Front & Center (Book 2 of the Back-Up Series) (28 page)

“Wow. That’s fucking cool.” Hunter says what we are all thinking.

“Yes, Hunter, it is. Let’s talk about the Internet buzz. It has been mostly positive. There are those who hate Jack and what he did. But we think it only increased curiosity that much more. Especially while you guys were supposedly broken up. Leila’s single is also climbing. Malcolm would like her to start singing it in the shows. I agree that it will create fantastic buzz for her and us. You will have the sheet music for it by tomorrow. I’d like to debut it as soon as possible. Malcolm wants Leila front & center, solo spotlight while singing it.”

The way she says “her and us” doesn’t sit well with me. It’s an obvious slip that
says Jen does not consider me part of the band. The sudden interest in my solo career hits a nerve as well. Jack takes notice of the frown I am sporting and raises his eyebrows. I’m sure if I share this with him, he’ll tell me I’m being ridiculous. Instead, I throw him a smile, which he returns immediately.

I’m a little perturbed that Malcolm is my agent by default. I’m torn between the want of solo success and the disgust of being tied to him. He
is
a master in the music industry. If I stick with him, I don’t doubt he would help me achieve my goals, but at what price?

“
Let’s discuss Miami. There is a huge rock music festival which we will be part of. It runs for a month and the turnout is impressive. I have booked us a spot on the weekend that usually has the biggest turnout. Unfortunately, this takes away your only night off. MACE is headlining. We are up right before them. Cliffhangers will be performing that day as well.” She looks over at me smugly.

“What?” I ask in complete shock.

Jen nods. “Your friend Lori reminds me of me. She has secured a spot on the same day. They play early in the lineup and we play at night, but she managed to get it done.”

Jack looks over smiling. “That’s awesome
. Lei, did you know?”

“I had no idea. Neither Evan or Lori mentioned it.”

“It was only confirmed yesterday. He probably wasn’t told yet.” Jen admits.

She
drones on as I sit reeling from her news. I glance over at Trey. His posture gives an obvious indication of what he is feeling, because suddenly he sits forward and intently starts to listen to Jen for the first time since she started yapping. I pull out my phone and quickly text my best friend.

Awesome job Lor
!

“Ok, that’s it for all of you. I’d like to have a chat with Jack, Leila and Dylan.”

“Ooooh, you’re in trouble.” Hunter ball busts on his way out.

“Get out, Amatto.” Jack responds. Once they have
gone, we turn our focus to Jen. Malcolm remains comfortably seated in the corner, making no moves to leave.

“
I’m trying real hard to understand why I’ve been kept in the dark for these past few weeks. Anyone care to enlighten me?”

“It was important. The less who knew, the better.” Jack responds with an attitude.

Dylan adds, “Jen, I’ve explained. The only reason I knew was because Leila’s friend Ace felt it was important for her safety. I pulled Charles in to get approval on security faster. The studio was taking too long to make that decision.”

“This could have been a complete disaster. You all should have filled me in, if for no other reason than to fill me in.
So things with this Jessa bitch are under control?”

“For now.”

“I’m making a call to Louis. He needs to know. Is there anything at all you haven’t told me?”

Jack and I look over at Dylan. We really don’t know how much he filled Jen in on.
He confirms our thoughts. “I told her everything.”

Jen watches our exchange and shakes her head. “
That’s ok with you two?”

“I guess.” Jack smirks.

“You should be kissing my ass, Lair.”

“Jen, all kidding aside. We are sorry
we didn’t tell you and we do appreciate all you do. Honestly. Thank you.”

Jen’s eyes widen fractionally before she
says, “It’s getting late. I’ll see you after the show.”

Malcolm stands and speaks for the first time. “If you want me to leak some dirt on this Jessa person, just say the word.”

“I don’t want to go that route.” Jack responds.

“Dumb move.”
He turns towards me and leers, “You’re song is about to explode. Stick with me, kid. You’ll be huge.”

