Creed of Redemption (S.I.N. Rock Star Trilogy #2) (16 page)

I’m almost out of the bedroom when I hear the music cranked up to ignorant levels. Paula Cole’s
Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?
What the hell? We’ve been on the road for a week now and this is the first time we’ve played any music. Then I hear her. “
I will do the laundry, if you pay all the bills,”
Lourdes sings. I’ve heard her sing once before, but shit she’s got some pipes. Her back is to me and she has one of our cordless mics up to her mouth. I’m so enthralled with her singing, it takes me a second to realize Melissa is watching my reaction from the kitchen. She isn’t seated around the living room like everybody else who’s enjoying Lourdes’s performance. I go to her and she hands me a plate of baked chicken breast and brussel sprouts.

“I cooked for you,” she says. I see the question in her eyes. “I remember you like to eat healthy. Keyser fried some chicken, but I thought I should make sure you had yours baked.” I pull her into a hug.

“It seems like our guests are doing more cooking than we are,” I joke. “Seriously, though. Thank you for looking out for me, Melissa.” I take my food over to the table and she follows me.

“So she can sing, huh?” She points toward Lourdes who is now sitting next to Xander.

“Yeah. She’s pretty good. What are they doing?”

“They’re having some sort of karaoke night. They’re drawing names. Whoever draws your name gets to pick which song you’re going to sing,” She says, explaining their little game.

“Why aren’t you playing?” I ask in between bites.

“One, I can’t sing and two, I didn’t feel like it.” I nod my understanding and some time passes before she continues.

“Do you like her?” Should have seen that one coming.

“Who?” I ask, knowing damn well where she’s going with this.

“The girl singing…Lourdes, I think is her name?”

“No. She’s Xander’s sister. He’d kick my ass.” My answer is partly true at least. Melissa rolls her eyes and shoves me lightly.

“I wouldn’t doubt that, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want to fuck her. Is she the reason you’re holding back with us?” I stop eating and give her my full attention. She needs to know I’m serious.

“Melissa, there is no
us
. I haven’t done anything with you because I don’t want you to misinterpret what’s going on here. It was great catching up last night, but you can’t just undo everything with one visit and think things are just going to resume where they left off. At this point in my life, I’m not looking to be in a relationship with anybody. I’m sorry if you got the wrong impression.” The disappointment is evident. I’m so glad I didn’t let my dick take the lead on this one. I already hurt Lourdes, and maybe even Ivy. This is a prime example of why I need to keep my shit away from people I will have to deal with regularly. Feelings get involved and it’s messy.

“No need to explain, Diesel. I get it. I gave my apology, you accepted, that’s all that I can ask for. I didn’t get on this bus to be your fuck either. I’ll be getting off once the bus stops again and getting a return plane ticket home. I wish you the best.” She goes to get up, but I put a hand over hers.

“Still friends?” I don’t want to unravel the process that we’ve made at mending things.

“Of course we are. You can’t get rid of me in your life that easily. I’ll stay in touch,” she promises.

“You better,” I warn jokingly. “Hang with me tonight. We’ll watch shit TV again in the room. Nothing more. Just enjoying each other’s company for one more night before you leave.” She agrees so I finish my dinner and bring her back to the room with me.

“Surprised you don’t still have your game,” she mentions. It’s been forever since I’ve fucking played but I do have it. I’m the only gamer out of us all, but I rarely get to play anymore.

“Just you wait.” I go to the closet and rummage through my shit until I come across my PS4 and the Tekken fighting game she used to like to play. When she sees it, she squeals and grabs it from me.

“I can’t believe you still have this. You bought this for me remember? You’re such a little thief.”

“Whatever. You ready to get your ass handed to you?” I used to always let her win. Tonight I’ll let her win sometimes. She need to get ready for my ninja moves.

“Memory serves me correctly, I was the one doing all the ass kicking.” She giggles at that. She has no idea. I’m going to have to teach her a lesson. While I set the game up, she leaves to go get us drinks. Cucumber sparkling water to be exact. I don’t really need the frou frou shit, but I’ll indulge her. We play until neither of us can keep our eyes open.

I lost track of how many times I kicked her ass, but she managed to pull out some wins here and there. She’s definitely gotten better since the last time we played. I turn off the game and pull the covers back so we can get further into the bed. She wraps her arms around me and I let her cuddle. She’s shown a different person from the girl who walked away from me. I will hold onto this memory instead of the tarnished one. With redemption, comes peace.

Diesel only came out to eat last night before he went back into the room with Melissa. I watch her cater to him with her cooking. They look so cute together. Last night I heard laughter, and what sounded like video games, coming from the room until I finally dozed off. He was never that way with me and it makes me even sadder. I realize I never had his heart the way she apparently still does. It’s time I accept the truth. Things will never be the same. He came into my life at a time when I needed someone to get through to me. I don’t know if I could have come out of my introverted shell without him. Lord knows Brooke tried. I need to be productive today and start organizing some of these notes. I grab my laptop and head to the living area. Xander and Lily are doing their own thing, as usual. Doing a cross word puzzle from what I can tell. I don’t see Gable or Sevyn and I’m guessing Diesel is still in the room with Melissa. Keyser walks into the room, coming from the front of the bus.

