“Uh, Chad. The ‘do.” The teen pointed to the mounds of curls cascading from a bun at the back of her head.
“Ohhh. Not the ‘do. How crass of me.”
“Indeed,” she returned regally, grinning at him. She decided to go to the dance with a girlfriend of hers who was similarly without a date, but he could tell she was nervous.
They both looked up as Beth descended the stairs. She wore a simple, flowing dress made out of a silky material. She told Chad she hated how some of the other mothers tried to show up the girls. “It is supposed to be their night, after all,” she declared. But, with silver jewelry accenting her attire, she still looked stunning.
“Oh, honey,” she scolded. “Watch the ‘do.”
He shuffled away from Cassie wearing a guilty expression. “That’s already been covered.”
“No, get back over there. I want to take your picture, just watch the ‘do.”
“Ah, Mom. I don’t want any pictures.” Cassie argued at the same time Chad protested, “But I just have jeans and a t-shirt on.”
“Cas, this is your prom night,” she ordered sternly. “You are going to want pictures. And you, you look hot in jeans and a t-shirt.”
“Ick!” Cassie squealed in mock-disgust. After the picture was taken, she rushed off. “I’m going to go get my purse.”
“I still wish you signed me up as a chaperone, too,” Chad sulked.
“Honey, I said I was sorry. I didn’t know you would want to.”
“Not want to be at Cassie’s senior prom with you?”
“I just thought it would be a mess with fans.”
“All of her friends know we’re married, but they haven’t caused any problems.”
“You’re right. But Pete said it would be impossible to secure—” she stopped abruptly.
“You asked Pete about this?”
She sighed. “He didn’t think it would be safe.”
“What? Am I supposed to miss out on all the important things in yours and Cassie’s lives because it ‘may not be safe’? Give me a break!” He turned his back to her and stalked over to the fireplace, leaning on the mantle.
She crossed to him, laying a hand on his back. “I’m sorry, Chad. I really am,” she implored him. “It may take us some time to figure out how this whole being-married-to-a-celebrity thing works.” She waited, but he didn’t respond. “I should have asked you, though.”
He could hear in her voice how badly she felt. This was a difficult transition for her, too. Being married to a rock star had some definite drawbacks.
He sighed. “No, Beth. It’s all right. You were just trying to do what was best for all of us.” He drew her into his arms. “We’ll get it all figured out.” He kissed the top of her head.
Cassie came down the stairs. “Are you ready, Mom?”
She glanced up again to see if he was okay. He gave her a small smile and a kiss. “Have fun.” He turned to Cassie. “And you, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“And what, exactly, does that eliminate?”
“Oh, go on and get out of here before I mess up your ‘do.”
“All right. I’m out of here,” the excited teen announced. Cassie acted as if she was running out, but then she turned around and came back and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
With one last long look, the two women in his life were gone.
***
At first Beth smiled and chitchatted with people at the dance. The teens’ enthusiasm was contagious. But after a while she drifted off by herself, thinking about Chad, and again scolding herself for leaving him out. She scanned the room for a sign of Cassie. She saw her at a table with Jessica. As she watched, a young man came up and appeared to ask Jessica to dance. Cassie smiled at them as they left, but then she could see a shadow cross her face even from across the room. Or maybe it was just the expert eye of a mother who knew her daughter well. Her heart ached. This was one of the hardest parts of being a mother, watching your child in pain. Cassie fiddled with a napkin, turning it over in her hand, and then folding and unfolding it.
Should she cross the room and try to cheer her up? Or would Cassie prefer to handle this on her own? For the millionth time, she wished God provided her with a manual so she knew exactly what to do for her daughter. She decided to move closer and try to pick up on some kind of signal from Cassie, when Mrs. Van Zandt accosted her.
“Beth. How are you?” She gave her one of those air kisses and stiff hugs that said, “I don’t want you to wrinkle my dress” ever so politely. “I haven’t seen you since your newest wedding—”
Like I’ve had five?