Jack stands, coming eye to eye with Malcolm. “Her talent will get her there, let’s be clear
about that.”

Malcolm smirks and pats Jack’s shoulder. “Of course.”

The minute Mr. and Mrs. Agent leave the room, Jack turns towards me and asks, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong.”
My eyes fly over to Dylan.

“I’ll leave you two alone.” He
quietly leaves the room.

The minute the door shuts, he asks,
“Are you upset that Jen now knows about Jessa?”

“
Of course not.”

My relentless fiancé pulls me into his arms. “
You made a face before. I’ll stand here all night. What’s wrong?”

“You can be exhausting.”  He shrugs at my response
, but doesn’t deny it. He then slowly moves his hands to my ribs, flexing them deviously.

“NO. Don’t tickle me.
Have you heard from Jessa yet?”

“Nice change of subject. No, not yet. I’ll give a day before I make a phone call.”
He bends to kiss me. Just as I start to respond, he breaks the kiss.

“Are you punishing me
because of the cab ride?”

“
You do need to be punished. We have just enough time to move my things back to our bus. And if we move fast enough, we’ll have time for me to torture you with my mouth. To be continued. Let’s go.” He picks me up and throws me over his shoulder.

“Jack, what are you doing?”

“I walk faster than you do.” He then breaks into a sprint, while I giggle uncontrollably.

On our way to Oklahoma City, I feel things are just as they should be. It’s only been four days since Vegas. Leila and I are back together in our tiny little bedroom. Every night I fall asleep with my arms wrapped around her. We share a dressing room at our shows. We show affection in public. I’ve resumed singing her song to her on stage…and I make love to her each and every day. Most importantly, she proudly displays her engagement ring on her finger.

The guys, Leila
, and I are lounging comfortably on the bus. I even welcome the annoying bickering between Hunter and Scott as they act like ten years olds while playing video games.

Miami is quickly becoming our next big focus. We have several cities
to visit before we get there, but it’s going to be an awesome time…a huge party of sorts. Mandi and Patti are coming. My parents will also be there. Cliffhangers, Leila’s dad and Evan’s mom, Lori, and even Liz are all attending. I’m hoping we will have enough time to celebrate our engagement. I want to speak to Jen and possibly have her arrange a dinner while we are all in one place at the same time and surprise Leila.

“Trey, you need to shut it, you whore.” Trey is having a lengthy discussion with Leila, trying to convince her on the merits of groupies.

He laughs at her while she ignores him. I watch amused as the two of them banter back and forth. Leila brings a side out of Trey
that the rest of us rarely see. Then again, Leila brings the best out of most people. Trey has also been in a much better mood lately.

Since Jen shared the news regarding Cliffhangers meeting up with us in Miami, he’s been a different person. Hunter said he has spoken to Lori. Actually, Hunter had to endure the torturous phone sex session between
them, as he lay wide-awake in the middle of the night in the bunk beneath Trey.

M
y gorgeous fiancé is on her laptop reading up on all the posts she’s been avoiding for the past few days. The fans are thrilled we are together. Some of the haters still hate me as well as my involvement with Jessa. The news broke that I’ve abandoned my “Baby Mama” and left her high and dry. Leila’s haters jumped all over that news story and have been spewing toxic lies on their blog. I am proud of how my baby is handling it. She never ceases to amaze me. My respect for her is insurmountable. When I tell her so, she quickly becomes embarrassed by my adulations.

A few weeks ago she would have been devastated by their words. Now, she shrugs it off a
nd ignores it for the most part, or she’s acting like she is at least.

Every so often a smile plays on her face and then a quick frown. She wears her feelings so obviously that I always know exactly what she is thinking. When she looks up and catches me staring at her, she wrinkles her nose.

“What are you reading?”

“About what a huge whore Trey is.” She
quips without looking at me. But the pucker between her eyebrows tells me otherwise.

“Liar.”

I scoot around the booth until I’m up against her side. On the screen is the home page to Lair’s Lovers.