“Finally.” He claps his hands in excitement. “Listen up. Tonight our asses will party. Gus says we’ll be arriving in Phoenix in an hour. We’ll be staying there for a couple days so Anderson rented a mansion. He’s using his hook up to get the word out that we’re having a fucking party tonight. Only people who have gotten any ass are you and Diesel,” he says pointing at Xander.

“Settle down, Keyser. We need to find time to rehearse too. The concert is tomorrow night and we haven’t had a chance to work with Reckless Ambition on what songs we’ll bring them in on.”

“Yeah, we can do that tomorrow morning. We know our shit. Tonight, we party. We have been boring as shit. I’m ready to cut loose for a bit.” Keyser does a little dance. He’s already in party mode. “Finally,” he says again, more to himself.

“Let’s at least have a meeting. We need to discuss new songs and see if Diesel has written anymore,” Xander suggests. “Let’s go tell him we need the room.” The door opens at that moment and Diesel walks into the living area.

“Where’s my brother?” he asks looking around.

“He’s up front talking with Gus,” Keyser tells him. He fills him in on the party tonight and Xander’s request for a band meeting.

“Sure, man,” Diesel says turning to Xander. “Melissa is in the shower right now and I need to speak to my brother real quick. After that, let’s do it.” Xander gives him the thumbs up from the sofa. Diesel grabs his brother from the front and then they go into the bedroom and shut the door.

“Hey man, just wanted to hash out this plan of yours. Sorry just seems like we could never get any alone time with the concerts and old flames showing back up in my life,” I laugh. “I know you have to get back to New York tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I booked my return flight this morning. It’s was nice just to enjoy my visit with you and the guys without the weight of business on our shoulders my entire visit.”

“True,” I agree. “So what’s this plan you had?”

“Well, our father signed over his shares to me before I contacted you. The cancer has spread and it’s just a matter of time. He’s been away from the office a lot to keep people from realizing he’s sick. The board members and shareholders think he is just staying away to give me the space I need to thrive. I’m his protégé and they know he’s grooming me to take over the company.”

“So, this is a good thing. You already had your own shares is in the company so with his shares, you should have controlling interest now.” I guess I don’t understand what the problem is.

“I wish it was that simple, Diesel. Dad had fifty-one percent of the controlling shares and issued me nine percent when he brought me on. The purpose was to give us a combined sixty percent because certain decisions, especially major decisions, require a ten percent margin of a majority vote. His fifty one percent wouldn’t be enough if the other forty-nine percent opposed a proposal.” Sevyn takes a seat on the bed and the bouncing of his knee indicates he doesn’t think I’ll like what comes next.

“Just give me the bad news, Sevyn.”

“Well, I think our father went to London to offer Morgan Investments a stake in the company. If he does that, he would have to offer them my original nine percent of shares since he can’t take them from the other shareholders. I’d still have the fifty-one percent, but now if this Morgan person decides to band together with the other shareholders once our secret comes out, they win. We will be blocked from automatically bringing you onboard. We’d be at their mercy to decide your fate within the company, if at all,” he says.

“Why would Claude do that? He had to know that it was a possibility they could join forces against you.” I shake my head. Even with death at the door, he still manages to fuck me.

“He doesn’t know about our plan Diesel. He doesn’t know that I plan on giving you equal shares so we can run the company together. To him, it’s a last ditch effort to ensure that I’ll be okay—that I won’t get in over my head. I’m sure he thinks he’s giving Morgan Investments just enough shares to have an obligation to make sure that we don’t go under, while not giving them enough to have any real power.” He takes a deep breath and then blurts out his plan. “We need to come forward now.”

“What?” I yell. “Why?”

“We need to leak that he’s sick and that he may be potentially trying to bring another person on board to help run the company in his absence. That part is not true, but will get the shareholders all riled up. They’ll block the addition of any new members.”

“Don’t you already have the sixty percent of the shares right now? He hasn’t given away your original nine percent yet, has he?” I’m pacing now.

“No. I have the sixty percent controlling shares for now. Father hasn’t announced that to the board either, but we’ve already signed the necessary paperwork with his attorney.” He looks down to the floor. “I know what you’re suggesting Diesel and I can’t do it. I can’t be the person to block his request to add an additional member. That would be the ultimate betrayal after he literally handed me over his controlling interest. If we leak information about his health and his intent to bring in a foreign partner, we won’t have to get our hands dirty. I won’t have to feel the guilt—his hurt from knowing this blow came from the son he trusted. Please Diesel. I want more than anything to share this company with you, but not like this.”