by Seven Steps
Noah’s mouth worked, trying to find something to say, some words to fix this. “Walter, I’m sorry.”
Walter’s eyes turned dark. He put one hand on his knee and slowly stood up from the ground.
“Don’t blame me for your failure, Noah,” he said. “You have no one else to blame but yourself.”
Suddenly, the old man’s body turned into a bullet, his shoulder knocking the wind from Noah. They went tumbling to the carpet.
Walter wrapped his arms around Noah’s throat, squeezed tightly.
Noah grabbed at the man’s wrist, pushed him back.
“Walter, stop!”
Seeming to grow stronger by the minute, Walter clasped his hands in a vicelike grip around Noah’s throat. His eyes turned hooded. He growled, his expression turning wild.
“Walter,” Noah choked out. “Walter, it’s me, Noah. Walter, stop, its me.”
Suddenly, Walter’s expressions changed, his mouth agape.
“I’m sorry,” he croaked, scurrying off of Noah, using the bed to pull himself up. “I’m sorry. I…I don’t know what’s come over me.”
Noah watched wide-eyed as his manager and mentor made his way to the door. He held onto the wall for support as if he hadn’t just pinned down a man more than half his age and twice as strong.
“I’m sorry, Noah. I’m so sorry.”
He didn’t turn around. As the door shut behind his lifelong business partner, Noah let out another scream.
What was going on? Why was this happening to him? Why had the universe suddenly decided to screw him over? Walter attacked him. Dondo was in jail. Cassie was going away. His fame was fading into classic rock territory. His fans were abandoning him. He was going broke.
His anger took over.
He picked up a chair and flung it into a nearby mirror, shattering it.
Flower vases flew, the sheets were pulled off the bed, hangers ripped from the wardrobe. By the time he heard the first knock on the door, the room was a whirlpool of debris.
He stomped to the door, snatched it open.
“What?” he demanded.
Cassie stood there, her honey brown eyes wide.
His anger melted away, leaving a trail of sadness on his heart.
“Are you okay?” she asked. Her eyes moved past him to the wreck that had become his room. “I heard a commotion.”
He moved out of the way, allowed her in.
She gasped. “Did you do all this?”
He shut the door and pressed his back to it, not moving.
She picked up the remains of a computer near the wall and stacked all of the broken pieces of plastic on top of it. Silently, she moved through the room, righting chairs, remaking the bed, picking up broken pieces of glass. When the room was fairly clean, she turned back to him.
His eyes were hooded, his arms crossed over his chest. He refused to look at her.
“Is it Dondo?” she asked.
He nodded once.
“And other stuff?”
Another nod.
She crossed the room, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close.
He uncrossed his arms from his chest and hugged her back, fighting to hold back the tears that threatened to drain him.
She rocked him gently as his head laid heavily on her shoulders.
Though his mind was an endless train of dark thoughts, in the circle of her arms he found that he could breathe again. There was comfort there, security. He felt her underneath his skin, touching his heart, his soul.
She hummed softly, the sound like wind chimes.
He felt so broken, his mind cloudy, unfocused. He hated that she saw his shattered pieces, and yet, loved her for trying to glue them back together.
The thought startled him.
As she rocked him, imbuing him with her peace, in that moment, he loved her.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.
“Dondo’s in jail,” he whispered. “My money’s almost gone, I got into a fight with Walter, you’re going away…everything is just falling apart.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “You’ll be okay. We’ll piece it back together.” She looked up at him. “I’ll stand beside you, Noah. Always.”
He wanted to believe her. As he stood there, absorbing the strength in her touch, he wanted to know in his heart that what she said was true. But it was impossible. She was going back to school in a few days, and then he’d be alone again. The thought was unbearable.
“Tell me how I can help,” she said.
One word tumbled from his lips. “Stay,” he said.
“I’m here.”
“Until the end of the tour.”
She gasped, and shook her head.
“I can’t. I have to go back to school.”
“I can call the university. It’ll only be until December.”
She smiled up at him, moved the hair from his eye. “Noah LaRock, you know that Yale won’t make any exceptions for anyone, not even you.”
“I don’t want to stay out here without you.”
“Don’t worry. After the tour, we’ll see what happens.”
He frowned. “What does that mean?”
She laid her head against his chest. “Let’s not talk about that now. You have a show tonight and I don’t want to upset you.”
“I can’t do the show. With so much going on—”
“You can and you will. Those people are counting on you to show up and do your best. They want to see that smile that lights up a room. They want to see you and forget their problems for a few hours. And you may find that, just for a few hours, you’ll forget yours too. You’ve got to let the storm roll in without drowning in the waves, honey.”
“Will you be there?” he asked. “When the storm’s over?”
“I’ll always be there for you, Noah. I promise.”
She raised her lips to him, offering him a kiss to seal her promise. Five seconds to lose himself within her. He took her gift, dragging from her every ounce of strength that he could before pulling away.
