“Don’t make a scene. My father will cream your ass.” Becca laid delicate fingers on Kelton’s biceps.
His handsome face darkened into a frown. “I’m not letting you down until you apologize.”
I wasn’t buying his feigned pouting. “Apologize for what?” My voice hitched higher.
He lowered me until my feet touched his. “The longer I hold you, Gorgeous, the harder I’m going to get, if you catch my drift.”
Every muscle in me tightened. The crowd behind Kelton parted and Kade strode up.
“Let her go, Kel,” Kade said. “Her dad is coming this way. I don’t want any trouble.”
“I’d say you’re screwed.” I grinned.
“I just want an apology. She called me a jerk, and I was being nice,” Kelton said.
“Poor baby.” I stuck out my lower lip.
Kade shot me a glare, jaw clenched. Then his eyes softened, as though he were pleading with me to give Kelton what he wanted. It was clear to me Kade didn’t want to make a scene. I didn’t either, but I couldn’t help myself. Kelton was a pain in the butt.
People were staring. “Fine. I’m sorry, Kelton.”
“I don’t like your tone, but I’ll let you off the hook for now. Besides, I’ll have plenty of time to get under your skin, anyway,” he drawled, the muscles in his face relaxing. Asshat.
He relaxed his arms, and I slowly backed away into a solid wall of muscle.
“What the hell, Kelton?” Becca grabbed his arm, dragging him away.
“Hey, Sweet Pea,” Dad said from behind me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded at Kade before turning to Dad. A deep line creased the spot between his eyebrows.
“I’m good. Just a little bantering with one of the ball players—you know how guys can be.”
“Who’s the boy?” Dad asked, gesturing at him with his chin.
“Kade’s brother. Believe it or not, there are two more of him—triplets.”
Dad harrumphed. “Do I have to be worried about them?”
“Da-a-ad. We’re not having this conversation right now.” No way. Not in a room full of high school kids.
“Hey, Kade,” he said, looking past me. Was Kade still behind us? Oh, God. Was he stalking me?
“Mr. Robinson,” Kade answered.
The band began their sound check, and the fans made their way to the front of the stage.
“I need to run. I’m sure you want to hang out with your friends. The band did great their first set. Why don’t you say hi to Lenny?”
“Sure, Dad.”
“I’ll see you in the morning,” he said in a low voice. He didn’t like people knowing our business either, especially when I stayed home alone. My mom and sister were home by themselves when they were murdered. “Don’t stay out too late.”
“Sure, Dad.”
He kissed me on the forehead, and then he was gone.
I was about to move when Kade whispered, “I just want to talk.”
I shivered. Oh hell.
For a second, I thought of turning around to read him the riot act. Instead, I leaned into his chest, twisting my neck so his lips were an inch from mine. A jolt of lightning zinged through me. “Can I at least spend a few minutes with my friend? And I have to talk to the band before they go on again.”
His mouth slid to my ear again, the feel of his hot breath blanketing me with goosebumps. “Why? Do you know them?”
“Yes.” I was now waving at Lenny, who was watching me. Maybe he did remember me.
“You do?”
My body tensed. “Do you think I’m lying?”
He laughed softly. “When it comes to you, Lacey, I don’t know what to think.”
“If you don’t believe me, why don’t you come with?”
“Now that I have you, I’m not sure I should let you go,” he whispered.
At any second my solid state of being would be nothing more than a bowl of red-hot liquid. “Kade, I promise I won’t tell anyone I gave you the black eye.” Although I’d already told Becca.
He chuckled. “I don’t care if you broadcast it to the world.”
Was he proud of a girl giving him a shiner?
“Let’s go visit your friend.”
Kade didn’t let go of my hand as we weaved through the throng of people. As we did, I bumped into a group of girls accidentally. I was about to apologize when Tammy bared her teeth at me, as did Grace.
Tammy narrowed eyes heavy with mascara at Kade, then at our joined hands. “You’re dating her?” she asked. “Are you kidding me?” She put her hands on her hips. “Grace told me you were, but I didn’t believe her.”
Anger bubbled to the surface. I hated rumors. When I’d started playing baseball at Crestview, I was supposedly sleeping with the boys on the team. I tried to pull my hand from his, but he squeezed it tighter. Oookay.
“Tammy,” he said. “Don’t make a scene.”
Grace whispered something in her ear, and she huffed, disappearing between bodies. Grace shuffled behind her.
“Can I have my hand back?” I asked, looking up at him. “You’re cutting off my blood supply.”
He grinned. My stomach flipped a few times. Then he let go.
“Excuse me,” I said to three guys who were chatting near the stage. They moved out of the way.
“Lacey,” Lenny said, jumping down. Lenny was a good-looking guy in his late twenties with shoulder-length, cinnamon-colored hair, a strong jaw, and a nice smile. Unlike J.J. from Zeal, Lenny had more of a male following. His style of music was bluesy rock, and all of them in the band hailed from New Orleans. I wasn’t surprised that some of the girls were infatuated with him. He’d just released a killer song, appealing to the young female audience. Dad had suggested he write a ballad or two to help increase his female fan base.
