by Kylie Walker
Roman had seemed disappointed at the time but told her he understood where she was coming from and that he respected her honesty. He had told her at the time that he appreciated that she didn’t fawn over him in a phony way, wanting him just because he was rich and famous.
He had told her at the time that she was special, right before he tenderly kissed her neck and her lips, whispering to her that if she ever changed her mind, she knew where to find him.
Chills of pleasure splashed across her skin at the memory, but it wasn’t appropriate. Not now. She was at a funeral for his beloved sister, and he was clearly dating someone else now. She hadn’t heard anything in the papers, and Emelia hadn’t told her about any new flame either.
She chalked it up to the fact that Emelia had been busy lately, absorbed in the European leg of the tour and the preparations that came along with it. Not to mention, Chloe had been wrapped up in her own little world, or better yet, that of her sick father’s.
Maybe if she had time to catch up with Emelia before they traveled back to Europe, she’d ask her about Roman’s new fling. Hopefully, that’s all it was, a fling, one that would burn out.
After the funeral service ended, Chloe excused herself from the group. “Sorry,” she whispered to Emelia as the band members began to form around them in a circle. “I just want to take a moment to tell Roman how sorry I am for his loss.”
“Okay.” Emelia smiled. She was already fully aware of Chloe’s history, no matter how brief, with Roman. “We’ll meet up with you in a few minutes.”
Chloe’s heart pounded as she journeyed over to Roman, making sure to capture him in a moment of privacy. She would dread it if she was talking to him and the dark-haired girl approached. It was a nightmare to think about that made Chloe cringe, but she had to take the risk. She wanted Roman to remember that she’d been there.
They had ended things on a promising note, and there were no hard feelings, especially since Chloe was going to be on board as a marketing assistant to Emelia during the European leg of the tour.
“Roman?” She said his name softly as she approached him from behind.
He turned. As soon as he saw her face, his eyes lit up for the first time since the funeral started. His expression turned into a familiar welcoming as he embraced her in a warm and affectionate hug.
“Chloe,” he whispered in her ear. “Thank you so much for coming today. You don’t know how much it means to me.”
“I’m so sorry for what happened to your sister,” she whispered. Her heart ticked up, way up.
“Thank you.” His eyes lit up as he attempted a sad smile for her. “How is your dad?”
She couldn’t believe that he was so kind to ask about her father in his time of grief. “Up and down,” she shrugged. “Fighting an uphill battle.”
She took a deep breath, relishing in his masculine, spicy cologne.
“Let me know if you need anything,” he smiled.
“Of course.” She nodded, then gently drifted away. “I won’t keep you.”
“Bye Chloe.” This time, he let her leave without a fight, but inside, her heart was screaming for her mind to convince her to stay.
Chapter Seven
The band had a major problem, and it wasn’t him.
Roman pushed the heels of his hands into his forehead as the group began to grumble.
“I think we need to do that one again man,” Asher shook his head, glancing around the group with an exasperated look. “That set was weak.”
“I agree,” Lucas chimed from the background. “We’re kind of struggling here. What the hell?” He sounded impatient.
“I’m fine,” Roman shrugged. “I don’t know what the problem is. Can we just get back to it?” He didn’t know what the other guys were talking about. When he was behind his drum set, he was in his element. There was no problem. Okay, maybe the rest of them had been off key or something. He’d been too lost in the music to notice, and honestly, he was pissed they made him stop drumming so they could start over. Even Trevor looked frustrated.
He was fine, man. Ready to go.
In reality, it was a partial truth. He was still reeling from the death of his sister, and his new girlfriend Alexis had been acting strangely ever since they returned to Europe after the funeral.
He couldn’t put his finger on it, but she was distant, almost cold. He’d only been dating her for a hot minute and had yet to discover her true personality, but he’d decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. She was a good lay, and she kept him company. He wasn’t looking to marry her tomorrow or anything, just simply having fun at the moment. He didn’t mind having a fuck buddy to share a warm bed with, and as far as he was concerned Alexis fit the bill perfectly.
“Let’s get back to it.” He slapped his drumsticks together and pounded on the snare, ready to pelt away on the drums to his heart’s content. Besides, the sooner they got done practicing, the sooner he could get Alexis in bed. Thinking about her heated his blood and reminded him that being between her legs made him forget everything.
And fuck if he didn’t want to forget.
Being a drummer was a work out in itself. Pounding on the drums night after night on stage was a great way to get in an intense cardio session without having to endure a run outside. Drumming had been a way for him to be able to escape and drift away to another place in his mind, especially lately with all the pressure he’d been under with the assault arrest and his sister’s death.
He needed an excuse to escape reality, now more than ever. He jammed out, pounding the drums with his heart and soul, every fiber of his being. Afterward, he wiped the sweat from his face and hair. His heart was racing.
“I think that was great,” he mentioned as he stood up and grabbed a clean rag from the back of his drumming chair.
“Me too,” Asher agreed. “We are ready for the show, more than ever.”
