by AJ Adams
“I should wring your bloody neck,” he hissed.
“One phone conversation and I’m gone,” I whispered urgently.
“All right!” He whipped out his phone and almost broke it in half by punching redial. “Nothing,” he snarled. “Satisfied?”
“Not really.” But I could hardly expect him to go running off to Lincoln, not with punters streaming in. “I guess it will have to wait.”
“You think?”
His sarcasm hit me on the raw. “You’d better not fuck me over,” I hissed. “The police might not believe me if I tell, but I will make a fuss, right here and right now.”
He was towering over me, dark and threatening. “Don’t even try it.”
I remembered Crush whispering the night before. “You don’t want trouble, remember?”
“You little -”
“Rex!” A beanpole of a man with a nose like a greyhound and eyebrows you normally see on owls was loping up. He had the same posh cut glass accent as Rex and Dicky. “Oh, am I interrupting?”
“Not at all,” Rex stepped back as if he hadn’t been about to wring my neck. “David, how are you?”
“Splendid!” He was sixty if he was a day, but he was giving me the eye. “Gosh, Rex, you always have the prettiest girls!”
Despite the shaggy brows, the man had excellent taste. Also, I could sense that Rex wanted me gone. In fact, his urgency was so evident, that I was determined to stay. “Lacy,” I smiled. “Lacy Desire.”
“What a jolly name! And love the dress. Lucky Rex.”
“It’s good to see you.” Lean and mean was hidden away. This was super smooth. “Did you find us okay?”
“No problem at all. I just followed the cavalcade. I think you’ve got London here.”
“Uncle David!” Tiffany rushed up, dragging Dicky with her. “What are you doing here?”
“Just visiting.”
Tiffany wagged her finger at him. “You never go anywhere unless it’s business.”
“Don’t tell the whole world, darling. Loose lips.”
“Oooh, is Rex doing another deal?” Tiffany squeaked. “How exciting!”
“Now, now, not so loud,” her uncle cautioned her.
“Not a word,” Tiffany promised, but I was sure she’d tell a dozen friends, in confidence, within the hour. She was bubbly and fun but not the brightest bulb in the box.
Dicky was sharper. “Come, Tiff. They want to talk shop, and we still have to buy T-shirts, remember?”
They beetled off, but I was determined to stay. I knew Rex and David had business and I wanted to know what it was. So I hung back and turned away, pretending to be intent on watching the crowd while eavesdropped like mad.
“I brought you the papers,” David said happily. “The board has signed them all, so the money hits your accounts as soon as you finish them up.”
So, David was the banker wanker Crush had whispered about the night before. My ears were on strings, straining to get every word.
“I’ll get them signed and return them to you by mid-week,” Rex said. “Thanks again, David. You’re a star.”
“Reward me by making oodles of money,” David said genially.
“I’m on it. This will be a stormer. I can feel it in my bones.”
“That’s probably a boner, dear boy. Money is the ultimate aphrodisiac.”
They sniggered together, two pirates chortling over their haul.
“You’re a bit early for Emma Watson,” Rex said.
“Actually, your girl sounds more interesting,” David said.
“There’s two of them. Sienna and Paisley.”
“Doubling up has always been lucky for me,” David leered. “Also, I might take a look at the site. There’s a boat club there already, isn’t there?”
“Yes, and a nice little restaurant. I’ll call ahead and reserve a table for you.”
“Lovely. A natural harbour, right on your doorstep. It’s a wonder it wasn’t developed years ago. Once it’s a marina, it will bring in every pleasure yacht in the country.” Then David looked at the crowd, dotted here and there with Disciples wearing high-vis jackets, like dogs minding their sheep. “Now remember, dear boy, discretion.”
“Of course.” Rex clapped him on the shoulder. “Mum’s the word.”
“Excellent. You know my fellow board members are so high strung that a whiff of scandal has them chewing their bits and bolting.”
I had no trouble putting it together: Rex was about to do a monster deal, one that involved building up the local harbour into a luxury marina, and David was a banker who was lending him the money to do it. But as the classy viscount was also an outlaw biker, the posh backer was edgy. If Rex didn’t keep his nose clean, his good friend David would pull the rug out from under his feet.