“Lei. Why are you on there
?” I murmur in her ear.

“I was curious.”

“What are you on?” Nosey Hunter asks without even looking up.

“
Trey is a whore.com.” I shoot Leila a pleading look. That’s all I need is for Hunter to know about this fucking website. I’ll never hear the end of it.

“So? I own it.” Trey
shrugs.

Hunter looks at me as if he’s about to say something.
Unlike Trey, I don’t want to own it. Because every time it is brought up, in a kidding fashion or not, it will hurt Leila.

Miraculously, Leila’s phone buzzes. “It’s Ace. I’m going to take it in the back.” She answers the call as she walks away. Ace calling reminds me I still haven’t heard from Jessa. This is not good. I tried calling and texting, but she hasn’t responded.

I decide to join Leila. As I approach the closed bedroom door, I can hear her clipped words.

“Where could he be?” She looks up as I enter. I can immediately tell something is wrong. “Ok.
Lizzy is being protected?” After a short pause she says, “Ok. Thank you. Please keep me posted.”

“What now?”

“Danny is gone.”

“What do you mean he’s gone?”

“Lee’s guy hasn’t seen him in days.”

I sit heavily on the bed next to her. “I
still haven’t been able to get in touch with Jessa either.”

I pull out my phone and dial Oscar. He answers the call by saying, “I know.”

“Do the police know?”

“
Lee is working on it.”

“My sister?
”

“He’s watching her.”

“Thank him for me. What about Jessa?”

“We don’t know where she is either.”

“Fuck.
”

“Don’t panic
.”

“
Can you tell Dylan to arrange extra security if possible at each arena we play in?”

“He’s
working on it.”

“Thanks, Oscar.”

“Do you think he’ll hurt her?” Leila asks as soon as I hang up the call.

“I d
on’t know.” I skim through my contacts to find Max’s number.

“Who are you calling?”

“Her brother.”

The phone goes right to voicemail. “Max, it’s Jack Lair. I need to talk to you.
Please call me as soon as you get this message.”

Leila sits on the edge of the bed,
nervously fiddling with her engagement ring.

“Are you freaked out?”

“Of course I’m freaked out.”

I really can’t blame her. I pull her into my arms and kiss the top of her head. “I would never let anything happen to you.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine.
”

She strokes my face before leaning in for a kiss. “I can’t even think about something happening to you.”

“I don’t want you to worry about things like that. Besides, for all we know he’s lying face down in a gutter strung out on crack.”

“I might go to hell saying this, but I hope so.”

“I rather talk about something else. Have you thought about our wedding?”

“I really want to do something simple. Closest friends and family, maybe on the beach?”

“I’d love that. When?”

“Well,
how about early June? We could arrange to be on our honeymoon for both of our birthdays.”

“That long?”

“If we want to do the beach, then we’d have to wait ‘til then.” She kisses my pursed lips chastely. “We’ll be living together anyway.”

“I want you as Leila Lair.”

“Jack, I’m yours…with or without your name.”

“I know…but still.”

“Ok, well then we’ll have to do it indoors.”

“No, I like the beach idea. Fine, early June.
It’s the month you and I started working together, the month you were born, and now the month I get to make you mine.”

“I am yours.”

“Legally.” I shift our bodies so she’s beneath me on the bed. “One more question.”

“Yes?”

“Can I own you now?”

“Hmmm…I don’t know?
Can you?”

I move my hand under her shirt and skim my thumb over
the lace that’s covering her nipple. It instantly hardens beneath my touch. “Still debating?”

“I need more convincing.”

I skim the shell of her ear with the tip of my tongue, while stealthily moving my fingers inside her bra to pinch and roll her nipple. She shudders beneath me and says, “Ok…you convinced me.”

Just as I start to lift her shirt up off her body, my cell buzzes in my pocket.

“Damn it.”

“You need to get that. It could be Max.”

Groaning as I dig my phone out, Max’s name ominously displays on the screen.

