by SM Olivier
This too shall pass.
My mind cleared, and my breathing was back to normal.
“I think that just proves I’m the best person for the part,” I stared impassively at Clementine.
I saw the glee in her eyes. I saw how, by publicly humiliating me, she thought she could tear me down, only for her to rise above once again. She wanted to use me as a stepping stone again. Well, I had news for her. Of all my demons, she was the smallest.
“I can connect to the song better than most, especially you,” I informed her. “When have you ever struggled, Clem? Your life has always been handed to you. Have you ever listened to the lyrics of the song? Can you truly connect to the lyrics and give the song any justice if you can’t even understand them?”
“Well said,” Grady murmured. “Ms. Valentine. You may leave. I think your services are no longer needed here. If you plan to stay in the music industry, I suggest you reconsider. It’s a small world in many ways, and I’m sure some of our friends would wonder why we fired you.”
A myriad of emotions crossed Clementine's features. Fear, disgust, anger, and finally disdain.
“Oh, honey,” Clementine said condescendingly, “my agent gets numerous phone calls a day. I didn’t need this job, nor do I want it. My agent suggested it. Now I’m glad I don’t have to waste any more time on your lousy production. Your music sucks, and you’ll see how my career will continue while all your little one-hit wonders soon fade.”
With that, she turned and left. The silence was deafening in the room until a guitar began to play. The beginning notes of Bloodfeathers rang through and echoed off the room walls, and I did what I always did. I got lost in the music and allowed my feet to carry me away.
I was sure Clementine would soon find out how vicious karma could be. She had reaped so much bad into the world. She was bound to sow it eventually.
27
●
Warnings and Demands
“Ready?” Sal asked me as I stepped out into the bright sunlight.
“I am,” I confirmed, pulling my olive-green hooded military-style jacket close.
It was wickedly cold, and a tremor wracked my body from the chill the wind created as it caressed my skin, which was still slightly overheated from dancing. Anya had been relentless today.
She didn’t care that my plate was already full with the music video, school, and recovering. She had Renee, Kayley, and I competing for the lead in our next group number and a solo. She also planned for Zane and me to do another duet at our next competition. For once in my life− okay, maybe the second time− I tried to give up a solo or the lead.
I knew my limitations, and I really didn’t want to be worn down. Zane and I killed the dance routine yesterday for the music video. By the end of rehearsal, we had a few dancers—plus Laken, Ayden, and Grady—firmly in our corner. They seemed just as excited as we were, and I counted down the days until we were back in the city.
“It’s getting colder out,” Sal grumbled. “Maybe you should get a thicker coat.”
I grinned at his concern and realized for the first time since my return there wasn’t a spattering of reporters accosting us as we approached the vehicle.
Renee snorted, and I rolled my eyes at her. She had already chastised me for my lack of winter wear. I never liked puffy oversized coats, but I had to admit she looked unaffected and cozy in her ski-like coat.
I was so relieved and happy to see her back today. I could tell she was still shaken by what she’d witnessed, but she seemed a lot better than the last time I had seen her. Her dad had taken her away to a little lake house over the weekend, and the reconvening with nature and the solitude seemed to have done wonders for her.
“I’ll order one today,” I reassured them. “Can we stop off at the Chinese take-out place, too? The guys placed an order and asked us to grab it. They also placed an order for General Tso’s and a large wonton egg drop soup for you, Sal. Renee, they ordered you almond chicken with chicken-fried rice.”
“You guys are going to spoil me,” Sal half-heartedly grumbled.
“I packed my lunch,” Renee attempted to protest as well.
I laughed. “What can I say? You’re an amazing Shadow, and the guys like you. And Ray, your lunch can keep. The guys know how much you love your Chinese.”
Renee just grinned and shrugged. The guys were just as happy as her return as I was, so they asked me to pick up food for everyone, knowing how much Renee loved her Chinese food.
They had grown to like her and had become close to her in my absence, learning more about her. She had stepped up and helped them in their time of need, and they were determined to “pay” her back.
