Release Me (The Music Within Book 2) (22 page)

Cade
hurried to the waiting room where his father was still pacing the floor. “She’s
ready for you, Dad. She just wanted a little time to make sure she was
presentable.”

“What?
She’s beautiful. She’s…”

“She’s
waiting. Go see her, Dad.”

“Right.
Right, I’ll just…” August’s voice trailed off as he rushed from the waiting
room.

Cade
blew out a heavy breath and looked at the ceiling.

“So
what was that really about?” Gerard asked.

Carl
was sitting in a chair, pretending to look at a magazine. He was in bodyguard
mode – blending into the environment and minding his own business. Cade took
the seat next to him and squeezed his knee before answering his uncle. “I had
to make her see the error of her ways. Really, I just reminded her that true
love is worth fighting for.”

Gerard
cut his eyes to Carl before asking, “And you finally found true love?”

“Yeah,
Gerry, I have. Mal is everything I’ve never known I needed or wanted. He was a
surprise, that’s for sure, but now that I have him, I’m never letting go.”

“What
about the band? And what happens when he finds out you’re the one who bought
the farm?”

“I’ve
signed on with the band for one album and one tour. After that, I’ll reevaluate
where I am with my music. As for Mal, I want him to have time to build the farm
back up before I let him know who his boss is. I don’t think he’d take it too
well if he found out now. Plus, he has his father to worry about. I need you to
reach out to Andy and Bryan and let them know to be vigilant. I want them armed
at all times. Dwight Wilson has been sending threats via Mal’s old boyfriend –
the one Dwight caught him with that day. He’s up for parole soon, and if he
gets out, he’s promised to finish what he started. Mal’s scared but he won’t
say so. I want extra security in place if Dwight gets out.”

“I
still think you should tell Mal you own the company sooner rather than later.
If he’s in love with you, he’s going to be hurt that you weren’t honest with
him.”

Cade
knew his uncle was right. He would think on it. Maybe when he flew Mal out to
California, he’d come clean then. “You’re probably right. So, where are you
staying? Do you want to stay at the house with us?”

Gerard’s
face flushed as if he had a secret. “I’m going to see a friend while I’m here.
I’ll just crash there.”

“Oh?
Do I know this
friend
?”

“No,
smartass, you don’t.”

Cade
stood and held out his hand to help Carl up. “Let’s go home. I want a shower,
and I need to call Mal. Tell Dad I’ll be back in the morning before they
release Mom.”

“Will
do, and I’ll look into the security issue.”

“Don’t
forget Gus and Mack have started their own security company. They might be able
to help you out,” Carl told Gerard.

“That’s
a good idea. Thanks, Carl.”

Cade
and Carl said goodbye to Gerard and headed home. Normally, Cade would drive,
but he had a lot on his mind, so he slid into the passenger seat. Carl didn’t
press him to talk. He probably knew Cade better than most anyone, other than
Tag. Carl had been a good friend over the years. Cade let his mind drift to
Mal. How would he take the news when Cade told him the truth? Would he be
pissed? Hurt? Would he forgive Cade? Still love him? Was the truth worth
risking losing Mal? Fuck, he wanted a cigarette.

Once
they were home, Carl made himself scarce, and Cade headed to the shower. His
mind was so jumbled with whether to come clean about the farm that his dick
remained limp. He didn’t linger, just stayed under the spray long enough to
wash the day’s grime off his body. He halfway towel dried his hair before
rubbing the same towel over his wet skin. After sliding on a pair of loose gym
shorts, Cade found his cigarettes and opened the door in his bedroom that led
to the balcony overlooking the pool. He sat down in one of the patio chairs and
lit up a smoke before dialing Mal’s number.

When
Mal didn’t answer, Cade left him a message telling him about his mother, and to
call him back. “I need to hear your voice, Cowboy. I love you.” Cade thumbed
the phone off and tossed it on the table. The water in the pool was crystal
clear. He knew the temperature was perfect. Cade couldn’t wait to teach Mal how
to swim. To get him in the water and feel their slick bodies rubbing together.
Many men and women had been in Cade’s pool, but never had he fucked someone in
it. If he got Mal there, he still wouldn’t fuck someone. He would make love to
him. Even if they got down and dirty in the bed, Cade knew it would never be
simply fucking ever again.

After
enjoying a couple of cigarettes, Cade went in search of food. Carl was in the
kitchen cooking something that smelled heavenly. “I was hungry,” he said
apologetically for being in Cade’s space.

“Good,
because I am, too, and you know I can’t cook for shit.” Cade wanted to eat and
spend time with Carl. He needed the distraction of Mal not returning his call.
Cade pulled plates and silverware out of the cabinet and drawer and placed them
on the island. “Beer?” he offered Carl, but the man held up a bottle Cade
hadn’t noticed.

Cade
sent a text to Mal asking if everything was okay. It was late on Saturday, but
not too late that Mal would already be in bed. Maybe he’d gone to the bar with
Andy and Bryan. Maybe Tyler had come back, and they were having another
bonfire. Maybe… He could drive himself crazy with maybes, or he could trust his
man to call him when he could.

