His life was too full for him to fixate on music to that extent anymore. Deep down, he didn’t want to. But looking at fucking Ian made him yearn.
“I’m not alone, you’re right. I have a tightly knit family, one I “made and one I was lucky enough to be given.” He swallowed hard and rubbed the polished gold ring around his finger. “Am I supposed to forget he basically called me out on television and have some Hallmark-style reunion with a stranger?”
“I’m not telling you what to do. I’m just saying he was on the ropes, so it’s not surprising he grabbed for a life preserver.”
He nearly smiled. “You’re mixing your metaphors.”
“I don’t know what to make of him,” she said finally, running a pink-polished nail over the strand of black pearls around her neck. “Part of me feels sorry for him. He’s not had an easy road, has he?”
Simon said nothing. No, he probably had not. As he had not, either. Too bad he hadn’t had any famous older siblings he could use as a cash card to buy himself entrance to the music world.
But he also knew he’d been granted some gifts of luck himself. He’d gained national attention through a concert video that went viral on YouTube, not entirely different from how Ian had begun to take off. Still, he’d had no tokens to turn in to get further. He’d had only his own wits and his talent to get him where he needed to go.
“Nor had you,” Lila said quietly, reading his mind. “But I’ll say again—you weren’t alone. You discount the difference that makes because you’ve never been alone for long. That kid doesn’t even know how to work with a band. He’s performing with studio musicians, half of whom detested him by the end of their first night together.”
“Says plenty, doesn’t it?”
“Perhaps. To me it says he’s like a feral cat, learning how to operate among humans.”
Simon raised a brow. “Not that that’s a flattering description in any way, but remind me again how you’re not on his side?”
“I’m not. And truly, there are no sides.”
Simon grunted and tucked his fists under his arms. Right.
“Donovan gave Ian a chance when he contacted him. Believe me, Donovan is no one’s fool. He’s got his eye on him, as does his rep, Sabrina. Sabrina, however, is a bit starry-eyed from the dollar signs she sees right now. Already he’s proving quite lucrative, so she might be willing to overlook some warning signs.”
“And you’re saying you’re not?” He frowned. “What warning signs?”
Lila finally sat in her chair. “His past is filled with brushes with the law and those in authority. Minor things mostly, excepting a rather large bank heist that he was involved in with a crew of much older men.”
Simon leaned forward. “Excuse me? Did you say bank heist?”
“The charges were dismissed, against Ian in any case. Not so for some of his band of merry men. Restitution was made. His record was scrubbed.” Lila smiled slowly, resembling a Cheshire cat. “Or so he believed.”
Simon stared. “How did he get out of that one? And Margo told me you’d said that he only had minor things on his record.”
“I hadn’t found the rest yet. It was a few layers deep.”
“Not deeper than Lord Lewis’s pockets can run.”
She gave a dainty shrug. “We know some people.”
“Yeah. So, you’re saying the kid isn’t only an opportunist, he’s a felon too. Fabulous.”
“I’m also saying he must know some powerful people. How does a virtual street kid from the bowels of London not only make restitution for a sizable debt to a financial institution, but also possess the wherewithal to get those charges dropped and hidden away?”
“If he was young—”
“When you’re dealing in terms of that much money, it isn’t so easy to make things disappear. He wasn’t wealthy himself. He knew someone—or several someones—who were willing to play magician on his behalf. That kind of trickery costs.”
“You think his desperation to use my name to climb the ranks as quickly as possible is due to his debts.”
“I don’t know. But my Spidey senses are tingling.”
“Sure they aren’t tingling because a so-called street kid—your words—is tangling with your pretty young cousin?”
She sat back in her chair. “Probably,” she said after a long moment. “You’re probably right that my concern for Zoe isn’t helping matters. She sees herself as far more streetwise than she actually is. She came fresh from the farm, and we both know how a place like LA can chew you up and spit you out.”