Back to the Top (Ross Records) (3)

by J. L. Paul

  So many nights I’d spent wrapped up in him. So many times he’d held me. And I remembered every single one in that instant.

  “These are my friends, Kevin and Jenny, and my fiancé, Brad Stanich,” I said, wiggling away from him.

  “Engaged, huh?” he asked when he let me go to shake Brad’s hand. “Congratulations. I bet we could scare up some champagne and have a toast.”

  “That’s not necessary,” I said as I inched back to stand beside Brad. “Really. But thanks.”

  “Why don’t we have a seat?” Nick suggested, pointing at the long table where the blonde still sat.

  Jenny practically skipped, holding tight to Kevin’s hand, and settled in a chair. Jake shuffled to the other side, taking his place next to the girl while Nick sat at the head. I dropped into the chair on his right with Brad immediately next to me, Ronnie and Matt filling in the other spots.

  Brad draped a possessive arm over the back of my chair. “So, how do you know each other?”

  His tone was clipped and polite. He was not happy.

  Something flashed in Nick’s eyes. “We met when Iz was in high school.”

  “Actually,” Jake said, leaning back in his chair. His blonde placed a hand on his thigh. “I met Iz first and then introduced her to the rest of the band. It’s a really funny story.”

  “How did you meet?” Jenny asked, leaning over the table, eager to slurp up every word.

  “He carjacked me,” I muttered.

  Chuckling, Jake’s eyes met mine. “You had total control of the car.”

  “Still…” I said.

  “How are your parents?” Nick asked, turning toward me, cutting off Jake.

  “Good,” I said as two young men brought over bottles of water and beer. I snatched a beer, lifting a challenging eye at Jake. His smirk returned as he reached for a bottle of water and thanked the young men.

  “What about your grandfather?” Jake asked. “And Seth?”

  “My grandfather is doing well,” I said. “He was pretty ill for a while but he’s on the mend. And Seth is married with a daughter. He lives in Michigan.”

  The guys chuckled.

  “I can’t imagine Seth being married,” Ronnie said. “Seems like every time we saw him, he had a new girlfriend.”

  A wistful smile crossed my face. “Yeah, well he finally settled down. He met Caroline a few years ago and they hit it off right away.”

  Greta rushed back into the room and stopped between me and Nick. She dropped a business card on the table but Nick whisked it away before I could even reach for it. Glancing over her shoulder, she sent some sort of message to Nick and then turned back to hand me another card.

  “I wish I could sit and catch up with you,” she said. “But I have to run. Here’s my card. Give me a call sometime. We need to get together. I’d hate for you to disappear again.”

  “Okay,” I said, taking the card, and shoving it into my back pocket. “I will.”

  “Excellent,” she smiled, patting my shoulder. “I’ve missed you.”

  “Me, too,” I said as she shuffled away, pressing a cell phone to her ear. And I had. I’d missed them all. I hadn’t really realized just how much until they were all there in front of me.

  And I was ashamed. Ashamed that I hadn’t kept up with them at all. Once I walked out of Jake’s house, I turned my back on all of it. I never checked their website, didn’t even glance at tabloids, and changed radio stations. I’d stopped watching VTV for fear of hearing Jake’s name.

  “Are you still going to school?” Matt asked as he twisted the cap off of a water bottle.

  I shook my head, not meeting any eyes. “I dropped out.”

  “What?” Nick asked, his eyes wide. “But, you were going to be a teacher.”

  “Isabella doesn’t need to work,” Brad said in the uppity, arrogant tone that I despised. “I’ll be more than able to provide for her.”

  Snorting, Jake narrowed his eyes at me. “I never thought Isabella would ever allow someone to provide for her. I always thought she was independent.”

  I glared at him as Brad dropped his arm from the back of the chair and onto my shoulders. “Obviously, you don’t know her anymore. She has matured from a high school girl into a responsible young woman.”

  I didn’t know where to look. I couldn’t meet Jake’s eyes, nor did I want to look at Nick. I turned my head to see an incredulous expression on Matt’s face while Ronnie’s jaw hung open.

