I Knew You Were Trouble

Chapter Twelve

Sydney, Australia

‘G’day, and a very warm welcome to the one and only… it’s Rebel Heart!’

There follows a chorus of whooping and applause. Two local DJs – Sheri and Chet, both in their forties – host Sydney and New South Wales’ biggest breakfast show. Across from me inside the radio station studio, Duncan has the full tripod set up. I’m using the handheld camera, so I’m able to move around a little, but I’m under strict instructions not to make any kind of noise. The boys sit in a semicircle, each near a microphone, with headphones on.

The excitement is palpable, and not simply inside the studio. Girls have the band’s hotel surrounded. Outside the radio station, crowds had eagerly anticipated their arrival at seven o’clock in the morning, shrieking as the boys emerged from two different cars. I’d been sure to take a lot of the footage, including that of Bodhi looking stressed out of his mind.

‘Or should we say,’ Sheri says with a grin, ‘Cal, welcome home, mate.’

More applause ensues.

‘Aw, cheers, mate, you have no idea how good it feels to be hanging with some Sydneysiders.’ Cal grins, swinging in his chair.

‘And you guys are gonna be headed out towards Bronte, right?’ asks Chet.

‘Yeah, that’s right, we’re playing Bronte on the Beach tomorrow and then two sold-out concerts at the arena,’ Cal confirms.

‘And will you be playing the new single live?’

‘You betcha, mate.’

‘You’re gonna hear it here first, ladies and gentleman. Can we do a countdown check, Sheri?’

‘I think I can ask one of the boys to do it. Uhh, can I have a volunteer, boys? Oh, thank you, Aidan.’

Aidan takes a breath. He sounds oh-so-British. ‘Countdown to our new single… “Shame About My Face”… three minutes and thirty-two seconds.’

I watch him. He’s smiling. He wears jeans and a black shirt, open at the collar. When he’s not in a bad mood, he conducts himself with such ease.

‘That’s right,’ Sheri continues, ‘that’s the countdown to Rebel Heart’s new release. I am soooo psyched about this one; I know our listeners are too. So, boys, can I ask… obviously everybody knows most of the story, but can we have a quick recap on how this song came about?’

‘That depends if you want Cal’s view or not,’ Miller pipes up.

‘If we let Cal talk about it, we might be here all day,’ J.B. adds.

‘You really need the simplified version,’ Ravi laughs.

‘Do we need to tape Cal’s mouth shut at this point?’ Sheri asks.

‘Hey, I’m like the oracle, Shez,’ Cal says. ‘What I say goes. Can’t hold me down.’

Chet and Sheri are laughing. ‘Do we need, like, a bit of impartiality here?’ Chet asks.

‘I’m going with Aidan again, the voice of reason,’ Sheri says. ‘Aidan. I think the question on everyone’s lips is… is this a revenge track?’

I watch him again. He is the epitome of cool. ‘A revenge track? No, no. It’s not a revenge track, far from it. As many people know, it came about because of something that may or may not have been put into a tweet that may or may not have gone viral… but this is our response to that tweet. Because we never got a proper chance to respond. But when we did respond, we wanted to get our response right. All credit to Cal though, he wrote most of the lyrics, because it was his ego that took a gigantic bruising.’

‘And that’s why we love our Aidey, people,’ Cal interjects drily.

I focus on Sheri, who’s blushing. ‘Well like I said, I am so excited for this one, I think it’s gonna hit the big time, and we are debuting it in a matter of minutes!’

There is more whooping. More applause.

‘J.B., what do you think the fan reaction is gonna be to this record?’ Chet asks. ‘I mean, can you maybe say it in French for us, mate?’

J.B. leans forward. ‘ Ils vont perdre la boule ,’ he says smoothly into the mic.

‘Is that rude?’ Sheri grins. ‘Do we think that’s rude? Are we going to get into trouble here for saying that live on air?’

There is laughter from everywhere. I smile.

J.B. grins. ‘It means… they’re gonna go crazy.’

‘Doesn’t really mean that though does it, mate?’ Chet cackles.

‘Ravi, one for you,’ Sheri segues. ‘So, for the listeners at home, who obviously can’t see us here in the studio, people should know you guys have got cameras following you, we’ve got a couple of people in here as we speak, what’s that all about?’

‘Yeah, we’re doing a documentary,’ Ravi confirms. ‘Fly-on-the-wall. It’s gonna be out on Silverpix at some point in future. All access, BTS stuff. This is Lexi and Duncan, Lexi’s our director.’ My eyes meet Aidan’s and I look away.

‘And is it weird having the cameras all the time?’ Chet asks.

‘Cal says it makes him feel like Kim Kardashian,’ Miller laughs.

Chet interrupts the laughter. ‘On that note. The countdown is less than thirty seconds away, I think we’re ready to introduce the new single… who wants to do it?’

The boys are all shouting Cal’s name. Sheri shushes them all.

