by Tess Oliver
“Yeah, they’re both here,” Jude said weakly. He looked at me. “She’s doing good, Dad. Don’t worry about us. Just get the hell out of this mess. Are the cops out looking for the guy then?” Jude sighed. “Hopefully, it will be soon, and this will all be over.” He handed me the phone. “They have another person of interest,” Jude said to Cole, “Reggie, the band’s lead roadie. He’s vanished and had ties to the girl.”
My hands were still shaking like crazy as I brought the phone to my ear. I took a deep breath and swallowed to keep from crying, but the second I heard my dad’s voice the tears flowed.
“Fin, don’t cry. This bloody mess will be solved soon and then I’m coming home. You’ve been trying to convince me to take a year off, and I told the band today that I’m doing just that. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do, Sweet’eart.”
“Promise?”
“I promise. I miss you and your brothers. I’m just getting too damn old for this. Let me talk to Cole, and I’ll see you soon, Fin.”
I handed Cole the phone and landed in Jude’s arms. “He says he’s taking a year off once this problem is solved.”
Eden walked back into the room. “Is that your dad on the phone?”
“Yeah,” Jude said. “The police are looking at another possible suspect, but they can’t find the guy. There’s this roadie named Reggie. He’s been with the band a long time, but he never got along well with my dad. Witnesses saw him with the girl more than once before she turned up dead in Dad’s bed. Dad said he’d had too much to drink and smoke. He felt completely out of it, so he went to bed early. They just have to find the guy and uncover what really happened. Either way, this is going to leave a big stain on my dad’s reputation and the rep of the band. It’s a shitty deal all around.”
Eden looked at me and brushed back my bangs. “Want to walk down to Lilly Belle’s pen. You look like you could use some fresh air.”
“That sounds good. Besides, sometimes I feel better just standing near Lilly.”
Jude dropped his protective arms, and in the short amount of time that he’d held me, I realized that as much as I’d always found comfort in my brother’s arms, I’d grown out of those arms. I needed more from a protective embrace. I needed to feel the comfort that only comes from the man you love passionately. I needed Barrett’s arms around me. But I’d scared him off, and that thought darkened my mood again.
Eden seemed to sense something was wrong. “I think we definitely need some girl talk time.”
Eden and I walked arm in arm out to Lilly’s pen. Some Pig trotted on ahead, anxious to see his new best friend. Green blades of grass shimmered in the bright sunlight, and just feeling the warm air on my skin improved my outlook. “I sure hope they find that other guy soon. Waiting to hear word is going to be torture.”
“You sound better now at least.”
“Dad’s last phone call made more sense. My dad has done some stupid ass things in his crazy life, but he could never hurt another person, let alone kill someone. It sounds like he was set up by this jerk. He sounded confident on the phone, and best of all, this has scared him into taking a year off.”
“Maybe something good will come out of this nightmare.”
Lilly Belle looked up from her water trough. Water dripped over her giant chin, and she immediately went back to chewing her cud.
Eden laughed. “Your cow has got to lay off the chewing tobacco.”
“At least she doesn’t spit.” We reached the pen and Lilly shambled over. Her big head jutted out over the top rail of the pen. I rubbed her ears. Some Pig climbed right inside and helped himself to some of the water in the trough.
I shook my head. “All this time I’ve been filling his bowl with bottled water, and now he can’t wait to drink hose water from a trough.”
Eden reached over and ran her fingers over the cow’s nose. “Jude said you were at the beach house with Barrett this morning.”
I thought about our few blissful, incredibly sensual hours together and sighed wistfully. “The day had started out like a dream but then the infamous King door to hell opened and swallowed me up.”
My head felt light from the crying and lack of food. I sat down on the grass, and Eden sat next to me. “I blew it. The news just sucked the blood from my head. I couldn’t think or talk or move. Barrett didn’t show it, but I know he was freaked out. The whole thing was so damn embarrassing. Then the rabid press swarmed the place almost immediately. I’m sure he never expected it.”
“I’ll bet that he understands your reaction. He seems like the kind of guy who lets things roll off his back easily.”
I thought about Barrett and smiled dreamily. “His broad, muscular, incredible back.”“Yeah, they broke the mold after that guy popped out.” She looked at me. “Don’t tell Jude I said that.”
I laughed and pulled out my phone. “I’ve got the whole thing recorded.”
“It’s good to see you laugh, Fin. Now we just need to get you to eat something.”
“My stomach is empty, but nothing sounds good.”
“No?” There was a twinkle in her eye. “I seem to remember a finely crafted confection we named Peanut Butter Heaven. Peanut butter, marshmallow creme and chocolate chips on toast?”
I considered it. “I could probably down one of those.”
“I say we make a plate full and head into the theater. Nothing scary or dreary. Something light.”
“That sounds like a plan. Besides, I have a sudden urge to watch Cinderella.” There was nothing to do now but wait and hope everything turned out the right way. And a good dose of Disney might be just what I needed to work up the courage to call Barrett again.
