Love Resolution (Black Cat Records series) (11 page)

She was half asleep by the time Marcus deposited her in the king sized bed.

He pulled the heavy brocade curtains tightly closed before climbing into bed behind her. He dragged her body back into the cradle of his thighs. “Mine,” he said, dropping a kiss on the top of her damp hair and draping a possessive arm around her.

She pulled his hand up to her lips, and kissed it before settling it back in place against the center of her chest. She fell asleep to the soothing rhythm of his warm steady breathing against her neck, a dream taking her back to a time she had long forgotten.

“Go. Play.” Her beautiful mom with her long straight red hair and easy smile swatted her on the rear and settled back against her dad on the wooden park bench they shared. Avery took one last furtive glance at them and caught her parents kissing, locked together in a lover’s embrace. Her mother had turned in the opposite direction, but when they separated she saw the expression on her dad’s face. He was gazing at her mom as if she was the most precious thing in the world.

Embarrassed, she looked for her brother. Justin was half way across the park now. Rapidly swinging her thin arms and pumping her legs, she tried desperately to catch up to him. He was climbing the rungs to the tallest slide when she finally reached him.

This slide terrified her.

Frustrated, she watched Justin enter the chute of the covered slide and shoot out the bottom. He continued on to the swings without looking back. She turned back to her parents, wanting the reassuring comfort of her mother’s arms, but she was gone.

It was only her father on the park bench now. She called out to him, but he didn’t hear her. She walked toward him, but instead of getting closer he just seemed to get further and further away. She started running but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t reach him.

She woke up with her pulse pounding in her ears and her heart aching from the pain of the past.

Knowing there was absolutely no way she could sleep anymore; she slid silently out of bed, grabbed a robe from the armoire, and padded into the main living area.

The hotel suite was the biggest she’d ever been in, almost as big as Marcus’ apartment. Way too extravagant for two people really. A large formal seating area with an off white damask sofa and matching high backed chairs dominated one glass framed corner. Her guitar case and Marcus’ rested on the marble floor in the middle of the room next to an ebony baby grand piano. Its glossy surface gleamed in the midday sun streaming through the wall of windows.

She felt like an outsider in the sterile space. She moved closer to the windows and sat down in a patch of warm sunlight. Drawing her legs to her chest, she let the heat sink into her skin as she stared out at the view of Puget Sound. The sea was flat and a couple of large cargo ships floated on its deep blue glassy surface.

The dream had really unsettled her. She remembered their weekly childhood visits to that park and why that slide had terrified her. Her hair had gotten caught once in the top cover. Her father had come rushing over, quieting her crying with his gentle voice. He had tried to loosen it without success. After telling her what he’d have to do, he wiped her tears and used his pocket knife to cut her free. Equally troubling to her was remembering how her father had looked at her mom. It was the same expression she often found Marcus wearing when he looked at her. How would she have reacted in his place, if it had been Marcus who had been ripped out of her life for good? She didn’t know, and she didn’t like thinking about it. She didn’t want to feel sympathetic toward her father. It was so much easier to hold onto the familiar anger she harbored inside.

“Ace,” Marcus sighed.

Avery swiveled her head around to look up at him. He’d donned one of the white hotel robes as well.

“You didn’t sleep very long,” he chastened.

“I’m sorry. I tried.” She turned away, looking back at the view. “I couldn’t anymore. You should go back to sleep though.”

“I can’t. Not without you.” He came and stood beside her and studied her with a sidelong glance. “What’s wrong, Avery?”

“Nothing.”

“Uh-uh.” He crooked a dark brow. “This is me you’re talking to. Try again.”

“I had a dream about my mom and dad,” she sighed.

“A good one or a bad one?”

“A little of both I guess.” She swallowed. “It reminded me how much he loved my mom.”

“I imagine he did, especially if she was anything like you.” He studied her for a moment before suddenly disappearing down the hall. He returned quickly, holding her old worn leather journal.

Her brow rose.

“Write,” he ordered quietly. “It’ll make you feel better.” He went and got his guitar case and brought it over, taking a seat on the floor beside her.

She opened the journal and smoothed out a blank page. Before she could even look around for a pencil, Marcus tapped her on the shoulder and handed one to her. She stared out at the water. Hearing the sequential clacking of guitar case latches, she turned her head to watch him draw out his guitar before settling his back against hers. Avery put the eraser to her lips, thought for a moment, and then set the pencil to the page. Behind her Marcus began strumming softly on his acoustic. Back to back they sat together, physically connected. But she felt the touch of his spirit even more. She sighed as serenity washed over her.

So much for serenity. Avery wandered restlessly through the rooms of the suite trying not to watch the clock. Marcus had gone downstairs to run on the treadmill. She scrolled through the songs on her iPod. Usually listening to music helped her unwind, but even the Foo Fighters couldn’t do that for her right now. She yanked out her ear buds, sighed, and slammed the music device down on the coffee table. She felt trapped inside the walls of the hotel.

I need some fresh air
.

Remembering Marcus’ directive not to go anywhere alone, she pulled out her cell and tried Sam’s number. It went straight to voicemail. JR’s was the same way. She smirked. They were probably together. She paced some more. There was no real reason she couldn’t go out by herself. She grabbed her hoodie from the back of the sectional, swiped her room key off of the glass topped table in the foyer, and pulled open the door.

