by Bev Dulson
The biggest change had been reconnecting with her family, she and Hunter had discussed it at length but decided it was worth the risk. Now they were going to have a family of their own, she wanted her little one to have proper grandparents. So, she and Hunter had knocked on her ma’s door. At first her ma had been wary of this man her daughter had bought home until he opened his mouth and asked if there was any scouse for tea. Her ma had been overjoyed to see Jason again, they’d had to explain he was no longer called that and he went by a different name. Her Ma seemed to accept that, it helped that Magenta went by a totally different name to the Maggie Vale she once was, so it didn’t seem strange that Jason would do the same. Her ma was ecstatic at the thought of being a Nan again and started knitting straight away.
She had all her ducks in a row, so when the baby arrived all she needed to do was be with Hunter and their baby. She felt a twinge in her tummy.
Hunter had just finished the final chapter on his next book, once he got back from New York inspiration hit big time. Being held hostage would do that. He had a meeting with his publishers, said he wanted a new pen name and no big publicity. They weren’t very happy about it, he knew they wanted to cash in on him being a hit with the ladies and also being Magenta’s boyfriend. He was in a position to bargain, they wanted him more than he wanted them.
Life was good, he went to bed every night with the woman he loved and woke up next to her every morning. He wasn’t a complicated man he knew you could survive in life with a few essentials and for him that was Mags, although he knew that fairly soon that was about to change, he was about to meet his son in the not too distant future and he would do everything to protect his son just like he’d protected his mother. He knew Magenta felt the same, they were a force to be reckoned with. He couldn’t help but smile to himself, they said you should be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. He was a very happy man.
He pushed his chair back to go and find her, as he did so, he heard her call him. He found her sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery.
‘What’s up, la?’
‘Grab the hospital bag, my waters just broke.’
‘Oh Shit.’ It was happening, the biggest role of his life, the one he’d had no training for was about to start. He helped her up and grinned at her. ‘Mizz Valentina, you’re on in five, it’s showtime.’
Trina had settled well into her new role at Logan International Music and was loving keeping Logan organised. The kids had settled well too. They had finished the last few weeks of term in England, then come over to New York for the summer, they’d taken to city living like ducks to water with Dean Junior declaring that New York was just like Liverpool only taller. They were now loving their adventures at an American school which she’d enrolled them in for a full academic year. After that she’d make a decision as to whether it was NYC or back home to Liverpool. Either way she had this city to thank for giving her a new lease of life, it had gotten under her skin. She loved walking along the high line in the sunshine, sometimes with Johnny, if he was in town, sometimes on her own, sometimes with the kids and sometimes with the new friends she was making.
On her first day in the office there had been a delivery for her, it was a kettle, from Johnny. It made her laugh and also made a decent cup of tea. Her feelings for Johnny were still all over the place. He had awakened something in her, she couldn’t deny that, she enjoyed his company, she liked who she was when she was with him, she was more care free. She just didn’t want to fall in love with a rock star. She had been honest with him and although they were still ‘hooking up’ as he called it, it was on her terms. In fact that’s what she was doing now as she looked at Broken Arrow’s schedule on her PC. She was highlighting certain tour dates in red. When Johnny got the schedule, he’d know they were the cities she’d be accompanying Logan and wouldn’t be booking a hotel room for herself. She double checked the tour schedule again, Boston was the first date highlighted in red, The Four Seasons hotel. They had a suite booked, she was fairly sure they’d make use of the complimentary ‘intimacy kit’ provided. Just the thought of that made her blush, Johnny had certainly brought out her wilder side. She told him she didn’t expect anything from him, she couldn’t say to him that she couldn’t commit completely and expect him to be committed to her. The weird thing was, there hadn’t been any Johnny Kidd cockstar stories on social media for ages and as for the lyrics of his new song, well, she knew it was for her. Maybe one day she’d jump fully in to a relationship with him, but for now, she needed to heal. Her divorce had been finalised thanks to Justine Clayton getting it through in record time. Dean wanted nothing to do with her, which was fine by her, but his rejection of the kids was tough to take. If there was one thing New York had taught her, it was to expect the unexpected and be a little braver. She was loving the version of herself she’d become. She had Magenta to thank for this opportunity, she was missing her best friend, but she had a flight on standby ready for a flying visit to see Magenta and Hunter when their new addition arrived.