I’d been uptight all morning, but that knowledge came with a flood of relief. Knowing Rex’s secret meant I could cause all the trouble in the world. I had the upper hand again. I know, it was an evil thought, but I was terrified Rex would blow me off, and I had Mia to think of. Knowing I had him by the balls was a tremendous relief.
“Lovely girl,” David mused. I thought he meant me, but then he sighed, “We thought at one point you’d make a match of it with Tiffany.”
“She’s terrific, but we wouldn’t suit.”
Like hell. Rex wasn’t happy.
“I agree,” David said bluntly. “The family would never stand for it. You have a spotty reputation, dear boy.”
Meaning Rex was a blueblood but well beyond the pale. David would jump on board with the sinner, make money from black business deals in private and dive into a threesome with some working girls. However, in public he’d pretend he was a saint and put the kibosh on a sinner romancing his niece.
I hate it when people run me down for my work in public and then drool all over it in private, so I was hot with temper. I stopped pretending I was watching the crowds and turned back to stand by Rex. Before I could stop myself, I was hissing, “Hypocrite.”
They stared at me, with David looking surprised and Rex annoyed.
“Don’t take that shit,” I told Rex.
“This is a private conversation,” he snapped.
“I say -” David started.
“Ignore her.” Rex took David’s arm and pulled him away. “ Let me walk you to the gate. Serene and Paisley will meet you at the boat club in twenty minutes.”
I followed, determined not to lose sight of what mattered. The second David was out of the gate, I was back on it. “Don’t blow me off. You said you’d call Jason.”
“I did!”
“When?” By his silence, I knew he hadn’t. Rex had been running around, his mind on his own business, not mine. “It’s been hours,” I reminded him. “Jason should be answering by now.”
“Rex,” Mitch was calling across the lawn. “Ten minutes till kick-off!”
“Christ,” Rex was about to bolt. “Is that the time?”
I knew that if I let him slip by me, I’d not see action until the next day - if that. I grabbed his arm and hung on. “You call Jason first.”
“Okay, that’s it.” Rex was whip fast. He had me up and over his shoulder, loping down to the gate. “Out you go!”
I was bouncing up and down, breathless but I wasn’t taking that. “I’ll tell! I’ll tell everyone!”
People were streaming past us, laughing, thinking it was a joke. My dress was riding up, showing my knickers to the world.
“Great arse,” a raucous voice roared.
Rex clapped back instantly, “She’s not worth the trouble, mate.”
I pummelled his back with my fists, absolutely furious, “Bastard! Put me down!”
He put me on my feet, but he was shoving me out of the gate. “Out!”
I flung my arms around him and hissed in his ear. “Say goodbye to your marina!”
Hearing the magic words, he froze. “What?”
“One whiff of scandal, remember?” I pulled my dress down pro
perly and read him the riot act. “I’m not bothering with the plods. I’ll go straight to David.”
“You - You -”
“That sentence had better end in a compliment.”
“Bitch.”
“Oh no, none of that.” I gave him both barrels. “Want me to walk? Because I will. I’ll tell David about Goxhill, and we’ll see what he thinks.”
If looks could kill, I would’ve dropped on the spot. It didn’t bother me because his eyes said I had him. If David heard that Rex had murdered Reynolds, he’d do a David Copperfield on Rex’s financial rug.
“Rex?” Brianne popped up out of the crowd. Pretending she didn’t see me, she scolded, “Two minutes to kick-off. Mitch is frantic.”
“Tell him to stall.”
“What?” Brianne was gobsmacked. “Delay the start of the music fest?”
“He’s busy.” Remembering her bitch act in the kitchen earlier, I got my own back. “With me.”
Rex was silent, but a blind man would’ve sensed the fury streaming from him. Brianne nodded and fled.
It’s an odd thing but standing in a crowd can be very private. As partygoers flowed around us, all intent on getting to the show, we were in our own little bubble.
“Well?” I challenged Rex. “It’s your move.”