Roman leaned in to give Asher a high five. They were at band practice in a studio they’d rented for the past several days in order to better prepare themselves for the insanity of the crowds they would face as fans filed into the Amsterdam arena.
“Let’s take a half hour break,” Trevor announced.
“Sounds good to me.” Lucas walked off the stage and disappeared behind the curtain, breathing heavily.
Being in a rock band wasn’t as easy as it looked. It wasn’t always just about the parties and pretty girls, the money, fortune, and fame. The traveling and the time on stage could be grueling. It wasn’t for the weak or the faint of heart.
“Hey, have you seen Alexis anywhere?” Roman approached their stage manager Tony and gave him a tap on the arm.
Tony looked frantic while he worked, trying to fix a part of the outer stage that had become unbolted somehow. He had several screws in his hands as he frowned, deep in concentration.
“Who?” Tony glanced up at Roman with a vacant expression.
“Alexis? The girl I’m dating?” Roman pressed.
Tony waved his hand dismissively. “Like I can keep up with all you fool’s, and who you are dating this week or next.” He grinned to let Roman know he was teasing. Tony had that kind of sarcastic humor that had to grow on people who weren’t necessarily thick-skinned by nature.
“Very funny,” Roman smirked and began to walk off, shaking his head.
He would just have to find Alexis on his own. She was a beautiful girl, sexy in all the right ways. He wasn’t sure where things were going with her, but he was just trying to keep things on a slow path.
Deciding to go to his dressing room and hoping to run into her along the way, he stopped before turning the corner when he heard her voice. She sounded distressed, borderline in tears. The hair stood up on the back of his neck.
He stood out of view but remained within earshot, so he could eavesdrop on her conversation. Usually, he wouldn’t stoop as low as to resort to spying on other people’s private discussions, but there was something about the sound of her voice that rang ala
rm bells through his mind. Roman pressed his back against the wall, listening close.
“I’m sorry,” she cried in a voice laced with impatience. “I’m doing the best I can, okay?”
Roman prickled his ears to hear her. She was bold to be having a private conversation that she didn’t want to be overheard in a hallway where all of the band members and most of the crew walked through every day.
On the other hand, the fact that this was a heavy foot traffic area gave him a sense of partial relief. If there was something suspicious that she needed to discuss, then she would have gone somewhere more secluded.
Either that, or she was just fucking stupid. He hadn’t known her long enough to figure it out. Or maybe he hadn’t been paying attention.
“Baby, listen to me.”
He gave a start. Baby? Roman held his breath, but the rush of his pulse in his ears made its own noise to contend with.
“I am trying my best, baby,” she hissed into the phone, barely audible. “I promise. I am working on getting every dime that I can.”
Her voice trailed off. Was she talking about him? What the hell? Unease crept down his body, red flags warning him with a truth his mind was already starting to accept. She was up to something, and it wasn’t good. His chest went heavy, his breaths hard to pull.
“I love you. I am working on it.” She smoothed her voice, soft and cooing.
Whoever was on the other end of the line must be someone that she genuinely cared about, most probably on a romantic level. Whoever it was, she was trying to placate him, tell him what he wanted to hear. Was it for her benefit, or whoever was on the other end of the line?
She said a couple things he couldn’t make out. Flexing his fingers, Roman tried to control the seething suspicion brewing inside him.
“Yes, baby. I promise. When I’m finished with Roman Davenport, the man won’t even know what hit him,” Alexis giggled. “The money will be ours. Just like I said. Okay? Give me more time?”
Alexis’ voice sounded desperate as if she were bargaining for a reasonable amount of time in order to complete her laundry list of felon type tasks, which apparently included extortion of Roman and his fortune.
Running a hand over his jaw, he backed away, secluding himself around the corner where he could grapple with his emotions and not tip her off. Fuck, he wanted to explode! Confront her and rip all her lies from her pretty lips. But he had a better idea.
Her voice moved as if she was heading in the same direction as him. She spoke in low, hushed tones now. Roman moved back deeper into the shadows.
“It’s taking longer than I anticipated,” she sniffed. “His sister died, and now he’s all sad and shit. It might take him a few days to come around so I can get back on track.”
Roman clinched his fists. It was becoming harder for him to stand there and take this verbal abuse, even if she didn’t know he was there, behind the hallway and listening to every vile word that exploded from her mouth.
She must be discussing the plan with a boyfriend and pretending to be involved and interested in Roman. He could confront her now or make it worse for her by setting her up in such a way that she inadvertently outed herself. If she was stupid enough to have this kind of conversation out in the open, then she was stupid enough to fall for it. He didn’t play games, but this time, it might be fun. No way did he have anything to lose now that her admission was out in the open. She was the only one unaware.
The past several weeks had not gone his way. He’d been swirling in an abyss of destruction and situations beyond his control. It was time to snap out of the funk and turn the axis on its head. He refused to be a victim.
He would keep a tight grip on his money and his pride. He wouldn’t stand idly by and watch this wrecked woman try to destroy his life, piece by piece. It was time to get back at her, to blindside her so she wouldn’t even see it coming.
“What do I do now baby?” She whined like a spoiled child.
