Dominic had bought two houses in a new development closer to his parents. One for him and Noelle, the other for his brother and his family. Anthony accepted it with little protest but still insisted he would pay rent once financially stable again. Their beach house was still under construction, but that was slated to be done by spring. Both of their lives changed quickly, and they finally welcomed it.
While he took out his keys, Dominic looked to Noelle. “Ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” She smiled and followed him outside. Each carried one of her bags.
The trip to the Philadelphia airport was uneventful, although goodbyes were not easy on either of them. Dominic sat behind the wheel in the parking lot and listened to planes take off. There was no point in him staying once she was beyond security. He just didn’t want to go home to an empty house. Calls to Tommy and Dean both went to voicemail. It took him a few minutes to decide, but he chose to head to Jon’s. His brother did not need him to mope around the hotel rooms for a few hours.
When he parked in the main driveway at Jon’s house, he was surprised to find no other cars. If Tommy and Jon weren’t at the studio, usually someone was around. That was good, though. He just wanted to relax and not be alone.
After he used his key and had searched the first floor, he found nothing. That was strange. Jon had told him he would be home. Maybe he went to the store or something. Then he heard a thump from downstairs. Setting up for Wicked End, most likely.
He slowly made his way to the basement. ”Hey, Jon. You down here?”
Tommy glanced up but didn’t see him yet. “Yeah, come on down, Dom.”
Dominic came down the stairs and was surprised to find the main room full. The boys of Wicked End were scattered in the studio. He couldn’t handle socializing. Unsure, he avoided eye contact. “Forgot this was happening today.” He glanced at Tommy then at the floor. “Thought you guys were just hanging out.”
“You need to talk?” Tommy could see the pain in Dominic’s face. “She went back home today. Right?” He knew that feeling.
Although he gave a slight nod, Dominic couldn’t meet his gaze. “I’m kinda lost without her now.”
“She’s coming back for your birthday. Isn’t she?” Tommy had her as a “yes” on his guest list for New Year’s Eve. He couldn’t imagine Dominic alone that long.
Again with a nod, Dominic turned to the stairs. “I’ll just go home.”
“No. Wait.” Tommy walked over to Brandon, who was on the couch. “Tell Jon I’ll be back. My buddy needs me.” He jogged to the steps. “Dom, let’s go take a drive.”
“There were no cars in the driveway,” Dominic mentioned when they reached the first floor. “Where is everybody?”
Tommy paused to think. He remembered what Jon had said. “The Winter Winds guys all went to New York to sightsee. I parked in the back. Sorry. I know I missed your call, but we were recording.”
“I get it.” Dominic sighed and walked out the back door to the rear driveway. Tommy led the way. He shivered when the wind hit him and zipped his jacket up again. “She’ll be back Wednesday. I don’t like when she’s gone.”
As Tommy unlocked the doors to his SUV, he smiled. “Good thing she’s coming on tour with us, then.” He slapped Dominic’s back. “You’ll be OK. Hang out with us, and we’ll keep you busy.” He opened the driver’s side door. “Where do you wanna go?”
“I don’t care.” Dominic got in the passenger seat and sulked. It had been a long time since he truly missed someone other than his girls.
“How about we call Dean and watch a movie at his place,” Tommy suggested. “Or we can see if there’s a hockey game tonight. I think Dean needs to get out, too. He’s holed up in that apartment too much.”
Dominic nodded. “He didn’t answer either.”
“OK. That’s weird.” Tommy and Dean had a truce at that point. They spoke every few days and hung out on numerous occasions. “Lemme try him again.” When his call also went to voicemail, his mind started to create scenarios. “Let’s go check on him.”
Dominic worried that Amanda was over again. “Maybe not a good idea.”
“Why? Think he’ll make you feel worse?”
“No.”
Tommy laughed. “Then we’re going. He’s been a good boy lately.”
A loud knock on Dean’s door did nothing. Dominic listened carefully. He hoped they didn’t walk in on something Tommy should not see. He had no idea that Tommy had also found out about Amanda. There was no noise at all, which had Dominic worried again. He used his key, and they walked in. Dean was passed out on the couch. He didn’t respond to a shake of his shoulder.
