by Shea, Kacey
Trent’s gaze flicks to Sean and then over to Jess. She studies the tips of her shoes, her face etched with worry. Opal rubs her hand over her belly in slow circles. Everyone is being weird and that knot of concern in my gut grows.
Lexi meets my stare and breaks the silence. “Maybe we should wait for Jayla?”
I laugh to ease the tension. “This better not be an intervention. I promise I hardly get high anymore.” And I don’t. Not unless you count the woman I am completely addicted to.
Trent rolls his eyes, but there’s a hint of a smile on his lips. “Not everything is about you, dumbass.”
“But it should be. Speaking of, I hope to God you ordered breakfast for this impromptu meeting. I’m hungry.”
“There’s bagels, fruit, and orange juice,” Opal says. “Let me make you a plate.” She presses her hands into the couch and moves to stand.
“No way, little mama.” I reach for her elbow and halt her from moving any further. “I should be getting you a plate. You want something?” I stand and take a few steps backward.
“Bring me an apple?”
“You got it.” I wink, mostly because it annoys Leighton. I have no interest in Opal, but I do like fucking with him.
As if on cue, he frowns.
I just laugh, strutting across the suite to make a plate and brew myself a cup of coffee. I have a feeling I’m going to need several more to get through today. I didn’t get a ton of sleep last night, not that I’m complaining. I’d gladly trade rest for more sexy times with Jayla, but we have a full schedule on the agenda. Interviews with local radio and news stations. Sound checks. Luncheon with some sponsors. Then a meet and greet before tonight’s show. It’ll be past midnight before we roll on to St. Louis and do it all again.
“You’re in a much better mood this morning.” Trent stands next to me at the bar and snags a grape off my plate, popping it into his mouth.
“Yeah, well. New day. New dawn.” Jayla and I fucked and it was amazing. The urge to brag is there, but for once I don’t let it out. Not because I’m embarrassed, or because he’ll give me shit about sleeping with her. No, it’s bigger than that. Last night was everything I’d hoped for, and all I needed. More than I ever expected. It was more than sex, and special, and I don’t want to share that with anyone.
“You got laid,” he deadpans.
“What?” Is it that obvious? I’ve been a miserable SOB this week, sure, and even now when I know there’s something big going down, I can’t keep the slight smile from playing at my lips, or the lightness from my step.
He shakes his head and rolls his eyes. “Shameless. What did you do, chase down that chick from last night? All because we were giving you a hard time for crushing on Jayla.”
“Something like that,” I mutter and mix cream into my coffee.
“Wait. You didn’t fuck—?”
The door swings open with a sharp knock, and Jayla struts through wearing her badass CIS pantsuit and self-confidence like she runs this show. Which isn’t far from the truth. Damn. This woman. I can’t help but stare.
“Jayla.” Sean stands from his seat next to Jess. “Thanks for coming.”
“Tell me what’s going down,” she gives a curt nod, and settles herself onto the edge of an empty armchair.
I grab my plate but pause at Trent’s gaping stare. He knows. About Jayla and me. Shit. It’s probably written all over my face. He’s come to the truth by his own conclusion and if he asks I won’t lie, but by the nervous bouncing of Jess’s leg and the anxiousness in Sean’s eyes, this isn’t about me right now. I leave him to ponder and rejoin Opal on the couch.
“Coy is harassing Jess,” Sean says plainly.
“Wait, what?” I practically roar.
Jess shoots me a pleading look. I don’t know if it’s meant to calm me down, but my mouth clamps shut regardless.
“Explain,” Jayla says. “The more details the better.”
“It started with a few texts.” Jess’s voice is soft. “I didn’t know for sure it was him, but I deleted them anyway.”
Jayla leans forward on her elbows. “When was this?”
“The first week of January. After the tour restarted.”
“What did they say?”
“They were mostly nothing. Just a lot of ‘Hey, girl,’ and ‘Can I see you?’ that kind of stuff.” Jess waves it off, but it’s obvious this isn’t nothing.
