Silence. He hadn't hung up because his breathing came through the line.
He didn't answer, didn't care enough to answer. "Fine. If you want that tea, you can call the shop yourself to make arrangements. But don't ever bother me for anything again."
She ended the call and realized her hands were shaking.
Irisa would need to know, and Luke might even be calling her now to complain. Her phone rang again. Irisa.
A deep breath didn't help her calm down. "Irisa. Hi. I was just about to call you."
"What's wrong?"
"Did Luke call you?"
"No. Why?"
Her heart pounded in steady, hard beats. "I'm finished with doing his ridiculous errands. I don't mind helping out the guys, but when he calls me and demands that I spend six hours driving to get him specialty tea, I put my foot down. He's not even nice to me anyway, no matter what I do. No band member has ever treated me this way. I'm done."
"Please don't quit. I need you. I didn't know what was going on."
She blinked at the distress in Irisa's voice. "I won't quit. I wouldn't do that to you."
"I'll talk to him. I promise."
No need to now, she'd told him off. But she knew her friend. Irisa would say something to him anyway. "Thanks. I don't want to put you in an awkward spot, but I'm sure he'll call you too, and I don't want you to think I'm not doing my job. I've put up with this stuff for weeks." Tension eased and she remembered Irisa had called her, not the other way around. "But that's not why you called me. What's up?"
"I was going to ask if you could go to the band's interview at KRIL this afternoon. I can't be there; something came up. But if you don't want to be near Luke, you don't have to go. The guys can do things on their own."
"I'll go. Zander already asked me, anyway. He mentioned they would be performing the new song he wrote." No way would she miss out on it this time.
Irisa let out a small sigh. "Thanks. I'll let you get back to your day. See you tonight at the show."
Jayne set her phone down. Her stomach ached. The thought of seeing Luke in a few hours was like preparing for battle.
Footsteps sounded behind her. "What did he ask you to do? I came in on the 'I've put up with this stuff for weeks' part."
She turned and faced Zander. A scary scowl darkened his face. "He asked me to drive to a shop in San Diego for tea."
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
"I didn't think to ask him that, but I'm sure he wasn't kidding."
"I'll rip his head off."
She placed her palms on his biceps. "It's okay. I flat out told him no."
He cupped her cheek. "Then why do you look like you're ready to cry?"
"Because I asked him why he treated me like I was worthless."
"Jayne—"
"I asked what I had done—what slight or insult or oversight that I unintentionally did to make him be such a jerk." Heat radiated off her face and her heart pattered hard.
"Honey. Calm down."
"And you know what he said?" She didn't give him a chance to respond. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. What a—"
"Jayne," Murmuring her name, Zander gathered her close.
She hugged him back, cheek pressed into his shoulder.
His deep voice rumbled in his chest. "It's not you."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Zander pounded his fist into his legs, getting angrier and angrier with each passing minute. Brendan, Landry, and Jayne sat with him in the radio station's studio. They were waiting on Luke. And Luke was late.
An intern showed the members of Assertive Ire into the room. Griffin, Ben, and Tyler, but no Seth. Odd.
Zander leaned across an empty chair toward Griffin. "Where's Seth?"
"He's not answering his phone." At Griffin's hushed, serious response, a bad feeling formed in the pit of his stomach.
"Luke isn't either."
The DJ came in, downing coffee. "We're still waiting on Luke and Seth?"
"Maybe they're coming in together. Probably stuck in traffic." Brendan's suggestion could happen. Luke and Seth were good friends.
"All right. Well, shall we get on with the interview? Hopefully they'll arrive before your performance." He settled behind his desk. "We're coming back in ten seconds. Put on your headphones so we can take some calls."
Zander pulled on the bulky headphones and glanced at his phone again. Nothing from Luke.
The DJ began, "And welcome back to The Afternoon Jungle. We're here with The Fury and Assertive Ire, co-headliners for the hottest ticket this summer. To start things off, we're giving you a chance to speak to the guys. Ask them anything you want." He rattled off the station's phone number. "We already have a bunch of callers lined up, so let's get right to them."
