Ashes to Ashes, page 26
“I banged my head in the shower,” I replied, annoyed that the makeup kept coming off.
“Yeah, sure, love, that’s what Ash’s mum used to say after Ash’s old man took to her with his fists. I’m gonna give Ash the benefit of the doubt this one time, but if I see any more bruises on your pretty face, I will be confronting him ’bout it.”
“He didn’t do it,” I lied.
“Then, you have nuthin’ to worry ’bout. By the way, you wanna grab a drink with Crash and me?” he asked, as though the drummer would want to do anything with him after he’d insulted his cousin. “We were planning on heading out to McTavish’s bar for a few beers. You can join us once you’re done with Jade’s shit.”
“Thanks, but maybe another time. I want to get back to Ash since I didn’t get to see him last night.”
“Well, you would’ve if he wuzn’t such a bloody pain in the arse. He kept altering songs, making ’em more reggae-rock. Both me and Crash ain’t into that fusion shit, we’re pure reggae.”
“The ones we did today were pure.”
“Those weren’t the songs he fucked with. Thank Jah he liked ’em, though he does sing with more of a rock vibe.”
“He did say he wanted to add a touch of rock, and remember, you’re only in the band on his say-so. You really shouldn’t make waves.”
Joel sneered at me. “I’ll make a motherfuckin’ tsunami if he goes back on his word. He said a li’l rock, not what he wuz doin’ yesterday. It doesn’t bloody work.”
“It did for The Police.”
“That’s pop rock, not this hard shit he wuz forcing down our throats. Crash agrees with me.”
Crash nodded his head, his long, dirty-blond dreadlocks skipping across the snare drum.
Joel continued, “The big boss is also siding with us. Jade told Ash to stop changing the songs cos it creates a shit ton of unnecessary work, but Ash wouldn’t let up until we learned his versions. In the end, Crash walked out.”
The drummer muttered something that I couldn’t quite catch.
Joel spoke over him, “I wuz so fuckin’ exhausted, I literally crashed as soon as Ash left.”
“Ash left?” I asked, his answer taking me by surprise.
“Yeah, just before eleven.” Joel grabbed his instrument case. “Said he had some business to take care of.”
“At that time of night?”
“Time means nuthin’ when you have shit to do. You just gotta get it done whether it’s a.m. or p.m.”
I frowned, wondering whether Ash was back to selling drugs, because I couldn’t imagine him having business that late unless it was illegal. But... he’d only been a drug dealer because he’d needed the money, which he now had plenty of.
“Did he come back to the studio afterwards?” I asked, praying that Ash hadn’t lied to me, staying the night at a drug den instead.
“How would I know? I wuz in my apartment,” Joel replied, looking at me as though I was stupid.
“Sorry, I thought you meant you crashed on the studio couch,” I said, praying I was wrong about the drug den. This business could’ve been close by, which could’ve been why he’d chosen to sleep on the studio couch instead of coming home. He could’ve hit up the clubs, selling drugs to eager punters, not lighting up with his customers in some crack house. He wasn’t a druggie, had only been a dealer. Regardless, the very notion that he could still be dealing was worrying in more ways than one. He was famous now, which made him more likely to be found out, and although he wasn’t the brightest spark, he wasn’t stupid either. I couldn’t see him putting himself at risk like that. But then again, he could have trustworthy clients, ones he’d had for a while. After all, he’d been dealing since he was a kid, plus his clients wouldn’t exactly admit to buying illegal drugs. Though, that was in South Auckland, not the CBD.
“Anyway, I better get going,” I said, playing it cool even though my mind was racing a mile a minute. “You know how impatient Jade can be when he wants something done.”
Joel grunted, more interested in putting his bass away than listening to me. Only Crash was paying me attention, his pale blue eyes... sympathetic?
Still pretending that nothing was wrong—and probably failing miserably, I gave him a wave goodbye, knowing he was thinking the same thing as I was.
That Ash had been up to no good.
