24
Back down in the lobby, I stuck out like a bad ink stain in my black jeans, shirt, and boots on the corner edge of a grey suede sectional. A modern sphere mobile spun lazily over my head while I tapped my fingers impatiently against my leg.
Where was she?
She should have been down here twenty minutes ago. I ran my hands across my face and up through my hair. The light sweet scent of vanilla still lingered on them. I wanted her soft curves back in those hands. I wanted my mouth on hers. I wanted to hear that low sound of arousal she made whenever our tongues touched.
I wanted her. Now.
I shifted, gaze flicking to War at the other end of the sectional where he sat talking to Dizzy.
Everything was so fucked up. War was the wrong guy for her. I could finally see that. Sure, I’d once made a promise to him, but this wasn’t high school anymore. And I never promised that I would stand idly by while he let her spin out of control. I had to get Lace to acknowledge what was between us. I was her first and dammit to hell I was going to see to it that I was her last.
“Where is she, man?” I threw up a hand. “Did she text you? It’s not like her to be late.”
“I dunno.” War shrugged, glanced down at his phone, and then looked over as King and Sager burst out laughing. “What’s so funny?” he asked.
“King’s response to this cop who was hassling him when we were at that truck stop in Richmond,” Sager replied with a smirk. “I recorded it and put it on our YouTube channel. Come over. You guys need to see this.”
War, Dizzy, and I moved over to the chairs where Sager and King were sprawled. We leaned in over the laptop and King scrolled up the volume.
“You been smoking some marijuana?” The cop on the screen asked in a condescending tone.
“Not yet,” King replied with his usual sassy grin.
The cop’s brows rose. “I’m just checking. I don’t know if you knew, but a lot of drug deals go down around here.”
“Really?” King bowed up. “I get my drugs somewhere else.” He folded his arms over his thick chest and stared down at the much shorter uniformed man. “Is this because I’m Hispanic? If you don’t mind, officer, could I have your badge number?”
I watched the cop and King but I zoned out on their conversation as my ears picked up the unmistakable sound of my own raised voice in the background. “I’ll never forget prom and how it was between us.”
Fucking shit.
I glanced nervously at War. Oh yeah, he heard it too. His eyes slid to me, and then back to Sager. “Play that part again, Sager.” He frowned. “And turn it up.”
“War,” I started.
“Just shut the fuck up!” War growled.
My muscles locked tight as the tape replayed. With the volume up, you could hear pretty much the whole incriminating thing. There was a long moment of stunned silence when the clip finished. No one moved and no one spoke. Even the lobby noise seemed to fade away as War and I stared each other down. I felt the dynamic between us shift forever.
“You lying asshole!” War finally shouted his face a furious mask. “How long you been fucking my woman behind my back?”
“It’s not like that…” But I never got the chance to complete that thought. Without warning, War’s fist flashed out and connected with my jaw.
I took a step back, gingerly touching a thumb to the blood on my lip. My gaze narrowed. “I’ll give you that one, but let’s take this somewhere else. I don’t want to talk about this out here.”
“I don’t care what you want.” My guts wrenched. “I trusted you, Bryan. Like a brother.” He shook his head. “Can’t believe you’d do this to me.”
“I love her, man.”
“Don’t we all.” His lips twisted. He turned to Dizzy. “You know about this?”
Dizzy nodded uncomfortably.
“Listen.” I pulled in a calming breath through my nose. Time to get this out. “It was only that one time in high school.” My brows pulled together as my eyes met his. “But I’ve wanted there to be more between us, and you need to know I’ve asked her to choose.” I didn’t tell War that if she chose him that I wasn’t going to quit trying. And I guess that’s what it all came down to. War and me, our friendship, having each other’s backs, that shit always came first with him. Everything and everyone else was a distant second. The Morris deal was proof of that. He didn’t see the conflict I had because there wasn’t one for him. If he were in my place, I knew in my gut that he wouldn’t have any problem walking away from her.
For me it was never that simple.
War’s jaw tightened. “You guys covering for Bullet, too?” His eyes sliced into me before cutting to Sager and King.
“Leave us out of it,” King fired back.
“That’s his plan,” I bit out. “As long as we’re clearing the air, let’s get everything out in the open.” I threw up my hands. “War’s taking an exclusive deal from Zenith. He’s breaking up the band.”
“What the fuck, asshole?” That from King, our large angry Latino drummer’s eyes were flared.
“You’re so full of shit.” I held War’s gaze and gave it to him, the destructive truth pouring out of me like pus from an infected wound. “Acting all self-righteous. Giving us that tired worn out old speech about the band being a priority. None of us are a priority to you, Warren. Not Lace, not me, not the guys. To you we’re all replaceable.”
Suddenly the hair on the back of my neck stood up again. It wasn’t that watched feeling I’d had with Lace earlier. It was more like an icy chill, like cold fingertips running up my spine. I glanced over my shoulder. A couple of paramedics jogged past toward the elevators rolling a stretcher between them.
I turned back to the unfolding scene. Dizzy’s light brown eyes were narrowed with accusation.
“You’re the one who’s replaceable,” King warned, looming over War, Sager at his side. “Pinche guero culero.”
The chill I’d just had suddenly morphed into a horrible premonition the moment I heard Dizzy’s cell phone buzz.
Dizzy’s expression transformed from puzzlement to shock as he fielded the call. Then suddenly, without a word, he broke for the bank of elevators at a flat out run.
My veins flooded with ice water. I bolted after him. I caught him at the elevator, jumping in just as the doors closed.
Face pale, Dizzy looked at me. “Those guys that just went by are for Lace. Beth found her in her room. His eyes began to tear up. “Bryan, she isn’t breathing.”
25
A low humming sound hovered around the edges of my consciousness while a diffuse bright light up ahead propelled me forward. As I followed it, the light coalesced into rays of sunlight streaming through the trees.
“Lace,” his deep familiar voice called.
I blinked, dragging my eyes away from the fresh tilled dirt and craned my neck around to look at him. Hands in the front pocket of his dark jeans, wind blowing his hair into his grey green eyes, he shuffled forward. “War’s looking for you.”
I shrugged, disinterested, returning my attention to the grave marker in front of me. My hands balled into fists.
How dare that bitch die on me.
Without saying anything, he dropped down to the ground beside me. He didn’t ask if he could join me and I wasn’t about to tell him he couldn’t. I needed him. More than anyone else. War hadn’t known what to say to me. I could tell he was worried, but he didn’t really understand.
My mother’s death had totally shaken me. Not because she’d overdosed, but because she was gone. My anger toward her had fueled my fervor to succeed. Now that she wasn’t here, how was I going to prove her wrong? Show her that I was worth something.