Revenge #4 Read Free Page A

instant, I feel sorry for him. Nick thinks he has such a great poker face, but he doesn’t.
    No wonder he was skittish around Mr. Morris.
    He’d probably spill the secret in two minutes alone with charming Mr. Morris.
    No wonder Nick’s hiding down here in the basement.
    My nerves are zinging with pride that I’ve figured out one piece of the puzzle. If I keep my eyes and ears open, pretty soon I’ll figure out the rest.
    Best of all, I can use the information to help Dylan.
    “That’s all I know,” I say coolly. It’s not much of a lie, since Dylan hasn’t told me much more. “Now, what can we both do to help Dylan get a sweet contract?”
    Nick gets to his feet and brings the box to the metal shelves. He presses the button to get the machinery to slide the shelves over. The powerful motor grinds, and the shelves shift until they slam to a halt. I may have been raised around plenty of farm equipment, but the moving shelves are a little scary.
    “Well?” I say, my impatience coming out in my voice. “How do we make sure Dylan gets the big money deal, and not someone else?”
    “You won’t like what I have to say.” Nick turns slowly to face me.
    “Tell me anyway.”
    He flicks his lip piercing with his tongue, then says, “You have to break up with Dylan.”
    I cross my arms, the fury returning. “Give me one good reason.”
    “I’ll give you two.” Nick counts the reasons on his fingers. “One, he’s more marketable when he’s single. And two, he’s totally in love with you, and being in love has turned his work to shit.”
    With my arms still crossed, I tap my fingers on my forearm. “Shut up.”
    “You asked,” he says. “Listen for yourself. Get him to play you one of his new gems .”
    “He’s taking me to dinner tonight.”
    “Perfect. It’s only Wednesday today. Break up with him tonight. By Friday, he might have a decent song written. Then he can get signed for a million-dollar contract, and everything will work out.”
    “No. I’m not breaking up with him. I’ll talk to him about the songs.”
    “Let me make some calls.” He picks up the takeout coffee containers and returns to his desk. He picks up the phone and starts making calls.
    I return to my seat across from him. I drink my sweet coffee and pretend do some work.
    After a moment, details from what Nick told me finally sink in. Dylan’s in love with me? Nick thinks he is. Of course, Nick also thinks Dylan’s new work is shit, so I can’t really believe a word Nick says.
    But I want to believe. My heart flutters. Dylan’s in love. With me. Sigh.
    Nick turns his back to me and speaks in a soft tone, so I can’t hear him.
    The roses Dylan had delivered yesterday sit between me and Nick. Looking at the beautiful roses makes my chest hurt. Does he love me? Dinner tonight can’t come soon enough.
    When Nick finally hangs up the phone, he noisily tears a sheet of paper off a notepad. He pushes the paper toward me across the table surface.
    I open the folded note warily. The dollar amount written on the paper is more money than my annual salary. I examine the decimal point carefully. This is a lot of zeros.
    “I’m getting a raise?” I ask.
    “Not exactly. If you break Dylan’s heart so he can write a smash hit song, you’ll get that as a bonus.”
    I crumple the paper and chuck the ball at Nick’s face. He doesn’t even blink as it ricochets off his cheek.
    “Dylan’s worth more than that to me,” I say.
    “If you say so.” Nick blinks three times, then opens a cardboard box and starts taking out items to be archived.
    Over the next few hours, we work.
    He tries to be friendly, asking me about my hometown and life in general. I give only one-word answers.
    He doesn’t bring up Dylan again, but something tells me he’s not letting the issue go.
    I don’t care how much they offer me.
    I want to be with Dylan, no matter what.

Chapter 3
    I step out of the lobby of Morris Music at 5:25.
    My attention is caught