“Wow. You look amazing. The last time I saw you…well…”
The last time I’d seen Lenny, I’d been in Eko’s studio in California. Occasionally I would visit Dad after school, when one of the bands was recording. He liked to use me as a gauge, especially if it was a band who played to my age group. On the day I’d met Lenny, I was in a
major funk. I couldn’t remember what I wore, but most of the time I was wearing baggy clothes and a ball cap. Who dressed up after a losing two loved ones?
I pushed up onto my toes and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.” I eased back. “It’s good to see you, too. Dad tells me you guys are doing great.”
“Yeah. If it weren’t for your dad, we’d still be playing those dives in New Orleans.” He pointed with his chin. “Are you going to introduce me?”
I glanced over my shoulder. Kade had one of his masterful blank expressions. “Oh, I’m sorry. This is Kade.”
“Boyfriend?”
“God, no.”
Kade tugged me to him, his fingers pressing into my hips.
Lenny’s eyebrows shot up. “Mmm. I don’t think he agrees with you, Lacey.”
I lifted a shoulder. My back molded to Kade’s chest. Was Kade staking out his territory? Then Kelton’s words rang in my head: Kade doesn’t share his women. A miniscule sliver of me warmed to the idea, then I quickly discarded it. I didn’t belong to anyone. I itched to knee him in the balls again. I would’ve, if it weren’t for the subtle circles he was tracing on my hips. Didn’t predators calm their prey before attacking?
“Nice to meet you, Kade,” Lenny said.
“Same here, man. I like your music.” With the barest of movements, he mashed his thighs against me.
Desire rushed south. Annoyance climbed north.
Placing my hands over his, I dug my nails into his flesh, hoping the act would cause him to release me. Instead he pulled me even closer. His tall, hard bo
dy, all male, all hotness, pressed into me. My cheeks warmed, as did other places on my body.
Lenny laughed. “You sure about that, man? I’m not convinced coming from someone wearing a Zeal shirt.”
Kade laughed. “What can I say? I like them too.”
“Fair enough. Lacey, are you going to hang around to listen?” Lenny asked.
“That’s why I’m here.”
“Good. See you later then.” Lenny hopped up on stage.
I didn’t move. Neither did Kade. I probably should find Becca, but the lazy circles he was still drawing on my hips had me spellbound. Plus I didn’t want him stop. I hadn’t had this much attention from one guy since Brad. Even with Brad, he didn’t make my heart race like it was doing right now.
Lenny adjusted the mike.
I turned, and looked up at Kade. He looked down at me through his eyelashes. “I’m going to find Becca.”
“I thought we could talk first. I’m sure she’s fine. Let’s stand over by the wall.” He nodded to his left.
I guessed talking couldn’t hurt. After the way he’d just held me, I was curious about his intentions. We found an empty spot close to a table of two boys and two girls.
The band dove into a slow ballad called “Crazy,” and couples embraced, swaying to the soulful beat. Instantly, I was taken back to the time when Brad used to hold me like that as we listened to Zeal rehearse at the Eko Records studio. Now he was probably holding my best friend, Danny, like that. I had nothing against them playing for the same team. Regardless, humiliation still clung to me like a wet blanket. Why hadn’t I seen it? And why had Brad broken the news to me only two weeks after the murders? Plus there was a part of me that was mad at myself for giving him my virginity. I shook my head, hoping it would clear the past, at least for the present.
“Are you okay?” Kade asked.
“Yeah, why?”
His eyes met mine. “You’re clenching your fists like you’re about to punch me again.” He gave me a crooked grin.
I did want to punch someone, but it wasn’t him—not now, anyway. Thankful for the distraction, I smiled back.
“You should smile more, Lace.”
I did smile, more so now than a few months ago. “I thought you wanted to talk.”
“Too loud. On their break.”
That probably wasn’t for another thirty minutes or so before the band was done with this set. “Then I’m going to look for Becca,” I said. If I stayed, I might ask him to hold me again and trace circles on my body. I hardly knew him.
“She’s fine. She’s with Kel,” he said, watching the lead guitarist transition into a solo, while Lenny took a long drink from a water bottle. “They’re on the other side of the stage.”
Standing on my toes, I glanced over that way. Kelton had his arm draped around Becca’s shoulders while a tall blond guy spoke into his ear. Her body moved slightly as she focused on the guitarist. No sooner had the blond guy vanished than Kelton caught Kade’s eyes and angled his head toward the exit.
Kade straightened. Leaning down, he whispered in my ear. “I’ll be right back. Don’t leave. Regardless of what you told my friend yesterday, hunting season is definitely open when it comes to you, Lace. And I always get my prey.”
I rolled my eyes and focused on the band as the guitarist wound down his solo. Then Kade nibbled on my ear. White-hot heat slid down my belly, pooling between my legs. I screamed internally at my sex hormones to go back to sleep. My damn body was a second away from rolling over and letting him have his way with me.
“Did you hear what I said?” His hand cupped my chin gently, guiding it so our eyes met.
“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes again. “I may or may not be here.”
One side of his mouth twitched. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He brushed his lips over mine, lingering for a long second before he pulled away. My body quivered for him to kiss me. My brain snarled in protest. Then he strode away.
