Page 29 of Holding On

“The fuck he does,” I growl and Pippa gives me a look that is less than surprised by my response.

Tinsley looks to me, her lip quivering. “The asshole will use my own money to post his bond too.”

“No, he won’t,” I declare. I will use every contact and resource I have to ensure that doesn’t happen—and because of our company and success, the list of people that owe me favors is long and powerful.

“Jack’s right. In addition to the no-contact order that will be part of his bond, that protection will be in place throughout the investigation of the case regarding tonight’s events. But we’re going to legally protect you through every possible avenue. We will also be filing for a restraining order while we work through revoking the Durable Power of Attorney he’s had over your business and financial decisions,” Pippa explains.

Tinsley gasps as her eyes widen. “You can do that? I thought that thing was permanent.” She looks over to Allie. “He told me that was irrevocable!”

“No, he lied to you, Tinsley. And I suspect we will discover all kinds of ways he has been lying and manipulating you for far too long. But Tinsley, that stops now. His power over you, over your career, over your finances, over God knows what else, it ends now.” Pippa gently touches Tinsley’s ankle, still standing at the end of her bed. “And I assure you, Daphne and I are both very thorough and good at our jobs.”

“How?” Tinsley whispers as though any noise too loud would extinguish the small flame of hope that she is seeing for the first time in far too long.

“It’s my understanding that prior to this evening, your brother was somehow unaware that Rick had Power of Attorney. I don’t know how your mother and stepfather kept it from him. Daphne will be walking you through the next steps, but the short version? Your brother has already started to assemble an entire team of lawyers to address any and all legal concerns. They will be attorneys that Daphne or myself have personally vetted and will have no affiliation or connection to Rick or your mother. If they even belong to the same social club, they will not be allowed on your team. Tomorrow morning, you will meet with a private banker from the financial institute where the majority of your cash is held, and we will start with that one first before going through each and every place Rick has filed his Power of Attorney to access your financials or business affairs.”

“What does that mean? I … I get my money? Does that … does that mean I’m free?” Tinsley whispers. Pippa nods in response.

I reach up and take her hand and squeeze it. “Yeah, Red. You’re free and he will never tell you what to do ever again.”

That statement is the trigger to shattering her dam of control as she breaks down crying. The depth of the pain in her cry is bringing tears to my own eyes. I want to pull her into my arms and hold her, but Allie beats me to it, minding Tinsley’s side where her ribs are broken, and holds her while she cries.

But she holds tight to my hand, and I don’t let go.

Tinsley has suffered enough—and I will do whatever I can to help Wells in his efforts to see that Rick experiences repayment ten times over for every single tear he has caused her to shed.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Allie

Happy Thanksgiving! I’m going to grab a cycle class at 10 and then I’ll be up to your suite by noon?

Me

Sounds perfect. Have a great class! Happy Thanksgiving, Allie. So beyond grateful for you… can’t even adequately put it into a text.

Allie

You don’t have to. You’re my family and I will always have your back, honey!

Me

Love you, Allie! See you later today xoxo

Allie gives my last message a heart reaction, and I smile at the thought of her going and doing something she loves. It’s been six weeks since Rick attacked us, and it took a bit of time for the dust to settle. After I had to cancel that concert, Wells, Max, and Jack—well, and everyone else—highly encouraged me to reschedule the following two weeks of shows. It’s going to be a bit chaotic in the spring when we have to circle back to those dates, but they were right. I had never cancelled a show, let alone for something that I personally needed—I wasn’t allowed to have needs, not ones that anyone acknowledged anyway.

I spent most of the last two weeks at Wells’s house in Nashville. Jack and Wells came to some kind of understanding I wasn’t privy to, so that when Jack came over to clearly spend time with me, Wells was more than cool with it. He even acted like it was totally normal for his best friend to come to his house to see his little sister. Wells didn’t seem surprised when Jack started calling me Red as a nickname, but I was more than a little twitterpated by the development. There’s probably a conversation for Wells and me to have in the future, but we haven’t had that one yet.

But we’ve had plenty of other ones.

“No, I promise, the doctors said it was totally precautionary just to make sure that everything with her head is okay after the mild concussion the collision with the wall caused.” Allie’s hushed voice pulls me from my restless sleep. Between the nurses checking my vitals, and the adrenaline dump from everything, sleep wasn’t my friend last night anyway. I blink a few times before the room comes into focus.

Allie, Jack, and Wells are standing on the opposite side of the room in a semi-circle, all three of them looking at me as I wake up.

“Tinsley.” My brother has said my name plenty of times in my life, but I’ve never heard him say it with such anguish and pain—much like the emotion across his face right now. I can’t help the guilt I feel for everything he is experiencing right now. He has twenty years of abuse to digest and come to terms with, but that’s not something I can—or want—to protect him from anymore. I’m tired of hiding from the very few people I care about in life.

But stepping into the light of truth means sharing the pain that has been my constant companion since Rick Wilson became my agent before I was even eight years old. I’m sorry that he has to process the reality of what my life has been like, but I’m not sorry that I won’t be standing alone anymore.

“Hi, Wells. I’m okay; it’s okay,” I say automatically when I see the tears in his eyes. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen my brother cry, and if I have, it’s been few and far between. My brother rushes over to my bed and sits on the edge before wrapping me in a hug. I wince as he tightens his hold, causing Jack to warn him about my ribs. Wells immediately puts his hands in the air, making me laugh.