Chapter 23
Braxton
“How’s Coraline?” I asked as soon as I reached the waiting room.
“We haven’t heard anything yet.” Cash cursed, standing up from his seat. “Taylor came out about half an hour ago to let us know that they were going to run some tests on her and the baby. How’s Abby?”
“She’s okay,” I answered, trying to forget the vision of her scarred arm. Although we’d made love since this tour started, the room had been dark and I hadn’t been focused on anything but reliving the past and what we’d had all those years ago.
“You doing alright?” Cash interrupted my thoughts.
“No,” I grunted, holding up my hand when Cash started to say something, but he still voiced his opinion.
“She needs you and you need her,” he replied, but I just wanted to change the subject.
“What about the guy that hit us?” I asked, knowing the man had some injuries, but I didn’t know how severe they were, and I needed to get the questions off of myself and Abby.
“He didn’t make it.” Ace cursed, overhearing our conversation. “The police said the man was intoxicated.”
“Damn,” I growled, dropping into the seat next to him.
Why did I fucking run out of that room? Why did seeing her scars up close hit me with a flood of everything we’d shared and everything we’d lost? I couldn’t keep doing this to myself. She was in that room, injured, and I couldn’t even stay there to hold her hand while she was released. How much of an asshole had I become?
Fuck! I felt like the worst of human beings. I loved that woman. I’d loved her since the day she came into my life. Had it really been five years? She was barely twenty-one when I’d met her at a small little bar my old band had played at on a Saturday night.
Abby had accepted me, flaws and all, but I pushed her away. I’d almost killed her and she forgave me for every mistake I’d made. I was killing myself by fighting the inevitable. I couldn’t imagine her with another man, and I sure as hell couldn’t imagine myself with another woman. I hadn’t even entertained another woman in three years. There was no one else for me…except Abagail Hampton.
“The bus is not drivable,” Cash announced as he hung up his phone. “Hank is on the phone with the rental company, trying to get us something by morning. I’m securing us a hotel close by, and we can stay there until tomorrow.”
“Why don’t you all go to the hotel?” Ace said, standing up to stretch. “I’ll stay here until there is word on Coraline.”
“I don’t want to leave Coraline,” Abby spoke up as she entered the waiting room, tilting her head so she could look into my eyes. “Please, Braxton. Can we stay?”
“You need to rest,” I replied, seeing the dark circles forming under her eyes. The thought of Abby possibly being uncomfortable didn’t sit well with me. I noticed she was holding her left arm close to her side. I stood up from my seat and walked right up to her, knowing I looked like I was raging mad, but I had to know. “How’s your arm?”
“Stiff, but I think that’s from the tumble I took.” She paused, looking uncomfortable.
“We have hotel rooms,” I said. “We should get you over there.”
I heard her let out a soft yawn, and I was about to tell her that we should go to the hotel when the doors to the emergency room opened and Taylor exited, his eyes swollen with tears. His expression was one I’d seen before. It was damn similar to the night he found out Coraline had lost their first child.
“Oh, Taylor,” Abby cried out, rushing to his side.
“It’s…it’s a girl,” he choked out, wrapping an arm over Abby’s shoulders. “The ultrasound tech said I had a healthy baby girl.”
“Coraline’s okay?” Ace asked, reaching out to put his hand on Taylor’s shoulder. I did the same when our guitarist swayed. Ace and I walked him over to a seat and pushed him down. “Is Coraline okay?”
“Yeah.” He smiled, looking up at us with a huge grin. “Everyone is fine.”
“Thank God.” Abby slumped into a seat, tears pouring from her eyes. By that time, we were all tired, sore, and in need of some good news.
“They’re going to release us, but Coraline is on bed rest for the next few days.” He chuckled. “She’s so fucking pissed.”
“I bet she is,” Ace replied, but my mind was focused on Abby. She was still crying to herself.
“Hey,” I said, kneeling at her feet. “She’s going to be okay.”
