Mine: Forever After (Forever After Novella Series Book 1)

by Natasha Thomas

  “Around back is fine, Leon. Thank you,” Faye sighs tiredly.

  I give anything to be able to pull her into my lap and massage that tension right out of her perfect body right now, but I don’t. I keep my hands to myself and try to ignore the raging hard on that’s just sprung to life.

  Removing her finger from the intercom button, Faye leans further back into her seat as if it has the power to swallow her whole and addresses Cole.

  “You’ll be happy to know that you guys don’t have any other commitments until sound check tonight at five.”

  “I take it that means you aren’t done, though,” I ask stupidly. Why stupidly? Well, because Faye’s never done; she’s always working.

  “Sadly, not even close,” she murmurs, allowing her gorgeous eyes to flutter shut.

  I take this opportunity to study her. Not that I haven’t a million times before, but this time feels different. Faye is quieter today; vulnerable even. She’s not her usually bright and cheerful self which concerns and upsets me in equal parts.

  If it were up to me, I’d have Faye laughing every second of every day. I’d make sure she’s never sad, didn’t feel a moment of pain, or have to endure the hours of grueling work with no one to help her. Fuck, I’ve offered to hire her an assistant dozens of times, but each offer is met with firm resistance. So much so, that I’m thinking of going over her head and just hiring one anyway.

  This wasn’t what my girl signed on for. Faye didn’t agree to come on tour with us to be our slave and live in our shadows. She deserves so much more than to hover in the background; Faye deserves to shine.

  “Do you need help?” I prompt, causing her eyes to snap open and stare at me. “With whatever you’ve got going on this afternoon, that is.”

  Blinking at me, Faye expression turns from confused to suspicious, but I don’t expect anything less from her. I haven’t exactly been the most forthcoming with help in the past.

  “No. Um, I think I’ve got it,” she whispers.

  Crowding her much smaller body with mine, I look deep into her stunning hazel eyes hoping that she can see everything I’m trying to say without words.

  “Let me help you, babe. Just this once, let me do something for you.”

  Faye’s head nods by rote and I know I’ve got her. Or at least I will have her for a few hours, to myself no less later on.

  “Okay, but it’s nothing exciting. I’m interviewing people for the new security team Reid decreed would have to be in place for the next tour. My Addiction is far too big to rely on hotel and venue rent-a-guards anymore. Actually, I’m surprised Reid hasn’t amped up security before now. The fans are getting crazier, and the women are insane. I mean, after what happened last week…” Faye begins but catches herself when she realizes what she’s said.

  “What happened last week, Fatal?” Dylan demands from his seat in the row in front of us.

  Faye all but curls in on herself, letting me know whatever it was is something that should have been shared with the group ASA-Fucking-P. As in when it happened, not days fucking later.

  “Nothing,” she murmurs, turning her head to look out the window.

  Cupping her jaw gently, I turn her back to face me and wait until her eyes lock on mine.

  “I’m only going to ask you once what happened, and you’re going to tell me. The whole truth, baby. Don’t leave anything out and don’t even think about trying to downplay it. Now, what the fuck happened?”

  I’ll give her this, Faye hates to be told what to do, but she appears to recognize how serious I am and spills her guts before I have to threaten to spank her beautiful ass. Damn shame that.

  Taking a deep breath, Faye attempts to drop her eyes to her lap, but I don’t let her. I won’t allow her to break this connection between us because just by looking at her I can read her like a book. Her mouth tells one story, but her eyes have always held all of her secrets, and this time is no different.

  The storm raging in her hazel orbs is a tornado of fear, anxiety, and terror. No wonder she’s hesitating.

  “You can tell me anything, baby. You’ve always been able to share your deepest, darkest secrets with me. Whatever this is it’s no different. Trust that I’ll look after you, to keep you safe. Trust me, baby.”

  Before Faye can open her mouth, Leon’s voice comes back over the intercom.

  “There’s a Mr. Adams on the phone asking to speak to you all. Would you like me to put him through?”

  “Yeah, patch him through,” Tate says, pressing the speakerphone button. “What’s up, man who pads my bank account?” He asks when the call connects.

  “Is Faye with you?” Reid barks, not bothering with pleasantries.

  “She’s right here, Reid,” Cole answers. “Why, you need her for something?”

  “I’m sending four men your way. All of them are highly trained security experts. Their plane took off an hour ago, so that should have them at your hotel within the next three. I want one of you to call me as soon as they arrive,” Reid instructs tersely.

  Losing my fragile hold on my temper, I snap,

  “What the fuck is going on? Faye just told us she was interviewing the new security team this afternoon, so what’s with the change of plans?”

  “The situation has escalated, Dante, leaving me with no choice but to act accordingly.”

  Sensing that I’m about to lose it completely, Dylan mutters,

  “If you don’t want to have to pay the rental company for a replacement Escalade because D’s gone all Incredible Hulk and trashed the damn thing, then I’d start talking, Reid. My guess is you’ve got thirty seconds before he goes nuclear, man.”

  “There’s no need to…” Reid starts to say, but Cole cuts him off.

