Front & Center (Book 2 of the Back-Up Series)

by A. m Madden

  Jack pulls away from me to sit on the couch. All of three seconds later, he stands and announces, “I don’t know what to do.”

  The problem is neither do I, nor do I know what to say to him. I go into the bedroom to retrieve the laptop. Maybe we can find something online, anything. When I come back, Jack is downing a shot of tequila.

  He shrugs apologetically, looking all kinds of adorable. “I don’t blame you, babe. Have another if it helps.”

  He takes my advice and takes another shot before joining me on the couch.

  “What are you looking for?”

  “I have no clue. I can’t just sit here.” I begin by Googling Danny’s name. A crap load of information pops up. I randomly open pages scanning them. It’s like literally trying to find a needle in a haystack. But I refuse to just sit here and think about Danny possibly hurting Lizzy. That leads me down a dark path.

  I open up Danny’s Twitter page, not sure I know what I’m looking for. He has thousands of posts. Some so stupid, it sounds like a five year old wrote them.

  Jack looks over my shoulder while I scroll through his most recent ones. Interspersed are dozens of comments to a guy named Hagler that all look like random nonsense with a lot of abbreviations.

  “That’s probably his dealer.”

  “What do you think these are, meeting points?”

  “Possibly.”

  “He would be dumb enough to put this on Twitter?”

  “There’s nothing there. Unless you knew what you were looking at, it’s not incriminating. If anyone was looking at his Tweets, chances are they are on to him.”

  I reach for my cell and call Ace. I know it’s late in New York, or early rather, but I need to tell him tonight. We don’t have much time.

  “Lei?” Ace answers, sounding concerned.

  “I’m really sorry to bother you at this hour.”

  “I’m up.”

  “Have you spoken to Oscar yet?”

  “Briefly. He explained what happened tonight.”

  “I’m here with Jack. I’m on Danny’s Twitter page. There are a lot of weird posts that don’t make sense at all.”

  “Like weird how?”

  “Ok, this one says, - A168 dam. There are tons of them all to a guy named Hagler. Jack thinks this is his dealer.”

  “Could be. I’ll look around and see if it makes any sense. I’ll have Lee check it out as well.”

  “Thanks, Ace. We don’t have much time. Lizzy is only here a few more days. Evan is here with her.”

  “I know, sweetie. We’ll do our best.”

  When I end the call, Jack pulls me into his arms. “Thank you, baby.”

  “For what?”

  “For always having my back.”

  “You would do the same for me.”

  “And then some.” He bends to kiss me gently. “You’re right. We have a ton of support.”

  “I’m glad you agree. You shouldn’t doubt the wife.” I tease as I stand before him.

  “Yes, dear.”

  “It’s late, let’s try to get some sleep.” I tug on his hands until he is standing. Without warning, he lifts me into his arms. “What are you doing?”

  “Just practicing.” He says, as he carries me into the bedroom. “I love you, Mrs. Lair.” The intensity of his gaze melts my insides.

  

  Jack looks exhausted. He tossed around all night, until he finally got out of bed. He insisted that I stay and try to sleep, but it was useless. So I joined him on the couch as we watched The Hangover and Ted. It was nice to hear him laugh and forget things, even if for a few hours.

  To make things easier, we asked Lizzy and Evan to join us in our room for breakfast. Jack and I both decided to tell them this morning. They need to know and prolonging it isn’t going to help matters.

  As our breakfast is being wheeled in, Lizzy and Evan follow right behind the bellhops.

  “Good morning, guys. How was your night?”

  “It was good,” Jack responds quickly.

  “Just good?” Evan turns towards me, “Already acting like an old married couple?”

  “Shut it, Miller.” He chuckles and throws a strawberry at me. “You’re so annoying.”

  Evan’s antics help lighten the mood. The four of us end up having a pleasurable time in spite of Danny’s bullshit.

  “So what’s the agenda for today?”

  “We have all day, until rehearsals at five.”

  “Rehearsals? Haven’t you been playing long enough to know the words?”