Logan popped his head around the door. ‘Hey T. Great news, the boys are straight in at number one. That boy has been like a dream to manage the last few months. I don’t know what you’ve done to keep Johnny on his toes but keep doing it.
She smiled as she stood up to flick the kettle on. ‘I’ll try, boss.’
Broken Arrow’s tour schedule had just come through and Johnny was counting down the days until the night in Boston, 11 days until he saw his girl. Man, she had done a number on him, simultaneously broken his heart and also had him like some love sick teenager. He was no longer interested in groupies, sex in store cupboards, he was well and truly in love she was like a drug to him and their hook ups were his next fix. He got it, he really did, she didn’t want to rush things and like he’d said to her, he would wait, he would wait as long as it fuckin’ took despite how much it hurt because he finally knew what love felt like and he was not going to let it go. He’d give it all up for her, the fame, the fortune and he’d told her that, she’d laughed, that melodic scouse laugh and told him not to be soft, whatever that meant. She told him she didn’t need him to change or to stop doing what he loved, she just needed him to be him. Nobody had ever made him feel like she did. He was performing his new song tonight on the James Corden show, the band was back in L.A. for a few weeks, he’d be unveiling his new tattoo as he sang his heart out. It was a letter T in calligraphy style just on his left pec on his chest. He knew she’d be watching and he knew that she knew that every word of ‘knight in battered armour’ was for her.
Logan was happy continuing to run his empire, Broken Arrow were his top act. Roxie was a rising star and even with Magenta taking some time off, her back catalogue was more than enough to keep the money rolling in, plus she’d been writing Roxie’s tracks on her debut album. That was before he got to all the other acts that kept LMI ticking over and having Trina onboard as his PA made him more productive than ever, that girl was amazing.
Fly and Roxie were the couple of the year, trending all over social media, on every page of ever magazine and newspaper, in online articles daily, they were the couple everyone aspired to be, largely helped by Juke who made sure she never but a foot wrong in the style stakes. She was this glamorous new pop star who had managed to tame the once wild Fly MacFly and he was still in one of the biggest bands on the planet. They broke the internet the day they emerged from a Las Vegas chapel, married by Elvis in a complete rock star wedding. Juke was not impressed, that was not the wedding he would’ve planned for the two of them.
Max made good on his promise to head back to L.A. and end his vendetta against Magenta. Being kidnapped had shaken him, but what had shaken him more was the bitterness in Travis, he had carried that with him his whole life and it had gotten him killed. Hunter had been right in the basement when he’d told him to go and live his life. Hunter had managed to reinvent himself, he could do the same. He stood outside UCLA, ready for his first day as a criminology stu
dent. He chuckled to himself, if Magenta could see him now, she really wouldn’t be able to believe her eyes. That time in the basement had changed him, he wanted to understand what made people commit the crimes they did. The Travis case intrigued him, he wanted to understand the full story.
Erika’s case was tried and she was given a twelve month prison sentence. She knew Max was the real mastermind behind her predicament. She has a lot of time in her cell to plot her revenge.
SIX MONTHS EARLIER: The day Hunter regained consciousness
Romeo made his way into the nondescript office and headed to the third floor and to a small office at the end of the landing, he was met by two men in suits sitting behind a desk, a file on the desk stamped with classified. He entered and sat down opposite the men.
‘Well agent, you handled that assignment very well,’ suit number one spoke.
Romeo nodded.
‘You neutralised the threat against Mr Cole and I especially liked how your weapon of choice was Magenta Valentina, making it look like a robbery gone wrong, nothing to investigate further.’
‘I knew once she knew where Hunter Cole was, she’d defy any orders of not following, love is a strong weapon.’
Suit number two opened the file, a picture of Bobby Travis was on the top. He picked up a stamp and placed it over the picture the word deceased appeared. ‘We knew once that book came out that Hunter Cole had compromised himself, we’ve been keeping an eye on the Travis boy ever since. Hunter Cole must be kept safe at all costs, we trained him, we’ve let him have his freedom but we never know when we will need to utilise him again. Dismissed agent, until next time.’
Romeo stood up and left the office, back out on the street he took out his phone and opened up WhatsApp, clicking on the group set up by Trina he removed himself from the group.
THE END
About the Author
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A Novella – featuring cameos from Love Overboard
