Play Nice

by L. P. Maxa

  Jared turned to me, scowling. “If that’s alright with the boss here.”

  “Yeah, man. We’d love for you to stay.” I wanted nothing more than to kick his junkie ass out of here. But we’d all learned long ago that in order to keep the peace, we just needed to humor Jared. He’d eventually get bored and leave on his own. There were no drug dealers hanging out in the dressing room, no more doing lines off groupies’ asses before we hit the stage. Times had changed and these new times would bore him to death.

  I took my phone out and sent a quick text to Luke.

  Me: Keep Lex away from the dressing room, I’ll send Chase to hang out with her so you can get ready.

  My phone buzzed back before I had a chance to put it away.

  Luke: I can go on in what I’m wearing. I’ll stay with Lex.

  I opened a new message, this one to Chase.

  Me: As soon as we go on, stay with Lexi. Jared is here.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Lexi

  Luke wouldn't let me out of his sight, per Dash’s instructions and his own protectiveness. He even came with me to pee. When it was time for them to go on, Chase was supposed to come babysit me but he wasn't anywhere to be found. Dash gave me strict orders to stay on the side stage right where he could see me. I didn't know what the big deal was. I had Dagger with me and everyone who was milling around backstage knew I was with Dash. The crowd was crazy tonight, full of so much for love for the guys. A lot of people were holding up posters and signs. I instinctively reached for my camera before I realized I didn't have it. I must have left it in the dressing room. Dash had been looking over at me every couple of minutes, making sure I was following his orders. But right this second he was over on the other side of the stage jamming with Smith. I could grab my camera and be back before he even noticed. And even if he caught me, I'd just stick my tongue down his throat to keep him from yelling at me. “Come on, Dags. Come with momma.”

  I looked everywhere for my camera before I remembered I’d never even been in the guys’ dressing room tonight. Damn pregnancy brain.

  “Lexi? Right?”

  Aw, hell. I knew without even looking that it was Jared in the doorway. It didn’t know why Dash didn’t want me around him, but I knew I was going to get yelled at tonight, tongue or no tongue. “The one and only. And you must be…Jared?”

  “My reputation precedes me.” He pushed off from the doorframe he was leaning against, walking towards me wearing a really gross smile.

  “Nah. The guys never talk about you.” His smile turned into something worse. Something way more dangerous. Nice, Lex. Poke the crackhead bear.

  “Well they talk about you. You’re Dash’s new toy…but you used to belong to Luke?”

  “Something like that.” I felt no need to correct him. He didn’t need to know our truth.

  “Dash always did like to share. And watch for that matter.” Lovely, my baby daddy was an even bigger whore than I had thought. Dagger’s body got tenser the closer Jared got to us. I gripped his leash tighter. “But something tells me, he wouldn’t like sharing you.” He was standing right in front of me now. Dagger let out a low growl. I reached down and patted his head. The last thing we needed was for my giant pit bull to kill the ex-drummer back stage. That’d be bad press, for both The Devil’s Share and Dagger. “He has been plastering his love for you all over the place.”

  Jared put his hand on my shoulder, squeezing so hard I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out. “What is it that you want from me?” Dagger lunged and snapped at him. It was a warning, if he had really wanted to break my hold on him, he could have. I scratched him behind his ears to settle him back down.

  Jared’s gross sneering smile returned. “I want to feel like part of the band again. I want to share too.” His grip went from my shoulder to my neck. Dagger growled and snapped. Jared squeezed my neck, cutting off my airway. I recognized the look in his eye; it was like déjà vu. He was cracked out of his mind. He pushed me up against the nearest wall, pressing his knee between my legs. It was difficult to swallow the bile rising in my throat. This was it, the crossroads. I could let Dagger’s leash go and he could attack Jared. Or I could just close my eyes and wait until Dash noticed I was gone. I knew what I should do, what Dash would want me to do. But I was having a hard time releasing the leash.

  “What the fuck is going on?! Jared, get your hands off of her. Security!” Chase came charging into the room. Jared squeezed my neck even harder. I saw spots before he backed off with his hands in the air. “Lexi, oh my God, are you okay?” Two large security guards came in and grabbed Jared. “Get him off the premises. Make sure he leaves.”