  Rolling my eyes, I stare at him for a few seconds.

  “What?”

  “It’s more like sound checks.”

  “Oh.”

  “I wanted to take Leila sightseeing, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Jack says quietly. We exchange a look that Evan notices.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Um…last night I received a text from Danny.”

  “What did it say?” Lizzy asks.

  “It was a picture.” Jack sighs heavily before continuing. He opens his phone and turns it towards his sister.

  Her gasp is heartbreaking. “When was this taken?”

  Evan takes the phone and looks at me. “What the hell is this?”

  “He’s making a point.”

  “He’s following me?”

  “Yeah, Liz.”

  “I’ll fucking kill him,” Evan barks.

  “Ev, Ace and Oscar are on it. They will come up with a plan,” I say to try and calm him down.

  He turns towards Lizzy and demands, “You’re staying with me.”

  “Evan, I can’t stay with you. I need to be in New York.”

  “I’ll hire a bodyguard.”

  She moves closer and cups his face. “You can’t afford that.”

  “We’ll figure something out. Ace is going to the police to see if there is anything they can do.” Now it’s Jack’s turn to try and comfort them with his words. “I’m sorry I had to tell you, Liz. I really didn’t want to, but you need to know.”

  She gives Jack a sympathetic smile. “You can’t always protect me Jack. I’m not a little girl anymore. You were right to tell me.”

  “What is the deal with this asshole?” Evan asks Jack. “Really, what does he want?”

  “He wants to ruin me, anyway he can.” Jack looks at me and then at Liz. “He knows my weaknesses.”

  “Your weaknesses both happen to be two people I care about very much. This is no longer between you and him. He just involved me as well.”

  My cell buzzes loudly on the coffee table. Jack leans over to pick it up for me. “It’s Ace.”

  “Hi, Ace.”

  “Lei, we think they are meeting points. I don’t know what most of them mean, but a few are obvious. A168 dam, might mean Amsterdam and 168th. It’s a location for crack deals.”

  “So now what?”

  “I’ll keep checking for a new post. Hopefully he’ll tip us off to the next meet. If it turns out to be what we suspect, we can call in a tip and maybe nail him that way. This post was weeks ago, and no new ones since. I hope he isn’t using an alternate form of communication. We’ll keep digging.”

  “Ok. Thanks, Ace.”

  “Also, Lee is putting a guy on Lizzy when she gets back. At least until we figure something out.”

  “Ace, I want to compensate him. I’ve told you this before.”

  “He really wants to do this. He’s a fan and he said we’ll worry about it later.”

  “Ok. Tell Lee thank you.”

  “What did he say?” Evan asks the second I end the call.

  “They believe the posts are places to score drugs. They’ll keep looking into it. Lee will be putting a guy on Lizzy when she gets back to New York. He wants to help.”

  “This is not necessary. He has paying clients he needs to worry about.” Lizzy says stubbornly.

  “Liz. He wants to do this and we are going to let him. Jack, tell her.” Evan pleads.

  “H
e’s right. I have no idea what Danny wants. Again, this could all be empty threats. Who knows if he’s just trying to fuck with me? We simply can’t take that chance.”

  Lizzy glances from Jack to Evan and then concedes, “Fine.”

  Evan and Lizzy stay a little while longer before heading out to do some shopping. Once they leave, Jack sags on the couch in defeat. “It’s my fault you are on his radar and now my sister. What the fuck?”

  “Jack, none of this is your fault. He’s a lunatic. You couldn’t have predicted this was going to happen.”

  He pulls me into his embrace, holding me tight.

  “I don’t want you going anywhere without me or Oscar.”

  His request is a bit unreasonable. I am with him constantly anyway and decide not to argue. “Ok.”

  “I’m sorry our engagement has been tainted by that fucker.”

  “You gave me the best engagement a girl could ever ask for. I love you for that.”

  He allows me to pull his lips to mine. His kiss is demure compared to his normal response.

  I pull away and search his eyes. He looks so tired. “You are exhausted. Do you want to take a nap?”

