Neon Nights (Against the Odds Book 1)

by Bryony Kayn

  The larger man shook his head. “Not a word.”

  “Steve coming in tonight?” Nikky asked, voicing the question Quinn had had in mind.

  Angel shrugged. “He was going out with Debra. I don’t think he was planning on stopping here.”

  Quinn nodded thoughtfully. “Let’s hope not.”

  A little later, Jake returned with Quinn and Nikky’s drinks. “I’m taking my break,” she told Angel, nodding her head toward the back hall. “Care to join me?”

  He finished his Jack and Coke, setting the empty glass on the table, and got up to follow her through the club. She led the way down the hall and to the back service entrance, hitting the push bar with her hip to open the door. Angel followed her out to the back lot and waited while she nudged a brick into the jam to keep the door from closing and latching.

  When she turned back, pulling a cigarette from her pack, he was leaning on a car watching her. The hooded security light above the door cast a shadow on her face until she came to stand beside him.

  “So how are things going?” she asked, lighting her cigarette and taking a deep drag. “I’ve heard great things about Blackstone.” Blackstone was the name of the band Angel and Steve were in, along with T.J. Krandall and Marlo James. “Bought your last CD; I liked it.”

  “Things are going good,” he replied, never looking away from her. “We’re getting ready to go back into the studio and start work on the next album. Our last tour was pretty much sold out, and the record company is frothing at the mouth for our next one.” He reached out a hand toward her, and when she took it, he pulled her closer so he could rest his hands on her waist. He had slid down on the fender of the car so they were nearly eye-to-eye. “Where have you been?”

  She shrugged, taking another drag. “No place exciting.”

  He shook his head. “I need more than that. You disappeared like a puff of smoke in a high wind, and we’ve had no news of you since. I didn’t know if you were alive or dead.” His voice was flat, an indication of his seriousness. “What happened to you?”

  She sighed, looking away from him as she tapped ash off the end of her cigarette. “I had a lot of time to think in that hospital bed. I decided if I didn’t get out, either me or Steve would end up dead. So I left. I never intended to come back, either, but I couldn’t stay away.”

  Angel looked down at her words, guilt filling him again as he remembered that time almost three years ago. Jake and Steve had always had a violent relationship, right from the very beginning. The last fight had been the worst. Jake had landed in the hospital for several days while she recovered from cracked ribs, bruised kidneys, and a nasty concussion. Steve had been in nominally better shape with a broken nose and a couple knife wounds that had required stitches, but at least he hadn’t had to be admitted.

  “I’ve been living hand to mouth, dancing in some sleazy joints I couldn’t stand anymore,” she went on evenly. “And I decided I’d had enough. I missed the Neon too much. I was tired of being miserable, so I came back.” She shrugged, taking the last drag off her smoke, and flicked it away to the blacktop. “Guess I’ll have to face up to whatever I’ve got coming to me for taking off like I did. But I’m staying. This is my home.”

  Angel pulled her close, putting his arms around her securely, glad to feel her return the embrace. “I’m sorry, Jake. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you that last time. I’m so sorry you felt you had to run away.”

  She laid her face against his shoulder, relaxing beneath his hands as he smoothed them up and down her back. “It’s in the past, man,” she whispered. “I have no grudge against you. You couldn’t be there all the time to step in. I only wish it hadn’t gotten so bad.”

  Angel nodded. It had gotten very bad at the end, and worse when Jake disappeared. Steve had gone crazy after she left, and there had been no talking to him for weeks. When he’d finally calmed down, accepting the fact that she wasn’t coming back, he’d refused to say another word about the fight that had gotten so out of control. It had been quite clear Steve was aware that he’d come awfully close to killing Jake. That knowledge still kept him unable to speak her name.

  “Anyway, that’s all over now,” she continued, lifting her head to look at him, although she didn’t move away. “I’m starting over, brand new. I’m gonna work here at the Neon, I’m gonna find a place to live, and I’m gonna start enjoying myself.”

