Broken: (McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series - Book 3) Page 24

  Dylan’s seated at his drum kit, making a lot of noise as goes through his drills. Jonah and Travis are showing off on their guitars, while Zeke accompanies them on his bass guitar. They act like a bunch of kids on stage, and the excitement is contagious.

  “Lia!”

  I turn to see Beth making a beeline toward me. Shane’s following close behind her, dressed in a suit and tie. I guess he’s on duty tonight too.

  Beth looks amazing, as always, in a pale mocha baby doll dress and brown leather ankle boots. She has several long strands of tiny pearls hanging around her neck and pearl drop earrings. Her hair is up in a style that’s part sophisticated twist and part sex kitten. The effect is stunning – and the best part is, she has absolutely no idea of her own appeal.

  “You look hot, princess,” I tell her, fanning myself. “If you weren’t already taken, I’d do you.”

  She blushes hotly and smacks me on the arm. “Stop that. I do not.”

  Shane’s right behind her, and of course he heard our exchange. He lays proprietary hands on her bare shoulders. “Sorry, but she’s taken.”

  “We’re opening the front doors at six o’clock,” Beth says, “and the show starts at seven. We’re giving out two drink tickets to each guest, and soft drinks and all the appetizers are free tonight. We also arranged for every guest to receive a free copy of Locke’s newest CD and a T-shirt.”

  “Wow, that’s pretty generous,” I say.

  She shrugs it off. “It’s sort of a thank-you from me and Shane to our employees.”

  Shane eyes the stage and then scans the floor seating arrangements. “There’s Jake,” he says, noticing our brother standing by the front entrance speaking to a couple of the door security staff. “I need to speak to him for just a minute.” Shane gives Beth’s shoulders a light squeeze. “I’ll just be a few minutes, sweetheart. Stay with Lia until I get back, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  Shane leans down from behind to kiss the side of her neck. It’s a lingering kiss that speaks volumes. I look away, not wanting to intrude on their private moment. Watching them together, seeing how happy they are, makes me wistful. I’m happy for them, but I’m also envious of their closeness. I’ve never before let myself get that close to anyone – well, not until Jonah.

  Once Shane’s out of hearing, Beth turns to me. “So, tell me all about you and Jonah.”

  I shake my head. “There’s nothing to tell.”

  Beth frowns. “Oh, come on! I don’t believe that for a minute.”

  I shrug. “So we hooked up a few times. You know I’m not the girlfriend type.”

  “I’ve seen the way you two look at each other, Lia. Trust me, that’s not simply hooking up.”

  As if on cue, we both look across the stage at Jonah, who’s strapping his guitar on for the rehearsal. As he’s adjusting the fit, he glances over at me and smiles.

  “I told you,” she says, elbowing me. “He doesn’t smile at anyone else like that. He’s smitten with you.”

  Jonah looks at Ruben across the room and taps his mic. “Testing, one, two, three, testing.”

  There’s a loud screech of feedback and everyone cringes.

  “Sorry!” Ruben says, lifting an apologetic hand. “All right, try it again, Jonah.”

  Jonah does, and the sound is good this time.

  “Okay, guys,” Ruben says, waving at the stage. “Everything looks good here. You can start anytime.”

  The band starts off their rehearsal by playing their opening set to a rapt audience of a dozen bar employees and roadies in the audience. Throughout the first song, Ruben continues to adjust the stage lighting and the sound. The acoustics in the building sound great to me.

  Shane rejoins us. “There’s a line forming outside. Jake will start letting them in at six.” He puts his arm around Beth’s shoulders and pulls her close. “I’ve reserved a table for us in the front row. Why don’t you join us, Lia?”

  The band finishes their first set without mishap. The first set includes a lot of their previous and current hits. There’s some discussion amongst the band about changing the order of a couple of songs, but nothing major. After a quick break, they play the second set, which features several of the songs from their new album. When the second set is done, one of the roadies runs off to notify Makayla that she’s needed on the stage. I swear, it takes her twenty minutes to get her skinny ass out here, and I know she’s just trying to be difficult.

