Page 25 of Shattered Chords

“I’m fucking Mexican.”

“Look at you,” she murmured in a warm voice. “Dante Martinez is giving me healthy living advice.”

There was a long pause filled with the distant hum of the wind rustling the trees. Hot air shifted and trembled between us as we studied each other’s expressions.

“What?” Cassy finally asked with a puzzled face.

“Just wondering why you keep coming back.”

“I worry about you.” She stopped for a second, then added, “Weworry about you.”

“So why isn’t he here?”

Awkward silence followed my question.

Cassy set the glass back on the table and obvious unease stiffened her posture. “I wanted to talk to you before we move forward—” She stopped to clear her throat. “Before you decide ifyouwant to move forward.”

Heaviness pushed against my chest. There was something dark and disturbing about those words.

“This isn’t public knowledge yet, but it will be by the end of the day if not earlier,” Cassy said, tone eerie and serious.

“Okay.” I waited.

“KBC is suing Frank for breach of contract. The paperwork was filed yesterday.”

My throat tightened with dread. “What’s the damage?”

“Forty million.”

I let out a soft whistle. “They’re not kidding around, huh?”

“No, they’re not.” She paused for a second, her gaze never leaving mine. “Frank’s attorney thinks the best response is to countersue.”

“So what do you want from me?”

“I want you to weigh all the pros and cons of owning your own masters.”

“Get out of here.” I almost choked on my laugh. “This is KBC we’re talking about, not some indie label from Portland. Do you have any idea how much money ‘Ambivalent’ brings in? It’s the fucking song of the decade. They’d never give that up.”

“Johnny’s on board.”

“Johnny will do whatever he’s told.”

“I don’t need an answer right now, Dante. I want you to think about it.”

“Humor me, short stuff.” I set my juice on the table. “Why isn’t Frankie-boy here? Why did he send you over?

“He doesn’t know we’re having this conversation.” The corners of her lips curved, and she gave me a small smile. “I’m sure you can imagine what’s going on in his head right now.”

I slumped back in my chair and contemplated. “If he wants to say something to me, he should come over and do it himself.”

“I need to know if you’re on board before we set up a meeting. There are a lot of moving parts. Besides, it was your choice to withdraw yourself from our lives after the screening.”

“I went back to rehab. He went back to rehab. What did you expect?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a proper conversation after you two got your shit together.”

“My shit is far from together, darlin’.”

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