Beyond The Music (The Rock Gods Book 7) (23 page)

“Should be two guys in a black sedan. Same as the rest of us,”
Dagger typed back.

“Two dudes? Really? Sounds like over-kill,”
Lincoln messaged back.

“Don’t be a douche. The point is to have ‘no-kill’ and if that means ten dudes, we’ll do it.”

“Yeah, yeah. Fine,”
Lincoln typed and slid the phone back into his pocket.

“Are they security?” Aaron asked.

“Dagger told me a few days ago that our band management hired a whole new security team for us,” Lincoln said. “I guess the car behind us is part of that.”

Aaron glanced at Lincoln. “You seem upset by that. Why?”

Lincoln shrugged. “I’m not sure why, but it does piss me off. Us needing all this extra security watching our asses takes away some of the simplicity of the job. The car following us makes it all a little too . . . real.”

“It’s a necessary evil that comes with your job,” Aaron justified.

“I get that, especially after the beating Ashton got inside his home, no less,” Lincoln said. “But performing on stage was never meant to involve us risking our lives and that’s the part that is twisted.”

“It’s a truly messed up world we live in now, Linc,” Aaron said. “But, as that world changes, we have to adjust along with it to keep ourselves protected.”

Aaron put on his directional and turned the jeep into a parking lot. Lincoln read the sign at the entrance, then looked over at Aaron. “Why are we here, or are you turning around?” Lincoln asked.

“Nope, this is where I wanted to bring you,” Aaron said. He found a place to park and noticed the black sedan take an empty spot half a dozen spots away from them.

“This is a nursing home,” Lincoln said and adjusted the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose.

“It is,” Aaron answered. He shut off the engine and turned slightly in his seat to face Lincoln. “A few days ago you asked why I went into nursing. This place was the major catalyst for me pursuing a nursing career.”

“Did you used to work here or something?” Lincoln asked.

“No, but I’ve spent a lot of time inside this facility,” Aaron replied. “Every time I visited, it reinforced the fact I had chosen the right career. Come on, and I’ll show you.”

Aaron stepped out of the jeep and Lincoln did, too. Lincoln took a moment to use a hair tie to pull his hair up into a messy man-bun and then he jerked the ball cap down over his head to hold it all in place. Combined with the sunglasses, Lincoln looked more like any other guy and not so much like the rock star he was. Over the years, the guys had adapted to their celebrity status by using a variety of tricks and tools to keep their anonymity. Things like using fake names when checking in to a hotel, and various disguises that at times involved wigs. That was done more for the fun of it one time before a show in Boston. They all donned wigs, mismatched clothing, sunglasses, and then walked right out the front door of the concert venue and continued by the long line of fans waiting for the show.

That disguise worked so well they tried it again in Las Vegas when they left their tour bus in the parking lot to walk into Planet Hollywood Hotel for a meet and greet before a show. They didn’t make it twenty feet before a small crowd of fans realized who was beneath the weird clothing and fake hair. Hotel security had to come out to their aid, but by the time they did make it inside, they’d all had their shirts torn off their bodies and the fingernail scratches to prove it was done without their consent.

Aaron escorted Lincoln into the lobby of the nursing home. He directed Lincoln over to the nurse’s desk to let them know he was there for a visit, but before he could explain his intentions to the head nurse, one of the staff members squealed out at the sight of Lincoln.

“Oh, my god!” the girl shouted. “You’re the guy from Black Ice . . . Lincoln Stallworth!”

At the mention of his name, several more women pivoted on their heels and looked in his direction. Lincoln looked behind him through the glass front door to see if the security detail had followed them into the building, but they hadn’t. Instead of coming inside, Lincoln saw them waiting just outside the door of the facility smoking cigarettes. Lincoln guessed a nursing home probably seemed like a safe enough place for Lincoln, but at the sight of three women bouncing toward him at once, he suddenly didn’t feel all that safe.

To his surprise, Aaron stepped in front of Lincoln as a line of defense. “Mr. Stallworth is here as my guest,” Aaron explained to the gathering women. “Maybe if you’re polite and don’t attack him, he’ll sign something for you on our way out.”