I all but scampered out of the studio, rushing for my office, a barrage of troubled thoughts filling my head. They didn’t wane as I did Jade’s paperwork, making it impossible to concentrate, so much so that I finally gave up, telling my secretary that I was leaving for the day.
By the time I got home, I was convinced Ash was dealing again. I entered the apartment, working up the courage to confront him. The lights were off, the place completely silent, only my pulse pounding in my ears. I headed for our bedroom, not sure how to broach the topic, especially with his volatile temper. I didn’t want to upset him, but I also couldn’t ignore what he was doing.
In the end I didn’t get the chance, finding him curled around his baby, the both of them fast asleep. Loathe to wake them, I closed the door quietly and grabbed some bedding from the Manchester cupboard, settling in for a sleepless night on the couch.
25
L
By the morning, I’d talked myself out of confronting Ash, afraid that he would think I didn’t trust him. I was also starting to wonder whether I’d jumped to the wrong conclusion, especially since he could’ve been selling something perfectly innocent, like what he’d done with his old exercise equipment. He’d dropped that off to a buyer, so maybe he’d dropped something else off too. And although eleven p.m. was a bit late for delivering things, the buyer could very well be a night owl, so the time could’ve suited them just fine. Either way, I kept my mouth shut and continued stripping the bed, helping Ash clean it, Lily’s nappy having leaked.
“At least it didn’t soak through to the mattress,” I said, needing the distraction no matter how smelly it was.
“Li’l leaky monster,” Ash said, wagging a finger at Lily.
She giggled, bouncing in her lean back chair, which was tucked into the corner of the room.
“You’re such a rascal,” Ash said, looking like he was unable to stay cross at her, a smile breaking through.
Lily giggled again, her royal cuteness not even fazed by her dad’s half-hearted telling-off. Now in a clean nappy, she was dressed in striped leggings and a cute long-sleeved dress that her grandmother had made.
Ash laughed with her, which stopped as soon as he picked up the covers I’d dumped on the floor. “You li’l stinker,” he said, pulling a disgusted face, Lily having a touch of the runs. He grumbled as he walked out of our room with the bedding, making a beeline for the laundry.
I bent down to play peekaboo with Lily, getting a bunch of cute baby giggles every time I made her jump with the boos. I continued, forgetting about my worries for a few precious moments, which was why I jumped when Ash re-entered the room, getting a fright of my own.
“Sorry, sweetheart, didn’t meana scare ya,” he said. “By the way, you’re really good with kids.”
“It’s not that hard when you have such a cutie pie like Lily,” I said, knowing I would never get bored of hearing him call me sweetheart, the way he said it always giving me a warm, fuzzy feeling.
He gave me a big smile, looking like a proud daddy, though the expression dropped a moment later. “Tiana called,” he said.
“About what?” I asked, knowing she never called with good news, the woman becoming a nuisance.
“She said that I can have shared custody of Angelo. She won’t fight me. I have the weekends if I want ’em.”
My eyebrows quirked up, definitely not expecting to hear that. “What’s the catch?” I asked, his expression telling me there had to be one.
“None, other than Angelo’s not such a cutie pie,” he said, using my words. “He can be a li’l shit when he gets goin’, a holy terror like his uncle wuz at the same age. Will ya be able to cope with him staying with us during weekends?”
“Oh, that’s no problem,” I replied, realising he’d been worried I would say no. “I already said it was fine, though I’ll need to put a lock on my equipment room. He can’t go in there at all.”
Ash’s smile returned. “That’s no problem, I’ll sort out the lock before he comes.”
“Thanks. By the way, are you taking Lily to day-care or her nanna’s today?” I asked, hoping to see more smiles on his lovely face.
“Neither, I’ll be taking her to work. Clara’s comin’ in, so she’ll watch Lily while I record.”
“What’s wrong with the day-care centre?”
“I just want Lily close to me today. I haven’t spent much time with her of late so will play with her during the breaks.”
“That’s a lovely idea,” I said, wondering why he looked annoyed about it, his emotions all over the place today.
“Yeah. Anyway, I better grab a quick shower before we head to work. Since you’re already dressed, could ja please watch Lily?”
