Stay With Me_Taphouse Blues Series_Bk 1

by Heather Lyn

  Chuckling, Evan steps past me over to the bar. Chris Hines and Matt Waterhouse, lead singer and guitarist respectfully, are already over there. My heart starts pounding when Cooper Hall himself, in all his gorgeous glory, steps up to me, roughly six feet with dark eyes and colorful tattoos down his left arm. He’s one of the most talented and yet underrated musicians, and I’m completely speechless in awe of him.

  “Cooper Hall. You must be Lindsey. It’s an absolute pleasure to meet you.”

  “Hi,” I squeak out.

  Obviously noticing my nervousness, he steps toward me and wraps an arm around my shoulders, turning us toward Brody behind the bar.

  “Walker, you didn’t tell me your girl was this pretty. You really went above your pay grade for this one, didn’t you?”

  Giggling, I clap a hand over my mouth, avoiding Brody’s gaze.

  “Fuck you, man. I can’t believe Avery is still putting up with your ass.”

  “You know it, brother.”

  Cooper releases me and walks up to the bar, smacking Brody in the head. I shake my head, much more relaxed knowing Brody gets along with them so well. It can’t be a coincidence, but with their arrival, the bar seems to be much busier. But Brody looks happy, and I’m so proud of him. He loves his job so much and is extremely passionate about it. It’s one of his best qualities.

  “Linds, baby, come here a quick sec.” Brody is waving me over, so I scoot around the bar and step up next to him.

  “What’s up?”

  Brody doesn’t answer, just leans down for a soul-searing kiss that leaves me breathless and blushing harder than I ever have.

  “What was that for?”

  “No reason.” Popping me on the ass, he maneuvers around me to fill glasses for the guys. Smiling, I turn around and immediately groan .

  “Brody, you called those idiots?”

  We both look up as Grayson Michaels and Hunter Daniels walk in. Two women are trailing behind them, laughing with each other.

  “Oh, come on, Linds. They aren’t that bad.”

  Rolling my eyes, I grab the towel from his back pocket and help wipe the counter down. I don’t not like his buddies, but I’m not exactly excited to see them either. I was so embarrassed last time, and I have no interest in revisiting that night.

  Brody leans down and rests his hands on my waist.

  “Seriously, don’t worry, Linds. By the end of the night, you’ll be their favorite person, not me. I promise.” Turning to look at him, I narrow my eyes and he laughs. “Just trust me, okay?”

  “Okay, whatever you say.”

  Hunter comes up to the bar and smiles at me. “It was Lindsey, right? Good to see you again. How have you been?”

  “I’m good. Nice to see you too. That your wife?” I motion behind him toward the two women and he smiles.

  “Carmen, come here, sweetheart.”

  The blonde comes over to the bar, and I notice she has the tiniest baby bump.

  “Hi, I’m Carmen, Hunt’s wife. I’ve heard just the sweetest things about you.” I hold out my hand and she shakes it, giving me a huge smile. She’s gorgeous.

  “And my dumbass husband won’t introduce us, too busy being a jackass.” The other woman steps up and holds out her hand. Much taller than Carmen, she has short brown hair and not a stitch of makeup on, yet she’s stunning. “I’m Kennedy Michaels, Gray’s wife. I’ll go ahead and apologize for anything he’s already done or will do in the future.”

  Laughing, I reach across the bar to shake hers as well, then look over to where their guys are standing next to Brody.

  “No need to apologize, I’m sure I’ll get used to them. Plus they seem important to Brody, so I have no hard feelings.”

  Carmen sits down and takes me by surprise when she reaches for my hands to squeeze.

  “They’re idiots, but I can promise they’re the best you’ll ever meet. Brody too. I hope you know how lucky you are. I owe my life to that guy.” Giving me a small smile, Carmen releases my hands and goes with Kennedy over to their husbands.

  I wonder what she meant by saying that about Brody.

  I’ll have to ask him later what that was all about.

  §

  “Okay, okay, we’ll do it.”