“What will I do without you?” he asked.
“You’ll get through it. You know why? Because your Noah LaRock. You’ll fight and you’ll win.”
“Bronner,” he said. “My real name is Noah Bronner. LaRock is my stage name.”
She looked taken aback for a minute. “Noah Bronner.”
“I want you to know all of me.”
“Mr. Bronner.” She smiled at him, centering his world, calming his soul. “Always so full of surprises.”
Chapter 25
After Cassie left him, Noah spent the rest of the morning and afternoon on phone calls. First, it was back to Aaron to apologize for his earlier outburst before giving him a very specific set of instructions. Next, it was to his attorney. They were to contact the French police as soon as possible to begin working on Dondo’s case. Then, it was to Walter to apologize for their earlier fight, followed by, finally, his publicist. By the time the concert rolled around, he wasn’t sure that he had it in him. But with Cassie’s strength radiating at him from the audience, he went on.
He performed to the half-empty house as if it were filled to the rafters, giving them a show he was sure they would never forget.
The crowd loved him for it.
These people would be his chosen ones. His apostles. They would stay with him throughout all of his trials. They would define the next chapter of his career. Would he be reduced to reality television and cheesy commercials to make a living? Would he still tour, make music, and live his dream? His fans would make that decision. The very ones who supported him in the past would be the ones who would guide him into the future.
He hoped he did enough to impress them.
In his heart, he was starting to accept that his life was about to change. It was time to grow up, to figure out what was important, and hold on to it.
When the concert ended, and Walter did his congratulatory pat on the back, he mingled with the backstage p
ass holders before watching them leave. Without Dondo to bring back the party, the green room was strangely empty.
Dondo. He wondered what his friend was doing right now. Was he being treated well? Sure, the jail put him in a VIP wing, but what did that really mean? Was he eating? Was he being bullied?
Noah’s gut ripped apart wondering what was happening to his friend, his brother.
He sat on the couch of the empty green room, listening to his lawyer’s messages. Dondo was denied bail. A DNA test had been ordered to determine if his was a match for the murdered girl from the night before. The girl from the hotel room had his prints all over her. Although he admitted to picking the girl up from the flock of fans that stood outside the hotel, he denied killing her.
The voice mail ended, leaving Noah aching with worry. He believed Dondo. He’d known the man for years. He couldn’t have done the things he was accused of, he just couldn’t have. But how could he explain the deaths of all of the girls he’d been with? There seemed to be no other answer.
Walter’s hand laid heavy on Noah’s shoulder.
“You going back to the hotel?” he asked.
“Yeah, Cas and I are going to grab a bite.”
“You and Cas, huh?”
Noah stood, turned to the man who’d mentored him for most of his life.
“I’m not going to hurt her,” he said. “I think I’m falling in love with her.”
Walter’s grey brows shot up.
“Love? You barely know her.”
“I know it’s new. But we have a connection. I can’t explain it, but I can’t let her just walk out of my life.”
“Well, Noah, you’ll have to. She only has a few days left before school starts.”
“I know.”
“You weren’t planning on asking her to stick around here, were you?”
Noah shook his head, dropped his eyes. He didn’t want to tell Walter that he’d already asked her, and she’d refused.
“Remember what she has to achieve,” Walter said. “Don’t take that from her. Let her see her dreams come true, the way you did.”
Noah nodded, missing her already. “Don’t worry. She’s going back to school.”
“Good. She deserves it.”
Walter left Noah in the empty green room, not bothering with a goodbye.
Chapter 26
Cassie
The tour broke for three days to attend the Grammys.
They would take an eleven-hour flight to LA, attend the awards the following day, then take an eleven-hour flight back to Paris. From there they would pick up Walter before heading to Berlin to resume the tour.
Cassie wondered if the plane had good coffee as she boarded it at one in the morning. They would be going back in time, arriving at twelve noon Paris time, three a.m. Los Angeles time on the same day.
Jet lag was going to suck.
The interior of the private jet was lit by overhead lights. The grey leather benches were accented with red pillows and black, red, and grey throw blankets. The floor was laid with dark grey carpets. The smell of hot chocolate filled the air.
Cassie smiled.
Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad flight after all.
She passed two shining black tables and two dark grey leather captain’s seats. The tables were set, complete with red napkins and place settings.
Beyond the dining area, four rows of reclining seats sat empty next to white walls, chestnut colored molding, and dark windows. A television hung from the ceiling in front of each seat.
The last section laid behind a closed door.
She walked to one of the reclining seats and plopped down. There would be no need for a privacy curtain on this flight. There were only the three pilots and two stewardesses. Two bodyguards awaited them at the Los Angeles International Airport.
“No, no, sweets,” Noah said, stopping behind her. “Keep moving back.”
“Back where?”
“You’ll see.”
She gathered her purse and stood, walking back toward the door.
“Go ahead, open it.”
She eyed him before turning the door handle and pushing it in.