  He reached up one hand and stroked silken hair away from her eyes. “What happens when you run into Steve?”

  She was silent, her lips pursed thoughtfully, then she shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” She smiled, seeming to recognize the worry in his eyes. “It’ll be okay, Angel. I’ve grown up a lot since those days; at least, I like to think I have. I don’t want to go back to the way things were”—she hesitated, as though thinking better of that, then continued—”at least, not the part where Steve and I just kept hurting each other and all of you.”

  “You know he’s got a girlfriend. He’s been seeing Debra off and on for about the last six months.”

  She shrugged, her smile not changing. “Good for him. I hope he’s happy. Not the same kind of relationship we had, I hope?”

  Angel shook his head. He’d known Steve for a lot of years and had never known the singer to be violent with any woman but Jake.

  “Good. That might make things easier.” She leaned forward, pressing her cheek to his, and spoke softly into his ear. “I need to get back to work, sweetheart.”

  He nodded, knowing that he’d kept her out here longer than he should have. “What are you doing after work?”

  She laughed, taking his hand. “Why, letting you take me out to breakfast!”

  He grinned down at her. “That sounds just fine.”

  Swan finished with his equipment, coiling up mic cords and checking to be sure the amps had all been turned off. He dropped down off the stage and looked around for Jake. He’d seen her off and on throughout the night, serving drinks and food, talking and laughing with people, even dancing with Nikky Roberts to one of Rebel’s slower numbers, their hips moving together in a sexy way that made Swan a bit jealous. They’d seemed to know each other very well, and Swan had to wonder if it was already too late for him to make a move. Nikky was a regular at the Neon, and he was a chick magnet.

  He finally spotted her behind the bar, talking to a tall blond man who sat across the bar from her. Nikky was nowhere in sight, so maybe he still had a chance. He made his way across the room, nearly empty now that the club had closed. Tables had been wiped down, the chairs stacked up on them to clear the floor for one of the employees to sweep.

  When Swan reached the bar, he recognized the man Jake was talking to. Blackstone was a successful band who’d started here at the Neon, and the band members still came in regularly. This was Angel D’Arris, guitarist and co-founder of the band, and Swan wondered again if he was too late.

  “Hey, Swan. Great set,” Jake said, nodding at him when he approached. “You guys are pretty good.”

  “Thanks.” He smiled, glad that she’d noticed his band.

  “Have you met Angel?” she asked. “Angel, this is Swan.” She continued with her side work, wiping down the bar.

  Angel turned to Swan, reaching out a hand to shake. “You guys have a good sound,” he commented, nodding toward the stage where the rest of Rebel was preparing to leave.

  “Thanks,” Swan said again, and added, “I’m a big fan.”

  Jake laughed. “See, I told you he had good taste.”

  Angel glanced at the expensive gold watch on his wrist, and said, “About how long?”

  “Just let me finish up with the bar, then I’ll grab my shit and we can boogey,” she answered.

  Swan didn’t say anything, but he had a hard time keeping the disappointment off his face.

  “Sorry we didn’t get a chance to talk tonight. Maybe tomorrow night?” she asked.

  Swan shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”


  “What are you doing before the gig?” she asked, dropping a dirty towel into a laundry hamper under the bar. “Before we open?”

  “Nothing planned.”

  “We could go grab a cup of coffee, if you want.”

  He glanced at Angel, who was pointedly staying out of the conversation. “That’d be cool.”

  “Just want to meet me out front around three?”

  “Sure,” he agreed, suddenly feeling a little better. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Great,” she said. “See you tomorrow.”

  “Good to meet you,” he said to Angel, who nodded to him; then he headed back to meet his bandmates by the door, his thoughts already jumping forward to the next day.

  “You don’t waste any time, do you?” Angel asked.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Jake asked, looking sideways at him as they left the club and walked across the lot to where he’d parked.

