Rock Chick 06 Reckoning (60 page)

I turned and raised my hand to motion to Nick. I’d primed him earlier so he gave me a nod, a grin and he grabbed the microphone.

“If everyone could go out onto the patio,” he announced.

A murmur went through the crowd and the guests al looked at each other in confusion. Then slowly, with more guidance from Nick, they did as they were told.

Mace’s fingers tightened at my waist. “What’s goin’ on?” I smiled at him. “Nothing, just…” I paused, “I’l see you back there.”

I pul ed free and went out the front door. Floyd, Pong, Hugo, Buzz and Leo were al waiting for me. Buzz and Leo were holding their guitars. Pong was holding his drumsticks. Floyd had my guitar.

I took my guitar from Floyd and nodded to my band.

Then I said, “Let’s go, guys.”

We walked through the club and by the time we got back to the patio where Roam, Sniff and the Gypsies had set up our amps, Pong’s drums, Hugo’s keyboards, a set of bongos and wheeled out the Club’s piano, al the guests were gathered around. The band took their places and plugged in while I went to the mic.

I put the strap of my guitar around my shoulder as my eyes found Indy and Lee.

Once I did, into the mic I said, “Don’t have a lot of money so we thought we’d give you a memory.”

Indy pul ed in her lips, Lee’s eyes crinkled and I nodded to Pong.

He started the beat.

Then I started to speak the first words of Shania Twain’s

“You’re Stil the One”.

It was hokey, but for Lee and Indy, it was just perfect.

Hugo started at the keyboards and, as I finished speaking, Floyd’s piano came in then I hummed a sweet,

“Mm, yeah.”

Then I began to sing a sweet, hokey, perfect love song that said it al as my band played.

And when I started singing about them taking the long way, I saw tears fil ing Indy’s eyes. And when I was singing about them holding on, stil together and strong Indy was flat out crying.

Then my band stepped up to their mics and sang the title of the song as I kept singing.

As we played, the crowd swayed but I kept my eyes on Indy and Lee.

Then when I started singing about them beating the odds together, Indy turned to Lee. He had an arm wrapped around her, his other hand went to her jaw, her arms were around his waist, her head tilted back and she sang the rest of the song with me but to her husband.

Hugo’s keyboards played as the band sang their “oo’s” when I watched Lee’s head dip low so his forehead was resting against Indy’s and they both closed their eyes and held onto each other.

I started singing again, Indy’s eyes opened and so did Lee’s, his hand slid down to her neck, his thumb stroking her jaw as she kept singing right along with me.

The band went silent and I finished with just my guitar as Indy kept singing to Lee but my eyes moved to Mace, they locked with his and I sang the last two lines of the song direct to him.

I stopped singing and the guests cheered, Al y and Daisy let out catcal s and Tex gave a war whoop.

Mace just shook his head.

Then he smiled.

I smiled back.

Indy and Lee weren’t cheering, they were making out,
again
.

It was the best present I’d ever given in my life.

The band didn’t hesitate. Hugo moved to the bongos and started the rhythm, Floyd started to play piano and I took the microphone in my hand.

“Enough of that,” I said to the guests, looked back at the band and shouted, “Let’s rol .”

And that’s when we played Joe Cocker’s “Feelin’

Alright”.

Everyone started dancing, even Indy and Lee began to sway with the music. When it was time for the chorus, the entire crowd put their hands into the air sang it with us.

Floyd was laying it down when my eyes found Mace’s.

He was standing with Luke and Vance but he was smiling at me in a way that was heart wrenchingly familiar.

It was the same, sweet, unguarded smile he wore in the photo of him and Caitlin I saw in the paper.

I was “onstage” so, unfortunately, al I could do was smile back.

But in my head, I gave one of the dying demons a last, vicious, sucker kick to the gut.

Then I focused on rock ‘n’ rol .

We went from Cocker to Three Dog Night and played

“Shambala” then on to The Doobie’s “Jesus Is Just Alright”.

