FRAUD: An Unfit Hero Novel

by Faiman, Hayley

  We spend the next hour talking about the tour, about his music and making plans for Laurie and I’s visit to see them.

  Our first stop is California. He told me that where they’re going isn’t a true representation of what we see of California on television. We’re going to a very small town in the middle of the state.

  I honestly don’t care, as long as I’m with him.

  “Just a few more weeks,” he promises.

  “Yeah,” I sigh.

  “You could come out sooner?”

  I laugh softly. “I wish. I’ve cleared my clients for the days that I’ll be gone, but that means that I’m going in earlier and staying later every day to make up for the days off.”

  “Not a bad problem to have, I suppose.”

  “It’s not,” I agree.

  I yawn and he insists that he is going to let me get off the phone, but as tired as I am, I don’t want him to. Reluctantly, I agree, because I do have to get up at six in the morning and get ready for my first client at seven-thirty.

  “Hutton?” Beaumont calls just before I hang up the phone.

  “Yeah?”

  “Miss you, darlin’ girl,” he rasps.

  “Miss you too,” I admit.

  BEAUMONT

  Stretching, I rub my eyes, glancing at my phone with my blurry gaze. It’s well after nine in the morning. I decide to send a text to Hutton immediately.

  Miss you. Talk again soon.

  She reads it immediately and then replies just as quickly.

  HUTTON: I’ll be waiting. Miss you too, Beau.

  Her text brings a smile to my lips. She’ll be there, something that I didn’t think I could trust in a woman—staying power. But with her, my anxiousness about her leaving, about her running, is gone.

  Hutton isn’t Chelle.

  Hutton isn’t any other woman but herself and I’m falling in love with her for that reason alone.

  “You ready for another great show?” Brian asks.

  Austin and Jesse have taken to ignoring my existence, and honestly, I don’t mind. I wonder to myself, if this is the beginning of the end of us as a band. We honestly aren’t equal members, at least not on paper anyway.

  As a group, I’ve always made sure we were treated equally, but in reality, I am the headliner. Brian helps with the music, but Jesse and Austin are members of a band that according to their contracts, can be released at any time.

  “I am,” I say, nodding my head.

  We only have two more stops before we hit central California, before Hutton’s arrival. I’m pumped to get these shows over and done with, because I want my woman. I want to hold her, kiss her, slide inside of her and remind her of why we work so well together.

  “Let’s do this,” Austin calls out from the doorway of the bus.

  “How long before they completely go off the rails?” Brian asks on a murmur.

  I glance back at him, tugging my black shirt down over my torso. “Not long.”

  “Yeah,” he sighs. “Fuck, we had a good run together though.”

  “We did.”

  “Maybe they’ll grow the fuck up?”

  I snort, shaking my head. “Doubtful.”

  HUTTON

  “Knock, knock,” a woman’s voice calls out as the bell above the door jingles.

  I turn the blow-dryer off and stop blowing out my client. Turning my head, I blink at the woman standing in the doorway. Her roots are down to her chin, but her hair almost to her waist. She’s thin, but not overly so, in fact her body looks a hell of a lot better than mine, more svelte. Her skin is a bit weathered, she looks like she’s about ten years older than me, however she appears to have lived a bit harder of a life.

  “Can I help you?” I ask.

  She looks from Laurie’s station to mine, then back to Laurie, then to me again. “Who is Hutton Baker?” she asks.

  “I’m Hutton.” I smile.

  She nods, tilting her head to the side. “Do you take walk-ins?” she asks, shifting from foot to foot.

  I frown, wondering what is going on with her, because obviously it’s something. Placing my hand on my client’s shoulder, I squeeze it and whisper that I’ll be right back. I can feel her wary eyes on me as I turn and walk toward the woman in the doorway.

  “I can fit you in this evening or tomorrow evening after seven,” I offer. “What are you looking for?”

  Her eyes move up and down my body, then they lift to my face. “I like your color,” she barks. Her tone is harsh and I blink, biting the inside of my cheek while I plaster on a fake smile.