“Max.
Where’s Jessa?”

“
Danny beat the crap out of her.”

I sit up abruptly.
“Shit, when?” Leila sits up as well, looking concerned.

“A few days ago. She’s in the hospital. He left her unconscious and took off.”

“How is she?”

“They have her heavily sedated. She’s been in and out. He cracked some ribs, her face is pretty bad, she has a concussion and…” Max stops abruptly.

“
What?”

“She lost the baby.”

“Fuck.” Guilt instantly grips me, making me feel sick to my stomach. I desperately drag my hand over my face. “Where is she?”

“
N.Y.U.”

“Max, do you know
why he did it?”

“Yes. S
he tried to protect me and this is what she gets for it.” Obviously, Max has no idea that Jessa manipulated Danny or Leila or me in the process, and it’s not my place to tell him. “There’s a warrant out for his arrest.”

“Do they have any leads as to where he is?
”

“No.
I gotta go.”

“Wait...Max, can you…
um.” I don’t have a clue what I want from him.

After a few seconds, he impatiently asks,
“What, Jack?”

“Um…just tell her I called.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Leila
watches me wide eyed. “What happened?”

“
He beat her up…bad. He cracked some ribs, messed up her face and…”

“Jack, what?”

I woodenly gaze into her eyes. “Um…she lost the baby.”

“Uhh.” Leila gasps
, and her eyes instantly well up with tears.

“What should I do?
Should I call the hospital?”

“
I’m not sure they would tell you anything.” She’s right. There’s no way a phone call, claiming I’m the baby’s father, would get me the results I’m looking for.

“Maybe you should speak to your dad?”
She suggests.

“
Ok.”

“I’ll give you some privacy.”

“Can you call Ace and ask him to fill in Lee and Oscar? There is a warrant out and Lizzy needs to be protected even more now.”

She nods
and moves towards the door when I reach for her. “Baby…”

“Yeah?”

“I feel…I.” I hang my head not knowing what to say out loud. She runs her hands into my hair, holding my head against her body. The internal battle between caring and not giving a fuck causes confusion beyond anything I’ve ever felt. I’m torn between saying what I really want to versus what I should.

“I know,
” she says giving me an out. I wrap my arms around her waist, holding her tightly. She soothes me with her touch, waiting for me to be ready to let go.

When I release my hold on her
, she palms my cheek and asks, “You ok?”

“I don’t know.”

“Jack, this isn’t your fault. You can’t be held responsible for what Jessa or Danny did.”

“It’s hard not to.”

“You didn’t manipulate him and you didn’t beat her.”

“She warned me this would happen. I could have done something to protect her better.”

She sits next to me on the bed and takes my hand. “She’s made it difficult to show her any compassion. She tried to ruin you. You responded and reacted just as you should have.” She takes my face between her hands and adds, “Hey, you didn’t deserve any of this. You are a good person and she is not. I’m sorry this happened to her. Mostly, I’m sorry she lost her child. But I won’t let you sit here and take blame.”

She leans in to kiss me and whispers against my lips, “I love you.
”

“
Me too.”

She
kisses me again and leaves me alone in the bedroom.

With shaking fingers I dial my dad’s number.

“Hey, son. How are you?”

“Dad, something’s happened.”

“Are you ok? Leila?”

“It’s not us. It’s Jessa.” I proceed to tell my dad
all the details. From the manipulating Jessa did to Danny’s threats to Lizzy being stalked to Danny putting Jessa into the hospital.

As I ramble, h
is silence on the other end is beyond frustrating. I have no idea what he is thinking or feeling. The disappointment he must feel is affecting me almost worse than the guilt.

“Dad, please say something.”

“You should have told me all of this sooner.”

“I couldn’t have imagined the lengths she would have gone through. Plus I didn’t want to worry you.”

“You are involved. Your sister is involved. We should have known. You and your sister are

my priority.”

“I know. I’m sorry. This is such a mess. I feel so guilty that all this happened.”