Connected (Twists of Fate #1) by Jolyn Palliata Read Free Book Online

she was told. “And the body of the email?”
    Address it to ‘Xavier,’ and say ‘You have to record it, my brother,’ then sign ‘Rhythm Rhys.’
    “Oh, Jesus,” she muttered, appalled she was actually doing something so heartless, so insane. “Rhys, I don’t know what this means, but even I know this is going to break him.” It’ll be okay. He’ll be okay.
    “Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?”
    Silence.
    “What does it mean, Rhys?” she whispered, staring at the black words glaring at her with sharp accusations.
    Scripted Lives is the name of our next album. Xavier and I came up with it a few days before I died. No one else knew, not even the guys. We were gonna wait till we all met up in the studio.
    That explained the title in the subject line; Xavier wouldn’t be able to ignore it. The fact she addressed it to Xavier rather than his stage name, Zander, added the personal connection, but she didn’t understand the signature.
    “What about the rest of it?”
    Rhys sounded a little choked up, but spoke through it. Xavier always called me ‘my brother,’ and he’d fuck with me, saying my stage name should’ve been Rhythm Rhys. He was being a shit, obviously, but only the guys knew about it.
    The words weren’t many in count alone, but add the weight of sentiment and the email spoke volumes.
    “I can’t send this. Rhys, I can’t do it.”
    You have to, Addison. Don’t you punk out on me now, goddammit.
    She instinctively clamped her hands over her ears and lurched to her feet. “I can’t. I can’t.
    It’s going to… Oh, my God.”
    She paced around the room, wringing her fingers in front of her. She could still remember the misery and bleakness she had felt once, emotions Xavier was sure to be feeling now. She couldn’t add to that. Couldn’t inflict such harm upon another.
    You have to send it, Addison. God. Please, send it. Just send it.
    His desperation tangled with hers to where she couldn’t tell where his began and hers ended.
    Shaking her head, she shied away from his words.
    “Just give me a minute. I just can’t… Not now.”
    Addison.
    She threw her hands into the air. “I just need time! I’ll do it, okay? I said I would, and I will.
    I just need to wrap my head around it first, okay? Okay? ” Fine. Okay.
    Standing in the middle of her living room, she let her arms drop to her side. Her chest felt tight, her muscles twinging and her breath came in hard gasps. Before she could chicken out, she stormed back over to her computer and hit ‘send.’ For a minute, she just stared at the screen.
    “It’s done.”
    The relief flowed from him unabated. Thank you, Addison. Thank you.
    She felt like she had just fired the killing shot, that she had just destroyed some poor man’s life. Certain that she had, her exhaustion didn’t help her horrified perspective.
    “Rhys. I need some time to myself. Can you give me that?” Yeah. Sure. He didn’t sound thrilled about it, but accepting.
    “Thanks,” she whispered, closing off their connection as she sank into the couch and cried.

Chapter Seven

    After her crying jag was over, Addison fell asleep. In the late afternoon she crawled off the couch and lurched zombie-like to the shower. As the hard, hot spray pelted sense into her, she shook off the rest of her grogginess. It was then she realized she hadn’t been holding her link to Rhys closed anymore.
    He must have known when she figured it out, because he didn’t try talking to her until then.
    You okay, sweetheart?
    For once he used the name affectionately rather than derogatory, and it threw her for a loop.
    “Of course,” she said, trying to curb her defenses. “Why wouldn’t I be?” I’m in your head, Addison, so I know sending the email tore you up.
    Had he heard her cry?
    You cried?
    Apparently, not.
    “No,” she protested, a little too sharply. “I just got caught up on my sleep, that’s all.” She could feel his doubt in her response, and his