Hard Rock Unrehearsed

by Van Dalen, Rene

  “Diego!” Jade wanted to hit him. “I know nothing of the sort asshole! Two lovers my whole life! Count them, two!” She held up two fingers and shook them under his nose as he reared back. “And neither of them knew when to keep their mouths shut about the business. Always with the over sharing.”

  Tag was the one who laughed the hardest because he knew what she was talking about and she slapped his leg to make him shut up. As soon as she looked away from Tag she knew she had said too much as all the male eyes were turned her way.

  “What?” She looked at their shocked faces.

  “Two? You only had two?” RJ whispered. “And does that include the D-man?”

  Jade dropped her head onto her knees put her hands over the back of her head and groaned as Tag patted her on the back and answered for her.

  “I can confirm that there has only been two as I was number one’s bodyguard and he told me when he popped her cherry, which is the over share she’s moaning about. I’ve been her bodyguard for the last seven years and know for a fact there has been no one and I didn’t have to have anyone tell me about Diego as I heard her loud and clear very early this morning.”

  She just groaned louder as Tag shared her business.

  “Hell sweetheart you’re like virgin territory! The D-man is one seriously lucky man that you enjoy being given the business so much and so enthusiastically. I heard that it takes a while for a virgin to get into having sex.” Trace said mock seriously.

  “Whoever started all this talk of sex I want to kill you! Cut it out right now! We’re done discussing my business.” Jade snarled. “How far are we from the airstrip?”

  She changed the subject and if any of them thought there would be any further discussion of her sex life they had better not try it. Although it might have been Luis pulling his ear buds out and starting to update them on what was going on in the media that stopped them from any further teasing.

  The media was going mad he informed them. They were scrambling to get to the dirt and be the first to publish it. Some publications had come out in support of her but a vast number were going with the shit that Molly Rutherford had put out there. Luis and his team were doing what they could to minimise the damage but Jade knew it was a drop in the bucket compared to the wave of shit that was threatening to engulf her.

  “How far are we with tracing the source?” Luis asked Diego.

  “Clint says he is very close, very, very close. The problem we have now is that someone on my team is working for the source and is letting them know our every move. I’m not sure how deeply we’ve been compromised. Tag and I went through our rooms this morning and we found three more bugs. They were planted in Trace’s room, my room and Tag’s room. Those bugs could only have been planted by someone on my team as we do a sweep before anyone goes to their rooms after the show and then again in the morning after the rooms had been cleaned if we have more than one show in that city, therefore we know it wasn’t an outside operative.” Frustration lay in his eyes as he spoke. “This morning we had a quick meeting in my room and planted some misinformation that, if we’re lucky, would gain us the identity of the traitor. He will have to make a move that will put him right where we want him and place him in the hands of Michael’s security team.”

  “What about this vehicle? Is it clean?” Luis looked around with narrowed eyes.

  Diego smiled an evil smile. “Yeah Dad, it’s so clean it squeaks, seeing that it arrived this morning on a Galloway freight plane along with several members of Michael’s security team. The guys sprayed it with some kind of temporary silver colour to make it look like the vehicle we have been using and swopped the two just before picking us up. None of you even noticed that the colour wasn’t exactly the same and that the driver wasn’t our usual driver, he’s one of Michael’s as well.”

  “My Dad sent one of his teams?” Jade queried softly.

  “Yeah baby, they are setting up the sting back at the hotel as we speak. The bastard who is selling us out is not going to be able to resist the bait and once we have him we are but one step away from having the source.” Diego had taken her hand as he spoke and knitted his fingers with hers.

  “How did you set him up?”

  “That was easy. Tag and I discussed the documentation regarding your pregnancy that we had stashed in the safe in his room and hinted at some dark secret contained in it. That should have him chomping at the bit to get at it. Now we just have to wait for him to make his move.” Diego gave her hand a soft squeeze.

  Before any of them could say another word the driver spoke.

  “We’re coming up to the airstrip Diego. I’m going to pull up next to the stairs. There are four men with the jet plus the pilot and co-pilot. My guys will guard the perimeter while you and Tag take the Princess on board. The rest will follow after we have her secure.” His clipped voice issued instructions without expecting a reply.