Mal

For
the first time in a long time, Mal was drunk. He had the good sense to stay at
home and drink, but he didn’t have the good sense to stop opening bottle after
bottle. Andy and Bryan were taking turns checking on him, but between his gruff
answers and his silence, they figured out he didn’t want to talk about whatever
it was that was bothering him. Mal had always dealt with his problems alone,
and he would deal with this one the same way. He would turn it over and over in
his head until he was ready to explode from the inside out.

As
soon as Cade left, Mal went to the room he had turned into an office and dug
the paperwork out of the top drawer. The stationery was official looking. AAW,
Incorporated was on top of the document. AAW…  August Anderson… Audrey
Anderson W… Wilson? Could the W be for Mal? Anderson and Wilson?

Ever
since Cade left to check on his momma, Mal had gone back over everything that
had happened between them from the very first night they met to that morning.
Every word that had been said, and even those that hadn’t been uttered. If it
was true… If Cade was the
corporation
that had bought the farm, it had
been done before he and Mal got to know one another. Before they even spent the
night together at the hotel. That’s the part that didn’t add up. Why would Cade
buy the property after one night? Why would he buy it at all, knowing what a
failure Mal had been? And the comment about the bar… did Cade really know
someone who liked a challenge, or had he been referring to himself? Was that what
he saw Mal as? A challenge?

Cade
admitted to having more money than he could spend. If he did buy the farm and
the bar, he had to be doing it because he saw Mal as a charity case.
But he
said he loves you.
And he also loved his best friend for fifteen years.
But
you love him.
That much was true. It was the only thing Mal knew with a
certainty. He loved Cade Anderson. At least the Cade Anderson he spent time
with. What would happen when he finally got on a plane and went to see how Cade
lived in California? Mal would probably be so far out of his element that he
would suffer a panic attack.

Mal
was a country hick; he knew this. He didn’t have nice clothes, or a fancy
sports car, or a mansion in California with a heated pool. Being poor was all
he knew, and he didn’t have a problem with it – until now. What had Cade seen
in Mal that made him want to get to know him? When he asked Cade why him, he
had said,
“You didn’t know who I was, and you weren’t here with me because
of who I am and what I can do for you.”
If Cade wanted someone to love him
for who he is and not what he can do for them, did he think it was okay for him
to buy the farm just because he could? Was Mal a challenge that Cade wanted to
conquer before moving on to the next one?

The
answers weren’t coming, so he started drinking. He built a bonfire and propped
up against a hay bale, staring into the flames hoping to find the answers. The
more he drank the less his thoughts were making sense. His phone rang, again.
He had let the first few calls go to voicemail. As soon as he knew Cade’s momma
was going to be okay, he stopped listening to the messages.
What if you’re
wrong? What if Cade didn’t buy the farm and this was all one big
misunderstanding?
Mal knew in his gut that wasn’t the case. Maybe he should
just answer the phone and ask.

“Hello,”
he slurred.

“Mal,
babe! God, you had me worried. Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s
right as rain.”

“I’ve
never understood that expression. You sound funny. Are you drunk?”

“Maybe.
Probably.”

“Are
you home?”

“Yep.
Sittin’ by the fire.” Mal was trying to get the courage up to ask the question
he was afraid to ask.

“Is
there anyone there with you?”

“Are
you jealous, Rock Star?”

“No,
baby. Well, maybe a little, but I’m more worried about something happening to
you and me not being there.”

“Andy
and Bryan are in the house. They’ve been out here checkin’ on me every once in
a while, makin’ sure I don’t fall in the fire.”

“Can
I ask why you’re drunk? I’ve never seen you drink more than a couple of beers.”

“Liquid
courage.”

“What
do you need courage for? Mal, what’s going on?”

“Did
you buy the farm?” There. He asked. It was out there, and he couldn’t take it
back.

“What
did you say?”

Mal
knew he was slurring, but it was a pretty straightforward question. “I asked if
you bought the farm.”

“Why
would you think that?” Cade didn’t admit to it, but he didn’t deny it either.

“Because
when your uncle called about your momma, Gerry was the name on the phone. Your
uncle has the same phone number as the lawyer who called me about the company.
The same man who met me out here and went over the paperwork for the job. Is
that just a coincidence?”

Cade
was silent on the other end of the line. “Hello?” Mal banged his phone on the
ground. “Hello? You still there?”

“I’m
here. I think this is something we need to talk about in person. There’s more
to it than just owning a company.”

“Nope,
there’s not. Either you lied to me or you didn’t. Simple as that.”

“I’m
going to call my pilot. I’ll be there as soon as he can get the jet ready.”

Mal
laughed. He laughed so hard he fell over on his side. The dogs were on their
feet and sniffing at his face, his neck, his chest. Even they were smart enough
to know something was bad wrong, and the laughter was hiding the tears.

“Mal…
Mal!”

“What?”

“What’s
so funny?”