  Grayson slams his beer glass down and looks over at Brody. Dark Roads is currently set up in the far corner of the bar, some of their instruments strewn around. Brody convinced them, with a little help from Hunter, to play some songs, and they made do with the small space, only their acoustic instruments set up. Cooper is using one single drum, and they don’t have any amps, but they’re loud and the crowd is enjoying them.

  Evan just dared Hunter to come sing with them, and Hunter agreed only if Gray joined him. I’m sitting behind the bar with Brody, his arm tight around me. He’s cracking up, so I turn to look up at him and he smiles.

  “Just you wait.”

  Unsure of what that means, I shrug it off and watch Hunter and Gray make their way over to the band, all cocky and shit like usual. Even Carmen and Kennedy seem to know something is up. As the guys get settled, Cooper steps up to the mic, taking me by surprise.

  “Lindsey, this one’s for you.”

  My eyes widen and I look at Brody, who’s cracking up.

  “What the hell, Brody?” I swear my face turns beet red before he kisses me.

  “Don’t worry, it’s totally going to be the best thing in the entire world. Have I ever steered you wrong before?”

  “Well, I was trying to finish sucking your cock earlier, but ya know, you just had to take control. You steered me wrong there, bucko.”

  Brody seems taken aback by my bold words, so he leans down to scoot my stool closer to him, his hand coming to rest on my thigh.

  “Trust me, you can do that again any time you’d like. But know this. It’s always going to end with me sliding in and out of my girlfriend’s tight-as-fuck pussy. Okay, baby?”

  Fucker.

  His hand slides down until it’s between my legs, and I shift around, immediately uncomfortable with how quickly I want him.

  “Okay,” I whisper, turning to kiss him.

  Returning my attention to Hunter and Grayson, I watch Evan hand them a microphone to share and I laugh, wondering what the hell these guys have planned. Cooper signals to Brody, and my boyfriend leans under the bar and grabs a tiny remote, hitting Play. The speakers start pumping out the instrumental version of “You Belong with Me” by Taylor Swift.

  Bursting into loud laughter, I clap my hand over my mouth to muffle the noise and stare at Grayson and Hunter, both of them looking shell-shocked, knowing they’re fucked. Evan starts singing along with the first verse but cuts off after only a few lines.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, the Daniels and Michaels Duo!” he shouts.

  Hunter turns to Gray with a cocky grin on his face and shrugs a shoulder. Gray grabs the mic and holds it out to Hunter, who bows before he starts, loudly and off-key, belting out the exact lyrics. Why he knows them, I don’t want to know.

  Gray grabs the mic for the next part. Something about a six-foot-four guy, shaking his ass and singing that he wears “short skirts” is something to behold and I could die laughing, Brody next to me doubled over. Looking to my left, I see both Carmen and Kennedy holding up their cell phones, recording the entire thing. Never in my life have I witnessed karma, but good Lord is she out in full at the moment.

  Unfortunately, the good time is over in minutes, the song ending too soon for everyone’s liking. When it’s over, they hold hands and take a dramatic bow, but not before Hunter grabs the microphone from Grayson and turns to Brody.

  “Thank you so much, Brody Walker. You’ve made all my dreams come true. I owe you man. But next time, maybe take a bigger chance and pick a song we don’t already love.”

  Hunter pretends to flip his hair over his shoulder and walks back over to Carmen, making a show out of swaying his hips and sticking his ass out. Carmen reaches out and smacks his ass hard, hooting and ho
llering at him.

  “We’re taking bookings now, for birthday parties and cookouts. Thank you and good night!” Grayson shouts into the mic and drops it, the loud screech and bang causing us all to wince.

  “Brody, that was freaking hilarious,” I say, but he’s not next to me anymore. I find him on the other side of the room, near the band. Swinging around the bar to join him, I look to the left and notice an empty table with a stack of glasses on it. Deciding to clean it off first, I head to the other side of the bar.

  I’ve just reached out for a glass when my arm is grabbed hard and I’m spun around. A hand clamps down over my mouth as I start flailing, screaming hard against the hand. But just as he releases my mouth, Cooper and the guys start playing another song, my shout drowned out by their music. The arms around me fling me around, starting to take me down the hallway toward the bathroom. My heart is thumping and tears stream down my cheeks, eyes wide. I try to wave my arms to get someone, anyone’s, attention.

