I shake my head. “It’s illegal to hire hit men, and I’m terrible at committing crimes. The other option is if you tell me the deal with them so I can understand.”
She waves her hand, as if shooing me away. “Don’t you have work to do?”
“Yeah, but I need some gummies. Iskander is having a hard day. Apparently, his company is having some issues.”
“What does he do?”
I shrug a shoulder. “I’m not planning on asking. You know it’s part of the wholewe’re just fuck buddiesthing.”
“This isn’t going to end well,” she says with a warning voice.
“Well, make sure to have plenty of ice cream so you can tend to Iskander’s broken heart. I don’t plan on getting that close to him.”
Her brown eyes stare at me with sadness. “I hope that’s the case or it’ll be devastating for you.”
What does she know that I don’t?
ChapterTwelve
Iskander
Byron Langdon isa pain in the ass. I met him when he was eight. He was quiet, observant, and small. I always wondered if he’d become a musician like Manelik and his other friends. It surprised almost everyone when he said he’d become a lawyer so he could handle Mane and his band.
It didn’t surprise me. He’s always been a go-getter. He talks people into doing whatever he wants. Most of all, he likes to win. Since he became my brothers’ manager, we’ve had some kind of rivalry. He says he’s looking out for their best interests. I call bullshit.
Nando is this weird relationship guru who claims to find love for others.He listens to Lang as if he were the Dalai Lama who’ll give him everything he needs. I can’t deny he’s successful, but I don’t understand how it’s happening.
How can he claim that when he’s been madly in love with his best friend since he met her but can’t see it?
Then there’s Mane and his band. Okay, they’re also successful, so I can’t say Lang is terrible at his job—but he’s not great either. He’s always screwing with other people’s lives in one way or another.
That’s exactly why I’m in New York, ready to beat the shit out of Byron Langdon. I can’t deny I’ve been planning on doing this for years, but he finally gave me a good excuse.
“Do you want a ride to Luna Harbor?” he asks as I enter his office. “I’m not flying there until tomorrow.”
“I’m here to settle things.”
He gives me a look that says I-have-no-idea-what-you-are-talking-about.
“You know what you’re doing,” I claim.
He bobs his head a couple of times. “Usually.”
I slam a hand on his desk. “Do not play games with me. You rented Nydia’s farm so you can live there with Mane’s bandmates.”
“Oh, yes. Yes, I did.” He smiles, proud of himself. “Your brother is going to be my bitch for a year or something like that. I can’t remember what we bet.”
That explains so much.
“Well, Manelik is not going to like it. That woman broke him. Remember how long it took us to put him back together?”
He leans on his chair, crosses his arms, and gives me an annoying smirk. “That’s the difference between you and me. I’m a visionary. You’re… well, I don’t know what the fuck you are but believe me, this is a great investment.”
I give him a challenging glare. “What the fuck are you talking about? I’m telling you that what you did is going to destroy your best friend, and you’re discussing business.” I tap my head. “You’re going crazy.”
“It’s perfect,” he insists, lifting his index finger as if trying to stop me from interrupting him. “Your brother needs closure. Once he has it, I’ll be able to introduce him to women who’ll be the perfect match for the heartthrob drummer, and if I’m convincing enough, there’ll be a reality show—Drumming with Love. It could be likeThe Bachelor, or better yet, we find his soulmate first, and we’ll do a show like the one Jessica”—he snaps his fingers—“What was the name of that popstar who had a show with her husband? Smith, Simmons… no Simpson. It doesn’t matter. People love reality shows.”
I glare at him. Is he for real or just fucking with my head? “Not even you can be that delusional and heartless.”