Blinding Trust (15 page)

It is. I’ll be with him the whole time. He’s so darn excited about it that I didn’t want to disappoint him.

Well, you’ve sure disappointed me. I thought we were a team, Colt. If it was that important you could have called Ty or your mother to get in touch with me. Instead you just went ahead and signed him over to the devil himself.

Savanna, stop being so dramatic. He’s goin’ to be fine.

He will never be the same innocent kid again. Don’t you get that? You put him right into the spotlight and I don’t know if I can forgive you for that. I don’t know if I can forgive you for making me feel like I have no say in his life. He’s my son too, you know.

I never said he wasn’t! Damn, would you just calm dow…

I hung up the phone and turned the damn thing off. The last thing I wanted to do was talk to the man who had put my baby out there for the whole world to see. He was no longer my sweet, protected little boy. I was more than angry.

Ty looked over at me when I walked back into the house. “Don’t plan on going to sleep anytime soon. We’re getting drunk!”

Chapter 20

Colt

I tried to call her throughout the day and she just wouldn’t
answer the phone. Yeah, I probably could have called Ty’s phone, but I hated that he was even there.

Why was he really there, anyway?

I appreciated his help on the ranch, albeit I feared something bad was going to happen. In all the years that I’d been with my wife, they’d never stayed together alone. Was I wrong for thinking that something could happen? Being so far away was making me doubt my wife. I hated feeling that way about her and about our love for each other.

When I couldn’t get ahold of Savanna, Zeke worked things out so that Noah didn’t have to shoot his scenes
until Friday. When we arrived back at his place, everything seemed to go back to normal. Piper was lounging out by the pool and the chef was preparing dinner. The house had been cleaned, even all the bedding. To anyone just walking in, it would seem as if nothing had ever happened.

After my heated argument with my wife, I laid in bed and stared at the ceiling for a good while. My wife was furious with me and that was never a good thing. She could be moody and
hardheaded, but she was usually right when we fought. Savanna had a way of working situations out in her head and being able to come up with practical solutions that work out for everyone involved.

If Noah hadn’t been so darn adamant about the video, I would have had time to reach out and get her opinion. I was digging myself into a deeper hole. It all started with Zeke and now I was on a downhill spiral.

I heard a knock on my door and in came my son. He was wearing his pajama shorts and a new t-shirt
that we’d picked up when we were out. I sat up right away. “What’s up, buddy?”

“I heard you yellin’ on the phone. Were you talking to Mom?”

I patted the spot next to me and waited for him to sit down. I couldn’t tell the kid that his mother was completely against him being in the video. He didn’t need another reason to put that wall up. “She’s havin’ a hard time bein’ away from us.”

“She’s mad at me, isn’t she?”

She was, but I couldn’t tell him that. “No. Your mom is just feelin’ like we’re leavin’ her out. She misses us.”

I thought he was about to say that he missed her too. Instead he turned around and got an excited look on his face. “
Why ain’t you havin’ fun here, Dad? This is the coolest place I’ve ever been.”

“I’ve had fun this week, but I miss your mom and your sisters. One day you’ll see how our life ain’t so bad.”

“When I grow up, I want to live in a place just like this.” Yep, he said it. As much as I wished that I’d never heard it, I think it will be etched into my mind for the rest of my life.

I patted him on the leg. “Son, I hope one day you
can appreciated the real meanin’ of home. It ain’t about appearances, it’s what fills it that counts the most.”

He look around the room. “You mean the furniture?”

“No! I mean the people. A house is not a home until it’s filled with real whole-hearted love. It can’t be bought with any kind of money.”

He shook his head and let out an air filled laugh.
“Yeah, I think I’d rather have this.”

I was disappointed in him, but he wasn’t even eleven years old yet. How could I expect him to know the things that I’d learned through growing up?

“I hope you change your mind, Noah. One day I’m goin’ to need someone to take over for me. I’d like it to be you, but it’s your choice in the end.”

