Savaged Dreams: Savaged Illusions Trilogy Book 1

by Jennifer Lyon

  By the time the show ticked down to the conclusion, her heart pounded and her nerves were stretched. She’d done all she could, the band had rocked the house…

  Now it was up to the judges and fans. Liza, Karl and Nikki forgot their devices and jobs as they watched to see which of their bands would make this cut. Tension thickened the air around them.

  The announcer said, “The votes are in and tallied. Which two bands will stay for the finale next week? And which band will leave us tonight?”

  Her heart leapt into her throat. This was it. She froze to the couch, staring up at the huge monitor. The three bands were grouped on stage, each one in a spotlight. She barely looked at Jagged Sin or Fury Run. All her attention was on Justice and Savaged Illusions.

  “The first band that will be going on to the finale is…”

  The drum beat an edgy tattoo as everyone waited. Liza leaned forward, as if she could hear the answer faster.

  “Fury Run!”

  The crowd clapped as the girls hugged each other in excitement. Their spotlight snapped off, and the noise died away.

  “And now, it’s down to two bands, Savaged Illusions and Jagged Sin. Savaged Illusions are known for their hard-edged authentic rock vibe in their music. They’ve been a fan favorite since the first day and a huge hit on YouTube. And Jagged Sin is known for their pure grunge rock sound and consider themselves a true alternative rock. Both these bands have been neck and neck with the judges, but what will the fans decide?”

  “Come on,” Liza muttered, frustrated by the buildup. Savaged Illusions had to make the cut.

  “And now, on our second-to-last show of the season, the band that will be going home tonight is…”

  The drums picked up, beating a terrible tension. Liza squeezed her eyes shut, begging the gods of rock to let Justice and the guys make it. “Please, please, please,” she whispered the prayer.

  “Jagged Sin.”

  “Yes!” She leapt to her feet. With Jagged Sin eliminated that meant Savaged Illusions had made it to the finale. The crowd roared in excitement. Liza didn’t stay to hear the rest. She tore out of the greenroom, through the halls, but she stopped when she saw Ace and his crew stomp down the stairs, bellowing, “This is fucked! The show is rigged!” They stormed out the door.

  Frank chased after them, yelling about contracts and required interviews.

  “I guess I should go help,” Nikki said.

  Liza turned to the girl standing at her elbow. “No, don’t. Stay here, Nikki.” Had the show even ended yet?

  Frank came back in, his face mottled with rage. “Bastards,” he muttered.

  Liza held on to Nikki’s arm. “Did they leave?”

  “Gone.” He rubbed his eyes. “Execs are going to be pissed.”

  Before Liza could think of anything to say, the other two bands raced down the stairs in a flurry of back slaps, hugs and laughs. Justice caught her eye and broke away from the group to hurry over to her. Damn he looked good.

  “We made it.” He swung her up in his arms and spun her.

  Laughter spilled out of her. “I know.”

  “Justice, they need you in the media pen now,” Frank said. “Hurry.”

  He lowered her to the floor and was swept up by the rest of his band and the Court of Rock executives.

  Liza stared after the small crowd hustling down the hall.

  This is what it’ll always be like. Justice pulled away by his fame.

  Could she really handle that? Wait, what was she doing? Savaged Illusions won! Tonight was about the band and celebrating their victory, not Liza and her insecurities.

  * * *

  Liza and Justice boarded the private elevator up to the penthouse of the Opulence Hotel.

  “Relax,” Justice said, taking her hand. “This is a small party.”

  “But a penthouse? That’s pretty extravagant.”

  He shrugged. “Sloane’s rich. And the band is already staying here, so it’s easier to drink.”

  “Oh.” She glanced away.

  Justice caught her chin. “What?”

  “Did you want to stay here tonight?” Could she do it? Sleep with him? She trusted Justice more each day, but what if she couldn’t sleep? Or woke and panicked? “I could try. Or if I can’t, maybe I could borrow your car to go home and come back in the morning to get you.”

  Anger darkened his gaze. “So you wake up at three and drive home alone? Is that what you think I’d ask of you?”

  She hated this. “I should be able to sleep in bed with my boyfriend.”