  “Okay.” I nod.

  “Tonight works. I’ll wait.”

  She turns around and makes her way over to the small bench that I have pushed up against a window and flops down. Turning around, I widen my eyes as I look between my client and Laurie.

  I don’t know who this woman is, but she has me kind of on edge. I’ve had some odd ducks walk through my door, but this is a different kind of oddity. This feels just plain weird. She feels weird.

  I finish blowing out my client, then style her hair and chat about her upcoming wedding for a few more moments. Before the oddity walked through the door, she was asking me about Beaumont, but I’m glad that she stopped talking about him, because something tells me this woman is just plain off and I don’t need her to know about my personal life.

  Granted, I live by the old adage, what is said in the salon, stays in the salon. However, this just feels so off to me that I can’t even concentrate.

  “You do six-weeks between cut and colors, right?” I ask as I make my way over to my computer to schedule her for her next appointment.

  “Yeah, I do. Will you be in town?” she asks, her eyes sliding to the woman on the bench, then back to me. I smile, giving her a nod then write her card out for her next appointment. She hands me the check to pay for her hair, but wraps her hand around my wrist. “Laurie will stay with you, right?” she whispers.

  “Yeah, she will.”

  “Okay, be careful,” she breathes.

  I don’t ask her why, because I feel it just as much as she does. Nodding, I give her a shaky smile and watch as she walks out of the shop and toward her car, which is parked next to mine.

  The strange woman stands and walks over to my chair, I watch as she sinks down, then her gaze meets mine in the reflection of the mirror.

  “I’m Hutton, what’s your name?” I ask, trying to sound upbeat and happy.

  She tilts her head to the side, her gaze assessing me, watching me, taking me in, as if she hasn’t been staring at me for at least thirty minutes already.

  “I’m Rachelle,” she says coolly.

  “That’s a pretty name, it’s different.” I smile. She doesn’t return my smile, she just stares blankly at me. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to just go and mix your color.”

  Turning around, I walk toward the back, trying not to run. Laurie thankfully meets me back there.

  “She’s so weird,” she hisses.

  “I know.”

  “I’m staying here,” she informs me.

  “Thank you.”

  I busy myself making her hair color mix, then make my way out to the salon. When I arrive, I freeze in my spot. The woman is gone. But there’s something on my station that wasn’t there before, a box wrapped in pretty gold paper.

  “What the fuck?” Laurie exhales.

  “Open it,” I say, bumping Laurie’s shoulder with my own.

  She snorts. “Fuck that, you open it. It’s your present.”

  Walking over to my rolling cart, I set down my wasted color and bite the bottom of my lip as I stare at the gold package. It’s pretty small, just about the size of my hand, but it’s more intimidating than anything I’ve ever seen in my life.

  “Do you think it’s a bomb?” I ask, arching a brow.

  Laurie giggles then lets out a moan. “Fuck, it could be.”

  Reaching for the small white note that’s on top, I snatch it quickly. With s
haky fingers, I unfold the white paper. There are just a few words scrawled in messy print, but those words are chilling.

  HE ALWAYS DESERVED BETTER THAN ME. MAKE HIM HAPPY.

  “What the hell does that mean?” Laurie asks.

  “I have no clue. Had you ever seen that woman before?” I ask.

  Laurie shakes her head.

  “I’m throwing this in the trash,” I announce as I pick up the box and begin to walk it over to the trash can.

  My fingers release the box, but she reaches out and grasps it before it crashes into the can.

  “I have to know what’s in here,” she states.

  I watch in awe as she rips the paper off of the box. She peels the lid open, then looks from the box to me, then back to the box.

  “It’s a ring,” she whispers, taking it out and holding it between her thumb and finger.

  “What on earth? It looks like a class ring,” I point out.

  We don’t say anything as we stare at the class ring. It’s for the local high school, the gem in the middle is an emerald which is the high school color. On the one side, there’s a football, the other side has a guitar.

  “It couldn’t be,” I whisper.

  “Class of 2004.”

  Lifting my gaze to my best friend’s, I chance asking, “Do you think it’s Beaumont’s?”