“I’m
goin’ to call my pilot… Oh, god… Do you know how ridiculous this all is? You
and your fancy jet, and your fancy mansion in the hills, and your fancy red
sports car. Ain’t a goddamn thing fancy ‘bout me. Just a worthless redneck you
saw as a challenge. I tell you what, Rock Star – I’m gonna make you some more
money. I’m gonna bust my fuckin’ ass to make you enough money to buy another
fancy car. I’m gonna make a go of the farm so when you finally retire from
tourin’, you can find a nice
fancy
man to settle down with, and I’ll
still be here, tendin’ the cattle on
your
goddamn fancy farm. Goodbye,
Cade.” Somehow, Mal found the off button.

The
phone immediately rang again, but he ignored it. He’d turn the motherfucker off
if he knew how. Instead, he threw it in the direction of the house.
Technically, it wasn’t his phone. It belonged to the company. To Cade. Goddamn
Cade. Mal took a drink of his beer. Finding it hot, he chucked the bottle into
the fire and pulled a cold one out of the cooler. He unscrewed the lid, flung
it into the flames, and downed the beer as fast as his drunk ass could. Half of
it spilled down his face, but he didn’t care. There was another where that one
came from.

The
hammering was getting on Mal’s nerves. He pulled the pillow from over his head
but shoved it right back when he saw it was morning. The bright light filtering
into his bedroom window let him know it was well past time he should be up. The
pounding in his head let him know he’d kept drinking well past time he shoulda
stopped. It had been a really long time since Mal tied one on, and now he
remembered why. The hammering was in his head, and it was going to take a shit
ton of aspirin and several hours before it went away. He was still wearing the
same clothes he had on the night before, so Andy or Bryan must have put him to
bed. His clothes, and in turn, his sheets smelled like smoke, but right then,
he didn’t care. All he cared about was getting coffee and food on his stomach.

Squinting,
he made his way downstairs to find his workers already eating breakfast. They
didn’t speak, so he said, “Mornin’.”

“Good
morning,” they both answered at the same time.

“Whoever
put me in bed, thank you.” Mal filled his favorite mug with coffee and sat down
in his spot at the table. He had taught Andy how to make biscuits, and there
was a pile in a basket on the table. He grabbed one and shoved it in his mouth,
not bothering with butter or jelly. He’d worry about that with the next one.
And maybe some bacon. And eggs. When his stomach protested, he decided to skip
the eggs.

“It
was both of us. You were pretty out of it, boss,” Andy informed him.

“I’m
sorry. I shouldn’t have got like that, but sometimes…” Mal didn’t finish his
thought.

“Your
phone’s on the charger. You’ve had several calls and texts from Cade. I took
the liberty of answering it last night to let him know you were already asleep,
and he shouldn’t keep calling,” Bryan said. “It hasn’t stopped him from calling
back this morning, though.”

“Thanks.
He and I had a disagreement.” Mal didn’t want to go into the details with his
men, but then again, maybe they could give him some perspective on Cade’s
motives.

“I
know you probably don’t want my opinion, boss, but I’m gonna give it anyway.”
Andy sipped his coffee before continuing. “I know all about Cade’s past. You
can’t be a fan of rock music and not read about 7’s Mistress. The guy in the
tabloids is not the same guy who comes here to visit you. That guy loves you. I
don’t know what it is you’re upset about, but he’s just as upset. I finally
turned the ringer off on your phone because I was tired of hearing it go off
all night.”

“All
night?” Mal rose from his chair and picked up his phone. Seven missed calls and
twenty-three texts. “Jesus,” he grumbled.

“He
bought the farm,” Mal admitted before he could catch the words.

“So
you have an issue being in love with your boss? Like a conflict of interest
thing?” Bryan asked.

Mal
didn’t deny he was in love with Cade. “No, I have an issue with the fact he
bought it and didn’t tell me. Why lie about it?”

“How
would you have reacted if he told you the truth? You already give him shit
about his money,” Andy stated.

“No,
I don’t,” Mal argued.

“Boss,
you do. You threw it up in his face pretty harsh last night, talking about all
his fancy shit. I wasn’t eavesdropping. You were yelling, and I was worried.”

“I
think it’s more because he lied, you know? If he’d come clean about it when he
first bought it, I would’ve had time to digest it. He never once let on that he
bought the place, or that he was responsible for the new equipment or the
horses. He has been behind everything that’s gone on around here and kept
quiet. That’s what bothers me.”

Bryan
leaned back in his chair, hooking his beefy arm over the top rung. “I’m not
saying he was right to keep the truth from you, but I do see where he might not
want you to know. Andy’s right, boss. You take issue with Cade’s money, whether
you admit it or not. He can’t be all bad if he bought the farm to keep you from
losing it. Sure, it’s technically his now, but doesn’t he let you make all the
decisions?”

Mal
nodded. He had been given the liberty of running things the way he saw fit.
Once he had everything he needed, he didn’t hear from anyone at the company.
They didn’t bother him, or try to tell him how to do things. Between the texts,
the phone calls, and the late night Skype sessions, Cade already knew how the
farm was progressing. “He’s goin’ on tour next month, so it won’t matter
anyway. He’ll be on the road, and I’ll be here by myself. It was a short term
thing.”