by J. Nathan
Though the intrusion sent zingers through me, I couldn’t let that distract me. “Stop.”
“Stop what?”
“Stop using your body to try to make me lose focus.”
He smirked with an evil glint in his eyes. “Is that what I do to you?”
“No, you piss me off.”
“See, you keep saying things like that, but I’m starting to see it as a defense mechanism. One that helps you stay away from me.”
“You’re the one staying away from me. You’re the one who just ignored me back there. You’re the one who threw me off your bus. You’re the one who made sure I was not included today.”
He growled. “Because you ruined everything.”
“I ruined everything?”
“I thought we were making progress. I thought we turned a corner. Then you went and fucked it up with that ridiculous news statement.”
“What did you want from me? You sucker-punched my client.”
“Your client was admiring your tits and ass. But you made it look like I misunderstood him.”
“I—”
“Fucked. Everything. Up.”
His words, mixed with my embarrassment over not having his back from the start, made my blood boil. He was not going to pin it all on me. I glared into his eyes, trying to feel the same disgust I’d felt so many times before when I looked at him. He could have told me. He could have made me see he was protecting me from Flow in the first place. Now, he was knocking my attempt to clean it up.
I straightened my spine. “I’m always cleaning up after you. I could make you look like the manwhore people think you are. I could let the tabloids run with pictures of you with every female you’ve ever been seen with. I could let them post stories they’ve embellished about you, but I don’t. I call them misunderstandings. And what do you do the second you don’t want to hear something was a misunderstanding? You turn your back on me.”
I lifted my hands and shoved him away from me.
He stumbled back a couple feet, not expecting my reaction. I watched his chest rise and fall, but he said nothing.
“Go play your drums and sleep with some groupie. And whether you like it or not, when it hits the press, I’ll be sure to call it a misunderstanding.” I moved away from him and began down the hallway. “Oh, and if you would’ve let me finish,” I called over my shoulder. “You would’ve known I terminated my contract with my client.” I pushed open the exit door at the end of the hall with as much vigor as I’d pushed Trey away from me with. I stepped through it without giving him, or anyone else who might have stumbled upon our confrontation, a second glance.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Treyton
I pounded away at my drums as the sea of Munich fans chanted and swayed along to the chorus of “Crossover.” It was easy to be swept up in the madness in the outdoor venue. Swept up in the love these fans had for our band. Swept up in the cell phone lights creating their very own star-filled sky. But seeing Brie so thoroughly pissed weighed heavily on my mind.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t seen—or made—Brie pissed before. It was that I could see the hurt behind the anger.
Or, maybe it was my hurt behind my anger.
Who the fuck knew?
What I did know was this constant tension with her was driving me nuts. It wasn’t healthy to feel so much animosity toward someone, but at the same time feel so disappointed in them as well.
It couldn’t just be that she’d taken the rapper’s side over mine. It couldn’t just be that she’d disrespected herself by keeping him on as a client. It couldn’t just be that I cared that much about her pinning the fight on me in the news. It had to be something else. And the fact that I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling pissed me the hell off.
Once the show ended and we headed backstage, my eyes wandered around the room. The guys spoke to some VIPs while BJ grabbed a drink. No one else was around.
“She already left,” BJ called to me.
“Who?”
“Brielle. It’s who you were looking for, right?”
“No,” I lied.
But as I took off for the bus, I wondered if the person I’d really been lying to was myself.
* * *
After returning to the hotel, I showered and ordered room service, but the walls around me began to close in. I abandoned my food and pulled on a T-shirt to go with the basketball shorts I already wore. I grabbed my keycard and headed to the lobby.
The place was empty and the piano called my name. I walked to it, running my hand over the smooth ebony surface before sitting on the bench seat. I pushed open the cover and my fingers floated over the keys.
My mom loved when I played for her. It’s probably why I’d been getting the urge lately to play. An emptiness in my chest was keeping me up at night. And it was telling me that something was missing in my life. Something all the groupies in the world, all the fame in the world, and all the money in the world wouldn’t fill. Despite the fact that I only had my adoptive parents for ten years, I missed having people watching over me. Missed having people loving me whole heartedly. Missed having people I could talk to about my highs and lows.
I hadn’t lied when I’d told Brie family was the one thing money couldn’t buy. It was the one thing I knew I needed to make me feel whole.
My mom’s favorite song “Clair de Lune” materialized from my fingers, something that had been happening a lot lately. I closed my eyes. I could almost see her beside me beaming with pride as my nine-year-old self played the song she loved so much. There were days when tears would trail down her cheeks as I played it, and I wondered what memories the song elicited that she didn’t divulge to me. Had it been tough raising me? Had it been tough keeping a brave face once she got ill?
“Stop playing that.”
My eyes sprang open but my fingers continued moving over the keys.
Brielle, with her hands on her hips, replaced the vision of my mother. “Stop playing that song,” she repeated.
My brows pushed together, both irritated by her presence and confused by her request. What did she care what I played? “Why?”
“Because I don’t like it.”
“Why not? It’s a beautiful piece.”
“Not to me.” Too many emotions played across her face as she stared me in the eyes.