  I rubbed my neck. It was sore. I was sure I’d have bruises. My shoulder too. Damn, Dash was going to be livid. “Yeah, Chase I’m fine.” I got down on my knees, eye level with Dagger. “You are a good boy. You are such a good boy.” I scratched his chest and kissed his face. I stood up and turned to Chase. “Let’s get back out there. Dash is liable to stop the show. I’ve been gone too long.”

  Chase took a deep breath. “Lex, we should press charges. He left bruises. No telling what would have happened if I hadn’t come in.”

  I shook my head, placing my hand over my neck. “I’m fine, really. He’s all messed up. Please, Chase, I don’t need drama right now. The police and reporters go hand and hand. Just leave it.”

  He nodded. “Fine. But shit is going to hit the fan when Dash sees your neck, Lex. Be prepared.”

  When we got back to the stage Dash looked over at me and gave me a not so nice look. I smiled as big as I could and blew him a kiss. When the show ended I mentally braced myself for what was about to happen. I wished I had telepathy so I could warn the rest of the band. I plastered a smile on my face. Dash walked right up to me, grabbed my hand and took off in the direction of the dressing room. I glanced behind me, all the guys were following, and they looked equally as pissed. Damn, so much for any allies. The door shut and locked behind Chase. “What the hell, Lexi? What part of ‘don’t fucking move’ did you not understand? You could have been hurt. Jared could have seen you. Dammit, Lexi.” I cut my eyes to Chase, wondering if he was going to tell him or if I should. But my bruises beat us both to it. “What the fuck happened to your neck? Are those bruises?!” He tilted my head back, studying my neck, rubbing his fingers lightly over my marred skin.

  Luke came over and joined Dash. When he saw my skin, all the color drained from his face. I knew he was having flashbacks. My heart hurt for him, for both of them. “I came in here to grab my camera and Jared must have followed me. He spouted a bunch of stupid crap, grabbed my neck, and then Chase came in. That’s all that happened. And I’m fine.”

  “Like hell you’re fine! Look at you!” Dash closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. I knew he was trying to calm himself down. I knew he hadn’t meant to yell at me. I knew he was just scared. He turned to Chase. “Where is he?! I’m gonna kill him.”

  Chase put his hands out, placating Dash. “He’s gone man. They escorted him off the premises.”

  Luke put his hand on my shoulder and I winced. He narrowed his eyes. “What? Why does your shoulder hurt? Take your shirt off.”

  I scoffed, “No, perv.” I was trying to break the tension with humor. No one was having it.

  Dash grabbed the hem of my shirt. “Take your shirt off, Lexi.”

  I swatted his hands away, “You don’t even let me walk around the bus in a towel and you want me to take my shirt off? No. It can wait until we get back to the bus.” I mentally added, and I can take off all my clothes and distract you with a blow job.

  Dash shook his head. “I saw you get dressed tonight, Kitten. I know you have a tank top on under that shirt. Now, strip.”

  At least his tone had softened. I lifted my shirt off with my good arm. I honestly didn’t know if I’d be able to raise my other arm above my head—my shoulder really did hurt. Jared was surprisingly strong for an emaciated junkie. Smith and Jacks had come
closer. When Smith saw my shoulder he collapsed in a nearby chair. Jacks shook his head and ran his hands down his face. It must have looked as bad as it felt.

  Dash leaned in and placed a soft kiss on my shoulder. “Lexi, baby, I’m so sorry. I should have thrown his ass out the moment I saw him. This is my fault.”

  Smith stood. “No. It’s my fault. He’s my cousin. I should have tossed him out.”

  Chase shook his head. “I should have checked my phone sooner. She should have never been alone.”

  I laughed. “Y’all are all crazy. Jared is gone and I’m okay. Now we know just how dangerous he is. Right? Lesson learned. Please don’t go blaming this on yourselves. Hell, I’m the one who didn’t listen. It’s more my fault than anyone else’s.” I looked over at Luke. “Lukey, I’m fine. I promise. Please don’t let old demons get in your head.”

