“Just six months.”
“I see.” He moved his eyes toward Emilio. “And you two? Just as long?”
Emilio got to his feet, grabbing Random by the shirt and dragging him to his feet with one fierce movement. I too was up on my feet, feeling my heart jumping in a panic. Had Jonas sent him to question us? What the hell was going on?
“I think you need to leave now. And asking questions can be a dangerous habit.”
Random lifted his arms in surrender, an amused grin sliding across his lips.
“I’m not one to talk much. Ask Liz. Besides, I don’t really care what’s going on between you two. Just get her to the studio on time this time around. That’s all I ask.”
Emilio shoved him back, letting Random tumble to the ground. “Stay away from us. I advise you to keep away from Jonas too. He’s not who he seems to be. He’ll make you pay for anything you say, trust me.”
Random scrambled back to his feet, looking out of sorts. He straightened himself and smoothed down his clothes and hair as he shook off the assault.
“If he knows anything, it’s not from me. But I have a price too.”
Emilio stepped forward, which caused Random to back up some.
“Your life is payment enough,” he snarled.
“Alright, you got a point. I’m just saying. There’s one more small favor I’m going to ask for, and it has nothing to do with either of you.” He wrinkled his eyebrows as he thought about what he was going to say next. “Well… it might involve you a little bit.”
“What do you want?”
Random pushed another loose strand of hair and focused on me, his eyes gleaming with a liquid shine as he visibly calmed.
“Audrey. I want your sister, Audrey.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Audrey
“No! That’s the wrong one…we can’t use that beat whatsoever. I told you I needed more of a pulsating tone, not a swing one. You don’t want to be a jazz festival drop out. Make it tighter.” Random tossed the clipboard he was holding across the soundboard. It smacked against a shelf across the room, sending a vase of artificial flowers crashing to the floor.
Saul’s fingers gripped the arms of the chair he’d sat in next to Random. Even the veins in his forehead and neck popped out with a fury as Random’s temper flared. I was afraid he was going to have a coronary from the deepening shade of crimson he was turning.
I frowned at Random whose attitude this time around in our recording sessions for our second album had turned completely sour.
“What the fuck is your problem? It was only a suggestion. You don’t have to implode,” I spat. His attitude needed a severe adjustment, and I was aching to use my fingers around his neck to do it.
He turned toward me, and I swore I could see his anger dissipate slowly out his ears as he focused on me.
“I apologize, Audrey, but there’s a ton of pressure on this second album, most of it you all have not been exposed to for several reasons. If this album fails, we’re done. I’m out of a job at least for a while. So…please. I need you guys to focus, and get your sister in here on time!”
“I’m here…here.” Liz plopped into the chair next to me looking winded. Her face was flushed from the cooling autumn air outside, and her hair was wild under the beanie hat she’d pulled off as she sat down. “Let’s do this. What do you need from us, Random?”
I gawked at her. This wasn’t Liv, not the consistently tardy and drunk on her continual sustenance of alcohol she lived off of so very often. This was an unfamiliar girl.
“Liv…uh…What’ve you done with my sister?” I peered down at my cellphone for the time. “You’re almost late, but you made it…on time.” I was baffled and noticed the same shocked look upon Saul and Random’s faces.
“What do you mean? I’m here. Let’s do it.” Liz jumped up and stood over the soundboard, wrinkling her nose at all the unidentified knobs, switches, and levers. “Play it again. I want to hear this crazy beat you’re arguing about.”
Random’s usual seriousness returned to fill the previous crack in his armor, and he turned back to his favorite thing to do, molest the damn sound board to tweak the music we were creating.
“Here, I think more of a hypno beat to the song will do, but I need you to re-sing the lyrics with a more moody sound to them. The last take was too…chippy. If you catch my drift.”
Liz nodded as she listened to the beats. Her voice belted out of the speakers in a way that didn’t quite mesh with the rhythm Random was wanting, but I could see his point.
“I can redo the guitar too, drag out the chords a tiny bit or go somewhat faster, whatever you guys think is better,” I volunteered.
“I think a faster guitar will compliment it better, and Liz’s part elongated will help,” Saul stated. He was still pissed off, but the look on his face was all business. I hoped he could get over Random’s off the wall attitude, or this was going to be a rough recording session for the entire album. I didn’t want to spend my days cramped in here with two dueling guys.
“Got it. Let’s do this.” Liz yanked off her jacket and smoothed her static filled hair down before slinging the studio door open and waving at us to follow. “Come on! We have music to make.”
She definitely wasn’t herself, or maybe she was...I didn’t know. She appeared sober, which was a new thing from the last several months since Emilio left. She’d spent them in a dreary haze of drugs, alcohol, and a caffeine overdosing high. Something was different, but I would take this more coherent Liz any day of the week.
“Alright then.” Saul followed us in and we settled at our respective instruments to play.
