The Duke and the DJ: a Sweet Royal Romance (The Rebel Royals Series Book 3)

by Shanae Johnson

  Spin had yanked the check from his hold, ripped up the slip of paper, and tossed the shreds in his face. Then she’d taken a bag and disappeared.

  And now he was dead and still trying to buy her off. Whatever amount it was this time, she would do the same. She’d tear up the check and toss it in Mr. Schiessl’s face.

  “Your father has left you a sizable sum.”

  Schiessl produced a slip of paper. Spin snatched the check. She was in the process of tearing it to shreds when she caught a glimpse of another set of documents on Schiessl’s desk. She couldn’t see the particulars, but she saw the name Mondego in angry red letters.

  Her thumbs released from the brittle paper. She handed the check back to Mr. Schiessl.

  “I don’t need this.”

  The man’s mouth opened to protest. Before he could get any words out, Spin continued.

  “Someone else does.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Zhi sped down the streets, thankful for the horsepower in his car, uncaring of the speed limits on the street. He wasn’t one for breaking the law, but if the authorities came after him, he would definitely use his connections to get out of the jam and get to where he needed to be.

  Blessedly, the streets were mostly empty at the early hour. The cops must still be at breakfast. He made it to the address on the solicitor’s card faster than a magician could pull a rabbit out of his hat.

  Zhi parked, taking up two spaces. He leaped out of the car, uncertain if the door had closed. He hadn't changed or showered. Not because of the plumbing, which was still being repaired. But because he didn't care. Getting to Spin or Eleanor or whoever she was, was more important than anything.

  He raced into the building, shirttails hanging out, shoes muddy from his time on the pier. A glance in the door’s window showed his hair was completely out of place.

  He charged past the receptionist and marched up to the door with Schiessl’s name on it. Zhi’s frame filled the doorway of the large office to see the tall man surrounded by a stack of papers.

  "Where is she?" demanded Zhi.

  Schiessl didn’t even look up at him. He shuffled some papers around on his desk looking entirely put out. “I assume you mean Lady Trent."

  “So, she is noble?”

  The solicitor's eyes rolled, though he still didn’t look up. "In another time period, no. But with today's loose morals and laws, yes. Lady Eleanor Trent, the illegitimate daughter of Lord Trent of Feldkirch of Austria.”

  Zhi didn't care about any of that. He only cared to find Spin and bring her into his arms. To show her the man he was now, the man he would be because of her. No, not just because of her, because of everyone he cared about.

  Those close to him didn't care about his title or wealth. His friends liked him for who he was, not the numbers in his bank account. His staff stayed because they believed in and respected him. His mother loved him.

  And Spin? She hadn't been interested in any of the trappings around him. She'd been dragged into liking him because of the connection between them. It was unseen like a chord struck on a keyboard or strummed on a guitar. He couldn’t see it, but he felt it resonate through him.

  Zhi turned back to the solicitor. "Just tell me where she went."

  The man shrugged. "I don't know? She didn't say."

  Zhi was back where he started. But she came back to the estate once. Perhaps she’d come again. It was entirely possible that they were ships in the night who had passed each other by again. Lark had said her bags were gone, but surely Spin wouldn’t leave without talking to one of them.

  There was a little juice in his phone now. He’d plugged it in while he’d driven there. Zhi tapped on the social media icon for Instagram, preparing to send her a message. He looked up to see that the solicitor held up a small rectangle that looked like a check.

  "She left this for you."

  Zhi stepped forward. It certainly was a check. The small piece of paper was an extremely large check.

  "What is this?" Zhi said.

  "Her inheritance. She left it to you."

  "Me?"

  “She left it to the Mondego estate, to be precise. It's enough to cover all your debts."

  For a brief second his heart soared. They were saved. His family, his legacy, they were all saved. But then his stomach clenched as he did the tally. They may have been saved, but at what cost?

  If she were going to leave him this check she could've put it in his hand. She could’ve come back to the house and put it in his mother's hand. Why would she leave it with the solicitor?

  He knew the answer. It turned his stomach and stopped his heart. The answer was because she had no intention of coming back.