  “One night back at the Neon, and you’re already seducing the singer of the band.” His tone was half teasing, half challenge. He opened the passenger door for her, then went around to the driver’s side, got in, and started the engine.

  “Hey, he’s the one making moves. I just didn’t want to hurt his feelings when he asked me out before you even came in tonight.” She spoke lightly, pretending innocence, but glanced at him from the corner of her eye to gauge his response.

  “Yeah, sure.” Angel pulled out of the lot onto the Boulevard and headed for a small, out-of-the-way coffee shop called 24/7, apparently for the hours they kept.

  Inside, they got a booth toward the back and sat side by side rather than across from each other. After ordering coffee and food, Jake shifted to put her legs up over his, making herself at home. Angel put a hand on her thigh, turning just enough to be able to look at her comfortably.

  “This seems so strange,” he said, moving his fingers aimlessly over her denim covered leg. “It’s almost like you never left.”

  She shrugged, touching the gold watch at his wrist. “Some things have changed.”

  He nodded slightly. “Yeah, it’s nice to have money. Makes life easier. That’s not what I’m talking about.” He turned his hand to take hers, his thumb stroking her knuckles. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you, little girl.”

  Jake sighed, the scent of his cologne musky and pleasant, his hand warm and gentle against hers, all combining to make her more content than she’d felt in a long time. “I think I have a pretty good idea.”

  “You’ve been gone almost three years,” he said, still watching her. “What happened to make you come back now?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to forget,” she said, shaking her head.

  His jaw tightened, but he didn’t push. “So where are you living?”

  The waitress brought their coffees then, and Jake waited until they were alone again before answering. “I’m staying at the Hollywood Palms. I need to find an apartment, but that’s gonna have to wait till I have some more cash.”

  “The Palms?” Angel growled, obviously not happy about that. “Come stay with me. I’ve got room.”

  “You’re sweet, but don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m serious, Jake.” He seemed genuinely worried. “That place is dangerous. The cops are busting people there all the time. I don’t want you getting caught in the middle of something.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “I know you can,” he said, not giving in. “But all I’m gonna do is worry about you being there. Do me a favor, and save me the worry. Come back to my place.”

  “Are you propositioning me?” she asked softly. They’d been best friends years ago, but people changed. She needed to know where she stood with him.

  He didn’t answer for a long time, just met her gaze squarely. “I wouldn’t turn down the chance to take you to bed, if that’s what you wanted. But that’s not what this is about,” he finally said. “I would rather you stay with me, at least until you find an apartment. The Palms is a bad place, Jake.”

  She looked down at his hand holding hers, surprised at his candor. There had always been a physical attraction between them, but she had always feared that sleeping with him would destroy their friendship. And she couldn’t stand the thought of losing their closeness. “Just one problem, babe. I’ve got no transport, and I’ve gotta get back and forth to work. I don’t do the bus.”

  “I’ll drive you,” he offered, squeezing her hand so she would look up at him again. “Or I’ll lend you a car. That’s the least of our problems.”

  “Let me think about it,” she said finally, giving him the smile she knew he wanted. “Either way, I appreciate the offer.”

  “Don’t think too long, Jake. I don’t want you staying at the Palms,” he repeated, then fell silent as the waitress brought their breakfast.

  When Jake reached The Neon the next afternoon, she found Swan already waiting for her. He leaned against the fender of a beat up old Nova, primered black with chrome on the grill, smoking a cigarette while he waited. When he saw her, he smiled and pushed away from the car to meet her.

  “Hey, babe,” she said, smiling back at him.

  “Hey,” he replied, leaning down to kiss her, and she was surprised at how her heart began to race. Rather than pulling away, she leaned closer, slipping her arms around his neck. The kiss deepened and slowed as she thoroughly enjoyed the touch of his mouth.

  When she finally pulled back, Swan was breathing deeply, his cyan-blue eyes filled with an animal magnetism she couldn’t fail to recognize. “That’s a good way to say hello.”

