Rock Me Two Times (27 page)

Ramsey had his family, and Taz seemed to have a girl who wouldn’t cross her family to be with him.

Seriously sucked.

Kate made her way to her suite, realizing she was relieved to discover Syon’s stuff set up inside it.

How long was it going to last?

Don’t.

She needed to answer that question, but she couldn’t. Doubt was a cruel little bitch, chewing on everything she thought she knew and twisting it. Time crept by. She checked her cell phone, but there was no text message from Syon.

She’d told Taz she got it. The lifestyle. The demands.

So she couldn’t bug him when he was working. Instead, she slid into bed and told herself to let it go.

Which was another bit of good advice she completely ignored.

* * *

“The Marquis!”

Kate sat up. The space in the bed beside her was empty.

“You’re so hot!”

“Come party with us!”

A round of giggles came from outside the suite door. Kate tripped as she fumbled to get some clothing on. By the time she opened the door, Syon was at the end of the hallway, surrounded by fangirls. Music was blaring, shaking the hallway. He plowed through the door, obviously eager to get inside the suite. It felt like the floor fell out from under her feet.

Members of Cid’s team were still moving around. The early hours of the morning were just normal work time for them. A door suddenly opened, and Yoon popped into view, still shrugging into his suit jacket.

She retreated to the suite she shared with Syon, feeling like the bodyguard was a leash to keep her in her place.

Inside, it was dark, the candles unlit tonight. Her composure was crumbling, and there was no amount of willpower that could stop it. Her confidence was a puddle at her feet, even as she tried to go back to sleep.

You’re overreacting.

Maybe.

A round of loud laughter made it through her closed door. She cringed, unable to fend off the feeling of loneliness.

Well, you can just go down there.

No. She wasn’t going to chase him.

No matter how much she wanted to.

It was the final blow to her pride. The wound that left her without a plan of action, because she knew she’d defeated herself.

* * *

Someone was pounding on doors.

Kate rubbed her eyes. They burned as she blinked and realized she’d slept on the sofa. She stumbled into the bathroom but knew she was alone in the suite. It was well after two, and Cid’s team was getting everyone off to the show. What had been exciting madness in the first few weeks was now a recognizable pattern.

Syon hadn’t come back.

It crushed her. But she wiped her face and opened the suite door. She needed to be sure of her facts, not jump to conclusions.

“Okay, ladies…I need him back now.” Cid was ushering a trio of half-dressed girls out of the suite at the end of the hallway. Their hair was mussed, their lipstick smeared, and one was still topless. Two of Cid’s team members took over, herding them toward the elevators while enjoying the exhibition. No one gave her anything to cover up with.

Just a little more publicity.

It was nauseating.

“See you at the show!” one called before the doors slid shut and she was gone.

Kate’s temper sizzled. Syon appeared in the suite doorway, drowsy, looking like he’d just crawled out of bed.

“What was that all about?” she demanded.

Cid was trying to cut her off, but she ducked around him.

“What?” Syon shrugged.

“Don’t say ‘what.’” Kate pointed at the elevator doors. “One of them was topless.”

Syon’s eyes narrowed. “We’ve been over this ground. You either trust me or you don’t.”

“Oh, like you had such complete faith in me when you pulled up to see me with Conan?”

“That’s different.”

She scoffed at him. “Different because it’s you versus me.”

“Boys and girls, we’ve got a concert to do.” Cid shouldered his way in front of her. “You know, that thing we’re all here to do? To bring in the money? You’re already running behind because of your late night.”

Syon cussed but turned around and stormed toward the elevators. Cid turned on her, blocking her path. “You’ve been here long enough to know how it goes. He’s not going to play by the same rules as everyone else. Take it or leave. As you see, there are plenty who will take it.”

There was more than a little pleasure in his tone and a glitter of victory in his eyes. She wanted to not see it. Wanted to tell herself she was jumping to conclusions.

Kate turned away, unable to watch anymore. Tears stung her eyes, completing the moment.

She shut herself behind the door of the suite and curled into a ball, trying to contain the hurt.

It was impossible. It felt like she was being ripped in two, the agony increasing as the hotel quieted down, telling her that everyone was gone.

Yoon was waiting on her.

But that wasn’t enough to make her get up. Honestly, she didn’t think she could manage to see Syon. Not on stage with the hordes of fans willing to do anything he wanted.

She wanted to think of him as being deeper.

Having more character.

Yeah, right. He doesn’t have to hold himself to those standards.

Your standards.

