Page 23 of The Devil’s Detail (The Greystone Family: Greystone Brothers #2)

I get choked up. Still, after all this time. This is a nightmare. I’m reliving a nightmare, and that douche bucket is driving it.

“So when one of the camera crew spilled the beans about the intimate gathering Gary secretly planned, I had to wonder why they were there? Turns out everyone in Hollywood but me knew that fifty specially selected ‘friends’ were due a few hours later, to eat my food and drink my famous champagne cellar dry. I called it off, called a fuckin’ halt.

Cancelled the crew, who were pissed since it was double time.

I paid them anyway. Evicted them all, including Gary, from my yard.

And texted that imbecile ‘Fuck off. We are done. It’s not me, it's you. Because you are an insipid parasite. Go fuck yourself. I never want to see you again.’”

James and Bucky are looking at me in awe.

“Christmas Eve, by text. Wow, man. That’s harsh,” Bucky states. But he looks impressed.

I shrug. “What was I supposed to do? Let him in with all the other leeches. Not a chance that was gonna happen, sugar.”

I grin at them to try to show I really am actually okay.

Well, I am now anyway. Even if I wasn’t.

“He’d become boring, anyway. All he ever talked about was my clothing.

I was a walking mannequin to him. I couldn’t move without him simpering, ‘Caaarrrrtttiiiii… Here Carti, twirl baby, show them what you’re wearing today. ’”

Kasey has tears in his eyes at my impression of Gary. James grins and Bucky grimaces.

“He dissed my best drumming T-shirt. You should have let him turn up, sit down at the fucking table, and let them film you telling him to ‘do one,’ while you gouged his eyes out with a spoon.” He does an impressive pantomime of a spoon as a weapon of mass destruction.

This boy should be in the movies with his acting ability and dramatics.

When he’s done, he sits back as if he’s watching the playback in his mind.

James is cackling at him. “Bucky, let it go, man. You love your T-shirts. You drum, he doesn’t. And the rate his show is going, it won’t be long before he’s out anyway.” James, as astute as ever, has picked up on how things are going for Gary.

Jackson has clearly heard enough of our banter. I can see his eyes roll from across the room before he takes over the discussion. “Right, now that that’s out of the way, we need to sort out how he found out where you were. I’m assuming only our team knew. Kasey, no leaks on your end?”

“None,” he states confidently.

“Carter, do you want to do this with everyone here, or do you want to wait and we can talk through the issues alone?” Clearly Jackson has something on his mind. His hands keep bunching into fists at his sides.

James watches him for a minute, then stands and says, “We can go, Uncle Jax, if you need to sort stuff out. Just glad we could help.” He touches my elbow and grins up at me. “Got to keep you safe for Rio. She is a total gem.”

The boy smiles at me, and goes to shake hands with me, but I stand and pull him into a hug.

“I appreciate it, boys. That little concert will be talked about for ages. I’ll dine out on it for weeks.

Gary will be forgotten. I just need to make sure he doesn’t come back.

He’s like a freaking bad penny. I mean, I told him I wasn’t interested months ago.

If he didn’t get the message before, hopefully he’s got it now. ”

James shrugs. “Yeah, but he needs your light and fame, Carti.” He puts on an insipid voice as he pulls out that ridiculous name.

I told Gary God knows how many times I hated it, but of course he ignored me.

“He’s just another dresser without you,” James continues.

“And it’s a cut throat business. He’s already so desperate to be relevant, he’s resorted to the age-old tactic of being ‘controversial’.

” He air quotes the word. “He’s started dissing people rather than dressing them, and he won’t reign long with that tactic.

Yeah, it gets headlines. But only if people actually think you have something to say.

Or are important to listen to. It all feels very year 2000.

” He says that as if it’s the dark ages, and I smile on the inside.

“We’ve already moaned about him on a chat show.

You can see how annoyed Bucky is. I think he’s pissed at us because he thought we were his friends. He’d been to Devon, for God's sake.”

That was my doing. I took him there. I open my mouth to apologise, but James holds his hands up to me to stop me.

“But we weren’t his friends. We were yours. We’ve not used him since you dumped him, and he’s upset about it.”

“If your dads get hold of him trying to weasel his way in there again, lord help him,” Kasey states.

They’re all standing now, ready to leave.

And I’m not sure I want them to. Jackson looks super annoyed, and I’m trying to read the room.

I’ve already had one pretty explosive argument with him a few weeks ago, and I really don’t want another one.

He might not go as hard on me if some people are here.

He might temper the anger I can see bubbling under the surface.

“Look, you can all stay,” I blurt out, unable to take the tension anymore. “Jackson, I understand you’re angry with me about the school. But honestly, I didn’t tip anyone off. Not this time.”

We all look at him, and I see James touch hands with him as he goes to get a bottle of water out of the fridge. What is going on there?

Jackson nods and shrugs. As if them being here won’t make one iota of difference.

Fuuuuck .

“Okay, if you want them here, that’s fine. But I won’t be holding anything back. Don’t expect me to give you an easy ride just because they’re here.” He tips his head, looking at me from the side. Shit, he’s really annoyed.

And obviously I’m as easy to read as a children's picture book. I need more work on that with him.

His deep voice cuts through my nerves and soothes me. My face is flushed, and the usual feeling of being alone and having to make decisions, which is so hard, feels lighter when he’s here. Dammit, I really don’t want him to quit.