Never Land (14 page)

            Kyle’s mouth dropped open. “You’re Clarence Blue’s son?” he looked at Danny with shock in his eyes. But his surprise was nothing compared to Danny’s. Danny had gone pale, his bright eyes dark with confusion and disappointment. My stomach plummeted. So, Clarence hadn’t even thought to warn, let alone ask, his son that he was making this announcement. He just figured he’d inform Danny of his newfound job at the same time he told everyone else. My heart ached with vicarious anger.

            “Figures,” Kyle said nastily. “Who could compete with that? Like he isn’t perfect enough…”

            “Quiet!” Luc said, shutting Kyle up with a firm look. But I could see that the revelation had shaken Luc, too.

            “That’s not the only major business decision I intend to announce to you all tonight,” Clarence continued. “I want to talk to you all about RRR – the best record label in the business. For years we’ve partnered with RRR to bring you the best entertainment and the hottest stars, many of whom got their starts in our venues.”

            I turned around to see Richard Slayton and Cassandra Curry looking at one another, confused.

            “Well, how good was that relationship? So close, in fact, that I decided to buy them!” Clarence chortled. “From now on, I’m pleased to announce that RRR will become a subsidiary of Blue Enterprises.”

            The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. None of us – least of all Danny – had expected this. Richard Slayton coughed awkwardly, looking decidedly displeased at the news. He peered down at Danny. “Well, erm, congratulations…” he said. “It’s not every day a musician buys the company.”

            “This has nothing to do with me,” Danny protested, but Clarence continued on.

            “And I am pleased to announce a new president of RRR. Someone whose finger is always on the pulse of what’s new, what’s hot, what’s trendy, what’s in. Someone who keeps me young, always.”

           
Oh, no…

            “Veronica Taylor, my wife.”

            If Clarence’s first piece of news had stunned the room, his second piece absolutely floored them. Clarence had been known for strange and sometimes whimsical business decisions, but to let an untrained twenty-one year old former supermodel stand at the helm of one of the biggest heavy-hitters in the music industry?

            But none of them could be as surprised, as utterly floored, as I was.

            If Roni Taylor was running RRR, that meant that I – along with the rest of the Never Knights – was completely and irrevocably screwed.

Chapter 17

Luc's jaw dropped. His whole face had gone pale – a mixture of shock and anger. He fixed his eyes on Roni, who was sauntering up to the podium, her sweet smile full of deadly venom. I shuddered as I saw his look of utter rage. He looked back to me, then over to Danny, who looked about as horrified as I felt, and then up to Roni.

            “Thank you so much to my
darling
husband,” Roni was saying, smiling at the crowd and waving like a beauty-pageant queen. I felt sick to my stomach. The sight of that smile – so full of malice, even as she preened and blushed before her husband – made me want to throw up right here on the table. How could she do this? It was one thing to mess with me, to threaten
me
. But to threaten the whole band? Now that Roni had control of RRR, it meant that she could seek revenge on me the only place that it could truly hurt me. She could hit the band. “I am
so
honored at your trust and faith in me.”

            Luc spluttered furiously. “I don't believe this,” he said aloud. He fumbled with his drink and I realized that he too was tipsy. “Can't you do something about it?” He turned to Danny. “This is ridiculous – fucking ridiculous. What does this woman want – another way to stick it to loverboy, here?”

            Danny turned pale. “What did you say?”

            “Luc, please...” I reached out a hand, but it was too late.

            “Is this how she wants to seduce you, huh?” Luc turned to Danny. “To make all of us her whores? Listen, you mess around wherever you want – but don't drag us all into your sick mess.”

            “Luc, don't!” I cried. Danny turned toward me in horror, his eyes blazing with anger.

            “You
told him
?” All the love, all the light in Danny's had gone. Instead, he was staring at me with savage, powerful rage. “You told him about Roni?”

