by JN Welsh
Leona frowned. “What do you mean, Mitch-match?”
“He’s blaming Luke for a sour deal with some Christian Sacks dude and was on one of those gossip TV shows that Dad always watches, talking about Luke having a big ego because he had a sold out show in LA. He’s on a rampage, again.”
Leona’s fingers curled around the end of the table and Luke thought she might actually break it.
“So, Christian fired Paul?”
“Uh...yeah.” Mitchell scoffed. “Where have the two of you been?”
In misery.
“I told him to leave me alone. Now he’s attacking Luke? After all the problems he’s already caused? Why am I surprised?”
“Beats me.” Mitchell shrugged.
Luke had asked Christian to wait on producing his album. Though he was relieved for Christian, he hadn’t expected him to fire Paul and ergo create more problems for Leona and himself. Now that Christian and Paul’s connection was severed, Paul would no doubt continue to behave badly.
Heat lit Luke’s face like he’d stuck it in an oven. “I think I had something to do with that. I told Christian to wait for another producer. I didn’t think he’d fire Paul.”
“Wait, another producer? Who? You? You’re on tour.”
“No, Leona. You.”
“What?” Her voice boomed.
Luke explained Christian’s call. “I didn’t tell him it was you and I don’t know what’s happening with Tracy, but I couldn’t let Christian experience what happened to me.”
Guilt washed over Leona’s face and Luke would have preferred her wrath.
“Every time I try to fix things or hide them, it gets worse.” She played with the food on her plate.
“Then stop hiding and trying to fix everything by yourself,” Luke suggested.
“He’s right, little squirrel.” Mitchell patted her shoulder. “Perhaps it’s time to muscle up and give a little shove back of your own. Show them how we Sables get the job done, or in this case, fight back.”
Leona’s eyes slid back and forth between him and Mitchell, and then her hand floated to her left ear. She wasn’t ready.
Luke exchanged glances with her brother. “What did Paul do to you?”
Leona shook her head at her brother.
“It’s okay, Leona.” They had no more secrets between them and if he ever hoped to have her in his life again he’d have to be done hiding, too.
He explained to Mitchell that his tour manager and fiancée had cheated on him with Paul, how Paul ruined his album, and how Ivy ultimately left him to be with Paul because he was a successful producer and she saw an opportunity to further her career.
“The stealing money part was just a bonus, I guess,” Luke finished.
“So...basically that woman left you for Leona,” was Mitchell’s mic-drop moment.
Both Luke and Leona gawked at Mitchell and let his reasoning sink in.
Luke laughed first. “Well, yeah.”
“Somebody ought to tell her.” Mitchell laughed.
“Way to go, Mitchell.” Leona shook her head and frowned, yet a smile touched her lips.
“That’s some true drama right there.” Mitchell leaned back in his chair and eyed his sister with some unspoken sibling language. “Man. Sorry about that.”
“Paul did a number on Leo, too. It’s hard to trust people in this industry. You’re really lucky to have my sister. You won’t find anyone more trustworthy and caring. She’s the best at what she does, but she’s also the best person I know.”
“Mitchell...” Leona faced her brother.
“It’s the truth, Leo,” Mitchell said.
“So, Mitchell. What do you do?”
“I’m an executive at Schroeder and Emblem Investments. I do my fair bit of travel, but I always make time for family. Especially this one.” Mitchell pointed to his sister.
Leona beamed at him.
“So what kind of music do you play, man?” Mitchell forked a bite full of his food.
“EDM. You know, Electronic Dance Music. Mostly house, electro house, some dub-step.”
“Oh, that crap you and Izzy listen to.” Mitchell hung his head, then sat back in his chair. “I’m a classics guy. Classic rock, classic hip-hop. Classical.”
“It’s not crap. You just don’t get it, Mitch-match,” Leona chided her brother.
Luke loved her even more when she defended him, and smiled at the exchange between Leona and her brother. “I dig the classics. I’ve sampled quite a few songs.”
“Hmm.” Mitchell didn’t seem quite convinced they shared the same taste in music.
“Leona? Why do you call him Mitch-match?”
Leona’s love showered her brother as she spoke. “I was about four and Mitchell always had problems wearing matching socks. My mother would always complain about it. I think at one point I thought mismatch was his name. Somehow, I remixed it and started to call him Mitch-match. The name stuck.”
Luke laughed as he pictured a four-year old Leona running after her brother.
“Do you have family?” Mitchell asked him.
“Yeah. My parents live here in Chicago, and I have a sister who is married with two kids in California. We’re very close.”
“They’re great.” Leona picked at her strawberry cobbler. “Especially the kids.”
“Yeah? When did you get to meet them?” Mitchell asked.
Luke could feel the flash of heat emanating from her even from where he sat.
Leona cleared their plates. “In San Francisco.”
He could see past her casual delivery. Like him, she replayed every delicious moment of their time at his home.
Mitchell tapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, man. We always help with the cleanup.”