“I know,” she sniffled. “I’m sorry…I just…with the wreck…and the baby…and…and…”
“I know.” I didn’t know what else to say to her.
Taylor told us all to go get some rest and he’d talk to us the next day. Cash came in with our new bodyguards and handed out room keys to the hotel around the corner. I followed Abby out to the rented SUV and helped her inside. I didn’t sit in the back with her, preferring to put as much distance between us as possible. Lane slipped into the driver’s seat and gave me a sideways glance as he started the vehicle.
I couldn’t keep putting Abby into these situations. The accident was the second time she’d been hurt in my care, and it needed to end. My sanity was wearing thin, and I couldn’t concentrate with her around. The worry was slowly driving me insane. My love for her would be never ending, but I knew what I had to do.
“Here’s your key,” I offered when we arrived at the hotel. “Go on up and get some rest.” Abby slid out of the back seat and took the key, staying silent as she walked away.
“Everything alright?” Lane asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“I need you to get Abby a flight back to Seattle first thing in the morning,” I ordered. “I’m firing her so she can return home.”
“What?” Cash barked as he approached. I didn’t even realize he’d hopped into another SUV with Hayden. His blond hair fell into his angry eyes as he approached me, grabbing my shirt in his fist. “Have you lost your fucking mind?”
“Not here,” Hayden barked, rushing up to our side.
“Here is perfectly fine,” Cash snapped. “You are an asshole, Braxton Keller.”
“She needs to go home,” I replied, running a hand down my face. I knew I was an asshole, but I was also looking out for Abby.
“Get into your hotel rooms and calm the fuck down.” Hayden pulled Cash away from me and spoke softly to him before sending my bassist in through the doors. I looked around and saw both guards standing nearby, watching me like I was going change my mind.
“Do it,” I growled, turning on my heel to follow Cash inside. “Send her home on the first plane out tomorrow.”
Chapter 24
Abby
The scenery passed outside the SUV as I stared out the window, completely in shock at what I had been told that morning. Marshall had come to my room to tell me I was being let go and my bags had been retrieved from the wrecked bus. With a sad sigh, he told me they were awaiting me in the SUV.
I pushed away each tear that leaked from my eyes, but I kept my cool and didn’t voice my anger. I knew what had happened, and I didn’t need a fucking note to read his bullshit excuses. The goodbye note I received with my termination sat on the seat next to me, still in an envelope with the hotel’s logo on the outside corner.
My head still throbbed from the bump I’d taken during the accident. Thankfully, I didn’t have a concussion or anything serious. At least I was awake this time when he left me.
“Fuck,” I growled under my breath. I looked up and saw Marshall look in the rearview mirror with concern. I just shook my head and returned to staring out the window.
When we finally arrived at the airport, I was surprised when the bodyguard parked the SUV in the long-term parking lot instead of just dumping me at the curb. When he opened my door, all he said was, “I’m flying to Seattle with you to make sure you arrive safe and sound.”
“I don’t need to be babysat,” I barked, jerking my right arm from his hold.
I reached
back to grab the note Braxton had sent along with me and turned to the guard. Tearing it up into as many tiny pieces as I could, I grabbed Marshall’s wrist and dropped the pile in his hand, closing his fingers around the remains. “You can return this to Braxton instead of holding my hand while I fly home.”
“My job is to see that you make it home safely,” he repeated, looking down at his hand.
I ignored him and retrieved my two bags from the back of the SUV, not waiting on him to help. Slinging my backpack over my shoulder, I looked up when he tried to follow me. “I’d advise you to get back in that truck and leave me be.”
“Abby,” he said, his eyes narrowing. “My job…”
“Fuck your job,” I replied, wiping away a tear. “And fuck Braxton Keller.”
“You’re not going to Seattle alone,” he pushed, moving closer to my side.
“If you even think about walking with me into that airport, I will make the biggest scene you’ve ever witnessed.”
“Fuck,” he swore, his shoulders slumping in defeat. I felt guilty for being a bitch, but I wasn’t going to back down.
