Zenith's Legend (The Zenith Series Book 6) Read online

  Zenith’s Legend

  The Zenith Series Book Six

  Leanne Davis

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Next in Series

  Excerpt

  Other Books by Leanne Davis

  About the Author

  Prologue

  WHAT THE FUCK WAS Rob Williams’ problem? Xavier had no clue. Who has the world crouching at their feet and chooses this?

  Xavier Montgomery stared, shaking his head and trying to make the scenery before him seem more real. Trees, fields of endless trees. Like walls suffocating and enclosing him everywhere he looked. A gravel road. Why the fuck didn’t they have a paved road and driveway? What? Pavement too damn fancy? He couldn’t comprehend it. Gravel? A long, gravel road leading toward the left to another long gravel driveway where the spread of stupid trees opened up and there it was: Rob Williams’ house.

  His damn country house was literally in the middle of absolutely nowhere. And no one outside the immediate area ever heard of it or would have, if not for Rob Williams, the lead singer of the now legendary band, Zenith. Rob lived there. Wrinkling his nose in disdain, Xavier had to cringe when he saw the residence up close. A typical, provincial country house that Rob shared with his wife and stepdaughters. He chose to live there? It was a rather modest, two-story house, with a long, wraparound porch along the front that some people might refer to as “cute.” Yuck. Looked more like a good place for country-folk to hang out. Honestly? Xavier had no idea why a successful rock star would consider living so modestly.

  Especially since Rob had the choice of living on any property in the whole world.

  Shaking his head while trying to imagine the infinite fame Rob enjoyed, his flawless reputation amongst his peers, and the exorbitant amounts of money that accompanied such celebrity, he kept asking himself why would an icon choose to make his life right there?

  Fuck. Rob was nothing like him.

  Tightening his grip on the steering wheel of the nondescript, brown, two-seater subcompact he drove, Xavier grimaced. What a piece of shit he had to drive. Why? Because unlike Rob Williams, Xavier didn’t have more than a few dollars and certainly no fame, no name, and no band. He didn’t have the world to command at his feet. He didn’t have anything. He never did.

  The thing was: he would soon have it all. Xavier intended to procure everything that Rob Williams had and much more.

  And Rob Williams was the very vehicle who would make it happen. Rob was the only reason he came there. He knew everything about Rob. Where he lived, his favorite places to hang out, along with personal details regarding his family and friends. He consumed every article from magazines to news stories to paparazzi sightings in his effort to learn everything he could about Rob’s life. Every story that the internet spat up when Rob Williams or Zenith were typed into it, had been thoroughly explored from every single link. Pictures. Words. Songs. Everything.

  Xavier wasn’t a stalker. Nor a psycho. He had logical reasons for spending all of last year studying Rob Williams and his band, Zenith, as carefully and comprehensively as if he were earning a BA degree on the subject.

  Xavier’s plan for success was based entirely on Rob Williams. Rob was his idol. His hero. His inspiration. Rob was exactly who and what Xavier wanted to be. Although he wished Rob were a little more traditional, like most people in the music world. Rob wasn’t like any other musician because he lived so far off the grid, and seemed so removed from the industry. But Xavier thought he could use that to his advantage by finding an innocent way to meet him. Then he would manipulate Rob into mentoring and eventually, sponsoring him and his musical debut.

  But of course, the first thing he needed to do was meet him. Xavier had to devise a way to get Rob interested in him personally. To invest in him. To coach him. He needed Rob to help launch his career into the perfect image Xavier pictured and always desired for himself. Xavier’s goal? To make himself the next legend in the music world, just like Rob did.

  There was no doubt in Xavier’s mind anymore; he could be that. Talent oozed out of him. It was all he could ever count on in life. Lacking only the access, money and privilege, Xavier was more than eager to hook up his talent to the kind of success he envisioned for himself.

  Rob was also pretty old before his success happened. A washed-out drunk for years until he wrote a song about his ex-wife that rocketed him to the next stratosphere of fame. And then, what did the genius decide to do? Chuck it all and move here. To this terrible place in the boondocks where he married an old lady with three bratty divas that he got to spend most of his time playing daddy to. Instead of enjoying all aspects of fame like he should have been, and getting all the pussy that had to be on offer to someone like Rob, he chose this.

  Xavier intended to do the total opposite. Being grateful for every goddamned penny and every reward due him, Xavier would lavish himself with every desire and need that ever crossed his mind, including women, houses, cars, ridiculously expensive trips to exotic beaches and…

  Everything.

  Everything Xavier ever dreamed of or wanted.

  That was the end plan. But for now? He had plenty of work to do before he could make that a reality.

  Xavier had a voice and he knew how to sing. That’s it. The only fucking thing he had going for him in this miserable life. The special talent he was born with. The single outstanding asset to his name. Not his family, nor his intelligence, nor his opportunities. Poverty was his family’s legacy and he feared his past would predict his destiny.

