Page 69 of Unstable

CHAPTER

THIRTY-FIVE

Irina glared at Dale as he tightened the duct tape around her waist, securing her to the chair. Her hands were bound again, behind her this time, and her ankles were duct taped to each leg of the chair.

“There.” He stood and threw a look over his shoulder at Aster, who sat on the couch, one leg crossed over the other, watching them impassively. “I’ll be back in a couple minutes.”

He disappeared out the front door, and Irina willed Aster to look at her. Finally, Aster did. Irina cursed behind the tape covering her mouth, and Aster let out a cold laugh. “Poor Irina. Can’t sweet talk your way out of this, can you?”

What are you talking about? Why are you doing this? Irina screamed the words from behind her gag, but Aster just glared at her, her foot bouncing impatiently in the air.

“Is that supposed to make me feel bad for you?” Aster stared at her for a long moment before hopping to her feet and shoving her face in front of Irina’s. “After everything you've done, you deserve this and so much worse.”

Irina's eyes widened in question. What did she ever do to Aster? She voiced the question in her mind, but her words were muffled once again behind the tape. Aster's eyes dropped to Irina's mouth, and she grabbed a corner, then ripped it off with no finesse.

Irina jerked back, pain exploding over her face. The first time had sucked, and the second time wasn’t any better. “Why are you doing this?” she choked out through numb lips.

Aster grabbed an oak chair from the table beside them and spun it around, straddling the seat so she was facing Irina. “Your life, everything you've done over the past two years”—her eyes bored into Irina’s—“that should be me. I was on track to be Stargazer’s next top star before you showed up.”

“What are you talking about?” Irina asked. “You said you wanted out, that you⁠—”

“I lied,” Aster snapped. “The second they looked at you, listened to you sing, they threw me right out the door.”

“I—If I’d known—” The music industry was cutthroat; Aster knew that. Irina wasn’t honestly sure there was anything she could have done differently. It wasn’t as if she were the one to turn Aster down.

“As if that wasn’t bad enough,” Aster snapped, “then you had to steal Jackson, too.”

Irina gaped at her. “Jackson Meyers?”

“He was mine!” Aster screamed, her index finger jabbing inches from Irina’s face. “You took everything from me!”

Irina shook her head. “Aster, I swear—I never wanted⁠—”

“Don't give me that,” Aster barked. “I despised you the moment I laid eyes on you. So pretty and perfect, exactly what they wanted. I lost everything because of you.” She glared at Irina. “We’ll see how much you like it when I take away everything that matters most to you.”

Irina's stomach revolted at the thought. She couldn't believe that Aster, the woman she had considered her closest friend for the past two years, was capable of something so heinous. She glared at Aster. “How could you do this? We were friends!”

“We were never friends,” Aster scoffed.

Her revelation stunned Irina. “You offered to be my assistant. Said you still want to be involved!”

Aster let out a peal of laughter. “So I could be close to you, you idiot. I had to use any opportunity available to me to make your life miserable.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Irina warned. “You’re going to get caught, and you’re going to take that guy”—she used her head to gesture toward the door—“down with you.”

“Oh, no. He’s looking forward to this just as much as I am.” Aster smirked. “Funny how fate has a way of sending people your way exactly when you need them.”

Irina racked her brain, trying to figure out if she knew the man but came up blank. He looked familiar, but she couldn’t place him. Dismissing it for the moment, she changed tacks.

“So, what? You kill me. Then what happens?” She lifted a brow at Aster. “You've been out of the game too long. Do you really think Stargazer will pick you up again? They won’t want to invest that kind of time and money in you. They didn't want to do it the first time. What makes you think they'll do it now?”

Irina knew she had hit Aster where it hurt the most, because Aster's eyes darkened with fury, and she let out a hiss. “You evil bitch.”

Irina laughed. “Awfully ironic, coming from you. You’re the one willing to commit murder because you weren't talented enough.”

“I swear—” Aster's hand flew out and wrapped around Irina's throat, her nails digging into her skin. Irina winced and tried to jerk back, but her body was hampered, tied to the chair. “I won't miss having you gone,” Aster snapped. “Being your gopher, keeping track of your phone calls and appointments. I deserve so much more than this.”

Releasing Irina, Aster sat back in her chair and rolled her neck from side to side, like she was trying to relieve the tension from her muscles. She drew a deep breath and centered her gaze on Irina again. “But none of that matters now. Since you decided to take everything away from me, I found a way to get it back.”