Rebel Sweetheart

by Sydney Canyon

  When the song was over, she set her guitar down and walked over to the piano, turning the microphone on and adjusting it a little bit. “Have you ever searched for words, but couldn’t quite find them? Well, to me, the right song sometimes has a way of helping out with that situation.” She played a few keys and paused. “As I was lying in my bed early this morning, staring at the ceiling as we rolled down the highway. By the way, I came all the way from Chicago on my bus to play here tonight, and I’m headed down to Georgia on a plane as soon as I leave here. Anyway, this song came to mind. To me, it’s definitely the right one.” She glanced over at Shane before playing the beginning bars of Air Supply’s Making Love Out of Nothing at All. “I know just how to whisper and I know just how to cry. I know where to find the answers and I know just how to lie,” she sang.

  The hair on the back of Shane’s neck stood on end as a tingle ran down her spine. The harder Haley played the notes on the piano, the more Shane was glued to her. Haley’s voice carried throughout the bar as she sang her heart out. Several people in the crowd sang along with their drinks held high in the air, and a good amount of them had their phones in the air.

  You’re going to be irreplaceable, Rich thought, looking at Shane. He’d never seen this side of Haley. Sure, she connected with her audience as a hell-raising, country-spitfire…but this softer, more passionate music was not something she usually played. He’d tried to get her to add a few of those songs to her last two albums and she’d refused, not that it had mattered much, they were still gold and platinum with chart-topping hits. Nevertheless, she seemed to be showing more of her true self on and off the stage recently, and he was pretty sure Shane Crowley was the reason for it.

  When she finished the song, Haley got up and grabbed her guitar once again. “I’ve always loved this woman. She is a true badass. Those of you who know me…you know I like to rock out, so…Hillbilly, let’s do a little Joan Jett, I love Rock and Roll,” she said as she adjusted the tone of the guitar and started the intro to the song. Recognizing it, the crowd began to clap along. “I saw him dancing there by the record machine…I knew he must’ve been about seventeen,” she sang while jamming on her guitar. Everyone in the bar was singing with her and a lot of people were dancing.

  Shane couldn’t help tapping her foot. She was a big fan of Joan Jett as well, and Haley’s smoky, twanging voice added a little texture to the song. Not to mention her phenomenal guitar playing. She’d never seen Haley perform anywhere except her tour, which was predominantly country music.

  “Sing it, girl! Woo hoo!” one lady yelled as she danced in front of the stage, causing Shane to chuckle.

  Haley finished the song and waited for the loud crowd to die down. “When I look around the walls, I see all of the history in the place. So many names have passed through here. This bar is so special. I know it’s where I first started, but it doesn’t matter if you’re Backwoods Barbie, trying to make a little cash or a Country Music Superstar looking to get away from the tourists and just play music. In here, you’re all the same. Anyway, I have one more to do for you, then I’m going to get my butt out of the way for the band that’s being paid to be here tonight,” she laughed. “Thank you again to Big Earl for letting me pop in every now and then and have a little fun.” She played a little riff on the guitar, then stopped to change the tone once more. “This is a brand new one. In fact, I just finished writing it recently, so don’t shoot me down. It’s called: Remember, A New Day.” She smiled and started a soft intro on the guitar. Then, she began singing the slow melody, glancing periodically at Shane as the words rolled off her tongue.

  I always remember the passion

  we share at night in my dreams

  But like any good love affair

  It ends when a new day begins

  Midnight in Amarillo,

  closed my eyes and you were there

  the taste of your lips

  your fingers in my hair

  I always remember the passion

  we share at night in my dreams

  But like any good love affair

  It ends when a new day begins

  Two a.m. in Tulsa

  you’re the reason I can’t sleep

  We toss and turn, tearing at the sheets

  the fire burns

  between you and me

  I always remember the passion

  we share at night in my dreams

  But like any good love affair

  It ends when a new day begins

  Another sleepless night in Topeka

  when you lie down next to me

  the feel of your skin on mine

  that dreamy look in your eye

  I always remember the passion

  we share at night in my dreams

  But like any good love affair

  It ends when a new day begins

  “Well, that’s certainly different,” Rich said, scratching his goatee.

  “Yeah,” Shane mumbled.

  “Alright, Hillbilly. Y’all were so good to me. Until next time…” Haley said, blowing kisses in the air before removing her guitar and walking off the stage.

  “Is that going on your next album?” Rich asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” she said, setting her guitar in the case. “It’s just something I wrote on the road. I thought I’d try it out.”

  Big Earl squeezed into their little corner. “Haley…woman, you have one hell of a voice,” he said, shaking his head. “And the way you play that guitar and the piano…you blew my mind.”

  “Thanks,” she replied with a smile. “You know, I played my first Telecaster right there on that stage.”

  “I remember that,” Big Earl said. “You were with Bonnie Raitt…am I right? You both stayed after we’d closed that night.”