  “His girl is in the fucking car, Reid. Faye. Is. In. The. Car,” Cole spits, annunciating each word. “You get that anytime D feels like his girl is being threatened that he’s going to wig the fuck out, yeah? Well, times that shit by ten and add a few million and you’ll be close to getting where our boys’ head is at right now.”

  Papers shuffle in the background as Reid huffs into the phone. Without hesitation, he breaks it down for us, and if I thought I was livid before, that was only the tip of the iceberg.

  “As you know, the bands’ mail is routed through our head office in L.A. It’s sorted, screened, and then what’s left is sent to each of your homes after being thoroughly vetted,” Reid states, telling us something we already know. “What Thunder Records doesn’t have any control of is mail that goes directly to the hotels the band stays at, or hand delivered mail and messages. Those are vetted by Faye.”

  “Jesus, Reid,” Tate hisses.” Hurry the fuck up, dude. The big guy’s about to blow,” he adds, referring to the mottled red color my face has turned.

  Faye hasn’t uttered a sound as yet, but whimpers quietly at Reid’s last sentence. Pulling her across the armrest that separates us and onto my lay, I position her legs over mine and tuck her head into my shoulder. Stroking up and down the length of her back, I try to comfort her as best I can without knowing what we’re dealing with.

  “Calm the fuck down,” Reid demands. “For once in your lives, you need to listen. Don’t speak. Don’t run your mouths. Just fucking listen for a change.” Composing himself, Reid asks, “How you doing, sweetheart? Are you keeping it together?”

  “She’s fucking trembling in my lap. Is that answer enough to how she’s coping?” I snarl.

  “I suppose it is,” Reid concedes. “Look, when Faye came to me with this issue, I’ll admit, I didn’t think anything of it. A few letters from die-hard fans isn’t something to get worked up about, so I put them on the backburner. That was my mistake, and for that I am sorry.”

  I can hear the remorse in his voice, but that still doesn’t clear anything up for us. What he says next does, though. It makes everything crystal fucking clear.

  “Five letters turned into dozens, and those were not in the same vein as the ones that came before th
em. They didn’t contain avowals of love and devotion, offers to have your children, or include naked pictures like Faye’s come to expect from your more excitable fans. As soon as, Faye forwarded me copies of the last two, I contacted my security team immediately and put them into play.”

  “Tell. Us,” I growl, sounding more like an animal than a man.

  “These last two were death threats, Dante. Very carefully worded, very explicit, very detailed death threats.”

  “Fuck me sideways with a band saw,” Cole spits. “Against who? Which one of us has gained a psycho?”

  “Faye,” Reid states simply, and the mood in the car goes wired.

  “Come again,” Dylan sneers, grinding his back teeth together. “Why the fuck would someone want to hurt, Faye?”

  I imagine Reid shaking his head when he says,

  “That’s what I’m trying to find out. I’ve been working on this night and day since Faye emailed me the first one a week ago, and I won’t stop until I find whoever is behind them. I can promise you that.”

  “And why weren’t we told about any of this?” Tate asks. “Fuck, Reid. Faye’s been staying in a room on her own this whole time while some crazy motherfucker is threatening her. Jesus fucking Christ.”

  “That ends now,” I rasp, tightening my hold on Faye. “From now on, she’s staying with me. Faye won’t be going anywhere without one of us escorting her, and all four of the guys you’ve sent.”

  “I agree for the most part,” Reid interjects. “That’s exactly why I’ve sent them to you. However, this is how it’s going to go, and you’re all going to follow my instructions to the letter. Faye will be on minimal duties until whoever is responsible is apprehended. She will have one of you, two of my security team, and Mack escorting her wherever she needs to go. When you go on stage, Faye will wait in the wings with the same two security personnel and Mack until your show has finished. I understand you won’t want her out of your sight, Dante, but it’s too late to cancel the last few dates on your tour calendar.”

  “Fuck the tour,” I grate out. “If it’s about money, I’ll pay whatever it costs to reimburse the venues and the label. Faye’s safety is more important than anything else.”

  A full-body shudder racks Faye’s small frame, and I press a kiss to the top of her head.

  “Do not mistake the kind of man I am, Dante,” Reid barks angrily. “Money means nothing when it comes to the safety and well-being of my staff.”

  “I asked him not to cancel them,” Faye’s timid voice murmurs during the lull in the conversation. “None of this is Reid’s fault. I requested he keep it to himself and let the tour go on. You guys have worked so hard to get here, and I didn’t want the rants of a seemingly crazy person interfering with that.”

  “Faye,” Tate groans.

  Followed by a simultaneous,

  “Fatal,” from Cole and Dylan.

  Reid interrupts any further discussion by stating,

  “I shouldn’t have agreed, but as I’m sure you know, your manager can be very convincing when she wants to be. Regardless, it was an error on my part to ignore my instincts.”

  Ever the voice of reason, Dylan prompts,

  “So other than watching Faye like a hawk and having extra eyes to help on that front, what else do we need to do to ensure she’s safe?”

