by C. C. Piper
I glared at him. “Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?”
“How I really feel is worried, bro. You’ve been burying yourself in this dreary-ass game. You’re not taking care of yourself. You’re wearing the same clothes you were yesterday. Stop letting Hannah do this to you.”
“Han—” I couldn’t speak the name. Not aloud. “That woman was just a pawn. The one who used her against me is the one I want to…” What did I want to do to Jack Brisbane? I didn’t even know other than some vague form of revenge, something that would hurt him where it counted most.
“Look, I know you’re upset with Brisbane—”
“Upset?” I interrupted him, incensed not at Kit but at the situation. “That man is responsible for stealing so much from me, and I’m not even sure if I’m going to be able to make it right. If he gets off scot-free from this lawsuit, that’ll mean he took my ideas, a decent chunk of my revenue, and my future away with no penalty whatsoever.”
“You don’t know that’s the way this’ll go.”
“Barry called me earlier today.” Barry Rebinski was my attorney. “He’s encouraging me to settle because the evidence is mostly circumstantial. He doesn’t think we can win.”
“If you settle, that’ll mean…”
“It’ll mean I’ll lose my proprietary rights to my own programming and hardware, and the amount of money I’ll receive in return will be a pittance in comparison. Not that I care about the money as much.”
Kit scrubbed a hand down his face, seemingly dismayed at this news. I’d gone from dismayed to livid and back again about ten times since I’d heard. I didn’t know what to do, what other recourse I had. One thing I knew for sure was that I couldn’t just take the settlement and walk away. That felt too much like surrendering. Too much like losing. I couldn’t lose. Not after all this. My best friend took a deep breath, studying me.
“Okay, go home and get some rest. I’m going to take you someplace tomorrow.”
He was trying to make me feel better by offering to take me somewhere, but I knew that wouldn’t be enough. “Going out isn’t going to make any—”
“Trust me,” he cut me off. “You need to go with me this time. I’m going to make an appointment with someone who can help with this.”
“Whatever it is, it won’t work,” I told him. I’d already gone down every legal road I could.
Locking gazes with me, Kit spoke with a severity that told me to take him at his word. “This will be different. It’ll be expensive, but this will work. Meet me at my place before dawn tomorrow morning.”
And with that, he stepped over the threshold and disappeared.
3
Rachel
Since hitting the legal drinking age a month ago, I hadn’t been to any clubs, but I’d always been interested in seeing what all the fuss was about. Alicia, being six months my senior, had been going off and on, though I was pretty sure she’d started long before her twenty-first birthday. Being a rock goddess destined to take the world by storm had its privileges.
As we entered the club, the music resonated as a bone-deep pulse, I could feel it throbbing from the floor up into my feet and against my skin. The surrounding environment stayed shadowy and dark, while flashes of laser beams shot through the enormous room, lighting it intermittently. It gave the place an otherworldly feel.
As always when under the influence of rhythmic beats, my hands itched to grab Madison and play. The genre of music didn’t matter, it was in my blood. The crush of bodies made it difficult to traverse the dance floor, but Drew and I finally made it, spotting Alicia as she held court by the neon green of the bar.
“Hey, girls and boys!” Alicia yelled as we approached, her smile so broad it split her face in two. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, making me realize she’d already imbibed a few. The bracelets on her wrists and ankles tinkled whenever there was enough of a break in the thumping melody to hear them. “Glad you made it.”
“How’d your video shoot go?” I asked her, having to raise my voice to a shout to be heard.
“It was good. By the last go around, we nailed it. We’ll shoot the final version sometime this coming week. Then, this summer, it’ll be time to tour. You two should come with me! You’d both have so much fun. It’d get you out of your city ruts for a while.”
“That would be fabulous,” I said, but I didn’t know if I’d go or not. Summers were the only time I could prepare for auditions. Since any orchestral commitments would have to be temporary, those few short months were my only reprieve from preparing to take the reins at Brisbane Industries. I still hoped to at least keep music as an active hobby if nothing else.
