Things Lost In The Fire (20 page)

“I’ll tie you to the bed if I have to,” Tess promised with a laugh. Her expression softened as she regarded Sadie with pride. “I think I’m starting to rub off on you.”

Sadie’s brows rose as she knocked back the rest of her wine. She held out the glass for another pour. “Lucky me.”

B
RODY FOUND himself parked across the street from Valerie’s house again, this time fuming with anger. A sleepless night and four cups of coffee meant his mood was cagey and mean, and he looked forward to going head-to-head with the woman who used him as a patsy. Maybe she hadn’t done it intentionally, but he wasn’t happy about taking the fall for her.

Just like before, Valerie walked down her driveway and out the security gate, her white marshmallow of a dog skipping ahead of her. He didn’t try for a diversion this time, he just threw open his car door and went straight for her.

She froze in place the instant she saw him. He watched her mouth open and close in a soundless attempt at words.

“Do you realize what you’ve done?” Brody spat, getting within mere inches of Valerie’s face. Her dog growled and yapped, cowering behind his mistress’s legs.

Valerie regained her composure. “I’m calling the police.”

“Go ahead. I’ll be gone by the time they get here. I just have to say my peace and then I’ll go.”

Valerie pulled out her cell phone but didn’t dial, eyeing him warily. “All right.”

“You went to the press with what I told you, about Sadie being Piper Gray.”

A coy smile tightened Valerie’s face. “So?”

“Wow. You really don’t give a shit, do you?” His hands dove into his hair as he let out a bitter laugh. “You’re ruining Sadie’s life and you don’t even care.”

Valerie tilted her chin up. “She shouldn’t be hiding behind a stage name. She’s my daughter.”

“The same daughter you let almost get brutally raped under your watch?” Brody shot back, getting in her face again. “The same daughter you lost custody of after they found drugs in your system? Don’t think I didn’t read all the police reports. I know you were using heavy that night, and probably for awhile beforehand. It’s no secret you would rather get drunk and high than be a mother.”

Valerie snarled and slapped him across the face. “How dare you?”

Brody winced at the blow but didn’t falter. His teeth clenched in a sneer. “Tell me what part of what I said isn’t true.”

“I care about my daughter. She was stolen from me. I should have never let them take her,” Valerie rambled, her hands shaking as emotions boiled over. “She should have been raised here, with me. Then I could have helped her with her music and she wouldn’t be hiding in the shadows.”

“You forgot one thing here, Val. You let Lee Walker into your house and into Sadie’s bedroom. It’s your fault she got hurt. Don’t for one minute try and pretend that never happened, because it did. And when I find out who shot him, all of this is going to come out again and everyone’s going to remember what a rotten bitch you are.”

Valerie blanched, clutching her chest. Her lips trembled as she tried to form a response. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. I’m breaking out the ol’ reporter skills and digging into what happened that night. And you can bet I’ll get to the bottom of it, because I don’t give up when I want something. And right now, I want nothing more than to watch you burn for what you did to Sadie.”

Valerie gaped at him, unable to speak. When Brody spotted Sadie’s car approaching, a hard grin crossed his face.

“Good. Now we can tell her together.” He turned back to Valerie, who was struggling to breathe. She doubled over in pain, and shock raced through him at the alarming thought that he’d given her a heart attack. “Hey. Hey now, you’re okay.”

He grabbed her arms to keep her from collapsing just as Sadie squealed to a stop and raced from the car.

“What’s going on here?” she cried out, glaring at Brody for an instant before gathering her mother into her arms. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Valerie wheezed, tears spilling down her cheeks. The leash fell from her hand and her dog skittered back up the driveway and out of sight. She managed to meet Sadie’s eyes and looked ready to faint. “I need to lie down.”

“Okay. Let’s go inside.” Sadie supported her with one arm and shot a furious look at Brody. “Stay the hell away from my mother.”

“Sadie, wait—”

Carla ran down the driveway, assessing the situation. Sadie pointed at Brody. “Call the police. He’s harassing us.”

Brody lifted both hands in a show of peace, resigned that he’d ruined his chance. “All right. I’ll go. But we need to talk, Sadie. Please call me.”

Sadie looked back at him once more, her face contorted with anger and misery. He couldn’t get the image of it out of his mind as he sulked back to his car and drove away.

THE INSTANT Sadie lowered Valerie onto the sofa in her lushly decorated living room, she was bombarded with questions.

“When were you going to tell me about Piper Gray?” Valerie asked breathily, her voice thin but clipped with anger. She struggled to meet Sadie’s eyes. “The whole family had
no
idea.”