My body was in yo-yo mode. One minute I wanted to strip him naked, the next, I wanted to beat the crap out of him. Snapping out of the Kade trance, I pushed off the wall. Becca weaved through the crowd, panic painting her pretty features.
The majority of the people were heading for the exit.
“What’s going on? Why is everyone leaving?” I asked.
“Oh, my God,” she said. “Greg Sullivan is outside. The guy I told you about, who got into it with Kade and his brothers a couple of years ago.”
“You’re kidding.”
She waved for me to follow her. The band finished their song. Lenny gave me a what the heck? look. I shrugged as I went with Becca. A few people jumped into the empty seats that were vacant now.
“Is there a fight or something?” I asked, following her.
“Not sure, but if Kelton and Kade are involved then probably,” she said over her shoulder.
A voice in my head told me to go home. Get the hell out of there before Kade returned.
Chapter 7
Once outside, the night air sent a chill through me—or maybe it was the ominous scene of hungry spectators looking for a fight. A swarm of teens crowded the lot, lounging on tailgates of trucks, leaning against cars, and a few girls even sat on the shoulders of boys.
I didn’t move from under the marquee. Becca stood beside me, scanning the lot.
The burly bouncer who’d checked my ID earlier raised a walkie-talkie to his mouth. “Buster, get outside. We have a situation.”
In the open lane of the lot, Kelton and Kade faced Aaron Seever, the captain of the baseball team, and a short stocky dude who I hadn’t seen before. I assumed it was the infamous Greg Sullivan. With their backs to me, I couldn’t see Kelton’s or Kade’s expressions, but Aaron stared down Kelton, and Greg stared down Kade.
“Greg is here to kill Kade,” someone in the crowd whispered.
“Over here.” Becca tugged on my arm, leading me to a pickup truck parked directly in front of the building. We were still behind Kade. She jumped onto the bed.
I hesitated. The voice in my head shouted to skedaddle while I had the chance, especially if blood was going to be shed. I shivered at the memory of me slipping on the floor in a puddle of blood when I found Julie’s body.
“It’s okay. It’s my dad’s truck.”
Go home. Baseball tryouts are next week. You can’t get into any trouble.
“Lacey,” she said nervously, holding out her hand.
I glanced out into the lot where my car was parked.
“Lacey!” Becca snapped.
Swallowing hard, I took her hand and hopped up. I was going to regret this. Once Becca and I found an edge of the truck to sit on, a queasy feeling skated through me. Did Greg intend to kill Kade?
There was clearly bad blood among the four guys. Why Aaron? I wasn’t sure. Another wave of nausea washed over me. If he were involved in this, did that mean we were going to have trouble on the ball field? Kelton was trying out, and so was I. I didn’t know Aaron that well, so he shouldn’t have any ill feelings toward me. Still, tension on a team never won games.
“You’re not wanted here,” Kade said.
The crowd quieted. The bouncer’s walkie-talkie beeped twice.
“What’s wrong, Maxwell? Afraid I’m going to finish you this time?” Greg said. His greasy black hair looked as though he dumped a bottle of Wesson oil in it.
Someone snorted.
Kelton laughed. “You think you have the balls to try?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” Greg countered.
“So, Aaron, do you want to ruin your senior year? You know you just started a war bringing your cousin here,” Kade informed him.
“Bringing your brothers back was a mistake, Kade,” Aaron said.
“Oh, I don’t think so. You see, unlike you and Shorty here, my brothers are a force to be reckoned with. Mess with any one of them, and you’ll have me to deal with.”
“Are you threatening us?” Greg asked.
“No threats, man. All promises,” Kade drawled calmly.
“Aaron and Greg are related?” I asked more rhetorically than anything. The acid in my stomach intensified. If Greg was trouble, that meant Aaron was too. Maybe I should be worried about Tammy’s comment. The guys don’t want you to play baseball. Was she talking about Aaron in particular? I searched the crowd for my new arch-nemesis. I hadn’t seen Tammy and Grace since they stormed away from Kade and me.
“I know, right?” Becca said as she watched intently.
The entrance door to the club slammed open. A hulking man with a buzz-cut stalked out and up to the other burly bouncer. They had a few words before the man with the buzz-cut started barking orders.
“Let’s get back inside before I call the cops,” he said as he strode past everyone.
A few obeyed. Burly Bouncer sprang into action, helping his partner guide teens back inside.
“I didn’t think it would take long before my father sent out his security team,” Becca said, sounding disappointed.
“Wow, that guy is huge,” I murmured.
“That’s my dad’s head of security.”
The name Buster fit him well, reminding me of a bulldog—husky and mean looking. “Is there a problem, Kade?” Buster asked, stepping in between him and Greg.
“Just talking, man,” Kade said.
“You’ll have to take your discussion somewhere else,” Buster announced. “We don’t want any trouble on the premises.”
“How’s the wimpy brother of yours, Kelton?” Greg taunted.
Kelton pounced, tackling Greg to the gravel surface. Kelton delivered punch after punch anywhere he could while holding Greg down. Greg tried to push Kelton off him, but all he could do was protect his face.
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