the daughter.’
Kim clicks her tongue distastefully against her palate and hops into the passenger seat.
I raise my hand in greeting and mouth Declan’s name to her as I slide in behind the wheel. Kim’s been updated on everything, including my newfound love for Chloe Sexton. I’m just waiting for the tongue-lashing when Declan gets off the phone.
‘You might wish it was that straightforward,’ Declan scoffs. ‘Not only did you reject their only darling daughter, Chardonnay, spectacularly by all accounts, but they have a journalist quoting you as saying, “Chardonnay Johnson, what talent?”’
‘It’s ringing a bell alright.’ I shake my head at Kim, unable to believe this entire vendetta is based on something so fucking petty. ‘I rejected three of her tapes, then somehow she ended up getting a face-to-face audition. Richard Lambert insisted I heard her for myself, but she was shockingly bad. I mean, tone-deaf bad. Her parents had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on vocal coaches and stage schools, but it was a waste of my time. Chardonnay had zero raw talent.’
Declan clears his throat noisily before continuing. ‘Money’s not a problem for the Johnsons, as you’ve gathered. They’re also exceptionally well-connected. Kurt Johnson’s been implicated in a number of bribery and corruption scandals, but his direct involvement has never been proven in any of them. However, I’ve found evidence that he gifted Richard Lambert a yacht the week before his daughter’s audition. How’s that for a bribe?’
‘You’re kidding? For fuck’s sake. I don’t believe it.’ It’s the epitome of everything I despise about this industry. Talent can’t be bought and sold. The simple fact is, Chardonnay had less talent than a dog with one leg. ‘Are you trying to tell me that’s the reason he wanted to bring me and my artists down?’
‘After you rejected her, dear, sweet, untalented Chardonnay went on a downward spiral into drugs and drink. And guess what? She even had a stolen sex tape she made with her boyfriend go viral. Sound familiar? The only difference being was the boyfriend was her father’s best friend, married, and twenty years her senior. It almost caused a war.’
‘And Colton? How does my silent, brooding bodyguard fit into this puzzle?’ I ease out onto the slipway. The traffic is terrible as usual.
‘Colton is Mrs Johnson’s nephew. Colton’s her maiden name, which is why it took me a while to make the connection.’ Declan coughs. ‘I’m sorry about that.’
My bullshit detector didn’t pick him out either. Although, technically, he didn’t lie to me. It was his brooding silence that kept him under the radar.
‘I guess the real question is, what are we going to do about it?’ I muse.
‘You could go to the cops, but we don’t exactly have much hard evidence,’ Declan reminds me. ‘If it were me, I’d go a different route.’
‘Put him on speaker,’ Kim interjects. ‘I called Gareth last night when we learned the Johnson’s were behind this. I asked him to arrange a little video of his own. It’s currently streaming a live feed from Johnson’s office. I’ll get you access to it, Declan. It’s a long shot, but a man surrounded by that much scandal has to have a few secrets of his own. Or worst-case scenario, he might say or do something that proves his involvement in what’s been going down.’
‘You called Gareth?’ I ask.
‘Eyes on the road, buddy.’ I don’t miss her smirk.
‘You mean you called him on the phone? Or you called his name from the comfort of his bed while he washed the post-coital sex stains from his balls? Did you two finally get it on?’
Cat-like pupils slant across the dashboard. She flicks her honey-coloured bob from her shoulders. ‘You ever hear that saying, people in glasshouses shouldn’t throw stones? Want to tell us more about you and the Sexton sister?’ She offers a salacious wink, playfully thumping my arm.
They might actually be a match made in heaven.
‘Can we just get back to that feed?’ Declan’s voice echoes through the car.
‘I’ll send you the link now,’ Kim says, taking out her phone.
‘So, we just have to wait?’ I blow out a long, slow breath, squeezing my frustration out on the steering wheel. The Johnsons need to be shut down before they can do any more damage, especially with Ryan’s final two concerts coming up - the perfect chance to make another statement.
‘For now, yes. We wait,’ Kim says. ‘You have other matters to attend to, though. Lula, the girl whose heart you’re about to smash into smithereens.’