  The elevator stopped, and the doors glided open. The view took her breath away. A huge room, done in whites and grays, that went straight through to a big terrace.

  Justice settled his hand on her back, led her out of the elevator and stopped to stare down at her. “You’ll sleep with me when you’re ready. I don’t mind waiting. But if you ever do wake up scared, you wake me. You don’t leave, Beth. It’s dangerous at night, and you don’t like the dark.”

  His words washed over her, bringing out a profound happiness at the way he understood and accepted her. And he believed that if he gave her space and support, she would be able to sleep with him. That made her feel more confident. She opened her mouth to answer when she caught sight of two men heading toward them. Both were big, well over six feet. The one on the right wore dark slacks and a beautifully made dress shirt with sleeves rolled up to accentuate the sheer power radiating off him. The other was older, deep into his forties, with gray threading into his hair and sharp blue eyes.

  “Sloane, Drake.” Justice and the two men did the handshake-backslap-almost-a-hug thing guys do.

  “Liza.” Justice tugged her to his side. “This is Drake Vaughn.”

  The name clicked into place. The mentor who’d helped Justice after he got out of juvie. She shook his hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”

  “And this is Sloane Michaels.”

  The man turned his dark, assessing eyes on her as he shook her hand. “Liza, Justice tells me you’re working hard for their band.”

  “They make it easy.” She glanced around. “This is amazing.”

  “Come out on the terrace. The rest of the band is here, and the chefs have dinner ready.”

  Sloane led them out to three tables set up on one end of the terrace. Overhead, a canopy of velvety sky dotted with bright stars stretched out while the sound of the waves crashing and receding wafted up from the ocean. The other side of the terrace had couches and chairs grouped around a couple fire features and a built-in bar. Near the tables, two chefs manned a huge BBQ grill. This terrace had to be as big as the indoor space.

  “Liza.” A girl rose and rushed over.

  “Nikki.” How did Jagged Sin’s publicist end up here? Well ex-publicist now since they’d been eliminated tonight. “What a surprise.”

  “Simon invited me. I was waiting for security to walk me out to my car, then I saw Simon, and we got to talking.”

  Liza glanced over at Simon. He had his head close to River, chatting about something. She turned back to the girl becoming her friend. “So, you’re with Simon? Like a date?”

  Nikki fiddled with her sleeve. “Just a night of fun. I followed him here in my car.” She peered closer to Liza. “This last week and a half, it wasn’t great, you know? I kind of hated the job. So I told Simon that, and he said come have fun tonight, finish it off with a good memory. And I thought, why not? But I’m not looking for anything more.”

  Liza had seen the stress building in Nikki, so yeah, she got it. “Then let’s have some fun.”

  A popping noise made her jump.

  “Champagne,” Sloane announced as he opened a second bottle then started pouring. The white wine fizzed in the glass.

  Justice claimed the first flute and took a deliberate sip as she watched. He eyed her. “Would you like to try it? Or I can get some sparkling water from the bar.”

  Her throat tightened, but not with fear. “You took a drink first. For me.”
He’d done it to reassure her it was safe.

  His face softened. “It’s not a big deal.”

  “It’s huge.” The glass was in his hand didn’t scare her. Not like it had that night at Screech’s nightclub. “I’ll try it.” She accepted it from him.

  Sloane passed out more champagne then held his glass up. “Congratulations, Justice, River, Lynx, Simon and Gray. May the star power of Savaged Illusions burn bright and eternal.”

  As cheers broke out, Liza sipped the bubbly wine. The crisp and complex taste lingered on her tongue.

  “Like it?”

  She looked up to find Justice’s eyes fixed on her. “I think so.”

  “Go light, baby. That shit will knock you on your ass and leave you with a headache you won’t forget.”

  “All right, let’s eat.” Sloane motioned, and several waiters swarmed the tables with warm, fragrant bread and chilled salads. They all dug in, and the guys talked while Liza and Nikki chatted about school.

  Halfway through the bacon-wrapped fillets cooked on the grill to order, River called out from across the table, “Hey, Liza.”

  She looked up.

  “Did you confirm with Cassie? She’s coming to the finale?”