“—how are things?”
“Wonderful. Thank you for asking.” The doctor’s wife wore a lime-green mermaid dress Beth would like to think seemed too young for her, but in reality, Botox and plastic surgery had her looking fantastic. Mrs. Van Zandt was one of the women she thought didn’t mind stealing a little of her daughter’s thunder on prom night.
“I saw your Cassie sitting by herself over there. Poor thing.” Coming from anyone else, the comment might have seemed sympathetic, but the tone with which it was issued implied no such kindness. She stared at the woman with a blank expression for a second, but then her eyes automatically searched out Cassie again. Her daughter had just risen from the table with a very tall man dressed in black.
Her companion followed Beth’s gaze. “Isn’t that your husband?” the good doctor’s wife was saying to her.
She beamed. “Yes. Yes, it is.” As she watched, Chad steered Cassie out onto the floor and began to dance with her to a slower song. There was a ripple of recognition around the room as people started to watch the pair dance.
“My. He is a cool drink of water, isn’t he?” Mrs. Van Zandt exclaimed, fanning herself with her handbag with obvious appreciation for Chad’s body.
“Yes,” she agreed with a smile. “He is at that.”
He twirled Cassie gracefully around the dance floor. He peered down into her face, which was awash in happiness.
“I thought you weren’t coming.”
He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Cas, I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” He pulled back again and smiled at her.
Her eyes scanned the room, catching all the looks of envy and admiration her peers were wearing. “I think having a rock star for a stepfather might not be that bad after all.”
He laughed. “Glad to hear it.”
When the song was over, he escorted her back to her table and pulled her chair out. “Now, if you would excuse me for a minute, I would love to dance with your mom.”
He turned to search for Beth, and their eyes locked from across the room. An invisible electrical current seemed to pass between them. He strolled over to the DJ, pulling something from an inner pocket and handing it to him while holding a brief conversation with the young man.
“What is he up to?” Beth wondered out loud.
“I have no earthly idea. He’s your husband.”
Chad picked up the DJ’s microphone. “Would Mrs. Beth Evans please report to the dance floor?” He handed the microphone back and moved to the middle of the dance floor.
The DJ announced, “Could everyone please clear the floor for just a moment, please?”
Forgetting to even excuse herself, she glided to the dance floor on air. As she approached, he extended his hand to her, and when she placed it in his, he walked around in a wide circle, never taking his eyes off her. Then, he pulled her into his arms so suddenly, she actually fell into them.
She laughed. “You’re crazy.”
“I never tried to hide that from you,” he returned with a grin. The beginning notes to Jimmy Buffet’s version of “Slow Boat to China” began playing over the sound system.
Her shock registered on her face as she began to sputter, “How did you…you remembered! I can’t believe you...” Finally, she gave up on speech.
“We never got to dance at our wedding,” he responded simply. He spun her around the dance floor,
hoping she wouldn’t ask where he’d learned, because it was Julie who had forced him to take lessons.
Although she never took a lesson in her life, Beth found it easy to match her husband’s movements, their bodies so in tune with one another. At the end of their dance, he dipped her as the spectators who had gathered around the dance floor applauded.
The noise of the crowd seemed to awaken her from her dream. She laughed, a little embarrassed. As they left the dance floor, she took in the face of Marly Van Zandt. It was nearly as green as her dress. Beth’s eyes were then drawn to a familiar figure at the back of the auditorium. Pete shrugged, as if to say, “Chad got his way again.” But then, she began to notice several big men who she didn’t recognize as fathers of Cassie’s classmates. They stood evenly spaced around the room, some with their hands conspicuously behind their backs in a guard pose.
“Pete bring some friends tonight?”
Chad glanced in his direction. “That was our compromise.”
She turned toward him and toyed with his collar. “How would you like to go into the gym and make-out behind the bleachers?”
