Vanishing Dreams: Vanishing Dreams (Devil's Bend #2)

by Nicole Edwards

  Well, Dalton had never been part of the in crowd, he’d never given in to peer pressure, and he damn sure wasn’t going to start now.

  “Can I get another beer?” Dalton asked Jack, taking his seat at the bar once more.

  If he had to guess, the night was going to get really interesting.

  Good thing he didn’t have anything better to do.

  Chapter Nine

  Katie fell into bed later that night too exhausted to think. For having woken up to such an incredible morning, the rest of the day had gone to shit, which was why she found herself crawling into bed at ten rather than staying up late to do her homework. For the first time in a long time, she just didn’t give a shit.

  She was tired.

  And she wanted to spend a little time reliving the most wonderful night of her entire life. The night she’d spent in Dalton’s arms.

  Part of her wished she could just throw on some clothes and show back up at his place, surprising him. But she knew she couldn’t. If she had any chance of putting distance between them, she needed to start now. With Christmas rolling up on them sooner than she expected, she had her chance to put some time and space between them. He was going to his parents’ house in Georgia, and she had her own things to deal with. Maybe she could get some extra hours in at work. Heaven knew she needed it.

  Just when she was drifting off, forcing her thoughts back to Dalton and not on the endless responsibilities that she had, her cell phone chirped.

  A smile curled the corners of her mouth before she even looked at the screen. There was only one person it could be.

  What she saw next had her sitting up in bed abruptly.

  Get down to the bar. Urgent.

  The text wasn’t from Dalton but rather from Tessa. Jumping out of bed, she quickly got dressed, pulling on the clothes she’d discarded after taking a shower earlier in the day. She pulled a hoodie over her head and stopped at Sarah’s door on her way out. Knocking softly, she waited for Sarah to answer. When she did, she pushed open the door. “I gotta run down to the bar. Something’s wrong.”

  Sarah’s eyes widened, but she didn’t ask for any details. “Okay. I’ll be here.”

  Katie nodded and then grabbed her purse and her keys before running out the door, barely taking the time to lock it behind her.

  Fifteen minutes later, Katie was pulling up to the bar, noticing the parking lot was empty. It wasn’t unusual for The Rusty Nail to have fewer people on a Sunday, but this was a little ridiculous.

  She heard the sound of the music blaring before she opened the front door, and when she stepped inside, she realized just why no one was there.

  The place was in shambles, tables turned over, chairs askew, glass broken all over the floor, and beer spilled everywhere.

  “What happened?” she asked when she saw Tessa using a broom and a dustpan to clean up some of the broken bottles near the bar.

  “Some assholes attacked Jack and Dalton.”

  “Oh, my God. Are they okay?”

  Tessa nodded her head toward the stairs that led to the office on the second floor.

  Not knowing just what she was supposed to do, Katie made her way around the bar, placing her purse on the shelf and grabbing a rag. She continued to glance over at the stairs, but she managed to keep herself from running over there.

  “Go check on him,” Tessa insisted. “I’m supposed to be out on a date, but since that didn’t happen, I can manage this. I didn’t call you down here to help clean up. He was asking for you.”

  Katie’s heart leapt into her throat, and she tried to swallow around it.

  “Jack’s out back with Cooper. Dalton’s alone.”

  Katie nodded in understanding and then tossed the rag on the bar before heading to the back. They’d had plenty of fights break out at the bar, but she’d never seen this much damage done. She didn’t know what had prompted this, but from the looks of the place, she had no idea what to expect from Dalton.

  Rather than walking in, Katie rapped her knuckles on the door, waiting for Dalton to invite her in. A second later, his gruff voice instructed her to come in, so she did.

  “Oh, crap,” she said on an exhale when she saw Dalton sitting on the couch, holding an ice pack to his eye.

  “You should see the other guys,” Dalton said with a smirk. His lip was split, his eye swollen, and there was blood on his shirt.

  “What happened?” she asked, walking in and closing the door behind her.

