Hollywood Rebel by Misti Murphy

Chapter Thirty-Five

 

Rebel

“You are one lucky son of a gun.”

My lawyer shuts the door to the room we’re meeting in before I’m arraigned. He slides his briefcase onto the metal surface and pops the lid open before pulling out his notepad and one of those envelopes made of bubble wrap.

“I’m not feeling so lucky.” I’ve spent my weekend in a cell, thinking about Summer and how hurt she looked when I told her we were over. And how I’m never going to get to hold her in my arms again.

And of course there’s a good chance the next few months—or possibly years—will be spent behind bars in a small cell where my time will be micromanaged for me.

Any good will and providence that Summer and I created is more than likely non-existent at this point. My career on the screen is probably in the past too.

I really screwed up.

But the only thing that matters is if I’m behind bars then I need to do whatever it takes to keep Hawthorne from following through with his threats. If that means I have to pretend like Summer isn’t my whole damn world, so be it.

“This is your saving grace.” Sitting down, he opens the envelope and pulls out a recording device.

“What is that?” I stare at the object like it’s completely foreign to me, even though I know what a transcribing device is. I just don’t know what it has to do with me.

“Evidence,” he says. “Any clue who might want to bail you out of trouble?”

“Someone wants to help me?” Other than my brothers and Summer and a few select friends I can’t imagine anyone would come to my rescue. And my siblings would have told me if one of our posse had something that could get me out of this bind. 

“It seems you have a guardian angel,” he says. “And in light of what is on this recording the prosecutor agreed to a minimal deal.”

“What?” A buzz starts in my chest. My shoulders straighten.

“You’ll agree to thirty days of house arrest,” he says as he sets up the device to play.

The recording stops. “That’s—”

“Evidence.” Jason grins. “The device was sent anonymously. I have no clue how they got close enough to get this information, but the conversation is clearly between you and Alec. It’s apparent that he was trying to provoke you. And while we can’t get you off without any charges, this evidence is a mitigating factor.”

“So I’m…” A grin tugs up the corners of my mouth. “Going home?”

“Just as soon as the paperwork is finished.” He checks his watch. “And they’ve fitted you with your new accessory. I should call your brothers and tell them the good news.”

“Has Alec heard it? Can I get a copy?” I ask as he packs the device back into his briefcase. His threats won’t land him in trouble with the law, but the fact that we have them recorded might be enough to keep him from pursuing his bullshit exclusive.

“He has.” Jason stands and picks up the leather case. He squeezes my shoulder. “And I sent a digital copy to Rogue to give to your publicist. It shouldn’t be long before we can get you home.”

***

“I think that ankle monitor makes your ankle look fat,” Rogue tells me as he directs the Jeep through traffic.

I shake my head.

“What? Too soon?” He flutters his eyelashes like he’s innocent.

“Too soon,” Riot says.

I’m still coming to terms with the fact that I’m on my way home. Sure, I’m grounded for the next thirty days, outside of shooting at the studio, but it’s not a prison cell. I have ESPN on my TV and beer in my fridge. It’s not everything I want. It’s not even remotely what I want, because I don’t have Summer, but it’s something. “I still can’t believe some random person managed to record my conversation with Hawthorne.”

“It’s weird.” Riot clamps his hand on the back of my seat and sits forward so that he’s half in the front with us. “Any idea who it could be?”

“None.”

Rogue adjusts his shades, pushing them up his nose. “Whoever it is must be on our side though, right? Otherwise why would they send the recording to Jason?”

“I guess.” I hold onto the oh shit bar as he squeezes the firecracker red jeep between a black Tesla and a white Lamborghini. I don’t like not knowing who it is. Why be anonymous?

“I don’t like it,” Riot says like he’s reading my mind.

“Do you think we’ll ever find out?” Rogue asks when we finally turn into my long driveway.

“I don’t know.”

“Does it really matter?” Rogue hums to himself.

“It does if they’re a stalker.” Riot grabs hold of the roll bar above and swings himself over the side as Rogue turns off the engine.

“That’s awfully pessimistic.” Rogue frowns.

“Hey, Dog.” I crouch down to greet the canine with a scratch behind his ear. His sides heave and he groans with contentment. His tail thumps once, twice. Who cares who my angel is? The only reason I want to know is to thank them, since every other witness was on Hawthorne’s side.

“He’s been moping all weekend,” Rogue says.

“I’m glad to see you too, bud,” I admit. Quietly. So my brothers don’t hear.

Riot heads inside.

I stand and brush my hands on the pants of my suit, which was what I was wearing when I was arrested. I could use a change of clothes and a hot shower and takeout from my favorite sushi place. But none of that makes me rush toward the door.

“What are you thinking?” My twin stands next to me. Hands buried in his pockets.

“That when I walk through that door and Summer isn’t here it’s all going to be real. This is my life. Without her.”