After that, I let Buzz take one and he sang America’s “Sister Golden Hair”. Then we turned it up a couple notches, going straight into Boston’s “Peace of Mind”. Final y, I strapped on my mouth organ and we finished with one of our signature songs, the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s, stomping, twanging, kickass “Ain’t No Easy Way”.

With our “thank you’s” said into the mics, we left the instruments but the guests shouted and hooted until we were forced to go back and do an encore of “Ghostriders in the Sky”.

For your information, the vibe of the set list was the happiest we’d ever played.

Stella

Mace and I were in an Explorer on the way to my apartment after the reception and I was riding a kil er happy buzz.

I was with my man, I loved him, he loved me, he was holding my hand against his thigh, my band was going to head to the studio for recording time on an impending recording contract, two people I cared about just had a kickass wedding and no one had been shot at or kidnapped al day.

“Happy buzz,” I muttered to the window, grinning at it like a lunatic.

“What?” Mace asked as he turned onto my street.

I looked to him. “Happy buzz.”

He glanced at me briefly, his beautiful jade eyes smiling, then back at the road.

I tested the boundaries of my seatbelt to lean into him, pul ing my fingers from his hold only to curl them around his thigh; I kissed his strong, square jaw as I heard him engage the turn signal before pul ing into my drive.

“Never been happier, babe,” I whispered, my lips moving against his jaw.

Mace didn’t reply but I felt his jaw get hard under my lips.

This surprised me so I pul ed back a bit, looked at his hard profile then fol owed the direction of angry gaze and saw a limousine at the end of the drive.

Shitsofuckit.

As we pul ed up, the backdoor opened and Preston Mason folded out of the backseat.

Just as I suspected.

Shitsofuckit!

“Great,” I muttered. “If anyone could kil this happy buzz, The Supreme Asshole of Al Time could do it.” Mace ignored my comment and ordered, “Stay in the truck,” as he came to a halt then put the SUV in neutral and set the brake without turning off the ignition.

“Mace –” I started, thinking good advice would be to suggest he ignore his father, I ignore his father, we walk in, forget he existed, resume the happy buzz and get on with our night which would consist of making our happy buzz way happier.

He turned to me and gave me a look.

I shut up.

He threw open his door and angled out of the SUV.

I sat and watched him approach his father. Then I sat and watched him have words with his father. Then I sat and glared at his father as his condescending gaze came to me. Then I sat and watched as Mace’s eyes did a sweep of the area while his father jabbered, probably being a serious dick, before Mace’s hand came up abruptly, palm out.

Preston clamped his mouth shut and Mace turned and strode angrily to the truck.

He yanked open the door and reached into the ignition but his eyes were on me.

“Inside, babe,” he ordered, I nodded then he went on.

“Wait for me to get to your door.”

I undid my seatbelt and Mace switched off the ignition, pul ed out the keys and rounded the hood, his head turned to his father, his deep voice sounding though I couldn’t make out what he said. Then Mace made it around, pul ed open my door and put his hand to my arm to help me out.

Then he marched me to the side door where Preston was waiting.

Fabulous. Now we were going to have unwelcome company
in
my pad.

I tried to shoot daggers out of my eyes at Preston Mason as Mace and I approached but unfortunately this didn’t work though that didn’t mean I quit.

Eventual y I had to give up when Mace got the side door open and propel ed me inside with his hand now at the smal of my back and I had to start concentrating on walking up two flights of steps in high heels without fal ing on my face.

We made it to my apartment successful y without me turning and giving Preston what for for ruining my happy buzz but worse, pissing Mace off when I knew he too was experiencing a happy buzz, Mace-style. And a Mace-style happy buzz when I was in close proximity usual y included me getting laid, thoroughly and very, very wel which made it even harder for me not to let loose on his dick of a Dad.

