Did that mean…
“Dude, open up.”
“Noodles?”
“Yeah, we’re all here. Now open the damn door. Band business.”
“I didn’t get that memo,” he grumbled, but moved to the door to unlock it.
“You are the damn memo.” Bash rapped on the door.
He knew it was Bash from the rhythmic tempo. The man carried the heart of their music in every breath he took.
Bent twisted the lock and pulled open the door. Ash, Bash, Spike and Noodles all stood in the hall, accusatory expressions plastered firmly on their faces.
“What’s up?” He scratched at his head, but he knew this was no common social call.
Ash barged in and headed to the bar. He opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water, then grabbed beers for the others. Tossing them through the air, he headed outside to the deck.
“Let’s take this outside.”
As co-founder of Angel Fire, Ash was the unofficial leader of their group. He and Bash had founded the band in high school, pulling in various musicians until they finally hit on success with the combination of Bent, Spike and Noodles supporting the creative brilliance that was Ash and Bash’s songwriting phenomenon.
Bent’s bandmates filed outside, leaving him holding the door. As they plopped in the deck chairs, Bent headed to grab a beer and something to ice his balls. Fuckers throbbed.
When he went outside, his gaze caught on the spot where Piper’s pen had met its end. Why had that thing been so damned important to the girl? It reminded him that he owed her a replacement.
“So…” Ash twisted off the top to his water, “you going to tell us why Forest sent us here to kick your ass?”
“No.” He clutched a bag of peas against his groin.
Ash took a slug of his water and propped his forearms on the railing. He eyed the frozen peas, but didn’t say anything.
“Are we kicking Bent’s ass?” Bash spread his legs wide and tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair. “Because I think Piper already did damage.” He snorted a laugh.
Noodles gave a grin and took a sip of his beer.
Bent’s beverage chilled his hand. He slammed it on the table, not wanting any of it. More liquor had coursed through his veins in the past seventy-two hours than was wise. He was barely sober and still nursing the aftereffects of a string of hangovers. The hand which cupped the peas ached from the cold, but his balls hurt more.
Spike remained quiet, but then he was the most thoughtful of the group. His gaze cast from Ash to Bash, hovered over Noodles’s cool exterior then returned to settle on Bent.
“Ain’t nobody going to say it?” Spike asked.
“Say what?” Although Bent knew any number of things they could say to him.
He had failed them. His inability to rehabilitate his arm affected all of them. They were a group, tight and solid, and he had let them down.
“You need to get your head out of your ass.” Bash’s rhythmic finger thumping intensified.
The tapping wasn’t random. Not with Bash. If his fingers were tapping, there was a song about ready to spring forth. Ash’s head bobbed to the beat of Bash’s fingers confirming Bent’s thoughts. If the two of them were writing, that meant only one thing.
“My head is just fine.”
Ash spun around. “What about your heart?” He thumped his chest.
“What the fuck does my heart have to do with anything?”
In answer, Ash’s brow arched. “Forest says you’re having issues with your therapist.”
“Piper is no longer a problem.” Bent growled.
Ash’s hands lifted, palms out. “Whatever.”
Bash rocked forward and pressed his elbows to his knees. The sun glinted off the bare skin of his scalp. Many thought Bash had gone bald prematurely, but the story behind his shaved head was something much different.
“We need you, dude.” Noodles popped the lever to his seat and reclined. He threaded his fingers together and cupped them behind his head. “We need you back and playing strong.”
Bent lifted his wasted hand. “It’s fucked beyond help. You should really talk to Ryker about staying on and taking my place.”
Ryker had stepped in for Bent during their USO tour overseas. The man could play any song back with near perfect recall after hearing it only once or twice. The Air Force veteran had Mozart genius ability when it came to music. Turned out, he played every instrument, except drums, with the same mind-blowing skill.
“Ryker has other things on his plate.” Ash kicked back and leaned against the railing. “Forest wants him operational in six months.”
Bash approached Bent. He stabbed him in the chest with his forefinger. “Which means you’ve got six months to get your head out of your ass and figure your shit out.”
“And if I don’t?”
Noodles stared overhead, probably watching the clouds feathering across the sky. “Dude…there are only two reasons not to do something. Either you’re unwilling or you’re unable. I’ve talked to Piper…there’s no reason you can’t.” He lifted his head and stared at Bent. “That means you’re unwilling. Which is why we’re here to pull your head out of that very stuffed ass of yours.”
“My ass is not stuffed.” Now that was a bad visual. “And Piper is wrong.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” Spike emptied his beer and stood. “You need to figure out what’s going on in that head of yours. Sort out your shit and stop fucking around.”
“You’re not the one with a busted arm and fingers that don’t work.”
“True, but if that was me, I’d be working my balls off to get better. You’re just sitting around jerking off and terrorizing women half your size.” He shoved past Bent, knocking him in the shoulder. “Play time is done, bro. Time to step up to the plate.”
Ash followed Spike back inside. “Ryker has other things to do, Bent. He’s not interested in being a full-time stand in. He was pretty clear this was a short-term thing. Besides, his passions lie somewhere else and that wife of his is gearing up to launch her team. Forest needs Ryker’s focus there, not playing substitute for you.”
