Loyalty

by L. P. Maxa

  “No, no, no.” The one with the big muscles stood from his spot on the long leather couch. He was like a handsome giant. “Come on in, gorgeous, we don’t bite.”

  “We sure the hell don’t bite, especially Mason Maxwell’s daughter.” Another man got to his feet, slapping the other one on the back of his head. The slapper had light brown hair pulled back into a man bun and a short scruffy beard.

  “Hey. Yeah, I’m Katie. I’m supposed to be meeting my dad here?” I smiled at the flirty guy. He was super freaking cute, and I was tipsy enough to notice. I’d never really flirted before, but I bet with another few flutes of champagne I could figure it out.

  “Your dad had to step away to do a little press before his show.” A blond surfer twirling a drumstick in his hand smiled from the corner. “You’re more than welcome to hang here with us though.” He pointed to flirty guy. “That’s Braxton.” He moved his drumstick pointer to the responsible one. “That’s Talon. That guy over there on the phone is Dane, and I’m Brody.”

  “Clashing Swell, right?” I didn’t keep up with all the latest music, but Kasen did, and I recognized the names when they were all grouped together like that.

  Brody nodded. “That’s us.”

  “Can I get you anything? Something to drink?” Talon was really nice, but he was looking at me like I was a child. I’d know, since that was the look I got from my parents day in and day out.

  Still. Manners. “Yes, please. Some water would be great.”

  “I think we drained all the bottles in here.” He stepped to the door, opening it. “I’ll be right back, and I’ll see if I can find your dad.”

  I sent him a bright pleasing smile. “Thank you.”

  He left and the tall skinny guy on the phone stepped into the restroom. Maybe we were all talking too loudly or maybe he had to pee. Who knew, right? I pursed my lips, swinging my arms back and forth. When Brody’s cell started to ring, he excused himself to the hall. And suddenly, I was all alone with Flirty McFlirtersen. Normally, I’d be nervous. Out of my element. But that champagne had really done wonders for my give-a-damn.

  “Come, sit.” He patted the space next to him. “I promise I honestly will not bite you.” Braxton smiled with his eyes, and his voice was giving me butterflies. Either that or I was a few minutes away from puking up champagne.

  I crossed the room, oh so thankful that I didn’t stumble or do anything embarrassing. I sat next to him, closer than I probably would have sober. “I bet you get in trouble a lot.” I wasn’t sure why that was what came out of my mouth, but it made him laugh so I figured I’d go with it. Also, I thought my assessment was probably spot on.

  “And you seem like you don’t get in any.”

  I snorted and he dipped down, meeting my eyes. “Am I right?”

  “I get in trouble.” No I didn’t. I’d have to disobey to actually get in trouble. “I drank champagne tonight with my dinner, and…yeah, my dad doesn’t know.” I said the last part with attitude.

  Flirty Braxton narrowed his pretty brown eyes. “How old are you?”

  I gave a dramatic head nod, you know, to sell how utterly uncool I was. “Eighteen.”

  “Legal is good.”

  I frowned. “The drinking age is twenty-one, I’m not legal.” How dumb was this guy? Did he really not know the legal drinking age?

  He chuckled. “I meant you’re legal for me to, uh, hang out with.”

  “You want to hang out with me?” Why would he want to do that? I was boring and lame and sheltered. I wouldn’t have sex with him, and my dad would flip shit if he saw us even talking like this. “Look, thanks for the offer, but my dad would pretty much murder you.”

  “Just as I thought, you never get into trouble.”

  I scoffed. Did he not hear my champagne story? I lied to an adult, scored some booze, and then drank it. I was basically a felon. My Uncle Pax would be so proud of me. I should have FaceTimed him while I popped that cork. Which was way harder than they make it look on TV. I spilled half the damn bottle in the sink. I turned to Braxton, meeting his gaze. “When you say hang out, you don’t mean dinner and a movie do you?”

  He shook his head, a wicked smile on his face.

  “Do you not value your life? My dad would have his security detail lining up to kick your ass.” I picked up the liquor bottle at his feet, mainly because I was starting to sober up and I missed buzzed Katie. “And then he’d finish you off and bury you on our ranch. They’d never find your body.”

