Page 164 of Second Sets Omnibus

But we did it for our teenage sister, Camilla. She means the absolute world to us, and we wanted to protect her from Gloria’s manipulative ways. Luckily, she got away from my father’s abusebefore it was too late. But Gloria is a whole other story. So, with strong suggestion, our little sister now attends the new East Point Prep a few miles away on the edge of town, safely tucked away in her dorm room. Far the fuck away from the toxicity, sucking the life away from this apartment. When we aren’t on tour, we make sure to take Cami out for lunch and catch up on how middle school is going.

“If you just came here to insult me, you can leave,” she says, sticking her nose in the air. Her finger points toward the door, and by the look in her eyes, she’s shutting down fast.

“River West is our new manager.” There. I said it. Let the fucking pin drop.

Gloria’s face falls, and her hand comes up to her heart. Slumping back onto the couch, she vigorously shakes her head in disbelief. “But-but, we got rid of her. There’s no way that slutty little Central girl is your new manager. She must have slept her way to the top, like every other girl from that side of town. There’s absolutely no way. You have got to be joking,” she scoffs, leaning down to take a massive gulp from her coffee cup.

Funny. That’s precisely what Gloria did to snag my father as her prize. She slept around and climbed her way to the top, one man at a time, until she locked down the wealthiest man she could with a baby, and he couldn’t deny it. And yet, here she is comparing River, who worked two fucking jobs and went to college all by herself with no help. Oh, the irony of it all.

“Yeah, and she’s had some pretty interesting things to say about you and what happened after we left,” I say, raising my eyebrows when her face pales, and she purses her lips, looking far from innocent. In fact, as the statement settles, the shock evaporates, and she smirks with victory. No doubt reliving the moment she permanently booted River from our existence.

Imagine what could have happened if River had been able to call us and explain her pregnancy. No matter how angry theywere at her, they would have wanted to know Lyric. Something I’ll forever feel guilty about. Fuck. The burning in my chest rises again, sending the nasty taste of acid up my throat and onto my tongue. I rub a hand over my burning heart, wishing the pain would stop before an ulcer forms.

“And by the way, River isn’t just some Central girl. River is worth way more than you’ll ever be. And I can’t believe I let you talk me into doing what I did,” I retort without thinking, letting my brewing emotions take the damn lead. Thankfully, I keep the essential part of the equation to myself. For now, at least. She doesn’t deserve to know she has a grandchild who will never know who she is.

“Oh please, don’t tell me I didn’t do the right thing. That Central slut was going to ruin your lives. And you boys were just going to stand back and let it happen. Not on my watch! I had to do something to get her out of the way completely. Even after she told me that little lie about her being pregnant, all she was ever after was your money. She was so damn desperate, too,” she says with a roll of her eyes, dramatically huffing.

I study every freckle on Gloria’s offended face. True evil lies behind her eyes. She may not look like somebody that could take you down, but in her own unique way, she can. Every emotion hits me at once, amplifying the guilt closing my throat. Gloria unabashedly used me. She took my feelings, my anger, my desperation and put them in the palm of her hand, effortlessly using them against me with her sly, perfectly placed words.

I pull at the collar of my designer shirt and swallow hard. I swear my heart pounds in my ears, drowning out everything else. Gloria expertly manipulated me into doing what she wanted. With her twisted words and helping hand, she got exactly what she desired—getting rid of River. For good. The money she offered me and the promise to keep my father out ofit had me where she wanted me, on my knees and begging for more.

Slowly, I get to my feet and chug the rest of the warm coffee she brought me, grimacing at the bitter taste on my tongue. As I contemplate my next moves, I look around, taking in the grand elegance of the home we’ve provided her with.

Gloria has everything from professional paintings hanging on the wall to the tiny one-of-a-kind designer statue sitting in the corner. And now, her end is near. I will never let another human being manipulate me the way she did.

My gut churns and bile rises at the entire situation. “So, after you manipulated me into this with the promise of money and my father out of the picture, while the boys and I were away and we won, you swooped in and ensured that River would never be able to talk to us again. Did you really think we would never find out about the restraining orders? Or the check you gave her?” My voice rises with every word, making her cringe back.

“Why do you care what some Central girl has to say? So what if I gave her four restraining orders? Judge Drake had no qualms about helping me secure your future and Van’s,” she says with a wave of her hand like it means absolutely nothing that she ruined not only River’s life but Lyric’s. “Besides, look at you now. You guys are the biggest rock stars around. What is she going to do?”

