Page 69 of Reverb

“Genetics,” I replied. “I’m talking about genetics.”

Our gazes locked. He could have blustered, could have ordered me out of his office. He could have played a game. Instead, he went pale.

“Oh, shit,” he said.

“Exactly,” I shot back. “Never mess with a journalist.” I pulled a folded photocopy out of my pocket, unfolded it, and put it on the table between us. “Tell me what this is.”

He glanced down at it, then looked away.

“Tell me,” I said.

“Since you brought it, you already know what it is.”

“I want to hear it from you,” I said. “The truth, for once.”

I’d gotten the idea from the interview with Diana. She’d so casually dropped Stone’s father’s name. Michael Roark was a no-good sonofabitch who took off after Stoney was born. If he left behind other kids, I feel sorry for them. I’d followed a hunch, just as I had with Chase Mackay—only this time, I’d ended up somewhere much worse.

It had taken barely an hour to dig up this piece of paper. It had been so, so easy.

I’d never been angrier at anyone in my life than I was right now at William Hale.

Hale sighed, possibly realizing he wasn’t going to escape my fury. “That’s a copy of my birth certificate,” he said. “I was adopted when I was ten months old.”

“Correct,” I said. Hale was his adopted parents’ name. I pointed to a name on the page. “And what name is right here, listed as your birth father?”

Hale glanced down, then away again. “Michael Roark,” he admitted. “My father was Michael Roark.”

The words hung in the air between us.

I stared at Stone’s half brother, unable to believe how calm he was. “Were you going to tell him?” I asked, my voice trying to crack. “Ever?”

“I was. I am. I had a plan.” He looked flustered, then annoyed. He scowled, and the expression on his unfamiliar features was like looking at Stone’s ghost.

Will didn’t look like his half brother—not the hair, not the eyes. Though he was tall, his build was leaner. But he had Stone’s jawline. It was hard to recognize because Stone wore a beard, but it was the same. He had a similar scowl, though his presence wasn’t as big, or as threatening.

Stone had a brother. A brother. And he had no idea.

“When were you going to execute this plan?” I asked. I was seeing red, I was so mad. “A year? Five? Ten? My guess is never, because you’ve chickened out this long. You’re nothing but a coward.”

“I only learned it myself a year ago,” Hale said. He ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve always known I was adopted, but I had never tracked down my birth parents. When I did, when I found out that my father had another son before me—it changed everything for me. I had a stable home life, but I’ve never felt comfortable with those people, in that life. It always felt wrong somehow. It’s hard to explain.” He shook his head. “I thought I was crazy. Do you understand? I was never happy. I was treated for depression, anxiety. Then I learned who my birth father is, and who my brother is, and I saw the Road Kings play in a video online. And I realized I’ve never been crazy at all.” His gaze met mine again, and I saw some of Stone’s fierceness there. “You try it,” he said. “You try living your entire life not knowing who you truly are. Not knowing why you don’t fit into your own life. Not knowing of a single person on earth who is related to you by blood. It messes with your head.”

“I’m sure it was difficult,” I said. “You know what else is difficult? Being lied to by someone who claims to be your business partner but is actually your brother.”

“I just wanted to be part of it,” Hale said. “I wanted to see what it was like, being in his orbit. I think he’s a genius. I think the band is incredible. I thought, this is the best band, and bands need money, right? They always need money. Money is what I have, so that’s what I’ll contribute. I’ll put up the funds to send them back on the road, because the Road Kings need to be on the fucking road. They were just rotting away, doing nothing. I had to do it anonymously. They wouldn’t have done it if they knew who I was.”

I had to admit he was probably right about that.

Will kept talking. “I wanted to see Stone play for real, wanted everyone else to see it, too. I wanted him to go back to doing what he’s meant to do, what he was born to do. I still want that. It’s been worth every penny.”

I bit my lip. Because even as angry as I was, the tour had changed everything—for Stone, for the other band members. For Callie, Raine, Brit. For me. The tour had changed all our lives, and it wouldn’t have happened if the man sitting in front of me hadn’t decided it needed to happen.

“Stone Zeeland isn’t just a genius musician,” I said. “He isn’t just one of the greatest players of his generation. He’s an incredible person. He’s smart and he’s fiercely loyal and his kindness is bone-deep. He’s passionate and he’s funny. He’s grumpy and he’s lived through tragedy and he has feelings that can be hurt. And you,” I pointed at Will’s chest, “you are not going to hurt him, ever. Or you will deal with me.”

Will blinked and his eyes went wide with understanding. I gave him a death glare, warning him not to comment. Yes, on the surface Stone and I didn’t fit. Yes, I was making my feelings rather obvious in this moment. But I didn’t want to hear it.

I wasn’t going to hear Will Hale say that I was in love with Stone before I had the chance to tell Stone myself.

Will seemed to get the message, because he didn’t ask about Stone and me. “I’m not jerking him around,” he said. “I’m not jerking any of them—any of you—around. I’ve uprooted my whole life, my business, to come here. I’m starting over because I like it here. I feel better here, hanging out with a bunch of asshole rock stars who don’t like me, than I ever have. I’d rather go broke making music than get even more rich making one more investment deal. I know that makes me crazy, but it’s true.”

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