CHAPTER 18
Rett
It had been a long time since I’d taken a public bus around Los Angeles, and I could only hope it would be a long time before I rode one again. The time spent being jostled from side to side between stopping at every fucking corner and railroad track did nothing to lighten my mood. I’d checked my phone a million times for a text from Finley, but there was none. I was being an idiot. She’d made it clear enough that talking to me wasn’t high on her priority list.
It was the slow time of day at Tank’s Gym. A few guys were working out with the heavy bags, and there were a few people hanging out in the sparring ring. But that was about the only action inside the giant cement building.
Dray was in the office writing up schedules. He looked up from the desk and I shook my head.
“I still can’t get used to see you behind a desk. Next thing you know, you’ll be wearing a damn suit and tie.”
“Hey, the only time you’ll see me in a suit and tie is stretched out in an open casket. And even then I think I’m going to leave directions to bury me in the nude. I mean who needs clothes when you’re six feet under, and I think it would make a cool splash at a viewing. You know all the old aunts and neighbors coming up to glance in the box,” he held out his arms, “and me just lying there in full glory. I might even have the undertaker write the words ‘fuck off’ on my nuts with a permanent marker. You know— a final message to all my creepy relatives.”
I laughed hard. Something I’d needed. Something I knew only Dray could prod me into in my crappy mood.
Dray leaned forward and rested his forearms on his paperwork. “Sounds like King has gotten himself tied up in a big fucking scandal, huh? The media is treating it like the beginning of a damn world war. I guess they wait for shit like this to break so they have something to talk about.” He stopped, obviously noticing my expression for the first time. “Goddamn, Rett, you really like this girl, don’t you?” He sat back and the chair creaked. “Who would’ve ever thought?”
“I’m human just like the rest of you. And shit does this suck.”
“Goddamn,” he repeated. “I just never really thought of you as human when it came to girls.”
“Fuck you, you sound like Jimmy.”
“No, I don’t mean it like that. As far as I was concer
ned, you were sort of superhuman when it came to chicks. You know— impenetrable, a man of steel. But I guess one of them got through to you. To tell you the truth, I’m kind of disappointed. Although I have to say, she is one hot little number and then there’s that fucking car.” Sometimes Dray spoke over a person’s feelings, and he seemed to sense that he was doing it now.
“Fuck, Dray, I came here to avoid my brother’s unwanted advice. Thought you’d be able to make me feel better, but—”
He got up. “Sorry, Bro, you’re right. Hey do you want a coke?”
“Yeah, sounds good. I haven’t eaten all day, and my head is pounding.”
He walked over to the small office refrigerator and pulled out two cokes. “The only food in there is fried chicken that’s about ten days old.”
“What the hell? Are you waiting for it to walk out on its own? Toss it.”
“Then the office will stink from it.” He sat against the edge of the desk and handed me the drink.
It felt cold and good on my dry throat.
“I suppose I should welcome you to the ball and chain club. The problem is, they call them that when they are attached to you, but I have to say that when Cassie left me was when I felt the most shackled. My limbs and head felt as if they’d been filled with lead. I didn’t want to move, or talk, or eat. Shitty ass feeling that heartbreak thing. What happened exactly?”
I downed the soda and crushed the can in my fist. “Not really sure. We were up at her dad’s beach house in Malibu—”
“Nice.”
“Yeah, it was, and, man, his bedroom was like a damn adult playground.”
“Fucking wild. But I’ve got to say, the guy never seemed like a bad dude. He was always pretty cool and funny in interviews. Last thing I saw on the news was that they were looking for some missing roadie who had connections to the girl. Maybe this will all blow over.”
I shook my head. “Who am I kidding, Dray? I don’t belong in her life. Total mismatch. She heard the news, and suddenly, instead of the man making love to her in the bedroom, I was the chauffeur making sure she got home safely to the people she cared about, her brothers and her friend, Eden. She wouldn’t even look at me on the drive home.”
“Can’t really blame her. If this is all true, then her life is essentially over, and she’ll lose her dad forever. Give her time, Rett. She’ll come to you eventually. If not then it wasn’t meant to be.”
I raised a brow at him. “So, if Cassie walks out on you again then it just wasn’t meant to be?”
He nodded. “I see your point. Well, you could go after her, or you could just pull up one of the many numbers in your phone and get back on the horse, as they say.”
I stared back at him. “Big fucking words from a man who sank into a deep hole when the woman in his life moved to New York.” My phone rang.
“It’s Jimmy. I don’t think I can talk to him yet.”
Dray reached for the phone. “Let me. Hey, Clutch, what’s up? Yeah, your brother just handed me the phone. He’s not up to conversing with you at the moment.”
I shook my head at Dray. “You asshole.”
I heard Jimmy’s voice through the phone. Dray pulled the phone away from his ear and held it out to me. “Clutch said ‘put Rett on the fucking phone right now’.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Yeah, thanks for your help with that.” I took the phone.
Dray held up his palms. “What can I say? Your brother is the one person in the entire world who scares the shit out of me. I’m going out on the floor.” He walked out of the office.
“Hey,” I said.
“What’s happening?”
“Not much. Just sitting in Dray’s office.”
“You know what I mean.” He was making an obvious effort to keep the told you so tone out of his voice.
