Chapter 33
Talon
Once the show starts, I release Zeke’s hand. Not because I want to, but because he’s so enthralled, he’s leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, watching the performance with an intensity I’ve never possessed as a spectator.
Although the performance is incredible, I have much more fun watching him instead of the actors down below.
When the curtains close, Zeke is out of his seat in an instant, clapping enthusiastically. I hate to be a buzzkill, but I’ve got something else planned for him, and we can’t linger.
Tugging his hand, I yell, “Come with me,” over the noise of the crowd.
“But we haven’t seen the final bow!” he cries, waving a hand toward the stage.
“I know. I thought maybe you’d want to see it from backstage.”
His eyes grow wide, and he practically pushes me out of our row.
I grab our coats from the usher, and we make our waydownstairs, through the doors labeledCast and Crew Only, and then, just as we’re about to enter the darkened wings of the stage, Zeke stops abruptly.
“It’s okay, the main curtain is drawn. We won’t be seen,” I reassure him, but he just continues staring blankly at the stage in front of us. When I move to grab his hand, he flinches and pulls away, but not before I feel how clammy his skin is. “Zeke, what’s wrong?”
Slowly, his gaze meets mine, and for a few terrifying seconds, I’m afraid his earlier statement of there being ‘so much’ also means that there’s been ‘too much’. LikeI’mtoo much.
Am I coming on too strong?
Is this the trade-off?
I finally find someone who wantsmemore than they want mymoney, but my money makes them uncomfortable? I really thought we were moving past that.
The cast is going to be exiting to our side of the stage any second. If Zeke is overwhelmed now, it’s about to get a helluva lot worse.
Without touching him, I tell him to follow me as I find a dark corner behind a storage rack to buy us a moment of privacy. It’s not ideal, but it’ll have to do.
“What’s going on? Talk to me,” I plead.
“This is the first time I’ve been backstage on a set since…” he trails off, and it hits me like a ton of bricks.
“Since your opening night.”
The night Derek beat Zeke black and blue.
He nods.
“Fuck, Zeke, I’m so sorry. Can I hug you?” I ask, needing to feel his chest rise and fall against mine. He doesn’t even finish nodding before I’m cradling him in my arms. He was so excitedabout the play. I thought if there was an issue, it would’ve happened al?—
“He beat me on the stage that night,” Zeke whispers, clinging to me with renewed desperation. “After you left.”
“What?” I choke out through my grinding molars.
“He wanted to ruin the thing I loved the most, so he walked me next door.” Zeke’s barely making a sound as he forces the words out. It hurts like hell to hear, but I’ll be damned if I interrupt him. “No one was there but the cleaners, and they were in the main lobby by then. All the lights were off. We were alone. He accused me of sleeping with you, and when I told him it wasn’t true, he beat me onstage behind the curtain before taking me home and finishing the job.”
Nausea sweeps through me.
“Ohmygod, baby, I’m so fucking sorry. I will spend my whole fucking life trying to make up for that. I should’ve kept my distance. No, fuck that,” I growl. “I should’ve taken you with me.” I rub his back, wishing like hell we were back in the penthouse right now, far away from this scene.
“You didn’t know. I never wanted you to find out. I mean, Iwantedto be with you, so I guess on some level, he wasn’t wrong.”
“That doesn’t give him the right to lay a single fucking finger on you, Zeke,” I say through teeth clenched so hard my jaw aches.
