“I’m sorry you couldn’t catch him.” In more ways than one. “But you guys got back together?” I try to lighten the conversation. I can’t hide from this whole Eli thing, but I can sure as hell take breaks from it.
He smiles faintly, letting his tough guy mask slip a little. “Eventually,” he nods. “It was a while after that, but the incident got us talking again, and it definitely made me realize how much I still cared for her. I wanted to do anything and everything…” he shakes his head, realizing the road he’s taking the conversation down. “Sorry… I should be keeping this professional. This particular case involves you, so that’s where the focus needs to be.”
“Okay,” I concede quietly, as the lights go down in the arena.
14
Mayzie
The next few days takes us through Birmingham and Nashville to Charlotte, where we are now. We’re parked in the back of another sports arena, cooling our heels while the road staff hustle their asses off, schlepping pieces of stage and equipment into the venue. I’m tempted to roll up my sleeves and help out. I’m going stir crazy, and all the stress from recent events is churning inside me, waiting to explode. I need to engage in some serious physical activity before it all comes out in a not so pretty or ladylike way. I need a dancefloor. Or a punching bag. A trampoline. A racecar with an empty track. Something.
I let my mind mull over the endless ways I could burn off the frustration, no matter how far-fetched, as I pull up my yoga pants and then zip up my hoodie.
“Where are you going?” Jack asks curiously from the bedroom doorway, making me jump and scream. “Sorry baby,” he says, grinning at how much he startled me.
“I was just going to go run or something,” I answer as I recover with a hand to my chest, before plugging my earbuds into my phone and wrapping the cord around it.
“You don’t run,” he says with an amused smile.
“I know, but I’m going nuts and I need to move.”
“I’m sorry, baby,” he consoles, as he steps forward to cup the side of my face with his hand. “I know you’re having crazy dance withdrawals. One of these cities has to have a studio we could get you into.”
I shake my head with a sigh. “The schedule’s too tight. Besides, we’d attract too much attention.”
He nods, shrugging a shoulder. “Listen, I just got off the phone with Mike.”
“And?”
He blows a breath out of his nose before continuing. “He’s putting together a proposal for a settlement for us, but he just wants us to be prepared.” He continues as I look up at him questioningly. “There’s a strong chance it would be for a lot more than your average contract buy-out. Eli may ask for a lot more, due to the possibility of how this will make him look. He could play the wounded, wrongly accused angle, claiming that our breaking the contract will hurt his credibility as an agent.”
“Oh, poor him,” I sympathize sarcastically as Jack nods in agreement. I shake my head. “Well, that’s out then.”
“What do you mean?” Jack draws his eyebrows together.
“We can’t do that,” I simply state with an exaggerated shrug of my shoulders.
“Baby, we already decided we’re not going to continue with the contract, what other choice do we have?”
“Well,” I draw in a big breath, knowing he’s about to lose his shit at what I have to say. “We never talked about trying to get the proof of what he’s doing.”
His gaze hardens. “That’s because that option is not on the table. That puts you at risk. Therefore, we’re not doing it.”
“It is too on the table! We never talked about it.”
“I took it off the table the moment Morris suggested it; or did you not hear me say there was no fucking way?”
“Oh, you decided. But last I checked, it’s not you Eli’s messing with. I think that choice should be up to me.”
“Are you serious, Maze? He’s doing it to the most important person in my world. Pretty fucking close enough don’t you think?”
“Fine. Okay,” I gently concede his point. “But this won’t necessarily just make him look bad. It could make Turn it Up look bad. And Eli is a PR wizard, he could spin the whole scenario with the press any way he wants, make it look like you guys are hard to work with or something. We could suffer ramifications for months or years after it’s all said and done.”
“It will be worth it if it keeps you out of that sting.”
“Will it?” I challenge him, “Because I don’t think so. The effects will follow us around, at least they will me. The sting is how it ends. How we bring him down and bring a stop to it altogether.”
“It’s also how you could end up hurt, or traumatized.”
“So you want to give up, lay it all down at his feet?” I ask incredulously. “It’s surrender!”
“That’s funny, because I’m looking at it more like keeping my wife from being alone in a room with a complete animal.”
“So you’d rather we go on with life knowing that we gave in? Let him have his way instead of fighting?”
“I’m not too proud to do what it takes to protect you,” he returns calmly, although his tone is starting to harden.
“But you’re talking about you and the other guys probably handing over everything you’ve worked hard for, so that he’ll stop messing with your poor little wife. Don’t you realize what you’d be putting on me by doing that?” Jack’s shoulders drop as I keep going. “I don’t want to live with that! I don’t want to carry on knowing I’m the reason you all did that. All that sacrifice would just hurt us more.”
“Jesus, Mayzie. I can’t get my head around the fact that you’re considering this. To be alone in a room with a scumbag that wants to violate you… It almost sounds like you want to put yourself in that situation!”
“How dare you,” My voice is low, and my teeth are clenched.
“Shit. Baby, I didn’t mean-,”
“No, I don’t fucking want to do it, but you’re talking about letting him take so much from us! Who knows what he could go after, and what we’d be left with at the end of it!”