“Why is honesty so difficult for you?” I asked.
Her teeth clenched and her jaw tightened.
Game on. I could wait her out all day.
But, our standoff didn’t last that long. She huffed and took off, leaving me to the quiet of the lobby and the solace of my song.
“Dammit,” I cursed under my breath. She may have been able to play the asshole card for extended lengths of time, but that wasn’t me. I knew when enough was enough. I stopped playing the song, glancing over to where she headed.
Her steps faltered when she realized I’d stopped playing. But, in true Brie fashion, she kept moving to the elevators.
I sat there for a long time after she disappeared. And the only thing I could come up with, the only thing that made sense moving forward, was that something had to give.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Brielle
The last place I wanted to be was the front seat of a passenger van winding through the picturesque mountains of Belgium. I expected to be on the first flight out of Munich. But then I got the confirmation for the band’s zip lining adventure that I’d arranged a month ago. I’d initially thought a day of zip lining would be a great photo op. But now, with Trey and me at odds and Aubrey and BJ deciding to hang back at the hotel, I felt like a third wheel.
We hit a bump in the dirt mountain road and the guys bounced in the rows behind me. Of course I didn’t turn to look. No chance I wanted to risk making eye contact with Trey after yet another stellar encounter by the piano.
The driver pulled to a stop at a building that resembled a cabin. Someone threw the side door open, and the band piled out.
I ga
thered the cameras I’d gotten for the guys to secure to their helmets to record their rides. I pulled in a deep cleansing breath and stepped outside into the seventy-degree day. Puffy white clouds that looked close enough to touch filled the sky. Lush green forest stretched as far as the eye could see. There was no doubt the guys would be capturing a breath-taking adventure.
“Hey, I’m Jay,” a guy who stepped out of the cabin said. “Welcome to Zip Line Adventures. I’ll be one of your guides today along with Hans and Bryce.”
The guys greeted Jay, shaking his hand and introducing themselves.
I approached Z with a camera. “Here you go.”
Z took it, examining the small camera.
“Remember, record your rides and turn so you can get the guys going behind you.”
I handed a camera to Cam. “Be sure to watch your mouth since these pick up audio too, and you want everything appropriate for all your fans.”
“So ‘fuck yeah’ is off limits?” Cam asked.
Marcus laughed as I handed him a camera and cocked my head at Cam. “Just be real. You’re trying to give fans a glimpse into a day in the life of Savage Beasts.” I glanced around, looking for Trey who’d disappeared—or was avoiding me. I handed the extra camera to Marcus. “Here. Be sure Treyton gets this.”
“You’re not coming?” Marcus asked.
“Nope. I’ll be recording you guys leaving and will meet you at the bottom to get you returning.”
“Bit of a problem with that,” Jay said. “Only way down are those lines.” He ticked his chin toward the first set of zip lines.
“Nope. I’m riding back down in that.” I glanced toward the empty spot where the van we’d come in had been parked.
Shit.
“Our ride meets us at the bottom,” Jay explained.
My pulse began to pound in my ears. This wasn’t happening. I couldn’t zip line. I was terrified of heights. My knees began to shake beneath me.
“What’s wrong, Brielle?” Trey asked, stepping out of the cabin. “You love heights. The higher the better,” he said, using my own lie to taunt me.
I pulled in a breath and steeled my features before turning toward him. “Yes, but this is your trip. You don’t need me tagging along. Guys only.”
“I think we can make an exception,” Trey said. “Right, guys?”
The guys all mumbled a comment as Jay and Hans secured helmets onto their heads and helped them into their harnesses.
I walked toward the cabin, hoping someone inside could call me a ride.
Trey stepped in front of me, stopping me. “The first line starts there.” He pointed toward the platform. “You’re gonna need a helmet and harness.”
I glared at him. “You’re loving this, aren’t you?”
His lips slipped into a smirk. “All you’ve gotta do is be honest.”
My mind reeled, trying to think of a way out of it. But if I backed down, he won. And the last thing I was gonna do was let Treyton Collins win. “Fine.” My head whipped around, searching for someone to give me a helmet and harness. “Hey,” I called to Hans who was heading toward the cabin. He turned to look at me. “Could you grab me a helmet and harness?”
He returned moments later carrying my gear. He secured the helmet on my head, noting my chattering teeth. “You okay?”
“Yup,” I clipped. “Never better.”
He knelt, helping me into the harness.
With my quaking knees, it was a wonder I could even get my foot through the strap.
“Just hold on tight,” he said as he tightened the harness. “And know it’s safe.”
I scoffed, wondering how many zip lining deaths had occurred in Belgium.
The guys followed Hans and Jay, climbing to the top of the first platform. Hans hooked himself on first and took off down the line, prepared to meet everyone on the other end.
Jay hooked Cam on the line first. Cam, the daredevil in the group, howled as he took off down the line, moving faster than I could even fathom. His voice echoed throughout the vast forest spread out around us. Marcus, Z, and Trey’s laughter from the platform carried down to me still at ground-level, making me even more nervous. How could they laugh at a time like this?
