by Bella Jewel
“Help!” I scream out loudly, knowing my phone is back at the bus. “Somebody help!”
Security comes from a caravan around the corner, barreling out and rushing toward me quickly. They skid to a stop when they see Amalie on the ground, bleeding.
“Oh, God!”
Susan. I don’t know where she came from, but she too is running toward us.
“What happened?” she cries.
“I don’t know, I just heard a cry and found her like this, someone call an ambulance!”
Some of my band members have come out of the bus, all of them are talking, asking what’s wrong, asking what happened, but all I can do is hold my friend in my arms, getting covered in her blood, and cry. Cry because I’m a liar. Cry because this is my fault. Cry because dammit, someone hurt the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world.
“It’s going to be okay,” I whisper to my friend. “I promise you, it’s going to be okay.”
She makes a pained sound, one that rips my heart out of my chest.
I’m a terrible human being.
What the hell am I going to do now?
-20-
MAVERICK
I can’t get hold of her.
I’ve been trying all morning, but my calls and messages are going unanswered. We’re chasing up a lead today, so I don’t have the time to go over and track her down. Why the fuck would she be ignoring me? Is she hurt? Worse? My head is spinning with the possibilities, and I’m pacing the hotel room we’re staying in, wondering if I can find the time to find her before we go and finish off these leads.
“You’re pacin’, bro. She’s probably just preparin’ for the show,” Mal says, studying me.
“She never just ignores me. Feel like somethin’ is wrong, deep in my gut I feel it.”
“Sure everything is okay. We don’t have time to go and check on her. Boston and Koda are free, you want me to send them around and report back?”
“That fucker isn’t going anywhere near another fuckin’ woman of mine!” I bark.
Mal stands, eyes hard, body tense. “Speak to me like that again and I swear to fuck, Maverick, I’ll knock you on your fuckin’ ass.”
Dammit.
“Sorry,” I grunt. “But I don’t trust him. Send Koda.”
Mal shakes his head, and I hate the fuckin’ disappointment in his eyes. “Whatever you want.”
He goes outside to make the call, and just as he does my phone rings. It’s an unknown number, so I answer it. “Yeah?”
“Ah, hello, is this Maverick?”
It’s a female voice.
“Yeah it is, who’s this?”
“Susan, Scarlett’s manager.”
My heart fuckin’ leaps into my throat. “She okay? Somethin’ happened?”
“No, we have triple security tonight at her last show, so she’s asked if you can just watch from outside.”
Outside?
That doesn’t sound right. Not at all.
Why is she suddenly having me thrown outside, and refusing my calls, most importantly, refusing to tell me this shit herself?
“Is somethin’ goin’ on with her?”
“No, she’s just tired today. The last show of her tour is always stressful. Everything is fine.”
Fucking liar.
She’s covering for Scarlett. I just don’t know why. But I will fucking find out, once I’m done with this lead, and she’s done with her show, I will track her down and find out why the fuck she has suddenly decided to ignore my messages and act like I don’t exist. I didn’t come down in the last shower of rain, I know when something is wrong, and something is very fucking wrong. Did that ex contact her? Threaten her? Or is she having second thoughts about us? Did someone tell her she has to stay away from me? There has to be a reason.
There’s always a reason.
“No problem,” I grunt. “We’ll be outside.”
“Thank you.”
She hangs up just as Mal comes back in. “Sendin’ Koda over to her now, see if he can see what’s goin’ on. Who was that?”
“Her manager,” I grunt. “Says she doesn’t want us inside tonight, but outside. Scarlett’s request.”
Mal narrows his eyes. “Odd.”
“Very fuckin’ odd.”
“We’ll get to the bottom of it, for now I need you with me for the leads we’re about to chase down. Koda will report in if he sees anythin’. I’m sure she’s fine, Mav. She’s probably just stressin’ about her show.”
“Yeah,” I mutter.
But something doesn’t feel right.
At fucking all.
