Tainted

  “He’s very good,” Sawyer reluctantly admitted.

  “He’s more than good,” Alec replied. “He was world famous when he gave the business up five years ago. He has the talent to become a legend.”

  Sawyer had to agree, watching him. “Why did he leave?” Doubtful that if he was as big as Alec said that he would willingly walk away.

  Alec couldn’t hide his surprise. “You really don’t know?”

  Sawyer shook her head.

  “It made all the tabloids. He went into rehab for six months, and when he came out, he never returned to the stage. His backup singer, Jesse, took over. They’ve done well performing his songs, but nothing like the crowd out there now. Only half those seats had been sold until they heard that Kaden was returning; then they sold out.”

  Kaden removed his t-shirt on the stage and Sawyer’s mouth almost dropped open. His body had several tattoos on his chest and back. She had seen the ones on his arms; those were hard to miss, but the ones that covered his chest and back rocked the sexuality of his movements on the stage up a few degrees. Even Sawyer felt her body react to his sensuality, and she’d told herself that she hated the man.

  “He doesn’t seem the type to let anything control him.” Sawyer turned away from the screen, noticing Alec didn’t say anything.

  “How did you meet Kaden?” Sawyer asked, going to the table to reach for one of the sparkling waters and one of the tiny sandwiches before going to the couch and nibbling on the sandwich.

  “In rehab.”

  She had thought that he had known Kaden from before. “It doesn’t bother you being around the band drinking?” Sawyer regretted her words as soon as they left her lips. She had never been insensitive or rude before her kidnapping. She forced herself to swallow the small bite of sandwich in her mouth. “I’m sorry. That was rude of me.”

  Alec studied her several seconds before he replied, “Alcohol wasn’t my problem. Kaden made it a condition of his return that no drugs were going to be permitted on this tour.”

  “Alcohol must not have been Kaden’s weakness either then.”

  “I don’t think Kaden has a weakness anymore,” Alec replied.

  Sawyer picked up one of the magazines, ignoring the screen for the rest of the concert. She only looked up when she heard Kaden’s voice blend with a female voice. She reluctantly found herself watching as Kaden sang a song with the lead singer of the backup band. Her body constantly rubbed against his as they sang. Each time, the crowd got louder and louder.

  “Did she tour with Kaden before he left?”

  “No. From my understanding, they find a new band every tour,” Alec told her as he watched the two interact on the stage.

  Sawyer turned her attention away, not wanting to watch the two together, without being sure why. She hated Kaden for not letting her contact the police or to warn Vida. Sawyer got up from the couch at the thought of her friend, becoming restless.

  “How much longer?”

  “They’re finishing up now.”

  She half-listened and half-brooded as they did two more songs before leaving the stage. When they didn’t return to the room, she looked at Alec.

  “Encore.” Just as he explained, the band returned for three more songs before finally giving their goodbyes to the applauding crowd.

  The band returned to the VIP room; their energy bouncing off the walls. Alec took her arm, seating her in a chair, unobtrusively out of the way, as several fans were allowed in the room to take pictures with the band members.

  Sawyer saw Kaden talking to a man with a recorder as she watched everyone in the room. Slowly realizing that it was the press, she started to rise out of her chair.

  A hard hand on her shoulder pressed her back down into her seat. “Don’t, Sawyer. I’ll pack you out of here to the bus before you can say anything and Kaden will just tell everyone that you were overwhelmed coming so close to him.”

  Sawyer bit her lip, debating her chance of success. She didn’t want to be trapped in the bus during the concerts they performed. She couldn’t escape from the secure bus. Her only chance was during these concerts. She was going to have to play it smart and lull them into a false sense of security. They had two more concerts this week; a better chance would surely become available.

  When Kaden went to the table, grabbing a bottled water, Sawyer watched as he drank the bottle. He still hadn’t put his shirt back on. The lead singer from the other band came into the room with her band following, each of them laughing and talking familiarly with Kaden’s band.