“There are things I should tell you.” Rogue runs his thumb across his top lip.

“What things?”

“Things that are going to make you angry. And some that won’t so much.”

“What?” I growl. Tension has my shoulders climbing closer to my ears.

“Riot and Summer talked to Ro. Don’t blame Summer,” he quickly adds. “It was a group decision. It’s been over a year. Ro isn’t getting better. Alec is escalating. And if there was any chance we could keep you from going away again, we had to take it.”

“That’s…” It’s a relief actually. As much as I wanted to keep my promise to Ro and protect her it hasn’t helped her at all. And it’s taking a toll on my life that I’m not prepared to pay anymore. I’ve lost Ro as a friend. But more than that I’ve lost Summer because of it. “Did she agree?”

His shoulders droop and he shakes his head. “Summer told her about what she went through.”

“Shit,” I whisper.

“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting it when Riot filled me in. She always seems so strong.”

“That’s because she is.” But if I could wrap her up in my arms and keep her safe from the world I would damn well hold her so tight nothing could touch her. If only she would have let me get that close.

“Well, Summer left Marty’s card. And her own. Told Ro she’d be with her every step of the way if she changed her mind.”

I snort softly under my breath. “Of course she did.”

“Who knows. Maybe Ro just needs a little more time,” Rogue says. “Or maybe Alec will slip up and we’ll find another way to expose him.”

I hope so. With the recording we’ve at least reached a stalemate.

“Burke’s still here,” Rogue continues.

“Does he want to kill me?”

“A little.” My brother smiles. “He’s still here because Summer is going home to Devil’s Bend, but she wouldn’t leave until she’d exhausted every possible chance to help you.”

Because that’s how my beautiful girl is. Stubborn. So very stubborn. “Is she here?”

“Why?” He side-eyes me. “Do you want to freak out again and run away? Because house arrest means you can’t leave the property.”

“Funny.” My heart catches in my throat as the front door opens and Summer appears at the top of the steps. She’s carrying her laptop bag over her shoulder and an overnight bag in one hand. Burke’s behind her with his canvas duffel.

Her green eyes turn my way. Her lips part.

There is a pain in my chest that mirrors the look in her eyes. It makes me think I’ll never get over her. I’m drawn to her anyway. Find myself waiting for her at the bottom of the steps.

“Hey.” She starts to lift an arm and then drops it. Her smile turns down in the corners.

“Hey.” How lame am I? That all I can say to the woman I love is hey.

“I should put this stuff in the truck.” She moves to sidestep me.

And I let her. I fucking let her walk around me like we’re nothing to each other when we both know it’s not true. She wouldn’t still be here if that were true.

“Glad you got to come home,” Burke mutters as he follows in Summer’s wake. He trudges after her down the steps and across the driveway to the green beast of a truck where he takes her bags and tosses them in the back of the cab.

And I stand here like an idiot watching her leave me. Wanting to tell her to stay.

“What are you doing?” Rogue hisses at me.

“Alec is still a problem.” Unless Ro decides to come forward, the only thing we have on him is that mystery recording. It’s not enough for me to keep her close. I want her as far away from that creep as possible.

“You’re an idiot.” He rolls his eyes and covertly flexes his biceps. “Have you seen these guns?”

“You’re not doing anything stupid.”

“Do you think you have the market cornered on that?” He rolls his gaze again. “Because that girl is ours. She’s part of us now. You might be the one she’s in love with but she’s like a sister to me and Riot. He and I will protect her when you can’t. Just don’t let her go.”

“Do you think I want to?” The last thing I want is to see her leave. But after what happened between us, after what I said to her I can’t imagine there is anything I could say that would keep her here. “She’s always held me at a distance.”

Two doors slam, but all five of us are still standing in my damn driveway. Burke hangs his head as he marches over to us. He holds his hand out to me.

I take it perfunctorily.

He squeezes until my knuckles crack. He wants to murder me for hurting his sister. As though I don’t wish things were different. “Thank you for letting me stay with you all these weeks.”

“My brother from another mother.” Rogue throws his arms around Burke. “Forget my dumbass brother. You’re my family.”

“Just remember to come visit us in Devil’s Bend. We’ll show you a fun time. And you can check out our country girls. You might end up wanting to stay.”

“I’m in on that action. We’ll go UFO sighting,” Riot says as he bypasses us for Summer. He picks her up off her feet and spins her around. “I’m going to miss you, Little.”

“Don’t you start.” She slaps his arm when he gives her a cheeky grin.

They walk across the gravel together to join us.

“Well.” Her eyes are wet and bright as she stuffs her hands in the back pockets of her denim shorts. Her gaze sticks to mine like glue for a moment and then it’s gone all too soon.

“Forget about him.” Rogue pushes his palm into my face, knocking me back as he steps between us. “I’m totally available. You wanna be a Maddox. I’ll make you a Maddox.”