  Brody, please. Look over here. Please help me.

  I’m spun around again and face the person who has a hold of me, baseball hat low on his face, dark hoodie pulled over it. In the dim light of the bar, I can’t tell anything about him and he slaps my face, trying to get me down the hall. But thankfully, someone notices, and he’s yanked off me.

  Only having seconds to react, I go tearing down the hall to Brody’s office. Yanking the door open, I slam it shut behind me and lock it, dropping down as I begin to sob. Crawling over to his desk, I hide underneath it, my back pressed against the flat side of it. Drawing my knees up to my chest, I bury my face and cry, heaving sobs tearing from my chest.

  In seconds, I hear a loud banging and the distinct sound of someone trying to get inside. Wishing to hell I hadn’t forgotten my cell phone, I curl up even further into myself and pray that I survive this. My family doesn’t even know, and they’re my last thought when the lock turns and the door is ripped open.

  “Baby!”

  Brody.

  I scramble out from under the desk just as Brody rushes over and grabs me, pulling me into his arms. I’m almost climbing him, trying as hard as I can to attach myself to him. He’s whispering to me, but I’m hysterical, unable to stop clutching at him.

  “Lindsey!” His loud shout breaks through my haze and I stop, gripping the front of his shirt hard. He gently cups my face and forces me to look at him.

  “Fuck, baby, are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened?”

  Shaking my head, I bury my face in his shirt and cry harder. Sensing my fear, Brody drops into his desk chair, taking me with him. Settling me on his lap, I tuck my face in his neck and bawl, the skin where I was slapped burning as hot tears run down my face.

  “Let me look at you, Linds.”

  Sitting up, he takes a good look at my face and his eyes harden in anger.

  “Fuck. Fuck!” he bellows before tucking me against his body once more, rocking me back and forth.

  I hear the sirens a few minutes later, but I don’t care anymore. My life is crumbling around me, and I have no idea how the hell we’re going to get through this.

  I’m not strong enough.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Brody

  Someone put their hands on her. On my girl.

  Fucking unacceptable.

  Pacing my office, I wait for the medic to finish checking on Lindsey. She seems fine physically, but emotionally she’s completely distraught. In the month I’ve known her, Lindsey has always been this incredibly strong woman, but as the traumas start to stack up, she’s becoming a shell of the lively woman I met, and I don’t like it. Not at all.

  Garret and Jace arrived along with three other squad cars. Whoever the hell the asshole was got away, and unfortunately not a single person got a good look at him. My body is raging, and it’s taking everything inside of me to not punch a hole in the wall. But I’m trying to keep calm, because the last thing Linds needs is me being an asshole.

  Looking up when my name is said, I find the female medic leading Lindsey back into the room, a blanket around her shoulders dwarfing her small body under it.

  “Can we get going, Brody?” Lindsey asks, quiet and tearful.

  “Yeah, baby. Let me go tell my brother, okay?”

  She nods, eyes shining under the bright light of my office, and I step forward, kissing the top of her head.

  Walking around her and out to the main area of the bar, I find my brother talking to one of the patrons. Excusing himself, he comes over and tucks a notebook into his pocket.

  “You gonna take her home now?”

  “Yeah, if that’s okay. I know we answered everything as best as we could. She doesn’t need to be here anymore, and the medics cleared her.”

  “Agreed. Get your girl home, bro. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  Garret gives me a quick hug, and then I turn to go get Lindsey. Ushering her out of the bar, still wrapped in that blanket, I help her into my truck in silence. She’s barely looking at me, and I’m worried about her. The drive to my house is quiet, but I have a tight grasp on her hand, trying my best to steady her.

  When we pull into the driveway, I’ve barely shut the truck off before she’s hopping out and rushing up to my front door. I hurry behind her and after pulling the door open, she drops the blanket onto the couch and makes her way to my bedroom. Hearing the door slamming shut, I toe off my boots and lock the door so I can make my way to her.