  “Some fucking bigot was talkin’ shit. Apparently, he didn’t like me reprimanding him. Rather than take me on like a man, he and one of his friends jumped me from behind. The other two took on Jack. They’ll probably need to go to the hospital.”

  Holy crap. Katie tried to imagine what the other guys looked like as she lowered herself to the couch beside Dalton, studying every mark on his too handsome face. Funny how he could still be so beautiful even when he was all dinged up.

  “I’m gonna be fine, darlin’,” Dalton told her, reaching out and taking her hand.

  “Then why did you need me down here?”

  Dalton’s eyebrows scrunched down as though he were trying to translate her statement into English. When it was obvious he didn’t know what she was talking about, she clarified. “Tessa texted me. Told me to come down here. Just a minute ago, she told me you were asking for me.”

  “I think that was just Tessa interferin’,” he told her with a tilt of his lips. “But I’m glad you’re here.”

  Katie nodded, not sure what to think. Why would Tessa do that? Why would Tessa call her in like that? Granted, she was glad she had, because seeing Dalton, Katie wasn’t sure he needed to be left alone.

  “What prompted the argument?” Katie asked, squeezing Dalton’s hand when he tightened his grip on hers.

  He leaned his head back against the cushions and closed his eyes before he spoke. “They were talkin’ shit.”

  “About you?”

  “Nope,” he said simply.

  “I’m not sure I understand what’s goin’ on here, Dalton.”

  He peered at her through one eye, smiling. “You don’t need to get in the middle of this.”

  Clearly, she wasn’t going to get any details from him, which meant she would have to talk to Jack. Watching him for a moment, Katie decided he’d be fine alone for a few minutes. “Stay here,” she told Dalton. “I’m gonna get you more ice.”

  Dalton nodded, his eyes closing once again.

  Shutting the door softly behind her, Katie went back downstairs and down the narrow hallway that led to the back exit. She stepped outside to find Cooper talking to a furious-looking Jack. She’d seen Tessa’s brother pissed before, but she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him like this. Whatever had happened, it was clear that Jack was taking it personally.

  “You okay?” Katie asked Jack as she approached him slowly.

  “Never better,” he grumbled.

  “Hey,” Cooper greeted, rolling his eyes at Jack. “Tessa call you?”

  “Yeah,” Katie replied. “Texted me. Told me to come down.”

  Cooper nodded, glancing back at Jack briefly. “He’s gonna be fine. Once he calms down. You check on Dalton?”

  “Yeah. I need to get him more ice for his face.”

  “He okay?” Jack asked, looking at her for the first time.

  “Seems to be,” she told him honestly. His never better statement from earlier didn’t qualify as a legitimate answer as far as she was concerned, so she repeated her question. “How ’bout you?”

  “Fine,” Jack retorted. “Thanks for comin’ down.”

  Katie nodded, watching both men closely. They’d obviously been talking about something when she’d interrupted, and neither of them were going to tell her what was really going on, so she decided to leave them be. “I’ll be inside helping Tessa if you need anything.”

  “Thanks,” Cooper said as she opened the door and stepped back into the bar.

  She found Tessa continuing
to sweep things up, putting chairs back on all four legs. Katie figured Dalton could wait a few minutes, so she helped her boss, grabbing a mop and a bucket. For the next hour, Katie followed Tessa around, mopping where Tessa had just swept, until finally the place looked relatively in order.

  “What’s goin’ on, Tessa?” Katie asked as she was putting the mop back in its proper place, following Tessa into the storeroom.

  “Dumbass people,” she mumbled.

  Just when Tessa would’ve passed her to go back into the other room, Katie stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Why won’t anyone tell me what happened?”

  Tessa stopped, looking Katie directly in the eye for a brief moment before she finally answered. “Some assholes were talkin’ shit. Threatenin’ to beat some guy for being gay.”

  Katie’s mouth opened and her hand came up to cover it. “Oh, my God. That’s awful.”

