Page 58 of Kneeling for Them

“No problem.”

I lead her to Kevin’s office.There’s only one chair, so neither of us take it and we just stand sort of awkwardly facing each other.

“I’d like to work with you,” Trina says, immediately taking charge.“You have a great voice and I think talent like yours is only going to develop and grow over time, with the right nurturing.Bastian can be a mentor to you.”

I can’t help but wince.

“What was that look for?”Trina asks.

I may as well just say it.I don’t want to talk about it, even in my head, but I can’t let Trina take me on if she thinks Sebastian has any interest in mentoring me, when he obviously doesn’t.

“I don’t think Sebastian wants to be my mentor,” I say.

“What?Why ever not?”

There’s an odd gleam in her eye, like she isn’t surprised by this revelation.That’s weird, because she just said he could be my mentor.But the gleam disappears as soon as I saw it, and her expression is more sympathetic than anything else.

“I don’t know,” I say.“It might be that I’m just not good enough.”

She taps her chin and frowns.“It probably has something to do with that girl.”

“That girl?”

“You know, seven years ago, after the concert.”

I raise my eyebrows at her.I don’t know what the fuck she’s talking about, but now I have to know.

“The girl he attacked,” she says, with a “well, duh” tone in her voice, like she’s exasperated with me for not putting it together.

“He…he what?”I ask, certain I haven’t heard her correctly.

“He sexually assaulted a girl after one of his shows, seven years ago.It was his last show.His fear over being caught made him stop with making music.But I…I thought you knew.”She puts her hand over her mouth.“He hasn’t told you?Oh, shit.I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Kevin has one of those old clocks I associate with school classrooms, with the big white face, black hour and minute hands, and the bright, orange-red second hand.I watch as the seconds tick past.The thing about Sebastian, that Trina just shared, isn’t penetrating my skull.

Instead, I watch the seconds.

“Ella?Are you okay?”

Trina’s hand comes down on my shoulder, and she shakes me slightly.

“I’m fine,” I say, feeling my lips form the words, my throat give them voice.“Fine.”

Sebastian sexually assaulted a girl.A girl, or a woman?Seven years ago?I don’t recall seeing any news stories like that when I looked up him and his music last week.It wouldn’t have been buried—that kind of story, these days, always remains at the top of a search.

It can’t be true.

“Who was it?”I ask.“Where is she now?I can’t believe this.”

“Oh, believe me, it happened.Her name is Alyssa.I helped her afterward, and trust me, Bastian Crown paid handsomely to cover her therapy and everything else she might be going through.”

I grip the back of Kevin’s office chair, wishing I was anywhere else right now.

“I’m so sorry,” Trina says.“I shouldn’t have said anything.And now you have to get back to work.”

Shit.Work.Natasha’s out there on the floor by herself.

“Yeah, I have to go,” I say.