  “After last night, I thought maybe I’d better move a little faster.”

  Jake tipped her head back to look up at him. He wasn’t as tall as Blackstone’s guitarist, but he stood well over six feet. “Why is that?”

  “I don’t want you going with someone else just because I hung back.”

  “You don’t have to worry about Angel,” she said easily. “We’ve been friends for years. Just friends.”

  He shrugged. “I wasn’t sure, with the way you were acting last night.”

  “Yeah, I get that sometimes,” she replied, then went up on her toes and pulled his head back down so she could kiss him again. His lips were full, his mouth sensual, and she fantasized for a moment how it would feel to have those lips on other parts of her body. It had been far too long since she’d found someone who made her feel this way. “Let’s go get that coffee,” she said, a bit breathless, and he opened the door so she could get into his car.

  Swan brought her back to the club a couple hours later.

  “Are you coming in now?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “Gotta run home and grab some shit, then I’ll be back.” He put his arm across the back of the seat, and smiled when she slid closer to him.

  “I’ll see you later, then,” she said, offering her mouth for him to kiss again.

  They’d gone to get coffee and a late lunch, and she’d managed to draw out most of his history. He was an only child whose father had died while he was in his early teens. His mother had worked two jobs to support them, and he had vowed that somehow he was going to make it big so he could take care of her. Rebel was his conception, and the other band members pretty much deferred to him. He wrote all their lyrics and most of their music, as well as playing guitar and singing.

  When he’d asked about Jake’s past, she’d been somewhat evasive. She had admitted to being an orphan, raised in the system and spending some time on the streets as a runaway. She told him a little bit about the first time she’d worked at the Neon, partying with the up-and-coming bands who played there, and how she’d met Angel and the rest of Blackstone when they were just starting out. She also talked about leaving, looking for a new start somewhere else, although she didn’t say why. Her eyes had been sad then, and for a few seconds she had seemed lost in memories, but she just laughed at his expressions of concern. “Live and l
earn, man. That’s all you can do,” she had said.

  Now, back at the Neon, he lost himself for a few minutes in the heat of her kiss. He’d had girlfriends, both back in Pittsburgh and here in L.A., and his share of one night stands, as well. But he couldn’t remember anyone getting to him as quickly as Jake was.

  When they broke apart, Jake caressed the side of his face with the back of her hand. “I’d better get inside.”

  He nodded, reluctantly letting her go. “I’ll see you in a while.”

  “Okay,” she agreed and turned away to exit the car. She waved once in farewell, then walked around the corner of the building and was gone from sight.

  “Whoa,” Swan breathed, thinking of cold showers. All she’d done was kiss him, but he was aroused to the point of discomfort. Shaking his head, he pulled out of the lot.

  Jake finished placing her order, dancing in place to Rebel’s music as she waited for Juan to put the drinks up. Over the volume of the music, she heard someone yell her name, and turned just in time for T.J. to rush up and throw his arms around her.

  “T!” she cried, hugging him back. He was only a couple inches taller than she was, his wild, curly hair flying any which way, and he almost vibrated with the excess of energy that he’d always had.

  “Angel told me this morning that you were back, and I couldn’t wait to see you,” he said, holding her face between his hands so he could look at her. Then they dropped to her neck as he pretended to strangle her. “How could you leave us for so long?”

  She laughed; she’d missed him almost as much as Angel. He’d been her party buddy in the old days, and they had been perfectly matched for stamina. “I couldn’t stay away, T.J. That’s why I’m back.”

  He shook his head and kissed her temple. “You had me scared, Jake. I figured you for dead.”

  “I’m too hardcore to go out that easy, T,” she replied lightly and turned when Juan called her name. “I’ve gotta deliver these. Where are you sitting?”

  “Last table at the left of the stage.” Angel was there with Quinn as he’d been the night before. “Come see us when you get a minute.”