“It’s just money, Mayzie. I want you safe! Get perspective! Nothing is more important; I don’t care what it costs.”
“What it will cost, is our dignity. We’d have to live out the rest of our lives knowing we gave him what he wanted just so he’d stop. That even though we did nothing wrong, we were the ones that paid. That we didn’t fight. You said we weren’t going to play his game. This sounds an awful lot like we are! And who’s to say he’ll really leave me alone? When you give a bully your lunch money, he comes back for it every day. I don’t want to send the message that he can do this. I want to send the one that says don’t fuck with us!”
I’m about to blow. I need to get out of here or it’s going to get ugly. I snatch my phone off the bed and head for the door.
“Mayzie!” Jack scolds behind me. “Where are you going? We’re not done here!” I hear him following behind me through the length of the bus. Thank God there doesn’t seem to be anyone else on board at the moment or this would be really embarrassing. One of the last things I want in this world is for Jack and I to be one of those couples that has public arguments and lets the world see our drama, even though he and I rarely have any.
“Don’t follow me Jack!” I snap over my shoulder just before I stomp down the steps and out of the door. I storm past Shane and in the direction of the arena, unsure why, or where I’m hoping to end up.
JACK
Shit.
That last sentiment definitely stopped me in my tracks. I’m standing on the first step inside the bus door with a hand on either side of the doorway, watching Mayzie high-tail it in the opposite direction. It’s not often she gets mad at me, but when she does, I know it’s not the time to reason with her. I look down as I realize something else: whenever she has gotten mad at me, it’s been for a good reason. This signals my brain to tell me I might want to reevaluate my position, but I’m s
till too fired up and stubborn to do that for right now. I’m trying to protect her for fucks sake. How does that in any way put me in the wrong?
Speaking of which, I look over at Shane who is watching after Mayzie as she storms across the lot.
“Hey Shane?” I prompt him, and he turns his head to acknowledge me.
“Yeah, Jack?”
“Stay with her, would you?” I jut my chin in Mayzie’s direction. I might be going a little overboard. It’s not like Eli is going to pop up randomly and ambush her again here on tour, but still, I don’t like the idea of her being alone, especially as emotional as she is right now. It just doesn’t sit right with me.
He looks confused, but still assures me, “You got it.” He turns to follow her before I think of something else.
“Oh, but hang back a little, yeah? Don’t let her know you’re there.”
He hesitantly nods but turns to follow her, each one of his strides matching about three of Mayzie’s power steps.
I’m not sure exactly where she’s headed but I have a pretty good idea of what she’s going to do when she gets there.
Yep. There’s a good chance my ass is sleeping in one of the bunks tonight…
MAYZIE
One of the cons to touring with a rock band? There’s no place to fucking dance. Sure, the fans tend to dance in the rows of seats while rocking out to the show, but what about me? Before this life turned into what it is, the dance studio, Dance It Out was my safe haven. I took dance classes, taught some, and sometimes just took a studio to myself while I worked through stressful times. I would put on some hard rock and let my body do what it wanted and needed to blow off the steam.
I’m on a mission. I’ve reached my limit and I need to take it out on a dance floor. This arena is where the local basketball team plays. Obviously, the main court is out of the question as the stage is currently being put up by about seventy roadies, but maybe they have a practice gym or something. I know most teams practice at a separate training facility, but you never know.
I come to the side of the round, brick building and find a door that’s been propped open. I follow a narrow hallway that curves along the left side of the building until I find an open lobby area with green signs hanging on the large brick walls. “Locker Rooms” and “Training Gym” are etched in gold on one of the signs with an arrow pointing to the left. Bingo.
I follow the hallway to a tunnel, which I meander down until I find a set of double doors with windows, clearly showing a small basketball gym on one side of the expansive room, and work out equipment such as treadmills and weight machines set up all around the other side. I push through the door and make a beeline for the court. The floor is nice smooth hardwood and it will more than do. And there’s not a soul in sight. Perfect.
I pull out my phone and bring up the hard rock station on my music app. I stick in my earbuds and am pleased to have my ears greeted by good ol’ Thunderstruck, perfect for getting me into the hardcore, kickass mindset. I let the rapidly flowing guitar riff cycle through my blood as I sit down and stretch my muscles before getting up to shake out my body and pace a bit before throwing myself into the music.
15
Jack
“I’m sorry, but I’m with her on this one,” Matt tells me as we walk down the tunnel after sound check.
“Me too,” adds Chris, keeping pace behind us.
“So you’ll put my wife in a dangerous predicament to avoid coughing up some money and finding another agent?” I accuse.
“Not me,” Josh says, bringing up the rear. “I’m with you, Jack.”
“Thank you.” I give him a heavy nod as I continue forward.
“Come on, Jack. You know it’s not like that,” Matt chastises. “The hell do you take us for? I agree with her that it’s best to take him down and not let him carry on with this shit, with us or anyone else.”
“You didn’t see her after he was done with her,” I growl.
“Maybe she’s over it,” Chris shrugs, shaking his head. “And it should be her choice.”
“It shouldn’t be; it should be our choice. It’s our life.”
