“In the den with Sage,” Jo informs him, and a moment later, all three brothers duck into the room, eyeing me warily.
Jace lifts a hand in a quick wave, then Cole greets, “Hey, Noah.” I shoot a brief smile their way as a feeling of foreboding washes through my body.Oh no. What’s going on now?I can already tell whatever they’ve come to say has the potential to knock the breath from my lungs.
Rhett rubs a hand over his face and picks up the remote to turn off the TV before sitting down on the coffee table in front of me. My palms have already begun to sweat before he opens his mouth. “Jace and Cole have discovered something you need to know about.” I stare at him, waiting for the bomb to drop. “It’ll be your call what we do with the information.”
I exchange a glance with Sage before nodding. “Please just tell me.”
“You already know the twins were able to hack into every last bit of Bradley’s life.” The tension in Rhett’s jaw is so tight it might snap at the slightest provocation. He eyes his brothers. “Apparently, they were poking around a bit more and uncovered a few hidden folders.” In his eyes, there’s a sort of anguish that can’t even be classified or quantified. “There was an entire folder dedicated to you, Noah.”
Sage stiffens at my side as my throat goes bone dry. I let those words sink in, then blink rapidly in an attempt at staving off the tears that threaten to run down my face. A keening sound erupts from somewhere deep in my chest. My voice is clipped and harsh when I bite out, “Do you mean to say that fucking bastard recorded the depraved things he did to me?” Rage, hot and thick blooms inside my chest. “He kept amemento? He kept goddamnproof?” Outrage fills me so fully, I’m shouting. Eyes unfocused, I look around the room, taking in their reactions.
The twins shift uncomfortably, the hardwood floor beneath their boots creaking. “We’re so sorry, Noah,” Jace mutters.
Cole continues, “We swear we shut the recording off the second we knew what it was.”
Rhett exhales harshly, but the anger vibrating up his spine isn’t directed at me. “It gets worse.”
Shock electrifies every one of my nerve endings.Sick bastard.I’m unable to stop the trembling racking my limbs. “Excuse me?” I swallow hard, searching his face for an explanation I’m positive I don’t want. “What are you talking about?”
“It looks as though he’s been recording you for quite some time. Years, possibly.” A second later his strong hands are wrapped around my biceps, holding me steady as my body descends into chaos, shaking violently. “From what I saw, he has cameras all over your penthouse, including your bedroom and bathroom.”
“What was in the other folders, Rhett?” The question rattles off my tongue. I need to know the answer.
“Different artists. He’s done this before. To other people signed to the Hemstock label.”
“What. The. Fuck?” I drag in a disturbed breath. Blinking, I shake my head in disbelief, though I don’t know why I’m surprised by the audacity of it all, given my experience with Bradley.
Rhett exhales hard, then lifts his hand to wipe away the rogue tears I hadn’t even realized have spilled over my cheeks. “Noah, I know this isn’t good news.” He presses his lips together. “What it is, though… is leverage. Think about that.” He’s calm. Too calm. And I know then, it’s all a facade. “We’ve also gotta have a look online. Apparently”—he glances at Jace—“shit is already starting to hit the news networks. You’ll want to read it all for yourself. People are questioning what’s happened to you. It’s all over social media that you’re missing.”
A grimace comes from Cole. “The police are searching for Bradley, too. After Paulie and Marcus’s unfortunate departure from this world, their deaths were classified as suspicious. According to news sources, Bradley is their main suspect.”
My eyes shift to Rhett’s, and he grasps my hand. “I reckon you need to have a look so you can decide whatyournext steps are.”
Glancing at the end table where I left my phone plugged in to charge, I huff, “Sage, can you pass it over here?”
She hands it to me and squeezes my shoulder as she gets up. “I think the twins and I should give Josie a hand and let you all decide what to do next. Shout if you need anything.”
“Thanks. All of you.” I shoot them a tight grin. “I’ll let you know.”
As they leave the room, Rhett rises, turning to sit beside me, carefully collaring the back of my neck, his warm fingers massaging tense muscles as I bite the bullet and fire my phone back on.
No sooner than I do, it’s as if my phone is possessed, vibrating manically with each bit of communication thatflashes on the screen. The sheer quantity of emails, voicemails, tags, and DMs is too staggering to count.
Headline after headline and post after post pop up in notifications on my phone screen, making my head spin.
NATIONWIDE MANHUNT TO COMMENCE!
Breaking news: The two men discovered in a gentlemen’s club have been identified as Bradley Hemstock’s groomsmen.
WHERE IS NOAH LANE?
Is Bradley Hemstock on the run?
MUSICIAN, NOAH LANE, HASN’T BEEN SEEN SINCE HER WEDDING TO MANAGER BRADLEY HEMSTOCK.
Bradley Hemstock wanted for questioning about the suspicious deaths of lifelong friends.
THE WHEREABOUTS OF COUNTRY MUSIC’S SWEETHEART, NOAH LANE, REMAIN UNKNOWN.
