Page 115 of Shattered Melodies

Caleb nodded, a wry smile tugging at his lips. “The one and only.”

“Well, shit,” I muttered, flopping down onto the nearest chair. “Never thought I’d see the day I’d be thanking that asshole.”

“People change, Liam,” Caleb said softly, perching on the edge of the desk.

I snorted. “Yeah, well, forgive me if I’m not rushing to sing his praises just yet.”

Caleb studied me for a moment, his brow furrowed. “You’re still pissed.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” I snapped, immediately regretting my tone. “Sorry, I just… I can’t believe this is happening. How the fuck did they find out I was here?”

I started pacing again, unable to contain the restless energy buzzing under my skin. “I mean, I was so careful. We were so careful. And now, what? Some random tipster decides to blow my cover? For what? A quick payday?”

“Liam,” Caleb said, his voice calm and steady. “We’ll figure this out. But first, we need to consider all the possibilities. Could it have been your parents?”

I froze mid-step, turning to face him. “My parents? Why would you think that?”

Caleb shrugged. “They know you’re here, right? And they’ve never been exactly supportive of your music career.”

I shook my head, resuming my pacing. “No, it’s not them. If it was, they’d have done it in a much more public way. You know, full press conference, cameras rolling, the whole nine yards. They’d want to be seen as the concerned parents, not some anonymous source.”

“Okay,” Caleb nodded. “So if not them, then who?”

“I don’t know!” I exploded, throwing my hands up in frustration. “That’s what’s driving me crazy. It could be anyone. Someone at the ranch, someone in town, hell, maybe I slipped up somewhere along the way and didn’t realize it.”

Caleb stood up, crossing the room to stand in front of me. He placed his hands on my shoulders, effectively halting my frantic movement. “Hey, look at me.”

I met his gaze reluctantly, feeling the fight drain out of me at the concern in his eyes.

“We’re going to figure this out,” he said firmly. “Together. Okay? But you’ve got to calm down. This panic isn’t helping anyone, least of all you.”

I took a deep breath, trying to center myself. “You’re right. I know you’re right.”

“I know,” he said softly, pulling me into a hug. “And we’ll get that peace back. I promise.”

I melted into his embrace, burying my face in his shoulder. For a moment, we just stood there, the steady beat of his heart grounding me.

“I already asked Jimmy to look into it. He’s got connections, might be able to trace it back to the source.”

“Good,” Caleb nodded. “What about damage control? We need a plan for if or when this gets out.”

I stiffened, pulling away from him. “It’s not getting out. We’ll find the leak, plug it, and that’ll be the end of it.”

Caleb sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Liam, be realistic. The reporters are gone for now, but they’ll be back. And next time, Jake might not be around to save our asses.”

“So what, you want me to just… come out? Admit to the world that I’m Corey King?” The words tasted bitter in my mouth.

“Maybe,” Caleb said carefully. “It might be better to control the narrative, you know? Get ahead of the story before someone else tells it for you.”

I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Yeah, because that worked out so well for us in high school, right?”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them. Caleb flinched like I’d slapped him, hurt flashing across his face.

CHAPTER 32

Roping in the Past

CALEB

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