  She shrugs, dropping the ring back in the box, but before she does, I notice something else in the bottom.

  Reaching inside, I pull it out and frown. “It’s a guitar pick.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  BEAUMONT

  I haven’t had a real conversation with Hutton in over a week. She’s been working like crazy and I’ve been so focused on the new music me and Brian are creating that I’ve had to force myself to text her every day, by setting a fucking alarm. It’s worth it though, seeing the pictures she sends, seeing her excitement over the daily countdown reminder of her trip and now, it’s finally here.

  Standing in the small airport in Fresno, California, I wonder if I’ve just imagined my feelings for her being so strong, if I’m playing them up in my head or if it’s all real.

  I see two young girls standing across from me, waiting in line at the mobile Starbucks, staring. I tug my ballcap down a bit lower to cover more of my face. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I hunch my shoulders, dipping my chin, but lifting my eyes to see the arrival doors.

  Brian is in the shop looking for something to send home to his wife, they have some weird thing where he buys tiny fucking spoons wherever we go. I’m not sure what they actually do with them, but it’s their thing, so I don’t really question it.

  The sliding glass door opens and my breath is stolen from my lungs. It’s her. Hutton’s smile is bright as she looks around the small waiting area. I know that she doesn’t see me because it slips slightly as her eyes wander the room.

  Tugging my glasses off of my face, I lift my head and take a couple of steps toward her. I know when she finally realizes that I’m here. Her feet falter, then she stops, her lips parting slightly and her eyes brightening.

  She’s dressed down, much like she dresses every day at home. She’s wearing a pair of tight jeans with holes in the legs, a loose-fitting black V-neck t-shirt that she has tucked in and hangs off of one shoulder, showing off her black bra strap. Her dark blonde hair is pulled up into a high ponytail on top of her head and her makeup is almost nonexistent.

  She looks like my dreams come to life.

  Laurie lifts her hand and gives Hutton’s shoulder a small shove, but my girl doesn’t move. My feet suddenly become unstuck, my lips turning up into a huge smile.

  I close the distance between us. When I arrive in front of her, I bend slightly, wrapping my arms around her thighs and I pick her up off of the ground.

  Hutton lets out a sweet squeal, her hands wrapping around my shoulders and her nails digging into my skin. Slowly, I let her down, enjoying the way her body slides alongside my own, until her face is directly in front of mine. Without a word, my mouth crashes against hers in a hard kiss.

  Hutton moans as her lips part and she allows me entrance into that mouth of hers that I have been fucking craving for weeks. My fingers grab hold of her perfect ass and I squeeze, shifting my hips forward so that she can feel my hard length against her belly.

  “Well, I can officially throw up now,” Laurie deadpans.

  Breaking the kiss, I turn my head and narrow my gaze on her for just a moment before my lips twitch into a grin.

  “Hey, Laurie. Good to see you again,” I murmur.

  She raises a brow, then her own lips turn up into a smile. “I’m ready to party, and by party, I do not mean that I’m ready to watch you bone my bestie. Let’s get the hell out of here,” she says with a wide smile.

  “Our luggage should be here by now,” Hutton whispers, her lips touching my jaw.

  I hum, then feel a presence behind me. “Some teenagers have their phones out and I’m sure that indecent kiss is going to be viral in about an hour,” Brian says, shoving a beef stick in his mouth.

  I grunt with a heavy sigh. “Let’s go. Laurie, Hutton, this is Brian. He works on all the songs with me,” I explain.

  Together, the four of us walk toward the baggage claim terminal. Brian and Laurie stay back a bit, which is perfectly fucking fine with me. Wrapping my arm around Hutton’s hip, I tug her close to my body as I wait for her bags to move around the belt.

  “What’s yours look like?” I ask softly.

  “It’s light blue with big pink flowers,” she replies.

  I smile at the description, thinking that it fits her. It fits Hutton and I’ve missed this with her, this closeness.

  “Got us a hotel. It’s nothing fancy, but at least we’ll have privacy.”

