Down in Flames (Silver Tongued Devils Series Book 1)

by Samantha Conley

  “Man, you are pussy whipped, dude.” Jason chuckles as he walks by me. I look up with the grin on my face and catch Brett looking at me. I’m not even going to worry about that right now. I’m just glad whatever bad feeling I had isn’t related to Kristen. We walk into the room, and I head to the bar to get a bottle of water, chug it, and get another. It’s fucking hot under those lights. My shirt is drenched, and I have a major case of swamp ass. A shower sounds really great right about now.

  I look over at the guys and see that Jason and Isaac are talking together in a corner, and Brian is off to the side, looking at his phone. Brett’s sitting on a couch surrounded by girls, which isn’t surprising. I see movement out of the corner of my eye and more girls are filing in through the door. Seeing the crowd gathered around Brett on the couch, the girls split between me at the bar and Jason and Isaac in the corner.

  Two blondes are headed right for me, and I brace myself. Some of these girls will take a hint easily, but some are like a dog with a bone. Tenacious does not even begin to describe them, and one of the most persistent ones I have ever met is headed my way. Candy. She’s total bombshell material, every inch of her fake, from her overblown lips to her Double D’s. I made the mistake in the past of taking her up on what she was offering, and she became a stage-five clinger. She followed us around for months from venue to venue. Each time, she was getting more and more desperate for attention. It got bad enough that Brian had to start banning her from getting backstage. It was such a relief.

  For the last six months, I haven’t seen hide nor hair of Candy. I thought she had finally gotten over me or found another sucker. I guess I was wrong, because here she comes. I’m not going to lie, the bitch is hot. Tall, slim, huge tits, and a nice ass. She’s wearing what I guess is a dress. It looks more like a stretched out tube top. If it goes down a centimeter, her tits are going to pop out. I swear, the only thing holding it up are her hard nipples. She looks like a high-dollar hooker.

  I see the smile on her face and the look in her eyes, like she has me right where she wants me. I try to catch Brian’s attention before this gets too far, but he’s talking to some woman that came in. Security is nowhere to be seen. Fuck, this could get ugly, fast. Maybe if I can circumvent her, I can avoid this train wreck. I turn to go the other way, but Jason and Isaac, with their following, have made their way to the bar, cutting off my escape. I turn the other way, but it’s too late. Her perfume cloud precedes her arms coming up around my neck. I raise my hands and grab them before she can wrap herself around me like a vine.

  “Hello, lover,” she purrs, trying to push herself on me. I continue to hold her arms and step back from her to keep my distance. The last time the crazy bitch got her hands on me, there were pictures all over social media about us being a couple. That was a fucking joke, and what got her banned.

  “Candy, how the hell did you get back here? You know you’ve been banned from coming backstage. You need to leave, and do it now.”

  I happen to catch Brian looking this way, and I can only pray that he sees the look on my face to know something’s wrong. He does. He signals someone and heads toward me at a brisk pace. Thank you, God, for small favors. I see someone from security trailing him.

  “Candy, you know you’re not supposed to be back here. You need to remove yourself from the premises. This gentleman will make sure you leave. Do not come back, or I will have you arrested. I believe you still have a restraining order?”

  The security guard gently touches her arm to move her away, and she starts to fight against him. You can tell he’s trying to be gentle since she’s a woman, but she’s fighting like a hell cat. One guy isn’t going to do it. I can see other security guards rush into the room, and it takes three grown men to wrangle her. Before it’s over, they have her on the floor. Her dress, well, it went up and down. Her tits are out for everyone to see, and we now know she’s not wearing underwear. I already knew she likes a Brazilian. They finally get her up off the floor and out the door with everything showing. It’s definitely put a damper on everyone’s mood. I head for the door and notice that Brett is no longer sitting on the couch. I nod toward Jason and Isaac to let them know I’m leaving. They return the nod and head my way. I guess we’re all tired tonight.

  We don’t have to head out until tomorrow, so Brian secured us hotel rooms for the night. We’re supposed to have a car waiting to take us to the hotel since the tour bus would stick out like a sore thumb. Jason, Isaac, and I head outside and see that there is only one car waiting. The driver gets out and approaches us.

