by Thomas, C. M
“I just want this to be over, Zane.”
“I know. I want that too. But until then, you can’t go anywhere without one of the security guys.”
“I know I can’t.” She sighed. “I just want my freedom back. I want to live my life without looking over my shoulder.” I held her close. I wanted that for her too. I wanted to show her the world, without the need to have her protected twenty-four-seven.
“And you will have that, baby. Just give Dax and Ryder a little more time. Then they will find him. I promise they won’t give up before they do.” This I knew. Dax was many things, but he never gave up. And I knew Ryder was the same. He might not say much, but he did his job, and he did it well.
Chapter 25:
Anna
“Baby, wake up,” Zane whispered in my ear. I opened my eyes and turned in his arms so I was looking at him. We were on the way to Rock Springs, the last stop before Denver, and then it was summer break. I couldn’t believe these two months were almost gone. So much in my life had changed. I came on tour to be with Kylie and escape from “D.” I did not expect to fall head over heels in love with a rock star. I always thought that love at first sight was for fairy tales and romance books. But I had to admit that from the moment I met Zane, something inside me was drawn to him. Even if I wanted to avoid him, the universe was pushing us together. I grinned to myself.
“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” Zane asked, pulling me out of my daydreaming.
“Just thinking about how much has happened since I joined you guys on tour.” I took his hand and held it close to my heart. I loved him so much, but at the same time, I kept thinking that this was just a dream. I couldn’t love him this much already. But I felt like we’d known each other for years.
“I know. I can’t believe that I am so lucky.” He winked at me.
“I’m the lucky one. You’re a rock star; you could have anyone you want.” That was one of my fears, that he would get tired of me and move on, leaving me to pick up the pieces of my broken heart.
“I want you. And only you.” He kissed me on my forehead before he pulled me onto his lap so I was straddling him. “And just for the record, I will never get tired of you, okay?” His eyes connected with mine.
“Okay.” I didn’t know what else to say. I still had this feeling that at some point he would get tired of me and move on. But for now, I just enjoyed our time together. I leaned forward and took his face in my hands before I kissed him. Zane’s hands moved from my ass to under my shirt. Just feeling his hands against my skin was enough for me to want to strip him of his clothes. I kissed him deeply and just got lost in our little bubble, forgetting that we were not alone—that is, until I heard Cole laugh.
“Damn, that’s hot.” He laughed even more, and soon both Liam and Caleb joined him. I broke the kiss and rested my head on Zane’s chest. His hands were still under my shirt. And I didn’t care.
“Shut up. And keep your eyes to yourself.” Zane grinned.
“If you don’t want me to look, you might want to do that behind closed doors,” Cole said.
“And as much as I like that my sister has found someone she loves, I really don’t want to see that,” Kylie added. Shit, I thought she was up front with Marco. I looked up at her.
“Sorry, but look at him,” I said, and gestured for her to look at Zane. He was so hot. I couldn’t keep my hands off him.
“Really don’t want your sister to look at me like you do, baby.” He kissed me on my hair.
“And I won’t. All I see is Zane, the pain in my ass. Thank God he’s soon your problem, not mine,” Kylie said with a big smile on her face. She might sound like she was ready to leave the guys, but I knew her. This would be hard for her. She loved this job, but I understood her wanting more. She always was more ambitious than me. I wanted a job that didn’t feel like a job. Don’t get me wrong, I loved working. But I wanted my work to be fun, and I wanted that more than I wanted the big paycheck.
“Shut it, Ky. You won’t get rid of me that easily. Remember, I date your sister.” Zane winked at Kylie.
“How could I ever forget?” She grinned before she walked back to Marco.
An hour later, we were at the hotel in Rock Springs. I couldn’t wait to get to our room. I just needed to be alone with Zane. I knew he had a job to do, but I just needed to be alone with him for five minutes. I had this feeling that something was about to happen. But I couldn’t put my finger on what. I knew I was safe, and even if “D” were here, he would never get close to me. But I just couldn’t shake that feeling that something was about to happen. Something bad.
The next two days flew by so fast. The band had a lot on their plate, and I did more and more of Kylie’s job. I loved this job, and I couldn’t wait until it was just me doing it. I knew it was going to be hard to do all this on my own, but I knew I could do it. And more importantly, I wanted to do it. I wanted to travel around the world with Zane if that’s what it took to be with him. I wanted to be with him all the time, and the thought of him going on tour alone, while I was at home working a normal nine-to-five job, was scary. Not because I didn’t trust him, because I did. Even though we didn’t know each other that well, I trusted him more than I ever thought I would trust a man. But I wanted to be with him because it felt like the most normal thing to do, and I loved seeing him on stage, while he was totally in his zone behind the drums.
“Ready for tonight?” I asked Zane when he walked out from the bathroom. We hadn’t had much alone time since we arrived at Rock Springs. And I missed that, but knowing that we would have a whole month of relaxing soon made that feeling go away.
“Yes, but I can’t wait for the summer break. I need that.” He came over and pulled me in for a hug.