  “You didn’t have to do that,” she says.

  Glancing down, I smirk. “I did. Laurie has her own room, at the end of the hallway,” I explain.

  Her face turns pink as she blushes from my words. “Beaumont,” she hisses.

  Chuckling, I squeeze her hip just as I catch a glance at her pretty feminine bag making its way down the belt. Reaching forward, I snatch it and gently place it in front of her.

  “Which one is yours?” I ask, directing my question to Laurie.

  She’s looking down at her phone, a frown creasing the middle of her brows. “Oh, the red one,” she mumbles as she touches the screen of her phone.

  Grabbing the red bag, I set it down in front of her. She lets out a huff, then shoves her phone in her back pocket.

  “Oh, thanks.” She smiles, reaching down for the handle.

  “You okay?” I ask.

  She looks up at me, shakes her head then gives an obviously fake smile. “I’m ready to party, let’s shake this place,” she says, tugging her bag and walking forward.

  “She okay?” I ask Hutton as I reach down for her girlie bag.

  Hutton is watching Laurie’s retreating form before she turns and gives me a shrug. “I don’t know. That was weird, right?”

  “Yeah,” I admit with a dip of my chin.

  “She has been glued to that thing for days. I don’t know what’s going on.”

  Without another word, we begin to make our way outside. Brian is at the curb loading up Laurie’s bag in the back of our rented SUV. He smiles, reaching for Hutton’s and loads it up while I guide her toward the backseat.

  “Buckle up, Brian is a shit driver.” I grin with a wink.

  “Fuck you, man,” Brian calls out as I close Hutton’s door. Laurie giggles as she climbs in on the other side.

  In this moment, my world seems whole, it seems right and I’m so fucking grateful for the calm and peace that it brings. I needed this, needed Hutton here with me.

  I’m glad that I made her pick some dates and flew her and Laurie out here. Even if it’s only for a couple days, it’s already so fucking worth it.

  HUTTON

  When Beaumont said that he would be doing a small-town tour, he wasn�
��t joking. This town, Exeter, which is funny because that’s Wyatt’s wife’s name, it’s smaller than Burnet where I live. I honestly didn’t think there were any small towns like ours in California. I stand corrected.

  Brian doesn’t drive poorly, he does however drive like an old grandma, but I don’t mind because this town is adorable. We drive through the downtown area and I’m in awe of all the murals painted on the side of the buildings. They’re beautiful and give that small-town homey feel.

  “So where will you be playing?” I ask when I don’t see anywhere that looks big enough to hold a crowd the size that he usually brings in.

  “It’s called the Orange Blossom Junction. It’s a restaurant, bar, and dance hall kind of place,” Beaumont explains.

  “Sounds like home,” Laurie snorts.

  “It’s a lot like Gallup, which is exactly what I was looking for when I agreed to the tour,” Beaumont says. He doesn’t sound defensive, but rather, he sounds pretty proud. “I guess there’s a lot of shopping and some nice café’s downtown, at least that’s what the city guide told us when we arrived.”

  “I could shop,” Laurie says with a shrug.

  I think she’s probably disappointed that this isn’t some huge party thing, but Beaumont said it was a small-town tour, and he’s trying to stay on the wagon, he’s not partying. I’m glad for it, since parties aren’t really my thing, never have been.

  “The hotel isn’t fancy, but it’s a place to sleep. Usually we stay on the bus,” he continues.

  “I’m okay without pizazz,” Laurie snorts. The SUV turns the corner then pulls into the parking lot of a Best Western. “And pizazz we won’t have.” She laughs.

  “Nicer than any hotel I’ve stayed in before,” I mumble.

  Beaumont doesn’t turn his head to look at me and I’m glad that he didn’t hear. I don’t want him feeling sorry for me or anything like that. I shouldn’t have even said it aloud.

  I didn’t have money growing up, and I still struggled every month to pay my bills. I don’t go on vacations or travel anywhere. In fact, I didn’t tell him that today was my first time ever on an airplane, it’s why I wanted to just drive to the Texas events.