The girls all giggled and promised to leave them alone, even though Lincoln didn’t believe it for a minute. What shocked him more was when Aaron took his hand and led him down the long hallway toward the patient rooms.

“What are you doing?” Lincoln asked, half meaning the situation with their clasped hands, but also the fact Aaron was now tugging him off to see . . . who? Lincoln was at a complete loss for the reason behind this whole fucking field trip. He managed to pull his hand free from Aaron’s grasp just as he heard voices calling to them from behind.

Lincoln glanced over his shoulder and saw five people hurrying down the hall after them. An older lady held a clipboard pressed to her chest as she called out Aaron’s name. Lincoln turned back to tell Aaron about the lady, but Aaron had stepped into a room on the left side of the hall.

“Close the door, please,” Aaron directed Lincoln.

Lincoln did as he was told and then stepped further into the room. He removed his sunglasses but kept the ball cap in place as he inched beyond a privacy curtain where Aaron was bending over someone lying motionless in a bed. Lincoln stopped in his tracks, unsure what he should do next. He could hear the soft mutterings of Aaron’s voice and watched him stroke the head of the person. Lincoln was about to turn around and leave when the door to the room opened and the woman holding the clipboard barged inside.

“Mr. Baylor, I’m sorry for the intrusion,” she said.

Aaron stood up and turned to face her. Lincoln could see the emotion in Aaron’s serene eyes. He had to fight the urge to hold him, but he held his place by the curtain.

“How long has she been like this?” Aaron asked the lady. “And why didn’t anyone call me?”

“Two days ago,” the woman said. “And we did call and left a message on your home phone.”

Lincoln saw Aaron’s look of distress. “Damn it, I haven’t been checking my home phone regularly for messages. I’m sorry about that.”

“Why don’t we step into the hall and I’ll see if I can explain things a little better,” the woman said.

“Yeah, okay,” Aaron answered. He moved to Lincoln’s side and stopped.

“What’s going on?” Lincoln asked Aaron in a low tone.

“Let me talk to Mrs. Gandy and then I’ll tell you,” Aaron said. “Stay in the room and none of the staff will bother you.”

Lincoln watched the door close behind Aaron and immediately felt like he was standing on the wrong side of it. What the fuck was he doing here? He looked over his shoulder at the bed and saw an elderly woman sleeping. There was another bed in the room but it was empty. What appeared to be family photographs hung on the wall and a few knick-knacks decorated the sparsely furnished room. When Lincoln’s gaze returned to the woman in the bed, her eyes were open and she was looking directly at him. The sight of her steady gaze on him startled the hell out of him and he flinched.

“Fuckkkk,” Lincoln said on an exhale. His eyes shot to the door and then bounced back to the old woman when she spoke again.

“Who’re you?” she asked in a shaky, somewhat garbled voice as she tried to fully wake.

“My name’s Lincoln,” he cleared his throat. “I’m a friend of Aaron’s.”

“He’s my grandson,” she offered. “Come closer and let me see you.”

Lincoln stepped closer; just two steps, but it felt like he’d walked ten miles with heavy weights strapped to his ankles. Why on earth was he afraid of an old woman that couldn’t possibly weigh more than eighty pounds?

“You’re quite handsome,” she managed. “Aaron must love you. He likes boys, you know. Did he tell you that, yet?”

“Margaret!” Aaron’s voice behind Lincoln made him jump again. He touched Lincoln at the small of his back and smiled at him. “She’s a gossip,” Aaron said for Lincoln’s benefit. “Don’t listen to a thing she says.” The smile on Aaron’s face was faint but Lincoln saw it nonetheless.

“You mean, you’re
not
gay?” Lincoln teased.

Aaron’s hand moved up to the back of Lincoln’s neck and squeezed. “No, she got that part right.” Aaron moved closer to the bed. “Margaret, this is my friend, Lincoln.”

“He’s already introduced himself,” Margaret informed Aaron.

“It’s nice to meet you, Margaret,” Lincoln said. He patted the back of her boney hand.

“She was a friend of my grandmother,” Aaron added.

“Oh, she told me
she
was your grandmother,” Lincoln remarked.

