Chart Toppers (Star Maker Book 3) (2 page)

She
sighed and continued to sign the note cards, but her mind ran rampant reviewing
the week ahead.
 
Their schedules
were filled to the brim and rounding it all off was the hunt for the perfect
apartment.
 
Sully and Kit had
decided to purchase a New York apartment to have as their east coast home base,
and Alexa was more than willing to oblige in assisting them.
 
A realtor would be waiting with options
upon their arrival.
 

Kit
took a momentary break to stare out the window at the soft blanket of white,
puffy clouds that supported them at thirty thousand feet.
 
She glanced back over at Sully who was
still diligently signing, and she grinned.
 
She wanted nothing more than to head back to Tahiti for another two weeks,
but that wasn’t in the cards.
 
Business called, and they were headed back to New York.
 
She felt optimistic.
 
Besides Los Angeles, New York was the
other city that held a certain magic for them, and she hoped it would play in
their favor.

Spurred
by the bright stream of morning sunlight, Kit rolled over into Sully, burying
herself into his side in a desperate attempt to shield her eyes.
 
He gently chuckled and roused, waking
her in the process.
 
She opened her
eyes, squinted and frowned.
 
He
snickered.
 

She
glared at him.
 
“So much for
sleeping in.”

He gave
her a gentle kiss.
 
“You can sleep
in tomorrow.
 
First day back in
Manhattan, babe.
 
Lots to do.”

She
rolled her eyes.
 
“Crap, you
sounding like me now.
 
“How did that
happen?”

He
laughed.
 
“It’s called marriage.”

She
fell back onto the bed and couldn’t contain her laughter.
 
She finally caught her breath and
grinned at him.
 
“Are you
insinuating we’ve become the same person?”

He
nodded and winked as he stroked her cheek.
 
“Somethin’ like that.”

She
giggled and leaned in to kiss him.
 
As she pulled him to her, there was a gentle knock on the door followed
by Alexa’s voice.
 
“Are you two
up?
 
Do you want some breakfast?”

Kit
groaned at the interruption while Sully chuckled.
 
She shook her head and grinned as she
yelled out.
 
“Sure, Lex.
 
We’ll be out in a few minutes.”
 
She stared into Sully’s eyes.
 
“Maybe next time, if we don’t have a
place of our own yet, we should stay in a hotel.”

He
smiled.
 
“Maybe so.
 
Lex and Wes are like family,
though.
 
And we haven’t seen them
since our reception.
 
Let’s make the
best of it.
 
Between all of our schedules,
when are we going to see them again once we leave?”

She
sighed.
 
“Ok, you win.
 
Excellent point.
 
It could be months before we see them
again.
 
Let’s go.”

Sully
and Kit relished their days with Alexa and Wes.
 
They caught up and laughed over fun memories
from the past and created new memories for the future.
 
As the week started to wind down, the
dinner with Nicky, Frank and their spouses was on the agenda.
 
Kit was dreading it, not because of the
company, but the impending topic of conversation—the debacle with KMK
management.

She had
mixed emotions ranging from dread and apprehension to intrigue and
curiosity.
 
They plagued her so much
that she made a last minute call to Spencer, encouraging him to fly out for the
event knowing full well that Nicky and Frank would have important details to
impart to them.

The
black Lincoln town car came to a stop.
 
Sully easily sensed Kit’s apprehension and guided her out gently, doing
his best to shield her from a small band of paparazzi.
 
He threw his arm around her for support,
rubbed her back and grinned as he whispered into her ear.
 
“It’s going to be fine.
 
We’ll get through this.
 
Remember, this a group effort.
 
You’ve got Spence and me here with
you.
 
Nicky and Frankie are on our
side.
 
It’s all good.
 
Relax, babe, and smile.”

She did
as he instructed and gave him a kiss on the cheek as she paused to watch
Spencer step out of the town car.
 
She gave him a hopeful look.
 
“You ready for this?
 
I have
no idea what this evening will hold.”

He
nodded and confidently straightened the lapels of his suit jacket.
 
“Hopefully, answers.
 
Let’s go.”

Moments
later, when Kit spotted Nicky and Bernie’s open arms, she felt her initial
apprehension vaporize in favor of support and camaraderie.
 
She was happy to see them both.
 
As Bernie and Kit caught up, Nicky
talked with Sully as he led them all to a discreet, reserved table in the back
of the exclusive restaurant where Frank and his wife, Valentina waited
patiently.
 
After a round of
introductions, everyone was seated, and drinks ordered.

Kit was
enjoying the moment, finally unwinding after a glass or two of wine.
 
The last thing she wanted to do was
rehash the disaster that was now KMK, but knew it would occur at some point.
 
They breezed through the appetizer
course with dinner quickly on its heels and now as dessert was on its way to
the table, she silently waited for the other shoe to drop.

Frank
watched her carefully and sensed her avoidance of the issue.
 
He didn’t want to pull her from the
frivolity of the evening, yet knew it had to be done.
 
They were all there for a reason.
 
He sighed and dove in.
 
“So, Kit, we found out some information.”

She
immediately noticed the shift in energy at the table.
 
Jovial conversation ceased, Nicky sat at
attention, Spencer’s ears perked up, and Sully stared in anticipation of
Frank’s words.
 