  “Oh, shit,” Cole gasps. “The dudes you’re sending, they aren’t just regular security guys are they?” Cole must know something we don’t, but he doesn’t share it with us. No surprise there.

  “No, they’re not,” Reid confirms.

  “You are one seriously messed up motherfucker, you know that right? When they get here, they’re going to go postal. Like worse than the big guy sitting behind me.”

  “Quite possibly,” Reid says, his voice holding a hint of humor.

  “Not possibly, Reid; definitely,” Cole shakes his head flopping back into his seat. Twisting to look at Faye, he adds, “Sorry, babe. This really does suck for you.”

  “You want to share with the rest of us?” Cole’s twin asks, arching an eyebrow at him.

  Grimacing, Cole nods.

  “Who do we know that are built like fucking tanks, enjoy beating the shit out of people for fun, and would protect Faye by laying down their lives for her?”

  “Oh, shit,” Dylan grunts.

  “Fucking hell,” Tate flinches.

  “You didn’t,” Faye gasps, sitting up straighter.

  “I most certainly did,” Reid confirms. “There are no more qualified men than Drake, Leo, and Carter to see to your security, Faye. Your brothers are highly trained deadly weapons in their own right, and when it comes to family, those skills intensify ten-fold.”

  “Oh, I’m well aware of that,” Faye quips wryly. “I hope you’ve got a phenomenal team of lawyers at your disposal because if my brothers find this person before the police do, they are going to need representation to get them off murder charges.”

  “Rest assured, I do, Faye.”

  “Hold on. You said you’re sending four men, who’s the fourth? It can’t be Fatal’s dad because if he knew about this shit, he’d be here already,” Dylan questions.

  “The head of my security team, Ryker Dixon,” Reid returns. “I contracted his services plenty of times when Thunder Records was just starting out. He’s good at what he does. Excellent, actually.”

  All eyes turn to study Cole on hearing Ryker’s name, only to see he’s gone deathly pale and looks to be seconds from passing the fuck out. Cole and Ryker have what would be referred to as a complicated history. No one knows all the details, but we’ve been friends long enough that I’ve picked up on the basics.

  Cole and Ryker met at a bar about three years ago looking for a good time with no strings attached. Essentially, Cole and Ryker struck up a conversation when they realized they were both going after the same chick, and in doing so, found common ground through their penchant for threesomes.

  That night was the first of many, and they would have continued banging women together if it weren’t for Ryker developing real feelings for Cole. Feelings that I can tell you are one hundred percent reciprocated, not that Cole said as much at the time.

  We’ve always known, Cole’s sexual orientation isn’t strictly limited to women, and none of us could care less. Who Cole’s attracted to doesn’t change our friendship in the slightest, at least, not in my eyes. But somehow Cole’s got it in his head that we won’t be able to accept him for who he truly is if, one day, he finally gathers up the courage to admit it.

  Dylan notices Cole’s subtle shift before the rest of us, clamping a hand on his shoulder in a show of support.

  “You knew there was a chance you’d run into him again one day, little brother. Today just happens to be that day. Now, get your head in the game and focus until we sort Faye out, and then we can deal with the other elephant in the room.”

  There’s a short pause, but the silence is broken when Cole blurts out,

  “I’m Bi.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  ~ Faye ~

  Everyone in the car, including Reid’s disembodied voice over the phone, didn’t even blink at Cole’s admission. Personally, I’ve been aware of Cole’s interest in both men and women since we were sixteen, and I saw him checking out a few of the football players asses after practice one day.

  In a situation like this, it’s hard to know what the right thing to say is. Do I congratulate Cole on his equal opportunity lifestyle? Do I smile and nod? Or do I pretend as if this is a shock, that this is news to me?

  Thankfully, I don’t have to ponder on my next course of action too long because less than a minute later, Leon is pulling the Escalade up to the hotel. He instructs us to stay put until he secures the area, only coming back and opening my door when he’s satisfied it’s safe.

  We all pile out of the vehicle, and I quickly find myself surrounded by a human barricade of hard bodied men. Dylan and Cole are directly behind me, and Tate on my right, Dante on my lef
t, his hand gripping mine tightly, and Leon leading the pack, we make our way through the service entrance and into the elevator.

  “Reid left orders that everyone is to stay in their suites until his men arrive. No hotel bar. No gym. No room service. Nobody goes anywhere, at least, for now,” Leon conveys.

  “It’s all good, dude. I’m going to catch some Z’s while we’re waiting, and I’m pretty sure by the looks of it, that Cole and Dylan, and Fatal and D have some shit they need to hash out. It’s safe to say, none of us are going anywhere for a while.”

  Dylan steps in and confirms that by saying,

  “Nothing to hash out, but I do want a word with my idiot brother, so if you don’t mind…” he trails off, pointedly tipping his head in the direction of the now open elevator doors.

  “Keys are in packets in your suites, along with contact info for the security team. The hotel arranged it so the doors are already unlocked. Cole and Dylan, you’re in 1602. Tatum, you and Dante were supposed to be in 1604, but I guess you get a room to yourself now. And Faye, you have 1606. It’s at the end of the hall.”