Aaron shook his head. “My Gram had the empty bed over there,” Aaron said and pointed to the other side of the room. “She and Margret shared this room for almost five years until my Gram passed. She died about two years ago from Alzheimer’s. Since then, I still come back to visit Margaret and a few of the other patients.”

Aaron’s attention turned back to Margaret. “Mrs. Gandy tells me you haven’t been eating. Why’s that?”

“Have you tasted the food here?” Margaret asked.

“I’ve eaten several meals here with you and also my grandmother,” Aaron admitted. “I didn’t think it was that bad.”

“Well, whatever,” Margaret grumbled. “I’m old. I can do whatever I want.”

“If you don’t eat, you’ll get sick,” Aaron explained.

“I’m eighty-four years old,” Margaret said. “Everyone I loved is gone. I’m ready to go be with them.”

“What if I bring a tray of food to your room and help you eat,” Aaron suggested.

“Unless you bring me a cheeseburger with extra pickles from a restaurant in town, I’m not interested,” Margaret said.

“I can’t do that and you know it,” Aaron argued.

“Margaret, he won’t let me eat burgers, either,” Lincoln interjected. Aaron’s head snapped in Lincoln’s direction and rolled his eyes.

“You’re not helping,” Aaron mumbled quietly.

Aaron pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down. Lincoln stepped behind Aaron and set his hands on Aaron’s shoulders. Margaret’s eyes followed their movement with bright, shiny eyes.

“You’re in love with my Aaron,” Margaret said to Lincoln.

“Excuse me?” Lincoln asked.

“Margaret, we’ve only known each other a short time,” Aaron said.

“Makes no difference how long you know someone,” Margaret said. “I might be old, but I’m not blind to what I see.”

“Can we get back to talking about your diet?” Aaron asked.

“Go get me a cheeseburger and I’ll talk about anything you want,” Margaret said slowly and then her eyes closed. A moment later, she was asleep.

Aaron stood up from his chair and pressed a soft kiss to Margaret’s forehead. He straightened her blankets and then turned to face Lincoln. It wasn’t difficult to see the raw emotion glistening in Aaron’s eyes. This woman was special to Aaron and Lincoln’s heart hurt for him. Lincoln cupped the side of Aaron’s neck with his hand. He let his fingers fan on the warm skin below Aaron’s ear. He could feel the gentle pulse of Aaron’s heartbeat beneath his thumb pad and then the sudden spike when Lincoln fingers drifted up into the hair at the back of Aaron’s head.

“You okay?” Lincoln asked.

Aaron nodded and gripped the wrist of the hand Lincoln had touching his neck. “Let’s take off and I’ll tell you about Margaret.”

Lincoln nodded and slid the sunglasses back onto the bridge of his nose. “Sounds like a plan.”

Chapter Eighteen

Twenty minutes later, Aaron pulled his jeep into the parking lot of a restaurant with the security detail still following close behind. Lincoln wasn’t convinced he required two men to keep him safe, but whatever. He nodded to the men when they exited their car and invited them inside the restaurant to eat, with an explanation he’d be paying their tab.

Lincoln and Aaron took a seat away from the other patrons. The two security guards sat nearby; close enough to be a protecting force without being able to hear their conversation. Lincoln was happy about that. What he felt Aaron wanted to talk about was personal and the security team didn’t need to know their personal shit. Lincoln didn’t remove his sunglasses and ball cap until a waitress appeared at their table to take their food orders.

“I’ll have a cheeseburger, please, cooked medium, with extra fries,” Lincoln stated firmly. Aaron cleared his throat and their eyes connected, and damn it, Lincoln’s conscience got the better of him. “Scratch that,” Lincoln told the waitress. “I’ll have the grilled Mahi Mahi with steamed vegetables.”

“Would you like a baked potato or fries with that?” the waitress asked.

Again, Lincoln’s eyes flicked to Aaron. “Neither,” he answered. “Double the veggies on the plate instead.” The smile Aaron rewarded him with was worth the disinterest Lincoln now had for his lunch. When Aaron looked at him like that, all Lincoln wanted to do was kiss him senseless. It was crazy how this man affected him. A mere glance his way had Lincoln’s heart racing and his stomach in knots. No one had managed to do that to Lincoln. Not one person. Ever.