Maisie had grown to love her as well. She had been asking about her just the other day. I knew she wanted a play date with her Candyland opponent. Apparently, Renee had introduced her to the game, and she was now obsessed. According to Maisie, none of us “knew how to play” when she challenged us. I suspected that she hated losing. Renee had taken it easy on her, while we were unwilling to “allow” her to win.
Sal chuckled and shook his head at me before he cleared his throat. “Des is on duty Monday and Tuesday, but if you want to switch us out, you can.”
I was confused why he was telling me their schedule. The guys traded off watching me, and occasionally their schedules overlapped. I thought it was slight overkill to have them hovering, especially when we were at home and mostly hanging out.
They rarely informed me about their schedules and worked it out between themselves. Grandpa and David were the only ones that seemed to care about their exact itineraries with my care. Then realization dawned on me.
“Aww, does someone have a man-crush?” I crowed. “Was it Grady, Laken, or Ayden you liked the most?”
Sal had returned to watch the last few hours of practice with Uncaged. Every time I looked over at him, I could see the awe in his eyes. He was the picture of stoic professionalism to an outsider, but I had grown to know him, so I was able to notice the slight changes in his mannerisms.
I climbed into the passenger seat and immediately turned on the seat warmers. I sighed in bliss as the warmth enveloped me. Sal had clearly started the vehicle for our comfort before class ended.
I looked over at Sal as he climbed behind the wheel. I never thought such a big burly man could blush, but I clearly saw the red in his cheeks. That only made me laugh harder.
“Who wouldn’t!” Renee gushed. “You are so lucky. I wish I could go, just to watch. Plus, I just want to lick Milo. Just once.”
Sal and I both looked over our shoulders in shock and surprise. Renee was so shy and rarely talked, let alone enthused about a man to us.
“What?” Renee said with a guileless shrug. “I’m a teenage girl with hormones.” She sniffed with mock hurt. “Just because I haven’t expressed interest in any of the boys at our school doesn’t mean I don’t notice men. Plus, I’ve been following Uncaged since they were the opening acts for the big dogs. Now they're the big dogs, and it’s well deserved. They’re crazy talented!” She looked at me seriously. “Have you really listened to their music? Listen to Milo in Another Sunrise and tell me you don’t fall in love with him. Just a little.”
I hadn’t met Milo, but he was the lead vocalist in Uncaged. He also played the guitar and wrote a good number of their songs. I had been impressed to find out he and Grady wrote all their songs.
“I did download all their albums last night,” I admitted. “Sal, Zane, and I made it to their second album on the drive home. Which one is Another Sunrise on?”
“Taking Flight,” Renee said without hesitation. “Track ten.”
I laughed and looked over at Sal. He seemed impressed by her fandom. I hadn’t failed to notice that he sang to most of the songs we had listened to last night. Zane and I had teased him relentlessly over it.
“So, Sal,” I teased. “Who do you want to lick?”
“I am one hundred percent straight. Not that there’s any
thing wrong if I wasn’t,” Sal grumbled. “Des doesn’t listen to anything but country. He has no clue who Uncaged is. I made him listen to five of their number one hits, and he was still oblivious. He’ll probably be bored out of his mind.”
My stomach hurt from all the laughter spewing from my mouth, and tears were rolling down my face. “I’m sure you’re telling me this all out of the kindness of your heart, too, right?” I tried to wipe around my eyes.
I didn’t put on waterproof mascara and already had to do damage control after class. I had every intention of ordering a coat and more waterproof makeup over our lunch break. I was not too fond of raccoon eyes, and makeup was a necessity nowadays. My nightmares had increased lately, and sleep was elusive once again.
I didn’t know if the stress of the merry-go-round my life was in was the issue, or if missing Crew was having a dramatic effect on my life. All I knew was I woke up looking wane and tired every morning, and makeup helped me hide the evidence. I was just thankful that I hadn’t disturbed Zane’s or Paxton’s sleep the last couple of nights.