Sadie’s lips formed a tight line as she rearranged pillows and helped her mother lay back with her feet up. Busying herself with the task at hand helped keep the emotions at bay.

Carla rushed in with a cold compress, which Sadie applied to Valerie’s forehead. “Just calm down and rest.”

“I can’t.” Valerie’s chest heaved as she sucked in air, shaking her head. “I’m too distraught. That horrible man—”

“What did he say to you?” Sadie almost didn’t want to know, but curiosity got the better of her.

Valerie sniffed. “He came here the other day asking questions about you. I refused to humor him, so he came back to harass me.”

Sadie sighed. “He won’t be coming around anymore. I promise.”

Carla returned to the room with a tall glass of ice water, which she held up to Valerie’s lips. “Drink this, Ms. Ryan.”

Valerie did as she was told, then shoved the glass away disdainfully. “I’m fine. Don’t fuss over me.”

“Well, don’t push yourself too hard just yet,” Sadie advised, earning a cold laugh from her mother.

“I suppose you expect me to act like I’m dying now just because everybody knows the truth.”

Sympathy washed over Sadie. “I’m sorry.”

Valerie sat up and tossed aside the cold compress, regaining her wits. “Do you know how much it hurt to realize you kept that secret from me? I feel like such a fool talking to you about singing when you’re already out there performing in my city, right under my nose.”

Sadie sat down on the coffee table, unable to look at her mother. She was reduced to a child, unable to speak up and too afraid to fight back. “I didn’t think—”

“No. You didn’t think, you selfish creature,” Valerie snapped, tossing back her hair. “You felt the need to go out and do this all on your own, behind my back, instead of utilizing my experience. I don’t know if this is a late-blossoming teenage rebellion, but it ends now. I will be managing your music from now on, and that’s that.”

Anger flushed Sadie’s face. Her eyes rose from her hands. “No.”

Valerie waved away Sadie’s refusal. “You need me, especially now that your gig is up. You can’t be Piper Gray anymore.”

“I don’t need you,” Sadie shot back. “Even if I do decide to continue singing, it’ll be on my own terms.”

She watched the emotions pass over her mother’s features. “Well. I can tell you enjoy the thought of ripping my dream away from me. Here I am just trying to help you…”

Sadie tried not to let her mother’s manipulation have an effect on her. “I’m not trying to hurt you—”

“But you did anyway.” Valerie sniffled, tears brimming in her eyes. “And who knows how long you would’ve kept your little secret from me if it wasn’t for that asshole reporter.”

Sadie stared down at her hands again, unsure what to say. Until something her mother said set off warning signals in her brain. How could she know it was Brody who leaked the information? She looked up, her eyes searching Valerie’s. “What are you talking about?”

Valerie bristled. “That man outside. How come he knew about your alias and I didn’t?”

“Because I told him…” Sadie began, only to pause as everything clicked into place. “Wait, you went to the press, didn’t you? Brody told you about me and you got upset and this was your revenge.”

Valerie’s chin lifted. “I wouldn’t call it revenge. It was my way of helping you out of the closet, so to speak.”

“God, I’m so stupid,” Sadie breathed, mortified. She shot to her feet, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “How could you do this to me?”

Surprise flashed over Valerie’s face. “Do what? Give you the
exact
publicity you need to propel your career?”

Sadie’s heart raced with a dozen different emotions. Most prevalent of which was the horror of knowing she’d blamed Brody for something he hadn’t even done. “I can’t do this right now. I have to go.”

She fled from the room before her mother could respond, digging into her purse for her cell phone. As she hopped into her car, she hit redial on Brody’s number and felt her heart tighten with anxiety.

“Answer. Please,” she begged, starting the car and wrenching it into drive. She headed down her mother’s driveway when Brody answered.

“
Sadie. It wasn’t me. I swear to you, I—
”

“I know,” she managed, her voice shaking with both anger and relief. “It didn’t take long for me to get the truth out of her. I’m so sorry.”

He sighed. “
It’s okay. I would’ve blamed me, too.
”

She let out a half laugh as she took the road toward her father’s home. “I know this sounds weird, but I really don’t want to be alone right now. Can you come over?”

For a moment he didn’t say anything and she wondered if she’d lost the call.

“
Sure. Just tell me where to go and I’ll be there.
”

She gave him the address, then hung up and continued driving. A few minutes later she pulled into the driveway and parked, her heart still a wild mess within her chest.

Brody would make it better. He had to.

Climbing from the car with her purse, she raced inside and prepared herself for the big apology she owed her old friend.