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AFTER THE CONCERT, Izzy felt the life she’d built—her world—being sucked right out of her. Her numb body stood in the tent of the private after party doing shots and drinking the night away. Her robotized responses, as she mingled with the band members and party-goers, were those she’d been forced to use when Robert had been alive. A show for onlookers—one she’d mastered.
This scene was a party girl’s dream come true, an ordinary regular evening out for her, but tonight, Izzy had no interest in partaking in any of it.
She couldn’t exactly pin-point what had triggered her newly, never-before-experienced disposition. It could have been last night when Gunner had opened up to her, the little he’d shared, or this morning when she’d lied about being “that girl” because, right now, his rapid departure made everything around her seem minuscule...materialistic. She wasn’t “that girl” and still she heard Violet’s scolding—like Izzy’s second mother hen—telling her one day she would see the wasting days of her life for what they were. Today was that day.
Gunner planned on going back to a life where it wouldn’t be a possibility for him to walk along a beach with people, or go to the movies, or have a reason to laugh and he’d take a piece of her with him.
She needed air before this room imploded, before she imploded. She barely made it past security, flashing her backstage pass and swallowing down the panic driving up her chest.
Why did he have to be so nice? Why did he have to be so thoughtful? Why didn’t he just treat her like every single other guy—like an object—and why did she go and fall for him?
“What are you doing out here?”
Izzy screamed and jumped, turning around to catch Abby jumping away. “Geesuz.” Her friend grabbed her own panting chest. “You’re on a beach with hundreds of people, what the hell are you doing screaming?”
“You snuck up on me,” Izzy accused.
“I didn’t. What’s the matter with you? You took off without warning and you’ve been out of it since we got backstage. What are you doing out here?”
“You were right. I like him,” Izzy blurted out. So much for coming out here to calm down and forget all the emotions stealing her good sense. “More than like him. I like like him.”
Izzy, shut up.
Her friend smiled. “Awe, this is adorable. Izzy’s first real crush. I knew it!” Abby punched her shoulder. “You can’t lie to me. I could see you all gaga-eyes with him.”
“Stop!” Izzy heard the rush of emotion and watched Abby’s enthused face drop to dead serious.
“What’s going on?”
“Gunner’s in some sort of trouble,” she whispered, glancing around to confirm no one stood about eavesdropping. This town was nosey and whatever Gunner was hiding from, she didn’t want to be responsible for his capture. “When we were at the camp and the kids started chasing us, he freaked out at the possibility of his picture being taken. He was installing security cameras because obviously he’s running from someone. And you were right, since I attract the camera lens I dressed down tonight to blend in.”
Abby’s face fell further into a concerned frown. “What kind of trouble?”
“I don’t know!” She felt panicked. She’d felt like this since the concert began. Every strum of the guitar had tightened strings around her chest until she couldn’t take a breath. Listening to the lyrics of Inch Away’s heart-wrenching love songs had planted ideas into her head, ideas about love and eternity. Possibilities she’d never considered in her life and knew weren’t possible with the only man she’d ever experienced them for.
Abby grabbed her shoulders now, stopping her wild thoughts. “Izzy, stop. Talk to me.”
“What? What do you want me to say?” A part of her prayed Abby could give her the solution.
“Tell me what kind of trouble Gunner is in.”
“He won’t tell me. The closest thing I’ve gotten is once he leaves the resort, he’ll go back into hiding. That doesn’t sound good, does it? Plus, he said he’s done some bad stuff, Abby. Illegal stuff. I don’t know if he’s hiding from the mafia or the police or both. He’s called himself a criminal. His words, and, oh!” She groaned, letting go of Abby and walking away.
“What? What!” Abby chased her down.
“He had a moment when I handcuffed him in the pole room. A panic attack or something and that’s when he told me vaguely about his criminal background.”
“What kind of criminal activity?”
“I don’t know. I know that he thinks the world of Anton, claiming he saved him. But the Italian Caliendos are online gambling drug lords and Gunner’s mentor is a Caliendo. Cranky, old Anton. So let your mind run free with the prospect of exactly what Gunner has done in the past. He knows what goes on in the torture room and not because he was on the receiving end of it.”