Narrowing his eyes, he peeked in her direction. She had her back turned away from him, her shoulder propped up against the wall and was using her body to lean over.
She flipped her dark hair off her shoulder and continuously ran her hand through it. Roman cringed at the thought that only hours ago he too had been running his hands through that same hair in a passionate embrace and sweaty sex. How could he have not seen the signs?
It was true that he’d noticed her behaving strangely ever since they returned to Europe, but he didn’t read too much into it because he was busy with his own problems and his own life. Maybe that was part of the issue. He wasn’t awake enough to open his eyes and stare evil in the face.
“I can’t believe how badly he beat up Mikey,” she sniffed into the phone. “I was so worried that he was going to die.”
There was a brief pause. Roman held his breath as a nervous sweat began to bead on his forehead. He hadn’t made a sound, but it was as if Alexis could sense his presence or something. He kept his back up against the wall, remaining as hidden as possible. He was afraid that if he moved one single muscle, Alexis might discover him.
“It was all I could do to keep from cutting his throat in his sleep,” she snarled in such a maliciously way that it made Roman’s blood run cold. “I know it was a robbery gone bad,” she fired back defensively.
Who the hell was on the other end of the line?
“Hang on a second...” Alexis trailed and glanced around.
Roman froze, afraid to move. He heard the sound of Alexis footsteps trailing down the hallway in his direction, each one filled with more trepidation in the movement than the last. He braced himself. Let her find him. Let her walk right into his open fucking arms.
With a huff, she stopped short of him and turned, going back the other way.
“Never mind,” she breathed into the phone. Her voice began to faintly edge further away. “I thought I heard something, but it must have been my imagination.”
He exhaled as soon as she was gone. Trailing her, Roman paused as she walked into a room and partially closed the door.
“I'm not paranoid. I’m going to seal the deal,” she said in a garbled voice. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll call you in the morning.”
Roman watched as she popped out of the door and clipped down the hall on her four-inch heels. He waited a few minutes to be sure she was really gone before going to his dressing room and locking the door.
As soon as he glanced at his reflection in the mirror with the bright circular bulbs above it, he didn’t even recognize himself. His eyes were sunken in and hollow. A look of shock and disbelief faded the color from his otherwise ocean blue eyes.
His brow furrowed in anger, hostility, and pain. He vowed from that moment on that he would never suffer another day in his life. As soon as he got a good night’s sleep, the dawn would bring a fresh perspective and a plot for revenge against the wicked who had wronged him. They would be sorry. He was like a phoenix, on fire as he roared through the night, destroying all in his path that deserved to be taken down.
Chapter Eight
“That’s fucked up.”
“Sounds like a movie plot.”
“Good thing she’s hot. That’s all I got.”
“Cheer up dude,” Asher patted Roman’s back. “We’re going to take her down.”
It was nice to have his friends’ support, but it didn’t change the fact that his girlfriend was screwing him over.
Roman stood with his arms crossed. His spine was so straight, the muscles in his back began to ache. Every inch of him was tense and on edge since overhearing his girlfriend’s phone conversation. He’d never been a vindictive person, never been one to seek out trouble or plan how to get revenge. Seems lately, he was doing a lot of things his normal self wouldn’t.
With his sister’s burial still fresh in his heart, knowing Alexis was plotting to hurt him, even more, was like a jagged claw to his pride. He had himself to protect, but also his grieving family, and his band family. She was me
ssing with the wrong group if she thought she was getting off with her plan.
Lucas mirrored Roman’s stance. “The bitch won’t even see it coming. We’re going to blindside her so hard.”
Roman clenched his jaw. “I hope you’re right. She has to crash and burn for this shit.”
He couldn’t believe she’d been behind the ambush in the alley. Those thugs were hired by her, or someone working with her, to take him and Trevor down. For money. It was always for money.
“We need to wring a confession out of her.” Lucas leaned against the back of the couch and propped his palms on the edge behind him. “Nothing, a little roofie in her drink, won’t take care of.”
Roman raised a brow. He was going to tuck that little nugget in his mind for later.
Colton popped open a beer and took a swig. “She’s still out there traipsing through the hallways, oblivious to how much trouble she’s in, ready to spend your money left and right.”
“Has she maxed out any of your credit cards yet?” Asher had a teasing lilt to his voice, but Roman squared his jaw. He wasn’t in the mood for joking around. It was still too fresh and raw.
“She mentioned something about the guy whose face I almost caved in,” Roman remembered. “Mikey something.”
Asher and Colton were busy quietly talking between themselves. “Wait... what?”
Colton took a drink of his beer. “Who’s Mikey?”
“Did you not just hear me?” Roman snapped, instantly regretting how on edge he had become over these last few stressful days.
“Mikey is apparently the guy whose face Roman bashed in.” Trevor attempted to lighten the mood.
“Yeah.” Roman waved his hand dismissively through the air. “That asshole.”
“Do you think it’s her real boyfriend?” Colton asked through narrow and suspicious eyes.
“No, you fuckheads. I don’t.” One side of his mouth turned up. He hoped that was enough of an apology.
