“Yeah, I fucked her. She wasn’t all that. Perfect ass, but not much else.” Pause. “I’m out of here in the morning.” Pause. “Whatever. She was scared shitless and went running to that clown, Cole.”
Fury coursed through Daxton’s veins, making his body shake. He stormed over to the door and flung it open.
Eli’s head snapped toward him, eyes wide. “Uh, hey, Dax. What’s—?“
Nothing. He saw Eli’s lips move and heard nothing. Seeing red was a gross understatement. All he saw was himself putting Eli through a wall. Better yet, pummeling him into the core of the earth. He grabbed Eli’s shirt collar and shoved him into the cinder blocks.
“You fucking prick! You’re the one who’s behind all this! You’re the reason Gia’s in a coma!”
Finn pulled him away from Eli. “Dude, what the hell are you talking about? It was an accident.”
Dax yanked out of Finn’s grip, lunging for Eli again. “It wasn’t an accident! This bastard did it!” He swung at Eli, the punch landing square on his jaw. “You’re the one who’s been sending those texts, haven’t you? You tampered with the cables on stage. You almost killed Gia!”
A stream of blood drizzled from the corner of Eli’s mouth. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t send any text, and I didn’t do anything to those cables!”
“Liar!” Daxton roared, grabbing the collar of Eli’s jacket. “You did this and you’re the one who’s gonna pay!”
“Dax!” Finn pushed him away from Eli. “Cut it out! You’re acting like a fucking crazy person!”
“Get the hell out of my way, Finn! This asshole is going to fucking jail!” Daxton pushed Finn out of the way and tackled Eli to the floor. A sharp scent of antiseptic assaulted his nostrils. He pulled his arm back and swung again, his fist connecting with Eli’s nose.
“I didn’t do anything, Dax!” Eli tried to roll away, but Daxton caught him by the jacket again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“I heard you talking to Merrick about Sara! I heard you tell him about what happened in Minnesota. You’re the only one who knew. The only one!”
“Dax! Leave him alone!” Finn dragged him off Eli. “Cut it out before you’re the one who ends up in jail.”
Eli clutched his nose, blood gushing down the front of his shirt. “I only told Merrick because he asked. I didn’t even know anyone was texting her! She never told me, but maybe that was because she was all over your stick.”
Dax took another swing at Eli, but Finn’s grip was too tight. “Why the fuck should I believe that? Sara kicked you to the curb. Laney just fired your ass. You had a motive. You’re the only one who would have pulled this.”
Eli struggled to his feet, holding a hand over his nose. “Yeah, except I didn’t. And it couldn’t have been me fucking around with those cables because I’ve been staying at a hotel since Laney kicked me off the tour. Security took my access badge right after they carried me off the bus. Talk to Sean.” He swayed against the wall, panting. “I’m not a fucking psychopath.”
Daxton sank to his heels, leaning back against the door. If it wasn’t Eli, then who the hell had access to Sara? How the fuck would someone be able to get on board her bus to leave that postcard? The texts were coming from a blocked number; it could have been the same person, but they’d need clearance to move around. The tour venues were on lockdown. Everyone needed a press pass. Even his asshat father, Sam, needed to be escorted by security to get to him. His head throbbed. “I’m sorry, man.”
Eli pushed past Finn. “Fuck you, Cole. You’ll be getting a call from my lawyer.”
“Dude, watch it. You’re bleeding all over the place. Good thing we’re in a hospital.” Finn snorted with laughter. “Dax, what the hell is wrong with you? He’s gonna take you to the cleaners for hauling off on him like that.”
“I don’t care. Let him try.”
“You beat the shit out of him for no reason. What the hell is up with you?”
Ten minutes and an ice pack for his swollen hand later, Daxton had gone through the sordid details, from the threatening texts and postcard to Eli screwing Laney. “How could I have known she’d thrown him off the tour? I’m not his keeper.”
“Still, it doesn’t make him a criminal. Just a douchebag. Did you ask Merrick about the conversation?”
“Not yet. Maybe someone else overheard them? It’s not possible someone from her hometown could have gotten onto her bus to leave that postcard. Someone on the tour did it. I just don’t know who. Or why.”