~*~*~*~
SCARLETT
I can’t breathe.
I don’t even want to.
I want to cancel all my shows and go home, but I can’t. Like they say, the show must go on, no matter what. I can’t run away, even if I wanted to. No, I have to stay and face it, put my best smile on, and show nobody that inside I’m falling to pieces.
Amalie is in the hospital, three broken fingers, bruises all over her, a gash in her head, and pain in her mind. I haven’t been allowed to talk with her, because she’s been resting. I’ve sent her a bunch of messages, but that isn’t enough. She must know this is my fault. I wouldn’t blame her if she never wanted to speak to me again. They’re sending her home to Denver, which means I won’t see her until I get back. My heart is breaking into a thousand tiny pieces.
Maverick has been trying to get hold of me all day.
But I’ve avoided him. How in the hell do I explain what has happened, without them getting suspicious? He’ll know, the moment I tell him something has happened to Amalie, that it has to do with Trey. He’ll lock down. He won’t leave my side. But I need to make sure this bus is unlocked. I have no other choice. I know Trey, I know exactly what he’s capable of. My friend lying, broken and bruised in the hospital right now shows me exactly what he can do if he needs.
So I’m on my own.
I told Susan to let Maverick know we had extra security and that they could just watch outside tonight. I made up some excuse that he would freak out if he knew what happened to Amalie, so I didn’t want to tell him until after the show and he’d know I was upset, so it was easier to have them do the outside duty. She told me she’d call him, like the good damn manager she is, and I made her swear she wouldn’t tell him anything if he asked. Just that I was busy and stressing over my final show.
Which is sort of true.
I have to shut down. I have to just make sure Trey gets what he wants, when we’re home, and it’s all over, I’ll tell Maverick and he can deal with it then. Right now, the risk is too high. Trey said he’d leave me alone if I did this, I don’t believe him of course, but I’m left with little to no other choice. So I’ll do this, not because I want to, but because I have to. Treyton wants the drugs in the bus before the show tonight, because it’s my last show and we leave for home tomorrow.
Susan is already over at the stadium helping prepare for tonight’s concert. I have security on duty here with me, so getting rid of them is going to be difficult. Treyton wants the bus unlocked before three. He got my number. I’m not sure how. I don’t even want to know how. It’s terrifying enough that he is able to keep tabs on me no matter what I do. All I’ve received today are messages with demands and threats that I had better do this right or I’ll end up in serious trouble, or someone I love will. So I’ve been hot footing it around all day, not talking to anyone, barely listening, ignoring Maverick who is flipping out.
I can’t lie right to his face, so it’s easier not to talk with him.
I managed to convince all my band members to give me time, acting like I was flipping out about the show, so they all went out for the day and then are heading over to the stadium to practice. I made sure I was alone. That no one was left to risk being seen. Not only that, but I couldn’t risk their lives if something goes wrong. I’ve done enough damage as it is, I don’t need to do anymore.
I don’t kno
w how I’m going to get away with this, all I know is that until we’re home in Denver, where we can be properly protected by the club, I have no other choice. I can only pray Maverick won’t come and try to find me, because if he does he might just see what kind of awful person I am, and I can’t bear that. I have to focus, for now, and worry about getting security out of the way for a bit. I still don’t quite know how I’m going to do that. They’re just standing there, watching me. Always watching.
It’s two in the afternoon, and I only have an hour before Treyton will show up. I managed to sneak Susan’s key to the storage compartment off her keychain this morning when we met up to go over tonight’s show. I have mine. They are the only two keys that unlock it, so once the drugs are in, I’ll lock it and nobody will know any better. I’ve never been pulled up and searched before, I’m sure I won’t be now. Although the media shit storm that has been started in the last week may create some suspicion, and give the cops even more reason to keep an eye on me.
I feel sick.
Like I’m actually going to vomit.
My phone buzzes with a message. It’s Treyton.
T – Unlock the bus. We are there in five minutes. Don’t worry about security. I’ll deal with them.
