Chapter 42

Harley

It tookme a good ten minutes to come to terms with the fact that Tommy had really left for Vegas without me. Then I wandered downstairs and went in search of my sister, which might have been a mistake.

“He did what?” Wynter looked furious when I told her what happened. “He just fucking left?!” Her voice rose with each word.

“Shhh,” I cautioned. “I don’t want River to hear you.”

“Why are you just sitting here?” she demanded.

“What should I be doing?” I asked glumly.

“Get your ass in the car and go to Vegas. Or, better yet, get your ass on a flight. You guys are not going to repeat history under my watch.”

“That’s not really what’s happening?—”

“Okay, semantics. It’s not but it is. He didn’t just leave without telling you like you did to him, but he left you behind. That’s almost worse. Like he got right in your face and told you he was going to Vegas without you and River. What kind of shit is that? No. Just fucking no. Come on, get up.”

“Where are we going?” I asked in confusion as she yanked me to my feet.

“Go re-pack your shit. I’ll take care of River’s stuff, but you’re packing for Vegas. In fact, I’ll see if there are seats on one of the next flights.”

“I can’t just go?—”

“Do you have any idea the hell I’ve lived through with you the last three years?” she demanded, hands on her hips. “I love you and I would be here for you all over again if I had to, but not without a fight. You and Tommy are not doing this again. I repeat, not under my watch. So get your skinny ass up the stairs. Now. Go.”

“But—”

“Don’t make me throw you over my shoulder.”

I snorted. “Good luck with that.”

“What, I drag patients around all day long. Or I did in the ER. So I’ve got muscles. And you’re a hundred pounds soaking wet.”

“One fifteen,” I muttered as she practically chased me up the stairs.

The next thing I knew, I was packed, and she had me booked on a flight in three hours. Which was barely enough time for us to get out the door and for her to get us to the airport.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” I repeated over and over through packing, getting dressed, and walking out to her SUV.

“Don’t make me smack you,” she snapped.

“You’re being really crazy right now,” I whispered, grimacing as if I were afraid of her. I wasn’t, but it was sweet to see her reaction. She was fiercely protective of me, always had been, and never more so than since I’d had River.

“Because I watched you spiral without him, and I refuse to let you do it again. Period. End of story. You screwed up, but—” She stopped talking as my phone rang and Freya’s name flashed on the screen.

“Holy shit,” I whispered, showing it to her. “What should I do?”

“Answer it!” she said, making a hurry up motion with one hand since the other was on the steering wheel.

“Relax. Geez. And be quiet.” I answered the call on speaker. “Freya. Hi.”

“Hi, Harley.”

“I don’t even know what to say to you right now,” I admitted. “I’m so angry, but more than that, I’m hurt. How could you betray me like that? I thought what we talked about stayed between us. I never would have confided in you if I thought you would somehow use it against me.”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. It’s a song. They still get paid. Everyone is happy.”

“Uh, not me. Not the band. What’s wrong with you?”

“It was you or me,” she said after a short hesitation. “I’m sorry. I really am. But that cunt had me over a barrel.”

I grimaced at the language since River was in the back seat.

“What does that mean?” I asked, hoping he was focused on the movie that was playing.

“It means she knows something that could derail my political career. In the grand scheme of things, this was nothing for you or the band. You and Tommy will be fine. He’ll forgive you. Onyx Knight will be fine too. They’re going to re-record their masters anyway—and let me tell you how pissed she was to hear that. Made my day to hear her freaking out. But anyway, this was a tiny blip on the band’s radar. In a week, everyone will have forgotten about the ad and the song, but I’ll have gotten that she-devil off my back.”

“You’re talking about Aurora.”

“Who the hell else would I be talking about?”

“How do you even know her?”

“If I told you that, I’d be putting myself at risk. Anyway, sorry you had to be my scapegoat, kiddo, but a week from now this will have all blown over. Take care.”

With that, she disconnected and left me gaping at the phone.

“What a cunt,” Wynter grumbled under her breath, shaking her head.

“Aurora had something on her, and she took it out on me.” I made a face. “Because I haven’t been through enough. And I fell right into her trap. God, how did I not notice she was up to something?”

“You trusted your new friends,” she said gently. “Stop beating yourself up. Like she said, this is going to blow over. Yeah, it’s annoying to be associated with a politician whose values don’t align with yours, but that commercial won’t run for long, and the band will make some kind of statement, right?

“Yeah, they’re consulting with a crisis control publicist.”

“Perfect. And the election is in just over a week. She won’t need to run ads after that. Hopefully, she loses. And we both know the brand and entity that is Onyx Knight is going to be fine.”

“There was never any doubt about that, but what about me? Am I going to be fine? Are Tommy and I going to be fine? We just got back together, and you didn’t see how upset he was.”

“You guys are going to be okay. You’ll see. He’s upset, but he’ll get over it.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because if I get there on Thursday and there’s no wedding, I am going to kick his ass.” She playfully flexed the bicep of her right arm.

“Sis…you’re sweet for always having my back, but you can’t brow beat him into loving me.”

“He already loves you. Don’t be a dummy. That’s not the issue. The issue, I’m sure, is trust, and you’re going to have to find a way to explain how vulnerable you are right now. You’d just left a place where you felt able to open up and speak freely, and this caught you off-guard. It’s not a mistake you’ll make again.”

“That’s for sure.”

“Look, this was sort of your fault, but it was really Aurora’s fault. She found a vulnerability in Freya and used it to her advantage. How can anyone put that on you?”

“What happens if I get there, and he doesn’t want to see me?”

“He will.”

“I don’t know, Wynter. It was like he couldn’t wait to get away from me.”

“Trust me. He loves you. He just needed a few minutes to get his head on straight. You’ll see. I’m your big sister and I’m always right.”

I snorted. “Yeah. Okay.”

“Sometimes you have to have trust, but you also have to remind him that running away is not how you handle things in a relationship. You did it once, and he let you. This time, he’s doing the running, but you know firsthand what a mistake that was, so you’re not letting him do it. That’s all there is to it.”

Somehow, I had a hard time believing it would be that easy.