  “My name is Jade or Jay not Princess.” Jade snapped.

  “Sorry Princess but your codename has always been Princess and that’s not going to change anytime soon.” His voice was still clipped and to the point.

  “Codename? I have a codename? Since when?” Jade asked with big eyes.

  “That has been your codename since the first ever bodyguard had been assigned to you at the age of three Princess. A member of the Dawson family has always been assigned to you until Taggart here took over that duty. The one who would have been your bodyguard now if it wasn’t for Taggart has actually managed to get himself on Diego’s team and has kept an eye on you from afar.” Dropping that bomb with a grin he threw at Diego in the rear view mirror he pulled up next to the aircraft and turned in his seat to look her in the eyes and she recognised him.

  “Why aren’t you with Adam?” She demanded.

  He didn’t stop grinning. “Oh but I am with Adam Princess.” He turned his head and looked towards the aircraft and then back at her. “He insisted on flying you out of here himself, he doesn’t trust anyone else to take care of you right now.”

  Jade sighed deeply and turned to Diego. “Do you remember my brother Adam?”

  “I remember him.” Luis snapped. “He was the one who walked into my house after Val died, picked you up, walked out and disappeared with you for three months. I definitely remember him.”

  “Your brother sounds a little bit over protective Princess Jay.” Givens joked.

  “Believe me Giv if there was a word that had over in front of it most of them would describe my brothers and my father.”

  “You’re being a tad unkind Princess.” The driver rebuked her gently. “Adam is getting antsy so let’s move her out and get this done.” He turned and slid out of the vehicle in a move so fast he was gone in a blink, there wasn’t even the sound of the door opening and closing to let them know that he had been there.

  “He’s a fuckin’ ninja.” Giv growled as he shifted in his seat.

  The rear door opened and the driver and another black clad man stood there waiting. Tag got out first and turned to help Jade out. She looked around at the emptiness around them and frowned. It looked like an old rundown airstrip but looking down she saw that appearances could be deceiving. The runway wasn’t as damaged as what it looked like at first glance. The buildings she could see on the far side of the strip looked rundown but she felt sure it was a disguise the same as the runway. Weird.

  “Let’s get you out of the open and safely inside baby.” Diego took her hand and placing her between him and Tag he pushed her towards the steps leading up to the plane. Tag went up first and Diego shielded her with his big body as she went up the steps ahead of him. She had to blink her eyes to adjust them to the sudden change in brightness as she stepped inside. A big body filled her vision as Adam stepped right into her and swept her into his arms. Her father and brothers were big men just like Diego and she was dwarfed by him as he hugged her to his big chest. Wrapping her arms around him she returned the hug with one of her own.

  “Fine mess y
ou got yourself into this time Princess.” He rumbled with a laugh.

  “Wasn’t me!” She immediately snapped and he laughed even harder.

  She decided to ignore him and turned in his arms to introduce him to the guys who had since gotten onto the plane. Introductions went smoothly until she got to Luis and Diego then Adam’s mouth thinned. “Mr. Delgado and son, welcome aboard.” He used his cool voice with Luis and Diego making Jade bristle with indignation.

  “Adam! Be nice!”

  “Sorry Princess if I’m being a bit of an ass. What happened to you wasn’t their fault but it’s hard to let it go when it turned you into a fuckin’ hermit for seven years.” Her brother hadn’t ever in his life hesitated to express his opinion and he didn’t now.

  “Adam it’s because of them that I’m no longer what you call a hermit. Luis and Diego have encouraged me and Luis especially has prodded and pushed me into performing again, so please be nice. Okay?” She looked up at her brother with soft eyes and he sighed.

  “Stop making those damned puppy dog eyes at me Princess. You know I hate it when you do that! You look like those soppy damned big eyed greeting cards and it makes me want to hurl!” Adam covered her eyes with his big hand and pushed her towards Diego. “I have to warn you Delgado the Princess here is a devious and underhanded fighter when she wants something. Are you sure you want to get involved with a woman who is that dangerous?”