“I’m sorry, Marshall,” I sighed, “but I can take it from here.” Without another word, he slid into the driver’s seat and drove away.
The cold wind blew my hair as I turned and made my way into the airport. The lines for check-in were long, and I closed off my mind to all thoughts as I waited to get my ticket. I kept my head down as I moved on through security. The lady who checked my ID looked at me with concern, but I was sure she’d seen many travelers with red eyes and runny noses as they left their loved ones behind. My case was so much different.
I was being thrown away…again.
My stomach growled as I waited for my plane to board, but I didn’t eat anything. The gnawing at my gut made me more nauseous than anything else. I was afraid if I did eat, I’d be violently sick.
I tried not to think about Braxton, but it was very hard to do when I sat down in my first class seat. He’d done it again, spending needless money on me when I could’ve taken care of myself. When was he going to stop? Would he ever stop?
What if I found someone else?
That thought brought a whole new round of tears to my eyes, and I used the pillow and blanket provided to me to shield my face from the flight attendant as she walked around preparing the plane for departure. The next few hours in the air were spent with me silently sobbing.
When we arrived, I hurried down to baggage claim to get my suitcase. By that time, I just wanted to return to my apartment and lock the doors for the next few weeks. I was so hurt and angry at him, I didn’t want to see anyone.
“Of fucking course,” I snarled when I saw a man in a suit holding my name on a whiteboard.
I tucked my chin and walked past him without being noticed. Out on the curb, I flagged down a taxi and quickly spat out my address. He didn’t say anything as he loaded my bags and drove away from the Seattle airport.
My heart was in shreds. I’d been given an opportunity to see the world and it was yanked out of my grasp by a man who owned me body and soul. It wasn’t his decision, but I was smart enough to leave. As much as I wanted to stay and fight for us, I knew that this accident had broken any chance of there being an us to salvage. Braxton had made his choice, and it didn’t include me. Any seduction I would’ve tried with him was bound to have a fatal outcome.
I unlocked my apartment door and tossed my bags on the couch, not caring to unpack or do anything more than crawl into my bed so I could cry myself to sleep.
* * *
The morning was met with bright sun outside my window. I didn’t have any energy to walk over to pull the curtains closed. My dreams had been full of scenarios where I actually fought for our relationship and confronted Braxton for sending me home. I kept waking up before the dream was finished.
My phone rang from its place on the nightstand. When I looked at the screen, I saw Penny’s name, and I reached over to press the button to send it to voicemail. The second time it rang, I turned off my phone completely. I didn’t want to talk to anyone with the last name of Keller.
Wrapping the blanket from my bed around my body, I shuffled my feet as I made my way into the kitchen, throwing together what I needed for a cup of coffee. My living room windows looked out onto the street, and my goal was the windowsill. It was cold outside, despite the sun, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to stare into space and hope that my mind wouldn’t stray to the memories I had of him.
I sipped at my coffee and didn’t really taste it. My mind wasn’t going to give me what I wanted, and I found it a thousand miles away with him. He was hurting, and again, I was the cause of it. The bus accident scared him. I wasn’t stupid. I knew exactly why he sent me home. I didn’t need a letter to explain it to me, either.
I’d cried so much the night before, I thought I didn’t have any more left inside, but I proved myself wrong when I felt the wetness on my cheeks. The difference was the tears before were of sadness…now, they were tears of anger. I’d let him just send me away without a fight.
I should’ve fought for him, but at that point, it was already over between us.
He’d made the decision for us both.
I saw her car pull up outside. Penny hurried toward my building, and I waited for the buzzer. When she pressed it repeatedly, I ignored her. It wasn’t a good idea for her to see me in this condition. If I knew my best friend, she’d give her brother hell for sending me home. I didn’t need her to do that, and I sure as hell didn’t need her to see me all red faced from crying. It was one thing for the people at the airport who didn’t know me, it was another for Penny to witness it.