  “I work at a Children’s Center,” I said, trying to justify … something. “It’s very rewarding. I enjoy it.”

  “Sounds cool,” Nick said. “I bet you’re good at it.”

  “And what do you do, Mr. Stanich?” Jake asked.

  I was tempted to glare at him again, but decided to just ignore him.

  “I am a corporate attorney,” he said. “I work with my father.”

  “Oh,” Jake said. “Iz’s parents are attorneys.”

  “Yes,” Brad said as a semi-snarl curled his lips. “My father acquired the firm where they practice.”

  Jake sent me a puzzled look, brow nearly to his hair line. I continued to ignore him.

  “Now that your tour is finished,” Jenny said, oblivious to the tension, “what are you going to do?”

  Nick shrugged, tearing his eyes from me to smile at Jenny. “We’re going to take a little time off this summer. Possibly do a video or two. Maybe hit the studio again this fall. We’re not sure yet.”

  “I love your latest CD,” Jenny said. “It’s amazing.”

  “Thanks,” Nick said. Jake continued to stare at me but I averted my gaze to Nick.

  “If this little reunion is over,” Brad said, rising to his feet, “we should get going. We have a long drive.”

  “Sure,” I said, eager to leave but reluctant at the same time. Would I ever get to see them again in such a setting?

  “Thanks for seeing us,” Jenny said, getting out of her chair. The rest of the group, except for the blonde, stood, too.

  “No problem,” Matt said, shaking everyone’s hand again. He gave me a brief squeeze. “Don’t be a stranger, Iz.”

  “Okay,” I said as I hugged Ronnie.

  “See you soon, I hope,” he said.

  Nodding, I turned to Nick. He hugged me, jamming something into my back pocket, while whispering in my ear. “Check it out later.”

  Jake approached, something strange in his eyes. “Keep in touch, huh?”

  I didn’t say anything; just let him give me a polite hug before I stepped back, next to Brad.

  “Thanks, guys,” I said. “It was nice seeing you again.”

  Brad wrapped a hand around my upper arm, gently tugging me toward the exit. Jenny and Kevin followed, Jenny chattering to Kevin and texting on her phone.

  “I can’t believe we got to meet them!” she said. “Wow. No one is going to believe me.”

  “We should have taken pictures,” Kevin said. “Sorry I didn’t think about that.”

  “I’m sure people will believe you,” Brad said in his faux-friendly voice.

  Jenny sighed, tucking her phone into the front pocket of her jeans as she moved to my other side. “I hope so. Damn, I wish we would have thought to take pictures, though. How cool would that have been?”

  Brad gave my arm a squeeze. “I’m sure Isabella could arrange another meeting.”

  His low, even tone told me that if I ever did that, there would be hell to pay.

  “Oh, that would be great!” Jenny said, hugging my free arm. “I can’t believe that you know them. What did you mean when you said that Jake carjacked you?”

  “Yes, Isabella, whatever did you mean?” Brad asked, holding tighter to my arm.

  “Um, well, I went to a concert with my brother, Seth. It was out of town so Seth got us two hotel rooms. I got hungry and ran through a drive-thru. While waiting, I saw Jake run out of the back door, but I didn’t know it was him at the time. I guess there were a bunch of fans inside and he was trying to
get away from them. He jumped in my car and I just left with him. “

  “Oh, wow!” Jenny said. “What happened next?”

  I didn’t want to get into that whole magical night. I didn’t want to share that with Brad. It was too precious.

  “Well, we talked while I drove him back to the hotel where he was staying. He put his phone number in my phone and mine in his. That’s about it.”

  “But, you met the whole band,” she said.

  “Jake and I kept in touch, talking from time to time,” I said. “They did a show at my brother’s college and invited me to come. I met the rest of the band then.”

  “Wow,” she said. Again.

  I didn’t say a word as we exited the building. The night had fallen, the stars trying to shine above the tall buildings. Traffic was light – car as well as pedestrian. The warm air felt wonderful on my face and gave me a second to get my head together and Jake’s scent out of my mind. I wanted to think about the pretty blonde with Jake but I slammed the door on that thought. No need to torture myself any more than I had for the past three years.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell us that you knew them,” Jenny said and, even though I was starting to like her, I could have happily throttled her.