  The woman singer went to Kaden, who was still standing at the table. Her arm circling his waist as she pressed herself against him, whispering into his ear. Sawyer tore her eyes away, not having to guess what the woman was saying to him. When she had worked at the restaurant, she’d served at the bar. She had seen women letting men know when they were available numerous times, and that was exactly what the woman was doing.

  Feeling Alec watching her, she moved her attention toward the others. Sin was talking to one of the women who had a backstage pass. His dark hair was tumbled, but his face was lit up with excitement. All the men had the same expression on their faces; however, Ax and D-mon were both antsy, roaming the room. Sawyer thought the excitement of the show, stoking the audience, had left them feeling a rush; it was probably hard to come down from.

  People came and went as the band took turns signing autographs and taking pictures. Becoming bored, Sawyer stood up.

  “It’s almost over; another ten minutes and we’ll go back to the bus,” Alec informed her. Going back to the confining space of the bus was nothing to look forward to, she thought.

  “I need to go to the restroom.”

  “Through that door.” Alec pointed to the doorway at the back of the room, but he didn’t make a move to follow her toward the restroom. Disappointed, Sawyer came to the conclusion that there must not be a way for her to sneak out.

  Going through the doorway, she saw the restroom door to the left. Opening the door, she came to a stop. Sin had a woman pressed up against the wall, her lower body bared and her skirt pulled to her waist as he fucked her. Both of them turned toward her, hearing her gasp. Hastily, her face flaming in embarrassment, she stepped back out, closing the door quickly. Rushing back out into the crowded room, she resumed her seat, feeling several curious eyes on her.

  “That was quick,” Alec said, returning to her side.

  “It was occupied.” His eyes narrowed on her before an amused smile played across his lips. His eyes searched the room before coming back to hers.

  “I take it Sin was getting better acquainted with one of the locals?”

  Sawyer gave a brief nod, twisting her hands together, and then looked away at his amusement and found her eyes caught by Kaden’s. The woman was still hanging onto him, but her smile appeared more forced.

  “Let’s go,” Alec said, taking her arm. Sawyer didn’t argue, wanting to get away from the embarrassing situation and Kaden’s watchful eyes.

  The hallway was busy with fans and workers moving around. Alec led her to a series of heavy doors before coming to a set of double steel doors where she recognized two of his men who opened them. Hurriedly, he maneuvered her through the crowd with determination, not letting any of the fans jostle her. Sawyer thought of jerking away and making a run for it, but almost as if he read her mind, his hand tightened on her arm, propelling her forward. Before she could come up with another plan, she found herself back on the bus.

  “Do you want to sit in here or go back into the bedroom?”

  At least he gave me a choice, she thought sarcastically, but not wanting to face Sin so soon after getting a bird’s eye view of his cock, she was ready to go back into the bedroom.

  Without answering him, she moved toward the back of the bus, going inside the room. She heard the lock behind her when the door closed. Regretting not being able to think of a way to escape, she felt like a failure letting Vida down.

  Hearing
the door unlock then open later, she looked toward it, seeing Kaden come into the bedroom.

  “The other shower is busy,” he explained his presence.

  “Help yourself,” Sawyer said, waving her hand toward the bathroom.

  His lips quirked at her giving him permission to use his own bathroom. She watched as he went to the closet and pulled out his bag, removing clothing before going into the bathroom. Sawyer then turned on the television to drown out the sound of him in the shower. Her imagination saw him removing his clothes and stepping into the surprisingly large shower.

  Twining a lock of her hair around her finger, she forced herself to choose a program as she felt the bus begin to move. She didn’t ask where they were going next, because she knew it was taking her further and further away from Vida.

  Sawyer’s eyes grew heavy and she lay down on her side, curling comfortably into the mattress. It was sometime later, when the bathroom door opened, that she was jerked awake.

  “Do you need anything?”

  “You could stop the bus and let me off,” she said, sitting up.

  His lips tightened. “I was talking about something to eat or drink.”