  Zhi had gained everything and lost it all. But he wasn't giving up. He had to get her back. The estate was a house. Spin had become his world. He just had to find her and tell her so.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Spin scrolled through the tracks on her song list. The most played over the last two weeks were sappy love songs and angry chick music. But further down the list were classical songs. Songs she fell asleep to every night.

  Her finger hovered over the delete key that would put the songs in the trash bin. In the end, she lifted her thumb. It was an empty gesture. The songs were in the cloud, just like her head was.

  Spin brought the beat down, bringing her set to a close. The set she’d played in the warehouse club hadn’t moved her. Her feet hadn’t left the ground. Her head had stayed present. She’d woven the beats seamlessly, setting the crowd on a melodic fire, but she couldn't get lost in the music she’d made.

  Applause jolted her thoughts. She stepped off the raised platform as a nondescript track played while the main event set up. She'd been playing in these small underground clubs across Cordoba for the last week, making just enough cash to afford a place to rest her head each night.

  It was all she needed. Just a bed. Food had no taste. She couldn’t hold a conversation with anyone. She could barely hold another’s glance for longer than a few seconds.

  Everything about her felt heavy. Especially her heart. She was a walking cliché. But she'd get over it.

  Clearly, Zhi had. He hadn’t contacted her on any social media. He’d taken the money and run.

  She knew she should do the same, run that was. But she couldn't bring herself to board a plane or boat, even though now she had enough money for a ticket.

  Spin pinched the bridge of her nose. When she opened her eyes, she saw a dark figure standing in front of her. She yelped and jumped back.

  "Hey," said Lark. Her voice was nonchalant. Her hands on her hips as she regarded Spin.

  “I told you to stop doing that."

  The two women glared at each other. Then Spin's heart lurched. She was here. Spin wanted to pull her friend into her arms, but Lark’s hands were crossed over her chest.

  "No, you stop," said Lark. "You're the one that pulled the disappearing act this time."

  "How did you find me?"

  Lark rolled her eyes. "Like it was hard. You're not as good as you think. Especially in your profession where you play loud music. Of course, we heard you."

  We?

  "The real question is why did you think you had to run? What did you think I’d do? You know my parents aren’t perfect."

  Lark knew. Of course, she knew. She’d been standing in the hall when Mr. Schiessl had announced her real name.

  "I've only ever belonged to my mom," said Spin.

  “Well, you belong to me too,” said Lark. “We're bonded for life. No matter where you might end up, we're family."

  Spin's heart felt hot. The corners of her eyes pricked with tears. They reached out at the same time and folded themselves around each other. Lark hugged Spin so tightly that her feet left the floor. Spin breathed Lark in, and her head filled with sparkles.

  "What are you still doing here?" Spin said when Lark pulled away. "You have shows back in Nice.”

  “I got a new gig.
"

  "What new gig?"

  "I'll tell you later. Right now the next guy’s up."

  Spin didn't care about the headliner. She only cared about her friend and what their next step would be. Because it would be together. Spin didn’t want to be alone anymore. Neither did she want to leave Cordoba. She wasn’t ready to be off this island and away from all of its people just yet.

  She was ready to tug Lark out of the club. Then she heard the first notes from the speaker. Spin’s head turned slowly, carried by the lull of the notes. Lark had said we.

  The first notes of the piano made her feel like she was floating on air. Her gaze lifted, and she saw him. He stood over a keyboard, his lithe fingers moving swiftly but lightly.

  He said he never performed in public. But there he was in a suit and coat with a graphic T that said You Spin Me Round.

  Zhi looked into the crowd, finding her gaze. He smiled down at her with that crooked grin, and her heart burst open. He winked, turning his attention back to the instrument before him. He lifted his hand and flicked a switch and then the unmistakable notes of a polka sounded.

  The crowd, which had taken a few tentative steps towards the dance floor, came to a dead halt. When the electric beat mixed in between the sound of the keys and the strings of the polka, a few heads bobbed. Then after a few minutes of the harmonious beats, the bodies began to move in earnest.

  Spin swayed but not to the beat. Her steps were to get herself closer to him. When she got to the stage, he reached for her and brought her into his arms. Had the world been spinning before this, because everything was calm now.

  The polka died out to be replaced by a popular track. Zhi swept Spin into his arms and to the back of the stage. He was there with her. Parker was nowhere in sight. She had his full attention. But hadn’t she always?