What the hell?
I hear a piercing scream and my head whips around, so do the two men standing by my bus. The scream continues and my heart pounds in my chest.
“Scarlett, get in the bus!”
I do as I’m instructed, getting into the bus.
“Lock the door, don’t unlock it until we come back.”
The screaming continues, and the two men meant to be watching me sprint toward the sound. I can’t bear to think of what Treyton might have come up with to get someone to scream like that. Either way, they’re gone, maybe only for minutes, but they’re gone. I get back out of the bus and see Trey coming in with three men, massive bags in their hands that look so heavy, I can’t even begin to imagine how many drugs they’re smuggling in.
“Open it, now,” Treyton barks.
I do as he asks, opening the storage compartment with trembling fingers, eyes darting around. I feel like I’m going to keel over and vomit, but I hold it together, keeping strong. It’s fine. It’s going to be fine. Everything will work out. I start panting and my fingers tremble.
“Hurry the fuck up!” Treyton barks. “We have minutes before those security guards get back.”
I unlock the storage compartment and they shove the bags in, there are at least eight bags, and they’re all bulging they’re that full. Not good. If I get caught with this, I’ll spend the rest of my life in prison. What the hell am I thinking? Amalie. My family. Friends. Loved ones. That’s what I’m thinking. It’ll be fine. I’m sure it’ll be fine.
“Lock it,” Treyton orders.
I do as he asks, locking it. Treyton turns to me. “You say a word, breathe a fuckin’ word, I will make you wish you were never born. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be fuckin’ praying for death. Keep your shit together, close your mouth, and we’ll not have a problem. We clear?”
I nod, trying to fight back the tears.
“Don’t act suspicious.”
“W-w-w-what if I get caught?”
He grins, wicked and feral. “Well, I figure you’ll look fuckin’ great in an orange jump suit. Stay cool, sweetheart.”
With that, he disappears.
My knees begin to wobble, and I start sweating profusely.
“Scarlett!”
Security.
I rush around the side of the bus, no doubt looking like I’m about to lose my lunch.
“Why are you outside of the bus?”
Shit.
“I ... I heard the screaming and freaked out. I was really scared. Is everything okay?”
They study me. No doubt I look scared. They won’t question me. One of them nods. “Disappeared, whatever it was. Probably a girl having an argument with her boyfriend. Nothing violent that we could see. Best you stay in your bus until the show, just to be safe.”
I nod, going into my bus and locking the door.
The second I do, I fall to my knees and I sob.
I just cry and cry.
What the hell am I going to do?
-21-
MAVERICK
Something is wrong.
I know it the moment I see Koda’s face.
He’s staring at me like he’s about to tell me someone I love has died. It’s the same look they gave me when I found out Nerissa was gone. Pity. Like they feel bad for me. Like they don’t know how to act, or what to do.
I don’t fucking like it.
At all.
“Why are you starin’ at me like that, Dakoda?” I growl. “I swear to fuck, you need to speak because my patience today is short fuckin’ lived.”
“Mav ...,” he begins, then looks to Mal.
“Speak up,” Mal orders. “Now, Koda. What happened?”
Koda looks back to me, sighs, runs a hand through his hair and then says in a deep, but regretful voice. “Think you might have been right about her all along.”
“About who?” I demand, fists clenching.
“About Scarlett.”
My blood runs cold and I flinch. What does he mean I’ve been right about her? About what? He’s not making any fucking sense, and my frustration levels rise.
“You’re not makin’ any sense!” I bark. “What the fuck are you talkin’ about?”
“Saw her today, was watchin’ like you asked. She was jittery, fuckin’ nervous, on that bus alone. Took me hours to find out where she was. The rest of her team were at the stadium.”
“Hurry it up,” I bellow. “What was she doing?”
“Had two security guards with her. Heard this fuckin’ awful scream and they ran off, then Treyton rolled in with some of his men and she unlocked the storage compartment on her bus for them and they loaded it up with bags. Bags that I would guess are filled with drugs. Then they left.”