  “Oh.” Liza set her fork down, her excitement taking hold. “Yeah, I called her while you guys were in the interviews, and talked to her and her mom for a minute tonight. She was thrilled.”

  “Cassie,” Drake said. “That was the girl Liza talked about in the IRB interview, and then River read her letter on the air?”

  “That’s the one,” Liza answered. “I’m still arranging some details, but they’ll be here.”

  River tilted his head. “I thought the show was handling that?”

  She sipped her sparkling water—she’d taken Justice’s warning to heart about the champagne and kept it to one small glass. “They’re donating the two tickets. But they said it wouldn’t be fair to fly out fans for Savaged Illusions and pay for room and board and not do it for the other bands.”

  Nikki sighed. “That’s probably partly my fault. After that interview, Ace had a tantrum, insisting I make sure the show didn’t do anything for your fans and not his. I had to send an email about it.” She stared down at her plate. “I’m sorry. That poor girl lost her leg, and Ace acted like she was looking for a free ride.”

  Liza could feel the regret coming off the girl. “Nikki, don’t worry about it, okay? I’ve got some contributions coming in to help defray costs. My friend Emily and her boyfriend Ben are helping get the word out, plus a lot of the doctors Ben works with are donating frequent flyer miles. The airlines were a pain in the ass about that, but I finally shamed them into agreeing to convert the donated miles into two tickets for Cassie and her mom.”

  “How’d you do that?” Simon asked from the other side of Nikki.

  Liza smiled. “I threatened to put the word out that they’re refusing to help a disabled young woman. Worked like a charm.” Shifting her gaze back to Nikki, she said, “You were doing your job.”

  “I don’t have any money to donate, but I have a ticket for the finale. Do you need it for them? Maybe for another family member?”

  Liza really liked this girl. “It’d be great if you went and sat with them. You could show them around.”

  “Sure. I’d love to do that.”

  Liza smiled. “Awesome. Just a couple more details and we’ll be all set.” She smiled at River. “Cassie’s so excited.”

  “What other details?” Sloane asked.

  She shifted her attention to the man. “I’m negotiating with a couple hotels to get reduced prices. And working to find a driver who can also stay with Cassie, kind of like a bodyguard, because it’s a lot of walking and crowds. It all takes money, but we’re getting there.”

  Silence fell around the table. Embarrassed, she tried to figure out what she’d done wrong. Then it dawned on her. “I’m not asking anyone here to donate. Honestly, we’re getting it taken care of, and her family will pay the rest.”

  Sloane pulled out a business card and held it out. “Contact me tomorrow, and I’ll cover the remaining costs. I’ll get her a suite here in the hotel and give you the information.”

  Was he serious? “You don’t have to do that. I got carried away talking about it.”

  Sloane leaned around Drake. “Take the card. Call me. And for future reference, I don’t make offers unless I mean them.”

  She took the card. “Thank you, Sloane. I really appreciate it.”

  He waved her thanks off.

  “I really didn’t bring it up to—”

  “I brought Cassie up,” River jumped in. “And you should have told us this, Liza. I assumed Court of Rock was paying for it. We would have helped.”

  Justice covered her hand. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “You guys are doing enough. Plus, I didn’t want anyone to say something to her about it. Her parents don’t want her worrying about money right now.”

  “You’ve found yourself a very special young woman, Justice,” Drake said.

  “Yeah.” Justice stared at her. “I have.”

  * * *

  Several hours later, Liza and Justice said their goodbyes. “Thanks for having me, Sloane. Dinner was incredible,” Liza said.

  The elevator doors opened, and Justice led her in.

  “Hang on, we’re coming too.” Simon ushered Nikki in just before the doors closed, and the car started the glide down to the parking garage.

  The girl touched Liza’s arm. “Call or text me whatever you need me to do to help Cassie.”

  “I’ll call you. Sloane’s sending a limo for her, and he said he’d include you in the pickup so you won’t have to drive. The driver will act as a bodyguard too, because Cassie can’t be jostled around or she might fall. This guy, Sloane said, can handle that and, worst case, lift her if there’s a problem. Sound okay?” She’d discussed a few details with Sloane. The man had a get-it-done briskness that she liked.

