Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Finn walked into the nook. “There are people at the gate who claim to be friends.”
“It’s my band members. Go ahead and let them in.”
Finn nodded and turned to leave the room. Ajax waited until he heard the car pull in, then opened the front doors to see one of their extended SUVs pulling to a stop. His friends got out along with two of their bodyguards, but when the last person got out, Ajax stared in disbelief.
Instant anger shook him to the core.
His band members, his supposed friends, had brought Alan with them.
Alan did that shy thing he’d perfected, putting his hands in his jeans pockets and dipping his blond head to look at Ajax through long eyelashes that had once worked on him. It was all an act.
“Why are you here, Alan?” Ajax asked as he took the two steps down off the porch. “I get why the rest of you are here, and you’re welcome, but Alan is not.”
Alan let out a heavy sigh. “Come on, Ajax. We really need to talk, and I knew you wouldn’t let me in if I wasn’t with them.” He took a step toward him. “You’ve been blocking me for months. Do you really want to throw four years down the drain over a misunderstanding?”
“There was no fucking misunderstanding. You actually fucked me knowing we were being photographed. You orchestrated that. Why the hell would I want anything to do with you after that?”
“I did it for us, baby. And for the band. Publicity only helps sales.”
Ajax gritted his teeth. “I never wanted that kind of publicity, and you know it. If you cared about me at all, you’d know I’d find that humiliating. That holiday was supposed to be about us trying to reconnect. Those were your words, not mine. And it was all a setup. You’re some kind of asshole, Alan. And you’re not welcome here.”
Alan started toward him, but Finn stepped in front of him.
“The man wants you to leave,” Finn said in a low voice that pulled Ajax’s gaze to him because it was seriously hot. He looked menacing and ready to throw Alan over his shoulder to cart him away—and not in a good way.
Alan’s eyes flared as he took in the much bigger man. “Who the hell is this?”
“His bodyguard,” Finn answered.
“Yeah, right. Where’s Jake?”
Ajax crossed his arms, having a difficult time not staring at Finn. He did glance around at his bandmates and saw his fascination with Finn hadn’t gone unnoticed. A little heat crawled up his neck. “None of your damn business, Alan. I will ask my new bodyguard to escort you out.”
“To where?”
“You can wait with the crowd at the gate like the other fans.”
His bandmates and their bodyguards had all watched this in silence, and he turned his attention to them, but Alan, stupid man that he was, tried to shove Finn out of his way. Finn grabbed his arms, twisted them behind his back, and flipped him around.
“What the fuck?” Alan spit out as he was forced down the driveway.
“If you’re feeling generous, you can pick him up on your way out,” Ajax said, looking at Matt, who was watching Finn and Alan until they disappeared where the road curved. He looked back to Ajax, lifting an eyebrow, and Ajax knew that Matt knew exactly what Finn was. That as a werewolf, he’d be able to sense the jinn magic. Matt ran a hand over his close-cropped beard that matched his coal black hair. Ajax was glad to see he looked faintly sheepish. “Why in the world would you guys think it’s okay to bring Alan?”
Barry spoke, grabbing Ajax’s attention. “He’s been around for years. He’s our friend, and he came to us because he knows what you’re doing isn’t right.”
Though his back instantly went up, Ajax let that last part go for the moment, still in disbelief that people he cared about could just dismiss Alan’s actions. “I told you about what he did, and you still think of him as a friend?”
Barry threw up his hands, then ran his fingers through his long, blond hair. “He’s been touring with us for four fucking years, man!”
“He’s a fame grabber. But I’m starting to believe you guys are, too. It used to be about the music.” He looked at each of them. “What happened to that?”
Thorn, the other member of the band Ajax sometimes clashed with, spoke up. He was wearing a Bad Omens T-shirt. Like Matt, he had black hair, but he wore his shorter and shaved on the sides. “Millions of dollars happened. It’s still about the music. Our music.” He softened his tone, his eyes going wide with appeal. “We’ve been together a long time, Ajax. Been through a lot. All the ups and downs. We—”He paused and looked at Barry, Matt, then back to Ajax. “We can’t help but feel you’re stepping back.”