When Luke had come to his hometown, he’d expected to see his parents and show Leona around. The last thing he expected was to find himself having Sunday dinner, with a spread provided by Leona’s mother, in Leona’s hotel with her and her brother.
Luke helped Mitchell, but the jet lag was catching up to him. He needed to get some sleep and be up early and prep for his show. He was about to leave when Mitchell stopped him.
“Hold on, Luke. Let me talk to you privately for a minute.”
“Mitchell, Luke has to get going.” Leona had overheard her brother’s request and wasn’t in favor of the conference.
“Hush, little squirrel.” Mitchell instructed his sister, and then motioned to him. “Right this way.”
* * *
Leona wasn’t about to fight with big, strong Mitchell, so Luke would have to hold his own.
“Make it quick, he has to go,” she called to her brother.
She went into the kitchenette and put half of the remaining dessert in its container for Mitchell and the other half on a plate for Luke.
God, she was losing her mind to think about what she was thinking about. Tracy had gotten back to her and they’d had a brief call.
“You have more than enough evidence against Paul. I’ve already started building a case. Just tell me if you want me to pull the trigger.”
What am I going to do? Leona had tried to toughen her heart but the exterior didn’t hold up around Luke. Seeing her brother reminded her what was at stake. How can this work?
A few minutes later, Luke and Mitchell returned. An aura of testosterone surrounded them. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Mitchell answered. “Right, Luke?”
“Sure.” Luke shook Mitchell’s hand.
“Here.” Leona handed Luke the cobbler. “Just keep an eye out heading back to your room.”
The implications of Luke being caught leaving her room was visible in his jawline. She hated to give him the reminder.
“Thank you.” Luke took the cobbler and moments later he was gone.
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Leona sat with Mitchell. “What did you say to him?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Leona regarded her brother with hands on hips.
“Relax. I just said that you’re special to a lot of people and that if his intentions are anything other than noble, then he could have problems.”
The last thing Leona needed was her brother threatening Luke. These past few weeks, Luke had been through the ringer with her.
“Mitch-match.”
“Look here, sometimes a man needs to know that what he wants comes with a heavy price.” Mitchell paused. “Leo, meet ‘Heavy Price.’” Mitchell pointed to himself.
Leona couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re so silly.”
“That man’s got it bad. You can see it in that picture of you two in the news.”
Leona’s hand flew to her ear at the mention of the picture. She could barely look at herself in such a vulnerable state much less study it.
She shook her head.
He patted her shoulder. “I know you hate being on display. I was there with you when Reese did a number on you but when you feel up to it, take another look at the photo.”
“There’s nothing more to see.”
Mitchell cocked his head to the side. “Keep telling yourself that, little squirrel.”
* * *
Luke’s hometown performance brought the house down and Leona had celebrated him from VIP. With their separation still in effect, the what-ifs again floated through her brain all the way until her head hit the pillow in her hotel room that night.
Leona didn’t recall when she’d gone to sleep but she sure as hell jumped out of bed at the continuous rapping on her hotel room door.
“What the fuck?” Hell hath no fury than a sleep deprived Leona Sable. She squinted through the peephole and saw Diesel. Her mind cleared and she yanked the door open.
“Is Luke okay?” Her heart vibrated through her body.
“He’s fine, Leo, but I need you to get dressed and come with me, now.” Diesel pulled his baseball hat up to see her.
She leaned against the doorframe as adrenaline left her, and flapped her lips. “What? It’s 4 AM.”
“Please. It’s important.”
“I don’t understand... I mean it’s the butt crack of dawn and...” She grumbled and then stopped at her words.
Diesel fluttered his eyebrows with a half smile.
Leona shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Just put on your clothes and come with me.”
Everything in her was saying no, but as she put on her clothes and snuck through the hotel to a back entrance, excitement clashed with practicality and she didn’t know what to make of her state of mind. Diesel gave her a baseball hat, as well, and she pulled it low. When they exited through the back, Diesel delivered her into the front seat of a dark blue sedan with heavily tinted windows and closed the door.
“Hi,” Luke said.
She buckled her seat belt. “You know this is fucking nuts, right?”
“That I’m stealing you away in the middle of the night? Yup.” Luke drove off.
* * *
Luke drove the short distance to Lake Shore Drive, stopped at a lookout and killed the lights. He and Leona couldn’t see much in the dark except for the city lights shimmering on the water, but it was the smallest memory he could give her here in his hometown.
“We won’t stay long,” he said. “I just wanted a little time with you. And...” He reached into the backseat and presented her with a dozen cupcakes from Sweet Mandy B’s. “We have sweets and scenery.”
“No way.” She popped off her cap and her hat head was adorable. “I hear these are like...the best.”
He watched her, proud of his good deed.
“This is better than a dozen roses. Thank you.” Her eyes lit up as she inspected the box.
“You’re welcome.” He’d wanted to do so much more for her and with her, but instead they’d have to make the most of this short time under the cover of night.
“Your show was really good tonight. The hometown fans really appreciate you. Have you enjoyed being here?”