Beyond the door was a full sized bedroom, complete with a large television embedded in the wall, a king-size bed covered in a white and grey blanket, a small chair, table and mirror, and hardwood floors.
Cassie’s mouth gaped open as she ran her fingertips along the rough, tanned wallpaper.
“This is incredible. Bedrooms on a plane?”
Noah jumped on the bed, lay on his side, smiling at her.
“Spared no expense.”
“You’d better start sparing expenses,” she chided.
His smile waned.
She was sorry she’d mentioned it.
“Well, what’s one last hurrah before I go broke, huh?”
“You’re not going broke,” she said, tracing the outline of the country painting that hung next to the table. “Just scaling back a bit.”
“I guess. Look.”
He reached next to the bed, pulled out a wicker basket full of discs.
“I got all the old musicals, some comedies, action movies, all kinds of good stuff. And the plane’s kitchen is fully stocked.”
“You thought of everything.”
“Well, I like to make a good impression.”
She smiled at him and went to join him on the bed. “You make a very good impression, Mr. Bronner.”
They shared a brief kiss.
A knock on the door announced the popcorn and hot chocolate.
“We have to get a do not disturb sign on the door.” He smirked.
Cassie jogged to open it. “Maybe we should keep the door open,” she threw over her shoulder. “It will help keep you in line.”
“I know the rules,” he said. “Although, I may bend them a little…”
He scratched his neck, drawing attention to the fading red marks.
She cleared her throat, her stomach sinking a bit.
Where exactly had those marks come from?
“Noah,” Cassie asked, “where did you get those scratches?”
“Ah,” he said, throwing a smile her way. “Remember those roses in France? Well, they were hand delivered by yours truly. I even got some thorns stuck in my neck to prove it.”
Flowers? A chuckle rose in her throat, her nervousness vanishing. Only Noah could manage to get attacked by roses.
He did he best impression of a scowl. “What’s so funny?”
She waved her chuckles and the discussion away.
“Nothing.”
“I bled for you!” he cried, bringing back Cassie’s chuckles.
A dark-haired stewardess in a green vest and matching pencil skirt walked in, wheeling a cart of snacks on front of her. She parked the cart next to the bed, smiled at them both, and left.
Noah rolled over, plucked a handful of popcorn from the dish, and shoved it into his mouth.
“Now, what shall we start with?”
Chapter 27
Noah
Silver lined clouds zipped by the plane as stars shinned overhead. Below, square multicolored dots gave way to miles of green countryside. Ribbons of blue dipped and zagged through the hills and mountains. Then, it all fell away, leaving only dark water churning beneath them.
Noah woke from a light sleep, his eyes dancing around the room. The windows were dark, though the room was brightly lit. Slipping his arm from around Cassie, he moved to turn off the lights and the television, dipping the room into darkness. He then climbed back into bed, covering both of them with a thick blanket.
Cassie. She had been the one light in all of this darkness. With Dondo in jail, and his career slipping, she was the only thing that comforted him. Her constant vigil at his side gave him joy that he hadn’t known in a long time. Their easy evenings filled his soul with a warmth that he hadn’t felt since his mother died. He considered her family now. The one thing that would always be there.
But wait,
she wouldn’t always be there. She was leaving for college in a few days. What would he do without her?
She shifted in her sleep, turning on her side. He cuddled her from behind, their bodies forming a perfect spoon shape.
I want this, he thought. I want her.
He hugged her tighter, fusing them together.
I want her.
Only her.
Chapter 28
Cassie
She awoke in darkness, Noah’s bulk pressing them together as if he meant to fuse their very souls into one.
The thought sent shivers through her body. She searched the room for a clock, and found none. It was still dark beyond the windows. She wondered where they were, what time it was.
Laying her head back down, she tried to order her thoughts.
The thought of being surrounded by music and movie stars made Cassie’s heart pound. What would they think of her? After all, she was just a nobody from Connecticut. Would they mock her kinky hair, her freckles? Would they ignore her?
If they did, it wouldn’t be the first time she’d dealt with bullies. They’d followed her from elementary school all the way through high school, calling her everything from half breed to brillo head. But she was strong then, never letting them see her cry.
I’ll be strong now too, she thought. No matter what they say, they won’t see me cry.
A soft snore came from Noah’s mouth as he drifted into deeper sleep. She flipped over to her other side, taking him in. His five o’clock shadow was thicker now. He hadn’t shaved in two days. His tan skin glowed with health, even in the darkness. She moved her hand up to run her fingers through his hair. The gel from yesterday had worn off. It was soft now, silk beneath her fingertips.
I could run my hands through his hair all day, she thought with a sigh.
She bit her inner cheek, the knowledge that school was starting in a few days bringing tears to her eyes. She thought about not going back, about finishing the tour with Noah and switching schools to be closer to him. But that could never be. Being a doctor was her dream. She couldn’t jeopardize it now. Not when she was so close.