Fully Loaded

by Hissong, Theresa

  We all ordered sushi and I asked for a salad with my order. The conversation continued and eventually the guys relaxed and the good-natured ribbing continued. This time they were ganging up on Knox as they reminisced about their earlier days when the band toured for the first time.

  “Our fearless leader has the worst sense of direction,” Donovan teased. “We were late for a few gigs in the beginning, because we didn’t have GPS and used an old map to plan our route.”

  “Hey,” Knox scowled. “In my defense, those maps were old.” He winked at me and I giggled at the look on his face. He was pretending to be hurt at their teasing, but he was failing miserably. He was laughing harder than any of us.

  “Okay,” Donovan smiled, shaking his head. “You keep telling yourself that.”

  “I will, asshole,” he said, giving Donovan a one-finger salute.

  Dinner was very entertaining. The guys didn’t act like a bunch of spoiled rockstars. Even as rambunctious as the three men were, they still retained manners, and I enjoyed every second of our time with them.

  The waitress came by and dropped the ticket on the table and I pulled my hands back when they all lunged for the little piece of paper, arguing over who was going to pay. In the end, Liam won after a game of rock-paper-scissors. I laughed so hard that I had tears in my eyes by the time they were finished.

  “It was nice to meet you,” I said. We’d made our way out to the front of the building and were standing on the sidewalk while the valet had left to bring Liam’s car around. Knox and Liam were heading home, and I was a little sad that our night was over.

  “You’ll come to dinner again soon, right?” Knox asked. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he looked hopeful.

  “Sure,” I smiled and nodded. Both men kissed my cheek and shook Donovan’s hand before climbing in a sleek, black BMW.

  “They’re really great,” I said, as we walked back toward my apartment.

  “Best friends a guy could have,” he smiled. “They’re my family.”

  “What about your parents?” I asked.

  “Oh,” he smiled. “My folks live in California. I see them a few times a year, but they’re getting too old to travel. I go there when I can to visit. My brother and his family live ten minutes from them, so they are not completely alone.”

  “Is your brother older or younger?” I stepped out into the street to cross, but was quickly jerked back as a car blew through the red light. My heart leapt into my throat and I felt Donovan vibrating with fear as he pulled me to his chest.

  “Oh, fuck,” he gasped, his voice breaking with his panic. “Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay?” I didn’t know why the hell he was so freaked out. The car wasn’t that close to me when he went through the light.

  “I’m fine,” I said, touching the side of his face. He closed his eyes and leaned into my hand. “Breathe, Donovan. I’m okay.”

  “Scared the fuck out of me,” he whispered, and used his finger to raise my chin. The kiss he gave me was nothing more than a hard press of our lips. His lips trembled against mine and I melted into his embrace.

  “Come on,” I whispered as I pulled away. He took my hand and grasped it tightly as we made our way across the street.

  For a Sunday night, the bars were somewhat full as we walked hand-in-hand back to my place. Music flowed out of their doors and windows. I smiled at Donovan when I heard the latest song from Ares Revenge blaring out of a club on Bourbon Street. He just shook his head and continued to walk.

  When we reached my apartment, I asked if he wanted to come in and I was a little disappointed when he declined my invitation. “No, babe. You have work to do and I’ll leave you to it.”

  “Good night, Donovan,” I said.

  “I’ll wait for you to get inside your apartment,” he said, kissing me quickly. I was a little shocked that he didn’t ravage my lips, but also impressed at his chivalry for my well-being.

  True to his word, he stood at the bottom of the stairs and waited for me to unlock my door, “Lock up behind you.”

  “Okay,” I smiled, pushing my door open. When I closed and locked my door, I heard the gate to the sidewalk creak open and then close. Donovan was gone for the night and I had work to do before I went to bed.

  Chapter 8

  My phone signaled an incoming text right as the bell rang for classes to let out Wednesday afternoon. I smiled, thinking it was Donovan, but to my surprise, it was Kiera.

  Rio, Trent, and I will pick you up at 5 for an early dinner.