“I’d love to have a break from the parents for a bit, but it’s up to you, Rach. I’ll go if you do,” Drew said, his eyes on mine. From behind him, an extremely buff guy with a nose ring kept trying to get his attention. I almost nodded in the guy’s direction, but it was unnecessary. The number of activities on my brother’s social calendar far outstripped mine.
“We’ll see.”
From across the room, I saw the unwelcome sight of my one and only ex, Carlyle Rothschild. Despite not having seen him in two years, I could recognize him anywhere. The sun-streaked, dark blond hair worn a little long. His tall but slight build and impeccable attire. His handsome profile.
Our families had intermingled off and on when we were younger, and he’d been one of many peers present for my Sweet Sixteen. He’d been dashing and eloquent, flirtatious and charming. We’d gone out for the better part of three years. It hadn’t been serious for the longest time, which should’ve alerted my suspicions but didn’t.
Once our relationship evolved into something more mature, he’d become my first heated kiss and the first man to ever touch me sexually. I’d given him my virginity shortly after my eighteenth birthday, an event that had been so disappointing we only ever had sex a handful of times after that.
A huge red flag.
It was only when I found him attempting to peek in on Drew while he was in the shower one day that comprehension dawned. Carlyle was closeted. He hadn’t gone out with me for me, he’d gone out with me in order to reach my brother, a guy who’d been openly gay since puberty. Once I’d found out, I ended things and explained everything to Drew, who’d never been interested in Carlyle. He’d told me he suspected something wasn’t as it should be with my boyfriend, but because we’d seemed happy, he hadn’t brought it up. My brother, ever the protector, hadn’t wanted to see me hurt. I understood.
What I didn’t understand was how I could look at my ex now and feel like I’d been punched in the stomach. What did it matter if he was here? Why should it bother me after all this time?
For a while, I’d stalked him on social media. I needed to see if he’d come out to the public, if he’d make his real self known. But nothing much had changed, and once a year had passed, I’d let it go. I concentrated on my studies and on my music. On the battlefield of romance, I’d not only lost, I’d crashed and burned. And whether with Carlyle or anyone else, I was in no mood for a rematch.
Throwing back my drink, I pretended not to notice my ex. Alicia, in the middle of one of her crazy stories, gesticulated with her flawlessly manicured fingers. “So I found Sheila and Daniel right there on the bus, going at it like a pair of wild animals…” she said, chortling raucously as she talked about the drummer and bass guitar player from her band.
“What? Like full on?” Drew asked, his mouth quirked upwards in amusement. I wondered if his grin came from her story or from her inebriated behavior.
“Yep. They were both butt naked, right there on the tour bus. They didn’t even lock the door! That’s how we all found them,” Alicia went on.
“You weren’t alone when you walked in?” I asked, concentrating on her every word, my back purposely to Carlyle.
“No, had Victoria and Kendra with me,” she said, mentioning the names of her two backup singers. “They didn’t stop until I dropped my phone
, then they bounced apart like they’d been tasered.”
The three of us laughed together, but I couldn’t help twisting around to take one last peek. My brother didn’t miss this and glanced behind me. It took less than a second for him to spot my quarry.
“Son of a bitch.”
“It’s fine,” I told him, and he sighed.
“I could take care of this for you.”
“What are you going to do? Go over there and pummel him into the floor? It’s been over for a long time, D.B., I’m fine.” Now, if I could make myself believe that.
“If you say so,” he muttered.
Alicia took in the exchange, her carefree attitude rapidly dissolving. Seeming more sober, she tactfully changed the subject. “Tell me about school, guys.”
“Not much to tell,” I said, shrugging. “I’m being a good little girl and taking my accounting, marketing and ethics classes while secretly, all I’m thinking about is the new song I want to try on Madison. Call me crazy.”