“Are you going to beat the crap out of everyone who you think might have a reason to chase her away? Why don’t you let the cops handle it?”
“I need to protect her.”
Finn clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Listen, if it wasn’t an accident, the cops will find the person who did it. That’s what they’re paid to do.”
Yeah, but what if they didn’t find the person in time? It had to be an inside job, but based on everything he knew, there were no leads. It’s like the person disappeared into thin air without a trace. Impossible to find, until it was time to strike again.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“DAX, MAN. WHAT THE HELL is up with you? You can’t just pound the shit out of people for no reason. Eli is going to sue your ass for that stunt, and the press is going to attack you like a rabid dog.” Merrick handed Daxton a steaming cup of coffee. “Speaking of which, where’s your little shadow? Shouldn’t she be here making sure you’re on your best behavior?”
“Do you have to make a dig every time you mention her name?” He glared at Merrick and poured sugar into the cup.
“You should have started with the sugar and left a little room for the coffee.” Merrick snickered. “Seriously man, I don’t know why you’re so touchy lately. I didn’t mean anything by it. Just wanted to point out that your ass is on probation with the label, and you just pummeled the other band’s manager into the floor tiles.”
“Ex-manager,” Daxton grumbled.
“Whatever the hell you want to call him. He’s still going to hang you out to dry.”
“Let him try.”
“Talk to me, man. Did something happen on the hiatus? You’re so goddamn edgy lately. Nobody knows what to expect from you, and people are getting tired of it.”
Daxton walked over to the cashier and put down the coffee. A box of grape-flavored Bubblicious gum sat on the counter. Jackpot. He looked at the young girl standing in front of the register; the one whose mouth still hadn’t closed since he’d strode into the cafeteria with Merrick. “I’ll take every pack you have.” No response. Hell, she might not have even been breathing. Okay, show some sign you heard me.
She finally nodded, as if receiving his telepathic message, her eyes bugging like they were going to pop out of her food bun wrapped head. “Sure, sure, anything you want, Mr. Cole.”
“Thanks. And call me Dax.” He tossed his credit card on the counter and stuffed the gum into a paper bag. He nodded at the coffee in Merrick’s hand. “I’ve got his, too.”
She swiped the card once, twice, three times before taking a deep breath to steady her hand. Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. “Sorry,” she whispered with a sheepish smile.
He grinned. “Take all the time you need.”
“We just don’t…I, um, I mean, there aren’t a lot of celebrities coming through here, so I guess I’m a little nervous.” She bit her lower lip. “Could I get your autograph?”
“Sure thing.” He scribbled his name on a scrap of paper. “What’s your name?”
“Sandy.” Her eyes twinkled. “Oh my gosh, this is so amazing! Thank you!”
“Anytime.” He winked and picked up the coffee cup and bag of gum. Fuck the press. He could be a nice guy, and it didn’t have to be for an audience. Let those assholes think what they wanted about him.
Daxton pulled out a chair at a quiet corner table and dropped into it. A long gulp of coffee made his mouth twist. “Christ, all tha
t sugar and it still tastes like crap.”
“It’s hospital coffee, not Starbucks.” Merrick sat across from him. “Stop avoiding the questions. You’ve been hunkered down with Little Miss Minnesota since we started back up. What’s the deal? You fucking her or what?”
“She’s going through a rough time.” The next sip was worse than the first, if that was even possible. Bitter. Thick, like sludge. Fucking awful. “I’m trying to be a friend.”
“Really. And what’s her problem? Bunk’s not big enough?”
Daxton let out a long breath. “She, uh, broke up with Eli.”
“So you’re nosing around for scraps? Dude…” Merrick shook his head and took a long sip of coffee.
“I’m trying to be a friend. She’s upset about it and she doesn’t have anyone else.” Hardly plausible, but maybe Merrick would swallow it.
“Since when did you become the gay best friend?”
Yeah, like hell he would.
“I like her, okay? Why is that such a problem for you?”
Merrick rolled his eyes. “You like her? Like, as a girlfriend, like her? Does she like you, too?”