  Reaching the bedroom, I find the bathroom door shut and hear water running, so I grab a pair of sleep pants and get changed, then sit on the bed. When she doesn’t emerge right away, I fight the urge to knock on the door, padding out to the kitchen to get a beer and draining it in just a couple pulls.

  The sound of the bathroom door opening has me tossing the bottle in the trash and going back to my bedroom. Lindsey has crawled into bed, and all I can make out is the top of her head. Crossing to my side of the bed, I pull the blankets back and get in. Having left the light on, I pull the blanket back from her face and my heart falls.

  Silently sobbing into the blankets, she goes willingly when I pull her toward me, gripping my T-shirt as she cries.

  “Baby,” I whisper, tucking her into me, arms holding her as tight as I can, hoping she gathers some of my strength for herself.

  “I can’t do this anymore, Brody. I can’t. I want it to stop.”

  “Hey, listen to me, okay? They’re gonna find him, I can promise that. Garret won’t give up until this is figured out.”

  Sitting up, I turn on my bedside lamp so the room is completely filled with light. Pulling her onto my lap, I brush the long strands of her blonde hair off her face. Tears cascade down her cheeks as she leans forward to rest her forehead on mine. I feel wetness on my temples and they burn, a painful reminder of what she’s been through. But I allow them to scorch my skin, taking some of the pain for once.

  Lindsey sits up, looking down at me through swollen eyes.

  “I feel like I’m drowning, Brody. Like I’m in the middle of the ocean, and every time I get a chance to rise above the surface, another wave swells and I’m shoved below the water, fighting for air. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t,” she cries.

  “Stop, Linds. You can. You may be in the middle of an ocean, but guess what you have?”

  “What?” she whispers, voice lifeless and dull, my heart fraying into pieces at the sound.

  “You have a life raft, baby. It’s big and strong and is gonna do its fucking hardest to make sure you survive.”

  “I do?”

  Locking my eyes onto her blues, I place a soft kiss to her forehead and rest my lips on her skin, refusing to break the connection we have.

  “Yeah, Linds. I’m your life raft. And you’re gonna be okay. I fucking promise.”

  Sobbing in earnest now, she tucks her wet face into my shoulder, looping her arms around my neck as her body shakes. Whispering to her softly, I rock her back and forth, ignoring the burning in my eyes.

&nb
sp; It feels like forever before she’s cried herself out, but when she does, she falls asleep in my arms, completely spent. Laying us back gently, I pull the blankets over us and get comfortable, knowing I have another sleepless night ahead of me.

  §

  Waking slowly, I note the room is dark. Blinking slowly, I glance over at the digital clock on my end table to see what time it is: 2:00 a.m. Turning over, I slide my arm over the blankets to find myself alone in bed. The door to the bathroom is open, and I sit up.

  “Linds?” I mumble, voice raspy from sleep. Yawning, I scrub my hand over my face and scratch at my stubble, then slowly make my way out into the living room, but she’s not there. My heartrate kicks up a beat when I don’t find her in the kitchen either. I’m heading back to my bedroom when a flash of light catches my eye. Peering into the dark of my back porch, I see it again.

  Pulling open the sliding door, I find my girl sitting on my wooden swing, legs dangling over the edge. Releasing a deep breath, I walk over and sit next to her, pulling her legs onto my lap.

  “You okay?” I ask, rubbing my hands up and down her legs.

  “Yeah, I think I am.”

  “What are you doing out here?”

  Lindsey doesn’t say anything for a few moments. Shifting around on the swing, she moves so her head is on my shoulder, and I turn to kiss her forehead.

  “I called my mom,” she says, voice surprisingly loud in the quiet night.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah. I’d been keeping all this shit from them, and needless to say she wasn’t too happy to hear from me at midnight.”

  “Wait, midnight? Baby, you’ve been out here for two hours?”

  “Yeah. I woke up not long after we went to sleep. I had this dream….”

  “Linds—”

  “I’m okay, Brody. We were at the bar, and this time the guy didn’t leave me alone. He followed me to your office and this time, you didn’t save me. He got me.”

  My heart clenches. “Linds, baby… you don’t have to—”

  “He killed me, Brody. Right in front of you. You were the last thing I ever saw.”