  “I agree,” Brad said through clenched teeth. “I can’t believe she didn’t tell us either.”

  Sensing her mistake, she took my other arm. “But I understand. I mean, you haven’t seen them in years. I bet you never thought you’d see them tonight.”

  “I didn’t,” I mumbled. “Like I said, I lost touch with them years ago. I wasn’t even sure they’d recognize me if they did see me again.”

  “Apparently, they did,” Brad said. “And were extremely happy to see you. As a matter of fact, it seems as if they’d like you to remain in contact with them.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t think that will happen. I have a new life, now. They’ll be busy with their career and stuff.”

  Brad loosened his grip on my arm. I must have said the right thing.

  “Let me give you my number,” Jenny said. “Maybe we can get together again. I don’t know my way around town and I’d love to go shopping.”

  “Okay,” I said, wriggling my arm from Brad’s grip. I retrieved my phone from my pocket and exchanged numbers with Jenny. It would be nice to have a female friend my own age, again.

  We reached our cars, turned down Kevin’s offer of a nightcap, and left. Brad remained silent as he worked his way through the complicated Chicago roads. I began to relax in my seat, watching the city lights slowly disappear from my window. I longed to weed through everything that had happened tonight but preferred to do so in the privacy of my apartment without my fiancé present. Who knew how my heart would react once I finally grasped what had happened.

  Brad pulled into the lot of my building and killed the engine. Ever the gentleman, he always insisted on walking me to my door. Usually, it was fine with me, but I was eager to be rid of his company so I could collect my thoughts.

  Once I unlocked the door, I turned to him, ready to thank him for a wonderful night. But he was having none of it.

  “Aren’t you going to invite me in for a drink?” he asked.

  The dangerous glint in his eyes stopped me from making excuses. I just opened the door and walked in, him following. As soon as the door shut, I turned to him, about to ask what he would like, when he grabbed my arms, squeezing like a vise.

  My breath left me at once as he slammed me against the wall. My heart thudded in my ears as he leered in my face, maniacal grin smeared across his lips.

  “Did you forget to tell me something, Iz?”

  Four

  Wincing at the sharp pain in the back of my head, I shook my arms, trying to break his grip. “Let go of me, Brad.”

  “Not until you tell me what I want to know,” he said. “What was that all about?”

  “I met them in high school,” I gasped, my arms burning under his tight fingers. “I haven’t spoken to them in years.”

  Strengthening his hold, he yanked me forward to shove me against the wall again. “And I didn’t know this, why?”

  “I didn’t think it was important,” I said, fear adding an extra thump or two in my heart. I’d witnessed his temper before, but never had it escalated this far.

  “You made me look like a fool, Isabella,” he shouted, his face purple with rage. “All evening you sat there, pretending like you didn’t know those…crack heads. It certainly would have saved me some embarrassment had you told me that you knew them. The way they greeted you…”

  “I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “I never expected that we’d see them.”

  The purple hue of his face darkened as he squeezed my arms tighter. “We stood in that line for an hour. What did you think we were waiting for, the restroom?”

  “I didn’t think that we’d get in,” I explained, terror shaking my legs. “And we probably wouldn’t have if Greta hadn’t recognized me.”

  “That doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell,” he said, loosening his hold. He continued to eye me with suspicion. “Which one did you sleep with?”

  “What?” I asked, head pounding.

  “Which would did you take into your bed?” he asked, his tone low and eerily polite. It frightened me all the more.

  “None of them,” I lied. “Now stop. You’re scaring me.”

  He continued to glare, looking for proof of my lies on my face. “You’re about to be my wife yet you hold back on me. You hold back information on your past. You hold back everything else. You won’t let me touch you yet you slept with one of those disgusting drug addicts.”

  Anger coursed through my blood. How dare he speak that way about my friends! “Maybe I don’t want to be your wife. Maybe I don’t want to be engaged any longer.”

