My body goes cold, my anger transforming into something darker. It takes hold of my soul, and despite our endless blowups and shared angst, a protectiveness for that little girl steels through every inch of my being. I reopen the chat and type back.
I’m here. Where you wanna meet up?
Bubbles immediately appear beneath my message, and sure enough, an address pops up a second later.
See you soon, I type back.
CHAPTER 4
HADLEY
My heart pounds as I stomp back to my apartment and slam my door. Bone-rattling beats still shake my walls from upstairs, but somehow knowing they belong to a troubled girl and not an inconsiderate ex-rockstar doesn’t make it better.
Worse, actually. Yeah, so much worse.
In one conversation I could tell that girl was hurting. If Julian can’t clue in to the obvious while living with her, he’s an even bigger ego-centric idiot than I thought.
His snarky retort grates through my head as I fill the kettle and prepare for a loud night alone. I hadn’t even gone up there to complain. I was worried about Naomi. And fine, maybe a little about him as well. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, I haven’t been able to drop that image of him defeated and desperate in the hallway of the studio. For a brief moment I thought I saw something, something broken no one was supposed to see, and the fixer in me engaged with disturbing force. Obviously, I’d misread that.
He’s not your problem, Hadley.
He’s not. Viv is my employer, my focus. Her problems are my problems, and I’ve been so successful in my position because of my ability to compartmentalize my role as her assistant and my role as her friend. Heck, it’s the reason we decided long ago that our arrangement would work best if I had my own place where I could have my own identity separate from her world. I’m good at separating people from their issues, so why can’t I let go of the annoying drama-king upstairs?
Because of Naomi.
Maybe. My heart broke for her today. We didn’t talk much, at least not with any substance, but it was evident in every little thing she did—and didn’t—say that there’s a deep, painful history behind her presence in her uncle’s life. Too bad her welfare depends on a guy who doesn’t seem to give two you-know-whats about her.
I glare at the kettle, barely moving as I stare at my distorted reflection in the shiny stainless steel. A knock at the door breaks my staring contest with myself, and I spin around in surprise. It’s late for unexpected visitors, and after the stress of today, I’m ready for bed. This was supposed to be my pre-bed chamomile fix to help me relax enough to sleep. Not that I would’ve been able to do so with the thumping upstairs.
Grunting, I stalk toward the entrance and peek through the peephole. What? No way. I yank open the door, glaring with a fire that rivals anything I just threw at my hot water kettle.
“What do you want?” I hiss at Julian who looks just as angry about being here.
“I need you to stay with Naomi for an hour. I have to run out.”
“Excuse me?”
“Just…” His fingers shove into his hair, gripping hard in that way I feel in my gut. I hate when he does that. Hate that I can’t hate him right now. “Please, just for an hour.”
“It’s after nine.”
“I know. Come on, Hadley, please.”
“Where do you have to go that’s so important you’re going to abandon your kid at night?”
His jaw clenches, and I see the retort lashing at his lips. I don’t know why he decides to hold it back now. He blinks, his expressive dark eyes hot and frantic in the silence. Finally, his chest fills with a deep breath and he takes a step back. “You know what? You’re right. She’ll be fine on her own for a little bit.”
He starts down the hall, and I stare after him in shock.
“What? You can’t just leave her alone late at night!”
“It’s not that late. And believe me, that kid has spent many nights alone,” he mutters.
I don’t know what he means by that, but my anger is long past patience. “Julian, don’t you dare leave that girl alone!”
He shakes his head, not even turning around. Is he serious? He’s seriously going to walk out on her!
“Julian!”
Grr. You have to be kidding me. “Fine! Just… give me a second to get my stuff.”
He stops and turns back. I expect a smug look, but he surprises me again with a flash of relief through the dark fury on his face.
“Thanks. I just need an hour.” His eyes plead some cryptic message before he takes off down the hall. “Door’s unlocked to my place. Lock it when you get inside.”
I still don’t understand what just happened as I watch him disappear around the corner to the stairwell. He’s not even waiting for the elevator, which means whatever this mission is, he’s a man possessed. Probably something stupid like an emergency beer run. Maybe he ran out of tight undershirts.
Still, I committed, and that girl needs me. I rush back into my apartment, turn off the kettle, and grab my phone, keys, and sneakers.
After locking my own door, I climb the stairs two at a time like I’d just done five minutes before, except this time, I don’t bother to knock when I reach apartment 33G. Julian is gone and Naomi won’t hear me through all the rhythmic thrashing.
Once inside, I lock the door like Julian instructed and follow the sound to the second bedroom of the apartment. In my floorplan, it’s an office and guest room. I wonder what it was in Julian’s before Naomi moved in.
Weird thought, Hadley.
It is a weird thought. How long has he lived above me? Was he here during his time with Eastern Crush? Or did he come here to hide after it all came crashing down?
Our run-ins only started recently, in the last month or so. I’d seen him around before but never thought twice about him. He had that celebrity swagger I’d learned to despise since I was a child, and I had no interest in such pretentious nonsense. My parents have it. My brother and sister, too. That air of entitlement that makes them walk around like everyone else should think they’re as important as they do.
Julian has that. Well, had it. It looks different to me now. Maybe because I now know there’s something more complicated behind it.
I knock on the bedroom door and wait. When nothing happens, I pound harder.
“Leave me alone, Uncle J!” a voice shouts back.
“It’s Hadley!” I call out.
The music dies, and the sudden silence assaults my ears.
“Hadley?” Naomi asks.
“Hey. Yeah, it turns out I live downstairs and your uncle asked if I could hang out with you for a bit.”
The sound of furniture scratching across the wood floor makes me wonder what in the world was going on behind the door. It swings open, revealing the girl I remember from earlier today, except this time with wet mascara streaks glistening on her cheeks.
“You live downstairs?” she asks, studying me with a mix of awe and suspicion.
“I do.”
“Wait, where’s Uncle Julian?”
He didn’t even tell her he was leaving? What a jerk. “He had to run out for a while. You want to watch a movie or something?”
“Where’d he go?” She glances down the hall as if he’ll suddenly appear so she can track him.