  Makayla comes out on the stage in a pair of skinny jeans, a red sequined halter top that shows more than it covers, and four-inch red fuck-me heels. Her hair is pulled up in a complicated do, with long curling tendrils hanging down to frame her oval face. I’ll admit she looks gorgeous. Too bad her personality doesn’t match her looks.

  Dylan and the guys are only too happy to clear off the stage to take a break, and Jonah and Makayla perform their duet alone on stage. It’s an acoustic number, with Jonah on guitar and Makayla prancing around him on stage. It’s a hot, sexy number about a volatile couple – a guy and girl who fight and then make up, only to fight again and keep repeating the cycle. The irony isn’t lost on me – it pretty much describes their former relationship. They sound perfect together, though, their voices blending beautifully. It’s no wonder Dwight wants them together. They’re an amazing music industry power couple.

  At the end of their duet, when the lyrics are poignant and the melody haunting, Makayla presses up against Jonah’s back, and when the song is over, she comes around in front of him to surprise him with a kiss. He steps away from her, but she’s got her arms wrapped around him, and his hands are full of guitar, so he has difficulty separating from her.

  I can’t stand watching her fawn over him like this. There’s plenty of security in the place, and I’m not particularly needed here at the moment. So I head back stage to make my escape – at least long enough to get my head on straight.

  “Lia, wait!”

  I hear him calling me, but I just want to be alone so I keep going, past the make-shift green room for the band. I pass Makayla’s dressing room and the kitchen, which is bustling with employees gearing up for the night’s event.

  At the end of the hall is a metal door, and I punch through it and step out into the alley. The door closes behind me with a loud clang that reverberates down the alley that runs between two large red-brick buildings. Apparently, the door is an exit only, as there is no handle from the outside, no way to open it. Great!

  I needed some fresh air – although the freshness of this alley is debatable as there are several ripe garbage dumpsters back here. I never wanted this. I never wanted to get so close to someone that I could feel pain like this. I’m jealous of a bimbo, and I hate it!

  The door opens, and Beth pops her head outside. “Are you okay?”

  I’m pacing like a caged tiger. “Do I look okay?”

  She steps outside and releases the door, and it starts to swing shut.

  “Don’t let the door shut!” I warn her. “Or you can’t get back in.”

  Just before the door closes, Shane pushes it open and steps outside, propping the door open with his foot. “Come back inside, sweetheart,” he says to Beth. “It’s cold out here, and you aren’t wearing a jacket.”

  Beth looks torn. “But Lia – ”

  Jonah steps through the door, brushing past Shane, his eyes on me. Beth glances between the two of us, then reluctantly follows Shane back inside the building.

  Jonah uses a discarded brick to prop the door open. Then he crosses his arms over his chest and stares at me for several long brooding moments, saying nothing. Damn, no man has a right to look so good. No wonder Makayla can’t let him go.

  I can tell he’s mad at me, and I find that aggravating. “What?” I snap, hating how defensive I sound.

  “Why did you walk out like that? She’s doing it on purpose, you know. She’s trying to get a rise out of you. Why do you let her?”

  “She drives me crazy! And I can’t stand to s
ee her fawning all over you.”

  He shakes his head in dismay, and I see the beginnings of a smile. “Are you jealous? Seriously?”

  “No. Of course not.”

  “Sure looks like it to me.”

  I know he’s right, and it hate it. I don’t want to care for him. I don’t want to care for anyone! If I don’t care, then it can’t hurt me.

  “I told Makayla to return to LA in the morning. She keeps crossing the line. You know I don’t want anything more to do with her, so don’t act like an idiot.”

  “Did you just call me an idiot?”

  He grins. Of course he did. The bastard knows just how to get to me.

  “Well, you’re certainly acting like one.” He steps forward and pulls me into his arms. I resist at first, but he tightens his hold. “Stop squirming and let me hold you.”

  I fight it for a moment, but his chest feels too good to ignore... solid and warm. The slightly musky scent of his perspiration makes me want to melt into him.

  “See, that’s not so hard, is it?” He presses his face to my hair. “You don’t always have to be the strong one, you know. I can take care of you, too, if you’d let me.”

