In a Chord (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Beth D. Carter

  “I don’t know, but when we see him tonight, I’m gonna beat the crap out of him,” Ash stated grimly.

  * * * *

  They knew immediately Momo wasn’t there. Keaton walked up to the man behind the counter, looking around nervously.

  “Hey, is Momo working in the bookstore?”

  The man shook his head. “She rushed out of here about ten minutes ago when a man told her there’d been an accident.”

  “Accident?” Ash asked sharply. “What accident?”

  The man shook his head. “She didn’t say.”

  “Was this man about my height, dark hair, hazel eyes? Tattoo running up his neck?”

  The man nodded. “Yeah, that was him. She grabbed her purse, and they ran out of here. Said she had to get to Mercy General.”

  Keaton and Ash gave a quick look at each other. “Hey thanks,” Keaton told him. He grabbed the pen on the counter and a napkin. “If she comes back, could you call me? Here’s my number.”

  “Sure, man.”

  Keaton and Ash went back outside to look up and down the street.

  “What do you think?” Keaton asked.

  Ash shook his head. “I don’t know. Did Mike really try hurting her? If so, why?”

  “I bet if anyone knows why it’ll be Taylor,” Keaton replied, pulling out his cell. “One thing I definitely know, we have to find them. I have this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.”

  “Me, too,” Ash whispered.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Momo moaned and opened her eyes. Pain shot through her head, and she brought her hand up to press against her temple, though stickiness had her checking her fingers and seeing blood. Tenderly, she probed the area and winced as she discovered an inch-long gash in her hairline.

  “You hit your head when you fell,” came Mike’s voice somewhere to her right.

  She blinked and went to push herself up, only to realize that her hands were tied together.

  “What’s going on, Mike?” she croaked. Her mouth was dry. She licked her lips, trying to generate some saliva.

  “I’m sorry, Momo,” Mike’s voice answered. “I have nothing against you, but you have to disappear.”

  Her heart stuttered at his words as fear washed through her, clearing away any haze left over from being Tasered. “What does that mean, Mike?”

  “I thought I had succeeded by trying to run you over, but then we saw you last night, still around Keaton and Ash. I have to say, you’re stubborn. So, now I have a new solution to the Momo problem.”

  A door opened, and she blinked, suddenly realizing she was lying in the back of Mike’s van. He grabbed her tied hands and yanked her up. She stumbled, since her feet were tied, too, and down she went. Her body slammed hard onto the cold, wet alley ground, her breath momentarily knocked from her chest. She gasped, desperately trying to draw a lungful of air when he hauled her back up and carried her fireman style into a building.

  “I rather liked you, Momo,” Mike continued in a matter-of-fact voice. “I really liked the different style you brought to the band. I think you had some great ideas. But Taylor hates you. So you have to go.”

  “I…I’ll leave,” she managed to gasp out. “J-just let me go. I p-promise to leave the band.”

  She felt Mike sigh. “I thought about asking you to leave, but every time I saw you, you were with Keaton. Or Ash. Or Keaton and Ash.” He shook his head. “I guess they were protecting you, but it was damn frustrating.”

  He set her down, carefully this time, making sure she was steady on her tied-together feet so she wouldn’t fall again. Only then did she realize that they stood in the empty Black Tiger.

  “Where is everyone?” she whispered.

  “Huh? Oh,” Mike answered, answering as he moved behind her. “This bar opens at seven in the evening for the waiters and bartenders to get set up. The first band appears about eight. It’s not yet five, so we have plenty of time.”

  She hadn’t thought she could be any more scared than she was, but his words sent terror streaming straight into her heart. Tears gathered in her eyes, and she blinked them back. She didn’t want to appear weak to him.

  “So how did you get in?” she asked, keeping her voice neutral.

  “The back door’s lock is old. All you have to do is put your shoulder into it and force the lock out of its socket.”

  “Oh. And, uh, why did you bring me here?”

  He stepped into her line of vision, and she could see the obvious regret in his eyes. “You have to go away.”

