Brandy and the rest of Ashton’s crew are nowhere in sight, probably downstairs drinking at the bar, and I tiptoe my way toward the master bedroom, where he probably is.

Bingo.

I find Ashton asleep, with the robe open—fully naked, of course—taking a nap with a pool of piss all around him. I swear to God, I’m going to blow up this entire project and have him thrown into rehab right here and right now, no matter how much money Ryner is going to lose. I walk over and shake his shoulder gently.

“Wake up. You need to get into the shower right now and pull yourself together.”

I look around and find traces of crushed pills and cocaine on his nightstand. Mumbling “screw it,” I gather all of them and walk over to the bathroom to flush them down the toilet.

I come back into the room and do the unthinkable. I grab Ashton’s cellphone from his nightstand, place it on the floor, and smash it with my foot. That way, he won’t be able to score anything in the near future.

Not that he’ll get the chance. This is rock bottom, as far as I’m concerned. He is coming back to Ireland with us, and I’m locking him inside Mal’s house until this thing is finished. He is going to record this album sober and experiencing withdrawals.

“Ashton!” I shake his shoulder more aggressively now. “Wake up.”

Nothing.

Mal comes into the bedroom, tucking his phone into his back pocket.

“Why does it smell like the wanker pissed all over the room, including the ceiling and neighboring countries?”

“Because he did.” I turn to him, rolling my eyes. “He won’t wake up. Can you get me a bottle of cold water from the mini bar, so I can pour it on his face?”

Mal frowns and approaches the bed. He ignores Ashton’s nakedness, and runs his hand under Ashton’s nose. His face turns ashen.

“Darlin’, do me a favor and wait outside, okay?”

“What? Why?”

“Because.” My husband turns to me, his purple eyes full of misery. “He’s dead.”

The ambulance is here within two minutes. The police arrive shortly after. I don’t know how they find out, but all the major gossip websites send local journalists to cover the story, and Ryner, who is going through a mental breakdown with a side-dish of a heart attack an ocean away and lands himself in the hospital, commands us to go back to Tolka, not talk to anyone, and stay there until further notice.