“River is in charge of our contract, Gloria. If we fuck up, then River sends us on our way. Our contract will be void. No more money. No more rock star status.” I shake my head, running a hand through my hair in frustration. Tightly, I grip the longer ends, basking in the release of my festering temper. Talking to Gloria is like talking to a four-year-old who doesn’t understand the word no. Hell, Lyric understands better than this grown woman, and I’ve only had brief conversations with her.

I slam my cup down with more force than necessary, praying a crack forms. Glaring down, I take in every inch of Gloria’s pathetic form. What a conniving, money-hungry woman she’s become. If only she’d known what an exceptional little girl Lyric would become.

“And you’re wrong, by the way. River wasn’t lying about the baby. Congratulations, Grandma,” I say just as I maneuver through the front door, slamming it in her shocked face before she can utter a single word.

Racing down the hallway toward the elevator, I press the bottom floor button and slump against the mirrors as every inch of my flesh tingles and trembles with the exhaustion sweeping through me. So, it’s all true. Everything River has been adamant about. Gloria served River with actual restraining orders, signed by a real sneaky judge, hellbent on getting everyone away from River and isolating her. I may have driven the guys out, but Gloria put the nail in the coffin. No wonder I never found River online whenever I snooped. She’d either erased herself off social media or blocked us long ago.

As I make my way out of the building, I clutch my chest and let the entirety of the situation crash down on me. I made the most monumental mistake of my life. Not only did it affect me, but it affects five other people. Old Asher was selfish, stuck up, and a manipulative asshole, and I let Gloria rule over me, bending my will for a few thousand dollars. She dangled my little sister’s safety in front of my eyes like a carrot on a string, playing with my need to protect her. I knew it was the only way to drag them to safety, away from my controlling and abusive father. So, I did what I did to protect the people around me. When the only thing that my heart truly wanted was the girl I left behind on purpose.

Leaning against the sleek high-rise, I take several deep breaths and process the conversation I just had. Nothingprepares you for walking into the lion’s den, and that’s what I just did. As I search the distance and all the stores surrounding me, filled to the brim with shoppers and happy mothers and daughters and sons, a familiar person catches my eye across the street, coming out of the phone store with a perplexed look adorning her cute face. In a split-second decision, I make my way across the street and loom over her small frame as she stares down at a new phone in her hand. Before I open my mouth, I take the time to examine the woman River has become. And boy, do I like what I see.

“New phone?”I ask in a low voice, hovering over River as she stands on the sidewalk, oblivious to her surroundings.

Her brown hair sways with the light breeze brushing down her back. I swallow thickly when her scent envelops me, knocking me back a step and straight into forbidden memories that tickle at the back of my mind—reminding me of the times we shared. Now it feels like a lifetime ago. Seeing River and being around her takes me back to the simpler times when all I had were dreams and aspirations and my girl at my side. Even if we fought like cats and dogs, I’d take that feeling of playing at Dead End and watching her over the fame and fortune I betrayed her for.

“Jesus!” River yelps, jerking her body back from mine with a slight screech. Several shoppers walking past stare intently in our direction with curious eyes, startled by the noises coming from her.

Her expression morphs into a deadly scowl aimed in my direction as the fright wears off. From one scathing look, myballs shrivel, and I swear a fire starts breaking out across my flesh, causing me to pull at the collar of my shirt.

She huffs, putting a hand over her heart, and mutters words I can’t quite understand. “You can’t just sneak up on people like that, Asher,” she barks, heaving a breath. “It’s rude.”

“Sorry,” I say, putting my hands up placatingly. My teeth sink into the side of my cheek, concealing the small smile trying to pull at my lips. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just in town and saw you over here. Thought I’d come over and say hi.” She blinks at me a few times as my words register, deepening the wrinkle on her forehead.

Jesus Christ. What the hell has gotten into me? I’m suddenly transported back to when I was a teenage boy, nervously talking to the first girl I ever laid eyes on. Nerves bristle under my skin. My palms friggin sweat so much, I’m wiping them down my jeans.

River rolls her eyes and sidesteps me, moving along the sidewalk slowly. “Why exactly are you following me?” she asks, shoving her new phone into her pocket.

Good fucking question. Why am I following her down the sidewalk when my car rests a block away from here? Why not just turn on my heel and walk in the opposite direction? The short of it is, I can’t. There’s a pull between River and me, begging me to tag along as she actively avoids looking at me. Perhaps my crushing guilt pushes me to fix things, or maybe, I genuinely miss her—my Little Brat.