by WL Knightly
He started his song, and Lizzy nudged Darek. “This is the one,” she said. “The one I told you about, remember?” She smiled big, and Bay shook his head.
Raven leaned over to whisper at Bay. “What’s going on?”
“We’ve had a threat,” he whispered in Mia’s ear. She turned to Raven and whispered the message in return.
Raven nodded. She knew exactly what it meant. “Fuck,” she said. She tensed and looked around the room. Bay thought she must be doing the same thing he’d been doing, looking for anyone suspicious.
Lizzy turned to take a bite of her pasta, and then she waved her hands like Ethan wanted the crowd to. “Come on,” she said to Darek. “Have some fun.”
Darek shook his head, glaring at Bay. He gestured to Ethan, who was a sitting duck. Hopefully, no one would have the balls enough to shoot him backstage.
As the song neared the end, Bay got up and dragged Mia along with him. He didn’t care how the others felt about it. He wasn’t about to let her out of his sight.
He ran to the dressing room, weaving through the backstage, flashing his VIP status where necessary.
“What’s going on, Bay?” asked Mia. “I’m scared, and I’m not having any fun.”
“Don’t be afraid, Mia. I won’t let anything happen to you, okay?”
She nodded, and Bay pulled her arm. “Come on, baby.” He saw Marvin across the room. “Marvin?”
Marvin strolled up, looking concerned. “What can I do for you?” He glanced over at Mia. “What’s the matter, biscuit? I hope you don’t mind, but I sent a few men looking for you about connections.”
Bay appreciated it but didn’t have time to talk about it. “Thanks, but I need to see Ethan as soon as he’s off stage.”
Marvin nodded and didn’t ask any questions. He pulled the keys which dangled from his wrist and unlocked the door. “Come right in here,” he said. “This is where he’ll be coming as soon as he leaves the stage.”
“Are you sure? It’s important. I have something very important to tell him.”
Marvin nodded. “This is his dressing room. Actually, it’s my personal room, but I shared. And just to make sure, I’ll cut him off on the way and make sure he knows you’re waiting.”
“You’re a real sweetheart, Marvin,” said Bay. He walked him and Mia into the room and held his breath. He had to get to Ethan before anyone else.
Chapter 24
Ethan
As the song finished, Ethan looked over to see Raven at the table with a worried expression on her face. He thanked the audience and made his way closer to her and gave her a thumbs-up, hoping she was ready to go. Then with one final wave, he hurried backstage, where Shannon was waiting for him in a crowd of women and men who were half naked and changing for the show.
“You sucked,” she said, giving him a push.
He stumbled backward, and a few of the other models gasped as she walked away. As much as he wanted to follow, he knew better. She was only trying to make a scene to have something in the tabloids, but he wasn’t going to take the bait. There was no telling who else she’d made a deal with behind his back.
He looked around for Marvin, but when he didn’t see him, he headed back to the room and hoped that no one would stop him this time. Thanks to Shannon’s little outburst, everyone who had been interested in him hadn’t bothered saying a word, and he had a feeling she’d probably told them all how he’d shit on her by bringing a date.
He smiled at a few of the models in the makeup chairs, and they gave him a sour look. Even the makeup artists shook their heads at him.
Shannon had done something. He just didn’t know what. When he found Marvin, he was huddled with another couple of people, shaking his head. He saw Ethan coming and excused himself to intercept him.
“What’s she telling everyone?” Ethan asked.
Marvin let out a sigh. “She’s saying that she wanted to reconcile, and you got so upset about it, that you called her a whore and slapped her across the face and pushed her to the floor. She’s even showing some kind of scrape on her arm.”
Rage coursed through him, but he took a deep, calming breath, knowing he didn’t have time for her and her bullshit. “You’ve got to be kidding me. And people believe her?”
“Some do, but don’t worry. Some know she’s full of shit, and we’ve all seen her tantrums around here, how she hits walls. I personally think she’s more likely to hit you or do harm to herself.”