“Abagail Hampton!” Penny blared as she beat her fist on my door.
“Damn, who let her in the building?” I cursed under my breath.
“Open the damn door!”
“Go away, Penny,” I replied through the door. Resting my forehead against the solid wood frame, I prayed she’d give up, but I knew she wouldn’t.
“Let me in,” she mumbled. It was so low, I almost didn’t hear what she said. “Please, Abby.”
I raised my fist and beat it against the frame twice in frustration before I reached for the deadbolt. As soon as I threw the lock, Penny pushed her way inside. The moment she took in my features, she dropped her bag to the floor and pulled me into her arms. All I could do was cry into the arms of my best friend as my legs gave out. We fell in a heap on the floor, but she never let me go, staying there until the tears subsided.
“I tried so hard to get him to see how much I loved him, but he sent me away.”
Chapter 25
Braxton
A commotion at the backstage gate caused me to turn around to see what was going on as I stepped off the bus. I had to blink a few times to get my brain on board with what I was seeing. Marshall was holding back a woman who was cursing him for all she was worth, using her hands to try to push his massive body to the side. The moment he put his hands on her, I took off at a dead run.
“Get your fucking hands off my sister!” I roared so loudly, everyone stopped in their tracks.
“Yeah, you big behemoth!” Penny barked as Marshall stepped aside.
“This is your sister?” he asked in disbelief. They’d not met yet, and I hadn’t even thought to let them know about my family, because I didn’t expect any of them to show up this far from home.
“Yes, I’m his sister,” Penny replied, sneering at the guard.
“What the fuck are you doing in Louisville?” I grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the bus. Cash came rushing down the stairs and stopped dead in his tracks, repeating what I had said to my sister.
“Well, I’m happy to see you too, brother,” she snarled, her sarcasm telling me she wasn’t happy at all. “I’m sorry, Cash, but I need to talk to him.”
“This is not the time,” I warned, feeling my heart ache in my chest. The last few days had been hell on my nightmares. Abby’s voice begging me not
to leave her in that hospital room was the only thing I’d heard when I let the memories sink through the wall I’d built around my thoughts.
“You need to talk to your sister,” Cash said, taking a deep breath, holding his hand out toward the bus. “Go to the bus.”
Penny started walking away, not looking at either of us. She was pissed, and I wanted to know how Abby was doing, but I didn’t need to ask. Seeing my sister in Kentucky was enough to tell me that things at home were bad.
“She’s miserable,” Penny said as soon as the doors closed on the bus. “You are the biggest asshole on the face of the planet, Braxton Keller.”
“I did what was best,” I argued, folding my arms over my chest.
“For Abby?” Penny barked, her face turning red. “God! You are so dense sometimes, Braxton.”
“Is she okay?” I finally asked after a moment of silence. I had to know.
“No, she’s not okay,” she replied. “The only time I’ve ever seen someone in that much pain was when I looked at you after the first time you left her.”
“Every time she is with me, she gets hurt!” I exploded, throwing my hands in the air. “I can’t keep doing that to her.”
“The accident wasn’t your fault,” Cash interrupted. “Dude, you have got to stop this shit. It’s killing you not to be with Abby.”
“Man, fuck you,” I snarled, looking at my bassist. “Stay out of this.”
“No, fuck you!” he bit back, pointing at my face. “I hear you calling out for her in your sleep at night. I know the nightmares are back, Braxton. We all hear you.”
“You have three days off after this show,” Penny said, using her finger to poke me in the chest. “I’d advise you to return to Seattle with me and make things right.”
“No,” I growled. “It’s over.”
“Who said?” she snapped. “You?”
“Jesus, Braxton,” Cash replied, running his hand through his long, blond hair. “She fucking loves you! Why would you throw something like that away? I’d give anything to have someone like that in my life. Maybe I’ll call Abby since you are too much of a pussy to accept her.”
Fatal Seduction (Fatal Cross Live! Book 3) Page 11