“Crazy,” Alicia and Drew both said in harmony.
“What about you, Drew? You gonna pull a Rachel and be the other dutiful child?”
Frowning, he paused as if considering, letting any humor fade. “I’m still undecided.”
“But you’re going to graduate with your bachelor’s in the spring.”
“True.”
“You two know you can do whatever you want, right? That these are your lives and not your mom and dad’s?”
“You don’t understand, Alicia,” I began, but we’d had the same argument many times. Because her parents had been wealthy but divorced, they’d both gone out of their way to please her. Anything she wanted, she got, and not just of the material variety. They supported every decision she made, allowed her to have dreams and pursue them.
Drew and I were dealing with a completely different situation. We had a recognizable last name, and due to this, we felt it necessary to toe the line to a certain extent. Some kids from affluent families were known specifically for going out and partying all the time, but Drew and I had been more cautious. The Brisbane legacy was important to our parents, as were their reputations. Even though we’d been given everything money could buy, Mom and Dad had still drilled it into us that we had a responsibility not to embarrass them.
“Oh, come on with the blah, blah, yadda, yadda. You’re adults with your own destinies! I’m not saying your parents wouldn’t be pissed, but they’d eventually have to come to terms with it and let you live your own lives. Besides, they’d have to forgive you at some point.”
“I’m not sure they’d forgive us at all,” I told her, casting a glance at Drew for confirmation, but he didn’t nod. Instead, he swirled his drink in his tumbler, staring into its depths before swallowing it down.
“Maybe.” He sounded kind of put out. “You know, Alicia’s right. They’ve been steering us away from what we want to do ever since we were toddlers. Anything that doesn’t reflect on them the way they want it to, they block us from doing. I say enough of that. Let’s make a pact, Rach, right here. We’ll make our feelings known about the direction we want our lives to take, and if they have a problem with it, we’ll just do it anyway. What do you say?”
I goggled at him. We’d never stood up to our parents that way. Not once. Of course, much of what he’d said probably came from his drink more than anything else.
“You know that’s too much for her, don’t you?” Alicia spoke up, aiming her words at my brother. “The only way she’s going to agree to that is if she’s hammered. Besides, we came here to have fun and celebrate, and that’s what we’re gonna do. Bartender, a round of shots, please. And keep them coming,” she ordered, taking her shot as soon as it arrived and knocking it back.
Drew did the same, then looked at me. It was a dare, no question. I rarely if ever let loose like this, but for once, I didn’t want to worry about what anyone else thought. I wanted to let my hair down and be free. I took the last shot and followed their examples, nearly choking as the tequila burned down my throat like fire. Or battery acid.
The next one didn’t burn as badly, though, and by the third, it didn’t burn one bit. Instead, everything became floaty and nebulous. It was a lovely feeling. Another shot continued this euphoria, and then the three of us were out in the middle of the dance floor without a care in the world.
I did the bump and grind with my best friend and Gangnam Style with my twin and Alicia both. The night went by in a flurry of loud beats, neon flashes, crushing bodies, laughter, and alcohol. I’d never felt lighter. We took selfies together, laughed way louder than usual, and generally had a raucous evening. By the time we all fell into a taxi in the wee hours of the morning, I felt exhausted and a bit high. But it’d all been worth it. It’d been the kind of celebration I’d never before indulged in, and now I wondered why.
The cab dropped Alicia off first, then drove Drew and I to the condo we shared along the Magnificent Mile. My brother helped me into the elevator as I giggled like a twelve-year-old.
“Have a good time, Rach?”
“Such a good time,” I said, still having to hold onto his arm to stay upright as he led me to my bed. I fell into it, rolling up under the comforter fully dressed. He pulled off my heels one by one before he pulled my door closed.
“I’m glad. ‘Night.”
