Page 56 of Any Kind of Life

Ah. It was Henry. “No. Why?”

“Hang on. I’ll send the link over.” Paige heard traffic in the background, then Henry muttering something. Chances were, he didn’t know what he was doing. “I think I’ve sent it.”

Paige’s phone vibrated. “Yep. Got it. One sec.”

She brought up the news article, her heart free falling into her stomach the moment she read the headline.

Ex-defence lawyer gutted in exclusive bar.

Paige’s stomach churned, tears stinging her eyes as she read the headline again. How could people be so heartless with their reporting? How could a paper print absolute shit? Paige didn’t want to read any further. She’d seen enough already.

“I was hoping the papers wouldn’t report it,” Paige spoke quietly into the phone as she lowered herself to the bed. “And when they did…be a little less brutal.” She understood that not everyone liked Juliet based on her previous career, Paige sometimes found it hard to understand how she could represent the people she had, but this? Gutted. God, she felt sick.

“It’s a rag of a paper. I wouldn’t worry about it. But I did want to give you a heads-up. You know, if people start getting in touch with you.”

“Like who?” Paige stared down at the floor, frowning. There was nobody to contact her. Neither of them had any family. None they kept in touch with, anyway.

“Reporters. Friends. Anyone really.” Henry cleared his throat. “Don’t forget that you’re now a face in the music industry, Paige. People will want you to say something about it all.”

Paige may be seen as a face in the music industry, but she had done the right thing in mostly keeping Juliet out of the spotlight. A lot of people likely didn’t know they were together unless they’d followed the tour heavily. “Yeah, well, they can have two words from me. Fuck off. That should give them an idea of what I think.”

Henry laughed. “Perfect. And likely what Juliet would expect you to say.”

“Well, thanks for letting me know. If I hear anything from the hospital, I’ll give you a quick call.” Paige ended the call and sighed. This was the last thing Juliet would need once she was awake and on the road to recovery. Fucking journalists wanting answers. Nobody had the right to answers, nobody at all. “This is fucked.”

Paige dragged herself back out into the living room and threw her phone onto the couch. She had only been home from the hospital for two hours—on the advice of Juliet’s nurse so she could rest—but she didn’t seem to have a minute to sit and process. Something was always going on in some corner of her life.

A sudden hammering on the door had Paige backing up against the nearest wall. Nobody had access to this building, and those neighbours that did…well, they certainly wouldn’t dream of banging the door down. She crept towards the door and looked through the peephole.

Huh. It was Rachel.

Paige unlocked the three bolts on the back of the apartment door and opened it slowly. “Um, hi.”

Tears streamed down Rachel’s face. “I just heard what happened. What the fuck is going on?”

Oh, no. Paige had enough going on without Rachel showing up and demanding answers. Another one who had no right to them. “First of all, calm down. I don’t have the energy for sobbing and panicking.” Paige opened the door wider. “And secondly, come in, and I’ll explain what I can. I need to be ready to go immediately if they wake Juliet up.”

Rachel wiped at her face as she stepped through the door.

“How did you get into the building?” Paige felt on edge lately, and rightfully so. Then she reminded herself of exactly how Rachel got into the building. At one time, she was sharing Juliet’s bed with her. Not right now. “Never mind. I forgot.”

“Paige, is it true?” Rachel held up her phone, that same headline staring back at her once again.

Paige ran a hand down her face. “Yeah. It’s true. I mean, the headline is bullshit, but, yeah, Juliet was attacked at the bar while I was on tour. Well, the day I was coming home from the tour.”

“Who the fuck would do that to her?” Rachel threw her handbag to the floor and flopped down on the couch. Seemed she was about to make herself comfortable. “I know she always had that guy with her. Henry. Is that something to do with it?”

Paige snorted. “Henry is security.”

“Paige, I’m not stupid. I know something was going on when she used to book me. He’d sit outside this place all hours of the day and night. Part of me wondered if he was going to let himself in here sometimes to find us in bed together.” Rachel closed her eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, you shouldn’t.” Paige didn’t need to reminisce right now. “And if you want the truth, I’m surprised you’re even here. Juliet has been trying to bring you and Andi into the friendship group for a while now, and most of the time, you don’t even get back to her when she texts.”

“I know. It felt…weird.”

Paige lifted a brow. She would continue this simply to divert the conversation from Henry. “For who?”

“Me.” Rachel smiled weakly. “I didn’t exactly leave things on good terms with you two. It felt weird being welcomed into the group so suddenly and so easily.”

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