Page 57 of Kneeling for Them

“Bastian—”

She’s interrupted by the server returning with Trina’s margarita and my iced tea.Trina ignores the drinks and the server while I mutter athank you, and then we’re alone again.

“Bastian,” Trina starts again, “you don’t want to do this.”

“I don’t want to, but I have to.”I take a sip of my tea, not even tasting it.

She gazes at me for a long time, her shrewd green eyes calculating.“You really mean this.You’re dissolving our partnership.”

“Yeah.I’m sorry, Trina.”

She stands up and puts her hands on the table.“You’re going to be fucking sorry.”

“I’m already sorry,” I say.“Every day.All the time.For everything else.I’m constantly sorry.Breaking up with you as my agent is nothing compared to all the rest of it.”

“The things we’ve been through,” she says.

“Yes, I’m well aware you’re holding that knowledge over my head,” I say.“I’d like to hope you won’t use it against me.”

Even though she already has—she has constantly reminded me of it, wielding it like a knife to urge me to do what she wants.

She gives a derisive snort and picks up her handbag to leave.“Yeah, whatever.We’re done, I guess.”

“I want you to stay away from Ella, too,” I say.

“That’s between me and Ella,” she practically growls.

I shake my head, but I don’t need to argue the point.I’ll go pick up Ella from her shift at Bartleby’s tonight, and tell her everything.If I’m living the truth—however harrowing and horrible it is—then the truth no longer has power over me.

Ella

Kingston did a lot to take my mind off of my problems last night.He fucked away all of my thoughts of Tommy, and my hurt over Sebastian not wanting to record with me.

Now, of course, all the negative is swirling up in my mind again.The reprieve was good, though.Necessary.

I’m even thinking that I should call him after work so he can fuck it all away again.

That idea has me grinning, and Natasha gives me a knowing look when we pass each other in the dining room.

Yeah, I’m totally in the honeymoon phase with Kingston.The soreness of my thigh muscles attests to it as well.

I smile when I see a familiar face at the bar.Trina Jack.She waves at me while I finish handing out drinks at another table.As soon as I’m finished with that, I hurry over to talk to her.

“Ella!”she exclaims before giving me air kisses on either cheek.“How are you, doll?”

“I’m good.Did Sebastian tell you how to find me?”I ask.“Or are you seriously stalking me?”

She laughs.“Bastian has no place in this conversation.It’s just between the two of us.”

Nodding, I purposefully shove aside the memory of how Sebastian very clearly doesn’t want to sing with me.Maybe, instead of that, he wants me to do my own thing first, prove myself before playing with the big dogs.

“Is there any way you could take a break to chat with me somewhere private?”she asks.

I glance around the not-too-crowded dining room, spot Natasha, and catch her eye.“Five minutes?”I mouth.

She nods.

“I only have five minutes,” I tell Trina.