4
Christoff
I was on my way to Kit’s, grumpy from tossing and turning all night, when I saw an elderly man, likely homeless from the raggedy nature of his clothing, reading a newspaper at a bus stop. The sky was still black, and he shifted under the streetlamp as I went by, the rustling sound of the stiff pages rubbing against each other audible in the relative quiet before rush hour. I took only the most fleeting of glances in his direction when a flash of color caught my attention.
He’d rearranged the paper so that the social page was on the outside, a large graphic of three young people filling the uppermost section. The headline read, “POP SENSATION ALICIA TRAINER SEEN WITH BRISBANE TWINS AT EXCLUSIVE VIP CLUB.”
“Hey, can I see that?” I asked the man. He shot me a nasty look, completely toothless, and I backpedaled. “I mean, may I buy it from you?” I pulled out a crisp hundred, offering it to him. He snatched the bill out of my grip so fast he almost tore it in half.
I took the paper and studied the picture more closely. Printed in color, the photograph showcased its subjects in a less than flattering light. All of them, especially the two women, appeared to be drunk. I’d heard of Alicia Trainer. She’d had a number of Top Forty hits over the past couple of years. But Ms. Trainer wasn’t who I was interested in. I read the short article underneath, the name Brisbane launching out at me like a jack-in-the-box.
These were the fraternal twins of Jack Brisbane. Though they looked to be in their early twenties, they were still his children. His blood. The son was dressed in a pink Oxford-style dress shirt and dark slacks while the daughter wore a short, bright blue cocktail dress covered in sequins. What stood out even more than the dress was the brassiness of her red hair. Still, that spangly little number probably cost more than a lot of people’s monthly salary, and the girl seemed perfectly fine with making a spectacle of herself.
I imagined how her life must be. Pampered. Privileged. Likely spoiled. Born with a silver spoon in her mouth and everything provided to her on a platter. All because her father was willing to rob his competitors blind instead of conducting himself with even the most minimal of ethical codes. The longer I thought about Jack Brisbane, the more I loathed him.
How dare he do this to me? To my own unique creation? And what would stop him from doing it again? Why even bother to move forward with my business if this asshole was going to come along and steal all my developments right out from under me and get away with it? I’d unwittingly lined his pockets, and if I didn’t act now, it could happen a second time. Or maybe even a third.
And that was something I refused to stomach.
Wadding up the p
aper in my fist, I hurried forward to Kit’s home, throwing all of it into a recycle bin except for the page I needed. Folding it up and tucking the page into my pocket, I hit my friend’s doorbell. He let me in, and once in his living room, I paced back and forth like a caged tiger. Kit watched me, his expression hardening, as if coming to a resolution.
“Ready to do something about this, once and for all?”
Feeling like I could spit nails, I nodded.
Hopping in his car, we drove out of Chicago and toward the suburb of Naperville. I watched as the urban environment morphed into an area dotted with single-family homes and residences. Kit continued onto Clarendon Hills, a small town of less than nine thousand people. Here, the tree-lined streets were just beginning to display the change of seasons, with spots of color popping up here and there among the branches and shrubbery.
Did the person who could have some type of solution live nearby?
Up until that moment, I’d been caught up in the indignity of my situation, and seeing the picture of Brisbane’s spoiled brats didn’t exactly ease my tension any. But now, I realized we were on some errand to seek assistance, and I didn’t know anything about who this person was or what they might be able to do.
“So, tell me about whoever this is.”
Kit kept his eyes on the road. “You remember that time I went with Robert to Bermuda last year?”
“Yes.” Robert was Kit’s brother from his father’s first marriage. He was a full decade older than us and led his own life in Pittsburgh. He didn’t hang out with Kit when I was around, so I didn’t know much about him.
“At one point, I got into a bit of trouble. There’d been this party at a beach house we went to, and when I stepped outside for some fresh air, I saw these two guys beating up someone.” He paled. “They weren’t going to stop, I could tell. The guy was already bloody, and I was afraid they might beat him to death.”