“Okay. So tell me. If you did swing that way, who you would lick? Answer and I’ll let Des off the hook next week,” I teased, attempting to banish my dark introspections.
Salvatore smirked at me. “I’m confident in my masculinity to admit that Tobias is a sexy beast.”
Renee and I went into another fit of giggles as Sal pulled up in front of the Chinese food restaurant.
“Only because Tobias is probably the only man that could handle your man meat,” Renee said without missing a beat.
Did she just say that?
Sal and I were both shocked into laughter. Although, her logic did make sense. I hadn’t met the guy in person, but all the pictures I found of him online depicted a large man. His height and build rivaled Crew’s, Kyler’s, and Sal’s. Like the other men in the band, he was also insanely hot. If I were single, I would be torn on who I thought was the most alluring.
“What?” Renee spluttered, seeing our shock. “You guys seemed surprised that I can be a sexual being. Uncaged can make any girl, teen, and woman purr. And some men, too,” she added. “I’ll have you know that chocolate, hot chocolate, and smutty romance novels are a few of my guilty pleasures when I’m not dancing or doing homework.”
“You’re still a child!” Sal spluttered, slipping into his “Dad” role. “Does your daddy know you read that trash?”
“Yes, Dad Number Two,” Renee said tartly. “I’ll be sixteen soon. Dad’s just thankful no guys are “sniffing” around yet. I know plenty of girls my age that lost their virginity a long time ago. Dad realizes that and prefers my book boyfriends and the undying crush I have on Milo. Also, he has access to my Kindle library. He’s not happy about some of my reading selections, but at least I don’t read straight-up erotica porn. I like a storyline with the sex. Plus, it saved him from having the birds and bees conversation with me.”
She adds the last part with a touch of sadness. Her mother had died of cancer. I kind of understood how hard it could be not to have a mother present. There were a lot of things little girls wanted to turn to their mothers for. Neither of us had that luxury.
My mother chose to be absent from my life. First, because of the crazy amount of hours she had to work to supply Sean's habits and keep a roof over our heads, the latter of which I was at least thankful for, respected, even. Food might have been slim, our electricity and utilities had been shut off a time or two, but I never saw any eviction notices.
“I got ‘the talk’ from Madison,” I informed her. “But I don’t think she gave me all the details,” I tried to joke. “For years, I thought you could get pregnant by giving a guy a blow job.”
“On that note,” Sal said with a high-pitched inhale, “I’m going to get that food now.” He got out of the car and headed inside.
Renee began to giggle, and I was relieved to see her sadness dissipate from her eyes. “You should totally embarrass Sal on the set next time and have Zane record it.”
I began to cackle wickedly. “I will have to see if that’s possible.”
The door opened up on Sal’s side, and it took me a moment to realize that it wasn’t Sal that slid in. This man was big and burly, with a broad barrel chest, and except for the slight paunch in his middle, he was in reasonably good shape.
“Wow, you’re a beaut. No wonder my boy is enamored with you.” He grinned at me, and I immediately saw the resemblance he had to Kyler and Crew.
Butch Fairchild. He had to be in his late forties, early fifties, and still handsome. Well, he would be if his ice gray eyes weren’t so cold and calculating. I could recognize a demon when I saw one, and he was one of them.
I could also smell the cigarette smoke and pungent beer odor emanating from. I recalled Kyler telling me what a mean drunk he could be.
For a moment, I was immobilized by fear, but a slight squeak reminded me that Renee was in the car with me, and I’d be damned if she ended up further traumatized than she already was. She was just recovering from the last hit she took. I didn’t want his brand of evil to touch her in any way.
“Ray, run!” I yelled as I grabbed the handle of my car door.
My ponytail was immediately snatched back and my head connected with the center console with a loud thud. I couldn’t help but cry out in agony as sharp pain resonated throughout my head like a bell ringing.
