In the late afternoon, I got out of a cab and walked toward my mother’s house in Evanston, Illinois. The house was a restored 1920s mansion in an affluent area. I’d bought it for my mother when Emerald Phoenix earned its first gold record. My older brother, Tyler, had lived there with her for a while, but now he had his own place, also subsidized by me. He did carpentry work. He was an artist in his own right. He made gorgeous unique pieces that sold for top dollar.

He was finally happy. Finally moving forward with his life.

What I was about to do might destroy that.

I’d chartered a plane when I left Alicia’s. She’d given me no choice. Because I can. I’d always known she was a bitch of the highest order who loved controlling people, but when she uttered those words, her eyes narrow yet shining with happiness, I knew the whole truth.

She was psycho.

I’d never really believed her when she said she would take me and my family down. Why would she? She had made me. Had made Emerald Phoenix into the sensation it was. Why would she ruin that? What purpose would it serve?

Now I knew it didn’t matter whether a true purpose existed. She didn’t care. She was nuts, and she’d do it for fun.

I rued the day I’d ever set eyes on the narcissistic, psycho bitch.

Zane and I had talent. We could have made it on our own, but we hadn’t had the slightest idea how to become rock stars.

Alicia had created us.

I inhaled deeply and knocked on my mother’s door.

A few minutes later, she opened it, her eyes sparkling with happiness when she saw me. “Jeremy! You said you couldn’t come.”

“I changed my mind.” I entered as she held the door open for me. “Is Ty here by any chance?”

“Actually, he is. He came by with a new bookshelf for me. He’s setting it up in the den. It’s beautiful. Come see it. Ty!” she yelled. “Jeremy’s home!”

My big brother, who could have been my twin except for his blond hair and blue eyes, sauntered in and gave me a bear hug. “Hey, Jer. What’s the occasion?”

Tyler looked so happy. He had come such a long way with the best counseling my money could buy. I hated what I was about to do to him and my mother.

But I could no longer afford to keep the secret I’d been hiding for five years. Alicia was a ticking time bomb. I needed to take prophylactic measures.

“I need to talk to both of you,” I said.

“Jeremy?” My mother touched my forearm. “What’s the matter? Oh, no… That phone call I got… This has to do with that, doesn’t it?”

I nodded solemnly. “I’m afraid it does.”

“What phone call?” Tyler asked.

“Oh, Ty, I didn’t want to bother you with this.”

“Mom, you’re not a bother. What is she talking about, Jeremy?”

“Tell him about the phone call, Mom,” I said.

“It was nothing really, Ty. Just a prank call, I’m sure.”

“Tell him,” I said again.

“An anonymous call. Kind of a low female voice. She just said that she knew that Jeremy had given you a fake alibi.”

Tyler threaded his fingers through his long blond hair. “Shit.”

“You told me you didn’t think it was anything to worry about, Jeremy,” my mother said.

“Yeah, I did. At the time, I didn’t think it was.”

“And you changed your mind?” My mother’s face turned pale.

“I’m not sure. It could still be nothing. But there’s something I need to tell you guys. Something you have the right to know.”

“You’re not in any trouble, are you?” my mother said.

I raked my fingers through my hair, which was no doubt in complete disarray after the plane ride here. “Mom, we’ve all been in trouble since we made the decision we did seven years ago. The minute we decided I would be Tyler’s alibi, we knew there was always a chance it could come back and bite us in the ass.”

Tyler said nothing. Just stood, his body stiffening until he was as stationary as one of the exquisite tables he turned out from his shop.

My mother’s lips trembled. “But it’s been seven years, Jeremy. Seven years! What could possibly go wrong now?”

Alicia Hopkins. That was what could go wrong now.

“Can we sit down?” I asked.

Tyler was standing still, as if in a daze.

My mother went to him and touched his arm lightly. “Let’s go sit down in the kitchen, Ty.”

I followed my mother and my brother, my body numb, into the kitchen where I took a seat at her oak table. A beautiful piece that Tyler had specially crafted for her.

“Now tell us,” my mother said. “What is this all about, Jeremy?”