“Holy shit!” I slammed on the brakes, bringing us to a screeching halt just as a dark shape ran out in front of us. “What the hell was that?!”
I shouldered open the door, jumped down onto the road, and raced to the front of the car. There, in the bright glow of the headlights, a small body lay in a crumpled heap on the pavement. “Oh my God!”
It was Maggie. Her pale face was streaked with dirt and tears. With her eyes shut, her long lashes rested on her cheeks. She looked so fragile, so vulnerable.
“Maggie! What happened? Are you hurt? Maggie!” I looked up at Ben with my heart in my eyes. “It’s Maggie!”
Ben knelt down and felt for a pulse. “She’s alive boss. You didn’t hit her. She’s probably just in shock. Let’s get her into the car.”
Bang!
A shot rang out, and we both hit the ground, rolling under the SUV and covering Maggie’s body with ours.
“Who the hell is shooting at us?” Ben muttered.
“It has to be Julie. The tracker put her close by. I’m sure that’s who Maggie was running from.” We peered out opposite sides of the SUV, trying to spot any movement in the dark night.
“There,” Ben whispered.
I turned to see a shape materialize out of the inky blackness. “Where is she?! Where is the bitch?!” Julie had finally snapped. She was a raving lunatic, waving a gun around and screaming to herself.
Ben and I stayed quiet under the car, exchanging knowing glances. I signaled with my hand and then rolled out the side opposite Julie. Pulling my gun from my holster, I took cover behind the side of the SUV. I peered around the back, away from the headlights, keeping out of her line of sight.
“Maggie! Come out, come out wherever you are!” She sang her taunt into the night. “Where, oh, where is my Maggie?” She tried to look under the car, but the lights temporarily blinded her. “Come out, Maggie! I won’t hurt you!” A crazy smile spread across her face, and the whites of her eyes stood out against her dark expression.
“Julie!” I shouted. “Put the gun down and back away from the car!”
An evil laugh erupted from her. “You won’t shoot me!”
“Put the gun down, Julie!” She’d threatened Maggie. The hell I wouldn’t shoot her.
“Never! I’m going to hunt that bitch down and give her what she’s had coming for a long time!” She raised the gun up and lovingly ran the barrel down the side of her face. “My friend here is going to give her what she deserves!”
“I’m going to tell you one more time—put the gun down and step back! Put your hands behind your head!”
“HAHAHAHAHA!” She let out a cackle, and I swear her eyes gleamed red for an instant.
“It’s over, Julie.” I took a bead, right between her eyes, my finger flexing on the trigger.
“She poisoned you,” she screeched. “She poisons everyone! I won’t let her win!”
“She’s already won, Julie! You failed. I have Maggie here! She’s fine! There is nothing you can do now but surrender and save yourself.”
“No! NO!” Her voice was a howl, and she jumped up and down like Yosemite Sam in those old Bugs Bunny cartoons. “I won’t let her win! You can’t take me to jail! I won’t let you!”
“Julie-” the gunshot drowned out my words as she placed the barrel under her chin and pulled the trigger. The top and back of her head exploded in a shower of pink mist. For a moment, I was back in the jungles of Brazil, watching my kill shot take out the leader of the human trafficking ring. The situations were eerily similar.
Her body slumped to the ground, her eyes wide and unseeing. The gun fell a few inches from her hand.
Ben came up beside me and carefully took the gun from my limp hands. “Boss, it’s over. You need to take care of Maggie now.”
At the sound of her name, I snapped out of my daze and ran back to the car where Ben had laid her in the backseat. Maggie was pale and still, covered in blood. It was déjà vu all over again.
I decided in that moment that it was time we re-wrote the trajectory of our lives. This time, our timelines needed to wind together.
Chapter Thirty-One
Maggie
Julie is dead. She tried to kill me. I replayed those facts over and over in my head and still struggled to believe them.
