Wine and Whiskey (Surviving Absolution #1) (4 page)

* * * *

Jason paces outside the entrance as Shae pulls into the gym
parking lot. He frantically waves her toward him, making her laugh. How can she
drive faster when she’s trying to park?

She climbs out and leans forward to give him a quick hug. “Good
morning!”

He shrugs her off, worry etched into his face, his somber gaze
boring into hers. “Yeah, hi. Did you go out with Nick DeMarco last night?”

“What kind of welcome is that? And, yes, he took me out for
dinner. He’s cool.” And intense, sweet, sexy, arrogant. She smiles to herself.
Jason may be her best guy friend, but he doesn’t need to know all that.

His head shakes, his wide eyes conveying disbelief before he
even speaks. “I can’t believe you went out with some guy you just met. What
were you thinking? It could have been dangerous. You know better than that.”

Warmth flames her cheeks from his disappointed tone. She does
know better, but it’s difficult to feel guilty when exhilaration fills her
heart instead. A deep breath escapes her mouth. Which is crazy. A simple dinner
turning into one of the best nights she’s enjoyed in a really long time. “Me?” She
points from her chest to his, not letting him push all the blame on her. “You’re
the one who invited him to run with us. I figured if you liked him, he must be
okay.”

Jason’s face softens as he puts his hands on her shoulders.
“Well, that’s before I found out he’s in the mob.”

"What?" She laughs and rolls her eyes, her shame
fading at his accusations. This is too much, even for Jason. “You’re crazy.”

He holds up his phone and taps the screen. “I looked him up and
read all about it. He’s very powerful and has tons of people working for him.
They say he’s a real hard ass. They even say his dad killed his mom!”

“You’re nuts.” She pushes the cell away and curls her fingers
into air quotes, trying to bring her loving but high-strung friend back to
reality. “Who are ‘they’? We read stuff about me all the time that isn’t true.
This is probably the same thing.”

He ignores her and scrolls through a list of articles, his
finger tapping below one of the headlines. “See right here? ‘Nick DeMarco,
wealthy financier with alleged ties to organized crime.’” She shakes her head
and stretches across the driver’s seat and center console to get her bag, but
his fingers tug at waist, pulling her back to face him. “All I’m saying is be
careful. Or you could find yourself wearing concrete shoes at the bottom of the
ocean!”

“Oh, my God. You’re such a drama queen.”

“Better than a mafia king.” Extending his arms to the sky, he
runs his hands across an invisible marquee. “I can see it now…the pop princess
and the mafia king…the perfect match.”

Butterflies swirl in her stomach. With a reputation for
theatrics as well-known as his training abilities, Jason’s melodrama can be
easy to ignore. But this time, his concern seems sincere. He really is worried.

And maybe she should be. Maybe she’s naïve. More than she
realizes. The gates, the guards, the tough guy with the guilty smile who
notified Nick of yet another problem. A lot of security for a legitimate
businessman, no matter how rich and powerful he may be.

She pushes his arms down as Nick drives up in his Jeep,
unwilling to entangle him in their argument. Or let him know they’ve been
gossiping about him when he’s been nothing but generous and thoughtful to her.
“
Shhhh
!
Here he comes.”

“I’m serious.” Jason’s voice plunges to a whisper. “You don’t really
know this guy, and I don’t want you to make another dumb mistake like last
night. Check it out for yourself if you don’t believe me.”

“Okay. I promise." Humiliation fills her chest before she
nods her head in Nick’s direction. “Just please drop it for now. I don’t want
to get into it with him here.”

“Fine.”

She bristles at his irritation. They’ve never argued before, not
ever had any squabbles or disagreements. Always on the same wavelength
regardless of the problem or situation.

Nick climbs out and jogs toward them. The butterflies float to
her chest from the smile spreading across his face as he meets her gaze. “Hi,
guys. Are you ready?”

Ignoring Jason’s sigh, she matches Nick’s happy expression.
“Let’s go.”