  “She’s everything I have always wanted, deviousness included.” Diego grinned as he manoeuvred her into a seat and strapped her in.

  “Huh. No accounting for taste now is there?” Adam muttered then grinned at Jade’s outraged face. “Let’s get this baby in the air now that we’re all here and accounted for.”

  Adam moved to the cockpit as black clad men streamed into the cabin and took their places at the back of the plane. The tannoy crackled and then Adam’s voice filled the cabin.

  “This is your captain speaking. We welcome you aboard Galloway Air for your flight to Seattle. Please fasten your seatbelts and remain in your seats until we reach cruising altitude. We hope you have a pleasant flight with us. Unfortunately on this trip we could not supply you with stewardesses but we promise to rectify the omission on future flights to enable you to join a certain club. Should you know of any likely candidates please supply the names to your captain who will endeavour to check their suitability.” There was a soft snigger. “Thoroughly.”

  “You are a dog Adam!” Jade shouted towards the front and male laughter filled the cabin as the engines whined and they started moving forward.

  The smile disappeared off Adam Galloway’s face as soon as he turned off the system and concentrated on getting them into the air. They were at cruising altitude when he called his Dad.

  “I’ve got her Dad.”

  “Good. Mike and I will be getting into Seattle about an hour after you so we’ll see you at the penthouse. How does she look?”

  Adam smiled and shook his head. “She looks good Dad. I don’t know if you’re going to like it seeing as she looks like a rock star and not your little princess but I think she looks good.” Taking a deep breath he dropped the bomb. “She’s in love with him Dad and he’s in as deep as what she is.”

  His Dad was quiet for a long time and when he spoke Adam made big eyes at his co-pilot.

  “As long as he loves her the way she deserves to be loved, treats her with respect and keeps his dick out of other women we’ll be good. He deviates from that path then there will be consequences.” His father’s voice was like ice and Adam knew this was the ruthless man who had built up a business empire speaking. “I warned his brother and I will warn him when the time comes.”

  Holy shit! “Dad! Jade will have your nuts if you interfere!”

  “She won’t know, just like she didn’t know before.” He was still using the iceman voice.

  “She was twenty years old then Dad, she’s no longer that young kid we all wanted to protect and wrap in cotton wool. And I have to say that Diego Delgado is a whole different kettle of fish than his brother was, he will tell her because he will want to be honest with her. Val was a good guy, don’t get me wrong, I liked him with Jade and I liked him as a person but I always felt as if there was something missing with him.”

  “I know what you mean Adam.”

  Adam continued before his Dad could say anything more. “Diego now, with Diego you get what you see and you see what you get. He doesn’t hide who and what he is and he doesn’t hide the fact that he loves my sister and I like that for her. She deserves happiness Dad.”

  Adam went silent and waited for his Dad’s response. “Okay Adam I’ll give it time before I do anything.”

  Adam closed his eyes and sent up a little prayer of thanks. Shit storm avoided!

  “Great Dad, we’ll see you in Seattle then, over and out.” He signed off and turned to his co-pilot.

  “You need to speak to him and get him to back off.”

  Rick sighed as he unclipped his seatbelt and pushed himself out of the co-pilot’s chair. “Yeah, yeah! As if it’s that easy to get him to listen to me!” He griped as he made his way out of the cockpit.

  Looking at his woman Diego had to hide his smile as she whooped and waved her cards in front of Trace’s nose. They were playing poker and she was beating the pants off the guys. They should have known with her coming from a household filled with men she would have card skills. Hell, her brother Michael played poker tournaments for fun! It only stood to reason that he would have taught his little sister how to hold her own. He had learned over the years that Jade was fiercely competitive, whether it was a game of tennis or a game of cards she committed herself to it fully. The tannoy crackled as she scooped the chips on the table into a heap in front of her.