“That’s not good.” Tommy searched the room for evidence of drugs. “I don’t see pills or paraphernalia. Maybe he’s tired.”
Dominic knew better. He smelled something. He followed the scent to the rear of the apartment. When he opened Dean’s bedroom, his nose scrunched up. “Damn.” It reeked of marijuana. “Why, Dean?” He kept his voice low, so Tommy wouldn’t flip out.
A search of the entire room and adjoining bathroom turned up nothing but a small bag of the drug. Is this a serious setback?He wasn’t sure if Dean could handle getting high just once. At least, it took his mind off Noelle. He pocketed the tiny bag, left the room and closed the door.
“He’s waking up,” Tommy announced. He had poked and kicked Dean until he moved. “Come on lazy-ass. Get up.”
Dean’s eyelids fluttered. He heard voices but wasn’t sure where they were. The light was a shock. He was quite sure he had turned the lamp off. Then a face came into focus, and he jumped.
“Nice of you to join us, Sleeping Beauty.” Tommy laughed at Dean’s shocked expression. “You been sleeping all day?”
“Huh?” Dean’s eyes widened when he saw Tommy and Dominic. “Oh shit!” He sat up abruptly and closed his eyes, dizzy. “What’re you guys doing here?”
Dominic nudged Dean’s knee. “You been MIA again.”
“Oh, yeah.” Dean took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I been just hanging here.”
He didn’t want them to know why. Amanda turned him down when he asked her to stay at his place that weekend. She claimed she was busy. He knew she lied by her tone. The look in her eyes said she planned to meet with someone else. They had gotten to know each other quite well. It hurt that she couldn’t be upfront with him. Although rejection would not go over well at that point in his life.
“You got high!” Tommy shouted when Dean opened his red eyes. “What’d you take?” He was furious and got in Dean’s face. The urge to punch Dean ate at him.
Dean backed up to the corner of the couch, hands up. “I’m sorry. I slipped. It was only pot. I swear. I’m sorry. I needed to chill.”
“Stop.” Dominic grabbed Tommy’s arm before he swung. “I searched his room. Just pot. Like he said.” He glared at Dean, who peered out from behind a hand. “I’m not gonna find anything else here right?” The head shake was a relief. “Who gave it to you?”
Sheepishly, Dean said, “A girl.” He stared at Dominic and hoped he didn’t ask for a name. Then she might find out he snatched it from her purse.
Dominic knew who was to blame immediately. How could Amanda fuel his addiction? He wanted to confront her but didn’t want to make it worse. What else has she given him?
“Have you been drinking, too?” Tommy felt panic and anger rise. The tour started in a little over a month. They couldn’t have him trashed nightly again. “Well?”
Dean sighed. “Not a drop since rehab. I swear.” He put out his arms. “Test me. I’ll take a blood test if I have to.” He cringed. An image of a needle came to mind. “I promise. This is the first time I slipped.”
“And the last,” Tommy growled. “You better be sober tomorrow. Jon’ll kill you if you make a scene at the party.”
Dominic looked Dean in the eyes. “Last chance. Seriously. I’m not goin’ down with you again. We’ll find another singer. Bet Chris’d love to step in on the
tour.”
The threat was very real, and Dean’s bottom lip quivered. Chris Bradley could easily replace him, and he knew it. More than once, he had heard Chris sing one of their songs, and it was much better. He didn’t know what to say. That stress on top of the flippant way Amanda treated him was too much. Eventually, he bent over, head in his hands. The tears were unexpected, but he couldn’t help it.
Dominic sat next to him. He felt guilty. “I didn’t mean it that way.” He sighed loudly. “What’s going on? This is not like you. Talk to me, man.”
“I can’t,” Dean mumbled.
Tommy shook his head, sure Dean faked it. “Let’s just go. He’s playing games.”
“He’s not.” Dominic felt Dean shake. “Please tell me you’re not detoxing again.” Dean shook his head. “OK. Just relax. It’s gonna be fine. I’m not mad. Just stay clean.”
“I will.”
Tommy seethed when they sat in his car again. He tried to let it go, but Dean had drugged him only months before. It made him all the more adamant he get clean. “No more. Not dealing with his shit no more. He fucks up again, and we’re replacing him; don’t care what anyone else says.”