She hugs him tight. “I’ll miss you too.”

And then there is just us left to say goodbye.

“We should take Dog for one last walk together,” Rogue says to Burke as they give us some privacy. Riot ambles after them.

“I have so much I want to say to you,” she says.

“I bet.” I reach for one of those springy tresses that hangs loosely over her shoulder. Find myself carefully tucking it behind her ear. “Does it start with how much of an asshole I am?”

She smiles. Tries to smile. It disappears as quickly as it appears. “I’m glad you’re home. Your contract with Copper Rock is still good and the same with the studio. Your social media has been going nuts since we released that recording this morning. I don’t think Alec will come after you publicly for a while. Or Rochelle. You should have told me what he said.”

“I didn’t want you to worry.” I hadn’t wanted her to feel the fear I did at the idea of him hurting her. And then I’d thought I’d be too far away to protect her.

“Do you think some jackass is going to scare me so easily?”

I almost smile at the reminder of our early days together. I was the biggest jackass, but she’s still here.

She turns her attention in the direction the others went. Swallows. “You should go online and make a statement. Post it on all your accounts.”

“I can’t do this social media thing without you,” I admit.

“You fired me,” she reminds me. “I can’t stay and be your publicist anyway. It would be too difficult right now. But Bernadette has offered to take you on as a client.”

“Okay.” We’re talking like strangers. It’s awkward. I hate it.

She nods once and turns on her heel to head toward the car. Stops mid-stride. Her shoulders droop and then rise as she straightens. Spinning around she points her finger at me as she closes the distance between us. “And another thing.”

I smile at the fire in her eyes. She doesn’t back down and she never surrenders. How could I lose sight of something so fundamental? “Yeah?”

“You could have trusted me. You have to know that.”

“I lost my cool,” I agree.

“No.” She puffs up her cheeks like a squirrel storing nuts. Runs her tongue along her teeth. Takes another step toward me. And then another.

“I didn’t give you anything to trust in. I kept my guard up. I tried so freaking hard not to fall in love with you. I made every excuse why we couldn’t have a future. I told myself being vulnerable was weakness. But I fell in love with you anyway. If I’d let you in, then…” She throws her arms out to the side and lets them hit her hips. “Maybe none of this weekend would have happened. And you wouldn’t be on house arrest. And maybe we could have made this work.”

“And maybe I would have fucked it up anyway,” I shoot back. Maybe I will fuck it up. But not today. Rogue is right. We’re better with her here in the middle of us. I’m better with her.

“Probably,” she says. “You’re too impulsive. And you’re rude. You sometimes drink too much and you have a quick temper.”

“Thanks,” I respond sarcastically.

“But you’re also loyal and sweet and protective. You made me take risks I never would have tried without you. You pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me find real strength. And do you know what I found?”

“What did you find?” I stand there with my chest wide open and aching, listening to the craziest woman I’ve ever met give me a hell. I can’t stand the idea of letting her go. How did I possibly convince myself I didn’t need this in my life every second of every day?

“I’m stronger with you.” She sniffles and wipes at her face. “Oh shit and now I’m crying.”

“I always thought you were strong,” I say. “I just wanted you to need me a little bit too.”

“I need you.” Her voice cracks. “I do need you. I need you. To make me happy. To make me whole. I need you to love me.”

“I love you.”

“And another thing,” she continues. “I need you to remind me to live life instead of trying to control it. Do you know how bad I am at that?”

I cup her face in my hands. “I’ve got you, Red.”

She snivels and her eyelashes sweep her cheeks before her watery green eyes stare up at me again with something akin to hope. “Y-you do?”

I nod as I wipe another one of those slick droplets from her lashes. We will find a way to deal with Alec if he tries to put himself in our path again. “I love you. And I’m not letting you go.”

Her hands cover mine and a happy little sound bubbles out of her. “You’re not.”

“I need my publicist.” I smile. “And I need my girl.”

“Your girl.” She laughs.

“Yeah, kitten.” I capture her lips with mine. Taste the salt of her tears mixed with the sweet of her mouth. Inhale her perfume and the delicateness of her skin. I tip her head back and slip my tongue between her lips to meet hers.

She sighs into our kiss. Her whole body melts against mine. “You’re really not letting me go to Devil’s Bend?”

“Not yet.” I smile against her lips. “Not until I’m off house arrest and I can come with you. I think it’s time I met the rest of your brothers, don’t you?”

“Do you know what you’re in for?” She feigns absolute horror but it doesn’t keep the warmth and playfulness from shining through.

I wink at her. “I have a fair idea.”

“You’re crazy.” She leans in to drag me into another kiss.

Yeah, I might be. But whatever we face—whether that be her brothers or threats—we face it together. Head on. My world only makes sense with her in it. “Crazy in love with you.”