  “W-why?”

  “Because you make Taylor unhappy.”

  “You said that before. Did Taylor put you up to this?”

  He shook his head. “Taylor has been the only friend I’ve ever had.”

  Momo knew it was imperative she keep him talking. He had said it was almost five, and she knew Keaton and Ash always came a little early. By now, they’d know she was missing. They’d be looking for her.

  The question is, did they know she was with Mike?

  “Aren’t Keaton and Ash your friends, too?” she asked.

  “Yeah, sure, now. But Taylor was there at the beginning. Did you know he and I went to school together? He’s taken care of me, you know, from the bullies. Damn people always picking on me.”

  “I’ve never bullied you, Mike.”

  “You’re right, Momo. That’s why I don’t really want to do this, but I have to take care of Taylor’s happiness. The way he’s taken care of mine. You see, as soon as he gave you that ipecac in your soda, I knew he needed me. Needed me like I need him.”

  He went to reach for her.

  “Wait!” she cried, and hopped away, making her wobble a bit. “Let’s call Taylor, see what he wants to do with me. That way, he knows exactly how much you’ve appreciated all he’s done for you. He can see how much you care for him.”

  He was suddenly in her face. “Not just care, Momo. I love him. I would do anything for him. When you showed up, all he could do was talk shit about you. Every time he’d call Keaton, it was Momo this and Momo that. He was sick of it and sick of you! He even told me that he wished a piano would fall on your head! So right then I knew I’d discovered my purpose, my repayment for being by Taylor’s side. I may not be able to drop a piano on you, but I sure as hell can make sure the band is right on top of you.”

  And then he pulled open a hidden door to the floor, revealing a small cubicle about three feet by three feet wide.

  “You know what this is?” he asked her.

  She shook her head.

  “A lot of old theaters and stages have trap doors all over the stage, used for theatrical production like pyrotechnics. Of course, all that stuff is banned now, so these trap door spaces are no longer used.”

  Momo’s eyes widened as she panicked. He meant to put her in there, just like sealing her off in a coffin. She tried shuffling away as much as her tied-up feet would allow, but Mike just swooped her up.

  “Mike, those things won’t hold a lot of air,” she cried frantically. “You don’t want to do this! You said you don’t want to hurt me! No, Mike! No, no, n—”

  She was abruptly silenced as Mike hit her across the face. The blow didn’t knock her out, but it definitely spun her for a loop. The world kept phasing in and out, light then dark then light again. She felt something press against her mouth and tried to open it, but she couldn’t force her lips apart and realized he had used a piece of duct tape. She made a half-moaning-half-shrieking cry, but the sound was dulled by the tape.

  And then she felt herself being picked up before being lowered into the pit. Her feet hit cold ground, and she slumped as much as she could in the narrow, box-like tomb, the area not allowing much wiggle room. She couldn’t bang her fists. She couldn’t move her knees. She tried to scream, but the muffled sound echoed back into her own ears.

  She looked up and watched as Mike lowered the stage flooring on top of her, sealing off any light. A second later, she heard him hammering
the lid down, and then he hammered a few nails in the center, right where she’d be able to push, using the spikes to keep her in line.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Keaton called Taylor while Ash called Officer Joe. They still stood in front of the coffee house, afraid to go anywhere that might lead them in the wrong direction. Although fear sliced through him, he kept it firmly pushed down and away from creeping up to take over his mind. Momo couldn’t afford for him or for Ash to lose it.

  “’Lo, Keaton,” Taylor greeted. “What’s up?”

  “Taylor, is Mike with you?”

  Taylor must have heard the urgent sound in his tone, because he immediately lost the relaxed, laid-back banter he usually used. “No, what’s going on?”

  “We think Mike took Momo.”

  “Took her where?”

  “I don’t know, damn it!” Quickly, he brought Taylor up to speed on the drugging and the near hit-and-run. “We thought it was the fan, you know, who turned out to be Ramona the bartender. But she didn’t—”

  “I spiked her drink,” Taylor admitted.