No, he didn’t. And it hurt like hell to see him abandoning their relationship. Maybe he’d just been checking it out. Seeing what a good girl was like. Enjoying all the offerings the buffet of life had for him.

She leaned her head back against the wall and felt the heat from the crash and burn.

She was pretty sure she could feel her skin blistering.

As well as her heart breaking.

* * *

Syon warned off his makeup girl with a finger. She stood poised with a blending sponge in her hand as she debated whether or not to heed him. Cid turned and gave her a sharp look. She flinched and started toward him again. Syon brushed her hand aside, irritated by the way Cid ran the crew. It was what he expected, but at the same time, there was something irritating about it tonight. Like he was a show monkey.

“Give me my phone, Cid,” he demanded.

The road manager dropped the cell phone into his pocket. “You know how I feel, mate. It’s concert time. All focus on the show. Toys later.”

“I’m making an exception,” Syon said.

Ramsey looked over at him from where he was warming up. There was already a thin film of perspiration on his chest, his features slightly tight as he let himself flow with the beat. Syon could feel the pull, but the way he’d left Kate was getting in the way. He couldn’t drop it.

“I just need to touch base with Kate.”

“Kiss-and-make-up time will have to wait,” Cid said.

“Yeah,” Ramsey added. “Kiss and make up when you have time to fuck out all the wrinkles.”

“Watch your mouth, Rams.”

Ramsey turned, still working his guitar, but his eyes were open now, his gaze keen as he tried to read Syon.

“Kate’s not a fuck,” Syon clarified.

Ramsey’s lips slowly curved into a sensual smile. “That’s what I’d be doing with her.” But Ramsey shrugged, his gaze sharpening for a moment of seriousness. “I hear you.”

At last, a tiny measure of satisfaction went through Syon.

It wasn’t enough though. He turned back to Cid.

“You’re not even dressed.” Cid took a pair of pants from one of his girls and held them out. “Ramsey’s got a point. You might need a little more time with your girlfriend than a quick check-in.”

It made sense.

Syon took the pants, still not happy with the circumstances. “One text. Then I’m all yours.”

Cid handed over the phone. Syon flipped it open and typed in a line of text.

* * *

Kate stared at her phone, blinking as she read the message.

I was a dick. Explain after the show.

You’re in love.

Shit.

She was.

There was no other way to explain the rush of happiness, pure giddiness that went through her. Her fingers were trembling, for Christ’s sake. She read the message once more and stood up.

Yeah, she might be in love, but there was no way she was going to let Syon steamroll over her. She marched into the bathroom and prepared for war.

Yoon was waiting for her. He checked his watch but didn’t say anything about her late arrival. She was used to arriving with the band. Now, she was stuck in the traffic that was slowly being guided into the massive parking lots that surrounded the FedEx Forum. It was a line of brake lights following the hand signals of parking lot attendants. Traffic signals were turned off, blinking red because of the surge of cars trying to make it to the concert on time.

Darkness had descended, lending the perfect backdrop to the fans wearing more leather than cloth. They had spiked hair and piercings in every imaginable place. The parking lot lights shone down on them as they howled with growing excitement. They held up their cell phones to take selfies and pictures of one another.

“We’d better go into the seats,” Yoon advised her after a quick look at his watch.

She nodded, filing in behind the fans holding tickets. Yoon flashed their VIP card. It raised a few eyebrows and earned him two winks from hopeful fangirls. Her escort never even blinked. He guided her through the seating, down to the floor, and up to the base of the catwalk.

One of Cid’s security guys spotted them as they took over the two reserved seats. He reached up and pressed a button on his headset before saying something into the tiny microphone latched onto his polo-shirt collar.

She didn’t have time to think about anything else as the huge spotlights over the stage began to fan out over the crowd and up to the ceiling. The fans roared with approval, thrusting their fists into the air as Drake leaped into view and took command of his drums. He started up with a beat that made her pulse. Taz joined in next, laying down the bass notes, looking like the cheers were soaking into him.

It was wild and raw.

Syon and Ramsey completed the descent into total sensory decadence, their music yanking her into its current like a flash flood. Her personal dilemmas melted away, overshadowed by the sheer abundance of emotion being stirred up. She was at the edge of the catwalk, moving with the beat as Syon moved toward her. By now, she knew the show, knew the spots he like to hit at certain cues.