  He was on me again in a flash, moving quicker than I’d ever guess he was capable. He wrapped his fingers around my throat, forcing me against the wall. Tears burned my eyes.

  “You’ll stay engaged to me, Isabella,” he growled. “We will be married. You don’t have a choice, do you?”

  Shaking my head, I closed my eyes. His lips crushed mine in a bruising kiss. Once he finished, he released me and I had to brace my hands against the wall to stay on my feet.

  “You should get to bed, darling. It’s quite late,” he said as he opened the door. “I’ll call you in the morning.”

  As soon as the door closed behind him, I locked it and slid to the floor, massaging my throat. Tears spilled from my eyes as my body trembled, trying to shake off the images of Brad’s livid face.

  I sat for at least ten minutes until I felt my legs might be strong enough to support me. Once I was on my feet, I stumbled to the bedroom. Digging everything out of my pockets, I came across the card Nick had given me. On the front was Greta Johnson’s name and phone number. Flipping it over, I squinted at the familiar scrawl, making out four sets of initials with phone numbers after them: MW, RS, NC, JJ.

  Grinning, I placed the card in my underwear drawer, right on top of the Rock Weekly magazine. My hand brushed a box that I carefully lifted from the pile of panties and bras. I took it to my bed and sat.

  Why not? I’d already taken a trip down Memory Lane.

  Pinching open the box, I smiled through my tears at the silver bracelet with matching necklace and earrings I’d received from Jake during my senior year. Under them was a beautiful ring – a promise that we’d always be together.

  I shut the box, fighting the misery that howled inside of me, and shoved it into my purse. I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t feel that the trinkets were safe inside my home.

  And I just sort of wanted them with me.

  Quickly changing, I slipped into the sheets, moist eyes and aching body, praying for a long, deep sleep.

  ***

  True to his word, Brad called me early that Sunday morning to tell me that he’d be golfing with George and Kevin Tharpe. There was no hint in his voice that anything out of
the ordinary had happened the evening before and I didn’t remind him. I wished him well, claiming to have household chores to do, and ended the call.

  As I dusted the living room furniture, my mind wandered to Jake and how exhausted he’d looked. He’d had a hard time, I knew, but many of the details were still unknown to me. The cocaine addiction was something that none of us who knew him best had saw coming. By the time anyone had realized that he was using, it had been too late.

  Sighing, I sat on the carpet near the coffee table, dust rag limp in my hands. Closing my eyes, memories flooded my mind.

  “I need to talk to you, Iz,” Nick said, taking me by the arm and leading me to the sofa.

  My swollen eyes remained on the kitchen doorway where Jake had disappeared, presumably for his basement hideaway. Once again, he’d been out and came home only to start an argument with me. Luckily, Nick had stopped by and kept me company while Jake was out doing whatever it was he was doing.

  “What?” I asked, fatigue lacing my voice. The summer had started out promising but had taken a severe turn. I had no idea what to do to fix it.

  “Iz,” Nick said, taking my hand. “I’ve been talking to the guys and we know what Jake’s problem is.”

  “What is that?” I asked, anger in my voice. “That he is a jackass? I already know that.”

  He forced a smile. “No, Iz, it’s more serious than that.”

  Alarmed, I turned to him, heart in my throat. “What are you saying? Is he sick?”

  With a sigh, he squeezed my hand. “He’s using, Iz. We’re not sure what, but the signs are all there. And it’s out of control.”

  “Using?” I asked, flabbergasted. Sure, he was right – the signs were there. But I’d ignored them. Jake Johnson did not use drugs. “Are you sure?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. We just need to figure out what he’s using and how bad it is. Maybe we can get him into a program.”

  I couldn’t help but to snort. Jake wouldn’t go for anything like that. He was far too proud. But still, I had to try. I loved him too much to just let him flounder.

  “How should we do this?” I asked as I gripped Nick’s hand. “Where do we start?”

  I hadn’t realized that I was crying until the ringing of my cell brought me back to reality. Rising to my weary feet, I retrieved my phone from the kitchen table and answered.