  “I know what you meant,” Sawyer snapped. “How long are you going to do this, Kaden? You’re holding me prisoner against my will. Eventually you’ll have to let me go, and then you and your entire band are going to go to jail,” she said angrily.

  “I don’t think it’s too smart telling me that, do you?” Kaden crossed his arms over his chest, watching her reaction.

  Sawyer forced herself not to let his attitude intimidate her. “Let me go, Kaden, and I won’t say a thing to the police. I promise.” Sawyer meant it; she just wanted her freedom. She would tell the police about the other women, but she would keep Kaden and his band out of it if he would let her go.

  “Somehow, I just don’t believe you, Sawyer.” When she opened her mouth to explain, he cut her off. “Sawyer, I told you what Redman said. I’m keeping you for you and your friend’s safety.”

  “I don’t need your help.” At his look of disbelief, she corrected herself. “I just want to get Vida and disappear.”

  “How? You said you worked as a waitress; how are you just going to disappear from a group of men involved in a sex ring who want you dead?”

  Sawyer winced at his blunt words.

  “V—Vida and I have been saving. We have almost five thousand dollars...” She turned red. She was aware five thousand wasn’t a large sum of money to him, but it was a fortune to her and Vida.

  “Five thousand isn’t going to be enough to hide you from men like Redman. They’ll have you in a week. This time, they’ll have your friend, Vida, also. It will take weeks, if not months, for the police to build a case. As soon as you tried to get a job when your money ran out, they would have you.”

  She hadn’t thought of that, assuming that the police would make an immediate arrest. She had heard that it took time to gather evidence and prosecute criminals; however, she hadn’t thought about it in regards to her and Vida’s safety. She was going to have to start thinking smarter if they stood any chance of surviving.

  Chapter Seven

  Sawyer sat in the corner, watching another after party, and at the same time, wanting to scream in frustration as yet another woman slipped unnoticed into the room. How so many could sneak into the guarded room while she couldn’t slip out was working her nerves to a screaming point.

  Being constantly monitored by Kaden and Alec, plus being on the bus, was bringing back the memories of her childhood where her over-protective mother had smothered her with attention after the death of her father.

  It had been three weeks since she had begun being held prisoner by Kaden. At first, she’d tried to remain aloof from the band, but the individual band members were gradually wearing down her intentions. She was deathly afraid that they were weakening her resolve to escape.

  Ax especially was sweet toward her, with a sense of humor that never failed to get a reluctant smile from her. He drove the other band members crazy with his pranks, and Sawyer especially enjoyed it when Kaden was the victim. He had locked Kaden inside his bed compartment with the sliding door this morning, and swore he didn’t remember where he had put the key.

  She had sat at the kitchen table, smirking into her coffee as she wondered how he liked a dose of his own medicine when Alec had spoilt the fun by picking the lock and releasing a furious Kaden. He had gone for the prankster and wrestled him from one end of the bus to the other. At first she had thought that Ax would be the easy winner of the wrestling match with his larger, muscled frame, but Kaden had quickly changed her opinion. Kaden may be lean; however, he was a dirtier fighter.

  Alec’s attention was diverted by a curvy brunette, who was flirting with him, while Kaden was surrounded by at least two women. Sin had disappeared for his concert hump, and D-mon, as usual, had his own personal fan club vying for his attention.

  Sawyer nonchalantly got to her feet as if going to get a drink. Using the crowd as cover, she edged for the door. A number of women came in the door and Sawyer took the opportunity to slide through. She saw Alec’s men with their backs turned, trying to keep the large number of women back. This arena was larger than the previous ones, with more exits for the men to cover, and they were becoming overwhelmed.

  Not hesitating, she used the forward momentum of a large group of women to slip into the crowd.

  “Hey! Stop!” one of the security detail yelled.

  Frantically, knowing she had been seen, she weaved through the crowd, which she now realized had a number of men. Seeing a group of males, she smiled and edged in between them, hoping their height would hide her while she figured out which direction to go. She saw Alec and D-mon rushed past and shrunk down.

