Page 67 of 4-Ever

I playfully slapped his ass—as I had a habit of doing with my boo—and he turned to glare at me.

“Baby, don’t start that now.”

Baby? Fuck. Had he really called me that? I was lightheaded again, tripping on the stairs, nearly falling down.

“Careful, love,” Faise whispered. “We don’t want a return visit to the hospital.”

Love? Baby? The words filled me with a high, a warmth that spread throughout my entire body. If anyone else called me that, I’d gag. To me, endearments weren’t sexy at all.

Until they were. But only with him.

I was distracted, but in the best way.

Until we finally made it downstairs and I spotted my sister, Regan, Lennie, and Ailey waiting for us in the living room. Along with our PR rep, Zoe, and our lawyer, Elias Kain. Ever since we split with Bandit, me and the guys hired our own lawyer, on retainer, to ensure that we had objective advice. No more label lawyers.

Walking over to my sister, I sat down beside her and gave her a gentle hug. “How’re you doing this morning?”

“Okay. The sedative helped me sleep but I’m still exhausted. And scared.”

Her face was pale but the red marks on her neck were turning purple. Just like that, I was so angry I was ready to scream. Faise sat down beside me and squeezed my thigh, his reassuring touch the only thing keeping me from spiraling.

“We’ll keep this as short as possible. Dallas has been charged with assault, but his lawyer has arrived and is pushing for bail. In addition to that charge, I’d strongly suggest you file a restraining order. That way, if he tries to approach you again, he’ll be arrested. Also, you need to be prepared for his accusation,” Ailey paused and leaned forward. “He’s claiming that the three of you attacked him in that alleyway. Given your injuries and the eyewitnesses from your security team, I doubt his claim will go anywhere. But the video footage shows the street, not the alley. There’s no audio either, and the actual assault was not caught on tape. Given what Ciara has told us about his abusive behavior, I’m not surprised he’s denying everything and pointing the finger at anyone but himself.”

Elias interrupted, “Given the evidence I’ve seen so far, I doubt anything will come of his claim or that charges will be laid against you. Our best chance of hitting him back will be civil court. I’m also ready for him to counter-sue if he continues with these claims that you attacked him. He’s going to use your rockstar reputation against you, claim you were high or just entitled and lashed out at him.”

“The news of the assault has already hit the major outlets and social media,” Zoe interjected. “An anonymous account claims to have video from the incident. Maybe someone at the party? Or a bystander walking by?”

“I’m going to follow up on that with you,” Ailey added.

“And that’s not all,” Zoe sighed. “There are rumors that Faise relapsed and attacked Ciara and Dallas.”

“What?” I launched off the couch. “This is bullshit! This asshole abuses my sister, drags her into that alley, cuts me, hits Faise, and he’s the one who’s the victim? Fuck this! He’s not getting away with it!”

My head was about to explode.

“I’ve already issued an official statement denying Dallas’ claims and confirming our side of the story,” Zoe replied.

“It’s not our side, Zoe. It’s the truth,” I snapped. “It’s the fucking truth!”

“Ro.”

Faise called out to me and I stopped talking. He motioned to my sister. When I looked down, she was shaking. Hard.

I sat back down and took her hand. “Sorry, Ci. I’m sorry.”

Shit, my temper was probably triggering her. I was acting like such an idiot. I didn’t know what to say to her or how to deal with this.

“Hardwick’s team is working to track the stories. We’re on top of it,” Zoe continued.

“Stories? These are lies,” I countered. “Don’t give me the public relations speak. What’s really being said about us? Do I even want to know?”

“Most of your fans are rallying behind you.”

“Most?”

Ailey stood up. “Sorry, but I need to get back to the precinct. Between the footage, eyewitnesses, and the photographic evidence of your injuries, I doubt Dallas’s claim will go anywhere. But, for now, keep a low profile and file that TRO. And if you have any other questions, reach out to me. I’ll keep Elias posted on any updates as we move forward.”

I nodded, unsure of what else I could say. I was still too angry.

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