The Complete Rockstar Series (5 page)

I wipe the tears from my face and stare at the hideous brown carpet. “So, are you going to tell me what happened?” I ask, flicking a random empty Hobnob’s wrapper across the room.

Dax sighs heavily, as if the weight of the world is resting on his massive shoulders. “He doesn’t want me to, but yeah, I will.”

That gets my attention. I lift my head to look at Dax as he explains how his best friend got a four-inch stab wound and about a dozen deep bruises.

“Adam’s brother, Danny…”

“Adam has a brother?” I interrupt.

“Yes, three years older,” Dax huffs as he shoots me an impatient look.

“Sorry, go on,” I mumble, mortified by my outburst. I jam my ragged thumbnail into my mouth and start gnawing on it furiously.

“Right. Anyway, Danny’s a prick and a criminal. He runs drugs around here. In fact, he’s the second in command for one of the biggest dealers in the borough. Been doing it for years.”

My eyes must be popping out of my head because Dax pats my leg and gives me a sad laugh.

“You must know that this isn’t the nicest area in London, Ellie.” Feeling naïve, I purse my lips and nod, pretending that this news doesn’t shock me. “So after the whole… ummmm, confrontation with Murray and Mason, he asked Danny for protection. For you.”

My mouth falls open in shock. “Protection? What does that mean?”

Dax scrunches his brow in confusion and looks at me like I’m stupid. “You think that those two would have left you alone after what happened that day? Haven’t you wondered why they didn’t come after you again? Or bothered you in school? No one ever gets the better of those two, and they’re not likely to forget it. They know they won’t win against me and Adam, but you… they’d take you down in an instant just to hurt us or prove that we didn’t stop him.”

“I don’t understand,” I admit, my voice no louder than a whisper.

“Callum and Ryan used to work for Danny,” Dax continues, “as enforcers, you know, roughing up the guys who don’t pay. Danny cut them loose when they started…” he stops, looking terribly embarrassed to have to explain this to me, a pink blush coloring his neck and cheeks.

“What Dax? What did they do?” I’m horrified to find out more, but for some stupid reason I need to know the rest.

Dax rubs his the back of his neck nervously and looks away as he finishes his story. “They started accepting sexual favors from the girlfriends of guys who owed instead of beating them up. That pissed Danny off good. He doesn’t run a sex for drugs operation, and it made him look weak, like people could bargain their way out of paying by offering up their women.”

I feel my already stuttering heart take a nosedive right into my stomach, and suddenly have the urge to vomit up my dodgy school lunch. “T-that… that doesn’t explain how Adam got stabbed.” I trip over my words, having to swallow down the overwhelming nausea.

“Because in exchange for Danny sending a couple of thugs to threaten Callum and Ryan to leave you alone, Adam had to do some jobs for him.”

“Jobs,” I say incredulously, “as in deliver drugs?”

This is so bad. Very very bad.

“Yes. He was rolled by a rival dealer’s runners during a delivery, attacked and robbed and left for dead. I don’t know how he managed to get to my flat in his condition, but he did. I patched him up the best I could and brought him back here. Danny is furious that they harmed one of his guys and is out for blood on the other side. It’s way bigger than us now.

“Plus, now we’ve got Murray angry not only at Danny for cutting him loose and now threatening him, but he’s pissed at me and Adam and now you. You’re the only one who can’t take care of yourself, El, the weak link. We have to keep you safe.”

My head is spinning with this revelation. Adam was stabbed because of me.
To save me. As payment for my safety.

“But why? Why would Adam do that for me? He doesn’t even know me!” I cry, trying to make sense of something that won’t ever make sense to me with my glaringly inexperienced view of the world.

Dax’s dark eyes soften. “I told you he’s been following you home every day since the first day of school. He saw how Callum looked at you that day, he knew what would happen. He knew about Callum’s little ‘deals’ with Danny’s clients. It wasn’t a coincidence that we came upon you being assaulted.”

Dax pauses a moment before continuing, trying to decide just how much to tell me. “He’s made sure you got home safe after that, to keep those bastards away. Callum and him have always had this mutual hate, probably because of Danny even though Adam hates Danny just as much as Callum does. I’m not sure why Adam has been doing all this for you, Ellie. I’ve never seen him act like this. Adam’s a friendly guy, likeable, talented, but not one to become so fixated on a single girl or insert himself in his brother’s dealings. Until now.”

“I-I don’t know what to say.” More tears are streaming down my cheeks, I couldn’t stop them even if I tried so I give up and let them fall. “I had no idea about any of this.”