  “Yeah, I think I need one.”

  I pull him towards the bedroom. “How long do we have this room?”

  “Four.”

  “Plenty of time.” I give him a salacious grin over my shoulder and he quickens his pace.

  Distraction is my best line of defense.

  

  I finished up with my preshow ritual quicker than usual. My ring is safely pinned between my breasts. My makeup and hair are done. I’m dressed and ready. I quickly text Jack my usual message.

  I love you so much.

  My nerves are getting the best of me. All I can think about is Jack meeting with that bitch tomorrow. It’s going to be the longest few hours of my life. Evan offered to keep me well entertained, but I know my brain. I wouldn’t be able to put on a happy face and pretend, so I declined. I feel bad I’m not spending as much time as I could with him. But no one could have predicted the crap that’s been slung at us. I know Evan understands completely.

  Tonight’s show is bittersweet for me. I am so thrilled he is here in the front row with Lizzy beside him. They’ll meet us backstage afterwards. Jen has arranged for another meet-and-greet, after the show tonight. This time there will be about one hundred fans mulling around at an after party. The one that we had in Chicago only had a few dozen people in attendance. This is not going to be fun for me. I’m sure of the one hundred attending tonight, at least half will be women. Fifty women will all be vying for Mr. Lair’s attention, while he needs to pretend we are not together.

  Oh, yay.

  I hope to attach myself to Evan and Lizzy as much as possible, without them declaring me a leech.

  hey, my wife. I love you too.

  you’re turning me on

  I’ll be right there

  No!

  Buzz kill.

  A quick rap on my door makes me think his text was serious. “I told you…Oh, hey Dylan.”

  “Can I come in real quick?”

  “Sure.” As I turn to shut the door, Jack and the guys walk past. A raised eyebrow and a subtle tilt of the head are my clues he saw Dylan entering my room. Ignoring him, I shut the door.

  “So, what’s up?”

  “I haven’t had a chance to tell Jack yet, because he’s been surrounded by the roadies. Jen knows though. We got something on Jessa.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “No, I’m serious. Krista contacted the New York lab. That document is a complete fake.”

  “I had called the lab to be sure it was real. It didn’t occur to me to check if the test was.”

  “We all assumed it was legit.”

  “Wait, so it’s not Jack’s baby?”

  “Well, we don’t know that. It can still be his. But the fact she had the test done by sending the samples in the mail to an Internet company opens the possibility it could be anyone’s baby.”

  It takes a few seconds for his words to register with me. He waits patiently while smiling. He’s definitely not prepared when I throw myself into his arms.

  “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me. This changes everything tomorrow.”

  “It sure does.” Dylan releases me and quickly steps away to put some distance between us. It occurs to me right then that I must have really hurt him. “Go, have a good show. I’ve held you longer than I wanted to. They’ll be frantic soon.”

  I move towards the door, but then turn to touch his arm. “Dylan, I really am so grateful for all you are doing for us.”

  “I know.” He gives my hand a quick pat and leaves the room before me.

  That bitch. She must think we are complete idiots. So she’s trying to nail this pregnancy on Jack. If it truly was his baby, she could have easily proved it by going through the proper channels. Why the hell would she take this route?

  “What the hell?” Jack stands in a threatening stance at the stage steps as I approach.

  “Relax, I’m here.”

  “Barely.”

  Fuck, I love when he acts like an asshole. I’ve got it real bad.

  I really wish I could give him a signal somehow. It’s going to have to wait until the show is over. The house lights dim, and the guys run onto the stage. Jack has been the first one on lately, and the fans have picked up on that. Even in the dark, the screams are always deafening the minute his feet hit the top step.

  “Hey, Vegas!” he croons into the microphone. The lights haven’t even come on yet and the response is still thunderous.

  “Wow. Thank you. We’re so excited to be here.” The crowd agrees and he laughs a low, sexy, oh my - kind of laugh that goes right to my special place. “Has anyone slept at The Bellagio?”

  Once they respond, he adds, “Those beds sure are comfy, or maybe it was the company?”