Jayla nods. “And you think it was Coy?”
“That’s what I think now. About a week ago, he started showing up at work.”
“Fucker,” Sean mutters under his breath. I concur.
“You work at a clothing boutique, right?”
“Yes.” She says. “Paula Sorrento’s shop on Rodeo.”
“Did he approach you?”
“Not at first. He just came in, browsed, and then left.” She visibly shivers. “Then I caught him waiting outside a few times.”
“He’s stalking her.” Sean’s arms flex with agitation. “That’s illegal, right? We have a restraining order.”
“Good. The restraining order is good.” Jayla’s demeanor is calm, her voice firm. Her presence alone settles our room as everyone looks to her for guidance. In this one moment I can see that she must have been an amazing cop. “Jess, did you ever call the police when he came in? Or say anything to him?”
“No. Should I have?” Jess bites the inside of her cheek and presses her hands together. “I didn’t want to cause problems for the shop, or make a scene. But now, I think maybe that only encouraged him.”
“None of this is your fault. You know that.” Sean rubs the small of her back.
“What happened next?” Jayla encourages.
“He followed me to school. I’m taking classes at the community college. I didn’t see him approach. Like at all. One minute I was grabbing a soda from the vending machine during a break, and then next he was there, right in my space.”
My head pounds with rage and I’m overcome with the impulse to beat the shit out of Coy Wright all over again.
“That must have been terrifying,” Jayla says.
“It was. I wanted to scream. Or run. But I felt stuck. I just kept flicking the tab of my soda back and forth while he begged me to fix things. He said I owed him, that he would take me back.” She shakes her head and bristles. “Like I’d ever go back to that monster.”
“Did he touch you, or hurt you?”
“No. He didn’t get close enough. Once the shock of seeing him again wore off, I excused myself and went back to class. I thought he might wait for me, but he wasn’t there when I came out.”
“And when was this?”
“Yesterday.” Jess blows out a breath and leans into Sean’s side. “Before I flew out for the weekend.”
Jayla taps her fingers at the knee of her pants for a quiet moment before she speaks again. “Do you know what he meant, for you to fix things?”
“He kept saying I ruined his life. That no one would hire him. That I broke his heart.” Jess’s gaze flicks over to me briefly. “And that my new guys made it impossible for him to play.”
No.
My gut fills with dread.
This is my fault. Mine. I’m the reason Coy is stalking her. Harassing her. Why the fuck did I think it was a good idea to fight his lawsuit? I could settle. I should have sooner. A bastard like Coy doesn’t just go away. Of course he’d reach out and try to hurt the people I love to get what he wants.
“This is all my fault,” I blurt, unable to keep the crush of guilt to myself a second longer.
All eyes in the room swivel from Jess over to me.
“I’m sorry.” Sean chuckles but it’s filled with annoyance. “How do you have anything to do with Coy the douche canoe harassing my girlfriend?”
“The lawsuit.” I swallow my pride. “He’s coming after us to make us hurt.”
“That’s his choice. Not yours.” Jayla levels me with a serious stare. “You can’t take responsibility for someone else�
��s circumstances.” By the undercurrent of her words, I feel as if she’s talking about more than Coy. That she’s giving me absolution for not being there for her when she needed me most.
“But I told Rachel I wouldn’t settle.” I swallow another wave of responsibility and send a meaningful glance in Jayla’s direction. “That’s why she called the other night. That’s why Coy came after Jess. It has to be.”
Jayla’s brown eyes give nothing away. I can’t tell whether I convinced her my lawyer’s late night call meant nothing, or if she’s forgiven me, and I wish we could go back to my room to work all of this out.
“Austin.” Jess waits until I meet her gaze. “You have done nothing but protect me. This is not your fault. Besides, what makes you think Coy will go away, even if you pay him off?”
“We have to try,” I say immediately.
“How much?” Jess’s lips press into a nervous line.