  That brought Keaton up short. “What did you say?”

  Taylor sighed. “I put ipecac in her drink, just a little. Just enough to make her sick. But I had nothing to do with almost running her over!”

  “Why would you do something like that?”

  “Because…well, shit. Because I was jealous. It’s been just us for years, and then you bring in this girl and suddenly everything starts happening! Our songs change, our dynamic—”

  “Yeah, and we get a demo deal from one of the top record labels!” Keaton yelled back sarcastically.

  “I know,” Taylor replied, and this time his tone was contrite. “I’m sorry, Keaton.”

  “It’s not me you have to apologize to. It’s Momo. And right now, Mike has done something with her. Do you have any idea where he could have taken her?”

  “No. But I’ll help you look for him.”

  “Meet me and Ash at his place. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  He hung up the call and walked over to Ash, who was saying goodbye. They stood looking at each other.

  “Officer Joe is going to the hospital to see if Mike’s there,” Ash told him.

  “Taylor said he slipped her the emetic,” Keaton said.

  “That fuck! Do you think he and Mike are in on this together?”

  Keaton shrugged. “I don’t think so, but he’s on his way to Mike’s, so we can ask him.”

  “I just want to know why, Keaton. Why do this to Momo? I mean it’s crazy.”

  “Yeah. Come on, let’s go.”

  * * * *

  Momo kept her eyes closed. It made her feel a little calmer. Rather than having her eyes open and knowing she was sealed inside a dark hole, if she kept them closed, she could pretend she was going to sleep. She tried hard to keep her breathing slow and even, tried keeping her panic pushed firmly down. She had to conserve her strength, her air, and her sanity to allow enough time for the guys to find her.

  She definitely did not think about what would happen if they didn’t.

  Sweat gathered at her temple. It might be winter outside, but her body heat was making it stifling in the hole. She started working the duct tape on her mouth, forcing her tongue into the sticky coat to push her lips away from it. Little by little, the tape moved. So she wiggled her arms, twisting her body until she could bend her head far enough to where her fingers could grab the tape. It was hard since everything was so cramped, and her shoulder had a little spasm from being pulled, but eventually she worked the tape off. Just freeing her mouth gave her a sense of accomplishment.

  She listened but heard nothing. Not one peep from above. She had heard him walk away earlier and his footsteps fade out as a door banged shut behind him. She stood as straight as she could, making sure her head didn’t hit the nail points. But she could shout now, and she planned to do a lot of that when she heard the first wave of people coming in to set up.

  What did Mike think he was doing? Did he think she would just die quietly? Did he not think that Keaton and Ash would never rest until they had found her?

  Her plan of action helped dissipate some of the fear that still lingered. She was learning fast she was made of sterner stuff so God help Mike when she got out of here, because she was going to kick his ass.

  * * * *

  “Look, there’s his grandmother’s car,” Ash said as he pointed down the street.

  “No van,” came Taylor’s voice from the shadows. “I’ve already checked out his crib. He’s not there.”

  They stood on the front entrance of Mike’s apartment building, Keaton and Ash staring angrily at Taylor. The drummer held up his hands in a surrender gesture.

  “Look, I know you two must be pretty pissed that I spiked her drink.”

  “You think?” Ash all but growled his question.

  “But you know I could never hurt her!”

  “Not hurt her? She was vomiting bile for an hour!”

  “You know what I meant! Do you really think I’m capable of killing someone?”

  Keaton and Ash stared at him, and he stared back, unblinking. Finally, after several minutes, Keaton broke eye contact by nodding. He laid his hand on Ash’s shoulder.

  “I may believe you, Taylor, but I owe you a bloody nose when this is over with, got it?”

  The sound of footsteps had them spinning, and there stood Mike, smiling at them.

  “Hey! What’s happening?”

  Keaton and Ash flew at him. Keaton punched him and down went Mike, glasses flying off to land brokenly on the concrete. Keaton straddled him, grabbing hold of his jacket to shake him, which banged his head against the sidewalk.