  I laughed and shook my head. Kiera never asked me to do anything, she usually just told me and I went along. Donovan was doing something with the band tonight, so I would be bored anyway. Our nightly texts would be quiet tonight while he had practice or whatever they did when they got together.

  I’m heading home now. I’ll be ready.

  She replied saying to dress casual, because we were only going to a little place about fifteen minutes from my place, and that Trenton was driving. I’d heard of the restaurant before, but had never been.

  I arrived home around four and changed out of my navy blue pencil skirt and white blouse. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and slid into my favorite pair of denim jeans. The material over the knees was ripped and the back pockets were embellished with hearts. Because it was so damn hot out, I opted for a light pink, spaghetti strapped shirt with a layered front. On my feet, I put on a pair of black flats that felt like I was wearing house slippers. These were the shoes I used when I walked the Quarter on Saturday afternoons with Kiera.

  I’d just finished touching up my makeup when I heard keys at the front door. I peeked out of my hallway bathroom where I could see the front door to make sure it was Kiera entering my apartment.

  “Hey, chica!” she smiled, looking adorable in her denim shorts and green halter top, with ruffles. “Are you ready?”

  “Sure,” I said, accepting a tight hug from her. “Let me grab my bag.”

  She waited for me to turn off all of the lights and lock my door. We walked down the stairs and out to the street where Trenton had parked his red Avalanche at the curb. Rio was in the front passenger seat and stepped out to open the back door with a bow, “Good evening, ladies.”

  “Thank you, Rio,” I said, climbing in after Kiera. We both buckled our seatbelts and let the guys drive us over to the restaurant. “So, why the early dinner?”

  “I have to be at work early tomorrow for a damn conference call,” she scowled. Kiera worked for the corporate office of a chain of casinos. Her hours were tricky, because she had to deal with people overseas and she traveled once every other month. She usually wasn’t gone any longer than a week, but she still loved her job, just not the early hours.

  “Did Kiera tell you we were eating Mexican?” Trenton asked, smiling over his shoulder.

  “Yes, that’s fine with me,” I shrugged. “I’ll eat anything.”

  Everyone laughed at my expense and I didn’t mind. It was nice to get out with all four of us for dinner. I guess Trenton finally got the hint that I wouldn’t go out with him alone and that we were just friends.

  “Asshole!” Trenton yelled as some guy pulled out in front of the truck, causing him to slam on the brakes. Kiera gasped and put her hand over her heart.

  “Damn, you scared me,” I gasped.

  Trenton muttered something and I looked at Kiera, shocked. I’d never heard him yell before and I guessed that neither had Kiera. She shrugged and grabbed her phone to check her messages, not fazed by his sudden outburst.

  We arrived in one piece and were seated by a young, Hispanic man who seated us at a table, because all of the booths were full. I ordered a sweet tea and a bowl of cheese dip. Another older man came by with a basket of chips and homemade salsa. When my dip arrived, I mixed the two together and relaxed as I snacked on my yummy treat.

  “We were thinking about changing up our show,” Trenton said, shaking a glob of hot sauce onto his chip.

  “Yeah
,” Rio laughed. “We’ve written some new songs.”

  “That’s great,” I smiled.

  “Oh, I can’t wait to see that,” Kiera exclaimed. “When are you going to start that?”

  “Probably in two weeks,” Rio shrugged. “We are still working on cleaning it up.”

  “Cleaning it up?” Kiera asked, a wicked gleam to her eye.

  “It’s not that type of cleaning up,” Rio laughed. “Polishing it up, I mean. You have a dirty mind for a girl, Kiera.”

  “Yes, yes I do,” she giggled.

  The waiter brought us our food and the guys told us what they had planned. Rio wouldn’t go into any exact details about the new material and Trenton said that we’d just have to come see the show to find out what was changing.

  Dinner was relaxing and even though I was having a good time, I still missed Donovan. He was quickly weaving himself into my life and my heart. Having dinner with him and the band had been nice, even after the initial weird vibe I’d felt meeting them. I still wondered about the strange way they’d looked at me when we’d arrived at the restaurant. Donovan acted like he was nervous bringing me to meet them. Not that I thought he was ashamed of me. No, that wasn’t it at all. I honestly thought he was worried what they would think of me.