* * * *

Max holds up a thin tan folder as Nick walks into the foyer.
“I’ve got the report on Shae.”

Glancing at his watch, Nick shakes his head. “I don’t want to be
late. You can tell me on the way.”

They walk through the kitchen and into the garage before
climbing in the Jeep. He pulls onto the road as Max reads from the file.

“Twenty-four. No boyfriend or husband. Broke up about a year ago
with an Evan Matthews after dating him for two years. Her mom died from a brain
aneurysm. Dad’s never been around. She rakes in pretty good money, mainly from
endorsements. Supports a big payroll, probably more than necessary. Looks like
she has some moochers.”

“Sounds about right. She’s too nice to cut the people she
doesn’t need.”

“Lives with Carrie Dunbar, noted as her best friend. Degree in
Marketing from UC. Top ten wish granter for sick kids. No arrests, DUIs, diva
behavior, meltdowns, or hotel trashing.”

Not the usual reputation for a young, rich pop star. Yet, an
exact match to what he knows to be true. Her quiet gentleness is a genuine
reflection of her personality.

Max flips through the papers. “Even her concert rider is simple—bottles
of sparkling water, fresh orange slices, and some kind of sweets…either
brownies, cupcakes, or cookies.”

Nick chuckles at the last comment. Of all the demands she could
make, dessert is her top priority. “That’s it?”

“Yeah, and a few pictures. Some are professional. The others are
paparazzi.”

Nick holds the photos against the steering wheel, glancing at
them as he drives. The first few are staged, maybe for magazine covers or
publicity shots. Even with the sexy clothes and heavy make-up, her innocent
beauty is undeniable.

The others are casual. Shae and another girl walking arm in arm
on the sidewalk. Driving her white Infiniti SUV. His pulse quickens at the last
one. She clings to a man with his arm extended, trying to push their way
through a huge crowd of people. Both the guy and her fear make his jaw clench.

He passes the pictures back to Max, who pushes in the lighter on
the dashboard. “She probably wouldn’t be happy to know you investigated her.”

A rare feeling of guilt rolls through his stomach. Normally, he
doesn’t care about what people think, but with her… He shakes his head. He
can’t let her be mad at him. “I had to know more about her. She’s unlike any
woman I’ve ever met.”

“Definitely a good thing, with your track record.”

The lighter pops out, and Max holds the red ring to the corner
of the folder. As it burns, Nick turns off the highway to a beach access
parking lot and stops next to a metal trash can. Once the flames are a few
inches from his fingers, Max drops the charred file into the bin. When the
papers are completely gone, Nick pulls back onto the road.

“I need one more thing. Jessica called, but hasn’t left a
message. Find out what’s going on. I don’t want to talk to her if I can avoid
it.”

Max’s grip around the roll bar tightens as he shakes his head.
“Fuck that! I’ll do your other dirty work, but you don’t pay me enough to deal
with her.”

“I’ll give you an extra million.”

“Ten wouldn’t be enough.”

Nick laughs and pulls into the gym parking lot, scanning the
vehicles before hopping out. His chest tightens at the absence of her SUV. He
strides through the lobby and down the hall, searching the equipment as he
passes. Maybe she’s just running late.

Jason looks up from untangling ropes as Nick pushes the door
open. “Happy Friday, Nick. Since Shae isn’t coming, I thought we could do a
little cardio once I get these free, and then I’ll spot you while you lift.”

“Where is she?”

Finally pulling a rope loose, Jason hands it to him, beckoning
for him to start jumping. “She had a photo shoot for her upcoming movie
release.”

Damn.
Why didn’t she tell him? Once again, she keeps a barrier between
them, assuming he wouldn’t miss her after working out together every day this
week. Too modest to realize he’s disappointed not to see her. “You’d never know
she’s famous by the way she acts.”

“Yeah, that pop star princess thing is just an image created by
Team Shae.” Jason rolls his eyes as his fingers curl into air quotes.

“Team Shae?”

