Ruby Tuesday

by Mari Carr

  “This is a mistake,” he said, his words familiar given the fact he’d repeated them to her all day.

  “I want to help you figure out who’s doing this. Besides, in case you’ve forgotten, the bastard broke my mother’s guitar.”

  “I don’t like the idea of you being in danger.”

  “I’ll be surrounded by other people. It’s a madhouse out there. A hub of activity with everyone scurrying around to get ready for the concert. I’ll be fine.”

  Sky sighed. “Be careful.”

  “You too,” she whispered, kissing him quickly once more before leaving the room.

  Teagan panicked for a few minutes as she struggled to find her prey, not breathing easily until she caught up to him at the far end of the stage. He was on the phone and fortunately he had his back to her. She hid behind one of the long velvet curtains, trying to hear what he was saying.

  “I don’t give a fuck what you have to do,” Marty said. There was silence and Teagan prayed he would say the name of the person he was talking to.

  “He can’t go on that stage tonight. Period. We’re moving up the time schedule.”

  She was torn between listening to the rest of the conversation and rushing back to warn Sky. Apparently he was in more danger than they realized. Marty sounded like a man on the edge and she suspected there was very little he wouldn’t stoop to in his desire to keep Sky in the band.

  A stagehand bumped into her from behind. “Oh excuse me,” the man said. “I didn’t see you there.”

  Marty turned at the sound of voices and spotted her watching him. His eyes narrowed menacingly and she decided flight was definitely a good idea. She turned quickly to run, but Marty rushed over and grabbed her arm when she found herself blocked in by the bulky piece of equipment the stagehand was carrying.

  “What’s your hurry, Teagan?” Marty asked. “We haven’t had time to get to know each other. I hear you’re an excellent songwriter. Have you considered hiring a manager?” She knew the manager’s words were for the benefit of the stagehand, who grinned at her and nodded. No doubt he thought today was her lucky day. The stagehand didn’t notice the death grip Marty had on her upper arm. “Why don’t we head over to Sky’s dressing room and discuss it?”

  He pushed her forward roughly as the stagehand continued on in the opposite direction. “Sky’s dressing room is on the other side of the arena,” she said, trying to dislodge his painful grip.

  “So it is,” Marty said, not altering his course. “I’ve changed my mind. It’s more private on this side of the stage. In fact, we might not run into another living soul who could interrupt us.”

  “What are you going to do?” Teagan asked as Marty opened a props closet and shoved her inside. Her hands began to shake when he followed her inside and shut the door.

  “No,” he said menacingly. “I think I’ll tell you what I’m not going to do. I’m not going to watch my nest egg float away because some sixties reject turned his head.”

  Teagan narrowed her eyes at his insult. She wasn’t a reject. “Maybe if you weren’t acting like such a prick, you could have represented your nest egg’s new career,” she said, punctuating “nest egg’s” with air quotes.

  “My contract is with the band and it’s not up for another three years,” he said, as if she was stupid. “Even if Sky leaves them, I have to stay. What the fuck good is The Universe without Sky Mitchell? Worst part is, those fucking idiot band mates of his think they can still succeed without him and have no intention of calling it quits. I’m trapped in a losing proposition. I need more time,” he said, half to himself.

  Teagan glanced at her watch. Whoever Marty had been talking to on the phone was clearly on the move. She looked around the room, trying to find a way out before Marty decided she was an expendable problem.

  Her prayers were answered when Marty’s cell phone rang. The unexpected sound and Marty’s scrambling to pull the thing out of his pocket gave Teagan the few seconds she needed.

  She picked up the microphone stand to her left and hit him on the shoulder—hard—before he could react.

  The force knocked him off balance and she used the momentum to push him to the ground, where he landed in a pile of tulle. As he struggled to stand up, she dashed out the door, using the stand to jam the doorknob.

  Run! she told herself, as she dashed around stagehands and sets. Too much time had passed. She had to get to Sky before it was too late.

