“Okay, rock star. You better get going. Have a good show, and I’ll see you soon.”
“Happy Thanksgiving, Jade.”
“Happy Thanksgiving.” She paused and bit down on her bottom lip. “I love you, Cruz.”
“Love you, more.”
She was coming around. I ended the call and met the guys out in our suite, and we made our way to the venue. I was ready to get back to the states and see Jade. But for now, I’d focus on our show.
Gio and I found a gym not far from the hotel, and we stepped outside and waited for our ride. I’d had a late night last night, as our show ran long, and I needed to blow off some steam today.
We stood on the sidewalk outside our hotel and I lit up a smoke. Gio rolled his eyes every time I did it because it completely contradicted the whole working out thing, but I’d never been one to follow the rules. I wasn’t ready to give cigarettes up completely yet. I’d cut way back, but for whatever reason, I was on edge today. Maybe it was the call from my father telling me once again that I wasn’t going to walk away from Exiled without a fight. The dude needed a new hobby.
“Cruz, is there any truth to Farah Clearwater’s statement?” Some dude yelled out from behind me.
What the actual fuck? I turned to face him. He wore jeans, a button-up and a sports coat and looked far too put together to be sinking this low.
I hadn’t heard Farah Clearwater’s name in months, so maybe this was just old tabloid news being revisited. It wouldn’t be the first time they dredged up a bullshit story.
“Dude, beat it. We’re not interested in gossip.” Gio snarled at the guy.
“According to Ms. Clearwater, you two have been secretly seeing each other for a few weeks. Her claims don’t sound like gossip,” he said, stepping toward me with his bulky camera.
I let out a long exhale of smoke in his face. “Back the fuck up. I don’t know Farrah fucking Clearwater and I don’t know you. So, get the fuck out of my face, or we’re going to have a problem.” I dropped my smoke and snubbed it out.
“Just giving you a chance to tell your side of the story, brother.”
“I’m not your brother, and there are no sides to this story. I’ve never met the chick,” I said, and our car pulled up to the curb.
“You heard the man, now step the fuck off,” Gio said, squaring his shoulders as he faced the dude.
I laughed. “Come on. Don’t feed it. That only encourages them more.” I climbed in the car and he slid in beside me.
“Jesus. How the fuck do you deal with that?” Gio said, shaking his head.
“I go to the gym and beat the shit out of the bag,” I said, taking a swig of water.
“Who’s this Farrah chick?”
“The fuck if I know. Dex banged her a while back and for some reason, she’s fixated on telling the world she and I are together.”
“You think Dex is behind this shit? Maybe it’s a way to get back in if he thinks he’s got you by the balls.”
I nodded. “Probably. Let me shoot Jade a text,” I said. I needed her to be aware that Dex was not to be trusted. He was most likely behind this, as he had the most to gain from it right now. We’d kicked him out of Exiled and this was probably a stunt that he thought he could use against me to get back in. I sure as shit didn’t want him near Jade. Ever since she’d asked about him, I’d had an unsettled feeling. And, for all I knew my father and Dex were in this together again. Nothing would surprise me where either were concerned.
Me ~ Hey. Farah fucking Clearwater is back in the news selling her bullshit story. I think Dex is behind it, so just be aware.
More Jade ~ I heard about that online. There was a guy parked outside my door this morning asking if I was okay with you moving on. LOL. These people are so annoying. Don’t worry about me. I’ve got my handy dandy pepper spray, rape whistle, and my ninja moves.
Me ~ Not fucking around, Jade. You need to take this shit serious. You want me to have Luke get someone out to your house to take care of any reporters that might be hanging around?
More Jade ~ NO!! It’s not a big deal. Please don’t do anything like that. I promise, I’m fine.
Me ~ Alright. Sorry you have to deal with my shit.
More Jade ~ I’m sorry YOU have to deal with your shit.
Me ~ Not for much longer. I’m done with Exiled in June.
More Jade ~ No more Farah Clearwater. No more Dex. And even your dad won’t have anything to bother you about.
I laughed. She just got me, and I fucking loved it.
Me ~ See you in a few days.
More Jade ~ Yep. You’re graduating, rock star. Miss you.
Me ~ Miss you more.
“What’s the deal with you two? She forgiven you yet?” Gio asked. He and I had grown close, and he knew a little bit about why Jade and I weren’t together at the moment.
“She’s getting there.”
“Good. You impress me, man,” he said.
“Why’s that?”
“You deal with a lot of bullshit being the lead singer of Exiled. You have, quite possibly, the most fucked up father I’ve ever met, and you remain sober. And you’re a kickass fighter, who could turn that into a career if you wanted to,” he said, with a smirk.
“Not happening. And, thanks for saying that. Now, enough of the soft shit. How about you find me a sparring partner. I need to beat the shit out of someone who is willing.”
He laughed. “Let me see what I can come up with when we get there.”
“Sounds good.”
I googled Farah Clearwater’s name to see what I was up against. No one would believe her after she cried wolf last time, but I should at least be prepared for the shit storm that was most likely coming my way.
I read through a few articles that sounded like complete bullshit, even if I was an outsider who didn’t know we’d never met, I’d find this shit hard to believe. She’d basically said that we’d been on and off since last year, yet when asked, the only picture she could produce was a photo of Jade and I that had been taken by the press, and Farah had clearly photoshopped her face onto it. Even the press called out the photo and said that it looked an awful lot like the one of me and Jade that had gone viral. She had yet to come up with anything else. Red fucking flag. I found it fascinating that this chick could take this story this far when we hadn’t actually ever met. I mean, where was she getting her information?
Fucking Dex. The dude was an asshole. Always had been. Always would be.
So much for his sobriety. The guy wasn’t fixing shit. He was stirring the pot.