  “I would’ve done that a few nights ago,” he said. “But the organizers made me audition and then wait for an opening. In the end, I had to put in a call to Omar.”

  “You absolutely passed my test.”

  His grin spread. He pulled her closer. More than anything Spin wanted his lips on hers. But there were things to be said.

  "I need you to know that I came after you,” he said.

  "I can see that," said Spin. “It was some grand gesture, playing in public like that.”

  Zhi shook his head. "No, before. That night. I went back and sat with Parker at first. But I couldn’t …”

  He shook his head again, not completing that sentence. There was no need. She understood what he meant.

  “It was only a second before I came after you. By the time I got home, you were already gone.”

  Spin swallowed. “There was something I had to take care of."

  Zhi brushed a tendril of hair from her temple, and she closed her eyes at the slight touch. "I'm sorry about your father.”

  Zhi cradled the side of her face in his palm. With his other hand, he brought them closer together. The gem at her neck between their hearts.

  “But, my darling, you can’t use your father’s penance to pay for my father’s mistakes.”

  “That’s not what I was doing. I was trying to save your family."

  "You're my family now. Or, at least, I'd like you to be."

  Her lips parted. The desire she had for this man growing more urgent with each passing second. Once more, she knew what it was to belong to someone. Not because of blood, not because of money, because of their hearts.

  Still, she couldn’t let him throw his legacy away. Zhi was one of the good ones. He was a truly noble man, someone who should be a peer of the land.

  "But your home,” Spin protested.

  "It's just brick and glass. I’m selling the estate.”

  “Zhi, no.”

  “Let me finish. It’s being turned into a music school. My mother will teach piano. There will be classes on every instrument and every category of music, including polka and DJing.”

  Spin laughed. She lifted her hands to rest on the side of his face, mirroring his own motions. They stood like that gazing down at each other for long seconds.

  “What about your dad?” asked Spin.

  “My mother has agreed to put him in hospice nearby. She visits him every day, but she’s no longer his full time caretaker. I can see some of the life coming back into her eyes. Maybe one day, she’ll remember that her life is her own, and she’ll start living for herself again.”

  It was what her own mother had attempted. But Angelica had only tasted such freedom for a short time before she’d passed away.

  “We need to write a new chapter,” he said. “Score a new song. You and me.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Good, because there’s space for you. In my home. And in my heart."

  “I’ve been looking to put down roots somewhere. I’ll start with your heart.”

  “It’s all yours.”

  He tilted her chin up and slanted his mouth over hers. They kept their hands on each other’s faces, holding one another in place as they deepened the kiss and the connection that had existed between them from the first day. There were no words necessary between them. There never would be again. They understood one another perfectly. They were perfectly in tune.

  Ready for the next book in the series? Check out The Marquis and the Magician’s Assistant!

  When a Omar agrees to produce Lark’s solo magic show, the two discover the feelings developing between them are no illusion. The trick will be on them when the sparks start to fly!

  About the Author

  Shanae Johnson was raised by Saturday Morning cartoons and After School Specials. She still doesn’t understand why there isn’t a life lesson that ties the issues of the day together just before bedtime. While she’s still waiting for the meaning of it all, she writes stories to try and figure it all out. Her books are wholesome and sweet, but her heroes are hot and heroines are full of sass!

  And by the way, the E elongates the A. So it’s pronounced Shan-aaaaaaaa. Perfect for a hero to call out across the moors, or up to a balcony, or to blare outside her window on a boombox. If you hear him calling her name, please send him her way!

  You can sign up for Shanae’s Reader Group at

  http://bit.ly/ShanaeJohnsonReaders

  Also by Shanae Johnson

  The Rebel Royals series

  The King and the Kindergarten Teacher

  The Prince and the Pie Maker

  The Duke and the DJ

  The Marquis and the Magician’s Assistant

  The Brides of Purple Heart Ranch series

  On His Bended Knee

  Hand Over His Heart

  Offering His Arm

  His Permanent Scar

  Having His Back

  The Soldiers of Purple Heart Ranch series

  The Corporal and the Choir Girl

  The Private and the Pastor’s Daughter

  The Soldier and the Socialite

  The Sergeant and the Senator