Mace dealt with the alarm and I saw Juno was lying on the bed, clearly tuckered out from a day of sleeping. She woofed at us in greeting but made no move. She did, however, train her doggie eyes on Preston in a confused but alert way and it was good to know my dog could read a different kind of vibe, one she’d never had to read before and that was when her people didn’t much like someone.

I moved around to turn on lights and as I did this, Preston murmured, “Charming.”

I stopped turning on lights and looked to him to see he was studying my space and obviously didn’t think much of it.

Seriously, Mace’s Dad was a dick. My apartment was smal , sure, but it stil rocked.

“Kitten, do me a favor,” I heard Mace say and my annoyed gaze went to him to see he was talking to me but his eyes were locked on his Dad, “get changed in the bathroom and hang there, do your thing, give us some time.”

Um.

Hell
no.

I had not just been through two weeks of the emotional ringer to end al emotional ringers, letting Mace back in my heart, trusting him, finding out what happened to Caitlin and taking our future in my hands to reunite him with his family only to have his dick of a Dad give him shit without me taking his back.

Unh-unh.

No way.

“No,” I replied and Mace’s eyes sliced to me. I knew he was ticked, hel , even if I just met him, the look on his face would tel me he was ticked so I quickly explained, “No one fucks with my man.”

Mace drew in a breath but some of the anger slid from his face.

Then he started, “Stel a –”

“No, Mace. Your Dad is a dick and he’s not gonna be a dick to you without me at your back.” Then before Mace could reply, I turned to Preston and stated, “We’ve had a really,
really
good day and those have been few and far between lately so say what you have to say and then get out so we can forget you exist and get on with making it a real y,
really
good night.”

Juno woofed her agreement to my invitation and Preston’s lip curled at my insinuation.

“Wel ?” I prompted when Preston didn’t speak and I walked to Mace then didn’t give him a choice as I burrowed a shoulder under his armpit so he had to wrap his arm around me. When he did this, I wrapped one arm around his back and rested my other hand on his abs.

his back and rested my other hand on his abs.

Preston studied us and his lip stayed curled.

Then he replied, “I assume you’re not going to offer me a drink.”

Total y a dick.

“Sure, I’l offer you a drink,” I told him. “If you’re here to apologize to Mace for being The Supreme Asshole of Al Time, beg his forgiveness and promise to dedicate al your energies to philanthropic work from today until the day you die. No, if you’re here to continue to be a dick.” Preston looked at his son. “Seriously, Kai, is this your choice?” he asked, throwing a hand out to me.

Mace’s body went rock-solid.

Oh shit.

“Moving on!” I declared quickly then to Preston, “Say your piece and go.”

Preston looked back at me. “Fine, Stel a, but I advise you not to be here when I say my piece, as you so eloquently put it.”

I opened my mouth to speak but didn’t get a word out.

“Your cracks at Stel a end right fuckin’ now,” Mace growled, Preston’s eyes went to his son and so did mine and I knew Mace pretty wel , I loved him and I hoped to spend the rest of my life with him but that didn’t mean his look wasn’t real y freaking scary.

That said, it was also hot and he was pissed on my behalf so it also felt real y freaking good.

I turned my eyes back to Preston, trying hard not to smirk only to see he had entered a staring contest with Mace.

This went on awhile.

This went on awhile.

Considering father and son clearly had a life edict that included “never say die” I lost patience and snapped,

“Seriously! Let’s get on with this.”

Preston’s eyes slid to me, his jaw got hard then he looked back at Mace.

“I think you know you’re treading on thin ice,” he announced.

“I do?” Mace asked.

“Don’t be stupid, Kai,” Preston whispered. “You never were before, except once and it ended in tragedy, don’t do it again.”

If Mace’s body was rock-solid before, it was marble now but I didn’t real y notice since my vision exploded in sparks of red and I instantly decided I was done. I didn’t know why he was there. I didn’t know why Mace al owed him to come up.

And, at that moment, I also didn’t effing care.

“Get out of my house,” I hissed and Preston looked to me.