  Haley nodded and smiled. “You’re right. I stayed to watch her play after me and she said, ‘Little girl, give this a try.’ She pulled her guitar out of the case and handed it to me. I nearly peed my pants, but I strapped that sucker on and went to town.” Haley laughed. “She tried to show me how to play the slide, but I worked the frets like magic. She said, ‘Girl, you have a gift, don’t ever change the way you play.’”

  Big Earl grinned and shook his head. “Boy was she ever right.”

  “I saved up and bought my first Tele not long after that. It’s hanging on the wall in my music room, along with other guitars I’ve collected over the years.”

  “I wish you had more time to play,” he said.

  “Me too,” she replied, watching the band set up. Earl had pushed them back an hour when she’d called, saying she was passing through and wanted to stop in and play a few songs.

  “Who are these guys?” she asked.

  “They’re not half bad. They call themselves The Wrecking Crew. I believe they all work construction together.”

  Haley chuckled. “We’ll hang around and listen to a couple, then we have to get to the airport to catch up with my tour. We’re playing Atlanta tomorrow night.”

  “Sounds like fun. Ya’ll drink whatever you want, and stay as long as you can.”

  “Thank you,” she said, giving him a hug. “And thank you so much for always letting me come in and play, which is usually at the last second.”

  “We always love having you here. You know you’re welcome anytime.”

  “I know you two aren’t drinking, and I’m not interested in getting drunk, so let’s listen to these boys for a few minutes, then head out,” she said after he walked away.

  “That’s fine. We don’t have to be at the airport for a couple of hours,” Rich replied.

  ***

  The Wrecking Crew wasn’t bad. Haley could tell music wasn’t their day job, but she enjoyed the couple of songs she’d heard anyway. When Rich leaned over, tapping his watch in front of her, she nodded and stood up. He grabbed her guitar case and followed along as they made their way through the crowd. A few people sho
ok Haley’s hand and a couple of inebriated women hugged her neck. One guy reached out for her, but Shane blocked his path.

  “That was fun. I need to play here more often. I seem to spend more time on the road than I do anywhere, anymore,” she muttered.

  “You don’t have to tour with every album, you know,” Rich said, still behind her. Shane was beside her as they crossed the parking lot.

  Haley turned her head, about to say something sarcastic to Rich, when she heard a noise.

  “Haley!” a guy called as he stepped out between two cars, lunging towards her.

  He’d appeared so quickly, Shane had no time to react and grab her gun. She saw a sliver of shiny metal reflect in the parking lot lights as she dove in front of Haley. Then, a searing pain tore through her chest.

  “Nooooo!” Haley screamed as Shane’s body slammed back against her, nearly knocking her down as she began to collapse. “Shane!”

  Sor…ry,” Shane slurred, coughing up bright red blood that spewed from her mouth before her eyes closed.

  Rich dropped the guitar case and ran after the guy, but he’d disappeared like a ghost. He turned around, running back to Haley, who was on her knees, holding Shane’s limp body against her.

  “No. No. No. Shane, please. Open your eyes. Please!” Haley cried.

  Rich was already on the phone with 9-1-1 by the time he noticed the knife sticking out of Shane’s chest and the pool of blood at her side.

  Someone who happened to be leaving the bar saw them and quickly ran inside to get help. Big Earl ran out with the patrons.

  “Rich, please help her,” Haley wailed as tears streamed down her cheeks, dripping onto Shane’s body.

  “They’re on the way, honey. I’m sorry,” he said, squatting down next to her, all the while peering around for the man who’d fled, hoping he didn’t return.

  Big Earl and the others searched the parking lot, but they didn’t see anyone.

  ***

  “Please tell me she’s still alive,” Haley said through her tears as the paramedics arrived and quickly went to work on Shane.

  “She is for now, ma’am, but if we don’t get her to the hospital soon, she won’t be,” he replied.

  Rich pulled Haley away, holding onto her as they loaded Shane into the ambulance. “What hospital are you taking her to?” he asked.

  “We’re going up the road to meet the medivac. I believe they are flying her to Nashville General,” he said, before slamming the doors and running around to drive the rig.

  The ambulance left in a hurry with the lights and sirens going.

  “Come on, we have to get out of here,” Rich said, ushering her into his SUV.

  “We need to get a statement,” one of the police officers said.

  “I’ll drive her to your nearest station. She’s not safe out here,” Rich said.

  “The woman who was stabbed, do either of you know her?” the officer questioned.

  “Yes. This is Haley Nielsen, and that was Shane Crowley, her bodyguard.”

  The officer nodded. “Follow me.”

  “I want to go to the hospital, Rich. Damn it!” she said when he got into the SUV.

  “We will, but we have to give our statements to the police. It won’t take long,” he said, taking off after the police car.

  “She can’t die,” Haley mumbled, still crying. “Why would somebody do this?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Was it him? Was that the letter writer?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “God damn it! What do you know?”

  “You’re alive. Shane was alive when they left.” He shook his head. His heart was pounding so hard, he was sure he was going to have a heart attack…or perhaps a stroke. “Look, there she goes,” he said, pointing out the window at the helicopter flying away in the distance.