  “Yeah, well…” Tessa began, letting the sentence drift off.

  “What?” Katie asked, knowing there was more to the story.

  “Dalton threatened the guy and he retaliated.”

  That made sense. That was usually how fights broke out around there. But she knew there was something that Tessa wasn’t telling her, so she waited for her to continue.

  Tessa sighed heavily and looked up at the ceiling. “They were talkin’ about Jack.”

  “What?” Katie exclaimed, surprised by her own response.

  “Yeah. I don’t think they were intentionally targeting him, but turns out they hit a sore spot.”

  “Is Jack…?” Katie kept her voice low.

  “I’ve suspected it for a while, but he’s never openly admitted it, Katie. Please don’t say anything.”

  “I wouldn’t. Oh, my God. Why would someone do that?”

  “No idea. Stupid people, I guess.”

  “Is he gonna be okay?” Katie asked.

  “I’m sure he will,” Tessa told her. “My baby brother doesn’t let much get him down.”

  No, he didn’t. Katie knew him well enough to know that Jack was resilient. Considering all the shit he’d gone through in his life, he would easily bounce back from this. But she had to wonder whether his secret would now be out. And worse, would those guys who’d targeted them tonight return?

  “Thanks for helpin’ me clean up,” Tessa said, touching Katie’s hand briefly.

  “Sure. Anytime. I’m gonna check on Dalton.”

  Tessa nodded and left the room while Katie followed her to the bar, remembering the ice she’d promised him earlier. After scooping some into a plastic bag, she returned to the office where Dalton was resting. She didn’t bother to knock on the door, instead opening it to find Dalton staring up at the ceiling.

  “How’re you doin’?” she asked, once again closing the door behind her.

  “Better. Thanks for comin’ down here.”

  Katie held out the ice bag for Dalton to take. He took it from her hand and set it on the arm of the couch before holding up his hand to her. When she reached for him, he pulled her down beside him, wrapping his arm around her.

  “This doesn’t usually happen,” he explained.

  Katie smiled. “If you think I’m upset that you beat up some asshole, you’re wrong.”

  “Then what are you upset about?” he asked.

  “It just freaks me out to see you like this,” she told him truthfully.

  Katie looked up at him, and he turned his head so their eyes met. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead briefly. “I’m sorry.”

  She had no idea what he was apologizing for, but Katie didn’t respond. She couldn’t. Because if she did, she would probably blurt out that she loved him, and that was the last thing she needed to tell him. She was supposed to be putting space between them, not getting closer.

  Seemed the universe wasn’t onboard with her plan just yet.

  She hoped like hell that it would get there soon, because Katie wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to convince herself that walking away from him was the right thing to do.

  Chapter Ten

  Wednesday night

  As he geared up to head back to Georgia, Dalton decided to spend his last night in town at The Rusty Nail, wanting to see Katie before he left town. He hadn’t seen her much since Sunday, just for a few hours when she worked at the bar last night. He had tried to see her on Monday, but she’d informed him she’d had to get her homework finished or she risked failing one of her classes. Who was he to argue with that? She had responsibilities, and he definitely didn’t want to get in the way of them.

  But tonight, he hoped to talk to her a little, maybe convince her to dance with him once or twice. He had resigned himself to stay off the stage. Not because he didn’t want to get up there and entertain the crowd, but he just wasn’t sure he’d be able to give the crowd his full attention, and he wasn’t going to half-ass it.

  Walking into the crowded bar, he noticed there was a guy up on stage, singing to the crowd. He stopped for a minute, trying to see if he recognized the man. His voice sounded familiar, but his face was cast in the shadow of his hat. Noticing Jack and Eric working the bar, he managed to squeeze through the hordes of people and found an empty spot near the wall.

  “What’s up, man?” Eric greeted. “Beer?”

