The Rockers' Babies
Page 25
Jordan, Alexis and Jared’s son, was just a few months younger than Mia. I was Uncle Ax to both those little rotten babies and I would kill anyone who hurt them. “I know, Brie,” I told her, glancing toward the table where Wroth, Marissa, and Liam were sitting. Devlin and Harris were standing beside them, talking and laughing as they watched Zander dancing with Shane’s stepmother.
I’d had big plans for tonight. All of them had included Dallas being naked and in my arms. Cursing, I turned away from the sight of my bandmates having a seemingly good time and glared out the window into the gardens Shane and Harper had gotten married in just a few hours ago. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes, Brie. Don’t touch anything. I’ll help you find the rest…”
“Rest? There is more of this shit?” she yelled into the receiver and I grimaced as her shrill voice made my ears ring.
“There’s always more,” I told her honestly. “He hides that shit everywhere. Just keep calm and I’ll be right over.”
“I’m over this!” she whispered so low that I had to strain to hear her. “I’m so completely over this shit.”
“Twenty minutes,” I repeated before disconnecting and pocketing my phone.
“Twenty minutes?” I turned to find Dallas standing behind me. Her hair was a sexy mess, her eyes slightly over bright, and she was carrying the bouquet. Damn, I’d missed her catching it! “Are you leaving?”
“Something has come up.” She raised a brow and I grimaced. “I have to take care of something. There’s no telling how long it will take, but I’ll call you as soon as I’m through.”
When I reached for her to kiss her she took a step back. “Are you leaving because of Gabriella Moreitti?” There was no right answer to that question, I was sure. If I said no, I would be lying. If I said yes, she was going to think all the wrong things. When I didn’t immediately answer her, Dallas laughed. “Of course. I’m an idiot for thinking differently. Not thirty minutes ago you said you wanted to talk, but I’m pretty sure we don’t have anything left to say to each other.”
“You’re wrong,” I told her, wishing I had time to convince her differently. But I knew that if I didn’t get to Brie’s apartment in the time frame I had promised she would probably call the cops. She might love Liam Bryant, but she wasn’t going to let him endanger her nephew. “I’ll call you later, Dallas. I’ll explain everything then, but I really have to get going.”
“Don’t bother. I’m through. Thanks for the sex fest the other night. It was the closure I seriously needed.” She pushed the bridal bouquet against my chest. “Here, take the chick some flowers. I really don’t want them.”
She walked away before I could open my mouth. I took one step, ready to follow her when Wroth stopped me. “Looked like an intense conversation you were having on the phone earlier. Everything okay?”
“No!” I exploded. “Your fucking cousin is ruining everything. Again! I have to go clean up a mess and then we are all sitting down and having a band meeting.”
Wroth’s eyes narrowed. “What did he do this time?”
“He’s using. There are drugs all over Brie’s apartment and she’s about thirty minutes away from turning his ass over to the cops. So while I should be chasing after that woman…” I pointed after Dallas’s retreating back as she walked up to Linc. The muscle head wrapped her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. “…I have to go to my batshit crazy ex’s house and clean out Liam’s hidden stash.”
“Fuck!” Wroth glanced over at the table he had just come from. Liam was talking with his sister, making her smile. Marissa leaned her head against his arm, adoring the man who was all the family she had left in the world. “This is going to destroy Rissa.”
“Yeah.” I raked my hands through my hair. “And when Emmie finds out she’s going to bust his balls… After I do it. She’s not going to let him go on tour still using.” We had a tour scheduled for March. Natalie was going to be traveling with us but she was going to be reporting everything back to Emmie daily. She wouldn’t think twice about canceling the entire tour over Liam’s problem. Ever since Drake had gotten his act cleaned up, Em had developed a zero tolerance for bad habits.
“Go take care of Brie and clean the place up. I’ll talk to Dev and Zander. Once I make sure that Rissa gets home okay we’ll take Liam to Zander’s and wait for you there. This will get sorted out tonight.”
I didn’t believe him, and I was sure that he really didn’t believe himself. How many times had we been cleaning up after Liam? How many times had we made excuses for him, forced him into rehab and then waited for him to start the cycle all over again just a few weeks after getting out? But I cared about Liam, and I loved Marissa, so I would go through it all again to help my friend.
“Sounds like a plan.” I nodded then pulled my keys from my pocket. “Call me when you get there.”
“Make sure you check the closets. And under the dressers. Sometimes he hides his stash in his dirty clothes hamper.”
“Yeah, I remember.”
Two hours later I sat on Brie’s couch glaring down at the coffee table and the drugs spread across it. All of this had been in the apartment for only god knew how long and during that time Jordan could have found any one of these things and died instantly. Thank god Brie always watched him like a hawk when she had him.
“I’ve packed his stuff,” she told me as she walked into the living room. Her voice was devoid of emotion but that told me more than if she had been hysterical. This was hurting her, coming to the decisions that I knew she’d had to make. “Take it with you when you go, okay?”
I nodded. “If that’s what you want.”
“Of course it’s what I want…” She tossed her long black hair away from her face. “…but if he gets clean…”
“The problem isn’t him getting clean, Brie. He’s done it a half dozen times before. It’s keeping him clean that causes the problems. He’s been using hardcore since we got in the business. His addiction rules him more than anything else. His career, the band, his friends, his family? None of it matters as long as he can get high.”