  * * * * *

  Sky paced the small area of his dressing room, worrying about Teagan, her family, the concert. Hell, he was worried about everything and feeling pretty damn useless. He shouldn’t have let Teagan go after Marty. While the man was a blustering oaf, Sky prayed he hadn’t underestimated his manager’s annoyance at his leaving the band.

  “Hey.”

  He was startled by Rod’s voice at the door. “Hey, Rod,” he said, glancing behind his friend to see where Aaron was.

  “Your new bodyguard got called away. Some sort of police emergency.”

  Sky nodded, his entire body on alert. “What’s up?”

  Rod shrugged, entering the room before closing and locking the door behind him. Unbeknownst to his friend, they’d disengaged the locks earlier in the afternoon. While the door appeared to be locked, Sky knew it wasn’t.

  “I’ve been thinking about your decision to leave The Universe, talking to Marty. You know you’re taking a pretty big risk, right?”

  Sky nodded numbly. It was Rod.

  Images flashed before his eyes—the two of them playing on the same Little League team, double-dating to school dances. Rod had sold him out. “Part of the business,” he said, proud of the strength in his voice in light of the fact he felt as if the breath had been knocked out of him.

  “I just don’t understand it, Sky. I mean, you and The Universe are rocking the charts. You don’t have any of those fucked-up problems other rock groups do. None of you are addicted to drugs, you don’t have epic battles. You’ve got the real deal here. The good life.”

  “It is a good life, Rod. Thing is, I want a great life.”

  Rod shook his head, frustration and anger building in his face. “You know, that’s the problem with you, Mitch. You’re never satisfied. You’ve freaking got every goddamn thing in the world and you still want more.”

  Sky shook his head slowly, wondering where his friend’s words were coming from. They’d spent their entire childhood competing against all comers to be the best. Rod was as competitive and driven as he was. Rod had sold more houses during his first year as a real estate agent than his colleagues had in a decade. He was the youngest person to ever make partner in his real estate firm.

  “I thought you understood my decision,” Sky said. His friend was pacing the room and Sky could tell he was fighting with himself over something. Sky watched his friend’s hand drift to the pocket of his jacket for the third time. What the fuck was in his coat? Where was Aaron?

  “Well, I don’t. I don’t understand and I think maybe you should reconsider.”

  “It’s a little late for that,” Sky said.

  “No, it’s not.” Rod’s hand slipped into his pocket and this time he latched on to whatever was there.

  At the same time, the dressing room door flew open and a breathless Teagan rushed in.

  “Sky, it’s Marty! He’d got somebody working for—”

  “Teagan!” Sky yelled, but it was too late. Rod grabbed her from behind and, with horror, Sky learned what his friend had been hiding.

  Rod pressed a syringe against Teagan’s throat.

  “Well, well, well. Look who’s here,” Rod said. Sky could see his grip on Teagan tighten as her face contorted with pain…and fear.

  “What are you doing, Rod?” he asked softly.

  “I’m finishing a job. A job that will put me on easy street.”

  “What job?” Sky asked, trying to figure out how the hell he could get Teagan out of his friend’s grasp.

  “I’ve got some
debts, Mitch. You said it yourself. The economy sucks. The housing market is in the gutter.”

  “I said I would loan you money. The offer still stands. Just take that,” he motioned to the needle, “away from her neck.”

  Rod grinned and for a moment, Sky was struck by the fact that his friend most definitely wasn’t in his right mind. “It’s heroin. Enough to send her into overdose. Maybe even enough to kill her.”

  “What the hell are you doing with heroin?”

  “Marty doesn’t want you to leave The Universe,” Teagan said. Sky’s gaze flew to her pale face. She was scared to death and yet he saw the vein of strength she’d proven time and again she possessed. “His contract is with the band, not you. If you leave, he’s pretty much ruined.”

  “You’ve got a smart girlfriend here, Mitch.”

  Teagan flinched as Rod pulled her more tightly against him.

  “It was you,” Sky said. “You’ve been feeding the paparazzi my whereabouts. You know how much they drive me nuts.”

  “I thought they’d distract you from writing the songs for that solo album.”

