Beats of the Heart - Chapter 16: Chapter 16

Miles was half tempted to follow Phase out and ignore this bullshit. He knew that he would decline anything Brian would offer. However, Miles was uneasy. If Brian had already taken over the studios, what else did he take over?
Will he ruin Flux's upcoming tour? Were the clubs Quake performing at a lost cause? How would they market and promote? What else was ruined because he refused to sell to Eclipse?
He grabbed his bag sitting in a corner and dug out his cigarettes. He hardly smoked now but today called for an exception. His hands trembled for a moment as he lit it, and then he inhaled a long drag of smoke.
Oscar huffed. "You're not supposed—"
"If I have to listen to your bullshit, I will be smoking. You can fuck off if you try to stop me," Miles said, fitting Oscar with a glare. He blew a plume of smoke in Oscar's face.
"Let's go somewhere for lunch. There's a beautiful restaurant a few blocks down that I think you will enjoy," Brian started. "I'll grab my keys and drive you over."
"Lunch?" Miles laughed.
Brian responded with a grin as if he had already won. "Yes. My treat."
Miles doubted he could keep anything down if he attempted to have a meal with a bastard like Brian. He also didn't want to get trapped in a car with him. Besides, he stuck to the rule 'never go to a second location.' He already knew this was a dumb fucking idea, and there was no chance in hell he would worsen the situation.
Lunch. What a joke.
"No need. Just tell me what you want here and now. Otherwise, I'm out."
Brian's face turned red, either with embarrassment or anger. He was reluctant to let Miles have his way, but he relented. "Fine. Come to the office."
Miles kept the cigarette between his lips as he followed him, keeping an eye on the door. Oscar kept it open but stood next to it as if standing guard. Miles realized he would need to get past Oscar to exit unless he wanted to jump out the window. Neither option was appealing.
He was back to chastising his hair-brained plan.
Brian sat in an oversized chair behind his desk and motioned for Miles to sit. However, Miles remained standing to show that he was ready to leave at any moment.
"I have tried tirelessly to merge our companies and assist with leveraging your people," Brian started with some exasperation.
"You have contacted my office enough to be considered harassment," Miles replied sharply.
"That's how valuable I believe you are."
Miles shook his head. "Don't bullshit a bullshitter. There's a clear difference between cooperation and strong-arming. The way you have approached me and my company is unwarranted. You should have respected my initial answer and backed the fuck off."
"You're young, Miles. You don't know what's best for you."
Miles raised an eyebrow and took a long inhale from his cigarette. He leaned over and snuffed it out on Brian's desk, leaving a scorch mark.
"Fuck that noise," Miles scoffed. "You're delusional."
He pulled out another cigarette and lit it. At this point, he didn't need the nicotine.  However, he was encouraged to smoke because he could tell Brian was not fond of it.
"I have been quite patient with you. Do you know how easy it is to bury your little company?"
"I think you should worry about your own company," Miles scoffed. "It's only been a few short years since your top agent threw your best artist over a balcony at The Gardens—and that's not the only high-profile murder under your company's belt. You can't fully recover from shit like that."
"It's easy to cover a stain," Brian said with a tight voice. "In a few years, people will forget."
"Nah, that shit lingers," Miles said with a shake of his head. "Your plummeting stocks prove you can't pull a rug over your stains. Eclipse is a sinking ship captained by an overbearing prick. There is no future for Dirge at Eclipse."
"And who else do you think would take the risk of buying a ragtag team of DJs?"
How quickly 'valuable' turned to 'ragtag'. Miles barked out a laugh and ran his hand across his beard.
"I have plenty of offers if I ever wanted to go that direction. But that's not on the table right now."
The look in Brian's eyes shifted to venomous. "Even without a recording studio? What about tour venues?"
There it was. He felt his stomach drop. He hated when he was right. Brian was willing to pull all the stops—block every prospect.
Brian looked disappointed when Miles stilled his facial expression. He goaded some more, "I still have much sway with media outlets. It would be child's play to spread unsavory news about you and your company. Without a PR team, your reputation will plummet, and all offers will be rescinded."
Miles was glad to have the cigarette in his mouth because it stopped him from flying off the handle and telling Brian exactly what he thought. He needed to pick his verbal battles because any precarious words would harm his DJs.
"You're not the only big name out there, Brian."
