Broken Trouble (Broken Storm #1) (28 page)

              "We just did that three hours ago."

              I wonder if punching him in the face would be bad date etiquette.

              "We'll do it on the next exit," Jayden relented.

              I sighed in relief. At least I could get out of this truck for a little while. I looked out the window, watching for the next exit sign to show up. "Las Vegas?" I turned towards Jayden, "Is that where we're going?"

              "What better place in Nevada to go on a date?"

              "I'm not marrying you on our first date," I stated, not putting it past him to plan something like that.

              "But we drove all this way, we can even rent a hotel for the night and have our honeymoon."

              "Not happening," I said dryly.

              "We don't have to get married to have our honeymoon," Jayden winked, taking the exit.

              "Definitely not going to happen."

              "Keep telling yourself that, Sweetheart."

              I shook my head and looked at the bustling city. It looked so much different during the day than it did in pictures. The signs were still lit up, but with the sun beating down, they were muted.

              We drove through traffic slowly before he found a parking garage. "Let's eat lunch," Jayden said, wrapping his arm around my waist as I stepped out of the truck. We walked through the streets for what seemed like forever, until we came up to a tall building with “Phantom Bar” across the front canopy. Jayden guided me around to the back door and my eyes widened.

              No way.

              This place was only open at night. No one to let us in. Not only that, but it was a bar that would never let someone underage inside.

              Jayden knocked on the back door: three quick raps, then two short ones.

              "What are you doing?" I asked, just as the back door opened before us.

              Jayden darted in and pulled me along with him. We passed a man holding the door open, walking inside a few feet before he shut the door and turned to us.

              "Just be sure to leave before five man, or they'll have my ass," he warned Jayden, handing him a set of keys. He turned to me and winked, "Have fun Babe."

              "Thanks Ace, I owe you one," Jayden said, already walking towards the elevators.

              "Hell yeah you do!" Ace called back as he walked out of the room and disappeared into the back.

              "You got us in the Phantom bar?" I asked in shock. I've heard rumors of this place, all good things, but it was somewhere that I never thought I'd have the chance to go.

              We stepped into the elevator and Jayden hit the 55th floor button before turning to me. "Anything for you, Sweetheart."

              I smiled and shook my head, unsure what to say. He wasn’t showing his usual perverse behavior.

              We stepped out of the elevator and into the main lounge, the modern interior was a sharp contrast to what I was used to seeing at the ranch. Plush black leather couches and chairs were thoughtfully placed around the room, with modern style tables adjacent.

              Jayden walked behind the bar while I gaped at everything. He pulled out a CD, then grabbed the containers labeled 'Gordon Ramsay' from the counter. He glanced around quickly, picking out one of the bottles of booze from the rack, before continuing out to the patio.

              My breath caught in my throat as I stepped out with him. The view was breathtaking. The floor and railings of the patio were completely see through, showing the view of the city both below and around us.

              It was like walking on air.

              I walked over to the railing and looked out over the city. This was a view that I was used to seeing, just from a different angle. It wasn't the same as it was at the ranch, where the views were calming and breathtaking. I had always lived in the city and, even after all of my troubles, it still held a certain beauty to me.

              Jayden started the CD, the music thumping through the surround-sound speakers. He walked up behind me and ran his hands across my sides, breathing in my scent as his lips brushed my neck. "They say it's the best view in the city, but they're wrong. You're definitely the best view I've seen."

              "I'm surprised you're not going on about how hot I am," I said, noting that he hadn't added his usual flavorful words to his sentence.

              "Ah, believe me Sweetheart, you're definitely hot, and sexy," Jayden murmured into my ear, kissing across my neck.

              "I don't even know what to say," I admitted in a hushed tone.

              "Then don't say anything. Today’s about enjoying each other and whatever this city has to offer."

              "What's changed?" I asked, turning towards him, "You're different."

              He looked at me, tilting his head to the side with his signature smirk. "I told you that I would show you just how incredible a date with me could be. Relax Sweetheart, we're just getting started."

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

              We finished eating our late lunch, which I had to admit was both delicious and more romantic than I thought it would be. Then we escaped out the back door of the building before four, so Ace wouldn't get in trouble.

              As we explored the streets of Vegas, I paused here or there to take pictures, knowing Starre would want to see them later.

              Jayden paused near a crowd of people before joining them in line. Everyone was crowded in front of a large building waiting for the bouncers to let them inside.

              "What is this place?" I asked, not seeing any markings on the building.

              "I know you can't wait to get me alone, but you have to be patient Sweetheart,” he was dodging the question, not wanting to tell me.

              What else had he planned for today?

              He may not be willing to tell me what he was up to, but that didn't mean I couldn't find out on my own. Looking around, I scanned the building for clues, but if there were any, they were hidden by the crowd.

              The crowd that was full of people with Screaming Mercy shirts and signs.

              My eyes widened. Holy shit, was Jayden was taking me to a Screaming Mercy concert?

              Jayden stepped up to one of the men by the door, pulling out two pieces of paper to give to him. Glancing over his shoulder, I could see they were tickets.