  “I thought there were two cars? Gonna be kind of cramped for six of us to ride in there.”

  “There were two cars, sir. One gentleman took the other car with his lady friends. They’ve already left for the hotel.” Huh, so that’s where Brett had disappeared to. Off with the groupies. I pull out my phone and text Brian, letting him know that if he’s riding with us, he needs to get his ass out here. He finally makes it outside, and we load up to head to the hotel. It’ll be nice to sleep in a real bed before we go out for our last spot on this tour. We’re so close to the end, I can almost taste it.

  When we arrive, a staff member is waiting for us with keys to our rooms. I don’t know how Brian handles all this, but I thank God that he does. I’m dying for a shower and a soft mattress. I’m glad we don’t have to share rooms like we did when we first started out. Talk about not being able to sleep with all of us snoring.

  I go into my room and avoid tripping on my bag that’s been placed in the middle of the floor. I go straight for the shower. As soon as steam is pouring out of the stall, I remove my clothes and get in. The hot water beating down on my tired body feels so good. When I’m finally clean, I just stand under the spray, letting the hot water run over me, relaxing me.

  Until I think of Kris.

  I palm my cock and slowly start to stroke it from root to tip. I imagine Kris down on her knees, with her big blue eyes looking up at me. Her hand wraps around the base while she runs her pink tongue around the head, then she takes me into her hot little mouth. Slowly moving back and forth, she takes me inch by inch until her mouth reaches her hand. The next stroke of her mouth brings her nose to the hairs at the root. I can feel her throat swallow around my cock as she cups my balls. Placing my hands in her hair, I begin to thrust my hips. With her every little moan, I thrust a little deeper, a little harder. She takes her free hand and places it between her legs. When she closes her eyes, I can tell she’s close, and so am I. I thrust one last time and feel my cum shoot down her throat in hard spurts.

  I slowly come back to myself, breathing hard. Fuck, I miss her. I clean up the mess I made and grab the towel to dry off. Grabbing my phone and charger, I set them next to the bed. When I climb under the covers, I hear the noises from next door. Girly giggles and moans. Guess that means Brett’s room is next to mine, and our beds are against the same wall. That’s just great.

  I turn on the TV so I can drown out the noise. Finding an episode of Ink Master, I leave it there. Maybe I’ll get a new tattoo when I get back to Dallas, something that reminds me of Kris. Maybe her name. I pick up my phone and go to the message she had left me earlier. I text her back. Love you too. Miss you so much. I’m counting down the hours until I can hold you in my arms. Kiss you. Do dirty, dirty things to your body. I add an eggplant and peach emoji and hit send. I turn off the light and settle in. It doesn’t take long before I’m out.

  Chapter 31

  Kristen

  I actually slept pretty well, considering I was in the hospital. Every two hours, the nurse would pop her head in. Every four hours was vital signs. Some I don’t remember, due to the pain medication they gave me during the night. I stretch a little and gasp at the stabbing pain in my right side. The pain meds have definitely worn off. The nurse comes in with my next dose of IV antibiotics. I hope it’s the last dose, because then they can take my IV out. She checks my incision and changes the dressing. This is the first time I’ve go
tten to see where I was cut with the knife. Whoever stitched me up did a really good job. The scar shouldn’t be too bad. I don’t notice any signs of infection, which is good. It means I can get out of here faster. She’s fast and efficient, which I appreciate.

  “Can I get you anything else before I leave?”

  “On your way back down here, could you get me something for pain?” Hopefully, they have oral pain medication ordered for me. She nods and leaves, but then Camryn enters.

  “A venti caramel macchiato and an omelet from the grill downstairs. Made with fresh cracked eggs, no powder in sight.” She grins at me.

  “God bless you.” I take a sip of the coffee and moan. A little taste of heaven. I open up the container and get a whiff of the goodness inside. An omelet with bell pepper, onion, sausage, and tons of cheesy goodness. Nothing could possibly taste better. “Thank you so much.”

  “Well, I couldn’t in good conscience let you starve. Mallory will be here shortly. She was gonna stop by your apartment and grab you some clothes and stuff.” I nod my head and continue to stuff my face. Camryn turns on the TV and finds a talk show to watch while I eat. Finally, Mallory shows up with my clothes.