He chuckled lustily. “I’d like that.” They snuck off together, noticed only by Pete and his men.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
It was summer break and Cas had gone to Myrtle Beach with her friend, Jessica’s family. Beth was in the middle of enjoying a whole week touring with Trapped Under Ice, the last week of their tour before their own summer break of sorts. Cali, missing the opportunity to be with her friend at work, tagged along so they could spend some time together.
They were all returning from sound check on Friday night and being a bit boisterous; Roger was challenging Cali to a shot war after the concert. When they climbed into the bus, Pete, Dante, and a stranger dressed in a suit and tie were huddled around something on the coffee table.
“We got another one, Chad,” Pete stated grimly.
“Another what?” Beth wondered aloud.
“Beth, it’s just some business stuff,” Chad answered, evading her eyes. “We’ll go discuss it on David’s bus, and you and Cali can just relax here for awhile.”
Chad seemed a little too nervous and Pete a little too concerned for Beth’s liking. She stepped forward, her mouth set. “Another what, Pete?”
Pete stared at Chad.
“What the hell’s going on, Chad?” Beth asked him, becoming irate.
He sighed. “Go ahead and tell her,” he muttered resolutely, sinking into a chair. “I know you want to.”
“A death threat.”
“What?” She turned to stare at Chad. “You said it was just hate mail. ‘The usual stuff,’ I thought you said.”
He eyed her tensely, his jaw tight, but didn’t respond.
“It’s a little more serious than that, Beth,” Pete answered for him. Chad shot him a look. “I’ve been against keeping her in the dark about this from the start,” he countered, an edge to his voice. Chad stared at Pete stonily, but the body guard ignored him. “By the way, this here is Chief of Police Bernie Swallow.”
“Nice to meet you all.”
Everybody nodded uncomfortably.
Beth gestured to the note. “Can I see it?”
Pete and the police chief exchanged a look, and the latter nodded.
“Yes,” Pete told her, “but try not to handle it too much. I’ll send it to my buddy at the FBI, but it’ll more than likely be clean like the others were.”
Beth read the letter.
You haven’t listened to my warnings, so this will be the last one…if you sing, “Beth’s Song” tonight it will be the last time you sing or say her name. I’ll be waiting for you in the audience, and I’m a pretty good shot The two of you don’t belong together, so it’s simple: leave Beth or die.
She sucked in her breath. Who was this person, and why didn’t they want Chad to be with her? It was so strange to see her name in print along with a threat on her husband’s life. She handed the note back, her hands trembling.
She peered up at Chad, the fear evident in her eyes. This was just what he didn’t want to happen.
“Babe, it’s okay—”
“It’s not okay!” Her voice rose in pitch and volume. “Someone threatening your life is not ‘okay’ in my book.” She took a deep breath to steady herself. “Why do you think this part is underlined, Pete?” she asked, pointing to the page.
“We both think,” he replied, indicating the chief, “it means as soon as Chad sings your name in that song for the first time, the shooter would take his, or her, shot.”
“What are we going to do?” she asked, ready to place her trust in him.
“Well, first of all, Chad’s not going to sing that song. Then…” He paused to let Chief Swallow explain their plan.
“We’ll channel everyone through a couple of entrances tonight, set up with metal detectors. I’ll have several squads on hand, plus the security people the facility employs, and your own personal staff here.”
“But,” Pete interrupted, “in all honesty, if someone wants to get a gun in here, there are ways to get it done.”
“Why don’t we just cancel the concert?”
“Then what about the next concert, Beth? Are we going to let this person dictate our lives?” Chad questioned edgily.
“If it means keeping you alive and whole, yes,” she returned, fire in her eyes. Everyone sat uneasily, looking from one to the other.
“Beth,” Pete ventured, “I think Chad is right about this.” They both turned and gawked at him. “We both do.” The police chief nodded. “Let’s face it; he is a walking target anywhere. We have a lot of things playing to our advantage tonight. For one thing, twenty thousand pairs of eyes. If someone tries anything in this crowd tonight, somebody’s bound to see them. Two, we’ll get cameras set up at the entrances and we’ll know everyone who comes in and out of here. This will narrow down our suspects some.”