“And if I can’t?” If he put in the effort and nothing happened? If his ruined arm remained a worthless appendage, then what?
“Do. Or do not. There is no try.” Noodles spouted off Yoda’s iconic line from Star Wars. “Unwilling or unable. Those are the only choices facing you. I sure as shit hope you’re not unwilling to do the right thing.”
What the ever-loving fuck!
Bent’s bandmates filed inside, chucked their empty beer bottles, and headed out the door. Ash was the last one out.
He turned to Bent. “Piper is your therapist and she’s not going anywhere. You fix things with her.”
“But—”
“No but! You fix things with her. She’s smart and highly recommended for a reason. Piper and Forest have been working on something while you were out fucking and drinking away your sorrows. The buck stops here Bent. You give it your all, or you give up. What kind of man are you going to choose to be?”
Without waiting for Bent’s response, Ash shut the door behind him, leaving Bent gaping.
They didn’t understand. None of them understood.
His cellphone vibrated. When he glanced down, his heart stopped.
PIPER: Therapy 3pm. Poolside. Be there.
His Fault
Bent
At 3pm Bent dragged his sorry ass poolside. His nuts no longer hurt, but his gut knotted up with the prospect of having to face Piper. What he’d done had been wrong, but had felt so very right. How was that possible? And why was it that all he could think about was kissing her again.
That kiss echoed in the beat of his heart. Her taste lingered on his tongue. He needed more, but had screwed himself out of anything more by violating limits she hadn’t even known to list.
His responsibility.
His fault.
Choking her had incited a reaction,
a near catatonic shutdown, and despite knowing how she responded to that stimulus, he had ignored her trigger and took what he wanted. He hadn’t been able to stop himself. That made him the worst predator out there.
Now, he had to face her, apologize, and accept retribution for what he’d done. He didn’t need this crap, but the fault landed squarely on his shoulders.
He arrived at the suspended pool to find Forest waiting for him.
“Where’s Piper?”
Forest gave him an arctic stare which turned the surging heat in Bent’s blood to ice.
“You’re one sorry piece of work, you know that.”
Bent spread his hands out. “Not interested in getting into this with you. Where’s Piper?”
“You’ll see her in a bit.”
See her?
Bent glanced around. “Where the fuck is she?”
“Waiting for you.”
“She told me to be here at three. I’m here. Where the fuck is she? If she can’t show the fuck up, I’m out of here.”
“So you keep saying.” Forest planted his hands on his hips. “You’ll wait as long as needed. She’s waiting on us.”
“On us?”
“Yes, but first you and I are going to have a little talk.”
Bent growled his frustration. He didn’t want a talk with Forest.
“I fucked up. Okay. I know what I did was wrong. I’m going to apologize.” He was going to beg her forgiveness. What he wasn’t going to do was have a sit down conversation with Forest.
Forest pointed to a chair. “Sit!”
“I’m not a fucking dog.”
“No, but you do work for me.”
“You got that wrong.” Forest was a piece of work. “You work for me.”
“You want to whip out our dicks and see which one is bigger?” Forest arched an eye.
“No!” He didn’t have any desire to do that.
“Good, because I’d win. Now sit your ass in that chair.”
Bent stood his ground. “Let’s just get this over with, okay? I fucked up. It was wrong. I’m going to apologize…to Piper. Not you.” The man had no business being in Bent’s business.
“Good. At least now you’re acting like a man.”
Bent jerked. What the fuck!
That comment stung. First from Piper, then the band, and now Forest? Had he really been that pathetic? He didn’t want to face that truth, but shit. Was there some truth to what they said? He wasn’t that man. He didn’t want to be that man.
“Now, get your ass over here.” Forest lifted a VR headset and a pair of gloves. “I need to get you hooked in and get a few things set.”
“I’m not interested in your little VR world. I came to see Piper.”
“And I told you she’s waiting on us.”
“Where?” And there was no us involved. He was going to speak to Piper, privately.
“Look, you’re not coming within a hundred feet of Piper until I’m satisfied you’re not going to hurt her.”
“I’m not a monster. I fucked up, but it’s not happening again. I really think this is a convo that Piper and I need to have. Not you and me.”
“This is happening between you and me. You don’t know her like I do.”
“What does that mean?”
But it was true. He knew very little about Piper. He’d never thought to ask, but now he needed to know everything about her. That kiss had ignited something deep within him, and with it the urge to protect and shelter her flared. She was his. He no longer doubted that.
It wasn’t something he understood, and it most certainly wasn’t something he wanted to psychoanalyze with Forest. He needed Piper.
Now.
However, this was an opportunity to learn a little about the woman who invaded his every thought.
“Tell me what you know about Piper.”
“Sit!” Forest pointed to the chair.
This time, Bent relented and strode over to the chair. Not because Forest ordered it, but because he wanted to hear what Forest had to say. When he sat, Forest tossed him the gloves.
“Put those on.”
