by Clara Bayard
“This is the address?”
“Yeah. Uh, this can’t be the place you’re looking for.”
“I don’t…” Then I saw something. Behind a dead tree, a familiar shape. “This is the place.”
“You sure, miss?”
“I am.” I shoved some money at him and climbed out. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Don’t you want me to wait?”
“No.”
“This ain’t the best neighborhood for a young girl all alone,” he said before shoving a business card at me. “Call me if you need a ride back.”
“I will. Thanks, again.”
I walked up the remains of the driveway and closer to Rick. He was leaning against the tree and just staring at nothing. As I approached him I saw there was tiny bag in his hand and panicked.
“Rick, what the hell are you doing?”
He closed his fingers around the bag and looked at me blankly. “Nothing.”
“Bullshit!” I ran up and grabbed his hand, planning to wrestle whatever it was from him. “No matter what’s going on it isn’t worth this. Give it to me.”
“Huh?”
“The drugs. Hand them over. You’re better than this. Stronger than this.”
He laughed humorlessly. “No I’m not.”
I twisted his wrist to open his fingers. His skin was so cold for sitting out in the hot sun for who knows how long. “Give them to me, Rick.”
He released his grip and I saw the bag wasn’t drugs at all. It was just a lump of melted olive green plastic.
“What is this?”
“Something I’ve had for a long time.”
I looked up at him, baffled. “Where are we?”
“My house.”
“What?”
“I used to live here. Grew up here.”
“Oh. I thought…I don’t know what I thought. I was just worried.”
“How’d you find me?”
“Matthew.”
“Of course. He’s a nosy little shit.”
“He cares about you. And so do I. Why’d you run off in the middle of the night? Have you been here the whole time?”
“Yeah. Got here right after the sun came up. Been just hanging. Thinking.”
“About what?”
He shoved the plastic thing into his pocket and took my hand. “I’ll show you.”
Rick led me down what would have once been the side of the house, to the backyard. There was a square of dirt that looked fresher than everything around it.
“What’s this?”
Rick stopped and looked down. “This was the pool.”
“Okay…”
“I was fourteen. My parents were out, somewhere. Don’t even remember now. I was supposed to be watching my little brother, but I was up in my room, practicing.” He turned and looked up, as if he could still see the house that had once been there. “The window in my room looked right out here. When I finished, I just happened to glance out. I hadn’t noticed it was too quiet. Hadn’t heard a thing.”
“What happened?” I whispered, sure I knew the answer.
“He had just turned nine. Loved swimming so much. And he was so good at diving. But my parents wouldn’t put a board in for him. Said the pool was too shallow. It wouldn’t be safe. He wasn’t allowed in the pool alone, but he was like me, you know? Didn’t listen. Did what he wanted to do. They said he hit his head, probably never felt a thing.”
“I’m so sorry.”
He didn’t look at me. “I called the police as soon as I saw him, but it was too late. I was too late.” Rick’s jaw tightened and released a few time before he continued. “After the funeral I didn’t touch my drums for months. Started skipping school, getting drunk, all that shit. My parents didn’t do anything. They were too broken to care. But then one day we had to go to the cemetery. For a ceremony to lay the headstone. When everyone else left I just sat with him for a long time. And I talked to him. Told him I was sorry. Promised to do better. To be better. I swore that I would protect my family, never let them down again.
“I couldn’t keep that promise as a kid. My folks broke up, lost the house, lost everything. Because of me. Because I failed.
“And then I found my guys. My band. My new family. And now I’ve let them down, too.”
My heart broke for him. His voice was so calm but I could feel the anguish in every word.
I put my hand on his chin, making him look at me. “Your brother’s death wasn’t your fault, and neither is what’s happening with Dream Defiled.”
“It is. I’m the one who is supposed to hold everything together.”
“No. No one can do that.” My voice broke a little and he flinched. “Rick, why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“I’m sorry this happened. It must have been terrible. And I understand losing someone you love. And I know the pressure of feeling like you have to take care of everyone. Of being responsible for things you can’t possibly control.”
“You do, don’t you.” He blinked rapidly.
“Yes. But you don’t have to do this alone. Not anymore. And neither do I.”
He didn’t scream or cry, but a shudder went through his body and he collapsed, knees giving out. I went down with him and wrapped my arms around his waist. We sat there on the ground for a very long time, not speaking, just holding on to each other tightly. It was communication and connection beyond words.
Finally, he started to talk. Telling me stories about his brother, growing up together. Silly things and sad things. Just babbling. For hours we stayed there. And, as the sun began to slide down behind the horizon, it was like a weight was lifted from Rick’s shoulders.
He looked at me and kissed me. “We should go.”
“Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. But I’m better. Because of you.”
I ran a finger down his cheek. “I’m not sure I believe in fate or anything, but I do think we were meant to meet, Rick.”
“You do? Why?”
“Because we’re the same. So different, and yet the same. And no one else can understand us.”
He nodded. “I think you’re right. If you weren’t here, I don’t know what would have happened today. But now I know what to do.”
“What’s that?”
“Find Joe. Figure this shit out, one way or the other.”
“And if he’s going for good?”