“Oh,” she exclaimed in surprise, hand to her chest. “You scared me, Ray.”

“Sorry,” he apologized, straightening his black leather coat and pushing away from the hall wall where he’d been leaning. “Where’re you headed?”

“KeyArena.”

“Is it time for sound check already?” Ray asked glancing at his watch.

“No. Not yet. But I thought I might go check it out early. Maybe hear Tempest play.”

“Alright. I’ll take you over and come back for Marcus later.”

“I don’t want you to make an extra trip.” She shook her head. “I’ll just take one of the chauffeured SUV’s.”

“No can do, Avery.” Ray had a sheepish look on his face. “Marcus’ instructions were for me to keep an eye on you.”

“I can take care of myself,” she said indignantly, hands on her hips. “I’m a grown woman, Ray. He needs to stop treating me as if I’m a child.”

“Don’t be mad. I don’t think he means it that way,” Ray assured her. “He’s just wants to be sure you’re safe.”

“You’re probably right,” she relented. “Ok. I certainly don’t want you to get into trouble on my account.”

“How’s your father today?” Ray fell into step beside her as she walked to the elevators.

“I haven’t checked,” she said softly as the elevator opened and she walked in. “We aren’t really close.” She glanced over at him. “He used to knock me and my brother around.”

“I figured as much. I overheard some things when I picked you and your brother up at the airport.” His brow creased. “No child should have to grow up like that, Avery.”

The elevator was uncomfortably silent as they began to descend to the parking garage.

Ray cleared his throat. “I know I’ve told you how my mom basically raised me on her own, but I’ve never told you why. My father wasn’t abusive, but he was never really there. He and my mom always had a rocky relationship. He slept around on her. It got so bad that he stopped coming home for days at a time. Eventually my mom had enough. They got divorced when I was thirteen. After that I resented him for a long time. He was always distant and emotionally detached. Sure he’d help with financial stuff every once in a while when his conscious pricked him but that was it. Nothing reliable. He never pursued a relationship with me. Then he died when I was over in Kuwait.” He sighed. “Anyway, the reason I shared all that was to tell you what my mom told me when I got back stateside.”

Avery’s eyes met his as he continued.

“She said, ‘Ray, you gotta let it go. In this world, people like your father are gonna let you down. You’re gonna have expectations that some will meet, and others won’t. That’s just the way it is. You can’t control that. Your choice is what kind of man you’re gonna be. One who lets his bitterness destroy him or one who lets go and gets on with his life.’”

“I get it Ray,” she said softly. “You chose not to be bitter.”

“Avery, I can’t tell you what to do. But if you don’t mind me saying so, you don’t seem like the kind of person who lets the past define them.”

While she was considering what he said, the elevator arrived and the doors opened. Ray held his arm in front of the sensor as she stepped out into the parking garage. The cold made her shiver and her nose wrinkled at the unpleasant odor of heavy exhaust. She pulled the sides of her jacket together and zipped it up. Sticking her hands in the pockets, she started to look for the familiar grey Mercedes.

“We’ve got the Suburban for transportation here in Seattle.” Ray gestured to a black SUV with tinted windows.

Once Avery was situated in the back, Ray closed the door and climbed into the driver’s seat. Avery noticed him glance at her in the rear view mirror. As he maneuvered the large vehicle up the ramp and out of the parking garage, she pressed her lips together, took a deep breath, and pulled out her cell. Scrolling to the recent call list, she found the number. Justin picked up on the first ring.

“Hey sis. How’s Seattle?”

“Good. I guess. I haven’t seen much yet, except for the hotel room. We have a killer view, though.” She looked out the window at the city as Ray drove. The downtown sidewalks were jammed with pedestrians. Traffic seemed light for the middle of the day. “How’s Arthur?” Her eyes met Ray’s in the rearview mirror.

“Much better. They’re talking about discharging him tomorrow. I’m with him right now. Do you want to say hi?”

“I guess.”

There was a pause on the line. “Hello, Kat. How are you?”

“A little tired. Nervous a bit. How are you feeling?”

“Better. Much better. What time do you go on tonight?”

“Around nine thirty.”

“That’s pretty late.”

“Yeah. I know. I’m sure I’ll get used to it though.”

“I’m sure you will.” The line was quiet for a moment. “I wish I could see you perform. I know you’ll nail it.”

Suddenly her mind flooded with memories: him holding her hand as he walked her into school, his soft kisses when he tucked her into bed at night, and the two of them holding the taper together and lighting a candle at the church when her mother had gotten sick. She realized that she had suppressed quite a few of the good things. She cleared her throat. “Hey, we’re pulling into the garage.”

“I’ll talk to you later then.”

There was a question implicit in his tone. “Sure,” she agreed. She could make an effort to be civil.

“Sis, wait,” Justin said, coming back on.

“What?”

“I want you to promise to be careful. Especially around those guys from Tempest.”

She snorted. “How many times do I have to tell everybody? I can take care of myself.”

“I know that. Why are you being so defensive? It’s just that I read online that some of those guys are into some real crazy shit.”

“Like drugs?”

“Yeah, and other things. So anyway just humor me, ok?”

“Alright, but you don’t need to worry. I’ve got Ray. He’s my guardian angel.”

She caught Ray’s nod of affirmation in the mirror.

“Ok. I’ve really gotta go now. I love you Justin, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Ditto. Take care, sis. Bye.”