Tonight he broke from the norm, strolling down the catwalk, prowling toward her. There were thousands of people around them, but all she saw was him. He had his hand curled around the mike with a strength and confidence that thrilled her. It was frankly breathtaking. She heard his soul in every word. He hit his knee, closing the distance between them and making her breath catch. For just a moment, he was inches from her. She caught a glimpse of his eyes, the intensity in them searing. She shuddered, feeling it shoot down her body. She reached up to touch him and watched his eyes widen with surprise.

He pushed back to his feet, shifting his body for a moment. It was the only outward sign he gave that something was off as the song began climbing to its climax. He had to lean back with it, tipping his head back as his body bowed out with the emotion.

Which gave her a glimpse at the open inseam along his thigh.

Her breath froze in her lungs, horror freezing her.

No way.

Just no fucking way!

“Your work fucking failed.”

Cid chucked the pants at her the second she made it into the backstage performers’ room. She caught them and peered at the hole, her breath stuck in her chest. She was trapped in the moment. A horrible place where she was staring at a failure she was so sure couldn’t have happened.

But something caught her eye. She blinked and drew in a breath.

“Like hell it did.” She pulled the pants inside out to take a second glance at the garment in her hands, making sure she wasn’t seeing what she wanted to see instead of what was there. She held them back up. “Someone pulled up the stitches…halfway down the inseam. They’re cut with a ripping needle. You can see the indention from the point.”

Cid rounded on her, his entourage backing him up. “So you did it on purpose? At least you admit it. That makes it a lot easier to deal with.”

“I can’t believe you think I’d compromise a performance.”

“My lead singer’s fucking pants opened up on stage!” Cid made a cutting gesture with his hand. “Which is why you’re leaving. Got a car waiting for you now.”

He had four crew members backing him up. He snapped his fingers, and they filed around him, starting toward her. But she was looking at Syon. He had that hard glitter of business in his eyes. His arms crossed over his chest as he leaned on the corner of a dressing table and studied her.

“I didn’t pull those stitches up.” She was talking to him and honestly didn’t give a single fuck for anyone else in the room.

What she cared about was the way he remained silent.

“Get her out of here,” Cid snapped.

She stood there, watching it happen in slow motion. She felt like something inside her was bleeding. Like a huge knife had been plunged deep into her heart. She couldn’t draw breath. She was pretty sure she knew what it was like to be sucker punched, because her entire body felt like it was shaking and on the verge of collapse.

She’d known it was headed for an epic crash and burn.

Known it.

But it still hurt a thousand times worse than any mental anticipation had prepared her for.

The only thing she managed to do was look away, so Syon wouldn’t see the pain in her eyes.

“Don’t you fucking touch her.”

Kate jerked her attention back up. Syon had slid between her and the crew members.

“I didn’t tell you to do shit, Cid. We’ll work this out.”

The road manager didn’t even blink. “My job is to manage this tour. She’s disruptive and now sabotaging the operation. I’m just taking out the garbage. I don’t wait for you to tell me my job. That’s why I’m the best. Got the original artist on his way to the airport to join up with us.”

Someone grabbed her bicep, and she jumped. Ramsey pulled her back and stepped in front of her.

“Kate isn’t garbage,” Ramsey stated.

She stood there with her mouth gaping. Syon turned to look at Ramsey. She witnessed the connection between them as he gave Ramsey a single nod.

“But someone has been sabotaging our show.”

They all turned to look at Taz. He was standing near the rolling rack of pants. Two pairs had been tossed over his shoulder, and he had another pair turned halfway inside out. “Someone’s been tampering with these. You can see where they nicked the leather with the ripping needle. All of these have been messed with too.”

“I knew it. My work doesn’t fail. And I am a professional.” Kate charged over to him and grabbed the pants. The nicks were there, every third or fourth stitch broken. Syon was leaning over her shoulder, Ramsey on the other side.

“We’ve got a security problem,” Ramsey muttered.

“Exactly, we’ve got a jilted-girlfriend issue,” Cid said from across the room. “She’s lashing out. Which is why she’s got to go.”

Cid was coming toward her. Syon stepped into his path, Ramsey right behind him. Taz gently tugged her back and joined his bandmates. Yoon was suddenly there, crowding her back.

Cid stopped. “I’ve seen it before.” He faced off with them. “You hired me because I’ve got the experience. Trust me, the bitch is making trouble, and it affected the show.” He stepped closer to Syon. “Let me do my job. You’ll thank me tomorrow.”

“Kate isn’t jilted,” Syon said softly. “We had a fight, that’s all.”

Cid laughed. “Is that why she was bawling her eyes out?” Cid shook his head. “Not a chance. She knows you spent the night somewhere else. With someone else. Not that I blame you. Those were some premium babes. Would have loved a taste myself.”