I nodded, still wondering why he was acting more bipolar than his brother.
***
After parking, we made our way to the main foyer of the record company. As we neared the reception desk, Josie called out, “I have a message for you, L!”
I veered towards her with Ash and Lily in tow. Josie’s gaze narrowed at Ash, giving him such a withering look that if he was a flower he would’ve shrivelled up on the spot. “Clara’s upstairs waiting for you and Lily,” she said to him in a strangely calm voice, one that didn’t match the anger in her eyes. “I’ll be with L for a bit, so you might as well head up now.”
Ash gave her a raised brow, but instead of asking what was wrong, he walked off with Lily, more interested in talking to his little girl.
Josie tapped the counter to get my attention. When she had it, she pushed a tabloid in front of me. “You needa read this, L.”
I took it, the headline instantly hitting me:
ASH RATA CHEATS ON L WITH MYSTERY IRISH WOMAN
Underneath it was a screenshot of Ash... naked... his crotch pixelated.
“I’m so sorry, L,” Josie said.
My hand started to shake, my whole body too. I’d had a feeling he’d lied to me, but I never expected this. Selling drugs, yes, cheating... No!
I forced myself to read the article, getting more and more upset with every word. A hotel employee confirmed that they received a phone call from a woman with a strong Irish accent, booking a room for Ash. The employee went on to state that Ash arrived by himself just before eleven p.m., with no luggage other than a computer bag. Another employee mentioned that Ash left early the following morning, dropping the key card off without a word. Later that day, the writer of the article received a tipoff regarding photos of Ash on the dark net, showing him having cybersex. There was also a quote from the mothers’ group that had been used against Dante, their words now being applied to Ash. It stated that their father was a male prostitute, declaring that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
Josie rushed around the reception desk, grabbing me as my legs gave out. I slumped to the floor with her, my whole world falling down around me.
26
ASH
As soon as I stepped out of the lift, the secretary’s eyes snapped to me, Kirsty for once not giving me a smile. Instead, she was glaring at me like Josie had, the chicks acting weird as fuck today.
“Mr. Park has requested for you to go to his office,” she said, her tone frostier than the North Pole.
For a second I considered asking her what had gotten her knickers in a twist, but thought better of it. “’Kay, I’ll just go drop my daughter off to—”
“—Dante’s partner,” Kirsty interrupted. She tottered around the desk in her high heels, holding her hands out. “I’ve been told to take Lily to Clara, if that’s all right with you.”
“Sure,” I said, handing Lily over. Jade’s secretary had looked after my baby bear a few times, Lily liking her.
Kirsty walked away with Lily, yelping as my li’l monster grabbed her hair. Chuckling, I headed for Jade’s office, knocking on his door.
“Come in,” Jade replied.
As soon as I opened the door, Jade’s gaze instantly latched onto me. Like with Kirsty and Josie, no smile welcomed me, only anger on his face.
“Shut the door, Ash,” he said sternly.
“Sounds like everyone got outta the wrong side of bed today,” I said, doing what he’d asked. “Or you’re all on the rag.” I sniggered at the last part.
Jade rose up from his chair and threw a newspaper across his desk, the paper landing on the floor. “How dare you do this to L?!” he hollered, his face turning red.
“What the fuck are you on ’bout?” I asked.
He stalked around his desk and swiped the paper up. “This!” He shoved it in my face.
I took it off him, seeing a bullshit headline printed over a naked picture of me. “That fucker!” I spat, instantly knowing who was responsible. “I’m gonna kill him!”
I spun on my heel, stopping as Jade grabbed my arm. “Don’t you dare leave!” he yelled. “I haven’t finished with you yet!”
I yanked free and turned on him, so furious that I felt like smashing his face in, but all I did was shunt him back with my chest. “Don’t I dare? It’s my body on the front page of this trash!” I waved it in his face. “Lies ’bout me, dirtying my name.”
Jade stumbled back, fear taking over, but he still lifted his chin in defiance. “There are pictures of you masturbating on webcam!”
“I wuz set up!”
“By whom?” he snarled, clearly not believing me.