“I know. It’s not your fault, Ellie. Callum and Ryan made their choices and Adam and I made ours.” He stands up and walks to the front door, not looking back as he finishes speaking. “Let Adam know I’ll be back later with food, and Ellie … welcome to the East End.”

A
dam

I
ended
up missing a week of school, which meant Dax had to take my place making sure Ellie got home safely. Thankfully, he brought her to my crappy flat every day instead of hers, as she insisted on being my personal nurse, hovering over me and checking on my stab wound to make sure it doesn’t get infected. Just seeing her made me feel better even if the actual wound still hurt like hell.

Danny hasn’t stopped by or even sent anyone to see if I’m going to live. Not that I expected him to, stupid bastard. I’m just lucky he hates Callum Murray as much as I do, so he’ll keep the pressure on them to stay away from Ellie. Of course, he still makes me pay him to do it. Everything with Danny comes with a price.

Ellie hasn’t brought up the kiss from the other day, and neither have I. I swear, we must be the crappiest communicators ever. Having her near me is like the sweetest pleasure wrapped around the worst torture I can think of. Every thought I have consists of me touching her, kissing her, and God help me, having her naked beneath me. Each one of her gentle caresses when she checks my bandage both hurts like hell and sends an amazing sensation to my cock at the same time. I feel like a shitty person for even having that reaction to her kindness.

“Adam, are you okay?”

I snap out of my daydream, focusing on Ellie as we ride the tube to the Drunken Kitten for my gig tonight, my side painful but mended just enough to not miss work. “Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m brilliant, El. All healed up, no worries.” Jesus, I’m such a stupid arse. No wonder she hasn’t brought up the kiss or tried for a repeat.

“Seriously, are you alright with me coming with you? I don’t want to get in the way.” Ellie’s cheeks glow with streaks of red, and she stares down at the ground, worrying her hands together before chewing on one of her thumbnails.

“In the way? Fuck no, El. I want you there.” I take her hand in mine and remove it from those plump lips, secretly loving how it feels to hold her skin to skin. “If you weren’t with me, I’d be worried that you weren’t safe so it’s better this way.”
Idiot
, now I’m using the excuse of protecting her to keep her around me all the time. I want to kick my own arse for not just telling her that I need her, not for her safety but for me.

Ellie lifts her head, just enough so I can see the edge of one blue eye and the corner of her mouth as it lifts up into a smile, her blonde hair tumbling over one shoulder in soft waves of vanilla. “You’d worry about me? That’s rubbish and you know it. You’re the one who got jumped and stabbed. Maybe I should worry about you.”

“Maybe you should,” I mumble, more to myself than to Ellie. Her head comes up the rest of the way and she turns to face me, her eyes wide in surprise.

“Maybe I do,” she whispers back.

I swallow, mesmerized by her gorgeous face and the way she’s staring at me. I study those eyes of hers, deep cerulean blue with shards of icy steel grey in them. Neither of us can look away even though it should be getting awkward with us gawking openly at each other. But it’s not, both of us are equally entranced by the magnetic pull that seems to exist between us.

“
This is King’s Cross.”
The Underground announcement shakes us out of our little bubble.

“C’mon. It’s our stop,” My words are husky, I have to cough to pretend to clear my throat so she won’t think I’m mental. I grab my guitar case and stand up. Ellie takes my offered hand and follows me as we walk in silence to the DK, weaving through the other pedestrians as the foot traffic becomes thicker near the pub district.

The big bouncer nods and lets us past the queue and we head directly for the back room to meet up with Dax and George, and unfortunately, George’s American nephew.

“Finally!” Dax says as Ellie and I enter the tiny space, which is even smaller now since there are three other blokes, plus Dax, squashed in with us.

“Adam! I wanted you to meet my nephew,” George bellows happily. Looks like someone has had a few pints already. George’s cheeks are ruddy and his small eyes are glassed over, his crooked smile wide and friendly.

“George, how’s it going?” I ask politely, subtly positioning myself between him and Ellie.

“Oh-oh! Who’s this lovely thing?” He strains to see around me so he can get a better look at her.

“Right, George this is Ellie. Ellie, George here owns the DK.” I stay firmly planted between them so George can’t give her one of his usual sweaty, touchy-feely hugs that the girls round here know to avoid when he’s had a few too many.

“Hello,” Ellie says graciously, ignoring his drunken state and instead giving George a brilliant smile.

George is speechless for once. Unable to come up with anything to say to her. I know it’s because she’s so freaking gorgeous. Hell, I’ve been struck dumb around her too. Any man with eyes would suffer the same effect.

“Uh, well yes. Ummmm, my nephew.” George steps back and nudges a tall, blond bloke forward. “Adam, this is my nephew, Gavin Walker. Gavin, this is Adam Reynolds, the other half of the acoustic duo with Dax here.”

