Free Love notes by Avis Exley

as the pit of her stomach froze. Compared
with losing her music – into which she’d poured her broken heart
and soul – forty million dollars was nothing.
    “What can we do?” she asked.
    “We need to see your contract –
the one piece of paperwork I can’t get hold of. Where’s your
copy?”
    “I don’t have one.” She felt
pathetic admitting it. “The lawyers dealt with everything.”
    “Which firm?”
    “I can’t even remember that.
Some people Marty knew in New York.”
    “You didn’t take independent
advice?” He looked appalled. “You have no idea what you
signed?”
    “I was twenty-three years old
and being offered a fantasy life. I didn’t stop to think.” Erika
grew angry – as much with herself as with Aiden – but then felt
guilty when he was doing so much to help her. “I’m sorry. This is
all such a shock.”
    “Don’t worry. But weren’t you
suspicious before now?”
    “Not really.” Erika thought
hard. “Although it might explain why Marty never lets me near any
paperwork. He pretends he doesn’t want it to get in the way of the
creative side of making music. I suppose I was stupid to trust
him.”
    “It’s not your fault. You always
think the best and people are quick to abuse that.” Realising what
he’d said, Aiden looked away awkwardly and began making notes
before Erika could comment on his own spectacular breach of trust.
“We need to run through a few dates and details to see if we can
pick up anything helpful. The more we know, the better our chances
of fighting him.”
    Erika answered his questions as
best she could, wondering whether she’d be foolish to trust Aiden
for the second time. For all she knew, he could have his own
reasons for separating her from Marty and she could wind up in an
even worse situation.
    Although it was difficult to
picture any other deal that would leave her so physically exhausted
and so financially ruined.
    “How do my chances stand?” she
asked. “And if Marty has taken my copyright, can I get it
back?”
    “I won’t know until we take
advice. We need to get you to London. I’ve already sounded out a
top entertainment lawyer, and her partner’s an expert on fraud. If
you agree, we could slip away tonight when Marty goes to bed.”
    It felt too soon – too reckless
– and Erika still needed time to think.
    “No.” She left no room for
negotiation. “If Marty suspects anything, he’ll start moving money
around and we’ll never trace it. I can’t just disappear.”
    Aiden agreed this made sense and
cursed himself for not having thought of it. “So what do you
suggest?”
    Erika took a deep breath and
closed her eyes as the beginnings of a plan began to emerge. “Marty
hates it here and will jump at any excuse to leave for London, but
he’ll be suspicious if I suddenly want to go too. It’s taken me two
years to drag him to Yorkshire. If I turn round a day later and ask
to leave, he’ll know something’s wrong, particularly if he thinks
you’re involved.”
    “You have an appointment with a
throat specialist,” Aiden reminded her. “Bring it forward.”
    It could provide the perfect
solution but Erika still hesitated. “Once I’m in London I’ll be a
virtual prisoner. Paparazzi haunt the big hotels and there’s no way
I could visit lawyers without being seen. Marty won’t leave me
alone for a minute.”
    “Don’t you have friends you can
stay with?”
    Erika laughed cynically. “This
is why Ben Ridley and I get on so well. You have absolutely no idea
what it’s like to be watched every single moment. Wherever I go,
there’ll be a pack of photographers on the doorstep.”
    “You could stay with me. The
security in my building is watertight.”
    “Thanks, but can you honestly
see Marty agreeing to his prize asset moving in with the man who’d
slammed him up against a car?” She waited for Aiden to concede she
had a point.
    He leaned forward, elbows on his
knees and scrambled to come up with a