“Doesn’t matter,” I say, because it doesn’t. If it buys her safety, it’s worth it.
Jess shakes her head. “I can’t let you do that. I’ll pay you back.” Jess doesn’t have money, but she’s also someone who won’t take handouts. She fights Sean every time he insists on paying for things, and they’re together. The woman is incredibly resilient and strong despite her outward appearance.
“You’re not paying him back.” Sean shakes his head and lets loose a chuckle. “I know for a fact he has the money.”
I wink at my friend. “That’s right. I’m a fucking baller.”
Sean groans with a roll of his eyes, but I can tell he appreciates the diversion. “Scratch that. I’ll pay for it. I can’t have you holding this over me.”
“Coy’s suing me, not you.” I shake my head. “I’ll pay.”
“You guys can argue about who’s flipping the bill later. For now, I think it’s best we come up with a plan to keep Jess away from Coy.” Jayla turns back to Jess. “You’re not flying back until we get to Ohio, right?”
“Right.”
“That gives us a few days. I’ll arrange for private security when you get back. I also have some connections with a few guys on the force who owe me. I’ll ask them to check in on Coy.”
“Is that necessary?” Jess rubs her hands up and down her arms. “I’m probably overacting because of my past. He didn’t do anything other than try to talk to me.”
Sean opens his mouth to argue but it’s Jayla who lays down the law.
“Yes. We won’t take chances. He hurt you before, and he’ll do it again if given the chance. I don’t want him feeling comfortable enough to approach you anywhere, ever.”
Jess nods, and despite her earlier bravado, her features soften with apparent relief.
“We got you, Jess,” Lexi reassures. “You’re family. You don’t do this alone.”
“Thank you,” Jess says.
Not wanting to waste another minute, I pull out my cell phone and fire off a text to Rachel. I should have done this days ago. Thinking of how Coy hurt Jess, how Jayla was hurt by her cousin, how I’ve let down the important women in my life time and time again, spurs me to action. There’s a good chance Rachel won’t get my message until Monday, but it’s better to get the ball rolling as soon as possible. Thankfully, Jess is here with us for the next few days and safe until then. As crazy as Coy is, he’s a fucking coward too. I don’t think he has the balls to approach her with all of us around.
“Thanks, Jayla. I appreciate your help on this.” Sean scrubs a hand over his face, the worry not completely gone from his features, but eased. “We don’t want the label involved. This is a personal matter. But we also don’t want to put you in a situation you aren’t comfortable with.”
“Oh, yeah.” Jayla straightens her shoulders and presses her lips together. “It’s fine. I understand.” She doesn’t meet my gaze.
“You’ve been a total professional since you joined this tour,” Sean continues, his hand rubbing circles against the small of Jess’s back. “We trust you. And we don’t want to force you into an ethical dilemma.”
Jesus. He’s pouring it on a little thick. Jayla appears as uncomfortable as I feel. Fuck, Sean. He’s going to make her re-evaluate spending the night together, and probably cock block me from ever enjoying that again.
I glare daggers at my bandmate, willing him to shut the fuck up, but it’s in vain. And pointless, because not a second later, a sharp rap of knocking pulls everyone’s attention to the hotel door. We all glance at each other, no one making a move to see who it is.
27
Jayla
I raise my brows with a tired sigh. “I take it none of you ordered room service?” My stomach knots with anticipation as well as a touch of alarm. I don’t know what lies on the other side of the door, but if it follows the way my morning’s been going, it’s probably not good.
“We did not.”
“Trent, this is your room, so you should open it. Everyone else stay here.” I motion for him to follow me to the door. A glance out the peephole reveals a giant bouquet of roses. I don’t miss how the arrangement hides the face of whomever is holding them. Convenient or happenstance? Either way, my entire body tingles with suspicion.
“Did you order flowers?” I whisper to Trent.
He shakes his head in the negative.
“Who’s there?” Trent shouts and glances through the peephole.