  “I have a feeling you’d be worth it though, gorgeous.”

  Would it be self-deprecating to assure him I wouldn’t be? I opened the bottle in my hands, taking a sip of the clear liquid and then coughing when it burned my throat. Gross. Who would choose to drink that stuff?

  “What do you say? You want to meet back here after we play our set? Your dad will be out on stage, and I’ll let you get into as much trouble as you want.” His voice was a little raspy, like he was doing it on purpose to sound sexy or something. Or. Maybe he’d drunk too much of that clear alcohol and he’d burned his voice box.

  I snorted. “You’re going to grow up to be one of those dirty old men, aren’t you?” When he frowned, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Look, flirty guy, you’re cute. But I’m not the fling you’re looking for. Hell, I’ve never even kissed a guy.” Wow. The hard stuff was making me admit all kinds of embarrassing life details. “Yep. I’m an eighteen-year-old virgin. Like a total virgin. Never been kissed.” I shrugged, screwing the top back on the bottle. “I’m a walking eighties movie.”

  “You’ve never kissed anyone before? Serious?”

  I nodded. “As a heart attack, brah.”

  “Well, you’re for sure not the fling I’m looking for, kiddo.” He put his warm hands on my face. “But, maybe I can help you get into a teeny tiny bit of trouble.” He leaned in, and I stopped breathing.

  “Get your fucking hands off my daughter.”

  Braxton flew backward, and the liquor bottle fell out of my hands.

  Chapter Three

  Katie

  Well. Turned out that Braxton helped me get into a hell of a lot of trouble. I’d gotten in trouble for drinking—the liquor, not the champagne. I’d take that indiscretion to the grave. And for “sucking face” with a stranger who was way too old for me. Seriously. Sucking Face. My father aged a decade in front of me. Braxton had gotten a black eye before I could convince my dad I was fine and wasn’t being molested.

  I mean, the guy was forward as hell, but I didn’t want my dad to kill him five minutes before he was due out on stage. Besides, in the end, he was an okay guy. Flirty to a fault, but okay nonetheless. My dad had really lost his shit though; he’d even called Dash Conner into the room. He was one of the men in charge of RiffRaff Records. And he was standing in the corner, watching as my dad wore a hole in the floor, pacing like a mad man.

  My dad ran his hands through his hair, making it stick up all over the place. His glam squad was going to have to fix that, pronto. “Katie, I’m sorry but I can’t do this. I can’t worry about you and still work. It’s too much.”

  “What? What does that mean? It was two sips of alcohol and an almost kiss. I’m eighteen years old, Dad. I’ve been stuck in the hotel room all night and—”

  “Your mother and I wanted to give you space, wanted to give you some freedom. But look what happened the second I wasn’t around to watch you.” He shook his head, his eyes sad. “I tried, Katie, I really did.”

  “You tried for one day, Dad.” And in all honesty, he didn’t really try at all. He worked and made me stay locked in my hotel room. “I know I shouldn’t have tried the—what did you call that stuff again? Gin? I shouldn’t have drunk it, and I’m sorry. I won’t do it again, I promise.” I took a deep breath, preparing to do something I rarely did. Argue with my father. “But the kiss? I didn’t ask that skirt chaser to try to kiss me.” Believe it or not, I wasn’t itching for my first kiss to be from some random rock star. “You’re a
cting like that was my fault or something.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying at all, Katherine.”

  Uh-oh. Katherine. That was a bad sign if I ever heard one. He never called me Katherine, like ever. “I’m so sorry, Dad, I really am.”

  “I’m sorry too, because we aren’t doing this. You’re going home until your mom joins the tour, end of story. You’ll still get to travel. You’ll still get to see the world. But I’ll feel much better when your mom is here to watch you.”

  My jaw dropped along with my stomach. “Watch me? I’m eighteen. I don’t need a babysitter.” I felt tears prick the back of my eyes. I didn’t want to cry in this moment; all that would do was prove what my dad thought. That I was a child.

  He shook his head, his hands on his hips. “I’m booking you a flight home, Bug.”