We shake hands and Gavin gives me a big smile and a quick once over with his eyes, which is a little odd. Gavin is what I’d describe as beautiful. Most men aren’t beautiful, but Gavin sure is, almost abnormally so. He’s so good-looking, he should be doing aftershave ads or walking a runway in Italy, not standing in the backroom of a smoky pub with George.

“Nice to meet you. Uncle G. hasn’t stopped talking about you since you first auditioned.” His American accent isn’t harsh like most are. His voice is so striking that it’s almost melodic in a way. Gavin nods at Ellie who is still tucked slightly behind me. “Hey,” he says to her.

“So, where are you from?” I ask, not giving Ellie a chance to answer him. George’s flirting I can handle, this overly attractive guy? No fucking way.

“California. Los Angeles actually. This is my friend Hawke.” He flicks his perfectly disheveled hair out of his eyes and gracefully motions over his shoulder to the guy behind him.

“Hey man.” Hawke steps up to shake my hand. I note that he is also American. He’s covered in tattoos and piercings, wearing a hoodie and square black-frame glasses. Real nerdy rock and roll type. The type girls go crazy for because he’s edgy enough to be different but still harmless looking. My instinct tells me that Hawke isn’t as harmless as he appears.

“Hawke?” I ask, curious about his unusual name. Then I see Hawke’s sharp gaze land on Ellie, and the way he looks at her starts a fire in my gut that has me clenching my hands at my sides. Jesus, between the model and the tatted up rocker, it feels as if a fight to defend my girl will be inevitable.

Your girl, right Adam. She’s not your girl.

Hawke tears his greedy eyes from Ellie for two seconds to look at me and answer my question about his name. “Henry,” he shrugs, “but I’ve been called Hawke since I was a kid.”

I reach back and wrap my arm around El, pulling her into my side possessively so this Hawke guy will get the message. “This is Ellie,” I say, glaring at the two men angrily.

Gavin smiles kindly at my display of ownership, but Hawke’s eyes widen in understanding and he immediately backs off. Good, because with the healing gash in my side and the still sore bruises all over my body, there’s no way I could fight anyone tonight. I grudgingly allowed Ellie to cover the bruise on my face with concealer, but it’s still there, and it still aches.

“Well, I’m going to check out the bar area. You boys chat and I’ll be back when it’s time,” George says happily and he disappears out the door and into the crowd.

“So, what do you play?” Dax asks the two newcomers, joining our awkward little group.

“I play guitar, acoustic and electric. Mostly bass,” Gavin answers.

“Drums,” Hawke says as he air drums the space around him. “George says you guys are really talented, so we can’t wait to hear you. He has a surprisingly good ear for these things.”

Dax and I share a look and start unpacking our things, getting ready for our set. Ellie chats politely with the two Americans. I nearly blow a gasket watching them. Gavin has the nerve to touch her arm and I bristle immediately, spinning to punch the crap out of him. I don’t get a chance to make a move before I’m being pulled back by Dax’s strong hands.

“Don’t man,” he whispers. “Not here, not now, and certainly not while you’re still all fucked up. Plus, we can’t afford for you to mess up your hand again,” he growls under his breath. “They’re just talking so calm the fuck down.”

Breathing in and out deep and rhythmically, I attempt to control my emotions, thankful that Dax is able to keep me from screwing up. Fuck! She’s not even mine, so I have no right to feel this way and I know it. I just can’t even think of anyone else touching her, not when I’m literally aching to hold her in my arms.

“Fine, but I’m keeping my eyes on them,” I growl. My teeth are grinding together so hard that my jaw aches. I have no idea what I’m thinking right now, I’m not a fighter. In fact, I despise it. Living through my dad knocking my mum and me around more times than I can remember, I despise violence unless absolutely necessary, but when it comes to Ellie, it seems all bets are off.

Loud clapping precedes George as he steps back into our tiny space. “You’re up! Let’s go boys!”

Dax and I grab our gear and turn to leave. “Ellie,” I call to her. She comes over and I lean in close, inhaling her sweet vanilla scent. “Stay near the stage, okay? I want, no … I
need
to be able to see you.”

Her beautiful pink lips part in surprise and she blinks a few times before answering me, her cheeks flushing pink. “Okay, Adam. I’ll stand wherever you want.”

“Good,” I meet her curious eyes with mine and manage a small smile. “I’ll see you out there then.” I flick my gaze over at the two strangers before focusing back on Ellie. “Dax! Let’s go.” I take a deep breath and wince at the pain that lingers in my side as we head out to take the stage.