Abandoning the idea, I set off to find Helen. When I find her, I see Eddie is home, and he smiles at me broadly.
“Hey, Amelia, you look great.”
I laugh and roll my eyes.
“Thanks, but I know I don’t. The bus ride was hard and I must look a complete wreck.”
Eddie shakes his head and Helen looks at me with sympathy. I know I look bad. I have dark circles under my eyes and I look weary and jaded. I have lost way too much weight recently and my clothes hang on my stick thin figure. My hair is long and limp and if anyone ever needed a vacation, it’s me.
Helen pulls me over to the couch and thrusts a large Americano at me.
“Here, one of the perks of living near a coffee shop. Drink up and tell us what you can.”
I sip the coffee and immediately feel the caffeine hit. Taking a deep breath, I tell them what they need to know.
“I’ve been involved with my boss for just over two years. When I met him, he was single, and we were just like any other couple in love. We couldn’t let anyone know because we worked together and it would be frowned upon. The trouble is, he was always destined for greater things and started dating one of Washington’s finest. We kept on seeing each other and I don’t know how but I slipped into the role of the dirty little secret. Well, things have gone from bad to worse and I need to get away. The trouble is, he won’t let me. I know too much about some serious shit and he will want me back. I have two weeks to lose myself before he comes back from his honeymoon.”
Eddie looks thoughtful as Helen shakes her head.
“How serious, honey?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure, really. I mean, obviously I know all his business dealings and as you’d expect in Washington, not all of them are for public knowledge. He’s also into some serious stuff in his spare time and that scares me the most. For both our sakes I needed to end it and the only way to do that was to disappear forever.”
Helen’s eyes fill with tears and she looks at Eddie hopefully. “What can we do, honey?”
He looks thoughtful.
“You know, you may have just come at the right time. The band is off on tour tomorrow across the country. It’s a hard one and they will be gone for three months. They will travel by tour bus so there will be no awkward questions from airline officials. There’s an opening for an assistant. The pay is good and you would be paid in cash. It could be the perfect place to lie low for a bit, if you can stomach life on the road.”
Helen turns to me, her eyes shining.
“Of course. You could do this standing on that pretty little head of yours. What do you say, you up for life as a rock star for three months?”
I think about it for a minute. Everything he’s told me so far fits perfectly. I could blend into the background and it would be a different city every night. This sounds too good to be true.
I nod slowly.
“What would I have to do?”
Eddie rolls his eyes. “Keep them all organized and in check. They are on a tight schedule and have the habit of getting distracted. You need to make sure that everything is set for the next gig and they have everything they want. I will be around a lot but I’m not prepared to spend three months away from home. I’m not gonna lie, it’s not glamorous and the guys are difficult. The crew is lewd and rough and it’s no place for a decent girl like you. If you think you can handle it, then the gig’s yours.”
Nodding vigorously, I smile at him with gratitude.
“Thank you, Eddie. I won’t let you down. I’ll be the best-damned assistant you’ve ever had.”
Helen squeals but I don’t miss the worried look that passes across Eddie’s face. Maybe he doesn’t think I’m up to it. Well, I’ll show him that I am one of the best. After all, how difficult can it be? I mean, surely after the White House, a rock band will be child’s play.
***
Chapter Eleven
I feel nervous as I accompany Eddie to the band’s offices in the city. They have the use of one at the recording studio nearby and are putting the final touches to the song set for their tour. I have pulled on a long dark wig and some glasses, disguising my identity for the trip across town. I’m wearing one of my smart black dresses and Helen laughs when she sees me.
“Look at you, honey. Are you sure the disguise is really necessary?”
I smile sadly. “I’m afraid it is. You don’t know how these guys operate, but I do. If they want to find me they will. I just don’t want to make it easy for them.”
She looks worried and then smiles.
“You look some sort of high-powered secretary. I bet the guys aren’t gonna know what’s hit them.”
Eddie shakes his head.
“You know this job doesn’t require you dress up smart. Most of the crew just wear jeans and hoodies. You may stick out more wearing that than if you dress down.”
I look at him with alarm.
“Of course, I’ll go and change.”
I quickly race back to my room and throw on jeans and a hoody. I pull the wig back into a ponytail and thrust a cap on my head. I feel foolish and laugh as I see the stranger looking back at me from the mirror. I don’t even recognize myself. This might just work.
We leave Helen and head across town. I feel nervous and Eddie spends much of it on his phone that never appears to stop ringing. As we walk to the offices something catches my attention on the newsstand nearby. My heart lurches and I break out in a cold sweat as I see the picture on the front page of the New York Times.
Eddie is chattering away on his phone and I nudge him and gesture to the stand. He nods and waits whilst I head over and look at the photograph staring out at me.
Senator Scott Parker and Shelby Barrington marry in a star-studded wedding.
The picture shows a radiant bride posing proudly by the side of her apparently adoring husband. Flanking them on all sides are the men from the club. Right next to Scott is the President himself. Todd and Grady smile for the camera and Preston Musgrave, another Senator makes up the five of them. I feel sick as I see them smiling out at me as if they don’t have a care in the world.