“Then we’ll deal. Somehow. I’ll survive. Hell, look at you. You were down and out and now you’re on top of the world.”
“Technically I’m on top of some dirt right now.”
He chuckled and tangled a hand in my hair. “I mean it. You said it, we’re the same. Fighters. And I’m not going to give up. On my guys or myself.”
“Good.”
“I’ll do everything I can to make it work. But if the band breaks up, I’ll follow your example. Start over again. I didn’t think I could handle that before, but I can now. I know I can.”
“What changed?”
“I found something else I can’t live without. And lost it over and over again.”
“What’s that?”
“You, dumbass.”
I blushed and smacked his arm. “Can’t live without me? That’s awfully sappy for a selfish asshole like you.”
“I know. But I don’t give a shit. You changed my life, Jules. Opened me up in ways I can’t even explain. I hate it, but I love it too. Does that even make sense?”
“It does. I feel the same way.”
“Of course you do. Because we’re the same.”
“Not exactly. I’m prettier.”
We shared a laugh. He kissed me again, deeper, probing.
“Much prettier. And smarter, too. But you’re also scrappy and driven and obnoxious and stubborn.”
“Right back at you, buddy.”
Rick stood up and held me close for a long moment. “Come on, then.”
“That’s it? You
profess your undying love for me and then it’s just ‘come on?’”
“I didn’t say love. I never said love.”
I linked my arm with his as we walked back out towards the street. “You didn’t have to, you big softy. I got the subtext.”
“God, you’re infuriating, woman. Whatever you call it, you’re mine. And I’m yours. And if anyone can put my mess of a band back together it’s us.”
“Damn right. Let’s get to work.”
By the time we got back to the hotel, there was great news. Joe had finally shown up. Becca was in the lobby of the hotel talking to her boss Ryan. She ran over and hugged me before telling me the lead singer had returned.
“What happened?”
She shook her head. “Insanity. He got on a plane and flew to see Liss. Didn’t tell her until right before the plane took off.”
“So what’s he doing here?”
She giggled. “She met him at the airport and turned him right around. Told him he had to get on another plane and come back or she’d never speak to him again.”
Rick barked out a laugh. “I bet that pissed him off.”
“I’m sure. But, it worked. She called me and told me and I picked him up about an hour ago. He’s in his room now.”
“Well goddamn,” Rick said. “You women.”
I poked him in the side. “See? Liss just saved your ass, buddy.”
He nodded and smiled at me. “There’s a lot of that going around.”
We shared a long kiss until Ryan cleared his throat. “Jesus, really? You, too, Rick?”
My guy shrugged. “Sorry, man. Trust me, I’m more shocked than you are. But when a great thing falls in your lap you gotta hold onto it.”
I grinned. “That’s right. Now, let’s go save this tour.”
And together, in the last fading light of the day, we all headed upstairs to do just that.
The End
Get Ready to be ROCKED!
* Go out on the road and fall in love with the men of Dream Defiled *
Now Available:
Joe & Liss
Rocked, Rocked On the Road, Rocked to the Core
Becca & Dex
Hard Rocked, Deep Rocked, Well Rocked
Rick & Jules
Rocked in the Dark
Rocked All Night
Rocked in the Light
Big Girls. Hot Guys. Steamy Romance.
www.ClaraBayard.com
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you so much for reading. If you want to be one of the first to read my next book, please go to my website, www.clarabayard.com, and enter your email address to join the announcement list.
Also, I love hearing from readers to feel free to send me an email at [email protected] and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible.
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COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Clara Bayard is a wealthy business owner who, following the brutal death of her parents, used that wealth to create a secret identity and a lot of cool gadgets in order to protect the city she adores, and keep others from experiencing the same pain she did.
Wait, no. That’s Batman.
Clara is a just a regular gal living in the Mid-Atlantic region. She loves writing sexy stories about flawed people doing exciting things. When she’s not writing she enjoys talking to strangers in bars and marathon-watching TV shows everyone else has seen already.
ALSO BY CLARA BAYARD
One Night of Danger
BBW New Adult Romantic Suspense
Carly Chase is building a new life for herself, day by day, when a faceoff with an irate man at work brings up memories of a trauma she’s barely recovered from. She’s shaken and in need of something to make her feel better. That something arrives in the form of gorgeous, sexy cop Sam Rollins who appreciates her curves and knows exactly how to distract Carly from her problems – for a while.
But soon Carly finds herself caught in a web of criminal conspiracy. Innocent but panicked, she turns to Sam for help. He can’t resist the pull of the plus-size beauty and seems willing to risk his career to protect her and find the truth. But their risky partnership is under constant threat. Not only by the forces they battle, but by secrets from her past and his present as they are revealed.
In a fast-paced race to survive, Carly has to do something she swore she never would. Trust her safety and happiness to a man she barely knows. Can she overcome the violence and damage in her past to forge a new future with Sam, or will a final intimate betrayal end everything?
Visit www.clarabayard.com for a full list of available titles.
Table of Contents
Rocked in the Light
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Note from the Author
Copyright and Disclaimer
About the Author
Also by Clara Bayard