“It’s not your fault, Maggie. Julie was troubled.” Liam sat next to me with one hand on my knee.
“But we’ve been together since the beginning. We sang together.” I wiped a tear from my eye, surprised I had any tears left to cry.
“I thought she was your manager.” He leaned forward, reached for me, and pulled me into his arms.
I melted in his embrace. “There was this one night we had this gig...” I curled up in his lap like a cat. “It was nothing special. It paid a hundred dollars, but we’d take anything at that point just for the chance to sing.” Sniff. “Julie got stuck at work. I was usually the one who had to bail, but this time Julie couldn’t make it.”
“So she wasn’t there?” He stroked my hair gently, petting me like a kitten.
“No. It was a total fluke.” The rhythmic caress soothed me, and I sighed. “I was performing a new song that I had just written. Julie hadn’t even heard it yet. I was up on the rickety pallet stage, sitting on a scarred wooden stool with the single spotlight shining down on me.” I chewed on my lip for a moment. “I had my dad’s old guitar. We couldn’t even afford to pay a band that night.” He kept stroking, and I drifted into a trance, lost in my own thoughts.
“I remember the front door of the bar swung open. I couldn’t see much… just a dark shape approaching the bar.” I remembered it all so clearly. “The weather was god-awful. We were having torrential rains. There were like three people in the whole place, but rent was due, and I needed those hundred dollars.” My words trailed off.
“Go on.” He started to rub my back in small circles, and I stretched out before curling back up around him.
“Turns out this producer was on his way to pick up his daughter at dance class. He got lost, made a wrong turn on a construction detour in the rain, and came into the bar for directions. He heard me. He ended up liking the sound so much he called his wife to go get his daughter, and he stayed to listen to my entire set.”
“Do you realize how lucky you were?” His hand slipped up under my shirt, continuing to rub small circles from my neck to my hips.
“Yeah. It was a random stroke of luck. When I finished the set, I packed up and went to the bartender to get my money. The guy started talking to me. He gave me his card, and the next day, Julie and I went to his office. He had us record a demo and a week later, offered us both contracts. Julie was pissed. She said it wasn’t enough. It was a small retainer and then a percentage of anything we made. It was a standard twelve-month exclusivity contract. My uncle is a lawyer, and I had him read it for me. The terms weren’t great. I really didn’t make much after taxes and expenses, but they guaranteed me gigs and promised to record my first album.” I sat up. “Julie said no. She continued to play bars on her own. I didn’t even hear from her for two years.”
“So how did she end up working for you?” He repositioned me so he could rub my shoulders in earnest, turning my muscles to jelly.
“I went on to sign with them again for another year. This time, it was a better deal for me. My agent negotiated for me to open for a well-known band at a string of county fairs. It came with built-in fans! Then things started to snowball, and one day, out of the blue, Julie called me.”
“She tracked you down?” Liam mostly listened, just asking questions when my rambling memories slowed down.
“Yeah. She offered to come on tour with me and manage my affairs. I was ecstatic. I hate dealing with that kind of stuff. It’s lonely on tour, and she was always better at keeping it all together than I was.”
“You know, she wasn’t performing for those two years.”
“What do you mean?” I craned my neck to look at him.
“She w
as committed,” he said. “She had a nervous breakdown and tried to kill herself. When she called you, she had just gotten out of a psychiatric hospital.” He related the facts one after the other, his thumbs running up and down my spine.
“No!” I gasped. “Not Julie!”
“Yes.” He ran his hands up and down my arms from shoulder to elbow before returning to massage my neck just under my hairline. “She had a history of psychiatric problems. She was committed once before when she was a teenager. I tracked down her family, and they all agreed she was nuts.”
“Oh my God.” I collapsed back into him, stunned. My hands covered my mouth as all the blood drained from my face. I stared up at Liam. “How could I not know any of this? I thought she was my friend.”