“Do you have to be such an asshole about this?”
“Yes, because you sound like a big fruitcake. Dude, why are you even wasting your time with her? She’s not the girl for you.”
Daxton narrowed his eyes. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Merrick took a long drink from his cup, averting his eyes. “She’s too pure, too wholesome. Definitely wouldn’t take it up the ass. You don’t do chicks like that.”
The mere mention of the word conjured up images that made his cock twitch. Good God, that ass of hers was so perfect.“ Maybe I do now. Maybe someone like her will be good for me.”
“To salvage your rep? I think the guys would appreciate that.”
“It’s not about the guys. Or anyone else. It’s about me finding someone who actually makes me happy.”
“I’m sure it’ll be a refreshing change for you, Dax. Until you do something to screw it all up because we both know she’s not what you need, and she’ll never keep you satisfied.”
Daxton slammed a hand on the table. “You’re supposed to be my best friend. You’ve been complaining that I don’t tell you anything, so here I am, trying to open up and you’re—”
“Look, you’re right.” Merrick ran a hand through his spiky hair. “I’m sorry. If she makes you happy, then that’s great. You deserve it. It’s none of my business if you want to bang a choir girl. Go for it. Show some fucking stability.”
He took another gulp of coffee. “Sean told me that guy showed up again.”
Daxton nodded. “Yeah.”
“What’s his deal? Why’s he on your tail?”
“He’s my father.”
“Fuck off.”
“Nope. And the kicker? He shows up to tell me my mom is gone. She died a few weeks ago, and he thinks he can ride in on a white horse and all of a sudden be my dad.” After another biting sip of stale coffee, he managed to relay the whole story.
“Shit, man. I’m so sorry about your mom, sorry about…everything.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you okay?”
“Right now, yeah. When all of this finally sinks in, who the fuck knows? I spent so much time being angry and upset after she left. I don’t know. I just feel numb.”
“Did you call Tyler?”
“Not yet.” Daxton rubbed his temples. “Christ, I feel like I’m about to bungee jump off a bridge. I’m standing on the edge, but I just can’t take the plunge because I’m afraid the cord’s gonna snap. I need time to process all this shit before I do anything.”
“I get it. I’m here, Dax. If you need to talk, come find me before you beat the hell out of anyone else, okay?”
“Deal.”
Merrick pushed back the chair and pulled out his iPhone. “I’ve got to make some calls. You taking off?”
“Not until we get some news about Gia.”
Merrick nodded toward the coffee bar. “Okay, I’m out. Listen, Coop’s back there. Talk to him, man. I know you have a lot on your mind, but you need to handle this. It’s been too long, and we all need to move on, okay?”
Daxton slumped back against the chair. Not the conversation he wanted to have at that moment. Or any moment, for that matter. All he wanted to do was get back to Sara, strip her naked, and bury himself inside of her to escape all of the angst surrounding him. Having a conversation with Cooper fell somewhere between getting run over by a dump truck and being mauled by a grizzly bear.
Merrick punched his shoulder. “I can see the wheels turning. Don’t be such a dick. Fix this. Step one.”
Cooper walked toward the table, giving Merrick a fist pump as he passed. “Mind if I sit, Dax?”
“If I say yes, will it stop you?”
“Not this time. You need to hear me out.”
“Anyone ever tell you actions speak louder than words, Coop? You’ve made your position crystal-clear by saying absolutely nothing. What the hell could you possibly tell me now that will erase what you’ve done?”
“I was wrong on so many levels.”
“’Wrong.’ Interesting word choice. Fucking Jase’s girlfriend while he was sick and dying, skipping his funeral, shacking up with that bitch for weeks afterward, and then radio silence? He was your best friend, you motherfucker. And you deceived him, deceived all of us! ‘Wrong?’” The rage bubbled in Daxton’s veins, crouched just below the surface, ready to be unleashed. “It wasn’t ‘wrong.’ It was disgusting. Vile.”
“I know,” Cooper whispered. Tears pooled in his eyes. “I wish I could take it all back. I didn’t mean for any of it to happen. Things with Ashlee…shit, we were spending so much time together because of Jase, we just…I mean, when it happened, it was only because we were trying to comfort each other. It didn’t mean anything. I never wanted it to last.”
