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A producer motioned us forward and a light above the studio door flashed toLIVE. The set was silent until on the stage, Delilah Brooks introduced us. Walking onto the stage in front of a live audience, knowing everything was being broadcast across the nation in real time, it made me want to vomit. I didn’t mind doing the press tour bullshit, but going live? I was going to swear. Especially given the topic of conversation.
Delilah Brooks was a popular news anchor turned TV host and her current show covered all things news. Bingham had decided to give the interview to her after seeing her rankings. Her close relationship with the news station she’d worked at got her a prime time spot for our live interview. It’d happened overnight and we’d flown into New York last minute. The interview was unlike anything we’d ever done and I knew nothing else would’ve gotten me on that stage, if not Layla.
The three of us settled on a low couch across from Delilah and she quickly introduced us more thoroughly while we tried not to squirm. “If there was anyone who didn’t know who you guys were before this, they definitely know now. After that bombshell interview Susan Hess did with Michael O’Brian, the whole nation is talking about you guys. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. The subject matter is intense, but no one has shied away from it. We certainly won’t tonight.”
Xavier shocked me again by sitting forward and speaking first. “We don’t want to shy away from it. We want to set the record straight in front of as many people as possible and then get back home.”
Delilah nodded. “Home to Layla Morgan?”
He nodded and frowned when the audience started whispering to each other. It wasn’t hard to imagine what they were saying. “Yes. Home to Layla. It’s where we should’ve been last night and where we should be right now. Instead, we’re having to correct a bunch of lies that should’ve never been allowed on air to begin with.”
“A bunch of lies? Are you suggesting that everything Mr. O’Brian said to Susan Hess was a lie?”
Jones grunted. “I’m sure there were a few truths in there. Like his name and where he worked.”
Delilah’s eyes lit up and I could practically see the prey drive activate in her. “That’s a big allegation. Susan Hess has been a reputable journalist for over a decade. What you’re suggesting implies that Susan didn’t do any homework to corroborate Mr. O’Brian’s story.”
“If she’d done the least bit of digging into O’Brian’s story, she would’ve found out within minutes that he’s full of shit.” Jones took a breath. “We weren’t reached out to for comment. Layla wasn’t. Mr. Bingham wasn’t. Miriam Dark, the band that O’Brian mentioned, wasn’t. The only source for that story was Matthew O’Brian. Our lawyers are handling it. Retractions will be made or we’ll own a few broadcasting companies soon.”
Delilah crossed her legs towards us and leaned in. “What are you alleging the real story is?”
Fed up and ready to be back with Layla, I nodded to Jones and Xavier to let them know I had that one covered. “The truth is that we pursued a relationship with the best damn tour manager we’ve ever had. Layla Morgan is brilliant. She learned from her parents, who died in a tragic car accident, when she was still a kid. Susan Hess and her team didn’t even bother to do the most basic research. They just allowed O’Brian to lie about the way Layla’s parents died on national television. That was meant to hurt Layla, nothing more.
“Layla is the best person I know. She’s the hardest worker and never took advantage of our interest in her to push work onto others. She stayed the latest and got to work the earliest. You can ask anyone who worked with her building stages and they’ll tell you that. She’s smart and funny and she takes care of the people around her. At the first sign of trouble back home, she left her dream job without a second thought. It never occurred to her that she wouldn’t fly right home. She’s an amazing sister, granddaughter, and friend.
“When she saw what was happening to her reputation and name yesterday, she forced us to leave her.” I laughed bitterly. “She was terrified that if we didn’t leave her, all of this would ruin our reputations, too. She gave up the men she loves so we wouldn’t be tarnished by this bullshit. And that’s the woman people are believing to be a villain. It makes me sick.”
Delilah was wide-eyed when I finished, but she recovered quickly. “You can’t possibly know about the state of her private relationship with Mr. O’Brian. His allegations-”
“His allegations are disgusting.” Xavier shook his head and scowled. “We’ve always said believe every victim. We’ve donated time and money to survivor advocacy programs. It brings me no pleasure to expose an accusation of sexual harassment and assault as a lie, but I won’t pretend like I don’t know his story is a lie.”
“How can you know that, though?”
Jones’ voice was a growl when he spoke. “Miriam Dark is willing to testify to the events that occurred between herself and O’Brian. She was forced to listen to him rant about punishing Layla for leaving him for hours. He was her band manager and he threatened her into a plot to force Layla away from us and into his arms. When he tried it, though, Layla rejected him. If he got punched for not having consent to put his mouth on her, that’s on him.”
“Miriam Dark from The Homewreckers is alleging all that?” Delilah sat back in her chair. “Will she be pressing charges?”
I shrugged. “If she wants to. Not everyone is comfortable going through the legal system. She’s happy enough to have a new manager now. Mr. Bingham is also taking the time to investigate everything O’Brian has ever touched. There’s talk of multiple lawsuits.”
Xavier ran his hands down his thighs. “Layla saw me have a panic attack during meet and greet one time and she took me off the press rotation after that. She flew her security guard’s wife out to spend a weekend with him and then became good friends with his wife. She won each of us over. Contrary to what O’Brian seems to want people to believe, we’re adult men who think for ourselves and can be headstrong. We wouldn’t have fallen in love with Layla just because she waved some magic wand and put a spell on us. We fell in love with her over poker games, beer, and listening to her and her family talk to each other, and us, in that southern twang of theirs. She’s a good woman. With a huge heart. A heart that’s hurting right now because her brother’s sick and she had to send the men she loves away to protect them.”
Jones winked at the camera. “She didn’t realize that we only agreed to leave for long enough to make a very public statement. We’re flying back to her as soon as this is over. The lawyers can handle the rest. And if people choose to believe O’Brian and we lose them as fans because we stay with Layla… Fuck ‘em.”
Delilah blanched as her producer waved his arms wildly at the F-bomb. “Don’t forget we’re on live television, gentlemen.”
“I didn’t forget. I’m just too pissed off to care.” Jones shook his head. “We love Layla Morgan. We’re going to marry her and knock her up a dozen times if she’ll let us. She doesn’t deserve what O’Brian was allowed to do.”
“You think she’s completely innocent?” Delilah frowned. “Of everything?”
I laughed. “Of everything? Hell no. She’s a hellion who made us fight for a chance with her. She’s stubborn as the day is long and we’ve already gone over how she kicked us out. We’re not blinded by love, Delilah. O’Brian and Susan Hess and whoever else believes him are blinded by their own desires. Revenge, a good story, whatever it may be.”
Xavier cleared his throat. “Now, we have a flight to catch.”
Jones smiled at Xavier and then at me. “We have one more thing to say before we leave and we want to say it directly to Matthew O’Brian. The Homewreckers installed security cameras on their bus for safety reasons when their manager didn’t take their concerns seriously about where he was sending them to play. That’s you, by the way. One of those cameras captures the area to the side of the bus, the area you were in when you made those comments to Miriam Dark that night before you got fired. Another captures the living area, the area you were in when you slipped that bag and your plan to Miriam. You should’ve paid more attention to your band, asshole. See you in court.”
52
Layla
