by KL Shandwick
A checklist of possibilities ran through my mind. Something’s definitely off here. Where’s Lee? Lee was always where Flynn was, yet I hadn’t seen him since we’d arrived at the venue. Craig used the band security, and there was no one else specific to ask, “Where’s Lee?”
Bernie turned and sneered at me, “Yeah, where is Lee?” he chuckled to himself and moved in on me. I scowled at him and swallowed down my fears that someone had got the guys into this state deliberately. Bernie raised his hand and tried to move a strand of hair away from my face. His closeness made me feel uncomfortable and the smell of whiskey on his breath.
“Looks like your guy’s a little… worn out over there. What do you say we get to know each other a little better?”
His fat hand grabbed my upper arm, but he’d underestimated me. My knee connected with his balls, and he crumpled up in pain but didn’t release his grip. As I struggled I felt the weight of a hand adding to the pressure on my arm. “Off. I won’t tolerate that. I never agreed to fucking with her,” Tommy said sternly.
I crossed the room and crouched beside Flynn shaking him hard. It brought no response, so I patted his jeans pockets for his cell and found it. It had been password protected. I cursed myself for not having Lee’s number on mine and hit the emergency call only and held it to my ear.
“I have an emergency, please,” I stated before Bernie reached me and knocked the cell from my hand.
Simone grabbed the phone off the floor and fought Bernie off. She spoke with the 911 operator, naming the venue, exactly where we were and who we were with, before Bernie had managed to grab it out her hand and cut her off.
Fighting back my fears I glanced down at both men, and even though both were breathing steadily, they weren’t conscious. I grabbed some towels from the bathroom and covered Flynn’s naked upper body to keep any heat in. It had dawned on me that they’d possibly been drugged by someone in the room. At that point I’d been thankful for the first aid course I’d taken when I was setting up my studio.
Bernie and Tyler were suddenly on their feet, Simone and I forgotten as they cleaned up the place like the cops were coming to inspect the it. I knew at that point they’d had a hand in what had happened to Flynn and Craig, but my main concern was keeping Flynn alive until help arrived.
“What the fuck did you give them?” my voice was cold and controlled. I knew that if I showed them how frightened I really was they’d use that and any chance I’d had of protecting Flynn from them would be gone.
Bernie shook his head but continued to push stuff from around the room into a plastic bag. I sounded so controlled addressing the rest of the band.
“If you don’t tell me so that I can help them and something happens it could be the death penalty for all of you. What’s been going on here has obviously been premeditated, or were you planning on killing all of us to achieve whatever the fuck you thought you were going to achieve by doing this?”
“This had nothing to do with me, honey,” Tommy quickly offered.
“Bullshit, Tommy, you were here. I remember what you said to me before the gig. You knew something and saw what was going on, and you did nothing to stop it. I’m not sharp on my knowledge of the law, but I think that makes you an accomplice, if I’m not mistaken,” I threatened.
Tommy’s eyes widened as he held his hands up, “Like I said, I’ve got nothing against your boy, these two planned it. They thought it would be easy to get you out of the picture once you thought Flynn had been fucking other girls.
“Look at him, Tommy. The girls would have to be into necrophilia to fuck him. The only thing Flynn’s doing voluntarily here is breathing.” I commented dryly.
“Simone come over here and help me get them to a sitting position. Grab a couple of those towels and their jackets. Flynn’s skin is icy cold and clammy to touch; we need to warm them up.”
Bernie opened the dressing room door and disappeared down the corridor past the two security guys there. “Anyone got Lee’s number? Where the fuck is he?” I shouted.
“Bernie sent him back to the bus to get something. I’ve got his number here.” Tommy reached into his jeans pocket, and Tyler squared up to him, “You heard her. You’re in this as much as the rest of us Tommy. You did nothing to stop us, remember that.”
Simone cramped Tyler’s personal space, “What the fuck were you all thinking anyway? ‘Oh… I know let’s drug our lead singer that’ll make him see sense? Are you all out of your fucking minds?” Simone strutted back and forth in front of them, and I lay a protective hand on Flynn’s head to feel his temperature.