“To one of twenty thousand people? Those aren’t great odds.”
“Well,” Pete countered, “maybe you could help us with that. Up to this point we’ve been focusing on Chad’s enemies, because we thought it was more likely someone would want to kill him, he being Chad and all,” Pete added sarcastically, “than you, who I doubt has an enemy in the world.”
“She doesn’t,” Cali stated loyally.
Chief Swallow spoke up. “Is there anyone you know of who would like to see you and Mr. Evans apart? An old boyfriend, perhaps?”
“No. My husband, Paul, and I were married for fourteen years. Before him, I only dated about a half-dozen guys in high school and college, none of whom I’ve kept in touch with.”
“What about after your husband and before Chad? Anyone who had a crush on you? Asked you out, but you turned them down?”
She looked at Cali.
“Beth made it pretty clear she was not interested in seeing anyone. Any guy who liked her didn’t get far enough to develop any real feelings for her. There were plenty of guys who were interested, but I sort of ran interference for her. I think you’d be looking in the wrong place there.”
“Okay,” Pete remarked, satisfied. “We’re doing some checking on Julie Miles—excuse me, Julie Julien, now. I never liked that one,” he mumbled under his breath. “It appears, however, she has been out of the country on some kind of photo shoot, but we’re double-checking all the same. Right now, she is still our prime suspect. We need to go and set up the security measures I talked about. Dante will stay here with you all.”
“And I’ll have a squad car parked outside.”
Pete looked at them each in turn. “From now on, I don’t want any strays. You stay with the herd. Got it, everyone?”
They each nodded their heads solemnly.
As Pete passed Beth, he put his hand on her arm. “Beth, I’ve been in this business for a number of years. I’ve guarded diplomats and movie stars. I’ve foiled several attempts on my clients’ lives. Chad is like a son to me.” Chad stared at him in surprise.
“Sure, we butt heads a lot, just like I did with my son before he was killed. He worked on the force, just like I did, until some two-bit crook killed him over a stereo system the owner later told us didn’t even work.” The bodyguard sighed, looking sad and older than usual for a minute. “I wasn’t there that night to help my son. But I’m here now, Beth, and I’m not going to let anything happen to Chad. Trust me.”
She nodded, squeezing his hand and giving him a weak smile. She knew Pete knew what he was doing. She just hoped it would be enough.
***
Beth was a nervous wreck backstage with Pete and Cali. Cali convinced her to do a shot to calm her nerves, but it didn’t seem to be working. Every camera flash seemed like a muzzle flash to her, and it was killing her to watch Chad on the big stage like a target in a carnival game.
Chad and Roger nixed her singing with them tonight on “I Just Had to Have You Last Night,” although she put up an argument that if they could be a pair of idiots and put their necks on the line, she should be allowed to do the same. The band members stood firm, and Beth ended up having to back down. Now, she stood backstage, strung like piano wire, feeling useless.
Chad for his part seemed to be getting increasingly uptight on stage. The shot he downed to calm him seemed to be having the opposite effect. Halfway through the second set he called a powwow on stage.
“Change of plans. We’re playing ‘Beth’s Song’ next.”
“Dude, are you crazy?”
“No way, Chad. We’re not going to do it!”
“Listen, you guys, I’m not going to let anyone tell me not to sing that song. You guys can either accompany me, or sit back and listen, ‘CAUSE I’M SINGING THAT SONG!” Chad stormed away from them and started strumming the first notes.
Beth’s face turned white. “Oh no! What is he doing?”
Pete didn’t recognize the song at first, but Beth’s reaction clued him in.
“My life was cold and black
Before you came and fixed what was broken in me
And now I wish I could give back
Just a little of what you’ve given to me
TRAPPED UNDER ICE (ROCKING ROMANCE COLLECTION) Page 25