“Nothing.”
“That didn’t look like nothing—”
As I glared at him, he thankfully shut up. Grabbing a pack of cigarettes, I walked out to the balcony, expected it to be just as sunny as it was this morning. However, the skyline was covered in thick, dark clouds, and the rain poured down with no end in sight. But I didn’t mind. I love—
“It’s raining!”
There, to my left, standing on her very own balcony with a large grin on her face, was none other than Amelia. The makeup was wiped from her face, and she was dressed in a red robe. However, the most stunning thing about her was the smile that graced her face. She pushed a button on the railing, and the umbrella over the balcony retracted. Outstretching her arms, she accepted the water as it poured over her. Laughing to herself, she spun around once more. However, the moment she finally came around to me, she stopped dead in her tracks. The smile on her face faded almost immediately.
She’s still so beautiful.
Her blue eyes dropped to the cigarette between my fingertips.
“No one wants to kiss someone who smells like an astray.”
I smirked. “They would if they got paid to…like you.”
“Amelia, have you lost your damn mind?” Her manager, Oliver, rushed out on balcony and slammed his hand on the button for the umbrella to expand overhead again. “What have I told you? You can’t afford to get sick right now.”
When he looked to me, he froze in place. Nodding to him, I proceeded to look back out at the city, blowing smoke from my nose. I heard him mutter something to her and the door click closed behind them. The dark clouds above roared as they moved through the sky, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“‘But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Amelia is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief…’” I whispered to no one but myself.
Chapter Four
Noah
“Ugh,” I groaned, rolling over and grabbing a pillow to block the light.
“We have a problem,” Austin stated, seriously.
Patting down the bed, I reached for my phone. When I saw the fucking time on it, I fought the urge to throw it at his head.
“It’s 3:00 am. My problems can wait.” My call time for set tomorrow…wait, today was at 5:45. He’d stolen two hours of sleep from me.
“Your father’s in the lobby. This can’t wait.”
I felt a chill go up my spine, and I stayed still for a second before rolling back over to place my phone on the bedside table.
“Wake me up in two hours.”
“Noah, you know him. He will make a scene, and he will not leave until you go down there.”
Grabbing the remote from the table, I turned off the bedroom lights.
“Fine, I’ll figure it out,” Austin sighed.
“There isn’t anything to figure out. He’s out of money, so pay him and tell him to go,” I muttered as the door shut behind him.
Had it been four months already? Frank was like a clock. He needed to be reset every 121 days. It didn’t matter how much I gave. He’d always manage to blow it. It was a talent, really. He was gifted when it came to spending money. But ask the man to take care of his own kids—hell, to tie his own goddamn shoes—and he was as useless as a fly. I had gotten emancipated at fifteen, yet still, he had a death grip on me.
Sighing, I sat up from the bed, walked toward my closet and grabbed a pair of jeans along with a blue cotton shirt before heading out to the living room. Austin glanced back at me, the phone still at his ear.
“He’s in the lobby.” He hung up the phone, handing me a small carry-on bag. After all, Frank wasn’t a check person. “Do you want me to come—”
“I’ve got it.”
“Noah,” he called out when I reached the doors.
Pausing, I didn’t look back, already knowing what he was going to say. But part of me needed to hear it anyway.
“You aren’t that kid anymore. Don’t let him get to you.”
Nodding, I made it only four feet and stopped right outside Amelia’s suite door, room 2340. I had no intention of knocking or seeing her. I had no idea what I was doing, honestly, but my feet wouldn’t move. So I stood there quietly, like a stalker, until seeing my “father” didn’t feel like walking into hell.
If she saw me, she’d probably slam the door in my face. No, she’d curse me out and then slam the door in my face. Christ, that woman had a temper. I still couldn’t believe she threw a shoe at me. Amused at the memory, I found myself moving toward the elevators. However, the motion was short-lived as the doors opened and devil himself waited there, dressed in his motorcycle jacket, a black shirt, and jeans. He somehow stood taller than me even at the same height, 6’3”, and he had more body to him. His beard was gone, leaving him only with a thick mustache. His grayish-brown hair was cropped nearly to his shoulders, and the scars on his face were still as prominent as ever. But it was the smell, that horrid mixture of gasoline and alcohol, that haunted me.
“There’s my boy!” His drunken laughed echoed in the silence of the hall. His hands wrapped around me tightly as he faced the bellhop. He continued on, “What’d I tell you! This is my son! Noah Sloan. Look. Look, we could be twins, right?”
“Yes. Please have a good morning, Mr. Sloan. You as well, Mr. Sloan.” The young man nodded to both of us, pressing the doors closed. When he was gone, I shoved Frank’s sweaty hands off me. Stumbling backward, he fell against the elevator.
“You—” he started.
“You were told to wait in the lobby.”
He snorted, dusting himself off. “What kind of son makes his father wait in the lobby? I figured you were asleep, so I thought I’d—”
“You thought you’d what? You thought you’d do what, Frank? YOU DON’T DO ANYTHING!” Fuck…Goddamn it! I was shouting now. Taking a deep breath, I handed the bag it to him. “Please just go wherever it is you go, and leave me be.”
I couldn’t do this shit today.
“We haven’t seen each other in how long, and that’s all you’ve got to say?”
“What else is there to say, Frank?”
He frowned and lifted the bag. “How much?”
“Same as always. Twenty large.”
“You gotta be fucking with me, kid. Ain’t you get some new gig or something? Twenty large? I told your butt boy I needed at least seventy this time—”
“Well, you got twenty, take it or leave it, Frank. We both know the amount doesn’t matter. You’ll piss it all away—”
He grabbed my collar. “Who the fuck you talking to, kid? Who you think made you into this? If you knew the shit your mother and I went through to get you here, you’d be shoveling money into my car.”
“You’d need to have a car for that.” I clenched his wrist. “And I do know. I know everything, which is why I’m giving you one more second to let go or I’ll break your fucking wrist.”
“What you going to do, huh?” He shoved me back into the wall. “Come on! You want to finally take that swing? I heard you’re working with that girl again. That’s why you found your balls, huh?”
“Son of a bitch!” I sneered, grabbing his wrist and head-butting him. When his grip loosened, I managed to get one punch in before Austin suddenly appeared, pulling me back. The other security guard, along with Daniel, had already appeared as well. Their presence didn’t ease my rage at all. “One day, I swear to God, I’ll—”
“You’ll what? You’re still the same little bitch you’ve always been!”
“Yeah, and you still like taking my bitch-ass money, you no good cocksucking piece of shit!” I struggled against Austin’s arms, the spit flying from my mouth as I yelled at him, until finally the elevator doors closed in his face.