Surprisingly, he did not snarl. “Okay.” He pulled out his phone. A minute later, he showed it to me. “Still straight to voicemail and the text is unseen.”
“I don’t understand it,” I said. “He’s been pestering me for weeks. And even if he were on a bender, he’d still pick up, even if it was just to call me names.”
“All of which you deserve,” Rex muttered.
“What did you say?”
He glared at me. “I did as you asked. Now, do you mind? I have ten thousand people waiting for me.”
I was in charge again, so I laid down the law. “Fine, but you’re calling him on the hour, every hour.”
I took his growl as agreement.
Watching him stalk off, I knew there was nothing for me to do. It looked as if Jason was on the bender of a lifetime and I’d have to suck it up and wait it out. I would rather have gone on my merry way, but I reminded myself to be grateful: a day earlier I’d been terrified, and now I was safe in Disciples central.
The sun was dipping down, shedding golden rays over Perdition. On cue, the DJ quit, and a roar went up. “Ladies and gentlemen,” Rex yelled. “Welcome to Perdition.”
As the crowd roared, I did what I always do at the end of the day, I went into the kitchen where it was blessedly quiet and called Mia.
“Mummy, there’s water slides and ponies!”
Mia was having a blast, bless her, and not missing me at all. “Treat your cousins to slides and rides, sweetheart. I’m sending some more pocket money, okay?”
“Are you at a party?” Rachel asked me. “Is it all fixed then?”
“Almost,” I crossed my fingers as I fibbed. “Some friends are mediating.”
“We’re staying at Butlins,” Rachel informed me. “The kids are having a great time, and seeing Spain was a disaster last year we’ve decided to give it a miss. Also, by saving the airfares, we can stay here a full month.”
“That sounds lovely.” Rachel and Alex holiday in Majorca every summer. But the last time their hotel had been under construction, which meant endless jackhammering and no showers during daylight hours. After two weeks, they’d returned home half deaf and desperate for a decent bath. “I hope to be done here soon, but it may take a couple of days.”
“Lacy, you haven’t made any progress?”
Damn, a direct question. I could fib but not lie. “Not yet.”
“I thought not,” Rachel sighed. “Look, if we can help, just ask.”
I was teary. “Thank you.”
“Mia is welcome to stay, and we booked her in under our name, okay?” Rachel said briskly. “So you needn’t worry if anyone comes asking questions.”
That opened my eyes. “Ohmigod, I didn’t even think of that!”
“Alex’s idea,” Rachel admitted. “He says that man Jason sounds like a lunatic. The sort who might hurt your family in order to get to you.”
People can surprise you. “Thanks, sis.”
The second I hung up I felt sick. I told myself that Jason might not have any interest in Mia, but he’d never hurt a kid. I mean, what kind of monster does that? But then I remembered him reaching for her, that evil light in his eyes.
Cursing myself for being an idiot, and blessing Rachel and Alex for their care, I went to work with a will. After calling Jason repeatedly and leaving messages and sending texts, all of them unanswered, I called every single person I knew.
Over the period of two hours I spoke to models, agents, photographers, and even bar staff at the places Jason used to hang out. I rummaged through old texts, and dug up people who’d known us when we were dating. What I got was a big fat nothing.
Loretta, the editor of Spanked, summed it up, saying, “I love his work, but I can’t stand him in person. When I do work with him, we do it over email.”
It hadn’t been just me who’d found Jason too poisonous to be around; he’d managed to piss off the entire country. Examining the hundreds of texts, I knew there was nothing I could do. Rather than sit in the kitchen and worry all night, I decided I might as well be in the moment. I went outside, saw the crowd had swollen to epic levels and found Rex was back on stage.
“You’re awesome!” Rex shouted, “I want to say thank you. Thank you for coming, thank you for bringing your friends, and most of all, thanks for making me stinking rich!”
That was his signature joke, and the audience whooped it up, crying, “What’s in it for us, Rex?”
“Well, I won’t spoil it,” he teased. “All I’ll say is that if you hang out for another hour, there may be a surprise guest.”
