Page 138 of Hi-Voltage
“Someone, a few someones maybe, posted a bunch of photos, not just of you two together but also of Luka out and about the city. Thankfully, your man seems to hold himself very presentably in public; even when he’s out partying, he looksput together. I think the most damning thing is that he’s gay and a smoker spotted at drag shows, but the general public doesn’t really care about that anymore. He should quit smoking, though.”
“He’s trying.”
“The problem isn’t thatheis gay, though. It’s that he’s out and proud—which, really, good for him—but he is apparently datingyou.”
“I—” Reno felt the plastic coffee cup bend in his grip. “Why can’t I be happy?”
“You know PR doesn’t want you in a relationship. The speculation around you and Luka has been ramping up for weeks now, and this is the nail in the coffin.” She pulled up a photo: Reno, his hand on Luka’s chest, scowling, as Arnaud and Jaewon tried to block the photographers’ view outside of the restaurant.
The elevator slowed to a stop and dinged as the doors opened. Kandi stepped out with Reno behind her, but she didn’t walk down the hall towards the conference rooms.
She tapped Reno’s cup. “Finish this, then we’ll go in. They can wait for you for another minute. Listen." Kandi made Reno look at her before she motioned for him to drink. “They’re talking about moving you from your flat to a new location. Security is ramped up around your neighborhood, but they’re starting to get frustrated with the costs of protecting you. Especially since, in their eyes, it looks like you’re intentionally jeopardizing that investment with this secret relationship. It’s drawing too much negative attention; they need you to be good and stick to what you’ve been doing over the last decade, so they can trust that their return from you will be reliable.”
“They need me to be good,” Reno repeated, hearing Luka’s voice in his head.You’re good for everyone. Your friends, yourbosses, your band. What would happen if you had to choose?He swallowed the lump in his throat.
"I feel queasy.”
Kandi took the unfinished coffee from him and threw it in a nearby trash can. She smoothed the front of her blouse down, tucking it carefully into the waistband of her pencil skirt from where it had come unadjusted. Her mousy blonde hair had been pulled into a high ponytail, giving her a more severe look than normal. “Let’s get this over with. I’ll do my best to stick up for you in there, but I can’t promise a lot at this point.”
“Thanks.” He knew Kandi was telling the truth, that she would try to stand beside him. But, over the decade or so he’d worked with her, he’d learned that sometimes what she thought was best for Reno and what Reno wanted were two very different things.
She opened the conference room door, and Reno was relieved to find only two people inside.
“Mister Edwards, Mister Singh. How have you been?” Reno took the seat opposite them, and Kandi sat next to him. “Your families are healthy?”
“Yes, thank you,” Manu Singh replied, extending a hand to Reno. They’d worked together often; Manu managed Voltage’s radio and television appearances, and now their social media presence. Any song he touched went viral, and Reno had no idea how he did it. “I heard the new album is coming along well. When do you expect to be ready for mixing?”
“Hopefully, within the next two months. We could release a single in the next few weeks as a teaser.”
“Good, good,” Tomas Edwards replied, taking Reno’s hand next. The large man’s hand engulfed his, and Reno tried not to mind it too much. He’d never liked the way Tomas looked at him.
Tomas smiled at Reno, dropping his hand and leaning back into his chair, crossing his arms. “Sorry to drag you up here in the middle of your day.” He always apologized for that, but he did it so often, Reno didn’t know why he bothered with the lie. “We’re beginning to become worried for your safety.”
“Why?” Reno asked, feeling suspicious of their intentions after Kandi’s briefing.
“The tabloids may be fairly innocent right now, but you know as well as we do what your personal fan base can be like. Out of all our signed musicians, you’ve had more stalking and harassment incidents on record than anyone. T-yan is close behind you, but things have been quieter for him since he moved.”
“Are you asking me to relocate?” Reno tried to get Tomas to the point.
“It may come down to that,” Manu replied, cracking open a bottle of water noisily, the label crinkling around it. “Security is having difficulties keeping up with the number of reporters trying to sneak around. Again, it’s relatively harmless at the moment, but if journalists have your home address, it’s likely to be leaked to the public sooner rather than later. We can’t control mail, packages, and people walking down the street. You live in a very crowded area. There’s so much activity happening around your neighborhood, there’s no reasonable way we can guarantee your safety unless you are willing to have a bodyguard assigned.”
“A bodyguard?” Reno blinked. “I guess I’d be fine with that if it was someone I already knew, but I don’t like the idea of being that restricted.”
“We assumed so. I can’t see you as the type to want someone watching over you all the time,” Tomas said with a frown. “You’ve always liked your privacy.” He was correct, but the way he said it made Reno’s scalp itch. Tomas leaned forward to put his elbows on the conference table. “The reporters are not ourreal concern. They know Cane is watching the area and will mostly stay out of your way.”
“So, what’s the deal, then?”
“As I said: the fans.”
Manu agreed, “Things have been stirring up online for a while. We’ve been tracking activity carefully, and despite our best efforts, things are starting to take a turn for the worse. The leaks this morning will likely cause a fallout.”
“You mean the restaurant photos?” Reno wished Kandi had let him keep his coffee, so that he had something to hold in his hands.
“Mister Fischer is a liability we can’t ignore anymore.”
Reno’s focus snapped to a razor-sharp edge. “He’s not your business.”
“He is yours, which makes it ours,” Tomas said, to which Kandi grunted, crossing one leg over the other. Tomas looked at her with a raised brow.