“You know…her manager, agent,
publicist
.”
Jason taps on his fingertips, ticking off the names, scowling with a level of
disgust usually reserved for serial killers, child abusers, and lawyers. “All
the people who claim to care about her, but really only care about their take
of the money.”

“Is it really that bad?”

“In the music business, you have to be very careful who you
trust. It’s just a game to get rich, which all of them are now, thanks to her
hard work.”

Sweet, yet jaded, she somehow thinks she needs to protect
herself from him. Unaware the money and fame mean nothing. All he wants is her.

Jason squeezes a rope between his fingers before taking a deep
breath. “Listen, I know you like her, but I think you need to leave her alone.
I know who you are, and she doesn’t need someone like you in her life.”

Heat flashes through Nick’s body. This guy better know how lucky
he is that he’s her friend. “Did you warn her about me? Is that why she isn’t
here?”

“No, she really does have a photo shoot.” Jason’s shoulders
droop and he shakes his head. “She told me how upset you were about the bruises
on her back. Just like I am. I’ve told her over and over to talk to the guys
rigging her up to see if they could do something about it. But she doesn’t. Do
you know why?”

Nick’s anger flares at the realization. She’s not being beaten,
but she’s still being hurt. Injured by the people who are supposed to be
looking out for her.

“Because she doesn’t want people to think she’s a bitch. She too
nice to tell them they’re destroying her back, because she’s scared they’ll
think she’s a diva. She’s always ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and ‘everything’s
fine.’ Even when it isn’t.” Jason shakes his head. “Shae’s one of the few
genuinely good people in the world. She stood by me when I came out, and she’s
gotten Carrie out of more scrapes than I can count. Now, it’s my turn to look
out for her. I have to protect my friend.”

“Not from me. I would never do anything to hurt her. You can
trust me on that.”

“All I know is the two of you together is a bad idea. I told her
the same thing, but she wouldn’t listen. So, now I’m telling you.” Jason’s gaze
never wavers but his voice cracks, revealing his fear.

Nick takes a deep breath, trying to reign in his fury. He
refuses to jeopardize his relationship with her regardless of how much he wants
to pound this guy. “Don’t try to interfere with my relationship with her. If
she doesn’t want to be with me, I’ll never bother her again. But, that’s for
her to decide, not you.”

“There’s a lot you don’t understand. It’s more than just her
reputation I’m worried about.”

While he appreciates the loyalty, Jason’s devotion to his friend
isn’t enough to diminish his anger at the attempt to keep them apart. No matter
how determined he is. “Tell me then. What don’t I know?”

“No, I’ve said enough. It’s between you two now.”

Irritation pulses in Nick’s neck at this guy jerking him around.
“So, you’ve got the balls to insult me, but you won’t—”

Jason puts his hands up in front of him. “Forget it. I don’t
want to argue. Let’s just get to work.”

Nick shakes his head and tosses the rope onto the tangled pile. “I’ll
see you tomorrow.”

* * * *

A light rap on the door halts Shae and Carrie’s conversation. A
young woman, her hair in braided pigtails, one purple, one blue, stands in the
doorway. “We’ll be ready for you in about five minutes, Ms. Armstrong.”

After all these years, a little flutter still tickles her
stomach at the thought of being in front of the camera. She smiles and nods her
head. “Okay, thank you. I’ll be right there.”

The production assistant taps on her tablet before pushing a
button on her headset and rushing off, her voice fading as she races down the
corridor. “Armstrong's in makeup and will be in the studio…”

Carrie gently grips Shae’s chin and turns her back to face her.
“Stop frowning so I can finish.”

“I didn’t realize I was.”

“Ever since I asked you about Nick, you’ve been smiling then
frowning, then smiling again. You’re all over the place.”

Because that’s what he does to her. Makes her emotions twist
like a kaleidoscope blurring back and forth between giddiness and panic, while
he remains forever constant. Decisive and determined. With his work and with
her. Tiny fireworks burst in her chest. His intentions toward her are always
very clear.