“Well, if she’s showing off some kind of injury, she did it to herself. I don’t hit women.” He had done some terrible things in his life, but he’d learned from his mistakes, and he wanted to live up to the good guy in white cowboy image he’d created for himself before Shannon came along and ruined him. Sure, he used to party and get a little rowdy, but his charm and nice-guy nature really shined through. It was why most people took his side.
He looked around for Shannon and didn’t see her, but Nate came across the room. “Solid performance out there, man.” He shook his hand and patted him on the back.
“Yeah, well you missed Shannon making an ass of me. She’s telling everyone that I hit her.”
“She’s such a pain in the ass,” said Nate, shaking his head. “I’ll go find her and talk to her. She’s not going to get anywhere near you.”
“Make sure she doesn’t, or else those rumors just might come true. I’m ready to strangle her ass for how she’s acting. Do me a favor if you want to get back on my good side. Go and get Raven. As soon as I clean up, we’re out of here.”
“There’s a shower in back,” said Marvin. “But you have two guests. Mia and that handsome Bay Collins are in the dressing room. I told them I’d tell you they were waiting. They said it’s really important.”
Ethan slumped. The last thing he needed was more of Bay’s fucking mouth and insinuations about Raven. His snide remarks had really turned Ethan off, and all he wanted to do now was get Raven and board the next plane out to Tennessee. “Don’t tell them where I am.”
“It seemed pretty urgent,” said Marvin with a pleading look. “Perhaps you could just see what they want and then hit the showers?”
God forbid Bay Collins should have to wait a fucking minute for anyone. But no, not this time. Ethan was the fucking star, and this was his show. Bay couldn’t control everything. Maybe if he hadn’t fucked with Raven? Ethan shook his head. “Tell that asshole he can wait. Show me to the showers.”
Marvin nodded and then pulled him through the crowd of models, who were nearly ready to go out on stage. Spencer Wiggs was getting them to line up, snapping at them like they were dogs. “I have to tell you, that guy annoys the shit out of me. You’re much better at keeping things together than him.”
“He’s going to miss me when I’m gone,” said Marvin. “And if I play my cards right, that will be soon enough.”
“You’re going to quit Dos?”
“Shit yes, honey. I’m sick and tired of the abuse here. Spencer is a tyrant, and these models are wishy-washy. Everything hinges on if they get their coke, and I’m recovering.” Marvin held his head high, and Ethan appreciated that.
“Well, I wish you the best of luck, man.”
“I better go see about my future employer,” he said. “You keeping him waiting is going to reflect horribly on me if I don’t go and give him a good excuse.”
“Oh shit, man. I’m sorry.” Ethan hadn’t realized that he was going to be working for Bay, and he almost felt like he should warn the man.
“No, don’t you worry. I have a job to do, and that’s entertaining your wishes. Once he’s signing my checks, he can have the final say in what I do on the clock, but until then, he can kiss my ass.” Marvin winked at Ethan, who laughed.
“I hope he finds your attitude as refreshing as I do, but I have to warn you, the man gets what he wants.”
“Not today he doesn’t.” Marvin belted a laugh that would rival Cruella de Vil’s. Marvin led Ethan down the hall and to a public bathro
om that had been converted to private for the event.
“We shut this one off in case anyone needed a shower. It’s part of the club downstairs, and back in the old days when they had a racquetball court, this is where the players showered before hitting the bar.” Marvin seemed proud of himself for knowing that little bit of history, and Ethan had a feeling he had more brain cells than any of the others at Dos. “There are towels and soaps and shampoos; anything you need. And there’s even a stack of bathrobes I put in there. I’ll let you do your thing, and I’ll check on you in about ten minutes.”