I touch the picture of Scott and feel my heart wrench. I absorb every detail of his expression. He is perfect and my heart skips a beat as I look at what I have given up. I wish I could turn off my feelings but it appears that I can’t. Tears burn behind my eyes as the seller barks.
“You want that or not?”
Shaking myself I hand over the money and roll up the paper. I know I shouldn’t, but I need this photo as a reminder of what’s at stake.
I follow Eddie into the offices and wonder what I will find. The paper is burning against my side and I want nothing more than to pore over its contents.
We sign in and Eddie heads towards an elevator.
Once we are inside, he turns to me and looks worried.
“Listen, the guys are riding high at the moment and that brings with it a lot of extra shit. I hope you’re not easily shocked because they play hard. You need a thick skin and a sharp mouth if you’re gonna survive this. I will do what I can to help but it’s not gonna be easy on you.”
I smile reassuringly. “Then you haven’t worked at the White House. They may be dressed smarter, but it sounds exactly the same. I’m sure I’ll be fine; I’m tougher than I look.”
He smiles thinly as the elevator doors open and it begins.
Jax
I look over at the blonde bouncing on Cody’s lap. Her eyes are tight shut, and she is squealing as he moves her up and down his dick. He catches my eye and grins. I smirk and look over at River who is sitting slumped in his seat. I’m not sure if he’s even alive after the bender we all went on last night. The blonde appears to have attached herself to us and never went home. I think we’ve all sampled her free goods and I sink back wearily in my chair. Tyler shouts over to Cody.
“For God’s sake man, give it a rest. I need some peace and quiet to lay down these lyrics and the sound of your fucking isn’t getti
ng me in the mood.”
Cody laughs.
“It’s getting Delores here very much in the mood.”
She gasps and comes loudly. In fact, she is still screaming in ecstasy when the door opens and Eddie walks in.
He takes one look at the scene in front of him and bellows.
“For Christ’s sake, Cody, lose the accessory. You’re meant to be working.”
Cody grins as the blonde slumps against him, seemingly unconcerned about the audience. He winks cheekily.
“I am working. I’m keeping my fans happy.”
Eddie glares at him and then I see that he’s not alone. Behind him is a thin figure of a girl. She looks kind of small in her oversized clothes and I take in the scruffy glasses and a baseball cap pulled low over her eyes. What the hell is this shit?
Eddie pulls her into the room and I see the shock on her face as she sees Cody and the blonde. I smirk as Eddie growls.
“Lose the fan, Cody; we have work to do.”
Cody pushes the girl off his lap and says harshly. “Off you go, darlin’. See you around.”
She looks at him and blinks. “I thought we were getting Tacos.”
River rolls his eyes as Cody draws out some dollar bills.
“You’ll have to get them yourself, darlin’. Here, have them on me and then get yourself home.”
She takes the money and looks around at us all gawping at her.
Pulling down her skirt, she smiles around at us all.
“You know, I could get some for everyone.”
I watch the new girl’s lip curl with disgust and laugh to myself. By the looks of her, she’s probably never seen anything like this in her life. Girls like her don’t see the brutal realities of life. She looks like she would date the college Brainiac and probably get off with a quick fumble at second base. I wonder why she’s here.
The fan leaves in a huff and Cody straightens his trousers and looks at the girl with interest.
“Who’s this, Eddie?”
He smiles at her and lays it on thick. Cody is a charmer. He gets the girls, and he gets them a lot. He spends most of his time fucking his way around the world and never dips in the same pool twice. He plays guitar and plays it well. River plays base and Tyler drums. I sing and play guitar and between us, we make up the band, Blasted Rock.
Life is good to us and we are riding high. Eddie keeps us in line as much as he can but I know it’s hard for him.
He waits for the girl to leave and then looks around with a hard expression.
“Listen up guys, this is Emily Stone. She’s my new assistant and will be accompanying you on the tour.”
He notices Cody’s face light up and growls angrily.
“You keep your dirty hands to yourself. She’s family and if any of you fuckers mess with her then I will personally sue the shit out of you. Got it?”
Cody’s smile quickly fades and we nod. Nobody messes with Eddie. If this girl’s his family, then we will keep well away.
She looks around her nervously and Eddie nods to a seat in the corner.
“Sit there, Emily, whilst I go through the itinerary. You won’t need to take notes because I have a printout for you.
As Eddie goes over what we all already know my mind wanders.
I watch the girl from behind my shades. I know I look a dick wearing them indoors but they are hiding my hangover from last night. Cody wasn’t the only one who fucked himself senseless last night. The alcohol was free, and we were in the mood to party. There are more willing girls than dick to go around and we are all very much the worse for wear.
She listens to Eddie attentively and I can see he has her full attention. She may not be making notes but I can see her absorbing the information. She has this weird dark hair that looks wrong on her. It doesn’t suit the sparkling green eyes behind her glasses and her pale English rose complexion. She looks as tired as we do and there is something else. An air of vulnerability surrounds her, and she appears to shrink into the seat. Eddie must be mad if he thinks she can handle this. I wonder why he chose her for the job.
