Page 29 of The Reality of Us
“This is between me and my wife.” Phoenix’s hands dropped to his side. The two men were practically chest to chest.
“Phoenix, people are looking.” A trio of cameramen were watching; they must have followed Phoenix. The rest had given up and gone back to the city earlier in the week.
Phoenix sighed loudly, finally stepping back. Alice’s breathing relaxed, and she rubbed her face. “Please go,” she whispered loud enough for him to hear. “You’re making things worse for everyone.”
“If you’re so worried about what people think, maybe you should cover up. Let yourself go, haven’t you?” Phoenix hissed at her, his gaze lingering on her bright yellow running crop top.
Her weight had long been an issue between them because she wasn’t a twig and never would be, so this wasn’t the first time he’d said something nasty about it. So much for loving her curves when they’d first met. She ducked her head, willing herself not to cry. Alice hated he could still control her this way, even after all this time.
“Enough,” Owen said.
“Don’t tell me what to—” Phoenix snarled at Owen.
This asshole. Seriously. “Would you shut up? Everyone’s watching. If you’re so concerned about your career and cancelled tour, you’d leave,” she hissed, her fingernails biting into her palms. “I’m trying to help you. Like I have a million times beforehand!”
A police car pulled up to the curb, two men climbing out.
“Really?” Phoenix glared at Alice.
“I didn’t call them,” she whisper-shrieked. “You’re the one swearing and stumbling all over the place!”
“This isn’t over,” he sneered.
The tall man with curly black hair reached them first. “Morning,” he said, introducing himself as Detective James. His partner, a tall Maori man with a crew cut and polarised Ray Bans, followed.
“What seems to be the problem here?” Detective James asked. It took Alice a minute to connect the dots. This was Owen’s older brother Rafferty. He was taller and leaner than Owen, more like Teddy. His clothes were creased, and the dark circles under his eyes matched his hair. Alice was struck by how beaten down he looked.
Phoenix tipped his chin towards Alice, the threat clear in his eyes. “Nothing,” he muttered.
She quickly retied her ponytail, trying to look calm. “Phoenix was just leaving.” She sent a pointed stare his way, and he glared back at her, tossing his greasy hair defiantly.
“Okay, you stay here,” Rafferty directed Alice. “And you come with me, please, Mr Storm. We’re going to have a little chat.”
“You should apply for a restraining order,” Owen said as soon as they were out of earshot.
The headlines flashed before her eyes.
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Alice replied, ignoring Owen’s scoff. “This isn’t the first time he’s”—she flicked her ponytail over her shoulder—“had too much to drink a bit early in the day. He’s harmless.”
“This is more than a bit too much to drink. Does he have a history of drug use? As your lawyer—”
She cut him off. “Look, I don’t want to add fuel to the fire, okay? Nothing happened. He’ll leave.”
Owen sighed. He seemed to do that a lot in her presence. “You kicked him out of the apartment in town?”
“My parents wanted him gone.”
He nodded, his mouth a flat line. “There was probably a better way to go about it. An official way.”
“I thought I was clear.” She propped her hands on her hips. “I don’t want a big drawn-out battle over the pathetic marriage we had. This”—she gestured towards the park and where Rafferty and his partner were standing with Phoenix—“is only going to make everything worse. A police report and restraining order will set this clusterfuck on fire.”
“There’s a difference between standing up for yourself and not making things worse,” Owen replied flatly. “A big difference.”
“Obviously.” She rolled her eyes. God, Owen must think she was such a moron for getting into this mess. “But it’s my decision. Not yours. Not anyone else’s. And I want this to go away.”
He watched her closely. The weight of his gaze and midmorning sunshine made her squirm.
“Fine.” His tone was heavy with resignation.