  The only thing that could change his perceived fate was being able to sing like Rob Williams. The similarity in their voices was why Xavier’s attention became inextricably fastened on him. Zenith was well past their prime, at least from a marketing standpoint. No longer willing to endure world tours, they mostly worked on new albums they released whenever they felt like it. The members of the band managed to live quite well on the residuals of their popularity and incredible fame. But now? It was fading. And they were letting it go. Xavier heard Rob’s voice once and he was stunned by how well it matched his own. That was what originally piqued his interest. It was what brought him here. To Rob’s hometown. To this place.

  To his stepdaughters.

  Or to one daughter, anyway.

  Karlee, to be specific.

  She was Xavier’s age and pretty enough. The perfect conduit to connect him to Rob Williams. She’s the reason Xavier could eventually get friendly, involved, interested and, oh gee, yeah, show everyone how he could sing. Wow. When she discovered how much he sounded like Rob… The wheels were turning… Such a coincidence, huh? Naturally, she’ll think it is; so Rob will think so too. Before they can manage to figure out the carefully conceived scheme that he formulated, Xavier would be long gone from this shit-assed town and their provincial lives. Xavier would be well on his way to becoming the legend that Rob threw away, but he’d become far more than Rob ever dreamt of being.

  Chapter 1

  “KARLEE RANDALL, YOUR PARTNER will be Xavier Montgomery.” The professor’s voice flatly announced the assignment before moving further down her list.

  Karlee stared at the woman bl
ankly for a moment. Xavier Montgomery? Glancing around and looking for any sign of who that name might belong to, she caught the attention of a guy with dark hair and dark eyes. He was already staring right at her, assuming her reputation preceded her as usual, if only by name recognition. Pursing his lips, Xavier raised his index finger in a careless, but casual “hi” for acknowledgement. She smiled quickly before returning her attention to the professor who finished her list of partners with more instruction on the term projects and the rubrics for grading.

  Finally, the direction, “You may start working with your partners for the remainder of class time…”

  Karlee started to grab her laptop and stuff it into the bag beside her leg as she glanced up, scanning for Xavier only to find him doing the same thing. Lifting his head up, his face gazed at hers, silently asking the same unspoken question as she. Who approaches whom? Ceasing her packing when she saw him slide from his seat and lift his backpack to his shoulder, Karlee watched him stride towards her. Half the class got up and shuffled around as they found new places to sit.

  Xavier was red hot. How many times was that description used for any guy she ever met? Karlee customarily loathed that adjective after hearing countless women, girls, magazines, and the media in general use it to refer to her stepdad/rock star, Rob Williams. Karlee tried to avoid it. But this guy was pretty hot and very interesting to look at. In a good way. Average height, thin, but not too skinny. Dark jeans, casual t-shirt tucked in, black belt, stylish but casual. A cool easiness that bordered on haphazard and hipster. His dark hair was shaggy and reminded her of Rob’s in the way it flipped around his forehead and cheek. He had deep cheekbones that sculpted his wide face, making him quite striking, if not traditionally handsome. And a darkly intense look.

  Pretty interesting to find in a general, second year geology survey class at the local community college of the relatively small town. Not exactly swanky, or chic, or edgy in the way of anything interesting, was it?

  “Karlee?” She hated it when people said the obvious as a conversation starter. Duh. Of course, she was Karlee, which was the only reason why he was standing beside her desk. How totally obvious when it came to things to say.

  “Xavier.” Again, not a question.

  Nodding, he slipped into the seat recently vacated beside her. His gaze remained fastened on her as he set his backpack down. She tilted her head. Should she say the obvious? Or pretend that he didn’t already know she was Karlee Randall who came with a bodyguard that was stationed outside?

  Giving her a tepid smile in response to her statement, Xavier watched her closely. She wasn’t prone to casual friendliness. The propensity of Rob’s fans to hunt him down by getting to know her had long ago hardened her to new introductions. She wasn’t so presumptuous or testy to just point blank ask him, “Do you know who I am?” even if that’s what she thought and wished she could avoid altogether.

  Might as well get it out of the way early on. Plenty of people acted giddy, fake, stupid, silly, annoying, overly friendly, overly nice, and more than forward with her. Then there were those who simply came out and started gushing over how much they loved Rob and Zenith and their music, yadda, yadda, yadda… Karlee was weary from all the endless, nauseating compliments that were repeated to her.

  A few diehard fans actually memorized the entire biographies of the band members and deliberately drew her into their lives like a prop. Karlee was considered another “fun-fact” about Rob Williams and Zenith.

  The teacher passed out the project rubric and instruction sheet. Karlee leaned forward and took two copies before tossing one to Xavier.

  His gaze skittered over her, then over the sheet the professor distributed. He cleared his throat and twitched around in his seat. Good God, he was either suddenly paralyzed by his nerves or star struck. Not by her, of course, but her delicate association to fame. “Well…” Clearing his throat, Xavier began, “Um… so, I live in town and maybe we could meet there to start planning. Or no, maybe the library is a better place. I mean, since I’m a stranger and all to you, I guess the library is probably a more comfortable location for us to meet.”

