Free Rocked in Pieces by Clara Bayard Page A

dive bars for beer and shots if Joe’s little waitress hadn’t captured public and press attention when he wrote that song about her. If Dex’s demons weren’t compelling stories that kept your faces and names out there. It all gives people a reason to listen to your music who wouldn’t otherwise. That’s how you sold millions of records. So before you try to burn me at the stake, think about where you’d be without the gossip. It helped make you. I helped make you. Fuck, I don’t want or expect you to thank me for it. But you can stop acting like I’m ruining your lives.”
    I was breathing hard by the time I finished that speech. And not feeling any better.
    I sighed. “Look, it was a mistake. And I’ll fix it if you just wait a minute.”
    “Mistake? Is that what you said?” Dex asked.
    “Yeah. Of course it was.”
    “Matthew, mate. Read her the email.”
    I startled. “What email?”
    “The one Hot Sheet was kind enough to send when our label tore them a new one overnight. The one from your cameraman promising explosive footage they needed to see right away. Complete with times-tamps.”
    “No,” I whispered. It was impossible. Steven had done it on purpose. Went behind my back and against my wishes. And turned me into the amoral monster they thought I was.
    I thought I might throw up. “Excuse me,” I muttered before running off to the powder room I’d spotted nearby. Inside I locked the door and splashed cold water on my face until I could breathe normally again.
    When I came back out, only Rick and Matthew were still in the room. The former was continuing to rant about me.
    “Come on, it’s ridiculous. She isn’t even a real journalist, why would we expect her to have ethics? She’s just some chick who got a lucky break. All she ever wrote that wasn’t bullshit gossip was that thing about Ryan. And now the whole world is lining up to lick her ass for it? That’s stupid and everyone who works for us who agreed to this is stupid too. We should fire them all. Every last moron.”
    “Don’t you think you’re being a little harsh?”
    “No I don’t. Why do you?”
    “You just said we should fire everyone. That’s overreacting.”
    “Overreacting? How long do you want to let them do this to him? How many stories do you want to read about Ryan dying like it only matters because he worked for us. Worked for us, that’s what they say about him. That prick built this band from four piles of shit he found in the gutter.”
    “I know that.”
    “If you do, you’d feel the same way about all of this.”
    “I do, but I don’t think hating Ellie is the solution.”
    “Fuck Ellie. She’s just like the rest of them. Her and that cameraman she’s banging.”
    “The – what ?”
    “Come on, you’ve seen them together. They’re totally fucking. She’s probably bouncing on his dick and plotting ways to trick us into telling them shit they can use to get a few more website visits.”
    Matthew’s face went pale as death. And that’s the moment he looked over and saw me. The look he gave me sliced through me like a sword.
    Rick wheeled around, snarling. “Of course. Of course you’re fucking lurking in the shadows. Want another scoop, gossip girl? Here’s one. Get the fuck out of here or I’m going to wring your neck.”
    I ignored him completely, barely taking in his words. My attention was entirely dedicated to Matthew and the sadness and betrayal playing across his handsome face. And the worst emotion, the one that almost doubled me over, was resignation. Like he wasn’t surprised. He expected me to be everything Rick had said.
    Matthew’s mouth opened, but he didn’t speak at first. He just looked at me. And then, his words cut deep. “That’s why you stopped things the other night. You’ll do almost anything to get our trust, but you drew the line at actually fucking me. Was that a professional thing or you didn’t want to cheat on your boyfriend? I’m trying to figure out