‘Caleb Whitlock, right back in your hometown, please can you introduce Rebel Heart’s new single for us?’

Cal leans forward into the mic. ‘Whaddup, Sydney and beyond. This goes out to my homeboys in Bondi especially, this is gonna blow your minds, people. Behold… Rebel Heart’s latest hot track… “Shame. About. My. Face”.’

I can already hear the start of the track beginning to play as the room bursts into yet more applause.

Outside the studio building, cars are waiting. I remove my cardigan, having gone from winter to summer overnight. Barricades have been set up, behind them a few hundred girls who’ve turned up to see their idols. I feel like covering my ears, unprepared for the volume generated by shrieking females. Ziggy and Bodhi allow a short time for signing autographs and taking pictures before the boys all wave and climb into waiting vehicles.

Bodhi ushers Miller, J.B. and Ravi into the first car. Aidan and Cal walk towards the second car. I’m already in the back of the third car with Duncan when Aidan gives two knocks on the roof and sticks his head inside.

‘Hey, Dunc, you mind riding with Cal and Ziggy back to the hotel?’

Duncan looks up. ‘So long as it’s not Miller I’m riding with.’

‘It’s the one in front, mate. Miller’s in with J.B. Cheers.’

I feel my entire body stiffen. Duncan’s gaze flits to mine, as though asking my permission, but also reminding me of our conversation at the restaurant back in Seoul, and that I’ve barely dated anyone in the past two years. As he gets out, I see Aidan give him a slap him on the back. The leather crunches as he claims the seat beside me, closing the door behind him.

Within a few seconds we are pulling away, my eyes still on the barrage of placards being held up by surging Rebel Heart fans.

‘They’re dedicated, I’ll give them that,’ I murmur.

‘Do you mind me switching places with Duncan?’ Aidan asks.

‘Why would I mind?’

‘You seem to be avoiding me.’

I glance at him, heat curling at the base of my neck. I press my lips together, watching out of the window as we hurtle through the streets back to the hotel. It seems I have fallen into a routine of fantasising about Aidan McArthur, bringing myself to a nightly climax as I do so. As a result, I can’t seem to look real-life Aidan in the face, and since declaring our truce in Seoul, he and I have barely exchanged a word.

‘I think we both know that you still don’t want me here,’ I say after a long silence.

‘I’m coming round to the idea. I like Meredith and Duncan seems like a cool guy.’

I don’t reply.

‘You and Duncan seem close,’ he says.

I stiffen. ‘We’re colleagues.’

‘The way he looks at you though. I thought—’

He pauses. I swallow a lump in my throat. ‘You thought what?’

Aidan shakes his head. ‘Maybe I imagined it. He seems to look up to you. Admire you. Possibly because you won the Oscar or something.’

In theory, I should confess that Duncan and I were in a relationship once upon a time, but just being this close to him sends my mind into a flat spin. All my nerve endings are tingling, a ripple travelling deliciously through my core at his proximity to me.

‘Anyway, you’re a bit of an enigma,’ he continues. ‘Maybe because you’ve stopped talking to me.’

I know he’s right. I glance across at him. He’s wearing faded, loose-fitting vintage jeans. He rests his hands on his knees and I know that I’ve pictured them on me. The only time we’ve made physical contact is when we shook hands to seal our truce last week in Seoul, yet I can’t seem to stop thinking about his touch. It’s keeping me up at night. I keep putting it down to the fact that he’s famous. Yet Aidan doesn’t have the air of a celebrity. He seems… down to earth. Normal, almost. And sexy as hell.

‘The support act, for the Sydney shows,’ he says, changing the subject. ‘It’s a girl band. Haven is their name. They’re coming to a party at the hotel later. I thought you could come along too. Provided you’re not busy.’

‘Can I film anything?’

‘It’s a party for some music types out here, you’d have to ask Ziggy.’

We’re already pulling up to the hotel entrance. More crowds of girls are waiting. There is more screaming.

‘Did Ziggy tell you to invite me?’

‘No, I thought I’d invite you. In case you thought I was still trying to cause you problems. Guess I have to accept that I can’t stop the Silverpix juggernaut. I’m sorry I said that… about them paying for your career.’

I can’t handle being this close to him, breathing the same air. ‘That’s alright. You’re forgiven.’ To fill another silence, I add, ‘I need another person to interview.’

A muscle pulses in his jaw. ‘Maybe you could ask J.B. I’m sure he’d do it.’

The car comes to a halt. Aidan gets out before I even have time to argue.

Meredith is waiting for me in the grand lobby of the Langham Hotel, with its marble floor and grand chandelier overhead. Duncan goes straight upstairs with the cases of our equipment. The boys are still outside, signing autographs and posing for selfies with the crowd.

‘Social media is blowing up ,’ Meredith says, holding her phone. ‘People are already dissecting the song lyrics. All the news reports are referencing Bianca Lawson. She literally just deleted her entire Twitter feed and switched off the comments on her Instagram.’