Abby tried to keep a calm face with the downpour of information Izzy spewed at her, but Izzy could see her friend struggling. “Did you look him up online?”
“No, I didn’t look him up online. Did you look Riley up on the online?”
Abby’s lips puckered in thought. “Why didn’t I think to do that? I mean, he’s Riley Boyd and his name and picture pops up with Torsten Record Label. I would have known everything about him. Hindsight.”
“Because you don’t search the ones you’re falling for,” Izzy practically yelled at her.
Abby took a tentative step toward her. “You do if you’re falling for a person who hasn’t been honest and upfront with you.”
“He’s been as honest as he can be.”
“The internet holds no secrets.” Abby swiped her phone and Izzy touched her arm.
“I tried to get his file. You know Marc or Carl already know everything about Gunner. They wouldn’t let him into the files at any signs they shouldn’t.”
“We’ll type his name in...” Abby’s fingers started moving over the screen and Izzy held her breath as the results popped up. “Gunner Mann...” Abby repeated as she scrolled the screen. She kept swiping, nothing came up for his name. “No Gunner,” Abby said, sounding relieved.
Izzy wished she felt half as confident as Abby appeared. But if Gunner Mann was hiding, she suspected he wouldn’t be using his real name. Like her brother Corbin, who lived away from society under the alias Tom Coach.
Abby pulled her into a long hug. “Listen to your intuition,” she whispered in her ear. “It seems as though you might actually have one.”
Izzy chuckled and said, “Ha-ha.” But inside, her intuition told her to Google search the Italian Caliendos and she bet her answers would appear.
“And talk to him.” Abby leaned back and rubbed Izzy’s arms. “Listen to your heart. If you’re really falling for him, like head over heels, and he’s the man for you, then talk to him. If he’s in some sort of trouble, you have more money than you will ever find a use for. Marc and your dad have contacts. Figure out what’s going on and fix it.”
Izzy blew out a large breath of air. “Thanks. Can you just give me a minute to sort myself out before coming back inside?”
“Sure.” She gave Izzy another hug then headed back inside. Izzy sat down alone a nearby bench, phone in hand ready to discover the truth. This search would define her future.
It only took a few keywords before Gunner’s face popped up on the screen. Thinner and prettier without the defense and wariness of the man she knew now. In the pictures, he sported designer suits, drove luxury cars and attended amazing galas in Italy. He looked like the male version of Izzy, loving the spotlight, living in the spotlight, craving the spotlight. The only difference between them was a beautiful blonde by the name of Mercedes Caliendo and she held a title Izzy hadn’t expected: Gunner’s wife.
Her heart plummeted, unable to wrap her mind around the fact that she’d fallen for a married man.
Tears stung her eyes and she couldn’t tell if she’d read the next passage right or the blurriness was playing tricks on her eyes. “Matteo Marino, CEO of Cali’s Lounge, the largest bar chain in Italy, and who was allegedly arrested for insider trading was murdered in his cell late last night.”
Matteo Marino was Gunner who had evidently been murdered. The world believed he was dead. Which meant not only did she share her bed with a married man, but a ghost.
She looked away from her cell phone, as her mind reeled with confusion, unsure where to put any of the discoveries and especially unsure what they meant for their future...or what appeared to be no future at all.
How had he escaped from police custody and why was the world led to believe he was dead? How had he escaped police custody?
Anton?
Of course, but why would Anton free Gunner—Matteo—from his sentence instead of leaving him to do his time? And how did Anton orchestrate his fake murder? How had he escaped? What else didn’t she know about him? What she did know for certain was that he had a wife. The black mourning dress the apparent window wore at his funeral was a clear reminder.
Anger reverberated inside the walls of her chest with no answers to settle them down. Abby had been right; the only option left was to confront Gunner—Matteo.
But, how on earth would she keep her newly found knowledge to herself until they were alone?