AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Whatever it is, we can solve it.” She tried to reassure me, but I couldn’t hold back the sob any longer. “Baby, don’t cry,” she pleaded. “Mommy will take care of it. Just tell me what happened.”
I tried to calm down enough to tell her, and with each garbled word out of my mouth,
the tension on her end became explosive.
“I want you to dry your tears, Shaw,” Mom instructed. “And then drive to my house. Daddy will be there, and he will make you something to eat. Stay there.”
“Mom…”
“Do as I say, Shaw,” she commanded. “I’ll take care of this.”
“But Jagger…” I sniffled. “What do I tell Jagger?”
“I’ll take care of that too, sweetheart.”
Chapter 40
Jagger
After the meeting, Ma took Cannon and me to lunch to discuss what Petrova had suggested. He wanted a two-album contract, and the money was a nice incentive. I’d enjoyed the solo album I’d done, and so had Cannon, but we both had to admit that we missed our collaboration. Performing with my friend—fuck, making music in general—was just more fun with him.
“So, you’re both in agreement?” Ma asked as she looked from me to Cannon across the table. “This contract is a sweet offer, but I won’t hesitate to turn it down for you both if either of you can’t agree to it.”
“I’m cool with it, Aunt Em,” Cannon assured her.
“Yeah, Ma. And with that contract, I can buy whatever house Shaw wants when we get married.”
She beamed at me. “Great. I’ll let Petrova’s people know.” She picked up her water glass just as her phone rang. Picking it up, she leaned back in her chair. “Hey, Dallas.” As she listened, I saw her expression change. The smile on her face dropped almost immediately, and a dangerous, crackling tension suddenly surrounded our table.
Cannon and I shared a look, and both of us scooted our chairs back, knowing we would need to move fast. Ma was about to explode, and we either needed to duck and cover, or evacuate the building. But then her eyes shot to me, and I froze.
“Both Jagger and Cannon are with me. I’ll find out the fucker’s address, and the three of us will meet you there.” Ending the call and dropping money on the table, she stood. “Let’s go, boys.”
We jumped to our feet without hesitation. “What’s wrong?” I asked once we were outside waiting for Rodger to bring her SUV.
“I’ll explain once we’re behind closed doors,” she gritted out while she texted away on her phone so rapidly, it made me dizzy watching her fingers move.
Rodger pulled up in front of us, and Ma didn’t even wait for him to get out before jumping in the front seat beside him. She punched an address into the navigation while Cannon and I got in the back and then ordered the bodyguard to drive before putting her phone to her ear.
“Mieke,” she spoke into the receiver. “I need you to keep an eye open for anything concerning Shaw. If any pictures, no matter the context, show up online, I want them pulled until I tell you differently… Yes. No, I don’t care. Make it happen, please.”
“Ma, did something happen to Shaw?” I demanded as soon as she hung up.
She turned in the seat to face us. “I want you two to sit there and listen to what I’m about to tell you. If you lose your shit, I’ll drop you off right here and leave you there instead of taking you with me. Understand?”
Cannon nodded, but I wasn’t about to make any promises until I knew what was going on with my girl.
“Jagger,” Ma said warningly, but I only glared at her.
“Ma,” I growled back.
Her green eyes narrowed on me, but when I didn’t back down from her stare, she muttered a curse. “The photographer at Shaw’s photo shoot this morning, Eric, walked in on her while she was changing and snapped pictures of her naked.”
Cannon bit out a curse, but I didn’t immediately react, sure she was fucking with me. But as she continued to stare at me, I realized she wasn’t playing. Drawing back, I punched the window beside me. The glass was bulletproof so it didn’t crack, but I felt something in my hand break.
Ma screamed, and Rodger slammed on the brakes, causing the people driving behind us to have to swerve to miss rear-ending us.
“Shit, I think he broke his hand,” Cannon said. “Look at how swollen it is already. And it’s turning blue.”