The tone had
instantly become somber and restrained.
 
Kit tried to ignore it.
 
“Oh
yeah?
 
What did you find out?”
 

She
gave Frank her full attention as the server deposited a highly anticipated sliver
of classic cheesecake in front of her that she had been excited about
earlier.
 
She shifted her eyes down,
swallowed hard and gently pushed the small dessert plate back, suddenly
uninterested while her stomach contracted into a series of nervous knots.
 

He
sighed.
 
“I’m sorry, Kit.
 
It’s not good.”
 
He exchanged a look with Nicky that made
Kit’s heart race with trepidation.
 
She sensed more unpleasant news headed her way and wondered if she
should do a few shots of whiskey to soften the blow before Frank continued.

Nicky
nodded.
 
“Kitty, you were
played.
 
I’m sure you’re aware of
that.
 
But there’s more to it.
 
We’ve been doing some recon on
DBBT.
 
We’re pretending we want to
sign with them, but…”

Before
he could continue, two suspicious looking, well-dressed men and their doting
wives interrupted.
 
Spencer and
Sully exchanged a concerned look and watched carefully as Nicky and Frank
interacted warmly with them.
 
Kit
frowned, trying to understand what was going on.
 
The men were clearly good friends.
 
Introductions lacking detail were hastily
made before they departed.

Frank
turned his attention back to Kit.
 
“Sorry about the interruption.
 
Kit, we suggest you go to a private eye, and we have a suggestion on who
you can hire to get the job done right.
 
Based on our findings, we think there’s
some pretty serious foul play going on.”

Nicky
spouted off without thinking.
 
“Yeah
and Blake Templeton is in big fucking trouble.”

Frank
shot him a dirty glare that quickly silenced him.
 
Kit’s anxiety jumped up a tick and her
level of suspicion dramatically increased.
 
She surveyed them both closely.
 
“Nicky, what does that mean?
 
What’s going on here?”

Frank
shook his head and interjected before Nicky could respond.
 
“Kit, it’s best that you stay out of the
details right now.
 
Let us handle
it.
 
You gotta trust us here.
 
We’re helping behind the scenes.
 
In the meantime, hire the private
eye.
 
Here’s his card.
 
Get your ducks in a row, and we will
help you rectify this situation properly.”

She
took the business card offered, glanced at it only briefly and then frowned.
“But how?
 
I don’t understand.
 
There are so many unknowns right
now.”
 
She leaned forward and met
his intense gray eyes.
 
“I
appreciate your loyalty to me, Frank, but I really don’t understand what you’re
saying.”

He
nodded.
 
“I get that.
 
I do.
 
It’s best you don’t know for now.
 
The private eye will help you get your
facts in order.
 
We’re going to keep
DBBT thinking we’re going to sign, but I assure you that we will not.
 
It’s mainly to get an inside edge that
you can use to your advantage.
 
Rest
assured that Blake and Dante are being watched.”

She
stared at him and felt her stomach turn seeing the look of determination in his
eyes.
 
She nodded slowly and
swallowed hard.
 
“Ok, Frank.
 
Thanks for letting me know.”
 
She couldn’t handle the intensity any
longer and desperately craved a break.
 
She looked across the table at Bernie and Valentina.
 
“I need to take a trip to the ladies’
room.
 
Care to join me?”

Bernie
and Valentina eagerly nodded and quickly accompanied Kit.
 
They remained silent as they left the
table.
 
Once in the confines of a
vacant ladies’ room, Kit faced them.
 
“Bernie, what the hell is going on?”

She
sighed and shifted her eyes down as she tucked her lipstick back into her
clutch.
 
“Shit, Kit.
 
Not here.”

Valentina’s
brown eyes widened, and her head bobbed.
 
“She’s right, Kit.”

Bernie
looked up and met Kit’s eyes as she reached out and squeezed her hand.
 
“Give me a minute and then we’ll go for
a walk around the block. Trust me, the guys won’t miss us.
 
We can have a smoke and talk.”

The
three women walked side by side on a busy Manhattan sidewalk just a stone’s
throw from the restaurant.
 
Valentina reached out and lit Kit’s cigarette and then lit her own.
 
She inhaled and blew out the smoke
evenly.
 

Bernie
met Kit’s curious look and nodded.
 
“This whole DBBT thing goes way beyond you, Kitty.
 
There are forces in play that no one
would ever want to mess with them.
 
Retribution is coming.”
 
She
took Kit’s hand again and squeezed it as her ice blue eyes held a hopeful
look.
 
“You’re on the right side of
this and it’s just like Frankie said.
 
They have your back.
 
Get the
private eye, let nature take its course and stay the hell out of the way.”

Kit
frowned.
 
“Bernie, I feel like
you’re talking in code.
 
What the
hell are you talking about?”

She
sighed.
 
“Just trust me, Frank is on
the straight and narrow with you.
 
Those guys are on your side and trust me, they’re the team you want
backing you.
 
Follow their advice,
and you’ll be just fine.”

Kit
wanted to drill Bernie for more information, but realized now wasn’t the
time.
 
They left the table some time
ago and needed to get back to the party that awaited them. As they entered the
restaurant and headed back, she gave both women a grin of agreement.
 
She silently mouthed thank you as they
took their seats.