  Dalton nodded, turning his attention to Jack, who was attempting to fill orders; however, his gaze continued to slip up to the big guy on the stage. He gave Jack a run for the money on height, Dalton could tell that from where he was sitting. Wide shoulders, thick arms, the guy looked like he worked out a lot. Or maybe he had some sort of manual labor job that got him looking like that. Dalton didn’t know. He could see blond hair peeking out from beneath his black Stetson, but because of the distance, he couldn’t make out his features enough to recognize him.

  When Eric brought the cold bottle and set it in front of him, Dalton stopped him before he wandered off again. “Who’s the guy up on stage?”

  “Brett Basson,” Eric informed him simply.

  “Why do I recognize the voice?” Dalton asked.

  “He’s been in here a coupla times.”

  “Has Coop heard him?”

  Eric nodded as he wiped down the bar.

  “I think we need to get David in here to listen to him,” Dalton told Eric, referring to Cooper’s father, the man who’d recently taken on the position of Cooper’s manager.

  “Well, the big man’s supposed to be here next week,” Eric told him.

  Dalton nodded, tilting his beer bottle to his lips and studying the guy up on the stage. He had great presence, and the crowd seemed really into him. Someone else seemed to be really into him, too, Dalton noticed. Jack was stealing frequent glances while continuing to serve customers who came up to the bar.

  “Hey.”

  Dalton turned at the sound of the female voice from behind him. His lips had already curved up into a smile before he even turned around. “Hey, darlin’,” he greeted Katie.

  “Didn’t know you were comin’ by tonight.”

  “Wanted to get one last night in before I head out.”

  “You going to your parents’?” she asked before rattling off a list of drinks to Eric. Once she’d given the order, she turned back to face him.

  “Gonna be gone for a few weeks. Staying at my mom and dad’s for a couple of weeks, then headin’ back to Nashville to work on the album before the tour starts up again.”

  “Well, you be careful,” she said, her tone much too friendly for his piece of mind.

  Dalton reached for her, pulling her over to him and pressing his lips to her ear. “Stay with me tonight.”

  Katie pulled back, her eyes raking over his face. She didn’t look enthusiastic about his offer, and her words backed it up. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  Dalton cupped her face, swiping his thumb over her smooth cheek. “Please.”

  He saw her swallow hard, her gaze dropping down briefly. “I don’t know, Dalton.”

&nbs
p; He wasn’t above begging, but he wasn’t sure that was going to benefit his cause at the moment, so he decided to play it cool for a little while. “Think about it. I’ll ask you again before the night is over.”

  She managed a small smile, but then they were interrupted when Eric placed her drinks onto the waiting tray.

  Dalton followed her with his eyes as she made her way through the crowd, delivering drinks and chatting with the customers. He finished off his beer, not looking away from Katie until she was swallowed up by the people surrounding her. That was when he noticed the cowboy on the stage was putting his guitar down, clearly taking a break.

  When Brett approached the bar a minute later, Dalton raised his hand to get his attention. The guy nodded as he squeezed through the people surrounding the bar and then joined him.

  “Hey, Dalton,” Brett greeted, reaching out his hand.

  Dalton returned the gesture and then got to his feet, slapping the bar. “Got a minute?”

  “Sure.”

  Jack came over, looking at Dalton.

  “Can we get two beers?” Dalton asked Jack.

  He noticed the way Brett and Jack glanced at one another briefly, looking away just as quickly. Well, hell. Looked like these two had something in common. Dalton smiled to himself as Jack disappeared to get the beers, returning a moment later, his eyes still raking over Brett’s face.

  “If you see Coop, will you send him upstairs?” Dalton asked Jack before urging Brett toward the stairs. He didn’t bother waiting for an answer; he just hoped Jack had paid attention to him in the first place. The guy seemed a little preoccupied with the singer.

  Once they were upstairs, Dalton opened the cheap plastic blinds that covered the window overlooking the bar.

  “How long you been singin’ in bars?” Dalton asked, breaking the ice.

  “A few years now,” Brett answered, tipping his beer bottle to his lip as he stared down at the crowd below.