“And is that the same thing you had to say to her earlier?” Matt challenges me.
I stop dead mid-stride and snap my face towards his. I open my mouth to give a rebuttal, but nothing comes out. He tilts his head and lifts an eyebrow.
“Listen,” he continues, “we all care about her. None of us want to see her get hurt. I’m on board with this because I don’t think she actually will get hurt. It will be scary, sure. But if she thinks she can do this…” he shakes his head and holds his hands out. “I’m inclined to think she can too.”
I stare at the concrete floor as I take in his words, as I listen to my best friend showing faith in my girl. Something I failed to do earlier. Something I didn’t even think to do because the number one thing on my mind was protecting her with everything I am.
“From what you’ve told me,” Matt brings my attention back to his soapbox, “Mayzie can be a little spitfire when she’s crossed. Sure, that asshole scared the shit out of her that night, but he also caught her off guard. In this case she’d be walking in prepared, fully loaded, in the right head space. You know, if I gave a shit about Eli, I’d almost be more afraid for him,” he chuckles, and damnit, I can’t help but join him when I think of Mayzie all fired up and handing Eli his ass.
I’m not sold on doing this. I seriously want to take the option of Mayzie getting proof off the table. What Matt had to say has given me some things to consider, one of which is that I need to consider Mayzie’s words. I need to hear her out and not shut her down.
I tell the guys to go ahead to the dressing room as I pull my phone out of my back pocket. I think about calling Maze, but I have a feeling I know what she’s doing, so I call Shane instead.
“Jack,” he greets when he picks up.
“Hey man, everything alright with her?”
“Her? Oh, she is just fine. It’s myself I’m worried about.” His deep voice comes through the line sounding cynical, and heavily laced with sarcasm.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m scared of her right now, man! If looks could kill…”
“Where are you?”
“Right outside some practice gym at the back of the arena.”
“I’ll be right there.”
I hang up and put the phone in my pocket, following signs that direct me to a gym. Mayzie tends to turn into Ren McCormack when she’s got some negative emotions to work out, and there’s no doubt in my mind that’s what she’s doing right now. When I first learned she did this is when I also learned that she can take care of herself. I however, like to be the one to do that, and she’s happy to let me, ninety-nine percent of the time.
As I come down a long hallway, I find Shane leaning his back against a wall with his hands in his jacket pockets, and his ball cap tilted low. I hold my hands out, as if to ask him what the deal is.
“She in there busting a move?” I inquire as I jerk my chin at the door leading into the gym.
“Man, she’s going to bust somethin’,” he shakes his head, incredulously. “I wanna trade with Doug now,” he’s referring to the guard assigned to me.
“What is your deal? Weren’t you like Special Forces or something? You’re assigned to her every night we have a show. What’s the big deal?”
He shakes his head and then jerks it over his shoulder in the direction of the door. “I didn’t know she had all that in her.”
I can’t help myself. I have to take one quick look at my lady in her element, giving the hardwood some hell. I keep my feet planted but tilt my upper body to peek around Shane. And sure enough, there’s my girl, dancing her beautiful ass off, throwing everything she has into every perfectly executed move, fire shooting from her eyes. And I fall in love for at least the twelve thousandth time.
I lean back to address Shane. “I know,” I say in solidarity. “How do you think See Her wa
s written?” I watch the realization come over his face, and I blow out a breath, chuckling. “Just don’t let her know you saw anything, and we’ll both be just fine.” I give his shoulder a slap before turning and walking back down the long hallway to get ready for the show.
MAYZIE
Ahhh… this feels so good. I’m going to be so sore tomorrow but it’s going to be so worth it. I’m channeling all of my frustration and exhausting the shit out of it. Last year, I decided to expand my range and learned some break dancing moves in the hopes of subtly incorporating them into an edgy contemporary dance piece. The gym floor is perfect and I had to bust some of them out, though in hindsight, I probably should’ve let myself work up to them a bit. No matter. I’m throwing my body around the floor, song after adrenalizing song. Every thud of a bass, every blare of guitar… I hit it hard.
By the time Prelude 12/21 by AFI works its way through my earbuds and into my mind, I’m feeling very fucking empowered. As my body moves hard but fluidly to Main Attraction by Jeremy Renner, I’m feeling very fucking motivated. The words are inspiring and I feel my facial expression morph into malevolence as I picture sticking it to Eli, doing my best to channel women like Officer Collins. I know there’s got to be a little Michelle Rodriguez or Elektra down inside me somewhere. If I could just bring her to the forefront of my mind, have some bravery front and center…
By the time So Alive is halfway through, I’m feeling more self-assured than ever, and my body seems to be slowing down and expending the last of its aggressive energies. I slowly come out of a pirouette and let my feet come to a stop. I rest my hands on my knees and catch my breath before straightening up and pulling the buds out of my ears. I walk over to my hoodie that lies discarded in a heap on the floor and slide it back on. I stiffly shuffle my exhausted body toward the double doors and push through one of them before turning right down the hallway to find… Shane. He’s standing about ten feet away. He startles out of his resting position against the wall when he sees me.
Still Her (Turn it Up Book 2) Page 12