She had to trust her. She wanted to trust her. “Yes. They don’t know it, but I’m not signing with them. I’m not signing with anyone. I just want peace. Please keep that to yourself. I still have a crew to pay, and Top Shelf owes me money. If they knew I was walking, they would stonewall me, and as much money as I have to sue for what they owe me, they have more.” Annie slowly nodded as she processed the info dump. Bristol’s anxiety ramped up, realizing she’d just shared very personal information with somebody who was almost in bed with Top Shelf. She trusted Annie, but sometimes things slipped out.

“You really don’t trust them, do you?”

Bristol had told her almost the entire story. Annie deserved the rest. “I know you don’t like Lizzy, but she saved me. Do you know who Denny Briggs is?”

“Big-shot producer, right? He assaulted that pop star.” Annie’s veins felt cold at the realization that maybe Denny had assaulted Bristol, too.

“Ruby Delgado. She’s the sweetest girl.” Bristol took a deep breath. “Before that, there were rumors about him for years. Tyson wanted him to produce one of my albums. When I said I wouldn’t work with Denny, Top Shelf forced me to. They threatened to sue over violation of contract. After that, Lizzy never let me record without her present. She wouldn’t even let me alone in the building at Top Shelf. She’s protective of me for a reason. It might be extreme, but I know where she’s coming from.”

Annie’s eyes grew wide and serious. “Oh, my God. That sounds horrible.”

“It wasn’t a great environment to produce albums in. I was on edge, stressed, and angry the whole time I was in the studio. I never knew if he would somehow succeed in getting me alone or if he would sabotage my art. Producers have a lot of pull in this industry,” Bristol said.

“What happened? How did you finally get a different producer?” Annie asked.

“He was arrested for assaulting Ruby. Sterling put on this whole show like they were shocked.”

“Wait. Sterling knew?”

“Oh, yeah,” Bristol said.

“I’m so sorry that happened. After spending time with her and hearing all of this, I’m really hesitant about her and Top Shelf. Was she always like that?” Annie asked.

Bristol bit her tongue to keep from spewing out her hatred. “Yes. You know she was my first girlfriend?” Annie nodded. “She broke my heart, but that’s not why I dislike her now. I think she uses every means possible to get people to sign bad contracts. She’s shady and takes advantage of young, eager musicians. Some people think it’s part of the industry, but I don’t. At least not an industry I want to be a part of.”