  Could he tell that I was close to tears? Was that why he was back to using my nickname? Maybe there was a crack in this armor, maybe I could convince him to let me stay on tour. “Mom isn’t home. She’s in Colorado with Kasen.”

  “Okay, then I’ll book you a flight to Colorado.”

  “Please don’t, I’m begging you. I don’t want to spend the next week in a hotel room waiting for Kasen to get out of practice.” I wrinkled my nose at the thought. I’d be surrounded by smelly fourteen-year-old boys for days. If that wasn’t punishment, I didn’t know what was.

  “She’s more than welcome to come stay at the compound with us.” Mr. Conner stepped away from the wall. “All the kids are officially home for the summer. Avory and the twins are around her age.” Mr. Conner smiled at me. “You’ll be surrounded by eight parents, and more kids than you can imagine. But I bet it beats a week with your little brother’s baseball team.”

  I looked to my dad, trying to gauge his feelings about the offer. “Dad?” Spending time with people I hadn’t seen since I was a baby wasn’t my number one choice. But if it was that or another hotel room prison, I’d choose the compound. “Can I go?” The thought of making new friends was equal parts terrifying and exciting. It’d be like dry run for college, only with parents and security guards thrown into the mix.

  “I think that’s a good compromise.” He turned to Dash. “Her mom can fly here to get her, and then they can meet us in London.” My dad put his hand on his boss’s shoulder like they were old friends. “Thanks for this, man…” His words trailed off as they left the room. No doubt to discuss logistics and exactly how close of an eye my dad wanted the RiffRaff family to keep on me.

  I knew I’d met some of the “parents” Mr. Conner had mentioned, but I didn’t remember anything about them. I assumed they were as strict as my own parents since none of their kids were ever featured in the gossip rags either. They must shelter them from the press, from the outside world. At least I’d have something in common with those poor kids.

  ***

  “Avory, can you come out here for a minute please?” Mr. Conner called out before opening the fridge, then, glancing at me over his shoulder, he asked, “Katie, would you like something to drink?”

  I shook my head, a small smile on my face. I felt out of place, still angry with my dad for giving me two rotten choices. Plus, I was already starting to feel a little homesick. This was really the first time I’d be staying by myself, without my parents or my little brother. I straightened my spine, lifting my chin. I refused to let my situation intimidate me. I was eighteen, and if I was ever going to convince my dad to let me go to UCLA, I needed to show him I could handle being without him or my mom.

  “Yeah, Dad?”

  Mr. Connor and I turned toward the living room. So that was Avory, huh? She was beautiful, big brown doe eyes, and hair down to her waist. “Come in here, I want you to meet Katie Cadence.” Avory walked into the kitchen wearing tiny spandex workout shorts and a tank top. She was basically naked. “She’s going to be staying with us for the week while her parents are out of town.”

  While my mom was out of town and my dad was on tour, without me. I was eighteen, but still too young to live apparently. One little sip of gin and he’d all but suggested military school. I put a smile on my face and extended my hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Katie, I’m going to take your things into Halen’s old room. I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable if you have your own space.” Thank the Lord for small favors. I almost cried in relief that I wasn’t going to be bunking with strangers.

  Spending a week on the allusive Devil’s Share compounded surrounded by people I hadn’t laid eyes on since I was a baby was already strange enough. “You two have fun.” Mr. Connor placed a kiss on his daughter’s head on his way out of the kitchen.

  I’d only spent two hours in the man’s presence, but even I could hear the underlying message in his tone. Be her friend. Make her feel welcome.

  “Where did you come from?” Avory jutted her thin hip out to the side, a confused frown on her face. “My family doesn’t normally take in strays, we don’t have the space.”

  “My dad was supposed to take me on tour with him, but he freaked when he realized I was a girl traveling with rock stars.”

  “So my dad offered to let you stay here? Why didn’t you go home?” She wasn’t asking in a rude way, more like she was truly trying to figure out what she’d walked into.