  “I don’t need someone to take care of me.” But the truth of my words is a bit undermined by the fact that my words are muffled against his T-shirt.

  He leans down, getting right in my face. “I know you don’t. You’re the strongest person I know. But you can humor me once in a while, can’t you?”

  I can’t help smiling. “Maybe once in a while.”

  His mouth drops to mine. It’s a soft, gentle kiss to start, as if he’s testing the waters. But when I respond with a moan, he deepens the kiss and slips his tongue into my mouth. His tongue stroking mine sets off a chain reaction of pleasure rippling through my body, stealing its way down to my core. I melt into him, my hips pressed to his, and he groans into my mouth.

  I have butterflies in my belly. “How much time do we have before the show starts?”

  He chuckles. “What did you have in mind?”

  Dylan pops his head through the open doorway. “Shane told me you guys were out here. Dwight wants to see you, Jonah. In the band lounge. He said right now.”

  Chapter 38

  Jonah takes my hand and drags me along with him down the hall to the make-shift green room.

  “What does he want?” I ask Dylan.

  “I dunno,” he replies. “But hurry, dude. The show starts in twenty minutes.”

  We find Dwight seated alone on one of the sofas in the manager’s office. Zeke and Travis are seated on the other sofa, kicking back and watching videos on their phones.

  “There you are, Jonah,” Dwight says when we enter. He frowns at me. “Lia, this is a private business meeting for the band. No guests are allowed.”

  Jonah tightens his grip on my hand. “She’s not a guest. She stays.”

  Dwight scowls. “Fine. Then keep her quiet, or she leaves.” With a pleased grin on his face, Dwight turns his open laptop to face us. There’s a document open on the screen. “I received your new contract offer from the label today, and it’s full of good news. I successfully negotiated a 20% raise for all of you.”

  Jonah stiffens beside me and squeezes my hand hard enough to cut off the blood flow. He glances guiltily at the guys. “Dwight, we discussed this. I told you I’m not sure – ”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Jonah,” Dwight says. “I went to bat for you to get this increase.”

  The smug expression on Dwight’s face drives me nuts. “And how much of a raise did you give yourself, Dwight?”

  Dwight’s face turns red as he bristles. “That’s none of your business, Lia. What part of keep quiet did you not understand?”

  I release Jonah’s hand and step forward, getting right into Dwight’s weaselly face. “What’s the matter, Dwight? Did I hit a nerve? Why don’t you tell the guys how much of a raise you got?”

  Jonah’s remarkably calm as he checks his watch. “This isn’t the time or place to discuss this right now, Dwight. We’re going on stage in eighteen minutes.”

  I know Jonah feels guilty about even considering not renewing, and I hate that Dwight is putting him on the spot like this, especially in front of the guys.

  Dwight shuts his laptop and shoots to his feet. “You can’t walk away from a contract like this, Jonah! You’ll be blacklisted in the industry.”

  The guys all look at Jonah, obviously taken aback.

  “You don’t want to renew our contract?” Dylan says, looking at Jonah as if he’d just killed his puppy.

  Travis and Zeke both look nervous, but they don’t say anything.

  Jonah rubs the back of his neck. “Guys…”

  “Of course he’s renewing,” Dwight says, daring Jonah to contradict him.

  Don’t count on it, I think, but I refrain from saying it out loud because I don’t want to freak out the guys right before they’re supposed to be on stage. Dwight’s timing is rotten.

  “Guys, you have nothing to worry about, I promise,” Jonah says.

  One of the stage hands pokes his head into the room. “Guys? It’s time.”

  Jonah offers Dylan his hand and pulls him up from the sofa. “There’s nothing to worry about, all right? Let’s go.”

  * * *

  Jonah and the guys are standing behind the curtains, just waiting for their cue to walk on stage. Every seat in the house is filled, and the audience is buzzing with anticipation. The media outlets Dwight invited are all in place, with a dozen video cameras set up on tripods stationed around the room to capture the performance from every possible angle, including a couple overhead. Ruben and Dwight are seated at the control console opposite the stage. The room is filled with energy and excitement.