            “It...I was upset...” I whispered back, feeling my cheeks burn. I had been so stupid, confiding in Luc. I'd been angry; I'd been hurt. I'd needed someone to let me cry on his shoulder for a while. But one look at Danny's face told me the damage I'd done. I'd hurt the person I'd loved the most – taken his sordid family secrets, the ones he was almost too ashamed to admit even to himself, and made a mockery of them, aired out his dirty laundry to the public. He looked sick.

            “I'm sorry, Danny...” I turned to him, my eyes wide with fear.

            Danny inhaled sharply, pressing my hand urgently with a gesture that spelled less love than anger. “Outside,
now
,” he said quietly. “We need to talk.” He got up and strode from the room, leaving me to follow behind. I'd never seen him like this. Even when we'd argued he'd always been so loving, so kind – so willing to let me in. But now his eyes were cold, dead. He couldn't even look at me. I felt my heart rise in my throat as I ran after him onto the deck.

            “How could you
do
that?” Danny turned to me when we were alone at last. “I can't believe you. I trusted you. Not to embarrass me in front of your friends...”

            “They're your friends too!”

            “Like hell they are!” he spat. “They're just waiting for me to fuck up so they can swoop in and play the noble hero, and win you away from me. Is that what Luc did? Swept you off your feet?”

            “What are you talking about?” I reached out to take his hand, but he pushed me away.

            “The most embarrassing, shameful secrets of my life – and you just tell everyone!” Danny was shouting. “What else did you tell him? About my mother? About
Peyton
?”

            “I've never told anyone about Peyton,” I shot back. “I was upset – that night I found you and Roni together...”

            “And you what? You stayed behind to talk to me like a rational adult? You asked me what was going on? No – you acted like a girl, like a silly little girl, and ran off without even granting me the dignity of letting me explain. Left me behind with Roni, who I want nothing to do with. Absolutely nothing!”

            “I was shocked...I was hurt...” But his words stung. Deep down, I'd always felt that way. Like a little girl. The age difference between me and Danny, the difference in our experiences – everyone else saw me as a young ingénue unworthy of taking Peyton's place. Was he any different?

            “I
told
you,” he said. “I wasn't interested in her. I never was. Is that what you think of me, Neve? That I'm a cheater? That I'd cheat on you
while you were standing in the next room
? I'm glad you have so much faith in me...”

            “It's not like that, Danny...”

            “But instead you ran off to one of your other options. One of the guys you keep around just in case you decide I'm not good enough for you.”

            “They're my friends.”

            “Friends you tell that I'm going behind my own father's back to bang my stepmother!” he cried. “How stupid do you think I am?” He turned his back on me. “Of all the things announced tonight, all those shocking news, this was the one that hit hardest, Neve. The one about you.  All that, I couldn’t care less.  It’s my father’s sordid style to shock, but you. I care so much about…everything about you, this cuts to the core.” He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a deep breath. “This was a mistake, Neve. I should have known you didn't trust me...”

            “But I do!” I cried. But it was too late. Danny had already stormed out of the room, off the ship, and into the London night.

            “Danny, wait!” I called out, looking around, panic in my eyes. I couldn't go back into the ballroom – couldn't face my band mates, face RRR, face this world that was crashing down around me. Twenty minutes ago I had my band; I had fame. I had the love of my life. Suddenly I had nothing. Tears began to stream down my face.

            “Danny!”

            I ran down the gangplank after him, reeling as my feet touched solid ground. I tried to remember where in this dense network of alleyways Danny had parked the Aston Martin, praying I'd reach him before he drove off. “Come back! Please!”

In contrast to the boat, the alleyway was deserted. A homeless guy in a hoodie was slouched in a corner behind some trash cans; other than that, the alley was dark, empty. I shuddered as I looked around for a street light – utterly lost. “Danny!” I called. “Danny – please!”

            “Hey!” The homeless guy staggered to his feet, coming towards me. “Hey, you. Neve.”

            I stopped short in shock. How did he know my name?

            He stepped forward into a patch of moonlight and my heart sank. Standing before me, in a filthy hoodie, his eyes bloodshot, his face covered in cuts and bruises that spoke to a week spent on the streets, was Geoff.

            “Geoff...” I whispered. All the breath had gone out of me at once as terror took hold. “What happened to you?”

