Page 13 of Shattered Chords

Scrolling down to the bottom of the first page of search results, I skimmed over the text.

Dante Martinez Exits Hall Affinity in Light of Health Crisis

Hall Affinity Guitarist Enters Rehab

Dante Martinez Makes Appearance at Dreamcatchers Premiere in Los Angeles

Dante Martinez Talks About Reconnecting with Frankie Blade and a Hall Affinity Reunion

Dante Martinez and Frankie Blade Cringeworthy Meltdown

I was tempted to click the thumbnail of a YouTube video beneath the last headline, but something told me it wasn’t fair to the man in question. First impressions were everything and seeing something ugly before seeing something nice didn’t feel right.

Instead, I scrolled back up and tapped the images tab.

My heartbeat accelerated. It’d been a long time since I’d stalked someone famous online and I’d forgotten how overwhelming looking at a well-dressed man with a jaw-dropping smile could be. And Dante Martinez was exactly that. Damaged eye candy wrapped in denim, leather, and shiny jewelry.

I squeezed my eyes shut for a brief second to regroup and whispered into the warm night, “You’re a grown woman, Camille. You’re not drooling over some man who’s probably twice divorced and has done all the drugs that exist.”

I wasn’t sure why my imagination went straight for his relationship status. Rock stars were notorious for marrying a gazillion times, and the older they grew, the younger their spouses became. It was almost like an unwritten law in the world of rock’n’roll. Maybe with the exception of Jon Bon Jovi. I knew those facts unwillingly only thanks to my mother. She loved him. Once when I was a kid, she dragged me to see the band’s show in Inglewood, but that was as far as my parents could stretch their limits. The kind of music Ally played scared them. They didn’t participate, but they tried to be understanding.

Snapping my eyes open, I returned my attention to the tiny screen of my phone and ogled photos of Dante Martinez. In most, he was pictured with various guitars, but in some, he was with much younger women. Very few appeared in more than two shots. This man was a player.

Worry coiled my stomach.

Was I wrong to let him buy a guitar for Ally?

What if he lied? What if he was texting her something inappropriate at this moment?

Unsettled, I scrolled back to the top of the page and retyped his name, carefully checking drop-down suggestions.

dante martinez net worth

dante martinez guitars

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dante martinez hall affinity reunion

dante martinez frankie blade meltdown

My head roared, and the wine was to blame. I took a sharp breath and typed another word into the search bar.

dante martinez sexual assault

The search didn’t return any results.

There was no history of abuse between him and any of his ex-girlfriends. The man wasn’t a pervert, just an ex-addict and a showoff.

Relief rolled through my chest.

You’re paranoid,my voice of reason said.

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