  “Where will you be during the show?” Jonah asks.

  “I was thinking I’d watch from back stage, right here.” I’m not a fan of crowds.

  “Would you mind sitting out front? I asked Shane to save you a seat at their table. Would you sit with them?” He leans down to press a quick kiss to my lips. “Please?”

  I really don’t want to be out front, but Jonah rarely ever asks for anything. “All right, fine. Just don’t expect me to throw my panties up on stage or anything stupid like that, cause I’m not that kind of girl.”

  He grins. “Got it. No panties.”

  * * *

  Beth saved the seat beside hers for me, and I sit down just as the lights dim in a five-minute warning. I glance around the table and see a few familiar faces: Sam, Erin and Mack from the bookstore, and of course Beth and Shane. There’s a mad last-minute rush as the guests who are still mingling take their seats. The audience goes quiet in anticipation of the show starting. A single spotlight shines down on center stage at the microphone stand.

  Phil Peters, the owner of Rowdy’s and a friend of Shane’s, steps up to the mic and greets the audience. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have the distinct privilege of hosting Locke tonight. You’d have to be living under a rock to not know who this band is. Their hits have been dominating the charts all year, and they’ve been nominated for Best New Artist of the year at the American Music Awards and at the MTV Music Video Awards. Sit back and enjoy the show, folks. Let’s give it up for Locke!”

  More spotlights light up the stage, and the audience roars with applause. First Dylan walks out from behind the curtain and takes his seat behind the drums. Then, Travis and Zeke walk out together to take their places, one on either side of the center mic. They pick up their guitars and strap them on just as Jonah walks out on stage and the hoots and hollers escalate to a deafening level.

  Jonah smiles as he waves at the audience. When the applause finally starts to die down, he speaks into his mic as he straps on his guitar. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming tonight. I’d like to thank Shane McIntyre of McIntyre Security and Beth Jamison of Clancy’s Bookshop for making this event possible tonight. And I’d like to thank Phil Peters for hosting us here at Rowdy’s. I
hope you all enjoy the show.”

  The lights dim for just a moment, then come back up. The audience renews their applause as Jonah kicks off their opening number with a quiet, “One, two, three, four.”

  I have a perfect front row seat with an unobstructed view of the band. My eyes are glued to Jonah, and for a change I can sit back and simply enjoy watching him perform and not have to be on guard every second. The building is crawling with security tonight.

  I’ve seen Locke’s music videos on YouTube a thousand times, and I know how good they are. Jonah’s an amazing song writer, and he has an amazing voice. All of the guys sing backup, and their voices blend effortlessly together. Jonah’s voice stands out, of course, with its perfect, deep resonance.

  They start off with their newest hit, and the audience applauds, hollering and whistling to show their support. Jonah scans the front row tables and zeroes in on ours. His gaze locks on me, and I give him a discrete wave. He nods at me without missing a note.

  They sound fantastic. I love watching Jonah on stage... watching those arm muscles flex as he plays the guitar. My eyes are drawn to his tattoos, which are sexy as hell. His T-shirt hugs his chest, and his jeans – worn and ripped – hang on his lean hips. The guy is sex-on-a-stick. It’s no wonder all those fan-girls go nuts over him.

  When they finish the first song, the crowd jumps to their feet and applauds thunderously, including me. I can’t resist getting swept up in the excitement. Beth and Erin stand, too, and they’re just as excited as I am. They continue their first set, singing one hit after another with some new material mixed in.

  Throughout the show, food and drinks appear at our table, courtesy of Rowdy’s owner. I can’t take my eyes off Jonah, and I often find him looking at me. I’m glad I agreed to sit in the audience. I can get my fill of ogling him without drawing any unwanted attention.

  As the second set nears its end, I start to get queasy, as I know his duet with Makayla is coming up soon. It’s the last number of the night, and I’m so not looking forward to it.

  Sure enough, as the final song of the set wraps up, the guys take their bows and applause, then Dylan, Travis and Zeke exit the stage. Makayla sweeps out onto the stage, wearing tight black leather pants, a black leather halter top, and huge glitzy diamond earrings.