“Who?” the crowd yelled.
“That would be telling,” Rex laughed. “But if you want to bet, there’s a guessing booth by the beer tent. Half the pot goes to the winner and the other half to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.”
As the cheers went up and Clean Bandit blasted straight into ‘Mozart House’, he jumped off the stage and was instantly knee deep in sluts.
“Hey, Rex!” A brunette, shaking her tits at him. “Want a drink?”
“Hi Rex! How’ve you been?” A raven-haired girl, also flaunting her assets. “Let’s go somewhere quiet and catch up.”
“Rex, the vegetarian stall needs a word.” Brianne barrelled through, as possessive as a dog with a meat bone. “And Emma texted. Can you call her back?”
Rex rushed off, and I decided I was on my own. I didn’t mind because I knew it wouldn’t be long until I ran into a friendly face. I treated myself to a big glass of red and a veggie taco roll. I Instagrammed automatically, and to follow, I tweeted about Little Mix, one of my favourite girl groups, playing ‘Shout Out To My Ex.’
I’d barely finished my taco roll when a bloke rolled up saying, “Lacy Desire! I just saw your tweet. Wow, what are you doing here?”
“Just chilling.” And then, to make sure the word got out, “Rex is a friend.”
“Rex? The one that owns this place? The lucky bastard! I’ve been a fan ever since I saw you on Twisted. I’m Luke, by the way.”
And from that point on, I had a nice bubble of fans around me. As I said, I don’t mind going out alone because I’m pretty sure to get some company. Luke was fun, and his mates were sweet. We danced to the Charlatans and as the bands rolled on and off the stage, to Suede, Breathless, and Lemon Jelly.
Rex was back on stage at ten, and after Emma Watson with her friends wowed us with their fantastic version of ‘Yesterday’, he announced, “And now, please welcome our special guest band, Coldplay!”
The crowd went wild! As my Instagram and Twitter feeds were swamped too, I decided that I was pretty lucky. I might have been cowering in some hole, hiding from the world while I waited
for Jason to pick up, instead of which I was working on my brand and having fun. That’s me; you can scare me, but it’s not long before I reset to my default ‘glass half full’ attitude.
Speaking of glasses, I had some lovely bubbly and some more red. That and the dancing gave me a beautiful buzz. Mind you, I was keeping my eye on the ball. I had planned to dig Rex out every hour and make him check his phone, but it proved impossible.
I’d accused him of being a lazy arse, but I soon saw he was everywhere at once, working like a demon. He popped up behind the main stage, vanished, reappeared in the beer tent, shimmered again, and reappeared by the Portaloos. The only constant was the slew of girls, panting, “Hi, Rex!” As Anna had said, he was hot stuff.
I gave up chasing him and called Jason myself again and again but got the dreaded voicemail. It wasn’t until well after one in the morning that I found Rex. He was at the taco roll stand, nose to nose with a redhead.
“I just wasn’t expecting this amount of traffic.” She sounded rather uptight. “I doubled up on stock, but we’ve run out.”
I expected Rex to blast her, I mean, it’s up to contractors to fix their problems, but to my amazement, he put an arm around her. “Sweetheart, it’s no problem. We’re about to start the last set, anyway. Just close a little early.”
“Thank you.” She sounded teary. “I’m a bit stressed, I think.”
Amazingly, Rex was cuddling away. “Your first day has been a massive success. One of my people is driving you home. A night’s sleep will restore you.”
Worried he’d vanish again, I stepped up. “Before you go, make that call for me?”
“In a minute,” Rex said tightly. “Can’t you see I’m busy?”
The redhead half turned around, and I got the shock of my life; one side of her face was lovely, but the other was a mess. As if the crushed cheekbone and scarred forehead weren’t enough, an eye patch hid more damage.
I swallowed instinctively, but as it’s rude to stare, I forced myself to look unconcerned. “Sorry to interrupt. I just need Rex a second.”
“After I walk Nita to the gate,” Rex said through gritted teeth.
The girl was pale, and as she stepped out from behind the booth, passers-by were turning around and gawping.