No.
He’s fuckin’ wrong.
She isn’t helping them.
She wouldn’t help them.
I see red, and I can’t breathe, can’t fuckin’ think. All I can do is stare into the distance, vision blurring. I trusted her. There is no way she’d do this to me. No fucking way. He’s wrong. He has to be fucking wrong.
“Are you sure of what you saw?” Mal asks, his voice resigned.
“Wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t sure. Don’t believe me, bust open that bus and you’ll see for yourself.”
“And she opened it for them?” I hiss, my voice so far gone I can’t even find it.
“She opened it for them,” Koda confirms.
“Fuck!” I roar, anger bursting from my chest and exploding into the room.
Mal flinches, and steps forward. “Maverick, calm down. We don’t know the full story and until we do, you need to keep your calm. He could have threatened her, you don’t know what’s goin’ on.”
“If he threatened her, she would have come to me,” I roar. “She would have fuckin’ come to me. She is choosin’ to do this. All along she has probably been in on it. Fuck. God dammit. I’ll kill her. Fuckin’ after I kill him.”
“You will fuckin’ relax,” Mal barks, stepping forward, his size towering over mine. “Or so help me, Maverick, I will fuckin’ make you.”
I’m panting. I can’t breathe. Can’t fucking think. She used me. Used and fucking abused me. As if I am a fucking nothing. Rage fills my body and I can’t focus, I can’t think. Hurt, so deep and strong, fills my chest and I can’t dislodge it, no matter how hard I try.
“Calm. Down.” Mal growls.
“Breathe, brother, it might not be what it looks like,” Koda says.
I shoot them both angry glares. “It’s exactly what it fuckin’ looks like.”
“You’re either goin’ to help us with this, or you’re goin’ to back off and let us sort it out. What’s it going to be?” Mal says, his eyes icy.
>
“I’m helping. I’ll bring her down, fuckin’ slowly.”
Mal glares at me, then turns to Koda. “So, what we know right now is that Treyton put somethin’ in her bus. It’s fuckin’ genius. Highly unlikely to be checked, gets drugs across any state line, and right back to where he wants them – Denver. Which means he is planning on selling mass amounts on our turf. We need to bring that shit down.”
“We need to do it now,” I growl.
“No.” Mal shakes his head, jaw tight. “We wait until he’s back where we have the club back up. We mess with that shit now, we’re creatin’ a war where we don’t have the means to fight. We wait until the bus is back, and we get to it first, take the fuckin’ lot.”
“We take that, he’s goin’ to hurt a lot of people,” Koda points out.
“Fuckin’ let him try,” I snarl.
“He’s goin’ to get a war, no matter what. He’s tryin’ to run drugs across my fuckin’ town, and that ain’t happening. We get hold of them first, we have the upper hand, we take him down.”
“And Scarlett?” Koda asks, looking to me.
My heart explodes in my chest and my skin prickles. Rage, betrayal, hurt, it all mixes in a violent concoction in my chest. “I’ll deal with Scarlett.”
“He’ll go after her first,” Koda points out, studying me. “He’s goin to go straight in and attack us by using her. We’re not monsters, we don’t know the full story, so we need to get her secured before we touch those drugs.”
“Agreed,” Mal nods.
“And if she’s workin’ with him, she could give away everythin’!” I bark.
“We won’t tell her a damn thing, we’ll just put her in lock down to ensure he doesn’t blow her fuckin’ head off tryin’ to get to us.”
I flinch at the thought, and my vision blurs. “Do whatever the fuck you want, but in the end, I will be the one dealin’ with her.”
“Whatever you need, brother,” Mal says, his voice concerned but hard.
I cross my arms over my chest, trying to control the burning anger bubbling in my chest. “And what are we goin’ to do if he gets those drugs before us?” I mutter, deep breathing, searching desperately for calm.