I hear him snap at Cody.
“Now remember, leave Emily alone. I’m not about to lose another assistant just because you can’t keep your dick under control. We don’t have time to find a replacement so Emily has my permission to punch your sorry ass back in line if you try anything.”
We all laugh at the thought of the slight, fragile, looking girl, even landing a small punch on the mountain of muscle that is Cody.
Eddie nods to the girl.
“Come on, Emily. We’ll go to my office and go over the finer details whilst the guys tie things up here.”
He looks over at the rest of us and sighs wearily.
“Finish up here and go get some sleep. The cars will pick you up at 6am and we need to get on the road by 7. This will be the last comfortable night’s sleep you get for three months. Make the most of it.”
I watch as he leaves and takes the girl with him.
Tyler whistles as the door closes.
“Man, that’s a turn-up. Eddie must be mad bringing a girl like that on tour.”
Cody grins. “Well I am feeling quite good about it; I’m not gonna lie.”
Tyler laughs and throws a drum stick at him.
“You got a death wish or something? You know what Eddie’s like. He doesn’t talk shit, he means what he says.”
I stretch out and remove my shades.
“The girl’s too young and innocent. Leave her or you’ll break her. There’s more than enough willing ones to go around. It’s my guess that after one night she’ll get the hell out, anyway.”
River yawns. “Come on, let’s finish up. I’ve got a hot body waiting in my bed and I don’t intend on getting much sleep.”
Cody grins. “I didn’t know you had a dog.”
We laugh and set about what we do best. Making music.
***
Chapter Twelve
Emily
The day passes in a blur of schedules, venues, and arrangements. Eddie gives me a huge folder and looks at me with concern.
“Are you sure about this, Emily?”
I smile and nod.
“Sure, it’ll be easy. After what I’m used to this will be a walk in the park. Listen, Eddie. I really appreciate this. I know you’re taking a chance on me and I won’t let you down.”
He smiles briefly and then reaches into his desk and pulls out a phone.
“Here, you need some form of communication. It’s registered to me so nobody will know it’s yours. Take it so we can keep in touch. You’ll also need it to check the arrangements and stuff.”
Once again, I look at him gratefully.
His face softens, and he says gruffly.
“Now, let’s get you back to that woman of mine. She will want to spend every last minute with you. I’m under instructions and I daren’t go against orders.”
I laugh at the thought of the huge tough guy opposite me taking orders from the slim, petite, brunette, he is in love with.
He arranges for a car to drive me there because he has stuff to do and I am soon back at their apartment.
Helen is waiting and grabs me as soon as I head through the door.
“Come on, tell me everything and I’m not talking about your meeting.”
I look at her quizzically and she stares back at me with that no nonsense look of hers.
“Look, sugar. I’m not letting you loose with a band of horny dicks in your fragile state. I need to know that you’re ok and the only way I will know that is if you tell me everything.”
I shake my head and stare at her with a worried look.
“I can’t, Helen. If I told you then you wouldn’t be safe and nor would I. I’m not just running from a relationship break up, I’m running from the whole establishment.”
Helen’s eyes grow wider.
“Wow! Did you see something or find out some State secret?”
Sinking down onto the couch I put
my head in my hands.
“Like I said, Scott was into all sorts. I kind of got caught up in something that I haven’t figured out yet. If he finds out I know something then it won’t just be him after me. I just need to lie low and decide what to do.”
Helen sits next to me and grabs my hand, squeezing it reassuringly.
“Listen, honey, you figure it out and if I can help in any way just holler.”
I try to smile and she raises her eyes.
“Anyway, let’s go and grab something to eat and then you can get off to bed. You need an early night my girl because the next three months are gonna be tough.”
I look at her in surprise.
“What about Eddie, shouldn’t we wait for him?”
Helen laughs.
“We won’t see him until the early hours. This tour won’t organize itself and Eddie is meticulous in the planning. If I know him, he will be holed up in that office of his until sunrise.”
We grin at each other and it’s as if we are back in High School. Just us against the world. I’m so glad I reached out to Helen, it was the best thing I could have done.
Much later I head to my room. Finally, I can do what I have been longing to do since buying that newspaper.
Sitting on my bed I pull the newspaper from my bag and spread it out. I take a long hard look at the cover and tears fill my eyes. I trace Scott’s picture and wonder if I’ve done the right thing. He needed me that night, it was obvious. He was as much a victim of our relationship as me. When he finds out I’ve gone, it will destroy him. I look at Shelby, the new Mrs Parker. She is positively glowing and looks at him with total adoration. I wonder about their relationship. Maybe he was spinning me a tale. Perhaps they are in love and I was just a distraction for a while. It’s hard to believe they aren’t judging by their expressions in this picture.
Then I look at the men surrounding them and my blood runs cold. This club that they all belong to is hiding a secret. I know what I heard that night, and it didn’t sound good. What other secrets does that place hold and what has gone on there?
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