He looked at the bands. "Are you guys ready?"
"Sure." Zander nodded.
"Let's do it," Griffin agreed.
"John in Los Angeles, how's it going?"
"Hey man. Love your show. And I love The Fury. I'm at The Caboose right now and I think I found your missing member. Luke Thompson is here."
Oh no. Zander closed his eyes. Please be wrong.
"Well, put him on." The DJ gave Zander a thumbs-up.
"Yeah, I'm here." Luke's voice slurred. "Who's this?"
"This is KRIL. Your band The Fury is here with Assertive Ire giving an interview."
"Oh yeah, that's right. You know, I have some things I'd like to say about The Fury…"
The DJ grinned. "Well, sir, the floor is yours."
Zander pushed to his feet. "Shit. No way. Get him off the air."
"He has a right to speak."
Luke launched into a tirade about unsatisfactory help, Brendan's gummy bear attacks, and Zander's ballad. Then he said Jayne's name.
Zander's gaze shot to her.
Face red, her blue eyes met his—wide and panicked. Her hands gripped her headset. She mouthed, Make it stop.
"Get him the hell off the air." Zander ripped off his headset and slammed his fists on the DJ's desk. "Now."
Luke's angry voice continued, "I don't need any of you… My friend Seth was more than happy to give me a ride to The Caboose."
The DJ's laughter mingled with the sounds of the bar. "Classic rock and roll, man. What're you drinking?"
"Shit." Griffin stood up fast. "Seth can't be in a place like that. What's the address?"
"I have directions. I'm going to kill my brother." Ben, Assertive Ire's guitarist and Seth's brother, joined him. They ran out of the room with Tyler close behind.
Zander grabbed hold of the DJ's shirt collar. "I'm not kidding, man. End it, or I'll end you."
"No way. This is gold."
Shit. He tightened his hold, digging the fabric into skin. "I'm not kidding."
Face turning red, he nodded and ended the call. "So, that's what's new from Fury. We'll have a live studio session after this commercial break."
Zander shook his head. He expected them to perform after that? "Fuck that. We're leaving now."
He and Jayne rushed down the hall with Brendan and Landry close behind. They took off for their cars.
Zander slammed the car door behind Jayne. Missed calls and texts from Irisa lit up his phone. "Irisa's on her way to the bar. She'll probably get there first."
Fury pulsed with every heartbeat. He squeezed the steering wheel and floored the accelerator.
A crowd waited on the sidewalk outside the bar. When he and his band mates and Assertive Ire stepped onto the pavement, they erupted in shouts and cheers.
Zander grabbed hold of Jayne's hand and forged a path through the crowd to the door.
People stepped back, clearing the way to the bar. At the end, Luke stood, arguing with Irisa and Dom. Then Dom's arms circled Irisa's waist and he pulled her away to the other side of the room. Ready for a fight, Zander stormed over.
Luke glared at him. "What the hell do you want?"
Zander stepped forward until they were nose to nose. "We're gonna talk, you an
d me."
"Get the fuck out of my space." Luke shrugged away.
The bands' voices all mixed together, yelling over one another. Ben pushed forward and grabbed Luke's arm. "Where the hell is my brother?"
"I don't know, man."
A female scream pierced the air. "Seth's not breathing! I need an ambulance!"
Griffin, Ben, and Tyler took off for the back of the room. The woman screamed again. The crowd swarmed in all directions.
Zander stepped in front of Luke again. "What the fuck were you thinking going on air like that, saying what you said?"
Luke pushed him back a step. "What's going on with Seth?"
"Someone here is an EMT. They're working on him." Jayne shouted over the crowd.
"You're the last person I expected to see here." Luke towered over her. "You're the last person I want to see here."
Zander guided her to the side, and then shoved Luke hard in the chest. "Watch yourself around her. She's my number one priority. You touch her, you hurt her in any way and we're done. She's in my life now, like it or not, and if you want to be too, then you'd better adjust fast. I know what you asked her to do today. What the fuck is your problem?"