  “I should be with her. The hell with the police. They can come to the hospital to get my statement.”

  “We’re almost there. He said the substation was only a few miles away.”

  Chapter 30

  Rich and Haley sat in a small room with a table and two chairs that was normally used as an interrogation room. However, being that she was celebrity, they were trying to keep her out of site.

  “I’m Detective James Kenny,” a middle-aged man said as he walked in with another, younger man and sat down across from them. “This is Roddy Hill. He’ll be taking the lead on this investigation. I’ll be here to assist him if need be.”

  “I’m Richard Bergman, and this is Haley Nielsen.”

  “I understand your bodyguard was attacked outside of the Hillbilly, am I correct?” Detective Hill asked.

  “Yes,” Haley muttered.

  “Did you see the person?”

  “No. I’d turned my head to say something to Rich. He was walking behind us. Shane was beside me. I don’t even know what happened. She jumped in front of me and fell back against me. Then, we sunk to the ground.”

  “I didn’t get a good look, either. It was a man, maybe five-foot nine or ten. He had on jeans and a dark jacket with a hood. I only saw him from behind as he was running away.”

  “Any idea where he came from?”

  “No. He just appeared.”

  “I remember hearing my name,” Haley said.

  “Yeah, he yelled her name, and then it was over. It happened so fast.”

  “Any idea who it might have been? Does Shane Crowley have any enemies that you know of?”

  “She’s a former U.S. Marshal, so she could have,” Haley said. “But…” She looked at Rich.

  “Haley’s had a stalker for the past few months. He’s written a handful of threatening letters,” Rich sighed. “That’s why we hired Shane. She’s been working to track down who it is.”

  “Do you think this letter writer is the attacker?”

  Haley shrugged. “All I know is, he had to have been trying to stab me, not her. She jumped in the way.”

  “Do you still have the letters?” he asked.

  “Shane sent everything to labs she has contact with. There was nothing on them. She and Dennis Williams, the owner of the company she works for, were working together on the case. I don’t know if they currently have anything or not. I can give you his number. In fact, I need to call him right now. If you’ll excuse me,” Rich said, stepping out of the room and into the hallway to call Dennis, who was listed as Shane’s next of kin and emergency contact.

  “I’m sorry, Ms. Nielsen. We’ll do everything we can to catch this person.”

  “Thank you. Am I free to go?” she asked.

  “Yes. We have your information. We’ll be in touch if we need anything further.”

  “Did you check with Big…Earl Smidley? The Hillbilly might have cameras outside.”

  “Yes, ma’am. We’re in the process of getting that footage right now.”

  Haley nodded and walked out of the room. Rich was just ending his call.

  “Dennis is on the way. I told him to book a private jet. We’ll cover the expense.”

  “We’re done here. If you don’t take me to the hospital, Rich, I’m calling a fucking Uber,” she said through clenched teeth, afraid she may start crying again. “I don’t know if she’s dead…alive…anything.”

  “It’s not safe, Haley. Please let me take you to a hotel. Once Dennis gets here, I’ll feel safer with you out in plain sight.”

  “You’re fired,” she spat, walking away.

  “Wait! What?” he caught up to her quickly.

  “You heard me, Rich. I’m going to the god damn hospital with or without you!”

  “Fuck,” he grumbled. He had no one to call. The road crew and buses were several hours away and more than likely getting close to Atlanta by this point. “Fine. But, we’re doing this my way.”

  Haley nodded.

  “Ms. Nielsen, I was just coming to speak with you before you left. I’m Daniel Easton, the captain
of this district. I wanted to assure you that we will be doing everything in our power to catch the person who did this. We have our best detectives on the case.”

  “Thank you,” she replied.

  “We came in through a back entrance. Would it be possible to be escorted back out as discreetly?” Rich said.

  “We really need to get to the hospital,” Haley said, wiping away a few tears.

  “Are you a good driver?” the captain asked, looking at Rich.

  “Yes. Haven’t had a ticket since I was in my twenties.”

  “What hospital?”

  “Nashville General.”

  “Come on.” He motioned, leading them down a hallway. “Mathis,” he said, stopping an officer who was passing by. “I need them escorted to Nashville General…code 8.”

  “Yes, sir,” the officer said.

  “And stay close to her. This is country star, Haley Nielsen. Her bodyguard was just stabbed while saving her life.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, looking at her.

  Haley tried to form a smile but nothing happened.

  “I’ll have someone replace you as soon as I can. Until then, you’re all the security she has.”

  The officer nodded. “I suggest you stay close, but keep at least a car length between us,” he said to Rich.

  “No problem,” Rich replied, walking beside Haley as the officer led them down a hallway.

  ***

  Shane was taken directly to surgery when the helicopter arrived. She had a collapsed lung, and blood was accumulating in the cavity between the chest wall and lung. The doctors quickly went to work, stabilizing her blood pressure. Then, she was taken to surgery for the VATS procedure to remove the knife, close the wound, and remove the excess blood so that they could get the lung working correctly. She coded once on the table when her blood pressure dipped, but they were able to get everything under control.