              "I need to see some ID," the man rumbled, eyeing us both up and down.

              We showed him our ID's and the man placed an orange wristband on each of our wrists. He moved quickly to the next person in line, not stopping for pleasantries.

              I tried not to bounce on my toes in excitement, my heart beating fast. I'd never been to a Screaming Mercy concert before. They were one of my favorite bands. It was a dream come true to be here.

              Maybe Jayden really was good at showing a girl a good time, though I would never say that to him.

              "You can go ahead and show your appreciation now. I'll even be nice and find a private place for us to have some fun before the show," Jayden hinted.

              "I think I'll just stay out here with everyone, I don't want to miss the show," I waved him off, ignoring his sexual innuendos. We made our way through the crowd to find our seats, bodies pressed together as others did the same.

              "Wouldn't you rather put on a show for me?" Jayden asked, wrapping his arms around my waist, making it even harder to walk.

              "No."

              "The night's not over yet, Sweetheart. There's still plenty to see and do."

              I rolled my eyes and walked ahead of him, finding our seats and waiting for the show to start. The DJ walked out on stage a while later, getting the crowd worked up for Screaming Mercy by playing fast songs with strong, catchy beats.

              "Now, I know you all came here to see a certain band perform tonight," the DJ said, turning the music down so it was just a background beat. "How many of you came here to see Erik?" The crowd roared, with people shouting and whistling, then they did the same thing again when he asked the same question for the guitarist, Trevor. "Okay, there's another band member in there somewhere isn't there? What was his name again?" the DJ paused, pretending to look deep in thought. In reality, he was baiting the crowd for a reaction.

              And a reaction they gave.

              "Justin!" The crowd started screaming the lead singer's name, which just seemed to cause the entire crowd to erupt in a deafening roar, filled with screams and clapping.

              I laughed and screamed along with them, Jayden joining in beside me. Hey, what was the point of going to a concert if you weren’t going to be one with the crowd?

              "Well, I think he's here tonight, so why don't you all show him and the band just how much you want to see them tonight?" the DJ shouted, waving both his arms up and down, urging the crowd on as they screamed and chanted for the band.

              The DJ went back behind the large black curtain covering the back portion of the stage, leaving the crowd waiting in suspense for the band to start.

              The lights went out and the building became eerily quiet, with just the low murmur of the crowd talking anxiously.

              A large ghostly hologram appeared, its skull face twisting in pain before it starting screaming. As it screamed, the crowd started screaming as well, growing louder and louder until it seemed like everyone was screaming. The black curtain behind the hologram caught fire along the bottom, the fire quickly clawing up the thin fabric, burning it to ash. As the fire moved to the screaming skull hologram, the screaming intensified, echoing as it disappeared into the flames.

              Screaming Mercy was officially on the stage, flying right into their first song even as the flaming material floated down around them.

              I screamed, waving my arms in the air and jumping up and down in excitement with the rest of the crowd as the lead singer ran out onto the stage through the smoke and started singing his heart out.

              I could have died from happiness on the spot, but that would have meant missing his singing.

              Jayden was completely rocking out beside me, bobbing his head up and down while dancing around, only pausing occasionally to play the air guitar. It was the most carefree I'd ever seen him.

              One song bled into another, time flying until it was Screaming Mercy's last song for the night.

              "River!" Justin yelled in a weirdly high pitched tone, like he's calling a loyal dog. He grins at the crowd conspiratorially and wiggles his eyebrows. "Hey Pretty Princess, get your ass out here for a minute!" He puts three fingers in the air and counts them down, predicting her arrival on the stage to the exact second. The girl stomps across the stage with a half-eaten chocolate bar in her hand and when she reaches him, her hand flies out and punches him playfully on the shoulder. In the same motion, he wraps her in a one armed hug and licks her forehead. He grins and faces the crowd again. "Now, River doesn't know this, but I've been working on a new song these last few weeks,” he waits for the crowds excited screams to fade away.

              River rolls her eyes dramatically, as if to say, "Yeah, I did," but then looks up at him curiously. She must know about the song, but just hasn't heard it yet.

              "This song’s dedicated to anyone who's ever felt like they don't belong anywhere," Justin says, craning his head down to look pointedly at the girl, the black of his eyes lightening in a reflection of stage lights and adoration. "This is for you, Pretty Princess. This song is called Home."

              The lights darkened, leaving only purple and pink lights shining, casting the stage and crowd in those colors, while highlighting the purple and pink strands in Rivers hair.

              It wasn't too much of a shift, but suddenly the stage felt intimate and personal. Justin and River looked into each other's eyes as he sang like the crowd didn't exist and they were the only ones that did.

              The crowd, however, felt this was the perfect time to hold up their phones and lighters, swaying to the music.

              Jayden wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer and closer as they sang, until he had both arms wrapped around me, holding me to him and breathing into my hair.

"Baby come hooooooome with me

It's the place you were always, always meant to be

Don't you see it kills me to see you alone, looking for a place for you to belong?

I see you searching high, I see you searching low.

I see you breaking up, I see you losing hope.