“Delivery for Mr. Donavan.”
Trent’s gaze darts to mine and he gives a shrug as if asking what he should do.
I nod to the door, signaling for him to turn the handle, and then stand to one side so our intruder won’t see me once it’s open.
Trent drags the door open a few inches. “Can I help you?”
“Mr. Donavan. These came for you,” the man holding the bouquet says.
“No, thank you. I’m not expecting them.”
“Sir?” the man asks, confused. “I got the request a little over an hour ago from corporate. Security gave special permission.”
I never gave permission and I’ve heard enough. I step in front of Trent before he can take the arrangement. “I’m sorry, there’s been a mix up. Can I please see your ID?”
“Miss Miller,” the hotel employee says, clearly surprised at my presence. I recognize him from the meetings we had yesterday to go over procedure. He jostles the arrangement from one arm to the other before finally setting it on the floor. He hands over his identification.
I study the card. “So, Mark. Want to tell me what you’re doing? We talked about no outside deliveries to hotel rooms. I’m pretty sure we went over the protocol until everyone was blue in the face.”
He tilts his head, confusion etched into the furrow of his brow. “But I was told to bring these up.”
“I never spoke to you.”
He swallows and glances from me, to Trent, and then to the flowers. “I’m not trying to start trouble. Just following orders.”
“Who gave you the orders?”
“Mr. Vincent Collins.” Head of operations for WMI. Why would he send flowers to the band? “Your security team said you were off the clock. Some guy name Brian searched these before I came up. I swear.”
Now it’s my turn to swallow. I wasn’t in my room last night or this morning. Did someone try to get hold of me? Is this guy telling the truth? “Okay.” I pull out my cell, notice the time and almost blanch. My security team meeting started five minutes ago. Fuck. One night with Austin and I’m already distracted to the point I can’t do my job. I pull up my contacts and click on Brian’s name.
“Morning, Miss Miller.”
“Hey, sorry I’m running late. I’ll be there in five, but did you okay a flower delivery for Mr. Donavan’s room?”
“Yes, sure did. Vince called this morning and said to expect them.”
“Huh.” I cradle my cell between my shoulder and ear and eye the bouquet in the hall. Turning to the bellhop, I mouth a thank you and he leaves, clearly relieved. I stoop next to the arrangement and pull out the car
d. Looking at Trent, I hold it and he signals I should open it. I skim the note inside, feeling both relieved and ridiculous at my overreaction.
“Thanks, Brian. I’ll see you in a few,” I say, ending the call and handing the note over to Trent. “I think you’ll want to read this.”
I grab the bouquet of flowers and he holds the door open for me to pass.
“Everything okay?” Austin asks.
“False alarm.” I feel stupid even saying it. I hide my embarrassment by finding a spot on the counter for the flowers and then meddling with the arrangement. I feel so off my game right now. I’m the woman always one step ahead. I plan. I stay in control. Had I not spent the night with Austin, I would have known these flowers were being delivered. As head of security for this tour, it’s my responsibility to know things. I just had a mini-heart attack and put the band through the same, and all for freaking celebratory roses.
“Fuck, yeah!” Trent whoops as he reads the note and rushes to pull Lexi into his arms. “Baby, we’re gonna be king and queen of this year’s Grammys!”
“What?” She smiles, shaking her head with confusion until he hands her the letter. She processes the words and I think this is the first time I’ve ever witnessed Lexi Marx rattled with emotion. “Oh, my God! This is amazing! They want us to perform. Together?”
Everyone cheers and offers congratulations to their friends.
“Hey, what about the rest of us?” Austin complains.
“Find a girl with the voice of an angel who is also a rock goddess, and maybe they’ll ask you next time,” Trent teases before returning his adoring gaze to Lexi and capturing her lips in a heated kiss.
“This calls for a toast.” Sean stands from the couch and walks over to the refrigerated cabinet below the bar. “They’ve gotta have champagne or something good in here.”