Positive anything he said would make it worse, Dominic stayed silent. When Tommy turned the volume up on the radio he flinched. At least, the music would calm Tommy. The drive back to Jon’s was extra short because Tommy had a heavy foot when angry. He slammed the driver side door shut and stomped to the house.
With a sigh, Dominic got out of the car as well. When he reached the kitchen, he found Tommy with a tall glass of amber liquid. “So it’s OK for you to drink, but not Dean?”
“Yep.” Tommy drained his glass. “I don’t fuck with other people’s lives when I’m drunk. I just fuck. He can’t handle anything stronger than root beer. He’s gonna kill somebody!”
Dominic leaned on the counter. “Should we lock him away, then?”
“Wish we could.” Tommy put his glass in the sink. Alcohol wouldn’t solve anything. “If he gets arrested again, we can’t bail him out. Let him suffer. He needs to see how much he’s fucking up.”
“I think he already knows.” Dominic saw it in Dean’s eyes. He wanted to live a normal life. “He just needs a reason to be good.”
Tommy threw his hands up. “Then set him up with a decent chick. There has to be someone who can deal with his stupid ass. Maybe we can hire a counselor or something to be his girlfriend.”
“That’s prostitution.”
With a roll his eyes, Tommy replied, “She doesn’t have to fuck him.”
“He’ll expect it.”
“Damn. True.” Tommy hadn’t thought of that. “OK. Maybe a fan who’s not insane?” He cocked an eyebrow. “He has fans.”
Dominic chuckled. “Yeah. Ones that don’t know how crazy he is. Think he can be nice to a woman for longer than 10 minutes?”
“High? No.” Tommy shrugged. “Maybe sober he can. Know anyone?”
“Nope.”
Tommy looked around. “When we went out last month he was cool for a few hours. Did I overreact?”
“I did, too.” Dominic thought he should call Dean. “If he’s on the edge, anything can push him over.” He pulled his phone out and hit Dean’s name.
Dean answered in a soft voice. “Hey.”
“You OK?” Dominic did not like how he sounded.
“Was sleeping again.”
Dominic walked to the rear hallway. “Listen. We didn’t mean to make this harder on you. Why don’t you call Amanda and see if she can hang out? You shouldn’t be alone if you’re feeling down.”
“She’s busy.” Dean sagged into the couch. He felt quite defeated. “If Tommy wasn’t pissed at me, I’d see if he wanted to go out. I don’t got no one else.”
“I know.” Dominic looked up to the ceiling. “You wanna come with me to see my brother and the kids?”
Dean smiled. “Yeah. That’d be nice.”
“We can all go out to dinner.” Dominic’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t you dare look like you’re high. Take a shower and clean up.” He ended the call and walked back to Tommy. “I’m gonna head over to Anthony’s. Take him and the kids out. He’s saving money for furniture. Won’t let me buy it. So they don’t go out much.”
Tommy nodded. “OK, cool. Go have fun.”
Within minutes, Dominic was on his way to Dean’s. The empty passenger seat made him sigh. He hoped dinner out would distract him. Noelle was still flying, so he worried about her. He expected a call as soon as she landed.
“Whoa.” He was shocked to find that Dean waited for him in the parking lot. With a smile he put the Jeep in park close to him. “Cleaned up good.”
Dean sat down and put on his seatbelt. “Thanks. They know I’m coming?”
“They don’t even know I’m coming.” Dominic grinned and put the vehicle in gear. “I just called to make sure they were there. We should stop and get the kids something.”
“You’re spoiling them.” Dean put a hand on Dominic’s arm. “They only need love, not stuff.”
Dominic almost laughed at the insightful words. “Yeah, so do you.”
Chapter 35
The next night, Tommy and Hailey got ready for the release party in Jon’s bedroom. Since it was a semi-formal event, Hailey didn’t want her dress to get wrinkled. Jon was downstairs so he could oversee the event setup. He wanted things to be perfect, since so many would be there for him to introduce Triple Threat.
Winter Winds still occupied most of the upper floor. They were about to wrap up their next album. Because of that, they would also be at the party. Noelle and Dominic planned to arrive early, in case either Jon or his bandmates needed them.
