Part 20 (1/2)
Ignoring Quincy, he stepped towards me and extended his hand.
”Nick,” I acknowledged, shaking his hand firmly. I'd only met the boss man once before back when I first signed with the company.
”Did you watch my boy's last fight?” Quincy interrupted, obviously not trusting me to speak for myself. Wrapping his arm around all our bosses shoulder, Quincy led the men over to the couch area. ”Impressive, huh? Noah's got one h.e.l.l of a left hook.”
”How's it going, man?” Lucky acknowledged when Nick took a seat beside him. He tipped his bottle in Nick's direction before taking a swig.
Quincy's face turned purple and I shook my head in amus.e.m.e.nt as I followed after them.
No one was changing Lucky.
Sitting down on the coffee table, I listened to the pleasantries and boring as f.u.c.k small talk between the three men and my coach, nodding every once in a while when Quincy gave me the eye.
To be perfectly honest, I didn't have a clue what was happening and I cared even less. All I wanted to know was that I wasn't getting fired, and once I learned the answer to that question when Nick mentioned a pay rise I pretty much zoned out, letting my thoughts trail to Thorn.
Always Thorn...
Her heartbroken expression, when I left her at the gym, was still in the fore point of my mind not by memory because the f.u.c.king paparazzi had snapped it. I wondered if she had seen the front page of this morning's papers. I seriously doubted it because knowing Teagan, she would have thrown a colossal tantrum at the sight of having our private life splashed all over the papers. I was used to it this was my life now. I'd signed up to being in the public eye, but she, on the other hand, had not...
My cell phone buzzed in my pocket, distracting me from my thoughts, and I pulled it out quickly. Checking the screen, I swiped my finger across it and put it to my ear before getting up and walking into the bedroom.
”Tommy. How's it going, man?” I asked, sinking down on the edge of my bed. He had stayed in the states, organizing and preparing everything for the tour next week and to be honest, I hadn't realized I was missing the f.u.c.ker until he called me.
”Not good, man.”
”What's wrong?” I asked, tensing up.
”Don't freak out okay,” Tommy placated. ”I have everything under control...”
”Tell me,” I gritted out.
”Your house was broken into last night,” he said with a heavy sigh. ”Nothing was taken,” he added quickly. ”And the cops already have three teens in custody. They're convinced it was just some overly zealous fans.”
”Is that it?” Shaking my head, I sagged in relief. ”s.h.i.+t, man, I thought something was wrong.”
He was silent for a long time and a trickle of unease crept up my spine. ”What aren't you telling me?”
”It's weird, Noah,” he confessed. ”Nothing was taken, but there was...there was something weird about it.”
”Weird how?”
”Newspaper cuttings,” I heard him say. ”Scattered all over your room.”
”Cuttings of what?” I asked him, confused.
”Of you, man,” he told me. ”From yesterday's papers right back to your arrest seven years ago.”
”Well s.h.i.+t,” I muttered. ”Cole?” I asked, thinking it might be an intimidation tactic on my compet.i.tion's behalf.
”Not his style,” Tommy replied without hesitation. ”I'm just... look, I could be completely wrong when I say this, but I think you need to watch your back.”
”You think it's someone from before?” I asked, frowning.
”I can't say for sure, but there were pictures of you and Teagan,” Tommy whispered. ”Pre-jail pictures, man. Why would anyone from your present have those?”
”What kind of pictures?”
”Stills of you and her in the elevator that night.”
”f.u.c.k.” I knew that f.u.c.king CCTV footage would come back to haunt me someday. ”The press?”
”They're already on it, man. It's everywhere here,” he told me. ”Should be reaching your side of the world by the a.m. And another thing,” he added in a low tone. ”There's been some...talk around this neck of the woods.”
”About?”
”The Ring of Fire being back up and running.”
”G.o.d f.u.c.king dammit, Tommy!” Jerking to my feet, I paced the floor as my skin heated with anger. ”He's back in business?”
”Should I call the cops?”
”And sign your own death certificate?” I shook my head and snarled. ”Don't you f.u.c.king dare,” I warned him. ”Involve the police, Tommy, and you won't make it through the night, man. That p.r.i.c.k has eyes and ears everywhere.” I knew that better than anyone. There was a reason the Ring of Fire had gone undetected for so many years; brown envelopes and dirty cops.
”What do you want me to do?” he asked nervously.
”Go about business as usual,” I instructed him. ”Keep your head down and your G.o.dd.a.m.n mouth shut.”
”Noah, I'm...” his voice broke off and guilt churned inside of me.
”I know, man,” I whispered. ”I don't blame you.”
”Messina!”
Growling in agitation when I heard my name being called, I spoke in a low tone, ”Look, I know you're scared, man, and you should be. But whatever you do, Tommy, do not go to the cops ” I paused mid-sentence when Quincy poked his head around the door.
”Come on, kid,” he told me, eyes twinkling with excitement. ”Nick wants to hit the town to seal your brand new deal.”
”I'm coming,” I told him, waiting for him to leave before putting the phone back to my ear. ”Tommy, I have to go,” I muttered. ”I'll be back in a few days and I'll sort it out. But just...just hang low until then.”
”Be careful, Noah,” Tommy whispered down the line.
”You too, man,” I replied before knocking off the call and sinking down on the bed. Leaning forward, I rested my elbows on my thighs and covered my face with my hands.
One phone call and I was reminded of exactly why I didn't get close to anyone. There was no getting away from my past. There was only one way this was ending. Either he died or I did. There was no other way around it.
The bedroom door creaked open again but this time it was Lucky. I watched as he closed the door behind him before walking over to the bed and sitting down beside me. He didn't speak a word or ask me any questions. He just waited.
”JD's back.” I choked out when I was ready to talk.
”What's the plan?” he asked in a quiet tone, looking me straight in the eye. ”Can't sit back on this, man,” he added, knowing all about my past. h.e.l.l, he'd had five long years in a jail cell to learn all about it. ”We need to deal with this get him before he gets you.”