"Screw you."
Sirens wailed in deafening volume, and then blue and red flashing lights illuminated the bar. The crowd scattered under the police officers' directions, making way for the paramedics. Zander pushed away from Luke. The paramedics loaded Seth onto a stretcher and rushed him out to the ambulance. Faces grim, Griffin, Tyler, and Ben followed.
Watching Seth being wheeled out, Zander felt helpless and angry. In need of comfort, he wrapped his arm around Jayne. An officer approached them. "Tell me what happened."
He and Jayne relayed their story about arriving at the bar, then Irisa and Dom joined them. In the corner of his vision, Luke gave his statement.
Behind them, Jake finished giving his.
Zander leaned down to Jayne's ear, murmuring they needed to speak with Jake. He kept his arm around her and moved toward the man who had always been one of their biggest supporters.
"Jake, I'm sorry."
"I don't know what the hell happened. First Luke's drinking in here, then a mob shows up, then your band and Assertive Ire show up, then the whole place explodes. And Seth bringing drugs into my place? Not cool."
"I agree. Not cool at all. Bill me for all of the damages."
"I'll do that. Thanks."
"We wouldn't have gotten to where we are now without your support in the beginning. Whatever you need, man. Again, from the band, we're sorry."
Jake clapped him on the back and then walked away. Zander turned and faced his band mates standing twenty feet away in a pool of debris. They'd hit rock bottom. Squeezing Jayne's shoulder was the only thing keeping him from pounding his fist into Luke's face.
Luke stormed out of the building.
Holding onto Jayne, Zander returned to the group. "I told Jake to bill me for all damages."
Ringing echoed from Irisa's purse. She pulled out her phone. Oliver Somers. "Great. Just what I need."
Dom drew her closer. "I'd be happy to answer it for you."
"Me too." Zander snatched the phone from her hand. "Oliver, it's Zander. Irisa's busy right now. What do you want?"
"Zander," Oliver sputtered. "I saw pictures of you guys. What's going on?"
Unbelievable. The meddling idiot. He shook his head at the group and banged his fist on the wall. "My band is fine. Griffin's is not. They're at the hospital with Seth and won't be playing tonight. You might want to be a little more concerned about them. We're on our way to sound check and it's on your head if we're late." He tapped the phone's screen to end the call, then held it out to his sister. "Done. Now let's get the hell out of here."
"Thank you." She stepped closer to Dom as his phone buzzed.
Zander nodded at them and then walked toward the exit. "Where the hell was Luke going?"
"He's stopping by the hospital on the way to the arena." Brendan kept pace beside him.
"If he doesn't show up…" He stopped walking. "I'm not kidding this time. If he doesn't show up, he's out of the band. I'm done dealing with him."
Landry looked at Jayne. "Luke had some interesting things to say about you."
She grasped her pendant. "I don't know why he doesn't like me."
"That seems to be his biggest problem." The bassist shook his head. "Makes me wonder…"
"Look." Zander slid his arm around Jayne. "If Luke has a problem with Jayne, then he has a problem with me. And if Luke has a problem with me, then he'd better be ready because we're going to deal with it once and for all."
An empty feeling weighed Jayne down. The arena was alive with sound but she couldn't muster any energy or spark. None of the band could. After everything that had happened that afternoon, the concert itself almost seemed silly. Who cared about a show when a man was fighting for his life and the members of her band were tearing each other apart?
Luke arrived and the tension in the room increased by a thousand percent. He walked by her, looking through her, not making eye contact, not acknowledging her any way at all. Zander observed, and followed Luke. They exchanged words and glares about something she was too far away to hear.
Tears prickled the backs of her eyes. She ducked into the restroom to calm down. She blamed herself for Zander and Luke's relationship plummeting—all the times Luke had been unkind to her, and the extra tension she'd caused between him and Zander. Too much had been said. The band looked on the verge of a breakup.