Renee whimpered, and I looked over at her and saw the tears flooding her eyes. Her fear trumped my own, and I just wanted to protect her. She needed to go get Sal. She needed to get far away from here.
“Run,” I gasped as her image became blurry.
Butch let out a sharp, wicked laugh. “She can’t, beauty.”
I blinked rapidly and realized my stupid error. I had been so vigilant after my abduction. I was always looking over my shoulder in public. I had made a grave mistake and let my guard down, and now Renee was going to suffer because of it.
Bikers had completely surrounded the car.
How had I not heard the rumble of their engines? Even before my abduction, the sounds of bikes turned my head. I admired them and dreamed of the next motorcycle I might own.
I tried to struggle in vain. Butch was too big, and I was at a disadvantage at the awkward angle he held me in. When I felt the cold blade of a knife pressed to my throat, all my struggles ceased. I was careless, not stupid.
“Listen here, beauty,” Butch finally growled out, all pretense of friendliness dissipating in a blink of an eye. “You tell Kyler to stop looking for his brother, or I’ll make him come to heel as well. You tell him I know all about those properties he’s working on, and I’d hate for him to lose them all. The insurance company would find it hard to believe that they all went up in flames at the same time.”
My fear and self-preservation were dashed away as I snarled at him. How dare he threaten his son's business? How dare he treat his sons like dogs? “Come to heel,” seriously? Both of his sons were old enough to make their own decisions. He abandoned them for years, and when he returned, he expected them to fall back in line, just like that?
“Crew made his choice,” he said with a smug grin. “He knows he’s the prince to the king, and if he proves himself, the kingdom is his. If Kyler wants to work like a dog to earn his green, he can, but Crew’s always the brighter one. He understands he’ll eventually work less and earn a hell of a lot more than Kyler could ever dream of.”
His words sunk in, and I felt like I was physically punched in the chest. Pain filled my chest. My fears were confirmed. Crew was working for his dad. Why?
“Also,” he added as he opened his door, finally releasing his grip on my hair, “Your mama misses you. You need to come to visit her.”
“I don’t have a mother,” I hissed in anger.
I hated this man. I hated how he had hurt Crew and Kyler as boys. I hated how he abandoned Crew when he could barely care for himself. I hated that he had returned and was responsible for Crew leaving me. T
here were zero redeeming qualities in the devil in front of me.
With the speed that belied his size, his fist recaptured my hair, and the blade was back at my throat, but this time I could feel the sharp sting as the tip pierced my skin. I refused to whimper. I refused to plead. I had lived in hell for eighteen days, a hell I still revisited several times in my dreams and memories. It would take more than this reprobate to break me. I was unbreakable.
“Maybe,” he growled at me, spittle flying from his lips and landing on my cheek. “You misunderstood me. That wasn’t a request. It was a demand. You will come to visit your mama sooner than later or you’ll regret not obeying me. Understood?”
“Where?” I hissed back. “She disconnected her old number, and the last time I saw her, she was more worried about your men than me to leave a number.”
A sadistic grin spread across his face as he leaned in and nuzzled my cheek. “Maybe I have the wrong queen by my side. You got fire. I like it.”
He licked my cheek, and this time I was unable to stop the whimper that flew from my lips. He seemed to enjoy my fear more as he chuckled.
“She’ll call you soon. She’ll let you know when and where to meet her.” Butch smiled at me and traced the blade of his knife across my cheek.
I cringed but refused to lower my eyes as he watched me. Finally, he unfolded himself from the seat and slammed the door behind him. Renee let out a loud sob, reminding me of her presence. I scrambled out of my seat and climbed into the back. I gathered her in my arms, noticing how badly I was shaking.
I had to push my own emotions away and focus on Renee. She was just returning to the real world after discovering a dead girl that had overdosed. It had shaken her, and I didn’t want to be the reason for her setback. I had been careless enough to drop my guard.
Never again. I was done being a victim!
“I’m so sorry,” I crooned to her as I rocked her. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”