  “I’ll pay for dinner,” Trenton said, bringing me back from my thoughts. Rio argued with him, but Trenton snatched up the check when the waiter placed it on the table.

  “Then I’m buying next time,” Rio said, holding his hand out for Kiera to get up from her seat. She blushed slightly and took his hand. I didn’t give Trenton a chance to help me, because I didn’t want to give him any ideas.

  “I’ll drop you off first, Rio,” Trenton announced as he took the exit off of I-10 by the Superdome. Rio lived just outside of the Quarter, so we made it to his place fairly quickly.

  “I’ll talk to you later,” he said, looking over his shoulder at Kiera. He slid out of the front seat and waved as we drove away.

  “I’ll take you home next, Heather,” he announced, turning left on a one-way street toward my apartment. As we pulled up to my building, Trenton had to park a few feet down from the entrance, because there was a delivery truck in front of my door. “I’ll walk you inside.”

  “Okay, thanks,” I said, hugging Kiera. “I’ll call you tomorrow after school.”

  “Okay, goodnight,” she smiled. I slid out of my seat as Trenton met me at the car door.

  “Thanks for dinner, Trenton,” I said, being polite.

  “You are very welcome,” he smiled. As I reached the iron security door, I heard him sigh. “Wait, Heather.”

  “What is it, Trenton?” I sighed, frustrated.

  “Will you go out with me this weekend?” he asked.

  “No, Trenton,” I replied. He just wasn’t going to get the hint. I was afraid I was going to have to spell it out for him and it looked like now was a great time to make him see that I was not going to date him. “I’m seeing Donovan.”

  “Where is he now?” he laughed, sarcastically. “I don’t see you on his arm, Heather.”

  I took a step back, feeling uncomfortable with him so close. His eyes darkened as he moved in closer. “Don’t, Trenton.”

  “Don’t, what?” he growled. “Damn, Heather. What the fuck does he have that I don’t? Huh? Is it the money? The fame? Is that why you are letting him fuck you like a goddamn slut?”

  “How dare you?” I gasped. “I’m leaving. Goodnight, Trenton.”

  I spun around to open the door to my building. My keys, dangling from my middle finger, clanked together from the tremors in my hand. What a fucking jerk!

  Suddenly, the top of my arm was yanked, spinning me around so that I faced him. I yelped from the crushing pain of his hand, “Trenton, stop!”

  “No,” he growled, tightening his hold on my arm. He gave my body a hard shake, causing the keys to fall to the ground. I tried to push him away with my free hand, but he captured my wrist and held it tight. His eyes held fire and I couldn’t understand why he was so angry.

  “Let. Me. Go!” I jerked my arm back, my foot caught on a crack in the sidewalk, and the next thing I knew, I was on my ass and Kiera was standing there with her eyes as wide as saucers.

  “He’s going to ruin you, Heather,” Trenton spat, glaring at me as I stared up at him in shock.

  “Get the fuck away from her,” Kiera yelled. Trenton spun on his heel and came face to face with one pissed off redhead.

  “You’re no better,” he growled, pointing at her face. “You lead Rio around by his fucking balls. Someone should take both of you over their knee and blister your asses.”

  And that’s when Kiera had had enough. I flinched when her fist made contact with his nose. Trenton cursed and made a lunge for Kiera, but she held her ground, poised and ready to punch him again.

  “Get out of here, Trenton,” I yelled, hoping he would take my advice and leave us alone.

  “Fuck you,” he snarled, holding his nose as he rushed to his truck.

  “What the hell was that all about?” Kiera asked, squatting down in front of me. “Are you hurt?”

  “No,” I said, rubbing my hand over the spot on my arm that he’d held so tightly in his large hand. “Let’s go inside.”

  I didn’t realize I was in shock until I tried to stand and my knees wobbled, almost giving out before I took the first step. Kiera hooked her arm through mine and helped me up to the apartment. By the time I sat down on the couch, my teeth were chattering so loudly that it echoed in my head. Thankfully, I didn’t get a headache.