“Thanks, Marvin. You’re a good guy.” Ethan went into the bathroom and locked the door. He let out a deep breath and looked down the row of sinks and toilet stalls. He walked over and stood in front of the mirror, his reflection not only showing how tired he was from his show but how tired he was of all the drama Shannon had inflicted. She just couldn’t let the event go off without a hitch. Instead, she found a way to make him look like an asshole just because she hadn’t gotten what she wanted from him.
It had been the same thing in their relationship, with him always being the one to give in and let her have everything she wanted. All that did was tell her it was okay to sleep with his bodyguard.
He let out a long breath and walked over to turn on the sink. He let the water run a minute then reached down and splashed it onto his face, hoping to wash away all of the anger over Shannon and replace it with Raven and Noah. The two of them might never amount to anything more than friends who enjoyed each other’s company now and then, but she was already a better friend than he’d had in a long time, including Nate.
Nate was another problem. Ethan couldn’t let the man go—he needed him too much—but he had been a manager much more than a friend for some time now. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. It was just time that Ethan started separating the two. It would probably save him from further disappointment.
He shut off the water and found the showers located behind the last stall. He turned on the water, and while it warmed, he stripped off his boots and clothes. He looked over to the door, hoping no one could get in. He stepped inside and closed the glass door.
He let the water wash over him and closed his eyes, thinking of how in a few minutes, he’d be leaving with Raven and going on a long vacation. It was much needed, and he couldn’t wait. It would be even better because he had someone to share it with.
He mostly needed them out of New York and away from any place where they could be murdered. He’d help her get Noah, even if it meant a fake marriage, or fuck, maybe a real one if things went well. There were worse people to have to look at for the rest of his life. He gave a chuckle and turned around to wash his back under the spray.
Finally, he was clean, but he let the water run a little longer, not wanting to get out. But then, he had to hurry, so he reluctantly shut off the water and stepped out to grab his towel.
As he dried off, he heard something down the row of stalls and turned to see where the noise was coming from. He shook it off as nothing and went over to the shelf near the door where he found the robes.
Movement from the corner of his eye turned his head, and a man stepped out of the stall and walked over to the sink as if to wash his hands.
Ethan could only see his back, but he let out a long breath as the guy turned on the sink and went about his business. Maybe the damned bathroom wasn’t so fucking private after all, Marvin.
He couldn’t fault the man. Maybe he hadn’t locked the door properly. Ethan turned and pulled on a robe. He went ahead and grabbed his pants, thinking it would be best not to be naked with a stranger in a bathroom, but then something struck him as odd. The water had run just a little too long for hand washing. Something suddenly alerted him that he was in danger. Had Bay needed to speak with him? Was it about the killer? Some kind of warning?
He felt the presence of the man headed his way, and when he turned around, he threw up an arm because the man was right there on him. He looked up and saw the face of the killer as the knife plunged into his stomach.
I know you.
His cries for help were strangled as the killer put his hand over his mouth, and then the knife sliced into him a couple more times.
As he fell to the floor, he was barely conscious as his brain faded out. He heard the door shut as the killer ran away.
I have to warn the others.
Chapter 25
Darek
Darek sat at the table alone with Raven and Lizzy. While the tension between them was high, it was nothing compared to the tension in Darek’s mind. Not only did he have to deal with the ladies in his life, but he couldn’t stop worrying about what was going on backstage.
“I’m headed back,” said Raven, getting to her feet. “Ethan and I are going to Nashville as soon as he’s done. But I’ll see you at the next meeting with Noah, I’m sure.”
“Have a safe trip,” said Lizzy, who forced a smile.
Raven smiled and shook her head. “I will, thanks. You two enjoy the rest of the show and this horrible food.”
Darek hadn’t touched his food. “I should probably go back and congratulate Ethan too, Lizzy.”
“Okay,” she said, pushing her plate of half-eaten pasta aside and getting to her feet. “Let’s go.”
Darek could tell by her tone that she wasn’t happy, but they followed Raven along the way, showing his pass as necessary until they were surrounded by a line of models who were taking their turns going on stage.