  “Attention Galloway shoppers! We are approaching Seattle and we ask that you desist in fleecing your fellow passengers, sit your asses down and strap in for landing. You will stay seated until the men in black have exited the plane and ascertained that the area is clear of nasty bugs of the media persuasion. Then and only then will you be allowed to exit the aircraft. We thank you for your patience and for using Galloway Air.” The tannoy clicked off only to almost immediately come on again. “This is your captain again, Rick Galloway get your ass up here! You are the co-pilot not the damn entertainment co-ordinator! Sheez! Just can’t get good help these days!” There was a snigger and then the tannoy clicked off again.

  “Fuck you Adam!” Rick shouted as he made his way from the back of the plane where he had been chatting to a few of the black clad guys.

  Adam’s head appeared around the open door of the cockpit with a shit eating grin. “Thanks for the offer Rick but I prefer women, you could try one of the other guys though, you might get lucky.” His head disappeared and they heard his cackle of laughter.

  “Fuckin’ git! I’ll get you for this you little shit!” Rick swore as he stomped to the front.

  Diego frowned as he remembered the uncomfortable way Rick had acted the other night when he came to say goodnight to Jade. Was he gay? He was still contemplating it when Jade sank down into the seat next to him and snapped her seat belt closed. Leaning over he ran his lips over her jaw then rubbed his lips softly over hers. She sighed against his mouth and he only barely held himself in check as he sat back and smiled down into her warm eyes. Leaning down again he whispered in her ear.

  “Is Rick gay?”

  Jade jerked away and looked around before looking up into his eyes and shaking her head vigorously from side to side. He raised his eyebrows at her and she shook her head again, very insistently. She took another quick look around to see if anyone was watching and then mouthed a word that suddenly made some things clear. Rick Gaines played both sides of the fence and then he remembered another thing Jade had said, it meant that her brother Michael did as well. Fuckin’ déjà vu!

  “Does your Dad know?”

  “Yes and it’s not a problem at all.”

  Diego looked
in her eyes and knew that sooner or later he was going to have to ask the question that was now burning a hole in his gut. Never mind his fuckin’ gut! It was burning a hole in his soul because if his girl wanted what his brother had most probably given her there was no way in hell he could do it! He wouldn’t even try. He still had fuckin’ nightmares of the one night he’d .........fuck no! He wasn’t going to open that can of worms!

  “You stay close to Tag and I when we land and you listen to us baby, don’t move unless one of us is with you. Put your hoodie on and keep the hood up around your face, sunglasses on your nose, hands in pockets. We’ll stay around you until we have you in the helicopter and safe. At the penthouse the team will get out first, set up a perimeter and then we’ll get you out and into the building. Don’t worry about anything as we have it under control.”

  She was confused. Diego had been fine when they got onto the plane, he was fine all the way until they were almost in Seattle and then he had changed. He was subtly distant, oh he still fussed around her but it wasn’t the same. She could tell there was something troubling him and it had started right after she confirmed that Rick and Michael were both bi-sexual. Did he have a problem with their sexual orientation? It couldn’t be because he had been a bodyguard for Killing Fields and Max, who he had been guarding at the time, was gay. So what was it then? She didn’t have more time to ponder the question as right then they touched down and the atmosphere in the plane went electric. They had scarcely rolled to a stop when the black clad men were in motion, opening the hatch and making their way outside. After shutting the aircraft down Adam followed them out.

  She sat frozen in her seat trying desperately to hear what was going on outside the plane. A piercing whistle sounded and Diego, Tag and Hanson were suddenly in motion herding the band and Luis out of the plane. Then it was only Jade left. Diego’s hand under her elbow lifted her out of her seat and shifted to the small of her back, pushing her gently toward the exit. Jade followed Hanson and Tag and pulled the hood of her hoody over her head as she made it to the doorway. With Diego’s hand still in the small of her back she followed behind Tag and stepped out of the plane. She was quick marched over to a big assed helicopter that sat with whirling blades at some distance from the plane. There were no steps and Diego and Tag grabbed her arms and lifted her up and into the open door. The driver of the Hummer, who she found out was called Steele, took her from them seated her facing forward then strapped her in. It took less than fifteen minutes to get them all loaded and then they were flying over Seattle. She couldn’t see a damn thing because she was nowhere near a window!