  We call the nurse down to unhook my IV so I can get in the shower. Luckily, she applied a waterproof bandage on top of my sutures so I don’t have to worry about getting it wet. I can’t have my IV taken out just yet, as the doctor had ordered a specific number of antibiotics that I had to have prior to discharge. The girls help me as much as they can to get me cleaned up. It feels freaking great to be clean. Mallory was nice enough to grab my shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, so I don’t have to use the generic stuff the hospital supplies. Camryn helps me wash my hair, as it hurts when I raise my right arm up. Luckily, Mallory brought me a pair of black yoga pants instead of jeans so the band wouldn’t rub on my wound.

  There’s nothing to do in a hospital but wait. My next antibiotic isn’t due for three more hours, and the doctor still has to check me over before I can be discharged. I send Camryn and Mallory home, telling them I’ll call them when it’s time to go. No point in all of us being bored to death. I fall asleep watching crappy daytime television, and wake up when the nurse comes in to administer my last dose of antibiotics.

  Finally, around three, the doctor comes in. Giving my wound a quick look, he tells me I’m okay to leave. Five minutes is all it takes for him to figure that out and he’s out the door. I grab my phone and text the girls to let them know that I’m ready to go.

  I still have to wait for my discharge paperwork, and depending on how busy my nurse is, it could take a while. Mallory and Camryn arrive about a half an hour later and the nurse has my discharge papers a few minutes later.

  We hit the pharmacy to pick up my pain medication and antibiotics before we head back to my apartment. Apparently, the girls were busy while I was gone. My island is covered with junk food. I guess we’re going to pig out this afternoon. We find a movie on Netflix to watch, and Camryn orders us some pizza and wings. We’re about halfway into The Hangover when the pizza arrives. My mouth starts watering when the smell of garlic, cheese, and pepperoni hits me. I’m going to put on ten pounds before the night is over.

  “Y’all know you don’t have to stay the whole night, right?”

  “Of course we do.”

  “What are friends for? Please. And you have all the good food here. You’re not getting rid of us that easily.”

  “I couldn’t ask for better friends. I love y’all.” I can tell my speech is getting a little slurred. I don’t handle pain medication very well. I figure I’ll be sound asleep in the next ten to fifteen minutes, so I grab my phone off the table and scroll through it. Shit. I missed a text from Derek. Love you too. Miss you so much. I’m counting down the hours until I can hold you in my arms. Kiss you. Do dirty, dirty things to your body. The eggplant and peach make me giggle. Mallory looks back at me.

  “Sorry. Derek sent me something sunny. I mean, funny.” She gives me a quick smile and turns back around. I make a decision and I head into my bedroom and grab the selfie stick out of the drawer. I take off my top and my bra. Not easy with the stitches, but the pain meds are kicking in and I don’t feel anything but a slight twinge in my side. I take off my yoga pants and lay in the bed, leaving me in only my lacy blue panties. I put my phone on the selfie stick and try to do a seductive pose. After about five different pictures, I give up. Hopefully, one is good enough. I grab my phone and lay the stick down. The first two pictures are the exact opposite of sexy, but the third looks hot, I think. I tweak the filters on my phone and send it to Derek. I can’t wait Xoxo. I get up and go to the bathroom, get redressed, and head back out to the living room.

  “You okay?”

  “I’m good.” Whoa. Yes, I’m a little bit high from the meds. I lay back on the couch to watch the movie. Before I realize it, I’m asleep.

  Mallory shakes me, and I come awake with a start. “The electricity went out, but it’s only in this building. I can see the lights on in the other complexes. That means your alarm doesn’t work. I think we need to leave and head to my place.”

  “Okay. Let me grab some stuff for tomorrow.” I use the flashlight on my phone to move around and grab some clothes out of my drawers. I’m throwing them in the bag that I brought home from the hospital when I hear glass break. “Camryn? Mallory?” I don’t get an answer. I grab the bag and head to the living room. Mallory’s waiting right next to the door and touches my arm, making me jump. She places a hand over my mouth.