The anger on Brian's face twisted, and then he laughed as he leaned back in his chair. "What would a big-name company provide you? You're nothing but a figurehead. They only want Requiem."
Miles smirked. "And you don't? What makes you so different from the others, Brian? You only want one person from my lineup."
"I'm different because I will offer you an opportunity as well. I'll pay you out. It's enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life. You wouldn't have to work again. On top of your generous check, we will give our absolute best for Requiem—studios, equipment, and producers."
Miles shook his head and was about to decline again, but Brian continued.
"Unlike other companies, we won't abandon your other DJs. We will offer the best recording studios so they can complete their unfinished albums. We will send support for those on tour. We will ensure they are taken care of until they finish their projects and then negotiate offers for new contracts with other companies."
Fuck. This was insulting. His DJs deserved better, and Aura was the only company that offered something worthwhile.
"No deal." Miles snuffed out his second cigarette on the desk again. "We're done here."
"You're a fool if you're holding out hope for Aura," Brian called out when Miles turned away.
Miles sighed but remained silent. He was determined to leave instead of confronting Brian again.
"Do you think Shawn Pierce is a kind man willing to offer you a piece of the pie?" Brian called out again. "I know you think you're friends now because he was nice to you at the club, but this is all a game to him. He's backhanded. He will dance around with kind words and a pretty smile, but it's all an act of seduction. When your guard is down, he will swoop in and take everything from you."
Miles forced himself not to wince from that statement. Brian's words cast a shadow in Miles' mind, but it was scattered as quickly as it came. Miles had seen real moments with Shawn that were laced with sincerity. He trusted him.
Miles shook his head lightly. "Shawn has nothing to do with my decision."
"How about I call Shawn now? Ask him what he really thinks of you?" Brian sneered.
He picked up his cell phone and made a show of dialing a number as he approached Miles. As if to prove his point, he cockily waved the phone in front of Miles. Brian must have done this often to other artists—pretended he was close to the other CEOs to plant a seed of doubt and break down their confidence.
Others must have crumbled under that threat, but Miles laughed when he looked at the number on the phone. After 12 years of staring at Shawn's business card, he could easily tell Brian hadn't dialed him.
Miles crossed his arms across his chest and decided to call his bluff. "Alright, Brian. You've piqued my curiosity. Call him."
Brian paled a little and stuffed his phone back in his pocket. He stormed back to his desk and leaned against it. "You have tested my good nature beyond the breaking point, Mr. Mendez. You will soon find that I do not take any form of rejection lightly."
Miles raised an eyebrow. "I pity your romantic prospects."
"I have been generous enough with the choices I have offered."
"Your definition of choice differs from mine."
Brian laughed. "I gave you choices a long time ago. Now if I cannot have Dirge, I will dismantle it instead."
"I'd rather see Dirge dismantled than be associated with a twat like you, Brian," Miles said.
He made his way back toward the door. He narrowed his eyes at Oscar, the brute. As he walked past Oscar, he was grabbed by the neck and slammed against the wall. Miles coughed a little from the impact but showed no fear.
"You're a feisty little mutt," Oscar mused. "I think you should learn how to obey your superiors."
Miles grabbed Oscar's wrist with one hand and put pressure on his elbow with another. He twisted his body, breaking Oscar's hold on his throat, and forced him to bend at his waist. When he was off-balanced, Miles pushed him away.  Oscar went tumbling down, and Miles thanked his lucky stars that he took some self-defense classes, and it actually worked.
Miles gave Brian another pointed glare. "You can go fuck yourself."
He quickly walked out of the studio.  He rolled his now sore shoulders and rubbed his throat. He figured it was going to be red now. Not wanting to be held up again, he jumped on his bike and took off quickly.  When he felt he was a reasonable distance away, he pulled over and took out his phone. He saw several text messages from his DJs and Danny asking if he was alright.
He responded to the group chat that Danny created.
Miles: I'm out and heading to you guys now.
Danny: Thank god. Everyone's at your place.
Phase: Please tell me that I am kicking someone's ass
Trickshot: What happened?
Juse: Who's ass are we kicking?
Flux: I know some guys who can break some kneecaps.
Quake: Or, I can get the cement blocks so we can get rid of any bodies
Danny: You better hurry. They're getting antsy.
