Page 35 of Covert Affair

But did I really want that kind of life? Dating a rockstar didn’t sound like my cup of tea. And as explosive as the sex between us may have been, Stacey still gets under my skin and drives me crazy with her wildly independent streak. I think that’s why those vulnerable moments that I’ve seen have fucked with my head and my heart so much.

On the outside she’s a powerhouse for the most part. Sassy. Determined. And based on past experiences, doesn’t want help from anyone. Even if her life is on the line.

That’s like a shot to my ego. Go figure. Ineedto be the protector as dumb as that sounds.

We’re like oil and water.

And yet, here I am. Making omelets and pouring coffee for her after spending the rest of the night tossing and turning, thinking about how badly I wanted her in my bed.

What did that say about me? The woman called me to help her out of a domestic violence situation and here I was fantasizing about her.

Didn’t that make me an asshole, too?

What’s worse is that there’s a piece of me that thinks somewhere deep down, she feels the same. Either that or I really have lost my mind.

We’re in the middle of eating breakfast in comfortable silence when Stacey finally starts talking and breaks the news to me that her record label dropped her.

My fork falls onto the plate with a clank and I ball a fist into my leg, in anger and shock. “What? You can’t be serious. How can they do that without even talking to you?”

That fiercely protective side of me comes out full force once again and I’m ready to storm into that record label and demand they take her back.

She shrugs. “They did talk to me. When they called to tell me they would no longer be working with me. That was the discussion. It’s a conflict of interest and doesn’t look good on them if they continue to support someone who is abusive and has mental health issues. Oh, and you know…may or may not be involved in money laundering. ”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “You mean the victim? For lack of a better word. More like the survivor,” I clarify all in one breath. “They can’t support a domestic violence victim. And fuck the bullshit about having mental health issues. You’re innocent. We all know that. Your boyfriend, he’s the one with the problems.”

“Ex…ex-boyfriend. If he hasn’t figured that out by now, that’s his problem. The minute I can tell him to his face that it’s over, I will,” Stacey pushes the food around on her plate before taking the tiniest of bites. “But, like I told you, his reach runs deep. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has half of Nashville in his back pocket somehow.”

She’s not wrong. Everything I’ve found supports the fact that he seems to have ties everywhere.

“Did you tell them your side of the story?”

“Why even bother? They already made up their mind.”

“But if they knew the truth…”

“It wouldn’t make a difference. Not when Waylon is still somehow currently holding all the cards,” she sighs. “I probably would have been better off just staying silent and maybe not calling you.”

“Like hell. You have no idea what could have happened when he finally came to. You and I both know, you did the right thing.”

She shakes her head. “We’ll never know.”

“Thank God. Listen, we’ll figure this out,” I promise her.

The FBI may be shutting me out of their investigation but I happen to know from my own recon that the cards are stacked against this fucker. That bastard is going down.

“I appreciate you looking out for me but, this isn’t your problem to solve. You don’t have to take all of this on,” Stacey mumbles, looking down at the countertop and refusing to meet my gaze.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that before and pretty sure I told you that I’m going to figure all this out. When a client calls me for help, it becomes my problem. It’s my job.”

Stacey rolls her eyes at me but at least this time she doesn’t fight back.

“What’s this all mean for your music career and the rest of your tour?” This is one area I don’t know a whole lot about so I’m learning as I go.

“Canceled for the moment. Venues are already refunding money for tickets. That show overseas in Herefirth…which was also where I was going to get to meet King Julius and Queen Charlotte, feels like the biggest blow to my ego and my wallet. I think I’m most pissed off about that.”

Fuck. I hadn’t even considered the financial impact from this fall out. “How much of that comes out of your pocket?”

“Technically speaking, my share of it. Thankfully all of that income stays in a seperate account until everything has been settled. I don’t touch it before then.”

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