Page 64 of Finally Home
Jamie claps me on the back with a smirk as we sit down. “You’re looking a little distracted there, Gray. Got something better to do than celebrate your big wins?”
I flip him off as a goofy smile curves my lips. “Absolutely. I’m ready to get home to my girl.”
Even Asher smiles a little at my words, and I feel like I’ve just won a small victory, but then his expression turns serious. “How is she? We haven’t heard much since she went home.”
“Honestly, she’s great, man. She went back to therapy, found a hobby she can do alone, and she even made a girlfriend.” My chest swells with pride for Wren. She’s doing so well, and I couldn’t be more proud if I tried.
They look impressed but it’s Wesley who shoots me a grateful look. “You’re really good for her, Rhodes. But don’t think that just because we like you means we won’t kick your ass if you do anything to hurt her.” Vehemence laces his voice, and I’m suddenly really glad Wren has them in her corner.
Just then, Copeland and Aidan find us. “Hey! Long time no see, little brother,” Aidan says, punching Wesley on the arm.
Wes glares at his brother and hits him back. “You just saw me last week, you asshole.”
Aidan smirks as he and Cope slide in the booth. “I know, I just assume you’ve done something worth a punch since you left.”
Jamie cracks up and agrees, and Wes turns a dirty glare on his friend.
“Hello, boys,” a silky voice says from behind us. I turn in my seat to see Ella standing at the end of our both and nearly do a double take at how different she looks from Thursday afternoon when she tried to interview me. Gone is the professional updo and business-casual pantsuit. She’s wearing a scrap of material I’m not sure can be called a dress and a pair of heels so high, I’m surprised she can walk.
A quick glance around the table shows I’m not the only one confused by her presence, but Jamie politely greets her anyway. “Hey, Ella. Didn’t know you’d be here tonight. I don’t think anybody else from the Sirens came but us,” he says skeptically.
I texted all three of them with my suspicions about Ella after she came to my room on Thursday night, so I’m interested to see how this plays out.
She bats her eyelashes at him and turns to me, squeezing herself into the five-inch gap between me and the end of the booth. I scoot as far away as I can without putting myself in Jamie’s lap. “Um, do you mind?” I ask her when she continues to scoot closer. Asher, who’s directly across from me, looks pissed, but that also seems to be his default expression so I’m not sure what he’s really thinking.
“I just wanted to apologize,” she purrs, placing her hand on my thigh. I push it off as the others make sounds of incredulity. “I didn’t realize your girlfriend was Wren when I stopped by your room a few days ago.” She hisses Wren’s name in disgust, and it has me seconds away from losing my cool.
I give her a terse nod and scoot the barest inch farther away, so she isn’t breathing on my neck when she speaks. “She is, so would you mind not sitting so close?”
Ella scoffs, examining her nails. “What?” She asks sarcastically. “Can poor little Princess Wren not handle some competition?”
I’m pretty sure the sound that comes out of my mouth at her words can only be classified as a growl. “First of all, there is no fucking competition where my girlfriend is involved.” My voice is deadly calm. “Nobody else ever had a chance.”
Her lip pokes out in a poor excuse for a pout that makes one of the guys snort. The longer she’s in my space, the more irritated I get. I would never hurt a woman, but if she touches me again, I may call security.
Her voice is full of fake sympathy as she pulls out her phone, setting it face up on the table, so we can all see the picture on the screen. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your precious girlfriend is really just a pathetic cleat chaser. She tricked Derrick into marriage and then when he finally got sick of her, she ran to her backup—you. And now she’s back with him again.”
On the screen in front of us is a picture of Wren at a hotel in downtown Charleston. “Okay?” I raise an eyebrow at the woman next to me. “I fail to see the problem here.”
She uses a long, red nail to swipe to the next picture, which is vastly more incriminating than the first. I hear Jamie suck in a shocked breath next to me, but I refuse to react. Wren told me she saw Derrick today, and I know she’ll fill me in tomorrow when I get home.
Any picture can be taken out of context, but even I have to admit the picture of them hugging in front of an open hotel room door as Derrick kisses her cheek would make her look guilty as hell if I didn’t know any better.
A single quirked eyebrow is my only reaction, and Ella’s confidence falters. But she recovers quickly, turning her icy glare to the other men in the booth. “Guess you can finally see that your perfect Baby Reid,” she spits the words out, her tone laced with malice, “really is the leech Derrick always said she was.”
My hands shake with anger under the table, and I know if we weren’t in public right now, I’d have some choice words for this chick. I have no idea what my face looks like right now, but it must be what Ella wanted to see because she looks thrilled.
Wes startles me out of my pissed-off haze when he slams his hands down on the table hard enough to rattle all the glasses. “The fuck did you just say about my best friend?” he growls. “Wren has more talent, kindness, and class in her little finger than you have in your entire body, Ella.”
She gasps and brings one hand to rest on the table, pointing a finger at Wesley. “You can’t talk to me like that! I control your careers now.” The words are a hiss, and even though she’s still only a few inches away, I can barely hear her.
I thought Asher looked pissed off earlier, but right now, he looks downright murderous. Turning cold eyes to their PR manager, we watch Asher’s eyes scan her slowly before he sneers. “So that’s the real reason behind all of this, is it? You’re jealous.”
Jamie slides something into my hand under the table without taking his eyes off Ash, and a quick look down shows me his phone is set to record. I glance up in surprise and he winks.
Asher doubles down as Ella sputters and tries to defend herself, but he just talks over her. “You’re so painfully jealous of Wren Reid that you somehow got a hold of and leaked her sex tape, stole her job, and now you’re trying to steal her boyfriend. You wanna call someone pathetic? Pot meet fucking kettle.”
Her mouth starts to gape open, but she catches herself and twists it into a smug smirk. “You have no proof that I leaked that tape.”