Miles chuckled when he saw the tirade of messages. He looked around to make sure no one was following him and typed one more message before taking off again.
Miles: Hang tight. Be there soon.
Miles parked his bike and noticed the cars lining the road. He knew everyone arrived at his townhouse. He groaned, feeling the twinge of pain from his bruises. He walked in, and the loud chatter inside his parlor suddenly fell silent.
Miles sighed. "Thanks for meeting on such short notice."
He cringed when he heard the raspiness of his voice. Oscar fucked him up more than he expected, and he hoped no one noticed. He walked towards the kitchen table where everyone gathered and froze when he saw their horrified looks.
His only female DJ, Flux, jumped from her chair and rushed toward him. She immediately started to check the cut over his eye.  He pulled away and patted her hands lightly. "It's an old scar that got split. It looks worse than what it is."
Phase was next, and he cursed. "How is it that you look worse than when I left?"
Miles waved them off and collapsed in a chair. "Eclipse's tactics to take over Dirge have become... aggressively enthusiastic."
"What the fuck are they thinking? Do they think they're the Bonanno family or what?" Phase yelled as his fist hit the table.
Miles shrugged, and Danny brought him an ice pack. Miles mumbled thanks as he placed it over his eye. "Court and Rob?" He asked Danny.
"Upstairs. They understood a work thing came up and will leave in a bit." Danny explained and then looked a little guilty. "Shawn will be picking them up."
On cue, their doorbell rang. Miles groaned because this was not the appearance he wanted Shawn to see. Danny gave him a hesitant look but headed to the door when Miles gave him a nod.
"Just a warning, I'm acquainted with someone you may not expect," Miles said to his DJs. "But he's good people."
The five of them didn't seem to mind and started to ask him questions about what happened.
Miles ignored their questions and heard Shawn greeting Danny. Courtney and Rob came bounding down the stairs to meet them, but they came to a halt when they saw Miles' appearance.
"Miles? What happened?" Courtney asked with a pale face.
Courtney's question caught Shawn's attention. He bristled when he saw Miles holding an ice pack of his eye. He stormed over to Miles and grabbed his chin to force him to look at him. His eyes darkened with rage when he took note of the blood and red mark around his neck.
"Who did this?" Shawn's tone was menacing.
Phase clicked his tongue. "What the hell? We have to deal with another douchebag CEO?"
"Shut up, Phase," Flux whispered and then smirked, "That was hot as fuck."
Miles flushed from Flux's words, but he was compelled to agree with her. Shawn's domineering presence, the possessive touch, and the intense gaze... it was definitely a turn-on.
"I'm fine," he said quietly, trying to appease Shawn.
Shawn gently tilted Miles' head to the side so he could examine his cut in a better light. He frowned. "Miles, please tell me who did this," Shawn tried again. His tone was softer this time.
Miles smiled lightly. "No one important. I should clean up, though."
Phase slammed his palm on the table. "No one important?! Miles, don't blow this off!"
Miles sighed. "It's okay, Phase."
Phase's eyes watered a little. "This is not okay! The only reason why you got roughed up was because of me."
Miles grabbed Shawn's hand and pulled it away from his chin. He didn't let go of Shawn's hand, secretly relishing the warmth. He was surprised when Shawn laced his fingers between his. He sunk into the comfortable feeling and fought back a smile.
"No. It's not your fault, Phase. I was careless and underestimated him, so I didn't take enough precautions." Miles tried to explain, but this only made the DJs yell and curse.
Miles held up a hand to stop them. "Seriously, I should have known the measures he would have resorted to. Because of that, I put you all in a difficult position."
"Bullshit," Juse spat out. It was surprising because he was always the silent one. "This conversation isn't done. Go clean up, and we'll continue this."
Miles groaned. He hoped to be done with it all, but he knew they would not let him off the hook.
Using Shawn as support, he stood up. However, Shawn didn't let go of him, and Miles flushed when he noticed everyone's gazes on their intertwined hands.
"I'll go with you," Shawn explained.
Miles felt his cheeks get even warmer. "I'm fine—"
His words stopped when Shawn shot him a stern look. Miles sighed. "Alright. Come on."
Miles led Shawn downstairs to his room, ignoring the giggling and whispers behind him. He had to admit that he didn't mind Shawn's stubbornness in this instance.