Tyler and Tommy stared helplessly at each other, both suddenly looking like two scruffy guys no one would look twice at, instead of the rock stars they appeared to be on stage just an hour ago. Tommy’s ashen face was a measure of his understanding of how grave the situation was. Tyler… I doubted he’d ever had any empathy for anyone. He was insular and self-serving, and probably evoked the strongest feelings of anger from me, of anyone I’d met in Chicago, apart from Iria.
Loud voices spoke urgently as a commotion in the hall drew nearer, then there were four policemen and an ambulance crew crammed into the room. My immediate concern was for Flynn, and as soon as I saw the medics my emotions rose from my chest to my throat and I started to cry. The panic I’d been swallowing down for the previous fifteen minutes bubbled over. Suddenly my body began to shake violently, and it was only then I allowed myself to face the gravity of the situation with Flynn. I can’t lose him.
Once the thought that he might die was in my head, I was practically inconsolable. I refused to allow Flynn into the ambulance without me, and as they were closing the door, I saw Tyler being led to a police patrol car.
“Please, baby, don’t leave me. Please, God, help him,” I begged and prayed as I sat opposite Flynn. I couldn’t see his face anymore. A medic leaned over him, hooked up the electrocardiograph machine to the pads dotted around his body. He hooked them up to the battery pack in the back of the ambulance, and connected the wires to the monitor that hung above his head.
Flynn was covered in heavy red blankets after he wrapped his body in a silver foil one. An oxygen mask had been placed over his mouth and nose. Finally, a clip attached to his index finger made the oxygen saturation levels appear on the same screen as his heart rate and respiratory count.
“He’s stable, we just need to find out what he’s taken, then we’ll hopefully be able to counter that,” the ambulance attendant said.
“He hasn’t taken anything knowingly,” I defended.
“That’s the usual response,” he countered dryly.
“Maybe, but I’m telling you, the guys in that band have grudges. What you see here is a crime. We were held back from seeing him and Craig. Bernie Laker and Tyler Chisolm had something to do with this. They were talking about it. Tommy even told me it was them because he got scared, and said he wanted nothing to do with it. You might want to add sexual assault or indecent exposure or something to your charges as well; I doubt Flynn was in the state of undress I’d found him in when he passed out, Craig neither.”
When we reached the Emergency Room, they whisked Flynn straight through on the gurney still attached to the monitors, but I was left in the waiting area. They needed space to work on him they said. I didn’t protest, I just let them take him, and sat down heavily with my head in my hands because I couldn’t face the possibility of being there if something went wrong. I felt completely helpless and alone. It was the same kind of feeling as I’d had when my parents left to go to Las Vegas when the boys died.
Twenty minutes later there was still no news, and when I heard the automatic doors swish open behind me, I’d turned my head to see Lee striding in my direction. “Fuck! Valerie. Is he okay? Where did they take him?”
“What the fuck happened? You were supposed to be keeping him safe,” I screamed as I leapt up and beat my fists on his chest.
“Whoa, Valerie. I’m sorry, I never wanted to leave him,
but Flynn insisted I do what Bernie wanted. Bernie had new cells for all the guys and said they’d be getting updates about the tour on the new number. Flynn and Bernie argued because Flynn said he didn’t see the point of yet another cell phone. Eventually, Flynn sent me to Bernie’s bus to get it because Bernie wouldn’t stop going on about it and Flynn didn’t want anything to affect his performance.”
“Where was I when this happened?”
“You were in the restrooms with Simone. Anyway, I went over to the bus, and five guys were waiting inside for me. I got kidnapped, and they handcuffed me to the table bolted to the floor until the police came and found me.”
I was suddenly overwhelmed that Flynn had people close to him that wanted to hurt him. Planning to separate him from Lee was a deliberate attempt to hurt Flynn and Craig. What I couldn’t understand was what it was supposed to achieve. Unless it was to get rid of Simone and me, or maybe Bernie had an insight that they had planned to leave the band. They had to know Lee, or myself or someone would figure it out. It was a stupid plot.