  “Shhh. There’s someone out back. We need to go out the front. Be quiet.” She grabs my hand and we head for the front door, where Camryn’s standing. Camryn quietly turns the lock and the click sounds unusually loud. She opens the door, and I’m glad it doesn’t squeak. We go out as quietly as possible, and Mallory shuts the door behind us. Jogging to Mallory’s car, Camryn gets in the back seat and I get in the front. Camryn pulls her phone out and calls 911, while I text Denny. I see that his patrol car is gone, so I know he’s working. I let him know that we are heading to Mallory’s apartment, if he or the other officers need me. I don’t see any movement as I stare out into the darkness.

  Mallory starts the car and we head out of the lot to the road. Her apartment is only a few minutes down the road, but it’s kind of in the middle of nothing. It’s a pretty new development, and the only things around are two other complexes that are being built. I can see the street lights in the distance, leading to her apartment. My phone rings, and it’s Derek.

  “Hey, babe.”

  “Hey, Kris. Um, things kinda came to a head today. Brett…” He trails off, and when I look up, I notice a truck in the side mirror, barreling toward us with no lights on. The moon hits it just right for me to see it.

  “What the fuck? Mallory, there’s a truck headed right for us.” As soon as I finish the sentence, the truck is beside us and clips our fender. We scream out, but Mallory manages to keep the car on the road and straightens us out. I can feel the car accelerate, but it’s no match for the truck. The truck swerves at us again and hits us just right. The car spins around, and the back tires slide off the embankment on the side of the road. We’re rolling. I feel something hit me in the head, and the crunch of metal. Screaming. Then everything goes black.

  Camryn

  I hit my head, then feel something wet running down my face. Mallory and Kris are out cold. I can hear someone yelling, and it dawns on me that it’s Derek on Kristen’s phone.

  “Derek! Oh God.” I try to find my phone, but we’re upside down, and it’s dark. “I can’t find my phone. I need to call for help.” I remember that in Mallory’s car, you can push for 911, but I can’t reach it from where I am. I reach to undo my seatbelt and I fall to the roof. Fuck, that hurt. I crawl toward the front of the car and try to squeeze between the top of the seats and the roof where it’s crushed in. I can see the button lit up on the rearview mirror. I reach my hand out, but I’m still too far away. I try to squeeze betwee
n the seats again, but there’s not enough room. I see a hand come up beside mine and reach the button. I look and see Mallory looking at me.

  “Thank God, Mal. Are you okay?”

  “I think so. What about Kris?”

  “I don’t know.” I can still hear Derek in the background, then Mallory is talking with the 911 operator. I glance out through what is left of the window on my right and see legs walking toward us.

  “Mallory! Someone’s coming!” Oh God. Is it the person who ran us off the road? Mallory begins to move around, and somehow gets the console between the two front seats open. I hear a thunk, then a chambering of a bullet. The person is getting closer.

  He stops on my side of the car, by the passenger door, squats down and looks in. Motherfucker! It’s Josh. That fucking psycho. He sees me looking at him, and he grins. Man, this dude is fucking crazy. He stands back up and tries to open Kristen’s door, but it’s jammed. I hear him stomping and cursing, then the breaking of more glass. I watch as his hands go through the window and starts pulling on Kristen.

  “Stop it, you asshole! You’re gonna hurt her!” He doesn’t listen, just keeps pulling. The only thing keeping her in the car is her seat belt. He finally realizes this and pulls out a knife. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Mallory squirming around in her seat. There’s no way she can shoot him without hitting Kris. I crawl toward the window that’s broken, which is on the opposite side of Kristen and Josh. I feel something slice through my cheek and hiss at the pain, but it doesn’t stop me. By the time I get out, Josh has Kristen halfway out of the car.

  “Leave her alone!” But he doesn’t even flinch when I yell. He just keeps pulling. I feel a hand grab my leg and I jump and fall on my ass. Mallory is halfway out of her broken window with a gun in her right hand and using her left to try and pull herself through. I reach down to help her, and she yelps when I grab her hand. But there’s no time to waste. Mallory clears the car and stands up with the gun ready and aimed.