“Ready? One…two…three…” Random’s voice faded, and we began playing our new single called Sweet Death. The combination of a slower hypnotic beat with a faster guitar made the room feel like I was in a trance. As Liz’s voice began flow, I closed my eyes, feeling the guitar become one with me as my own voice slid out to compliment hers…
“Inside your heart
I want to linger
Just for a while
For it inspires
The darkness in me…
Fill me up
With your venom
For your love requires
The death of me…
Poisonous touch
Addictive in all ways
Promise too much
But I’m already lost
This love is a killer
A Fatal therapy
Can’t seem to get away
This sweet remedy
Tar black heart
You stole what’s left
Your ice cold heart
Crystallizing mine
Until it shatters
The light inside me
Waiting for you to save me
But it never comes
Empty, forsaken heart
Fails inside my chest
This sweet death you give to me
Such calamity…”
The beat faded as we kept strumming the final chords. When we did finish, it echoed in my ears and left my heart racing. Music did that to me; it was the best drug I’d ever known, and it never failed to excite every synapse in my body. Even my fingertips buzzed from the energy it produced.
“Perfect! Let’s play that back and see if it needs any tweaking. Wow…that was like a one take recording!” Random’s excitement made me forgive his earlier tantrum, and I smiled as I peered across the glass. He flicked his eyes up at that very moment, meeting my gaze.
He didn’t look away but paused and continued to regard me until the power of it made me break the connection. I slowly strummed the guitar before peering up once more; first at Saul, who thankfully couldn’t see what just happened, and then to Liz, who wore a curiously knowing glimmer in her eyes. It wasn’t judgmental, but for once in my life, it told me something was happening and I had no idea what was going on, even though I thought I did.
I ripped my eyes away, worried for a
moment that I’d missed something. Glancing back up to Random, who was now busy moving knobs and flipping switches until our song began to flood the speakers with its mesmerizing beat, I felt something change, like a static charge in the air. Still, I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Random sat back on his chair and focused on me again. Not Saul…not Liz…but me. I forced myself to not look away this time so I could observe this man even more. And there it was…clear as day.
Desire. Wanting. Admiration.
He was conveying it all to me, broadcasting like an amplified radio signal. All for me and he wanted me to know it. He didn’t care who else saw it either.
I finally turned away and stared at Liz. She gave me a gentle smile that warmed my suddenly chilled soul and gave me a nod. Saul was listening to the music, eyes closed, and the calm contemplation on his face made me panic.
What did Liz know that I didn’t? Saul didn’t know it either, from the looks of it, but I felt it down in my marrow like a fire igniting and threatening to consume me. It was part of something bigger than us three in this room…us four.
I just wish I knew what it was, and Liz was going to cough it up by the end of the day or it’d be the death of her.
I hated games. Especially ones I was forced to play a role in.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Liz
A knock on the bus’s door rattled me from my sleep. Cursing, I rolled over, hoping whoever it was would just go the fuck away. The lights turned on, and I heard some muffled words toward the front of the bus. Besides Audrey, Saul, and I, there was the bus driver and our band assistant, Emily, who was the only one still awake, working our schedule for the week. She was our handler basically, telling us where to go, where to be, where we were, what time we ate, slept, had free time, and whatever else. It was all laid out like we were just puppets in a show.
“She needs her rest.”
“Cancel tomorrow’s show.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Do it. Jonas requested it.”
“It won’t go over well with the venue.”
“Fuck the venue.”
I sat up, listening to their tense conversation. Whomever it was wouldn’t take no for an answer. Smoothing down my hair, I slipped out of my bunk below Audrey’s, who was already standing in the middle of the hallway in her pajamas, looking as mussed up as I knew I looked.
“What’s going on?” I peered down toward the front, finding Emily still arguing with the leader of the group filling the entrance of the tour bus.
“Jonas’ men are here.” She turned toward me, looking more than morose. “For you. He’s requesting to see you, Liv.”
“What?”
Lonzo, Emilio’s usual second in command but now head of our security detail, stood before me and held his hand out. “Your presence is requested by Jonas.” His lips tightened as he waited on me. “His orders. You have to hurry. He’s waiting.”
I knew Lonzo was Emilio’s ally, not Jonas’, but he still had to follow orders or face dire consequences. He knew the duality of the life I led and the dangers constantly surrounding my love for Emilio. He was one of only a few that knew and could be trusted, but even he could not protect me from Jonas.
I nodded. “I need to get dressed.”
He acknowledged this and turned away, motioning his crew off the bus. As soon as they left, Emily rushed toward us near the wardrobe I’d just opened to grab my things. She pulled the curtain shut behind her for privacy, leaving just Audrey, Saul, her, and I in the rear of the bus.
“What the hell is going on? You can’t go out with him tonight. Our show is tomorrow afternoon!”
“You heard him. Cancel it. I have to go. I have no choice.” My voice deadened as I stared at her before grabbing a short black dress from the wardrobe and yanking my pajamas off. I stood there, naked except for the black panties I wore. Saul was the only man present, but his blindness saved him from having a show.
“This is ridiculous. Do you know how many tickets will need to be returned? Thousands!”
“Deal with it, Emily. I don’t have the time.” I pulled the stretchy dress over my head and went to wash my face to throw some make up on. At least I was proficient at doing this quick make up and dressing routine. Years of practice.