I dragged in an uneasy breath and made my way over to the platform they stood on. Each step shook as I willed myself to climb to the top. Marcus was being hooked to the zip line once I reached them. He stepped off the platform without a word and flew down the line, disappearing into the trees. My heart began to pound as Z was hooked on next.
He glanced to Treyton. “Catch you on the other side.” He stepped off the platform and sped down the line, disappearing into the trees like Cam and Marcus had before him.
Treyton stepped up to the edge of the platform. He waved off Jay who attempted to hook him on, instead looking down at the trees below for a long time.
I wondered what he was thinking. He’d told me he wasn’t a fan of heights. Was he just as terrified as me? Did he plan to back out now that he was the only band member left?
I shuffled my feet, wanting nothing more than to turn around and climb down the steps.
Trey jerked a glance over his shoulder at me, the tense lines around his eyes disappearing once he noticed me. “Ladies before gentlemen.” He stepped back, leaving a direct line to the edge of the platform.
Jay gestured me over.
My body trembled. My feet felt cemented to the floor, and I couldn’t move.
Trey glanced down at my feet. “Put one in front of the other.”
“I know how to walk, god dammit!”
He scoffed. “So tense for someone who loves heights.”
“Fuck off, Trey. Obviously, I’m terrified of them.”
“See how easy it is to be honest?”
My eyes narrowed. My anger gave me guts I didn’t know I possessed. I walked to the edge of the platform and looked to Jay. “Hook me up.”
He did. Every click of the carabiner clips sent a jolt of nervousness through me.
Tears glazed my eyes as I turned to the zip line stretched out before me. A whoosh of air rustled the tree tops beneath my feet. There was no way to go but down.
“The only way to overcome your fear is to embrace it, face it, and tell it to fuck off,” Trey said from behind me.
I balked. Of all the people in the world to give me a pep talk right now, why did it have to be him? I gripped hold of the small hand grips on either side of the line, pausing for a long time.
I didn’t need Trey to tell me I could do it. I knew I could do it. I could just lift my legs and let the line take me down. But I didn’t want to. I wanted to be on solid ground at the bottom of the mountain. I didn’t want to be hanging, with my life literally on the line and every part of me shaking like a leaf.
“Come on, Brie. You’re one of the strongest people I know,” Trey said.
I closed my eyes. Even if he was feeding me a line, it’s exactly what I needed to hear in that moment. I pulled in a deep breath willing myself to step off the edge. I moved a few inches, but an invisible rope tugged me back, making me a prisoner in my own body.
“Brie. You got this,” Trey said.
I shook my head, unable to turn to look at him.
“We’ve got the dueling lines if you want,” Jay offered.
My eyes opened. “The what?”
He pointed to a line that ran parallel to my line.
With my fear overwhelming me, I hadn’t even noticed it there.
“You can go on that one at the same time she goes down this one,” Jay explained to Trey.
Suddenly, feeling a little hopeful, I glanced to Trey.
He said nothing as he stared at the other line.
“You’re not scared, are you?” I taunted, knowing that’s all it would take to get him to do it.
He looked at Jay. “Hook me up.”
A lightness I hadn’t felt in days emanated from my chest as Trey was hooked onto the parallel line.
“Now you both j
ust need to step up to the edge,” Jay said. “You’ll never be more than three feet apart, so be careful if you extend your arms. You might hit the other.”
No worries there. I had no plans to let go of the hand bar.
Trey and I both moved ourselves to the edge, lifting our hands to our bars at the same time. We glanced to each other and for the first time in a long time, I saw a softness in his gaze. Then again…it might’ve been fear.
“Ready?” Jay asked.
We both nodded to him before nodding to each other.
Then, taking the hugest leap of faith either of us had ever taken before, we stepped off the edge.
For a split second, I had a weightless falling sensation that told me I was plunging to my death. But the line caught me, tugging me back up. I closed my eyes and kicked up my legs. The force of my weight and the decline of the line propelled me through the air. I didn’t dare let go or open my eyes as the sound of the pulley trilling down the line rivaled the sound of my pulse pounding in my ears.
“This is fucking awesome!” Trey yelled, reminding me he was still there by my side as I flew through the air faster than I’d ever moved before.
Within no time, the force of the air against my face subsided and the pulley slowed me. I came to a gradual stop, finally opening my eyes as Hans pulled me onto the platform. I looked back to the tops of the trees where we’d come from and a rush of satisfaction filled my chest. I’d done it!
“See?” Trey said as Hans helped him onto the platform. “You made it!” He threw his arms around me and held me to him.
I wanted to ignore the pride and excitement I’d seen in his eyes and just enjoy this moment of truce, but that wouldn’t have been me. “Were you hoping I didn’t?” I stepped out of Trey’s arms, and Hans unhooked me from the first line and hooked me to the second.
Trey cocked his head. “I’m pissed at you, not a dick.”
“That’s debatable.”
He laughed. “Seriously though. How was it?”
“Scary.”
He laughed again as Hans unhooked him and hooked him to the next line. “Not exhilarating?”
“Maybe a little bit.” Though I’d never admit it to him, having this experience with Trey had been necessary. No one else could’ve put me at as much ease as he had.