  Chase cleared his throat. “Speaking of your fault…why were you holding Dagger back? I could hear him snarling from across the room. Why didn’t you let him off his leash?”

  Dash looked at me, eyebrows raised in question. “You held him back?”

  “If I would have let him go, he would have killed Jared. He would have gone for his throat and not let ago until the job was done. I couldn’t let Dagger become a murderer. What would the press say? They would have made me put him down.”

  Luke laughed humorlessly, “So you were willing to let Jared do God knows what to you, just so Dagger didn’t get a bad rep?”

  “Bad rep?! We would have had to put him down, Luke.”

  Luke threw his hands in the air. “Dammit, Lex. You’re fucking pregnant! Use your head.”

  I opened my mouth to yell back but Dash held his hand up to stop me. “Luke is right, Lexi. That wasn’t a smart move. Let Dagger protect you. Let him do his job. I promise I won’t ever let anyone hurt him, okay? We’ll hide him away on some ranch somewhere. But if it ever comes down to it, let him protect you.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Dash

  Lexi and I were safely back on the bus and my heart rate had finally returned to normal. The rest of the band was here with us. It seemed like no one wanted to let her out of their sight. When it came down to the important stuff, we were a family. And they all loved Lexi, and they all loved the baby. The thought that they had both been in danger upset all of us. Jacks came from the kitchen carrying a bag of Oreos. “Here you go, Lex. I had some hidden in the back of the fridge.”

  She smiled. “Thanks, buddy.” She tore into the bag like a crazy person. Well, like a pregnant chick that had been denied cookies for the last four weeks.

  Smith was sitting in the recliner nursing a beer. “You guys want to watch a movie?”

  “No.” I stood and pulled Lexi to her feet. “I’m taking Lex to bed. She’s had a rough night and we’ll need to get her shoulder looked at tomorrow morning.” We had all tried to convince her to go tonight, but she wouldn’t have it. She was so damn stubborn. She told all the guys good night, making sure to pass out hugs and kisses. Usually, it set my teeth on edge. But, tonight, I knew they needed it as much as she did.

  As soon as the door shut behind me, Lexi started stripping off all her clothes. “What are you doing?”

  She looked over she bruised shoulder and winked at me before climbing into the bed. “Trying to distract you with sex.”

  I got naked and got in next to her, pulling her body against mine. “Baby, you scared the shit out of me tonight. I wouldn’t make it if anything happened to you.”

  She placed her hand over my heart. “I know. I made some bad choices tonight. From now on, I’ll be more careful. Promise.” She placed her mouth against mine and nibbled on my lower lip.

  Sex had been the last thing on my mind when I had pulled her down the hall to bed. I wanted to hold her close and listen to her breathing even out while she fell asleep. But far be it from me to deny sex to my beautiful girlfriend.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Lexi

  Luckily Dash had calmed down after a couple rounds of incredibly slow and sweet sex. It was probably the tamest sex we’d ever had. We were lying naked in bed, tangled up together. I loved him so damn much. I hated that I made everyone worry. His hand was lying protectively over my stomach. I couldn’t sleep. The realization of what could have happened tonight was keeping my mind from resting. Maybe Jacks had forgotten to re-hide the Oreos… I carefully slid out from under Dash and pulled on one of his t-shirts. It hung down to my thighs, plenty of cover up. Even if it wasn’t, this would be payback for making me take off my shirt earlier. I shut the door behind me as quietly as I could and tiptoed down the hallway. I didn’t know if the rest of the band was still up or if they were asleep in their bunks. There was a lamp on in the living area, the soft glow making the bus seem so homey. Yes! The bag of Oreos was still sitting on the table where I had left it. I grabbed one and shoved the whole thing in my mouth. Movement outside caught my eye. Smith was standing out there staring up at the stars. I wasn’t allowed to walk Dags by myself in the middle of the night, but there’s no way I could get in trouble if I went outside while Smith walked him. Plus, I wanted to make sure Smith wasn’t beating himself up about the whole Jared incident. I didn’t want this breaking him and sending him in search of an escape. I shoved another cookie in my mouth before I opened the door and carefully descended the metal stars. If I so much as stubbed my toe Dash was never going to let me leave the bus again. I called out to Smith, trying to talk around my mouthful. “Hey, bud, whatcha doin’ out here?”