Syon, Ramsey, and Taz all turned to look at her. She groaned, her face feeling like it was catching fire.

“I spent the night with Taz,” Syon offered softly. “He was drunk and needed a wingman.”

“The girls were with me and Drake,” Ramsey told her. “Swear it.”

“Yeah,” Drake added. “Syon owed Taz, so we left him to it.”

Relief poured through her, as well as a moment of surprise.

Of course! The girl in the restaurant flashed through her mind. The encounter had set Taz on his ear. Bad.

“It doesn’t matter where you spent the night.” Cid grabbed Syon by the shoulders and turned him back to face him. “You don’t need a relationship to get laid. She’s in the way. You guys are hot, and the fans love you. Relationships don’t belong in rock. Why should you toe the line? You aren’t men; you’re gods! Live like it.”

“Sounds like she’s in your way.” Syon shook off Cid’s hold.

Cid wasn’t willing to back down. His complexion darkened. “I know this business. You’re the new kids, so better listen up.” He pointed a finger at them. “You can fall just as fast as you’ve risen. The fans want to see you living the life they can’t have. So you’re going to be wild and fuck a lot. Because that’s what the fans want. The whole package.”

Syon smacked Cid’s hand away. “You’re employed to manage the tour. Not my dick.”

Cid threw his head back and laughed. “It’s part of the deal. You’ve got the music skills, but that won’t cut it in today’s market. You’ve got to have the image. As it is, you’ve already got one deadbeat on this team.” Cid flung an open-handed gesture toward Taz. “You could both take some notes from Ramsey.”

There was a blur of motion from the side. A hard smack, and Cid went stumbling across the suite. Drake stood there, his fist still in the air. “No one trashes my teammates or Kate.”

The polo-shirted crew members had backed off. Cid made the mistake of looking toward them. His expression tightened when he realized they were sitting it out—waiting it out, actually. They were going with the winner. He jerked his suit jacket down and faced off with the members of Toxsin.

“I’ve worked with the
best
,” he snarled. “Mega-superstars! And I know how to make sure they stay that way.”

“Yeah, your résumé is impressive,” Syon drawled. “Unless I consider the fact that none of those heavy hitters kept you.”

“I’m getting a clue why that might be,” Ramsey added.

“Do you have any clue what a bitch like that one can take from you?” Cid pointed at her. “She’s going to want to play house. A divorce will cost you a bundle, even with a prenuptial.”

“You’re getting the cart in front of the horse,” Kate interjected. She started toward Cid, but he sniffed at her, dismissing her.

But Syon had gone deadly still. “Did you have that roofie slipped to her?”

Cid paled. “Don’t be ridiculous.” But a trickle of sweat made its way down the side of his face, his poise suddenly faltering. Just a smidgen, but enough to outrage her. Kate took one step toward him, only to have Yoon slip an arm around her and pull her back.

Syon pulled his arm back and punched Cid straight on the jaw. Cid went down, unable to recover, and ended up sprawled on his butt.

“Anything to protect your meal ticket,” Syon said in disgust. “She could have been killed.”

“You can’t accuse me of that.” Cid was back on his feet.

“I just did,” Syon said, cutting through Cid’s argument. “You’re the only one with an agenda that needs Kate out of my life. You had motive, opportunity, and as you’re so fond of telling me, you can get anything.”

Syon suddenly moved. He jerked one of bags out of the hand of one of Cid’s entourage members. He opened it and dumped the contents onto the dressing-room table. He grabbed a small plastic ziplock bag that had a white pill in it.

“You forget, Cid, I’m not an idiot. I know what this is.” He looked back at the table. “As well as a couple of those other mystery bags.”

Cid pointed at the girl who was carrying the bag. “That wasn’t in my pocket bag. I’ll toss her out too.”

The girl gasped, shocked to her core by the betrayal. Cid didn’t even blink. “But you told me—”

“Oh, please.” Cid cut her a hard look. “I’m a professional. I wouldn’t have told any team member to bring drugs into a performance area.”

“You did!” The girl insisted, looking toward Syon. “He wanted to scare her, make her think you were the one who liked to party hard. He’d heard about her rules. Thought she’d leave if there were drugs here.”

“Shut up!” Cid snapped. “You’re just trying to deflect. The dope was in your purse. I have managed mega—”

“You are full of shit,” Syon snarled. “No wonder you were looking for a new band. What did you do? Get a gag order to shut up your last client? Is that why the background check came back clean?”