  “Keaton! Stop! We need him conscious!” Ash cried.

  “And alive,” Taylor said sarcastically.

  “Where is she, Mike?” Keaton yelled at him.

  “Let him up,” Taylor ordered, pulling on Keaton’s arm. “Come on, Keaton. He’ll talk better if he’s able to breathe.”

  Keaton shot one last glare at Mike before rising off him, but he held on to the man’s polyester jacket.

  Taylor picked up the glasses and put them back on Mike’s bruised and bewildered face.

  “What the hell, Keaton?” Mike groused as he probed his lip gently.

  “Where is she, you fucking asshole?”

  Mike sucked in a sharp breath before looking at Ash and then Taylor. “Why are you so concerned, Taylor?”

  Taylor let out a soft sigh. “Oh, Mike, what did you do?”

  “How…how did you know?”

  Keaton went to deck him again, but Ash held him back. “Let him talk.”

  “Mike?” Taylor asked.

  “I did it for you,” Mike whispered. “You wanted her gone, so I made her go away.”

  Taylor’s eyes widened. “What?”

  “You were always complaining about her.”

  Taylor shook his head. “Complaining is what I do, Mike, but that doesn’t mean I wanted her gone as in dead.”

  But Mike cocked his head, looking questioningly at him. “But I was helping you, like you’ve always helped me.”

  “Where is she, Mike?” Ash asked quietly.

  Mike reached out for Taylor, but Taylor pulled back sharply. At that, Mike seemed to melt into himself. “Taylor?”

  “No, Mike,” Taylor snapped. “You’re wrong. I don’t need your help. Now, tell us where Momo is.”

  Mike just crumpled. Keaton would have felt sorry for him if he gave a damn about Mike at that point.

  “She’s at The Black Tiger,” Mike finally said. “I took her there.”

  Taylor grabbed Mike’s jacket. “I’ll take care of him. You two go find her.”

  “Thanks, Taylor,” Keaton said before he and Ash started running toward Music Row.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Small lights flashed behind her lids, pinpricks of color bursting through the inky blackness. It was getting harder to take a breath. She was r
educed to inhaling superficially. She knew this was bad, that maybe the air inside the chamber wasn’t being refreshed as quickly as she needed it. Though she remained calm, tears slowly leaked out of her eyes. She just had to wait a little longer. Help would arrive any minute.

  That became her mantra.

  The four walls pressed in on her, swallowing her whole.

  Then she heard a noise overhead, muffled through the layers of wood. She strained her hearing, wanting to make sure it was someone up top and not her imagination playing tricks on her.

  A footfall sounded and then someone called her name.

  “Momo!”

  Relief so profound poured through her that she almost broke down sobbing. It was Keaton’s voice. They had figured it out. They were here to rescue her!

  “Here!” she screamed with all her might. “Down here! I’m right here, in the stage!”

  There was a scraping sound and some scuffling.

  “Momo?”

  “Yes! I’m here!”

  “Hold on, Officer Joe just brought in a crowbar. We need to pop this door. It’s been nailed shut.”

  “It was Mike, Keaton!”

  “We know, honey,” Keaton called back. “We figured it out when your coworker told us Mike had come for you. Okay, Momo, brace yourself. We’re going to pop open the door.”

  She heard them working, the sound of wood crunching and nails bending. One side lifted, then another, until all four were clear, and they were able to pop it off. She blinked at the bright lights blinding her to the hands reaching down to lift her from the hole. As they lifted her, she was able to take a deep breath, filling her lungs full.

  Keaton and Ash embraced her as her fear drained away, leaving her feeling tired but thankful to be in their arms once more. As her eyes slowly adjusted, she saw a dozen people, some police, some EMT, but also Ramona the bartender and some of the other Black Tiger staff, staring at her in disbelief.

  “Excuse me,” Officer Joe said to them, pulling on Momo’s arm. “The EMT needs to check her over, make sure she’s okay.”