  He’s such a ball-buster.

  “Anyway, I love this town! I might move here. Guys, do you want to move to Vegas?”

  Trey responds with an ear-piercing chord on his bass. “Would that be a yes?” After Trey repeats the riff, Jack chuckles and says, “Ok, let’s get this party started. I’m a bit hung over. I’m going to sit the first one out and have Ms. Marino take the floor.”

  He motions at the center mic and takes a seat near Hunter.

  “Hey, Vegas! How is everyone tonight?” Once their cheers lessen, I motion for the band to start a song I’ve been singing off and on for the past few weeks. Jack loves it and begged me to add it to our show. The stage lights dim, except for a spot on me. Trey starts off the intro to Pat Benatar’s Promises in the Dark. The first few times I sang it, I was a nervous wreck. I am now so comfortable with the song and with singing it. It’s a part of our show that I actually look forward to.

  Once I’m done, Jack appears by my side. He coldly thanks me and gets right back into douchebag mode. He does his usual shtick of flirting, engaging the crowd, and ignoring me. The only acknowledgement comes when we both share the same microphone. He’ll glance at me every so often, without ever touching me. Of course, Jack always turns me on. It really doesn’t matter what he’s doing. But watching him perform just riles me up. Rock star Jack is fucking hot as hell. Another painful symptom of our separation is having to go back to an empty bedroom after our shows, while being a horny mess.

  Since our “breakup”, he has taken to singing my song directly to one of the girls in the front row. The first time he did, it stung, even knowing it was all an act. The way those girls stare at him and send him obvious signals makes me want to scratch their eyes out. The entire time I need to repeat over and over, “He’s mine. He’s mine.” Jealous Leila doesn’t appear often, but when she does, it’s pretty ugly.

  I have a feeling my jealousy will be lingering well into the wee hours of the morning. Mulling around in a room full of Lair-lover-wannabes is the last thing I want to do right now. More charades and more pretending.
I’m exhausted with all this nonsense. I want to be able to show Jack my affection whenever I want. I want to be able to sleep with his arms wrapped around me each night. Having him all to myself last night was bordering on cruel. It reminded me just how much I miss him. I’m so sick of this.

  I’ve been consumed by these thoughts most of this show, and it’s amazing I sang and played correctly. We only have a few minutes in the holding room before the masses arrive. The roadies are busy breaking down the stage, so the second we step into the room Jack is on me like a moth to a flame.

  “Mmm, you’re nice and sweaty.” He says as he licks my neck.

  “You’re gross. I need to…” He takes the opportunity to shut me up by slanting his mouth over mine.

  “Can you two knock it off?” Hunter says as he helps himself to his first beer. Jack’s response is to push me into the bathroom, shut the door behind us and snack on my neck.

  “Jack. Jack, I need you to listen. Dylan has some news about Jessa, so make sure you talk to him as soon as he gets here. I don’t have time to tell you the details.”

  He stops long enough to say, “Yep”, and roughly pulls me closer, trying to consume me whole. He grips my ass with both hands and moves my body so it perfectly aligns against his bulging crotch.

  “Jack, you’re driving me wild. Please, I can’t get all worked up right now and neither can you.” I tout in a threatening tone. “You’re not allowed to walk around this party tonight with a hard-on.”

  “Such a buzz kill.” He pulls away reluctantly. “But you’re right.” After a few cleansing breaths, he adjusts himself and adds, “Ok. I’m ok.” He tucks a finger in between my breasts and strokes the ring that is nestled there. “I really wish you could have this on your finger where it belongs.”

  “Oh, so do I. Especially with the hungry bimbos that are going to be walking through the door any minute.”

  “You have nothing to worry about, you know that.”

  “Except for your shameless flirting?” He pouts until I kiss his lips. “I know I don’t. I still don’t like them all thinking they have a shot with you, especially since we are broken up.”

  “I could say the same about the dudes that are going to be here.”

  A loud rap at the door comes before Hunter barks, “Get the fuck out here!”