“You fucking asshole,” Ramsey hissed. “We don’t drug our women.”

“You need your ass kicked,” Taz added.

“And how.” Drake had lost every last bit of his British composure.

Cid’s complexion turned gray. He looked around again, but no one was coming to his rescue. The girl was sobbing, babbling about how he’d told her to buy the drugs. The tension in the air was twisting tighter, Syon and his bandmates looking like they were getting ready to spring.

Kate didn’t have an ounce of pity for him. He suddenly stiffened, some of his confidence returning.

“Go on,” Cid said smugly. “In a court of law, I’ll win over the four of you any day. All I need is a hospital report.” He cast a glance at Kate. “A bitch who has pictures of her tits all over the Internet sure isn’t going to generate much sympathy as the reason for an assault. No one is going to believe she didn’t take the dope herself, or that one of you didn’t give it to her so she’d go for double time. It won’t be hard to get pictures of the three of you on that dance floor groping each other. Drunk or high, it looks the same to a jury.”

Syon pulled his arm back, but Ramsey stopped him. “He isn’t worth it.”

Syon was fighting. She could see him battling the urge to tear Cid apart. Part of her needed to see it, needed the balm for her wounded pride.

But the rational side of Kate’s brain couldn’t let Syon put himself at risk either. “He’s an opportunist prick. Don’t give him the evidence for a lawsuit and a gag order. Just can his ass and enjoy knowing you can tell the truth to the next people he tries to work for.”

Cid snorted at her. “Good luck. My contract is ironclad. It will cost you a bundle to get rid of me without hard evidence, which you don’t have.”

Cid went skidding across the performers’ room floor, a hard hit on the jaw from Syon sending him reeling.

“Don’t ever insult my fiancée.”

“My friend,” Ramsey added as he popped his knuckles.

“Mine too,” Taz said.

“Definitely,” Drake chimed in.

“Let me remind you what else is in your contract.” Syon stood over Cid. “A no-tolerance clause for drugs, which includes any personal assistant you have. She”—he pointed at the girl—“is your personal assistant. She has dope in her possession. I’ve got plenty of witnesses, and if you’re smart, you’ll get out of here before I call up Deputy Jenson.”

Syon looked at the girl. “Will you testify against him?”

She’d stopped crying, realizing it was a lost cause. Syon’s question made her eyes brighten. “You bet your ass I will.”

“Still, her word against mine,” Cid insisted.

“No it isn’t,” the girl said. She grabbed her cell phone off the table where the contents of her purse were still lying. She held it out toward Ramsey. “There were text messages. He erased them, but you hack phones all the time. Can you get them back?”

The phone went crashing to the floor. Cid had moved up while everyone’s attention was on the girl. He went to smash the phone with his foot, but Yoon spun around and sent him into the wall with a back kick that landed in Cid’s midsection.

Ramsey scooped up the phone. “You bet I can retrieve them.”

Cid was struggling to his feet, clutching his midsection. “I’ll countersue for assault.”

“You just don’t know when to quit, do you, mate?” Drake was suddenly across the room, sending his fist into Cid’s jaw. The road manager went stumbling, Drake following him. “Sue me. I dare you. Your career will be finished.”

Ramsey pulled Drake back, scuffling with his bandmate as Cid leaned against the wall, blood seeping down his chin from a split lip.

“You can have your severance,” Syon said, “and you’ll sign a gag order, or I’ll call Deputy Jenson and let him know we’ve got new developments in the case.”

“Full severance,” Cid snapped, “and a gag order on your side too.”

“Full severance only. Take it or leave it,” Syon said.

“Better than you deserve,” Ramsey added.

“Let me take it out of his hide,” Drake insisted.

“Deal!” Cid said, sending a cutting look at the girl. Taz stepped between them, the nunchakus back in his hand.

“Just so you know,” Taz said as he swung the weapon, “if she ever calls me, with say, even a small concern that you’re making grief for her…or her family…or…her dentist”—the nunchakus made a wicked sound as he twirled them in the air—“there’s going to be trouble.”

Syon looked at the team of polo-shirted crew. “Get him out of here, and keep him out of my sight if you all want your jobs.”

The team that had always hopped to Cid’s commands now jumped to haul him off the floor and out of the performers’ room. The members of his entourage stood frozen, like a pack of deer attempting to decide who was going to be the dominate buck. Syon pointed them toward the door. They went with a click of their spike heels, the one girl taking the time to scoop the contents of her purse off the table before she stood there, looking lost.