The stretchy fabric was the same as he remembered, but now cables extended along the length each finger of the right hand making the glove look robotic. The left glove was as he remembered.
“What’s this?”
Forest ignored that question and folded his arms across his chest. His left brow arched and he huffed with irritation. “Is it so hard to just do something you’re asked to do? Are you this annoying with Piper? Is that why she hates you, Lover Boy?”
“Don’t call me that.” Forest had a habit of using that nickname on others, and Bent knew exactly what Forest meant by it. Unfortunately, in Bent’s case, the nickname might be the perfect fit.
He shoved the fingers of his wasted hand into the robo-glove and then slid on the other.
“I’m not sure what happened between you and Piper,” Forest began, “but she was in tears when she found me. You said you assaulted her? What exactly did you do?”
“Didn’t she tell you?”
“She wouldn’t tell me shit. Just a flood of tears as she wept against my chest. If you’re fucking with her head, I’m going to be pounding your ass into next week.”
“Protective much?”
“As hell,” Forest asserted. “Piper is family.”
Bent bolted to his feet. Holy hell, how had he not known? “Please don’t tell me, she’s one of your foster rescues?”
Forest only rescued the worst of the worst.
Forest’s frustrating answer was a lift of his brow.
Bent paced along the length of the pool. Dragging his gloved hand through his hair, his gut knotted even further. What had Piper been exposed to that she had needed rescuing?
“I see you’ve been paying attention,” Forest said with a drawl.
Paying attention? He’d have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to know about Forest and his rescue program. Forest and Skye had freed themselves from a horrific situation when they’d been foster kids—one neither Skye nor Forest had fully shared with the band—but they had survived and thrived.
Forest had built a vast financial empire. Skye had become a successful emergency physician. They’d established their rescue foundation, funded one hundred percent by Forest’s wealth. Forest took the rest of his money and had established a global empire.
Through it all, Forest’s charity led the way. He now invested in hostage rescue, which was where Ryker came into play. Forest had Ryker’s fiancée, Tia, putting together a medical team to work in concert with the force assault team.
Forest’s goal in life was to revamp the foster care system. He couldn’t replace the broken bureaucracy which was meant to shelter and protect children, but he did what he could for those who fell through the cracks. Tia had also been one of Forest’s rescues. They were all a part of his weird extended family.
Family? It was the strangest family on the earth. Bent didn’t want Piper tied to Forest’s projects. He wanted her for himself.
Her trigger suddenly came into crystal clear focus. If she had been one of Forest’s rescues…
“Holy mother of God!” What had he done?
“I see you’ve gained some clarity, Lover Boy.” Forest’s low rumble rolled over Bent. “Her story is not mine to share, but from the look in your eyes, it’s clear there’s nothing more for me to say.”
“I thought I’d fucked up, but shit.” Bent paced poolside. “I royally fucked up!”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.” Forest glared.
“I need to talk to her.”
Forest handed Bent the headset. “She’s waiting for us.”
“Where! Fucking where is she?”
“In VR. She doesn’t want anything to do with being near you in person, but I’ve hired her for a job, and the one thing Piper doesn’t do is run…unlike someone else I know.”
“What the fuck, Forest?” Bent gave Forest a side-lined g
lare, but grabbed the VR headset from Forest.
“I hired Piper for one job. One job only, and she’s uniquely qualified to do it. She’s gone above and beyond dealing with your shit. Do you know she talked to your orthopedist and consulted a neurologist, all before she even accepted the job?”
“No?” But it didn’t surprise him. Piper was thorough.
“She has a hair-brained idea. I have no idea if it’s going to work, but sure as shit, you’re going to give it a go.”
“What?”
“You’re going in there, and you’re going to play.”
“Play?”
“Bass.”
“I can’t play.”
His gut twisted in knots. Why did everyone push? He was tired of them assuming his life would return to normal. Did they not see the devastation of his arm? Did they not see how his hand didn’t work the way it needed to? He couldn’t play guitar. Everything he’d worked for in his life had gone up in smoke during that explosion outside Bagram.
“Yes, that’s what you’ve been telling everyone for the past few months. I think you’ve convinced everyone. Ash and Bash are worried. Noodles is cool, but he’s all fucking Zen about it. Spike is done with your shit, but Piper is convinced. She’s tenacious as hell and she’s got me involved now.”
“I don’t need you involved.”
“Well, you should’ve thought about that before you scared her shitless. What exactly did you do to her?” Forest’s eyes pinched tight, but if Piper hadn’t shared what happened between them, then Bent wasn’t going to enlighten Forest.
What he was going to do was talk to Piper, get down on his knees if he had to and beg.
“She’s not here.” It wasn’t a question.
Forest gave a nod.
“But she’s meeting us in your VR world?”
“You’re a fucking genius.” Forest smirked.
“Is it the stage mockup you showed me?”
“Hitting rocket scientist brilliance as we speak.”
“Okay.” He adjusted the VR headset. “I’ll go in, but on one condition.”
“I’m all ears.”
“I go in alone.”
“No can do. Piper doesn’t want to be alone with you.”
Hearts Collide Page 9