  “I suppose it was you who broke into the cabin and destroyed Teagan’s guitar. It was your face she saw in the window that night.”

  Rod nodded, his eyes blinking rapidly. Sky worried his friend would unravel completely and hurt Teagan before they could find a way out of this predicament.

  “I had to do it,” Rod said, his voice strained. “Marty and I have a vested interest in seeing the band stay together.”

  Sky was confused. “I understand Marty’s interest, but not yours. What is Marty to you?”

  “Who do you think I owe the money too, Mitch? Marty. I owe him. Only now he doesn’t want his fucking money back. He wants his payment in blood.”

  “What are the debts from?” Sky asked, a terrible realization crashing down on him.

  Rod shrugged.

  “Where did you get the heroin?”

  At his second question, Rod’s eyes drifted down to the needle and, for a moment, Sky was struck with the impression that his friend wished the syringe was piercing his own skin.

  “When did you start doing drugs?” Sky asked, wondering how he could have missed such an obvious truth.

  “Marty’s a very accommodating manager. Man knows how to throw an after-concert party. Shame you never saw fit to partake. He could have kept you in line a helluva lot easier,” Rod sneered.

  A bell rang, warning the band members that the concert was set to begin in five minutes. It stirred Rod to action and he pulled Teagan toward the wall behind him. “So here’s how this is gonna go down,” he started. “You’re gonna go out there and play your fucking heart out on that stage. Never at any point are you to mention leaving the band or going solo. Your girlfriend and I will be watching from the sidelines. You say anything about leaving and I pump this lethal dose of drugs into her and you can watch her die. Keep your mouth shut.”

  “So that takes care of tonight,” Sky said. “You can’t hold a syringe to Teagan’s neck for the next ten years.”

  “I can hold it there long enough for you to re-sign with The Universe. Marty has the contract with him. Have to tell you, your girlfriend saved you from a pretty embarrassing overdose, Mitch. I don’t imagine too many labels would have been anxious to sign a singer with a known addiction to heroin.”

  So that was the original plan. Pump him full of drugs and ruin his reputation. Make staying with The Universe seem like the only choice left.

  A voice from the hallway called out, “Show time.”

  Sky started walking to the door, wincing when Rod pressed the tip of the needle into Teagan’s neck. “No fast moves,” his friend warned. “Just walk normally and don’t look back.”

  Sky nodded, his fists balling up in anticipation of the moment his friend let go of Teagan. He’d kill the asshole for even daring to threaten her life. He opened the door and stepped into the hallway. No one was in sight so he walked in the direction of the stage. The roar of the twelve thousand fans packing the crowded arena was almost deafening.

  The stage manager came into view ahead and Sky wondered if Rod had seen the other person. A scuffling noise behind him sent him spinning around.

  He found Rod on the floor on his knees, Teagan twisting the man’s earlobe with one hand while trying to hold back the other hand with the syringe.

  Sky ran toward them, grasping Rod’s hand a split second before the needle punctured Teagan’s chest. He heard his friend’s wrist snap as he twisted it.

  As easily as that, the fight seemed to leave Rod. He dropped back onto the floor, cradling his broken wrist and watching as Sky stepped on the syringe, breaking the vial, the lethal liquid pooling on the concrete.

  “No!” Rod gasped and Sky saw how deep-seated his friend’s addiction was.

  Teagan had slunk down to the floor, her back to the wall, and he realized the fear and exertion had given way to genuine shock.

  “Teagan,” he said, rushing over to her as several members of the Collins family and the stage manager ran toward them. He dropped down beside her, pulling her into his arms as she began to shake. “Did he inject you?” Her face was even paler than usual and he suddenly worried Rod had managed to shoot some of the heroin into her system.

  “No,” she whispered.

  Tris and Will hurried toward them. “Is she hurt?” Tris asked, concern in his voice.

  “I’m fine,” Teagan said. “Just had the shit scared out of me. Give me a minute.”

  Aaron and Sean showed up next, dragging Marty with them. Aaron had cuffed the cussing manager. “We found this guy trapped in a closet. He wants to press charges against Teagan for assault.”