  My phone rang and I groaned when I saw it was Donovan. I couldn’t answer it, because I couldn’t get my voice straight to hold a conversation with him. There was no way that I could play cool if he heard my voice.

  “Who is that?” Kiera said, walking over to me, an icepack in her hand.

  “D…Donovan,” I said, a shiver rolling up my spine.

  “Answer it, Heather,” she demanded. “Tell him what happened.”

  “N…No,” I replied. “I can’t.”

  “Hello, Donovan,” Kiera growled, answering my phone. I tried to take it from her, but she stood up and walked away while she told him everything. “Trenton attacked Heather…She’s not hurt bad enough to go to the hospital, if that’s what you’re asking…Yes…No…Oh, I punched him in the nose…I’ll be here…Okay…Bye.”

  “Why did you do that?” I scoffed. “He’s going to kill Trenton.”

  “Why are you making excuses for Trenton?” she scowled. “He physically hurt you, Heather.”

  “I know he did,” I whispered. “I just don’t know why he was so angry. It was like a light switch flipped in his head and the next thing I knew, he spun me around and was shaking me, squeezing me.”

  “I’m calling Rio,” she muttered, grabbing her own phone and headed into the kitchen.

  While she was gone, I tested my wrist and sucked in a breath through my teeth when a sharp pain shot up my arm. I looked at my left arm and had the same reaction to the deep red marks where his fingers were wrapped around the muscle. I could actually make out the outline of his fingers on my skin. What the hell made him so angry?

  I stood up when I heard the door at the street open. Heavy footsteps on the stairs told me it was Donovan and he was moving fast. In less than a heartbeat he was beating on my door, “Heather.”

  I threw the deadbolt and opened the door, only to be engulfed in his warm embrace, “Donovan.” I inhaled his scent and closed my eyes, relaxing into his hold. His hair was down, and as he held me close, I felt a thick strand of his hair brush against my cheek. The scent of his shampoo drifted across my senses and I found comfort from his protective hold on me, my body.

  “Let me check you over, babe,” he whispered, cupping my face with his hands. “After I check you over, I want to know exactly what happened. Got it?” His command was serious, his gaze was deadly. At that moment, I knew Trenton was a walking dead man, because Donovan would hu
nt him down.

  “Yes,” I nodded. The fear and anger in his blue eyes gave me pause, because with him holding me, I didn’t know who the shaking was coming from, me or him. When he finally released me after pulling me over to the couch, I realized the tremors were coming from both of us when I continued to shake and his hands trembled with anger.

  For just once, I wanted to let go and accept this thing between us, even though my mind knew that it was doomed from the start. If I had any doubt about a relationship with him, all I had to do was pick up an entertainment magazine at any given time and I’d see an announcement of a celebrity divorce. I didn’t want to be one of those. I didn’t want to be the ex of a rockstar. Hell, I didn’t want to be the ex of anyone. When I found my soulmate, call me crazy, but I wanted it to be forever.

  I watched the anger darken Donovan’s features as he held my wrist on his lap. The way he handled me was like I was breakable. His touch softened as he lightly traced the bruises forming around my wrist. He brushed his thumb over the vein there as my hand sat palm side up on the tops of his knees. “Does it hurt?”

  “Only when I move it to the left,” I whispered. I could definitely tell that Donovan was holding on by a thread. One shift in the wind and his thread would snap. I think the only thing keeping him from an angry outburst was the fact that I was so quiet. Oh, I was scared, but I wasn’t going to freak out in front of Donovan. I’d wait until I was alone tonight to let my tears fall.

  Trenton had been a good friend to us over the past six months. I’d never heard him utter anything in anger at another person before tonight. Rio surely wouldn’t have let him be around us if he knew the guy was dangerous, right?

  As Kiera returned to the room, she was fuming with anger. The tops of her cheeks were as red as her hair, “Rio is on his way over here.”

  “What did he say?” I asked.

  “Other than the fact that Trenton was a dead man walking? Not much,” she said, shaking her head and taking a seat in a chair by the window.