“Everybody decent?” Jon asked as he knocked and cracked his bedroom door open.
Tommy peeked out of the bathroom, where he spiked his hair. “Yeah.”
“Nice dress.” Jon whistled at Hailey, who stood in front of a full-length mirror as she applied makeup. “You’re gonna catch a lot of eyes tonight.”
Hailey leered at Jon’s reflection. Although he towered over her scarily, his muscles and tattoos were a turn on. Tommy had not said there was a rule against sleeping with his friends. Hell, he let Chris fuck me, so he must be fine with it. She still didn’t think of Tommy as her boyfriend, just a favorite fuck buddy. Although her feelings became stronger daily, she couldn’t admit how much he truly meant to her.
She looked down at the dress’ plunging neckline then turned around. “Thanks. Glad you like it.” She batted her eyelashes and moved toward him. “You can help me take it off later.”
Jon’s mouth dropped. “Uh… Wait… uh.”
He had no idea how to respond. Since he and Emma officially started to date the week before, he had abstained from sex with others. They hadn’t gotten that far yet, so he was pent up. Hailey’s offer tempted him.
“You up for a bit of fun?” Hailey put a hand on Jon’s forearm and bit her bottom lip. “Maybe when everyone’s busy downstairs?”
Still dumbfounded, Jon stuttered, “Uh… so, uh… you wanna fuck me?”
“If I see something I like, I go for it.” She smirked and licked her lips.
Jon looked to Tommy who walked into the room. “Tom, I didn’t encourage her.”
Tommy furrowed his eyebrows. “I thought you were here with me.” He didn’t hit on other women in her presence, other than Crystal.
She smiled. “I'm going home with you.”
Excited, Tommy asked, “So you wouldn’t mind if I disappeared for a while with Giovanni and Crystal?”
“Go ahead.” Hailey patted Jon’s arm. “Jon here will keep me company.”
Emma walked into the room. She assessed the situation quickly and wondered if Hailey had started to drink already. She moved to Jon’s side, with a jealous look on her face. She tried to act casual. “Was wondering where you went off to, Jon.”
“Sorry.” Jon threw an arm around Emma’s shoulders. “Came up here to get my watch.”
>
Emma smiled and leaned her head on his muscular chest. She glanced at Hailey. “I don’t share.”
Hailey shrugged. “You can join.” Emma’s look of shock made her laugh. “Your loss.”
“Don’t worry.” Jon hugged Emma closer. “I’m not interested. You’re enough for me.”
Tommy tugged Hailey into his arms and whispered, “Seems all my bandmates are off-limits. Sorry.” He brushed his lips over her neck. “But maybe I can make something happen with Crystal and Giovanni tonight.”
“Sounds good.” She hoped they could keep the lights off so she couldn’t see Giovanni’s face. “I guess we should head downstairs.”
Jon sighed with relief. “Yeah. Great idea.”
* * *
Other than a few heated moments, the first half of the party went well. Jon introduced Triple Threat to bands individually then made a toast for their success. Giovanni proposed to Crystal right after which surprised most. The musicians and other guests seemed to get along well.
Then Dean showed up. At first, he was calm. He greeted guests and smiled. Once his bandmates arrived, he disappeared. No one noticed until Dean blew back into the living room. He talked loudly with his bandmate, Ash.
Dominic turned, and his face paled. “Fuckin’ A. You gotta be kidding me.”
“What?” Hailey turned away from Mitchell. “What’s wrong?”
“Dean.” Dominic headed his way as Vince did the same. “Who gave you a drink?”
While his eyes flitted around the room, Dean replied, “No one. I’m fine.”
“The fuck you are,” Vince shook his head. “You need to leave.” He grabbed Dean’s arms and pushed him toward the front door.
Dominic followed. “Want help?”
“No.” Vince glared at Dean. He didn’t want him to ruin the night. “I got it.”
Tommy heard multiple people shout from the kitchen, where he took out a few more bottles of wine. It sounded like Dean, Jon, Dominic and maybe Giovanni. He made sure to hand the wine off to one of the catering staff before he investigated.
“Hey.” Chris grabbed Tommy’s arm and pulled him aside. “How come that chick Hailey’s here?”
Evolving Urges (Gasoline Book 2) Page 27