She couldn't allow it to happen.
She needed to find Irisa.
When she came out of the restroom, Irisa walked in her direction. Jayne took a deep breath. She wrung her hands together. "Can I talk to you?"
Irisa's eyes widened. "What's wrong?"
"I can't do this anymore. There's too much discord."
"You're quitting?"
"With other bands, I have to deal with some of the same issues, but it's not as bad. For whatever reason, Luke hates me."
"He doesn't hate—"
"He does. And for whatever reason, it's messing with the band's dynamic."
Irisa reached for her hand. "We need you."
"I need you as a friend more. If I stay, there won't be a band to manage. You need an effective assistant who doesn't make the band mates crazy. I can't give you that. You're my friend, and I care about your brother. I want this band to be successful. That's why I have to go."
"Have you talked to Zander?"
Her insides shook at the thought of having that conversation. "Not yet. You hired me, so I wanted to come to you first."
Irisa nodded. "I know you're right. I just didn't want it that way." She looked as exhausted as Jayne felt. "I'll tell him after the show."
"I'm sorry." In trying to save the band, she was letting down her best friend.
"Me too." A tight smile formed on her lips. "You might as well go on home now. Get a start on recovering from our craziness."
Jayne glanced toward the hallway leading to the exit. "I don't want to leave you hanging."
"Everyone's pretty emotional today. It's better that you go now."
"All right." Blinking back tears, she walked down the hall. And realized Zander had driven her to the venue. She rounded the building, heading to the cab station.
Gray, overcast skies settled a gloomy mask over the city. Tears burned her eyes. Biting her lip couldn't hold them at bay. Drawing deep breaths, she wiped at her cheeks.
Footsteps pounded the pavement. Zander stood in front of her, seething. "You quit?"
"I had to do it. Luke is too much of a live wire around me."
"Screw him. I need you."
"What happens on your next tour, or when you're back in town next month? Luke hates me. He'll tear you guys apart to prove it and I refuse to be the reason the band beaks up. You've worked so hard for so long. I won't do anything to hurt your success."
"None of that matters."
"Of course it matters. The band has always come first. It has to."
"Things change."
"Those guys have been part of your life a lot longer than I have. You have a responsibility to them, too."
"Bullshit."
She loved Zander, but she needed to be clear. "This thing with you and me—it can't work."
"So we're done? Just like that?" He turned and kicked a soda can clear across the street. It landed with a clatter.
She blinked hard, but the tears spilled down her cheeks. "You'll have a group of women waiting outside for you after tonight's show. You don't need me."
"You really fucking believe I can replace you?" He stared at her.
Her stomach churned. "Please. I don't know how to make this easy. On either of us."
"It's not easy. And you're wrong if you think I'm getting the hell out of your way."
"I don't want to break up the band. I won't have that hanging over me."
"But you'll walk out on what we have. You don't mind that hanging over you?"
Her heart broke at his words. He had no idea how badly she ached. "I'm doing this for you."
"Then stay. You staying with me is for my good. If you walk away, it'll wreck me."
"Not as much as staying and watching you and Luke ripping each other apart will wreck me. You've been friends for fifteen years. You've known me for two months."
"I'm in love with you."
Breath locked in her lungs. "What?"
He moved closer. "I'm in love with you."
Rational arguments slipped out of her head. He loved her.
"You mean more to me than anything. If I have to choose between you and my band, I'm choosing you."
"You can't."
"I'd rather walk away from them than lose you."
"Walking away isn't the answer. They need you. Dalton needs you. The community center needs you. As The Fury you guys do so much good for so many people. And you guys need each other. You can't lose all of that because of me. I won't let you choose me over them."
His phone vibrated. She glanced at her watch. "You're supposed to be on stage now."
"Fuck that. They can wait."
A cab pulled up to the curb. Clasping her heart pendant, she ducked around Zander. "If you really do love me, you'll get on that stage and make your fans happy."
Love Notes (Rocked by Love #1) Page 12