Chapter 18

18

King broke out into a sprint, zigzagging through the departing attendees, and he was out of breath when he finally made it to the entrance of the festival. His heart was pounding while fury flowed through his veins. He'd never imagined that his mother would show up in Keating Hollow or at the festival. But more importantly, why? To confront him directly? If so, then why hadn't she done so already? Had she just arrived before the show?

He glanced around the parking lot but didn't see anyone who looked like his mother. Frustrated, he walked back in, intending to go find Sadie, but stopped in his tracks when he spotted a group of his dedicated fans. He had to find a way to get around them before they noticed him. King took a couple of steps back, thinking he'd go the long way around back to the tent, but then he heard one of them squeal, "It's King! He's right there."

He spun and ran out the entrance then took a sharp right into a residential area. When he was sure the groupies weren't following him anymore, he took out his phone and texted Sadie. On my way back there. Meet me at the Jeep.

It took King almost a half hour to walk all the way back to where his car was parked, and he was relieved to find Sadie standing next to his Jeep, staring at her phone. She looked up, startled as if she hadn't heard him. "There you are. Did you find her?"

Shaking his head, he walked over and kissed her temple. "Come on. I'm more than ready to be home."

"Same." Once they were both in, he slammed the Jeep into reverse and sped out of there just as the group of fans showed up, their camera phones raised as they filmed him leaving.

"My goddess, don't they ever give up?" Sadie said and turned around in her seat, staring at them.

"Unfortunately, no. Do you think there's some sort of spell we can get that's a fan repellent?" he asked.

Sadie snorted her amusement. "I'd buy a case." Then she sobered. "I hate that they make it so difficult for you."

"Yeah. It's not the pleasant side of this industry. Usually it's not this bad, but this group seems to be determined."

"Maybe you can talk to Drew and see if there's something that can be done. Harassment charges or something," she said.

He nodded, but his mind had already moved on from the groupies. He couldn't stop thinking about what his mother was going to do next.

"Are you sure that was your mother?" Sadie asked.

"I'm positive," he said definitively.

Sadie was silent until they pulled into the driveway of Brigg's house. As King pulled in next to Brigg's SUV, she said, "I spoke to your mother before the show."

"What?" King asked as he slammed on the brakes, making the Jeep jerk to a stop. "Why? When? What did she say?"

"I didn't know it was her. She told me her name was Cin and that she had a press pass because she has a popular TikTok account for music."

"Her name is Cindy, so that tracks," he said bitterly. "But a TikTok channel?" He snorted. "That has to be a lie. If she did, she'd certainly use me for clout, and I'd have heard about it by now." He narrowed his eyes at Sadie. "What did she want?"

"She asked me how I was discovered and how I ended up singing with you. I just told her that I knew Austin and he put us together. That's it."

King ran his hands through his hair and let out a frustrated growl. Then without a word, he got out of the Jeep and headed up to the house.

Sadie hurried after him. "I'm sorry, King. I had no idea who she was, or I would have warned you."

"I know," he said. "You don't need to apologize." He was so in his head that he didn't even notice the envelope taped to the front door until Sadie said, "There's a letter for you."

"What?"

She pointed to the door. "Look."

Right there in front of him was an envelope with the name Kevin scrawled across the front. There was no mistaking the handwriting. It was his mother's. She'd been there, so not only was she at the show, but she now knew where he was living.

"Dammit!" He ripped the envelope off the door and stomped in.

Briggs was sitting on the couch in his sweats, eating straight out of an ice cream container, looking like he was coming down from a bender. His hair was wet, indicating he'd taken a shower, but his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like he hadn't slept in a week.

"What happened to you?" King asked as he studied the letter in his hands.

"No idea," Briggs said. "One minute I was fine, ready to spend the night in bed with a hottie, and the next I felt like I'd had the crap kicked out of me. So keep your distance. I probably have a bug or something."

"Was that hottie Melissa?" Sadie asked, her tone amused.

"As a matter of fact, it was. But then she wasn't feeling so hot either, so I dropped her off at the inn where she's staying until her plumbing is finished, and then I came home."

"She's staying at the inn?" Sadie asked. "I thought her house was supposed to be done already." She pulled out her phone and started tapping on the screen while Cosmo pawed at her leg. Glancing down at her dog, she said, "Come on, Cosmo. I'll take you out while we call Auntie Melissa."

Once Sadie was gone, King sank into a chair and studied the outside of the envelope. Then he looked up. "Was this on the door when you got here?"

Briggs squinted at the envelope. "No. I don't think so."

"How long have you been here?"

"I dunno. Fifteen minutes? Long enough to take a quick shower, change into sweats, and find my Toffee Almond Swirl."

"She must have taped it on the door when you were showering," King said.

"Who did?"

"My mother."

Brigg's eyes widened. "Cindy was here?"

King made a disgusted face as he nodded. "I saw her in the parking lot behind the tent after the show. And Sadie said she cornered her earlier, though she didn't know the woman she was talking to was my mother."

"And she left that letter on the door." Briggs shook his head. "Are you going to open it?"

"Yeah." King stared down at the envelope and then suddenly ripped it open. He scanned it and swore. Loudly.

Kevin,

I know you're upset. You've proven your point. But you can't keep ignoring your mother. Send the money you promised, and I'll make sure your girlfriend recovers from her unfortunate malady.

Mom.

"What does it say?" Briggs asked.

King handed him the letter and then fell back into the chair, staring at the ceiling, his insides boiling with pure rage. What had she done? King racked his brain for possibilities, desperately hoping that the letter was only a bluff. But in his heart, he knew it wasn't. He'd felt the magical power consuming him and Sadie when they'd been on that stage and could no longer deny the truth that was staring him in the face.

"What does this mean?" Briggs asked.

King shifted his gaze to his best friend and said, "I'm pretty sure my mother cursed Sadie."