“I can’t wait either. I look forward to getting to know your family and just spend time with you.” I rested my head on his chest. Feeling him this close made me feel safe. Even though I still had this feeling that something terrible was about to happen.
“What just happened in that pretty head of yours, baby? Your body is all tense.” He moved his hand under my chin and made me look up at him.
“I just have had this feeling that something bad will happen soon. I know it’s stupid.” I let out a sigh and closed my eyes.
“How long, baby?” I looked up at him. “How long have you had this feeling? Has something happened to make you feel this way?” I saw the concern in his eyes.
“Since we arrived a few days ago. I don’t know why, but the moment we entered the hotel I just had this feeling in my stomach that soon something would happen.” I took a deep breath before I continued. “I know I’m safe with you, and when you’re not around, I’m still safe. But I don’t know, Zane; something makes me feel this way.” I closed my eyes and held my arm tightly around his waist.
“You’re safe, baby. But I will tell Dax that you have this feeling. They have to be even more aware of the surroundings tonight.” I started to say something, but he put his finger to my lips. “No, baby. I need this. I need to know that you’re safe when I’m on stage. So just humor me, okay?” I nodded in agreement. I didn’t want this; it was just my stupid feelings. I really didn’t think that something would happen.
“We need to go. Kylie will kill me if we’re late.” I tried to move, but he just held me close.
“Just need another minute like this.” I looked up at him and smiled. How I got so lucky to meet this man was still incomprehensible to me. I reached up and pulled him down to me and kissed him. “Love you,” he whispered while still kissing me.
“Love you too.” I broke the kiss. As much as I just wanted to stay here with him, we both had a job to do. “We need to go. She will kill me, you know.”
“Let her try. I needed this with you. Marco just needs to manage his woman.” He grinned. We both knew that no one managed my sister. She was strong-headed and i
ndependent. I sometimes wondered how she, with her personality, and Marcos could even be in a relationship. But they were happy, and that was all that mattered. She deserved that.
We were at the venue, and as always there were people everywhere backstage. I tried to keep a hold of everyone and everything, but my mind was just drifting all the time. Am I safe? When will this nightmare be over? Will Dax find him before I go completely crazy? I jerked back when I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“Easy, Anna. It’s just me,” Dax said. I let out a deep breath before I turned around so I could look at him. “I talked to Zane. And before you say you’re fine, I can see that you’re not. So tonight, Ryder and Mark will be with you all the time. Don’t go anywhere without at least one of them, okay?” I trusted Ryder. But Mark was one of the new guys. I knew Dax had checked his background before he hired him, though. I should be safe with him too.
“But as I told Zane, I will be fine backstage; there are people everywhere.”
“I know, Anna. But just do this for him. He needs to know that you’re safe.” I knew that, and that was really the only reason I agreed to this.
“Fine. And thanks for this. I know this is stupid. I just can’t shake that feeling.”
“And that is why you need to have Ryder and Mark with you. I’ve been in this business long enough to know that a feeling can be a warning that something will happen.” I could see he wanted to tell me more. But for some reason, he didn’t, and that was fine by me. I didn’t want to know other nightmares he had helped clients with.
Moments later, Ryder came and hugged me. He looked scary, but when you got to know him, he was just a big teddy bear. Okay, maybe that was the wrong term, but I felt comfortable around him. He was around the same age as Zane, perhaps a couple of years older, and he was more of a protector than anything else. But I saw him as a good friend, and more importantly, I trusted him.
“It’s you and me tonight, Anna.” He smiled.
“I guess so. Be prepared to run around all night.” I grinned at him.
“Bring it on.” He winked at me. “I got this from here, boss. Mark will be here soon,” he said to Dax. Dax nodded and walked away. From here on, I tried to let go of the feeling and just do my job. Kylie was still here, and doing part of the job so I didn’t have to do it all by myself.
When it was time to get the band out on stage, I walked to their dressing room. When I opened the door, I saw all four of them on the couch playing PlayStation.
“This is what rock stars do behind closed doors,” I joked. Zane was the first to look up from the game.
“Baby, do you really want to talk about what happens behind closed doors?” He winked at me. I could feel the warmth on my cheeks. Okay, I walked right into that one. Before I got a chance to reply, he came over and pulled me close to him before he kissed me.
“That’s what happens behind a closed door, maybe with fewer clothes on.” Cole grinned. I looked around Zane and gave Cole my middle finger. That just made him laugh even more.
“Stop it. You guys need to get ready.” I tried not to laugh but failed.
“Come on, don’t embarrass my girl, guys.” Zane held one arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to him. He kissed me on the top of my head.
“Fine. But she started that, not me,” Cole said, all innocent.
The guys were on stage, and I could finally relax for just a moment. Kylie came over to me, and we sat and talked for most of the concert. She had told our parents that she would go back to school. And of course, our dad was happy about that. But when she told him she would be working for Happy Childhood and not at a law firm, he was not so happy anymore. I just didn’t get why it was so important to him that we work at a law firm. I told her that this was her life, and we both knew that Dad would be happy if she was. I knew this because he’d told me this more than once. He just wanted us to succeed in life. And in his world, working as a lawyer in one of the big law firms in the city was just that, succeeding in life.