  Smith glanced at me over his shoulder without turning around. “Go back inside, Lexi.”

  “Eeeewww…are you getting a blow job out here? And you’re letting Dagger watch? What’s wrong with you?” I turned to head back to the bus—that was not something I wanted to see. Again.

  I heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked. Goose bumps broke out over my whole body. “Don’t fucking move. I’ll shoot him, right here, right now.” I took a deep breath and slowly turned around. Jared was pointing a gun at Smith’s chest. It was only then that I noticed that the hair on Dagger’s back was raised and Smith was standing with his hands up.

  Smith spoke louder. “Go inside, Lexi. Don’t worry about me.”

  Jared chuckled. “When the hell did you become so selfless? What is it with this chick? I need for you to hear me, cousin, and then I’ll say who stays and who goes.” Jared waved the gun around a little. “Where was I? Oh yes. You stupid mother fucker, you are such a sheep. You let Dash boss you around. You let him make you turn your back on family. What would your daddy say, Smith? He’d beat the shit out of you if he knew what a pussy you’ve become. I should just put you out of your misery.”

  Smith nodded. “You’re right man. I’m a pussy. I deserve your anger, but Lexi doesn’t. Let her go back in and then you and I will fix this. We’re family. We should stick together.”

  Dagger snapped and lunged. Smith held him back. I was rooted in place, not sure what I should do. I could mouth off to Jared, deflect his attention. That wasn’t smart. I could make a run for the bus. That could get Smith shot and killed.

  Jared looked past Smith to where I was standing. “Get over here and get your damn dog before I shoot him.” He pointed the gun at Dagger briefly before turning it back to Smith.

  Was he serious? He couldn’t be serious. Jared was so far gone; all brain function had stopped. I knew what I had to do even though I didn’t want to do it. I walked over to them, mumbling under my breath, “Dumb ass junkie.”

  “What’d you say, girl?” I hadn’t noticed until that moment that Jared had a very backwoods accent.

  I put my hand on Dagger’s leash. I looked Jared in the eye as I unclicked it. “I said Dumb. Ass. Junkie.” Chaos erupted. Dagger lunged for Jared. I heard the sickening sound of flesh tearing. The gun went off. Smith and I both hit the ground. And my world went black.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Dash

  I woke up and noticed Lexi was gone a
bout two seconds before I heard the gun go off. I flew out of bed, pulling on jeans as I ran down the hallway. I collided with Luke as he stumbled out of bed. We raced towards the door with Jacks right behind us. When we got outside, Dagger was standing over Jared, his mouth covered in blood. Smith was lying on top of Lexi. They were both still and silent. The only sound I could hear was Jared moaning from under Dagger. Luke and I both went to Lex and Smith while Jacks grabbed Dagger and called 911. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I could hear him relay what was going on and that we needed multiple ambulances. I pulled Lexi’s body into my lap. “Baby? Lexi? Baby, can you hear me?” I checked her whole body, looking for signs that she’d been shot. Looking for the reason she was unconscious. It took me several seconds to register the warm wet feeling of blood seeping through my jeans. Her head. The blood was coming from her head. “Oh God, Lexi. Lexi?! He shot her.”

  Luke had been checking over Smith. “Wait! No, wait. Smith has been shot. It looks like it went in his shoulder and there is no exit wound.” He ripped Smith’s shirt off to check him. “There was just one gun shot. Right? Right?!” I knew he wanted conformation, but I couldn’t find the words. He laid Smith down and scrambled over to Lexi. He checked for a pulse, and pressed his head to her chest. “She’s breathing. Her heart is beating. I don’t think she was shot. I think she just hit her head when she fell.”

  In the distance I heard the wail of the ambulance sirens. “Jacks, put Dagger in the bus.” Dagger was lying at Lexi’s side. He looked like a killer with blood all over his face and neck. I didn’t know what he would do right now if another set of men came and took Lexi away.