‘She did?’ I ask. ‘Make a note of the more detailed reports. Which networks they’re on. We’ll need permission to use anything later. Do people like the song?’

‘People are reacting all the way across Europe and the States. We won’t know yet how it’s doing on streaming, but my guess would be it’ll be number one everywhere.’ She grimaces. ‘Not great for Bianca Lawson.’

‘No, I don’t imagine so.’

At that moment, Bodhi is ushering the boys back into the lobby, together with his security detail. It doesn’t escape my attention that Meredith’s eyes are automatically drawn to Miller. Aidan pays me no attention.

‘I listened to the radio interview,’ Meredith adds. ‘How do you think it went?’

‘Good. I don’t know how these things are supposed to go. But we got some decent footage anyway.’

‘There’s a party tonight here at the hotel. For some music journalists and industry types.’

‘So I heard.’

‘Ziggy says we’re invited, but that we can’t film as he thinks it will make things awkward for the guests.’

‘No matter. Duncan and I can get some footage,’ I reply in a low tone.

Meredith looks concerned, knowing what I’m referring to. I reach out, giving her arm a reassuring squeeze. ‘Don’t worry. We know what we’re doing.’

For the party, I wear a short sage-green satin dress with a tiny slit up the side, and a black butterfly broach that contains a hidden camera in its wing. In the hotel bathroom, I apply a careful layer of make-up, styling my hair to frame my face, the entire time thinking I am not dressing for Aidan McArthur. The problem is, he’s noticed I’m avoiding him, yet I can’t tell him why. And he’s the one avoiding an interview with me, so we’re even. We’ve gone from bickering to awkward in the space of a week.

There is a knock at the door. Duncan stands in the corridor with a suit on.

‘You ready to go?’ he asks.

I fix my earring. ‘Come on in. I need a minute.’

‘You test it yet?’ he asks, his gaze flitting over the broach, which is close to the curve of my left breast.

I turn my back to him. ‘Can you see the power pack? Any wires?’

‘No, looks good.’

‘The test was fine.’

‘You sure you wanna bother?’

‘Mer tells me there’s an after-party after the proper party. Ziggy’s banned it, but word is they’re doing it anyway. Those are the moments I want, Dunc. When they’re relaxed and at ease… enjoying themselves.’

‘Aye, and the moment they find out that you’ve been filming them behind their backs without their knowledge, it’s game over. No amount of quiz answers will persuade them to let you stick around.’

I stop in my tracks. ‘They never need to know. Not until we’re done here, at least. No one said I couldn’t film them without their prior knowledge. There’s no clause in the contract. Why does it bother you all of a sudden?’

He gives a shrug. ‘Different subject matter, I guess. They’re a band, you know. Not master criminals.’ He holds up his hands. ‘But you’re the boss.’

I feel guilt creeping up from my toes. Secret filming has become my modus operandi , but Duncan has a point. Rebel Heart aren’t people smugglers, scammers or scheming factory workers. ‘We may not even end up using it,’ I say, as though it justifies my position. I pick up my bag and push any doubts from my mind. ‘Come on, let’s go.’

We’re about to leave when there’s a hammering on my door. I open it to find Meredith hopping up and down, waving her phone in my face.

‘It’s her!’ she mouths at me excitedly. ‘It’s Bianca! She wants to talk to you!’

My eyes go wide. I carefully take the handset, ushering Meredith inside. Duncan closes the door for me.

‘Hello?’ I say. ‘Bianca?’

An American voice comes back with a fraction of a delay. ‘Is this Lexi Hart?’ it says, and she sounds like a woman who has been crying.

My tone is soothing. ‘Hi, Bianca. Yes, this is Lexi.’

‘I changed my mind,’ she says, her tone taut with emotion. ‘About the interview. I’m not gonna say anything to the press, but I’ll talk to you.’

‘We’ll be in New York after Christmas. I’d rather talk to you face-to-face. Can you wait that long?’

‘I can wait,’ she sobs. ‘I can wait. Those lyrics… I need you to know why he’s not being fair to me.’

‘I understand. I promise, Bianca. You’ll get your say. Is there someone there with you?’

‘I’m fine,’ she says, composing herself. ‘I’m okay. But I wanna have my say. This is my direct number. Call me, okay?’

‘I will. I promise. We’ll set it up.’

She hangs up before I can ask her anything else. I pause, before handing the phone back to Meredith.

‘We’re interviewing Bianca Lawson in January,’ I state, looking to both of them. ‘And that goes no further, understand? It does not leave this room.’

Duncan sucks air through his teeth. ‘Lexi Hart, you are playing with fire.’

‘I’m just doing my job.’

‘Those lot find out… we are fucked.’

‘Then let’s make sure nobody finds out.’

I swallow the lump in my throat. My head is telling me to go for it.

My heart is telling me that maybe I’m doing the wrong thing.