I think the conversation was just getting to deep for Noah. He told me goodnight and went back to his room. Fear
overwhelmed me when I thought about my son wanting this type of lifestyle. I knew he was a child and this was probably the greatest place he could have imagined being in, but the walls were empty. Instead of family photos, they were filled with band pictures and decorated records. The house lacked a heart, and for me, that was sad.

I fell asleep thinking about my son, so it was only natural for me to dream about him. I dreamed that he’d somehow taken over for his uncle. A very grownup version of Noah was surrounded by beautiful soulless
women, that were willing to do anything to get a hand in his pot of wealth. While he was surrounded by people who only loved his name, he’d lost touch with us, his real family.

I shot out of bed and looked around the room. If this was how my wife had been feeling, then I finally understood
completely.

I had to find a way out of the contract. There had to be some way to free Noah from his obligation and get the kid where he belonged.

It was easier said than done. After calling my attorney, who informed me that it wasn’t exactly his field, I was left feeling like there was no way out. Noah would have to be in the video and thus he would be exposed to the whole world.

Zeke had planned a whole day of places to take us. We started out going to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, followed by
a few hours at some exclusive beach attached to a private club that he was obviously a member of. We were waited on hand and foot and even had this hut looking thing that had rooms in it.. It seemed that Noah’s obsession with Jaws had him petrified to go into the water. After standing in knee deep for over an hour, he played catch with some kids instead. When it was time to leave, we were able to get cleaned up and head on our way without being sandy.

For dinner, he took us to his friend
’s restaurant. Zeke ate another weird concoction, while Noah and I had big, fat, juicy steaks. Noah ordered a dessert bigger than his head. Once he finished, we headed to a wax museum that had life sized statues of famous people. I took lots of pictures to show Savanna, especially the ones where Noah stood next to superheroes.

It was absurd to me how Zeke could be normal one minute and a complete asshole the next. Of course, Noah never saw that side of him.

Our day was long and exhausting and after everything we’d done, we were both ready to go home and go to bed. Zeke had his driver drop him off at some club on the way home. I didn’t get how he could go to clubs and be around all the drugs and booze and still have a good time.

Upon our arrival back at the mansion, Noah went right up to his room. I pulled out my phone to call Savanna, but overheard someone crying. I pulled back the curtain to see Piper sitting outside under a cabana. I could see someone’s legs sitting across from her, but their face was blocked. I should have just walked away, but curiosity killed the cat.

I stood there listening.

“You don’t know what it’s like, Pete. I try to be happy and I know someone in my position shouldn’t complain, but he’s never home. When he is, he’s throwing crazy parties. I can’t deal with it anymore. I know he does things behind my back. I know he sleeps with other women. It’s practically broadcasted to ever
y media site daily. Does he just expect me to sit around and deal with that?”

“I don’t know what to tell you. You know how I feel about you, Piper. I’ve loved
you for two years and hoped that one day you would feel the same about me. You think it’s easy for me to just sit here and watch you go through this. He’s a prick for taking you for granted.”

She started to sob loudly. “I just thought that if we had a child, things would be better. I thought he would want to change. It was all he used to talk about.”

“Do you honestly want to raise a child with someone like Zeke?”

“I don’t know.”

“Piper, I will give you what you want, but I’m not going to sit back and let him raise my child. I don’t want any child of mine growing up with this life.”

“You promised. You said it was a gift to me. Please don’t do this now.” She was begging him.

“You expect me to just sit back and watch you carry my child and say nothing? You expect me to be okay with you laying in a bed next to that piece of shit, when all I want to do is have you for myself?”

“Pete, I can’t leave him.”

“Don’t make me go public, Piper.”

“You would threaten me with that? After all that Zeke has done for you, how can you hurt him like that?”

“It’s simple! He’s hurt you, time and time again, while I had to sit and watch. I was the one who picked up the pieces each and every time that son of a bitch fucked up. It was me who took you to the fertility doctor and it was my sperm they used to make that baby you’re carrying. What’s your husband going to do when he finds out he’s been sterile this whole time? How do you know he didn’t see those results himself? All he had to do was call.”

“He doesn’t know! He won’t find out! If you love me, you won’t tell him.”