After quickly putting on my face, brushing my hair, and running some product through it for a slick, curly look. I was ready. I slipped on a pair of boots, knowing that this finishing touch wouldn’t be to Jonas’ liking, but that’s what he got for pulling me out of bed so late at night. The fucker could deal with my choice of shoes.
Grabbing my purse, I stood at the curtain and peered over at Audrey, who was looking even more exhausted than I felt.
“See you later, Sis.”
She waved me on and groaned. “Yeah, yeah. Maybe you can convince him that two in the morning booty calls are not cool for any of us.” She tapped her head and grimaced. “Bad for the creativity!”
“Got it.”
I smirked and twirled around, rushing through the curtain.
Finding Lonzo and his Cartel buddies waiting outside, I stepped into the humid night air, wondering momentarily what city this was again. I couldn’t remember for the life of me, but was certain it would come back as the night wore on. That, or I would just ask out of overwhelming curiosity. The asphalt parking lot surrounding us was sleek with rain, but it was just drizzling now. The water glistened across the street like a billion diamonds spilled across the ground.
“I’m ready.”
Lonzo took lead as he looked me up and down, grimacing at my black boots, shaking his head.
“Come on. Let’s go.”
***
The hotel was still alive with activity when we arrived. Bell hops were moving luggage around as janitors vacuumed the lobby. It was funny to imagine the sleeping bodies above in the rooms, oblivious to the continued bustle of the workers down here.
“Hold the elevator!” Lonzo called out to the awaiting carriage which was about to close its doors. The elevator attendant nodded, pressing the hold button so the doors would remain open for us. We hopped onto it and let the doors finally slide shut just as it began to complain about being open too long.
“Penthouse please,” Lonzo instructed. He knew the routine, though he’d admitted he hated having to take me to Jonas when he knew how Emilio felt about me. I just nodded, not saying a word, for it made no difference at all to me. Nothing mattered. Nothing I did took me away from the prison of my duty to Jonas. My plans had backfired, and I was cemented into this position; a forced lover to a man I could never love.
“Have you heard from Emilio today?” Lonzo asked me.
I nodded. “I spoke to him earlier. Why?”
Lonzo nodded. “Jonas has cut him off, not only from you, but from his friends, too.”
The elevator doors swooshed open, jolting me out of my despairing thoughts. I met his dark eyes, looking full of suspicion.
“What do you mean?”
Lonzo motioned me on. “Jonas is waiting for you.”
I watched in horror as he remained in the elevator, giving no further clues as to what he’d just asked me. The confusion of it all made my throat clench. The doors slid shut in a finality that made me feel like I was walking into my death chamber.
Please let this all just be paranoia on my part. Emilio was fine when I spoke to him this morning. He was fine when I’d last saw him three days before, the evening of our first studio session for the second album. We just had a few more tour dates before our next break to record the rest of it in the studio. This working, writing, and recording at the same time was wearing us all thin, but that’s how things went. You worked hard to play hard. It wasn’t always fun and games when one was a rock star.
If only Jonas wasn’t in the mix. Like I needed more to worry about.
“Hello, Bonita.” His voice echoed from around the corner. “Do come in.”
I stepped forward, peering around the p
ristine penthouse. It was very white, all over the place, vomited onto the furnishings like a whitewashed paint spill. Only the dimmed lights created a somewhat muted tone to the harsh brightness of the place. It was literally my nightmare of a place. I’d never decorate like a padded room in an insane asylum was my inspiration.
“You sent for me,” I stated. My fatigue was undeniable, and I hoped he had some coffee in this God forsaken place.
“Yes. I do apologize for the interruption. I know how late it is, but I simply couldn’t wait to see you.” He was at the windows, staring out across the city. This hotel sat on the hill, and the city looked brightly lit and flashing from the far away downtown area. Vegas? No, too small. I joined him at the windows and squinted my eyes to focus on the casino lights. Reno. That’s it.
I had to pay more attention to where the hell I was.
“Everyone’s just upset about cancelling the show tomorrow.”
Jonas huffed, chuckling under his breath. “They’ll enjoy getting a rest. I’ve heard about how grueling your tour schedule has been. Come here.” He held his arm out, and I stepped closer, slowly. His arm encircled my waist, and he pulled me to his side. His faint cologne was pleasant, and the warmth of his body against the chill of my soul was soothing.
“My sister says the two am booty calls are not cool.”
Jonas laughed at this and turned toward me. His startling dark brown eyes were so shiny and liquid, they appeared to glow from the lights of the city.
“I agree. I don’t usually call on you so late, but I couldn’t sleep. I needed to see your face.” He moved his free hand up to my face to gently play with a strand of my unruly hair. “Do forgive me.” He wound his finger around the soft lock, letting it slide smoothly over his skin. I seriously had to have it straightened or trimmed; it was driving me mad with wild curls lately.
He pushed the loose curl behind my ear, sending an involuntary tingle down my scalp. It zinged across my neck and down my spine, sending the tiny hairs on my body to stand slightly. I gasped.