Free Incendiary by Kathryn Kelly Page A

never compete against you for a gardener.”
    She taps her fingers on her knees and purses her lips. “You’re as much of a groupie as Georgie is. And as obsessed.”
    “Obsessed with him? Are you kidding me? I loathe his music.”
    “But not his status. You’re ill, and it ties back to your daughter and her boyfriend. However, I hold your husband fully responsible. You never knew of Sloane, until Parnell’s little sex games brought him to your bed. If not for him, Sloane would never have run across Georgie again and you never would have gone from ignoring the child to despising her. You want the satisfaction of claiming the sex symbol, rock god, everyone wants.”
    “That makes me ill?”
    “It makes you human. What makes you ill is your obsession. My God, dear, I’m almost worried you’ll hurt him one day.”
    I’d never hurt Sloane. Georgie? I doubt I’d sully my hands ridding the world of her, but my position remains firm. I wouldn’t lift a hand to save her life. If analyzing my behavior eases Mother, then she’s welcomed to do it.
    “Yes, I admit, his lifestyle fascinates me,” I concede. “His fame puts stars in my eyes. And, yes, if he were a gardener or…or Reed Hamilton, I’d step out of Georgie’s way. None of that is the case.” This appointment is a waste of time. I can’t see the reason for it, when I had worked the situation out to how I wanted it. “Why is Reed here?”
    “Sloane’s been arrested,” Mother explains unnecessarily. “As I sat with Georgie in the hospital, she made me promise I wouldn’t put her baby up for adoption.”
    “And you agreed?” I screech, betrayal slicing through me at her nod.
    “In exchange for her promise she won’t ever contact him again. A better arrangement for your peace of mind than allowing those people to adopt my great-granddaughter.”
    “You paid them off, didn’t you?” I whisper dully. “They aren’t going to adopt the baby?”
    “I did,” she answers without remorse. “But I also found another child for them. My gardener helped me.”
    Mother’s capabilities continue to astound me. Suddenly, I’m tired and weary, and sick of it all. I want my life to start over. I don’t want to be stuck in this body, my actions and thoughts and mistakes limited due to age.
    What if I am a groupie of Sloane’s? Of the whole goddamn band? That’s acceptable for Georgie, but not for me? I’m as caught up in the Sloane Mason frenzy as every other woman. Except Mother, of course, who fucks her thirty-year-old gardener.
    Oh my God…EW!
    My shoulders heave as I gag and clap my hand over my mouth.
    “Stay out of my bedroom, dear, and concentrate on your own.” She smirks at me, always knowing the workings of my mind.
    “Why don’t we bring Reed back in and settle the details? Then, you go home and rest. I’ll call you when Georgie and her daughter are released from the hospital.”
    “Shouldn’t he be there to sign the birth certificate?”
    “Then you’re on board?”
    “Reluctantly.”
    “Excellent, dear. He’ll sign in due time. I want Georgie to meet him, so there’ll be no complications.”
    “You know best, Mother.”
    My words mollify her and she offers me a genuine smile. “I love you, dear. I do what I do for you. No one else.”
    My hurt eases at her admission and it helps me to accept her decision to allow Georgie to keep Sloane’s baby. For now.
    He’s my rock star and there’s no bigger fan in the world than me.

 
    I’m having a little girl. I’m carrying Sloane’s daughter. I just want him to know.
    Those words roll in my head as the high-tech, security doors shut behind me. A grating grind of metal upon metal that makes me grit my teeth. I’ve been in custody for eight fucking days that feels like ten goddamn lifetimes. Some assholes are really locked up for life. The extent of their hopelessness is unimaginable.
    Two deputies stand beside me, but they aren’t rushing my exit. We’ve already left the