“Maybe losing me will help straighten him up?”
I’d had big plans for tonight. All of them had included Dallas being naked and in my arms. Cursing, I turned away from the sight of my bandmates having a seemingly good time and glared out the window into the gardens Shane and Harper had gotten married in just a few hours ago. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes, Brie. Don’t touch anything. I’ll help you find the rest…”
“Rest? There is more of this shit?” she yelled into the receiver and I grimaced as her shrill voice made my ears ring.
“There’s always more,” I told her honestly. “He hides that shit everywhere. Just keep calm and I’ll be right over.”
“I’m over this!” she whispered so low that I had to strain to hear her. “I’m so completely over this shit.”
“Twenty minutes,” I repeated before disconnecting and pocketing my phone.
“Twenty minutes?” I turned to find Dallas standing behind me. Her hair was a sexy mess, her eyes slightly over bright, and she was carrying the bouquet. Damn, I’d missed her catching it! “Are you leaving?”
“Something has come up.” She raised a brow and I grimaced. “I have to take care of something. There’s no telling how long it will take, but I’ll call you as soon as I’m through.”
When I reached for her to kiss her she took a step back. “Are you leaving because of Gabriella Moreitti?” There was no right answer to that question, I was sure. If I said no, I would be lying. If I said yes, she was going to think all the wrong things. When I didn’t immediately answer her, Dallas laughed. “Of course. I’m an idiot for thinking differently. Not thirty minutes ago you said you wanted to talk, but I’m pretty sure we don’t have anything left to say to each other.”
“You’re wrong,” I told her, wishing I had time to convince her differently. But I knew that if I didn’t get to Brie’s apartment in the time frame I had promised she would probably call the cops. She might love Liam Bryant, but she wasn’t going to let him endanger her nephew. “I’ll call you later, Dallas. I’ll explain everything then, but I really have to get going.”
“Don’t bother. I’m through. Thanks for the sex fest the other night. It was the closure I seriously needed.” She pushed the bridal bouquet against my chest. “Here, take the chick some flowers. I really don’t want them.”
She walked away before I could open my mouth. I took one step, ready to follow her when Wroth stopped me. “Looked like an intense conversation you were having on the phone earlier. Everything okay?”
“No!” I exploded. “Your fucking cousin is ruining everything. Again! I have to go clean up a mess and then we are all sitting down and having a band meeting.”
Wroth’s eyes narrowed. “What did he do this time?”
“He’s using. There are drugs all over Brie’s apartment and she’s about thirty minutes away from turning his ass over to the cops. So while I should be chasing after that woman…” I pointed after Dallas’s retreating back as she walked up to Linc. The muscle head wrapped her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. “…I have to go to my batshit crazy ex’s house and clean out Liam’s hidden stash.”
“Fuck!” Wroth glanced over at the table he had just come from. Liam was talking with his sister, making her smile. Marissa leaned her head against his arm, adoring the man who was all the family she had left in the world. “This is going to destroy Rissa.”
“Yeah.” I raked my hands through my hair. “And when Emmie finds out she’s going to bust his balls… After I do it. She’s not going to let him go on tour still using.” We had a tour scheduled for March. Natalie was going to be traveling with us but she was going to be reporting everything back to Emmie daily. She wouldn’t think twice about canceling the entire tour over Liam’s problem. Ever since Drake had gotten his act cleaned up, Em had developed a zero tolerance for bad habits.
“Go take care of Brie and clean the place up. I’ll talk to Dev and Zander. Once I make sure that Rissa gets home okay we’ll take Liam to Zander’s and wait for you there. This will get sorted out tonight.”
I didn’t believe him, and I was sure that he really didn’t believe himself. How many times had we been cleaning up after Liam? How many times had we made excuses for him, forced him into rehab and then waited for him to start the cycle all over again just a few weeks after getting out? But I cared about Liam, and I loved Marissa, so I would go through it all again to help my friend.
“Sounds like a plan.” I nodded then pulled my keys from my pocket. “Call me when you get there.”
“Make sure you check the closets. And under the dressers. Sometimes he hides his stash in his dirty clothes hamper.”
“Yeah, I remember.”
Two hours later I sat on Brie’s couch glaring down at the coffee table and the drugs spread across it. All of this had been in the apartment for only god knew how long and during that time Jordan could have found any one of these things and died instantly. Thank god Brie always watched him like a hawk when she had him.
“I’ve packed his stuff,” she told me as she walked into the living room. Her voice was devoid of emotion but that told me more than if she had been hysterical. This was hurting her, coming to the decisions that I knew she’d had to make. “Take it with you when you go, okay?”
I nodded. “If that’s what you want.”
“Of course it’s what I want…” She tossed her long black hair away from her face. “…but if he gets clean…”
“The problem isn’t him getting clean, Brie. He’s done it a half dozen times before. It’s keeping him clean that causes the problems. He’s been using hardcore since we got in the business. His addiction rules him more than anything else. His career, the band, his friends, his family? None of it matters as long as he can get high.”
“Maybe losing me will help straighten him up?”