  The girl grinned. “Let’s see, limo and bodyguard, I think I can deal with that. You know, for Cassie’s sake.”

  Liza laughed. “Rough, huh?”

  “I’m tough.” Her gaze strayed to Simon.

  Liza eyed the two men involved in an animated recap of their win tonight. They were too occupied to pay much attention to her and Nikki’s conversation. Everything in Liza wanted to warn Nikki that Simon was still in love with his wife. “Uh…”

  Nikki met her gaze, her blue eyes somber. “I know. I’m going home. He’s just walking me to my car.”

  The elevator eased to a stop, and the doors slid open. Liza hugged Nikki. “Let’s talk tomorrow, ’kay?”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Good night,” Simon called as he and Nikki headed right, while she and Justice went left, passing several parked cars.

  “That was fun. I really liked your friends. I can’t believe Sloane offered to help Cassie. He knows I wasn’t angling for that, right? I hadn’t even thought of it.”

  Justice tugged her against his side. “He knows. Trust me, Sloane doesn’t do anything unless he wants to do it. He’s a bigger hard-ass than Simon.” He kissed her forehead. “And they all like you. I knew they would.”

  Warmth spread through her. “What a great night.”

  “It’s not over yet. I can’t wait to get you home and—”

  A loud scream pierced the quiet, echoing in the underground parking lot.

  * * *

  That scream snapped Justice into action. He shoved Beth between two cars and tossed her his phone. “Call Sloane and stay down.”

  Simon bellowed and swore, followed by the sounds of punches and pained grunts. Adrenaline powered into Justice as he raced toward the noise.

  The fight spilled out from between two SUVs. Justice counted three men on Simon. They’d gotten him to the ground and were hitting and kicking.

  “Traitor,” one man snarled.

  Justice roared in, grabbing an arm and heav
ing Ace against a car. “What the fuck are you doing?” He couldn’t believe members of Jagged Sin had jumped Simon.

  A fist drove into his kidneys from behind. Pain exploded. Justice whirled, ramming his fist into the face of Jagged Sin’s drummer. Rage ripped into his brain, and his training kicked in. Everything slid away but the need to defend Simon and protect Beth.

  “Justice.”

  Beth’s voice pushed back some of his fury. Snapping his head around, he saw Liza standing a few feet away. She was shaking and clutching the phone he’d tossed at her. The three Jagged Sin guys were laid out on the ground covered in blood. Simon sat up, with Nikki holding his shirt bunched against his face.

  Sloane and several security guards burst out of the elevator at a dead run.

  “What the hell?” Sloane demanded.

  “They attacked Simon,” Nikki cried. “Smashed his head into the car. He shoved me back, and they were on him before he could do anything. He’s cut.”

  Justice stared at Beth, her face pale and horror in her eyes. Hating her anxiety, he reached out to soothe her.

  “Don’t.” Beth drew back, her gaze zeroing in on his hand.

  He froze as the word sank in. Don’t touch her? Because his hand was bloody, or was she afraid of him? He was too edgy to handle the answer to that question right now and turned to check on Simon. “Let me see.” He moved the shirt.

  “Oh hell.” Justice snapped when he saw the nasty split over Simon’s right cheekbone, either from hitting the car or the ground.

  “Bastards jumped me.”

  “No shit,” Justice answered. “One of them got in a sucker punch on me too.” That was going to hurt tomorrow.

  “Had to get Nikki out of the way.”

  “Yeah.” And those seconds of focusing on Nikki’s safety cost Simon the chance to defend himself. He heard Sloane issuing orders and Beth talking to Nikki.

  A gentle touch landed on his arm. “Let me see your hand,” Beth said.

  “It’s fine. Don’t get blood on you.” He couldn’t look at her, feared seeing the same disgust on her face he’d seen on his mom’s. It had been a different situation, yeah. But the cold truth was he’d lost his temper and gone feral at the thought of the assholes getting anywhere near Beth, and he hadn’t stopped pounding on them until she called his name. She’d just seen him stripped down to his most violent, primal self. That had to scare and repulse her. Beth needed control, he got that about her.