Page 31 of Her Beastly Billionaire Rock Star
He opened and shut his mouth a couple of times as he shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. She’s just my…”
Emilia crossed her arms over her chest. “You’ve got some explaining to do, and if I have to find out on my own, no rock will go unturned. It might as well come from your lips.”
Raking his hand through his hair, he twisted in his seat and faced her. He started with the accident, but he didn’t give her the whole version either. If he was spilling that, Charlotte would be the first to hear. He owed her that much after she’d poured her heart out to him.
From there, he explained how he’d come to meet Octavia and Charlotte and about his future in the band. By the time he was done, Emilia looked dumbfounded. If he was honest, he felt that way himself. That he needed a company like Octavia’s was embarrassing.
“Wow. I’m exhausted just listening to you. Wouldn’t it have been better to just apologize and not act like a complete prima donna?”
“If only it was that easy,” he said and exhaled heavily. “We have a charity event soon. Charlotte’s sister thinks it’ll be good if the press sees us out.” He shook his head at how absurd it sounded.
Emilia set her elbow on the back of the couch and set her face in it. “I guess if that’s the only way to stay in Crush, then you have to, but wow.”
He tilted his head. “You said I look different.”
“You do. We’ve known each other since we were kids. Each summer you returned to Dallas, you’d be angrier, like you were realizing you were sent away because your dad had plans for you that you didn’t share. You were so…angry, and it only got worse the older you got.”
“I was? I don’t remember that. I mean, we all hung out. You, me, the Wolf pack—Zoe, Julian, Zach, Noah, Britney…even Samuel Baldwin until he turned into a jerk.” His shoulders rounded. “Was I like him?”
Shaking her head, Emilia replied, “No. Not even close. He was a snotty elitist jerk from birth. Although, I’ve heard he’s hit hard times. Rumor is he left Dallas to find himself. Whatever that means.”
“Emilia, I’m so sorry. I wish I could take it all back. I didn’t know I was that horrible.”
“You weren’t horrible…to us, just prickly. If something happened that you didn’t like, you weren’t shy about sharing your feelings.” Emilia leaned forward and smacked him on the arm. “Apology accepted. I’m glad to see you letting go of stuff.”
He nodded. “Me too.”
It was a lot to digest. Just how long had he been angry, and why did it take him so long to realize it? Would he have turned to drugs and alcohol? And the crash. What if he’d been clean the whole time and able to help Sunny? Was there a chance she’d still be alive?
Questions he wasn’t sure how or if he could answer. All of them made his heart ache. When had he become selfish and self-centered? How did he keep it from happening again? That was the best question…one he wanted to figure out sooner rather than later.
* * *
Chewing her thumb,Charlotte paced the living room as Emilia called her friends. Apparently, Malakai knew one of them as a kid—Noah Wolf, who was married to one of the people now accessing her laptop. The other person, Ryder Whitlock, had served with Noah in the Army. According to Emilia, Ryder and Mia were unstoppable when they worked together.
“Hey, Emilia,” a man answered on the third ring.
“Hey, Ryder. You got enough Hot Tamales?” Emilia asked with a laugh.
Ryder snorted. “Yeah, I’ve got enough. Is the computer on?”
“Yeah, it’s on, and Charlotte is present in case you need any information, but not for long. She’s got an event she has to attend tonight.”
“Hi, Charlotte,” a woman said. “I’m Mia, and this is Ryder. It’s nice to meet you.”
Charlotte stopped pacing and looked at Malakai. “Hi, thank you for helping me.” It was Ryder and Mia doing the dirty work, but it was because of Malakai that they were involved at all.
“You’re welcome,” Mia replied, and there was a pause. “If you need to go get dressed, you can. I don’t know how long this will take, but we’ll let you know as soon as we find something.”
“If you find something,” Charlotte replied.
Ryder and Mia chuckled, and Charlotte pictured them looking at each other as they did. “Yeah, if there’s something to be found, we’ll find it.”
“Bet you a box of Tamales that I find it first,” Ryder said.
“A chocolate shake and fries, I find it first,” Mia replied.
“You’re so on.”