After the band had their ten-minute break in the concert, Ryder came over to me.
“I need to make some phone calls. Will you be okay with just Mark, or should I get Dax?”
“It’s fine, Ryder. I will be around Kylie until the concert ends. Just go.” I smiled at him. He nodded and walked over to talk to Mark. Five minutes later, he was gone. I did some work on my iPad while Kylie talked to Marco, who was taking a break.
I looked over at Mark; he smiled at me. I hadn’t talked much with him since he joined the security team. He just seemed tenser than the others. Maybe it was because this was his first job for Dax. Zane told me that Mark was a new hire and that Dax wanted to work closely with him before he would give him clients of his own. I understood that. Dax was the owner of the firm, and it was his name and reputation on the line. I walked over to Mark.
“I need to go to the bathroom. You can just stay here, I will be fine.”
“I will walk with you, Anna. You know that. But I will stay outside the door, okay?”
“Fine, but so you know, that really isn’t necessary.” He just grinned when I said that. We walked down to the end of the venue. And as he said, he stopped and waited outside the door.
I walked inside, and the feeling was back. I hurried and did what I had to do so I could get back to Kylie. When I walked out from the bathroom, Mark was nowhere to be seen. Weird, but then I heard someone yelling, and I turned around and tried to see where the yelling was coming from. I didn’t see anything, so I walked back to Kylie. Just before I reached the end of the hallway, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and then everything went black.
Chapter 26:
Zane
“What’s wrong with you tonight, man?” Cole asked when we walked out from the stage after the concert.
“Just worried about Anna.” Since she told me that she was worried something bad would happen, I’d had the same feeling. I didn’t want anything to happen to her. I knew Dax would keep her safe, but still, you just never knew.
“Any reason to be worried about her? Isn’t Dax keeping a man on her all the time?” Cole asked. I could see on his face that he was taking what I was saying seriously. He knew me better than everyone, and I was not a worrier. I didn’t get feelings that something bad was going to happen before it did. He knew that something was up.
“He is. Still, something just doesn’t feel right. Can’t explain it.” I sighed. We walked directly from the stage to our dressing room. We were supposed to meet Anna and Kylie there. Tonight was the last night when Kylie worked backstage. The final concert in Denver before the break was all Anna. Kylie would not even be there. At least, that was what Anna thought. Kylie would be nearby if she needed her help. But we all knew Anna could do this job. She just needed to believe in herself.
I sat down on one of the chairs and talked to my brothers while we waited for the girls to join us. A few minutes later, Kylie walked in without Anna.
“Where is Anna?” I asked as calmly as I could. My heart was beating like crazy. They were supposed to be together.
“Relax, she’s just in the bathroom. Mark is with her,” Kylie said. I sat back in the chair and let out a deep breath, not even knowing that I had been holding my breath. Just when Kylie was about to say something, Dax stormed through the door with Ryder and Mark behind him. Anna, where is she?!
“What the hell is going on? And where is Anna?” Kylie yelled before I even got a chance to do the same.
“Anna is gone,” Dax said. The knot I’d had in my stomach all day just got even bigger.
“What do you mean, gone? You were supposed to keep her safe…” I roared, standing right in front of Dax. I knew he could take me down with one arm behind his back, but right now, I really didn’t care. I’d promised her I would keep her safe. That we would keep her safe.
Cole came up behind me and pulled me back. “Relax, hear him ou
t before you kill him,” he said. Adrenaline was racing through my body. I couldn’t just stand and do nothing.
“I can’t stay calm when she is out there alone,” I yelled. Dax put his hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. I could see the fire in his eyes; he was about as angry as I was. Good, that meant he would do anything to get her back.
“We know who her stalker is,” he said. Before I got a chance to say anything, he continued, “His name is Dan, and he is a student at UCCS. Ryder talked to the techs from UCCS, and they found out who he is. He is still studying there, but hasn’t been to any of his classes for the last two weeks.”
My legs felt like jelly, and I had to sit down before I passed out. This couldn’t be happening. She was supposed to be safe here. How the hell did he get to her? I looked up at Mark. He was the last one with her.
“What happened? What the hell were you doing while you should’ve been keeping her safe?” This was his only job tonight: to keep her safe.
“I’m sorry, man. I got distracted by some roadies who were fighting.” Mark looked at the floor, avoiding my stare.
“There is something else you should know. Dan is Mark’s cousin.” I flew up from the chair. He was in on this. “Hold on.” Dax put a hand on my chest before he kept talking. “Mark didn’t know any of this before I briefed him minutes ago. He doesn’t have any contact with his cousin. But somehow Dan got clearance to get backstage, using Mark’s name. So now we need to find Dan so we can get Anna back.”
This was just too much. What was he doing to her? Was she still alive? I fell back in the chair and rested my head in my hands.
“What now?” Cole asked.
“I will call the police now. And then we go looking for her. And by we, I mean my team and me. You guys take Zane and Kylie back to the hotel and keep them there. Marco will take you back. And then he will join us in the search,” Dax said.