  One of the men was looking down at her curiously. Expecting him to question her, he gave her a wink and slung his arm over her shoulder. “Get to rowdy for you, sweet thing?”

  It dawned on Sawyer that they thought she was frightened of the crowd.

  “Yes,” she mumbled, looking around.

  “Stay by me; I’ll keep you safe,” the young man bragged, without a muscle on the arm around her shoulders to back up his boastful words.

  His friends laughed. Seeing an exit sign, she was about to take off again when his arm tightened around her shoulder. “Where you going? Stay. We’re going to party after they leave. You can keep us company.”

  Sawyer didn’t feel afraid, not even when his hand went to her ass, bringing her up to his side.

  Sin and D-mon walked by, searching through the crowd.

  “Sounds good.” Sawyer would agree to anything to get out of the arena. She could ditch them when she managed to get outside.

  “Let her go,” Kaden’s voice sounded from behind her back.

  “Go find yourself your own woman. Take your pick. The whole place is full of them,” he joked, making his buddies laugh.

  “The one that I want has your hand on her ass,” Kaden said sharply. The man removed his hand from her ass, drawing his fist back. Kaden looked back at the man, daring him to make a move.

  “It’s Kaden Cross,” she yelled, drawing attention to their group.

  Kaden gave her a sharp glance, while the man about to clock Kaden, looked around in surprise just before the crowd surged around them. Using the opportunity, Sawyer again slipped through the surging crowd. She felt guilty when D-mon and Sin were recognized as well and were swarmed in a mass of female bodies. The guards watching the doors moved forward, trying to rescue Kaden, D-mon and Sin.

  Sawyer opened the heavy door, running through it, but came to a halt when she was grabbed from behind. Looking back, she saw it was Ax who had stopped her flight.

  “P—p—please,Ax. L—let me go.” She could tell he was wavering on his choice of releasing her or not. Gratefully, she took a step forward only to have her shoulder caught in Alec’s tight grip.

  “That was stupid, Sawyer. You could have gotten someone
hurt. My men are still trying to get Kaden out.” Grimly, he propelled her toward the parked bus. The crowd thinned out as he drew closer to it. Angrily rapping on the door, he threw her a disgusted look as it swung open.

  One of Alec’s men reached down as Alec shoved her unceremoniously forward.

  “Take her and lock her in the bedroom. I have to get Kaden.” Alec’s man drew her up the step, leaving her no choice as he rushed her to the bedroom where he unapologetically pushed her inside before locking the door.

  Sawyer stood, staring at the door, biting her trembling lip. She refused to feel guilty for alerting the crowd to the fact that Kaden was there. She’d had to take a chance to escape and get to Vida, didn’t she?

  She stood there several moments not knowing what to do, when she heard a loud crash against the door. Frightened, Sawyer took a step back from the door, listening to what she thought was a struggle. Loud voices were muted against the door. She had learned through talking to Ax that the bedroom was soundproof, so whoever was sleeping wouldn’t be disturbed by what was happening in the front of the bus. Sawyer waited anxiously for Kaden to storm into the room, so it was almost anticlimactic to hear the low voices retreat.

  Sawyer went to sit on the bottom of the bed, feeling the bus start and begin moving. She twined a curl of hair around her finger over and over. She’d had the fixation since she was a little girl. She had almost broken the habit, yet recently, she seemed to be doing it constantly.

  She tensed when she heard the key in the door, and then held her breath as it swung inward, presenting Kaden standing in the doorway. Her first glance at him almost had her jumping up to run to the safety of the bathroom and locking herself in, but she doubted she would make it from the deadly stare Kaden was focusing on her.

  She wanted to look away, although she didn’t; her guilt forcing her to accept the blame for his condition. His nose was swollen and bloody, and his hair was a mess with several spots having blood matting it down. There were numerous scratch marks on his face, and even on his chest, which she could see through the tattered remains of his t-shirt.