  She gave him a dull stare. Not a glare, and definitely not a welcoming smile. Xavier shifted even more visibly under her stare. Was he nervous? Because of her connections? Always the usual, because of her stepdad.

  Rob wasn’t like any stepdad Karlee ever knew before. Covered in tattoos with shaggy hair and piercings everywhere, Rob dressed for the role he played. It could be called in style nowadays, but back in the early 2000s, in the small town where they grew up? Oh hell no. Rob was well-known for shocking the local country folk and suburbanites.

  Her mom, Rebecca, was the opposite of Rob in appearance. A thick mane of red hair, freckled skin, she struggled to stay as thin as she preferred, but basically, Rebecca was completely ordinary and just Mom to Karlee. While Rob was a completely normal dad. It used to crack her up when she would see a stadium filled with his fans stomping and yelling, screaming themselves stupid for Rob.

  Rob was so far from the personality his devoted fans bowed down to in crazy, screaming praise. Rob was funny and sweet as he tried to please Karlee and her sisters and mom and he often worried that he didn’t do enough.

  When he toured in the summer, Karlee and her family often visited him without missing school. She was barely three when Rob entered her life. Rob loved her as much as her own mom and dad did. She always believed she was raised by three parents and considered herself more than lucky.

  For Karlee, Rob was a rock. He filled more of her everyday life than her own dad could. Her biological dad was currently on a permanent road trip with his new wife. They were trying to enjoy their retirement. That was totally fine with Karlee. Why? Because she still had Rob. Always. Even though she didn’t call him dad, he was the best dad to her.

  The funny thing about Rebecca and Rob was how they dealt with his fame. They all but shunned it. Karlee enjoyed an average, normal upbringing, despite Rob’s band, fame, and abundance of wealth.

  To the point of she attended the local community college because they didn’t approve of her lazy approach to school. They outright refused to pay for her education at a university when she graduated from high school. Never particularly ambitious or productive, her tendency to blow off any classes that bored her made her less responsible toward her work. Rob insisted that she attend a community college to prove she was motivated if she chose to pursue higher education.

  She could apply for financial aid and take out some loans, but that was a lot more work than she wanted to undertake. Attending a university in SoCal appealed to her not only for the sunshine, but also for the opportunity to capitalize on Rob’s success. But Rob didn’t buy it. She had to earn the money herself. That seemed like so much more work than she was willing to put in.

  So here she was, Rob’s stepdaughter, enrolled at the local community college. No leaving home or renting an apartment in the city to be closer to it. She had to commute the forty-five minutes one way from their home to classes every day.

  In all honesty, Karlee didn’t really mind that much. Her sheer unwillingness to move out by accepting their “punishment” of enrolling at community college wasn’t a death sentence. She liked living at home and their ordinary circumstances despite her efforts to pretend otherwise. She faked her annoyance that they didn’t spend more of their money or live like other famous people did.

  So she was extremely suspicious when her newly assigned partner behaved as though he didn’t know exactly who the hell she was.

  “Are we? Strangers, I mean?”

  Xavier was well aware that Karlee grew up with her famous stepdad in a small town. He expected she’d been used as a vehicle for Rob long before he entered the picture. That was why his plan was so carefully orchestrated. He didn’t seem to have any designs on Karlee, even if he did. He hoped she wouldn’t scrutinize his intentions as closely as she might otherwise. He believed he could persuade her to trust him if he co
uld get her talking. Get her to express something personal. Read her body language. But so far? Damn. She was a pretty cool customer. He didn’t expect that.

  Her face was neutral and she didn’t smile when their gazes met or he got near her. She didn’t start up any ordinary small talk. She didn’t acknowledge him with any glimpse of personal feeling. Interesting. She had her guard up but it didn’t seem too defensive, like she had a chip on her shoulder. It wasn’t an angry grudge either.

  Surprising Xavier, Karlee was more than interesting, which only made his task that much more compelling. He expected to meet a spoiled brat and a bitch. Yeah, that’s really all he pictured. Why? Well, why not? What kind of exposure to anyone famous did he have? None. Zero. Zilch. Except for what he saw on TV and social media. They were more like cartoons than celebrities to him. So he expected his first semi-celebrity to be more of a caricature.

  Karlee was calm, quiet, unresponsive, but not rude or even centered on herself so far in their interactions. So Xavier wondered how to proceed. How to go about charming Karlee? Not by playing dumb. She had a thick, impenetrable wall she’d constructed around herself. He wouldn’t be the first to try and breach it obviously. Seeking the route that no one else had used, and the only route that might be successful, Xavier tried to be as close to honest and genuine as he could.

  Knowing the kind of security Rob had to have, Xavier spent hours trying to devise a way to get close to Rob and his people. He expected an extensive and exhaustive background check, but there was no reason Xavier couldn’t pass. He hadn’t done anything. No one knew he could sing and there was no failed history of trying to record it. No evidence as to why he could be putting himself into Rob’s sphere.