“It’s been okay.”
“I’m sorry you didn’t get a chance to see your folks,” she said.
He shrugged it off. “Maybe next time.”
She scanned the perimeter of the vehicle through the windows and doubt wrinkled the corners of her eyes. “Maybe we should go back now.”
He wouldn’t be deterred. He’d never do anything to hurt her but beyond making love to her, he missed his manager and his friend. He put his distraction techniques in full gear.
“Leona? I’ve been meaning to share something with you.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Remember Izzy’s photo shoot in Colorado?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, it made me realize something that kind of blew my mind, actually.”
She’d rushed him along but his next question slowed her down from lightly interested to one hundred percent intrigued.
“Have you ever been to Paris?” he asked.
She rubbernecked. “Yes, I have. That’s where Izzy and I met.”
“How about a club called L’Essence, and a rave with the Lexionic Twins?”
Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “Okay, you’re officially freaking me out. How do you know that?”
Luke recounted his story about deejaying at that same rave in Paris. Her eyes widened in what he could only perceive as a bit of shock.
“No fucking way. That was you?”
Luke nodded. “That was me.”
“Oh my God! Izzy and I went around back to see if we could find out who that DJ was. Who you were—but you guys had already left.”
“You blew me a kiss.”
She slapped her hand over her mouth and spoke through it. “I totally did.”
“‘Get Up and Move for Me’ is about that night.”
“Hell no.”
“Hell yes.” Luke touched her hand.
“When we were dancing at your photo shoot we’d thought that the song could be about us. And it is? Wow.” She blinked rapidly at him as if he’d morphed into something else right in front of her eyes. “Izzy is going to flip.”
“See, Leona? In that small way, we’ve been a part of each other’s lives.” He touched her hand and he could see the speed at which she breathed.
She pulled away and leaned against the car door. “Luke?”
The rejection stung but he tempered his reaction knowing what she battled. “You don’t have to say anything, Leona. Just be with me here.”
“No, I do,” she began. “This is so kind of you and hearing about Paris is mind-blowing but this is so dangerous for us. You’ve done all this to keep the media off our tail but what if someone jumps out right now? We have to stay focused on the tour and your goals.”
His tour was the talked about event of the summer and he finally got the recognition to sell out stadiums and make history. The spotlight was great for his career. But the more popular he became, the further his popularity forced Leona back into hiding.
Maybe bringing her out here had been a mistake. His hand rested on the key in the ignition.
She gave an audible breath through her nose. “Tracy says I have enough to move forward with my case against Paul,” she whispered.
He dropped his hands to his lap and angled toward her. He hadn’t realized he’d stopped breathing until he spoke. “How do you feel about that?”
“I’m...” Her tongue tickled the corner of her mouth. “I’m scared.”
He knew those words were hard for her to speak out loud. He kept his mouth shut to let her own her statement.
“I don’t want to be in front of everyone answering questions about th
ings that I wish would just go away but if I don’t do this, then what kind of career am I going to have? I have to trust that the truth about my reputation can coexist and even rival what’s said or printed about me. Can it?”
“I think it can. So many people love and respect you, Leona. You don’t have to do this alone. They’ll help you.”
“Will you? If I go forward with this, will you help me?” she asked.
His pulse thudded in his inner ear. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
She swallowed so hard it echoed in the quiet car. “I’d have to tell the team.” She hyperventilated as she said the words. “We still have a few weeks to your final show and it’s going to be crazy in New York and with the ramp up, Aurora, and the final show. This is such a bad idea.”
“But a great idea.” He could see her shaking as she clutched the plastic container. “You can do this.”
She nodded and plucked a cupcake from the box and bit into it. The city lights glimmered against a tear running a path down her cheek. Her loud sniffle slashed at his heart and his hand tingled with the urge to wipe her tears away.
“I should take you back.”
Leona had to do what was best for her career, but as his blossomed, it clashed with his desire to have Leona in his life. He wondered if he’d ever be able to have them both.
* * *
Luke called Diesel to coordinate their return. That morning, he lay in bed wired and wanting Leona in his arms. His goals were important and he’d worked with his lawyer Patrick to ensure that his management upheld their end of the deal. However, his separation from Leona had been devastating for them both. The car ride with Leona had given him hope, even though he didn’t know what Leona would ultimately decide to do with her case against Paul. He would be there for her in whatever way she needed him.
Luke picked up the phone and made a call.
“Hey, Patty.” Luke inhaled and pulled back his shoulders. “I need you to make some changes.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
In Baltimore, the team packed up for New York and the final leg of Luke’s tour. The next few days would be crunched with a week’s worth of festivities to publicize the New York events.
The media ramp up featuring Luke’s mini teaser concert would kick things off in New York with the after-party at Luke’s residency at Aurora. His contract with the Xcelsior Hotel rode on his performance and guest turnout. Two days later he’d perform his final concert at the Epic Stadium, one of the largest venues in the country, and the tour would be over.