A man stood with them, barking orders, and Darek wanted to go over and punch him in the mouth, but he needed to find Bay and Mia.
Suddenly, a door swung open, and Bay walked out with Mia on his arm. “He’s taking too long, Marvin. I need to see him now!”
Heads turned, and Marvin nodded as he stepped out of the dressing room, moving past Mia. “Fine, I’ll just go and get him.”
“No,” said Bay. “If you value a future with me and Mia, you’ll take us to him now.”
As they took off, Raven pushed to the head with Bay. “What’s going on? Do you think he’s in danger?”
Bay glanced over his shoulder at Lizzy and then gave Raven a pointed look. “I just need to talk to him. You’re so quick to want to leave town, and he owes me money. I’m not letting him leave here until I get it.” He continued down the hall, not stopping.
“That’s what this is about? He owes Bay money?” Lizzy sighed. She stopped in the hall and pulled Darek aside with her. “Take me home, Darek. I’ve had enough of The Slayer for one day. No wonder he’s so good in the courtroom. People probably throw their cases just to get away from this asshole.”
“Yes, Darek. Why don’t you take her and leave? I’ve got this under control.” Bay continued down the hall and stopped just a few doors down, where Marvin knocked on the door and called out to Ethan.
Darek slowly made his way over to see what was going on.
“Coming in, handsome.” He tried the knob, and it opened. “Ethan Cline? Your crazy friend is here to see—”
Marvin’s scream was blood-curdling and higher pitched than any woman Darek had ever heard.
Bay pushed past him as Darek ran over with Lizzy to see what had happened. Darek saw the blood but grabbed Raven before she could get a good look. She trembled in his arms, and it seemed as if the air had been stolen from her lungs.
“Don’t look,” he whispered.
“There’s blood,” she said, her breath tickling his ear as he nodded. “Is he dead?”
Darek looked over at Lizzy, who was bent over Ethan’s body, which was facedown in a pool of blood. She checked his vitals and shook her head to tell Darek there wasn’t any hope. “Yes. He’s dead.”
Lizzy took out her phone and called it in.
Marvin and Mia held on to each other, Mia looking away as if she might be sick. Bay turned around and sank against the wall.
Lizzy turned around and put the phone in her purse. “No one touches anything, and whatever you do, don’t
let anyone in.” She looked at Marvin. “Is there any way to lock that door?” She pointed to the one they’d come through.
“Yes.” Marvin took the keys off his wrist and started looking for the right one as he ran down the hall to the door. After locking and checking it, he hurried back to the others. “It’s locked. I’ll stand guard on this end. Someone should go out front and lead the cops through the back. If they take the other entrance, they’ll alert the entire gala.”
“I’m questioning all of you and everyone at our table,” said Lizzy. “Darek, go and find his manager, and see if you can find Max while you’re at it. Take his keys.” Darek stepped away, and Marvin and Mia huddled around Raven for support.
As Marvin handed Darek the keys, he looked at Bay and shook his head. There was nothing he could do about the situation or the fact that Lizzy had the upper hand. She was leading the investigation, and there was no covering up that they knew the victim. The thin line had faded, and they were closer than ever to being connected.
Before Darek could turn to leave, Bay pulled Mia close. “Could the ladies go back to the dressing room? I don’t want Mia exposed to this. And Raven, she’s in shock, the poor girl.”
Darek glanced over at Raven who stared blankly. Her eyes focused on the floor in front of her. Then he looked at Lizzy to see if she would allow it.
“You,” she said to Marvin. “Take the girls to your room, and lock them inside. Darek, you can bring the others there, but tell no one what’s happened.”
Marvin led the others away, and Bay stayed behind with Lizzy as Darek hurried out to find Lane, Nate, and Max.
Nate was the first person he saw. Ethan’s manager stood with Shannon, arguing.
“I hate him,” Darek heard her say as he approached. He knew better than to alert Shannon Steele, or she’d make it her personal tragedy.