  “I’ll have your badge for this!” Marty yelled.

  “Figured he must’ve been involved when he said she was the one who hit him,” Aaron said.

  “He and Rod were in cahoots, hoping to use a heroin overdose and a ruined reputation to keep me with The Universe,” Sky said, gesturing to the crushed syringe.

  Aaron bent down and carefully picked up the broken needle with a handkerchief.

  As Sky explained what had happened in the dressing room, he tilted Teagan’s head, touching the sore spot where the needle had pierced her skin. “You should see a doctor,” he murmured.

  “And miss the biggest concert of the year? No way.” She smiled and Sky was happy to see she’d appeared to regain some of her usual spunk and spirit.

  “There’s no way I can go on now,” he said. He was worried sick about her and there were all the loose ends to tie up in regards to Marty and Rod.

  “Why not?” she asked. She took his face in her hands, capturing his gaze. “All of this will keep for a couple of hours. Listen, Sky. Listen to your fans. They want you.”

  He noticed for the first time since reentering the dressing room the chanting that was pounding through the arena, the sound deafening now that the beating of his heart had died down. Thousands of people were screaming his name.

  “Sky. Sky. Sky.”

  Teagan kissed him lightly. “Go sing, Mitch. Knock ‘em dead.”

  He grinned and nodded. Rising slowly, he pulled her to her feet and gestured for the stage manager to introduce the band.

  Teagan walked with him to the wings and he found himself hesitant to release her hand. “Kiss for luck?” he asked, feeling as if he were about to perform his first show. Teagan had done that for him. She’d taken his boring world and breathed new life into it. She’d taken him from black and white to Technicolor.

  “You’ve never needed luck,” she whispered. “You have the luck of the Irish.”

  He shook his head. “My Irish luck didn’t start until the day you lost that singing contest.”

  She laughed. “I let you win. Didn’t want to bruise your fragile ego.”

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” a voice called out over the loudspeaker. The roar of the crowd grew louder and Sky realized any response he made to her comment would be lost in the
din. “The Universe!”

  He stole one more hard, fast kiss and stepped out onto the stage.

  Chapter Ten

  Teagan watched the show from the wings with her brothers and sisters. They were singing along and dancing and she honestly couldn’t remember when she’d had more fun with her family. The night, which had started out so terrible, had turned out to be one of the best of her life.

  As the second set started to wind down, Sky stepped to the microphone and announced his decision to leave The Universe. His speech was brief, but poignant and beautiful, and she felt a tear spring to her eye when he announced that he was donating his portion of the concert proceeds to her nursing home. She knew in that moment she would love Sky Mitchell until the day she died.

  He walked back to the guitar racks and, to her surprise, picked up an acoustic guitar. He looked over at her as he returned to the microphone. “I’ve recently acquired a new writing partner. A brilliant musician and talented songwriter. She helped me write the songs for my forthcoming solo album and I’d like to introduce you to her and her song, Maybe Tomorrow.”

  Teagan’s mouth fell open as he turned and held his hand out in her direction. “Ladies and gentlemen, Teagan Collins,” he said.

  She stood spellbound for a full minute before she became aware of Riley shoving her none too gently onto the stage. The applause as she crossed the stage was polite and she wondered when Sky had suddenly gotten so far away from her. She’d thought him only a few feet away while he was performing, but now as she walked, she realized the stage stretched on for miles and miles. The bass player brought up two stools and Sky handed her a microphone.

  She shook her head slightly, leaning forward a bit. “We didn’t finish this song.”

  “Yes, we did,” he said. He strummed the first few bars and she realized he was conceding the argument, performing the song her way. He was leaving his comfort zone and stretching his wings. As he sang the first verse, she knew she’d never heard a more beautiful song. Somehow she found the courage and strength to lift the microphone and she joined him on the chorus before singing her verse. The crowd disappeared as they sang and Teagan was reminded of the night of the contest. The first time she’d ever shared a stage. Sky had been her first in so many ways and she vowed he would be her last as well.