“Yet you kept fucking her for months after he died. Sure seemed like you had a thing for her skank ass.”
“Things fizzled between us pretty fast. We both knew we’d made a mistake. I disappeared because I checked myself into rehab, Dax. I wasn’t with Ashlee. I couldn’t handle seeing Jase suffer through the chemo and surgery, and then those last few months…he was in so much pain. I was a selfish asshole, and I fell off the wagon – the needles, the pills, the booze. Christ, I was so doped up, I couldn’t make it to the funeral. I barely knew what planet I was on, and I knew it would jeopardize the tour and our contract. It was my mess to clean up. Ashlee was my cover, the only one who wouldn’t judge me, and would keep my secret.” Cooper rubbed a hand down his stubble-peppered face. “It would have worked if the press hadn’t been camped outside her place when she came to pick me up.”
Daxton rubbed his temples. All that time his brother was in misery, not knowing why Cooper had pulled a disappearing act while he was at death’s doorstep. Nobody knew or suspected anything until those pictures were smeared all over the tabloids afterward. “Why should your sorry ass excuses make any difference to me?”
“Because I hate myself for letting it all happen. I let my best friend down. I’ll never get a chance to say goodbye because I was so fucking weak and pathetic. I gave in to my own demons while Jase was fighting his with every ounce of strength he had left. He was the brother I never had, and I couldn’t handle losing him; instead, I lost myself. I’m trying so hard to get back, Dax. Please, you don’t have to forgive me. I’ll leave the band at the end of the tour. But I just needed you to know the truth. My actions will haunt me forever, and I’ll have to live with all of my bad choices.” He sniffed as he rose from the chair, tears falling from his eyes. “Not a day goes by that I don’t miss him. And it’s so fucking hard not to wash away all the pain and regret. But I’m trying to be strong, just like Jase was, even though it’ll never be enough.”
“Christ, Coop.” Daxton sighed, his shoulders slumping. The pain on his friend’s face was real, deep, excru
ciating. It was time to let it go. Jase was gone, and harboring so much resentment toward Cooper wouldn’t change that. “Why the hell didn’t you just tell me what was going on with you? You should have come to me sooner. I could have helped.”
“I should have done a lot of things, Dax. I’ll let the guys know this is my last leg. Thanks for listening. That’s all I wanted.” He turned on his heel and started for the exit.
“Stop.” Daxton leaned forward, holding his head. “We’ve dealt with enough over the past year. We can’t lose you, too.”
Cooper twisted back around, his green eyes red-rimmed. “I’ve been lost for so long, I don’t know how the hell I’m going to find my way back.”
Hell, wasn’t that ironic? It was exactly the way Daxton felt about his life before Sara. All the anger and resentment had eaten away at him for so long, poisoning any chance at happiness, leading him further into a maze with no exit…until he’d met Sara. She pulled him out of the quicksand that had become his suffocating existence. She was his second chance, his future, everything he had been missing for so long. Shouldn’t Cooper get that same shot? Didn’t he deserve a chance to make things right, to find meaning in his own life?
“Listen, we’re gonna figure it out, Coop. You’re not alone in this. All those times you tried to talk to me, I should have listened.”
“Can we really?“
“Yeah. We can.” He clapped Cooper on the back. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
Jesus, was it really love that had turned him into some kind of sucker? Sure seemed like it. The void in his heart had been filled. A small smile played at Daxton’s lips as he followed Cooper out of the cafeteria. He was happy. Finally.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“THEY’RE SAYING IT WAS an accident? You have to be kidding me.” Daxton splashed water on his face and grabbed a hand towel from the sink ledge.
“There have been engineers and investigators here for hours, testing and searching for any indication of foul play. Nada.” Sara rubbed the back of her neck. Dammit, that knot was so tight. “It’s too coincidental. I was supposed to be up on stage when it happened. Someone on the inside would have known that, just like they could have gotten that postcard onto my bed.”
Dirty, Dark, & Dangerous: A Contemporary Romance Boxset Page 13