The man stood up and I recognized him as one of Zeke’s bodyguards. “Piper, I do love you, but I’m not letting you do this any longer. If I can’t raise my own child, then neither will he.”

He walked away and left her crying. I didn’t know what disturbed me more; the crying or the affair. My phone started to ring and I knew I’d been exposed. Piper jumped and came running in the
house. “Colt? That wasn’t what you think it was.”

“It’s none of my business.”

“You hate me don’t you?” She plopped down on a chair.

I sat across from her and folded my hands. “I don’t hate you. It seems like you’re hatin’ yourself.”

“Everyone thinks this life is so amazing. They have no idea how horrible it can be. Between the media and the fans, we never catch a break. Zeke can be a great guy. I know somewhere inside of him there is a good man. It’s just, he can’t get away from who he is.”

“I’m seein’ that.”

“I love my husband, but you see how he is. He doesn’t have time to be married. All we share right now is a house and a piece of paper. I don’t even know if he loves me anymore. Pete’s been there for me, every time something has happened between me and Zeke. When he told me he had feelings for me, I assured him that nothing would ever happen. Then I found out Zeke was sterile. You have to understand, I wanted a baby more than anything and I couldn’t get pregnant. Zeke wouldn’t have understood. He didn’t want to start a family, at first. That’s when Pete offered me a solution. He donated his sperm and we did in-vitro-fertilization. I never cheated on Zeke. I swear!”

As she continued crying, I clear
ed my throat, getting her to look at me. “My wife and I had a lot of problems conceiving. When she finally did get pregnant, she was kidnapped and held by a criminal. While tryin’ to get free, she was injured and lost the baby. We were devastated. Noah came into our life right after that happened. He was the miracle that Savanna needed to move forward. Children are a great gift, but bein’ a parent is the greatest gift of all. Listen, Piper, I don’t know how you feel about Pete. It’s obvious that he cares deeply for you. Zeke doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who is ready to just give up his life and start raisin’ a family. Do you really want your child subjected to this kind of lifestyle?”

She shrugged and wiped away the tears on her face. “I love Zeke, but he loves himself. As much as I want him to change, I don’t see it happening.”

“What are you goin’ to do?”

She looked worried. “Are you going to tell him?”

“It ain’t my place.”

She covered her face. “I feel so ashamed. No one was supposed to know.”

“Where I come from, marriage is sacred. I promised to love and be faithful to my wife and I meant that shit. I think you need to be honest with yourself before you can make decisions for other people.”

She nodded, while still crying. “You’re right. I know that’s what I have to do. It’s just so hard. Every move I make is plastered in the magazines. I feel like I can’t breathe. If this comes out, it could be career ending for Zeke. Right now, he has to have good media. He’s dug himself so deep into a hole that he may not be able to crawl out with dignity.” She grabbed a pack of cigarettes and lit one up. “I guess I need to quit these.”

“Piper, I ain’t sayin’ nothin’ to Zeke or the media, but I need to know somethin’ from you in return.”

“Sure. Anything.”

“What does Zeke really want from my son? It’s obvious that he wouldn’t
just come around without a reason. I just don’t buy what he’s been telling me. If my son is in some kind of danger, I need to know the truth, so I can protect him.”

She took another drag of her cigarette an
d then put it out in an ashtray. “All I know is that Zeke came to me and told me he had a nephew he wanted me to meet. As you can probably tell, we aren’t exactly Fred and Wilma. Zeke goes weeks without even calling. Most of the time, I don’t even know where he is.”

I felt sorry for this girl and I couldn’t help but wonder if it applied to the lifestyle that they were involved in. It made me appreciate my life back in Kentucky even more. “I hope you get things worked out. If you’ll excuse me, I need to call my wife.”

One thing that I hated more than drama, was knowing secrets. They always had a way to come back around and bite you in the ass.

I found a quiet spot on the outside patio and dialed my wife’s number. Hearing her voice was going to make everything better.

Except, she didn’t answer.

She was spending time with Tyler and couldn’t even take my calls. If he laid one hand on her I was going to kill him.