I turned to face Lee and made it three steps toward him before I collapsed into his arms. I was a sobbing wreck. “Don’t, honey. He’ll be okay. Flynn’s a fighter. I’m ashamed that I wasn’t there for him today. Don’t worry, Valerie, I’ll make sure they pay for what they’ve done.”
Chapter 34 ~ Funds
We heard footsteps coming down the corridor leading from where they’d taken Flynn. As they got closer, my heart raced, and I had to swallow the panic that made me feel like I was going to vomit. The door leading from the hallway opened, and a small Asian doctor appeared. She gave me a sympathetic smile.
“Valerie?” I nodded and fought back tears as Lee put a protective arm around me. “Hello, my name is Dr. Kaur. Mr. Docherty is awake now. We had to give him Narcan, an antidote drug to counteract the opiates in his system. He’s a very lucky man. Flynn was very close to having a respiratory arrest by the time the paramedics got him here.”
Relief washed over me, my heart felt weightless in my chest. My legs gave way, and I felt my body sag into Lee when I knew that Flynn was okay. She agreed we could see Flynn and told me he had asked if I was okay as soon he had regained consciousness.
She led the way into the ER and Flynn was sitting propped up by pillows still on a gurney. All the wires had been removed, but a clear bag of fluids with a label on it was being administered into the vein on his left hand. He appeared much more like Flynn, instead of the almost lifeless man I’d found a couple of hours earlier. Considering what he’d been through the effect of his appearance still made my heart flutter.
Flynn smiled softly and reached out a hand for me to go to him, “So is there any end to the talents you possess, Valerie? I hear I have you to thank for me being here.”
As soon as I heard him speak, I dissolved into a teary mess. I loved him so much my heart squeezed tightly and relief flooded through my veins. I rushed to his bedside and buried my face in his neck crying hard, “God, Flynn, I thought you were going to die,” I blurted out unable to be strong in that moment.
“And leave you here on your own? Not a chance, babe. You’re mine, and I promise you I’m going to stick around and love you until I’m so old I’m peeing my pants, and we’re interviewing retirement homes together,” he said chuckling. The low timbre of his voice and his rumbly laughter against my face felt like the warmest hug.
When I started to talk to Flynn about what happened he said that he’d started to feel tired as they went on for the encore and by the time he’d gone back to the dressing room and sat down on the sofa he was passing out.
“It was weird because I was feeling tired, but the last thing I remember was I was so thirsty, and my heart was racing. Initially, I’d just thought it was an adrenaline rush. I’d carried the water bottle from the stage to the dressing room, and I drank all of that, and…” Flynn sat staring into space for a moment then looked back at me confused. “Nothing. I don’t know what happened after that.”
Flynn stopped his thought and threw his hands up looking at Lee, “Where the fuck were you?”
Lee explained what they’d done to him, and Flynn’s lips formed a line as he bit back how mad he was because he hadn’t seen any of what they did coming. He sent Lee to find out how Craig was doing. I hadn’t mentioned anything about him, but then again he’d known it was me that found him, so I guessed the doctor must have brought him up to speed that Craig was involved as well.
“My guess is it was something to do with Bernie or Tyler, Valerie. Whoever did that to me could’ve fucking killed me. What were they trying to achieve? I’m not going back. I’m done.”
“It was them, and I’ve got some thoughts about that Flynn. I wonder if they thought drugging you and making it look like you were in a compromising position would run me off. Your zipper on your pants was undone and the way I found you, it could have looked pretty damning if I didn’t trust you. Poor Craig wasn’t so lucky, Simone found him naked from the waist down with a nasty groupie hanging all over him.”
“Fuck, Valerie. I don’t get it. What the fuck went through their minds when they tried to pull shit like that? I’m sorry you had to see it. Do you know where my cell is?”