  “He couldn’t send me home because my mom is out of town with my little brother. And, I mean, heaven forbid that an eighteen-year-old is allowed to stay home by herself, right? Who cares that we have round the clock security?” I threw my hands in the air. “Nope. Gotta be around parents. Gotta be where someone will be watching me twenty-four-seven. Privacy? Independence? Nah, not for this girl.” I pointed to myself dramatically. Maybe I was still a little buzzed from earlier?

  A knowing grin turned Avory’s frown upside down. “Katie, believe it or not, you’ve been banished to the right place.” She gestured behind her. “Follow me. Your night just got a whole hell of a lot sweeter, my new friend.”

  I looked around at the empty house. It wasn’t like I had any other options at the moment. So I followed her down a long hallway and into what I assumed was her bedroom. It was big, and the furniture was all white and shabby chic. It looked a lot like my room, like her parents were trying to hold on to their little girl. Except, unlike my room, there was a guy currently climbing into her window.

  “Babe, get over here and—”

  I held my hand up in a lame attempt at a wave when the seriously hot, blue-eyed, blond, built boy realized Avory wasn’t alone. “Hey. I’m Katie.” Boyfriend? Boy toy? And where the hell did he come from? Her dad was still in the house. Wasn’t she worried he’d come in here and check on her? Check on me at the very least?

  Avory jumped onto the bed, playfully landing on her knees beside the gorgeous guy. “Crue, meet Katie. Katie, this is Crue.”

  “Nice to meet you.” His words were polite, but his tone was not.

  “I can go get settled in if you two want to be alone.”

  “Nonsense.” Avory put her hands on her thin hips, dismissing my attempt to leave. “Katie’s going to be staying on the compound for the week while her dad is on tour.”

  “Who’s your daddy?” Crue smirked at his own joke, sitting casually on the windowsill, crossing his massive arms over his equally as massive chest.

  “Mason Maxwell.”

  He nodded in understanding and eyed Avory for an almost uncomfortable amount of time. I started to excuse myself again, but when he spoke, he silenced me before I could get a word out. “You want to go to a party tonight?”

  “Yes.” I didn’t even need to think about it. My Uncle Pax made me promise to live it up, and my dad had squashed that in record time. Now, I wasn’t about to miss an opportunity to continue my freedom rally. “Wait, I mean, do we need to ask your parents?” Old habits die real freaking hard.

  Crue chuckled like I’d made a joke and then slapped Avory on the ass. “I’ll pick you girls up at eight.” He winked at me then climbed out the op
en window like it was the most natural thing in the world.

  “You want freedom, Katie? I promise you, you’ve come to the right place.” Avory’s smile was mischievous. But instead of feeling scared, my blood was boiling with excitement. Or maybe that was still the gin.

  “Is he your boyfriend?” The tone of my voice made me cringe. I hated how young I sounded. How naïve. Technically I was older than Avory, albeit seemingly less experienced, if the way that Crue was eyeing her was any indication.

  “Hm.” She threw open her closet and started flipping through her clothes. “Crue is my Uncle Luke’s son. They live on the compound too. You’ll probably get to meet Jett and Cash tonight too, his brothers. That is if Jett and Marley decide to grace us with their presence and Cash can get away from whichever cat has her claws in him.”

  She didn’t answer my question, but I decided not to push. I thought it would make me seem desperate for some reason. “How many of you guys live on the compound?”

  “My older sister Halen and my cousin Beau built a house on the other side of the property, so I guess they still live here. Same for my cousin Landry and her husband Brody. Oh and their son, Wyatt. Then besides Uncle Luke’s three kids there is me, Marley, my younger sister, and then my cousins Evie and Emmie.”

  “Wait. Your sister and your cousin? They’re…together?” I didn’t follow celebrity gossip every day, but I felt like cousins shacking up would have made the national news.

  “None of us are blood related…well, except for Emmie and Evie; they’re actually cousins with Beau and Landry.” She stopped her search, her eyes narrowing. “No. Wait. Aunt B adopted both Beau and Landry, so…no, none of us are blood relatives.” Avory resumed going through her closet, throwing a few dresses out on the bed every few swipes. “We’ve all been raised together though, here on the compound.”

  “And Crue comes and goes through your window? Don’t your parents get mad?” My dad would freak out if he caught a guy in my room. Freak. The hell. Out.