            “You thought you could fuck me over. Cinderella wasn't invited to the ball. But I'm here now. Still got my invitation. To the band mates of the Never Knights. Includes me, doesn't it? Or at least it did. Before Danny Blue took over...”

            “Geoff – you're high.” I could see the familiar, terrifying glaze in his eyes. “You need to get some sleep – some medical attention, something...we can help you, but you have to commit to wanting to get off the drugs…”

            “Just high on life, Neve! You think you can fuck me over? You've ruined my life, you know. Always teasing me, tempting me, showing off that fine ass, just so you can fuck with my head.”

            Before I could scream, he'd grabbed hold of my wrists, pinning me against the wall. “I should have known you'd try and find a way to get out of it. You can be the perfect little cock-tease, but when push comes to shove you think you can play the princess card and get out scot-free. But I know what you are, Neve. I know what you’d like guys to do to you. Girls as hot as you ask for it all the time.”

            “How dare you?” Anger took hold of me, and as I struggled I spat in his face.

            He stepped back, laughing with shock. “You want it rough, huh? You want to be feisty? Well, I'll give it to you rough, no doubt about that...”

            “Geoff, no...”

            He cut me off with his large frame, his lips pressing against mine, shoving me against the wall so hard that I bled. His mouth tasted like filth – unbrushed teeth, slime, and plenty of cheep booze; I felt vomit rise in my throat as I struggled against him, trying to kick and scream and shout at once. I didn't care about the tabloids – the paps. All I cared about was getting out as quickly as possible. How could Geoff sink so low?  Back in the days when he was a band member and my friend, I would have felt guilt for not helping him with his drug problems, but now, I felt only fear.

            He punched me clear in the face, making me see stars as blood began to scream from my nose. “Don't scream...” Geoff was tearing at my dress, his fingers finding my panties. I was paralyzed with terror, praying for help, praying for deliverance.

            Out of the corner of my eye I saw the steel cover of a trash can. It was a risk – but it was the only chance I got. As he buried his head in my breasts, his sickening mouth leaving agonizing bites on my flesh, I turned my head.

            In a single, swift motion I leaped for the cover, grabbing it in both hands and striking him with it, causing him to stumble back. Blood now dripped from his temple. But he was still standing – albeit staggering – and he wrenched the weapon from my hand.

            “You're going to wish you hadn't done that...” He grinned, showing yellow teeth. “Because I'm going to make you sorry.” He lurched closer. “So very, very sorry.”

            “Are you?” From behind me, I heard a curt voice – chilling in its anger. “Are you really?”

            Relief flooded through me. Standing in the alleyway, a silhouette in the moonlight, was Danny Blue.

Chapter 18

“I'd let her go if I were you,” Danny said, walking to face Geoff, getting straight in my face. “I've just dialed 999 – the police will be here any minute. So either you run – or you wait for the Metropolitan Police to take you into custody.”

            “You fucking...” Geoff never bothered to finish his sentence. He ran headlong for Danny, tackling him with a furious, brute force, whaling on him – his movements savage, primal, animalistic.

            Geoff might have been taller. He might even have been stronger. But he was also high – and his motions were imprecise, clumsy. Danny expertly grabbed hold of Geoff's wrists, flipping him over with a strangely beautiful grace. It was the sort of move I'd expected to see in martial arts films, not here in a seedy London alleyway. But Danny clearly knew what he was doing. He blocked Geoff's punches, responding with a few kicks and blows of his own, before sending Geoff spinning to the floor.

            “Haven't we seen enough of you, yet?” Danny shouted as he began to hit Geoff. “Can't you just leave Neve alone?”

            He had subdued Geoff, but his anger had not stopped. Geoff was lying on the floor, groaning with pain, but Danny kept kicking.

            “Danny, stop!” I shouted. “The police...”

            “Fuck the police!” Danny cried, still punching Geoff. “You little coward – you don't deserve to be treated as well as they'll treat you.” He landed a kick square on Geoff's chest. Geoff coughed up blood. “You think you can hurt her, do you? You think you can....”