“I’m pretty sure she was never your friend.” He pulled me close and looked out the window. “Over the last few months, I have spoken to everyone on your payroll—roadies, your bandmates, your makeup artist, everyone. A pattern emerged. According to Julie, you were the barely-talented voice, and she did all the heavy lifting. She said without her, you would have been nothing. Except they all said, in reality, she rode your coattails as you climbed to stardom.”
“But she gave up her life for me.”
“Maggie, she didn’t have a life without you.”
After Liam’s ministrations, I passed out in my own bed in my own bus and slept for hours. The familiar surroundings and Liam’s presence gave me a sense of security. It was almost as good as being back in the cabin.
The days and miles passed under the wheels of the bus. I sang. I slept. I sang again.
Then one night, Liam came to me. “Maggie, I think it’s time for me to move on. I can’t keep following you around.”
“Not yet.” I kept scribbling in my notebook, my pen scratching across the page.
“I’ve interviewed several former soldiers, Mags. I’ve put together the best crew I can to run your security.”
“No one is as good as you.” I chewed on the end of the pen, my mind a million miles away.
“I am one-hundred percent confident they will keep you safe.” He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. “I need to go back to running my company.”
I came out of my fog for a moment to focus on him. “You’re leaving?”
“I am.” He clasped his hands, looking at me silently for a moment. “I fly out on Friday. Your permanent team arrives tomorrow.” He held up a hand when I started to protest. “I will debrief them, set up the security detail, and then say goodbye.”
“I don’t know what to say.” I lounged in a bean bag chair at his feet.
Liam leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “You are a star, Maggie. You don’t need me anymore.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small package wrapped in hot pink paper.
“What is that?” I raised an eyebrow at the bright box in his hand.
“My goodbye present for you.” He dropped it in my lap and it landed with a clink.
I reached down and picked it up, turning it over in my hands. “You got me a present? You didn’t need to do that. You’ve done so much already.”
“Just open it.” His lips twisted in a wry smile.
I slid a fingernail under the tape on one end and pried it up, carefully unfolding the paper and sliding the cardboard box out. I lifted the lid and unwrapped a hot pink canister studded with rhinestones. “What is this?”
“Pepper spray. I don’t want you to ever feel unsafe again. Just don’t use it on my guys, okay? No matter how much their presence annoys you!”
I punched him gently in his giant bicep. “Liam!” I leaned into him, and enjoyed his arm around me one last time.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Maggie
Maybe Liam was right. Maybe it was time to move on, but my bed sure felt empty without him in it. Every time I set my coffee cup down or walked down the hall, the sounds of my existence echoed. His presence had filled the space with life, but now it just felt dead.
What have I done?
It not only felt weird without Liam, but I also had to adjust to touring without Julie. I sat at the counter and fiddled with a little canister of pepper spray hanging from my key ring. I missed him terribly.
Knock, knock.
“Mags, you in there?”
I stood up, left the pepper spray on the counter, and walked to the door. Halfway there, I stopped, turned, went back, and grabbed the bejeweled canister. I could just hear Liam in my mind telling me pepper spray did me no good if I didn’t take it with me.
“Hello?”
“It’s Elijah. Open up.”
I turned the handle and pushed the door open to see Bruce, Elijah, Dylan, Levi, and Aiden standing just outside. The guys looked down at their feet and then back up at me.
“Maggie, can we come in?” Elijah asked. Levi held up a bottle of Jack Daniels, and Dylan held a box of brownies.
“Um… Yes, of course.” I stepped back, holding the door open, hiding the pepper spray behind my back.
The band shuffled in and took up residence on my couch and floor. Dylan and Levi sprawled out on the carpet and opened the box of brownies, immediately shoveling two in their mouths. Elijah leaned into the cushions, his arm along the back of the couch, his legs crossed at the knee.
“You want some?” Aiden held the whisky and started rummaging through my cupboards, pulling out several juice glasses and pouring a finger in the bottom of each. “Well, I don’t care if you want some.” He shoved a glass in my hand. “Here, drink it.”