“Finley and I were in Malibu and then she got the news, so I took her home. That’s all. But your first instincts were right as usual, and I’m getting pretty fucking sick of you always being right. She lives in a whole different world, and I’m never going to be a real part of it.”
“Well, you’ve shot yourself into her world now, and it’s not going to be easy to get back out.”
“I’m already out.”
“Yeah? Don’t know about that.”
“What the hell are you talking about, Jimmy? You’re talking in pieces.”
There was a pause. “Hell, Rett, when was the last time you went online?”
“Trying to avoid it. Why?”
“He hasn’t seen it,” he said to someone else and then Scotlyn’s voice floated through the phone.
“Is that Scottie? What the heck are you two talking about?”
“Finley King’s dreamy new boyfriend is plastered all over the goddamn internet. A picture of you standing protectively in front of her next to a pool has gone viral.” He laughed. “Last post I saw was that casting agents were crawling all over each other to find out who the mystery man was. The whole thing has sort of taken the wind out of the murder mystery story. Hey,” Jimmy said, and suddenly Scotlyn was on the phone.
“That was so sweet of you to stand between Finley and those camera men. And you look so darn handsome.”
“Sonavabitch,” I muttered. Just then Dray returned to the office holding back a laugh. He didn’t say a word and then plopped down at his computer. He typed something frantically on the keyboard.
Jimmy got back on the phone just as Dray swung around his monitor for me to see the picture. My chest tightened as I looked at it. Finley was hiding behind me looking terrified and upset. I’d protected her from the cameras, but that was all I could do. I waved at Dray to turn the monitor around.
“I’m sure the excitement will die down soon. The media has more of an attention problem than me.” The only thing the picture had done was remind me how badly I wanted Finley.
“Am I hearing heartbreak?” Jimmy asked.
“See, now the asshole brother has returned. For a second I thought I was going to be able to talk to you without getting pissed.”
“You’re right, Rett. Sorry.” An apology from Jimmy was always hard won. “How did you get to Tank’s?”
“The bus from hell brought me. I’ll thumb it home before I get back on one.”
“I’ve got to pick up some parts out that way. I’ll swing by and get you. Taylor has classes tonight, so maybe we can order some pizza.”
“Sounds good, Jimmy. Thanks.”
CHAPTER 19
Finley
Jude and Cole were sitting at the kitchen counter talking. Cole had taken another day off, and I wondered if he’d sent Barrett back to work. They stopped their conversation when they heard my footsteps.
I walked into the kitchen and plucked up one of the date muffins Sutter had baked the night before. Jude had given him a few days off until things cooled down, and frankly, it seemed he was more than happy to get away from our mess. “Where’s Eden?”
“She’s sleeping off a peanut butter hangover,” Jude said.
I sat down next to Cole and picked at the muffin. The Peanut Butter Heavens had proved too much for my tender, empty stomach, and two bites into our feast, I’d felt like puking. My appetite still hadn’t returned. “Cole, you are giving Barrett work, right?”
“The foreman called him yesterday. He’ll be at the new job site on Thursday. So don’t worry about Rett.”
“So any news?” I wasn’t completely sure I wanted to hear anymore, but I needed to grow up.
“The autopsy is tomorrow,” Jude said, and just the word made my stomach sour more.
“Poor girl,” I said. “How the heck did she end up in such a sordid mess? And the roadie?”
Jude shook his head. “No sign of him yet. They’re pretty sure he left Europe, which makes him look guilty as hell. But we don’t know anything else. We can’t relax too much because Dad is definitely not in the clear yet.” He looked at me with a strange, questioning look.
“What?” I asked.
>
“Nothing. I guess you haven’t been online much.”
Eden walked in looking as if she too truly regretted our splurge.
I turned back to Jude. “Can’t stomach reading about it. Why?” My heart jumped in my chest. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Cole stuck his phone in front of me. Barrett’s handsome face stared back at me. And the pathetic, frightened child behind him was me. I pushed Cole’s hand away. “Now I’ve pulled him into this. He’s going to hate me forever. I look like a total coward.”
“Hate to break it to you, Fin,” Cole said dryly, “but you’re not the focus of the picture. The blond mystery man is.”
Jude shook his head. “All that excitement about an ordinary guy who looks just like any other blond California surfer type.”
Eden and I laughed.
Jude shot Eden an annoyed glare.
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’m sorry, Sweetie, but there is nothing ordinary about that surfer type.”
“That’s freakin’ great to hear coming from my girlfriend. You women and your hot men obsession.”
I looked at Jude. “Oh, and I suppose those Playboy magazines that come to the house for you every month are strictly for the articles.”
“That’s right. Plus, I need the photos for my art. The human form is hard to capture unless there is a model.”
Eden rolled her eyes at him.
Cole was still staring at his phone. “The latest headline is that everyone wants to know more about Finley King’s boyfriend
I stared down at the muffin. It smelled spicy and delicious, but I left it on the plate. My stomach was in knots again. “He’s not my boyfriend. I saw to that with my silly nutcase exhibition. I’m going to go feed Lilly Belle.”
“I’ll come with you,” Jude said.
“Not really in the mood for conversation.”