“Sorry, it’s probably still in the dressing room. I hit the emergency button and called 911, but Bernie knocked it out of my hand.”
“Can you call my legal team and ask someone to come over. I want to press charges.”
Lee came back into the room, and Flynn’s attention turned to him. “Call, Clinton, Lee. I want you to get me out of my contract. I’m not going back.”
Lee stood at the end of the bed, “Already done, boss. There’s more. Bernie has released a statement that you and Craig almost died tonight due to a drug overdose. Clever fucker said that the band stands united behind you and Craig and that you’re in rehab.”
“What the fuck is going on? He’s fucking crazy. He’s trying to kill my reputation. I want to press charges but how do I prove they did it?” Flynn asked.
While we were talking, a nurse arrived and checked Flynn’s vital signs, and he asked to be discharged from the hospital. Everyone advised against it, but after a few arguments with various doctors, he insisted on signing a disclaimer and Lee chartered a plane to take us home.
My cell rang as we were leaving the hospital. My parents had been contacted by the paparazzi and were naturally frantic about Flynn and the drug statement. Once I’d assured them it was a pack of lies, my father released a statement of his own. Bernie was obviously still meddling from a distance, and the way the story was being spun it sounded pretty damning for the both of us. From what dad said it seemed they were saying Flynn had corrupted me, and I’d run away from home to move in with a rock star drug addict.
On the way home, Lee rang Craig and Flynn told them that when Craig was released from the hospital, they should come to stay with us at his place. The security was better. When he was told he’d be out the following day, Flynn told Lee to arrange a plane for them.
Fifteen minutes after we arrived home, Clinton arrived. His legal team had been informed of the details, and his advice was to go public and give the press Flynn’s version of events. Once the public saw for themselves that Flynn wasn’t strung out on drugs and at home they’d realize that Bernie was out to damage his reputation.
“Think carefully about what you’re doing if you leave the group. They could bankrupt you by suing for damages and lost revenue from this tour,” Clinton warned. “Don’t you want to wait until you know what this is about?”
“I’m personally liable? Even if criminal charges are brought?” Flynn asked.
“You aren’t just under contract to the band, Flynn. You have contracts with all the venues, PR, the merchandise company, radio stations not to mention the record label and all the contracts for TV and festival appearances.”
Flynn sat staring out of the window. His elbows on the kitchen countertop and his chin resting on his hands. I sat and studi
ed my beautiful man and wondered what was running through his mind. I saw the worry etched on his face. A frown creased his brow, and his eyes were focused straight ahead. He began to register those thoughts visibly as his breathing became faster and shallower until he voiced them.
“We’ve got insurance for this kind of event, right? Fuck. You know what? I don’t care. I’ve lived on nothing before, I can do it again. Let them take the money and when it’s gone… they can’t get blood out of a stone.”
“We do have insurance, Flynn, but you could still find yourself penniless,” Clinton advised.
Grim faces stared pointedly as Flynn and his lawyer went head to head about how he should play it. As far as Flynn was concerned, clearing his reputation and mine were his priority. He’d deal with all the rest when the time came. I saw his strength and strong sense of right and wrong in that.
“You sure you know what you’re doing, Flynn? You don’t want to sleep on this? You’ve been to hell tonight.” I prompted. I had some money. Nothing near the wealth he had, but enough to keep us for a couple of years if we lived moderately. I stared at him wondering how someone like Flynn could fit back into normal society.
“Nope, but I’m doing it anyway. As long as I have you, Valerie, I don’t care what else happens. The house is ring-fenced in a way they can’t take that. Not sure how they did that, but I suppose it’s a security thing for events such as this. Is that right, Clint?”
“Yes, Flynn, but I really think you should think harder about this. It’s my duty to advise…”
“Alright, you did already.” He said and growled in frustration. “Just get the fucking press release ready we’re going to the front gate to make a statement. I’m out. I won’t line those bastards’ pockets with dollars another minute. The companies will get their money back eventually. Royalties come in pretty steadily, and I can write for other people if I don’t have a record deal anymore.”