“Ant Torres! If I didn’t strip for him, he would’ve killed my daughter’s uncle, making it look like Naf had OD’d.” I shook my head, stunned that Ant had played me. “For once, I thought he’d keep his word, that he wouldn’t expose me. After all, I’d recorded our convo. I even told him I’d go to the cops with it if he put the images on the net. I spoke all the way through the webcam to prove I wuz bein’ blackmailed.” I lifted the damn paper. “But tabloids don’t talk!”
Shock followed by fury shot across Jade’s face, though this time it wasn’t directed at me. “I’ll go with you to the police station. We can finally put that bastard behind bars.”
“I can’t! He has tapes of me dealing. If I take my recording to the cops, he’ll release ’em.”
“My lawyers will make sure you get off. They can spin anything, even making it look like you’ve turned to God, redeeming yourself.”
“I ain’t religious, no one will believe that.”
“They’ll spin it any which way they have to. Actually, they can make out that you were trying to feed your children, that you only did it out of desperation.”
“I wuz desperate! I couldn’t pay the fuckin’ mortgage let alone feed my kids. The bank wuz busting my balls, threatening a mortgagee sale.”
“Perfect, that’ll make it easier to prove your desperation. By the time my lawyers work their magic, all you’ll get is a slap on the hand if not a pat on the head.”
“What ’bout Tiana? I lied to her ’bout quitting, even sold drugs right under her nose without her knowing. She won’t forgive me.”
“You’re not with her anymore, so it doesn’t matter.”
“It does if she stops me seein’ my son! She finally relented to giving me shared custody, but this...” I lifted the damn tabloid, “will fuck all of that up!”
“Either way, you have to go to the police. Knowing Ant, he’ll continue using your loved ones against you, forcing you to do worse than a webcam. Not only that, that article has ruined your name, which in turn will ruin your career, one you need to pay for that boy’s cancer treatment. Dante will also get pulled into this mess. That mothers’ group will use this article as an excuse not only to bring you down but him too. I’m seriously worried they will get his videos banned. They could ruin his career just as much as yours.”
I inhaled and exhaled, willing myself not to lose my shit. Ant had royally screwed me over, because no matter what I chose, I would probably lose access to Angelo, my shared custody disappearing before my eyes. But Jade was right about one thing, if I didn’t go to the cops my brother’s career would be jeopardised. People would also think I was a pervert, a cheat. I couldn’t do that to L, couldn’t let people think I’d betrayed her, and if I spoke up, at least Ant would go to prison, hopefully to the same one as the Skins. And if Jade’s lawyers didn’t get me off, I could very well end up there too, allowing me to finish off Ant myself.
I nodded, liking that idea, killing Ant high on my bucket list. “I’ll go to the cops.”
Jade exhaled loudly, looking relieved with my answer. “We’ll do it now,” he said, reaching for my arm. He stopped just shy of touching me, no doubt rethinking the stupid move, because I still felt raw. Still wanted to hurt someone, just wished it was Ant in front of me instead of Jade.
We headed out of his office. Kirsty was back behind the desk, talking to my brother.
Dante spun around, his dark eyes almost pitch black with anger. “Why the fuck did you cheat on L for?!” he yelled, getting right up into my face.
I shoved him back. “The fuck I did! This is a setup by Ant.”
Dante’s anger disappeared for a moment, then resurfaced in full force. “How the fuck did Ant make you strip for a camera?!”
“He blackmailed me, using Naf to do it.”
Dante blinked at me. “Naf’s back?”
I nodded.
“Then, why the fuck wuzn’t I told?”
Surprised he didn’t know, I went to tell him to check his voicemail but stopped just short, realising that the Connors had no reason to call him. Mrs. Connor didn’t blame Dante for what had happened to her daughter, but her husband certainly did, Dante not welcome in his home no matter how many times Sledge asked for him to visit. Beth had run out onto the road without looking, begging Dante to take her back after he’d found out she’d lied about being pregnant with his baby, not mine. She was struck by a speeding car, leaving her in a vegetative state and on life-support until Lily was born.