“Aiden—”
“No, don’t say anything. We want to talk to you. Here.” He led me to sit on a stool.
Elijah uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. “What Aiden is trying to say is we're worried about you.” The guys exchanged glances.
“Guys, you don’t have to worry about me.”
“We do, Mags. You haven’t been yourself lately.” They all nodded, and Levi grabbed another brownie.
“Guys, I won’t break!” I took a sip of the whiskey and grimaced as it burned its way down to my stomach.
“We think you need to get out and do something fun. Will you come out dancing with us tonight?”
I shuddered, remember the last time I’d gone out dancing, I’d ended up shot. Dancing wasn’t really on my to-do list right now. “Guys, I really appreciate the thought, but I just can’t.”
I knew they really were worried about me. They didn’t think I noticed, but they were all walking on eggshells around me. When they weren’t watching their steps, they were hovering, ready to serve. One of them always walked me back and forth to my trailer, and I couldn’t turn around without another asking how they could help.
“Look guys, I love each and every one of you, but it’s just going to take some time.” I knocked back the last of my whiskey. ”Besides, you’ll be happy to know I have a lunch date tomorrow.”
“I’m here to meet some friends.” I walked up to the maître d’. Big dark sunglasses hid my eyes, and a stylish ladies’ fedora covered my red hair, which I had pinned up on top of my head. I wasn’t instantly recognized yet, but I’d had several run-ins with fans, so I took precautions.
“Right this way, please.” I followed the greeter to the back of the restaurant where Harper and Kinsey were completely engrossed in each other. “Can I bring you anything to drink?” she asked as she handed me a menu.
“Just a sparkling water, please.”
“Maggie!” Kinsey squealed as she and Harper jumped up and sandwiched me in a hug.
“I’m so glad you came!” Harper squeezed me before taking my hands and sitting across the table from me.
“You both look so good!”
“Well, Kinsey has some news.” Harper looked sideways at Kinsey and smiled.
“Tell me!” I looked expectantly at Kinsey. “I need some good news.”
“Well, I was going to wait until the food came, but Mason and I are pregnant!”
“Oh my God! Kinsey, Congratulati
ons! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“You had so much going on, but I just couldn’t wait any longer!” She smiled and turned her eyes to Harper. “She has some news too.” Then Kinsey elbowed Harper, who shot her a dirty look.
“You too?!”
“Kinsey!” Harper looked at me. “Damon asked me to marry him!”
“Oh, wow! I’m so happy for you!” I gripped both their hands. It felt so wonderful to be surrounded by such good friends. “I’m so lucky to have both of you in my life. I don’t see nearly enough of you, but it’s so nice to know you guys are always there for me.”
Kinsey sighed. “Oh, Mags, we were so worried about you.”
“Your parents called us. Your mom was freaking out, but she didn’t want to upset your dad. I told them you were okay and called a home health agency. They sent someone to help your mom, and that seemed to calm her down.”
“Thank you so much. I really didn’t want to worry them. I don’t know how my mother does it.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Liam
“No, no. Absolutely, I’ll be there.” I pushed the button for the elevator and impatiently watched as the numbers got larger. It was going to be a while before it came back down. Holding the phone to my ear, I looked around until I spotted the stairs. “Look, Noah, I was there for the wedding. I promise I’ll be there for the baby shower. I don’t know why you want me there, but I’ll come.”
I opened the door and started climbing the stairs, grateful I had kept up with my cardio while protecting Maggie. It was easy to get complacent in the states. Life there didn’t seem as hard. I rubbed my thigh as I climbed. My leg felt tight in the socket, and I had a wrinkle in my stump cover. With a sigh, I kept climbing, refusing to limp.
“I’ll email you my flight details tonight. I’ve got a meeting here in a few minutes, but I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Liam: The Lost Billionaires, Book 3 Page 14
