Stand (Black Addiction Book 3) (26 page)

I wasn’t sure if it was to remind Mike of my terms and conditions or stare him down a little more, either way I was thankful for the privacy it gave us. The room empty as the footsteps echoed and finally faded.

“You have something on him.”

It was either that, or Max and Joey had cut off one of Mike’s fingers. It was obvious he wasn’t the caliber of human who would just wake up on his own and be decent. And he seemed to have all his digits, so it must have been some convincing argument they’d been able to pull. Something the lawyer hadn’t been able to do.

“Yeah, I counted on him being like every other piece of shit who posts every second of their lives online.” He nodded coming clean with no other prompting. “I had to go back through a few months, my eyes almost bleeding from the amount of gym pictures the asshole posted, but eventually I got what I needed.” He turned me around in his arms and kissed my forehead.

“I don’t want you getting into trouble over me.” I hugged him tightly against my chest, the consequences not something I wanted to think about. “If he goes to the cops . . . extortion is still a crime last time I checked.”

“Trust me, he won’t go to the cops,” he said with so much confidence I had no choice but to believe him. “He has too much to lose. He won’t be a problem, Beth. Not anymore.” He planted another kiss on my forehead.

“You already knew that before I got here, didn’t you?” Whatever he’d dug up was obviously compelling enough to get him down to a club for a private confrontation with me. So my appearance was probably not needed. “Why bring him here?”

“It was really hard not to hurt him, Beth.” Max shook his head, the strain starting to show on his face. “Watching what he’d done to you, it took everything I had not to take a baseball bat to his head and work on my swing.”

This wasn’t something he had to tell me, I’m sure if we’d been back in the Bronx and something like this had gone down, it might have been his exact reaction. But he had so much to lose now if he did, money could only get you out of so much trouble. Assault still carried heavy penalties the last time I checked.

“You would have been arrested and charged. I don’t think Angie and the band would have been able to continue if you were in jail.”

“You think the threat of jail or losing my career was the thing that stopped me?” His brow furrowed confused like those reasons hadn’t been good enough to stop him. “Fuck that, you would have been worth losing my freedom over; hell you’d be worth losing my life over. I didn’t touch him because I promised you I wouldn’t and I wasn’t breaking my word.”

I stood in silence, his words flooring me; he was so sure, no hesitation on what he would have done. Never had I seen anyone so fierce and determined, so positive on what they would have given up just for me.

“Beth, as much as I wanted to fix it, this wasn’t about me.” He tilted my chin, his eyes focusing on mine. “It was about what
you
needed, what
you
wanted and I knew that the only way this would work was on your terms. It was your right for this to play out your way. Not mine, not his—yours.”

My life had been shattered yesterday. My heart had ached beyond measure and I didn’t think I would ever get over it. I’d felt violated and vulnerable, but mostly weak. Out of control in every aspect. And here was a man who had no guarantees I would stay, handing me back the pieces and helping me put it back together.

Without. Asking. For. A. Thing. In. Return.

He put me back in control, my hands steering us forward even though he had no idea of the outcome.

“You did all of that for me?” The lump that formed in my throat was threatening to undo me.

“Yes, and always. Even if it meant losing you.” He gave me a tentative smile. “I knew it was a risk; that you might come down here and hate me for this, but if it gave you some peace then it would be worth it.”

The lump in my throat was no longer the problem with my eyes suddenly having trouble staying dry.

“I don’t deserve you.” My head rested on his chest. It was too hard to look at him, feeling so unworthy.

“It’s the other way around.” He laughed as he played with my hair. “But I’m not dumb enough to lose you on a technicality.”

“I don’t know what to say.” My leaky eyes ruining the front of his shirt, my stupid tear ducts completely out of control. It had been the general theme for the last day or so, and I wasn’t expecting it to change anytime soon.

“You don’t have to say a damn thing; we’ve always found our way back to each other. It’s where we both need to be.”

“I love you.” The words spilled so easily from my mouth it was like they had always been spoken. With what I was feeling, those three little words didn’t seem enough.

“Good, because I love you too.” Max laughed. “This time it’s forever, Beth.”

My heart pounded, as I looked at him. “You sure about that? Forever is a long time.”

He didn’t hesitate.

“And still not long enough to be with you.”

Dom Hudson was a
guitarist from back in our old ’hood. He had been tight with Kenzie, Joey’s wife, and he’d proven his loyalty in more ways than one. When shit had gone south with Kenzie and Joey, he’d been there through most of the shit, so we knew he was the real deal. Not afraid to roll up his sleeves to help out his friends, getting dirty not a problem for him either. It was also an asset that in recent times he had taken a break from grinding his axe to become the promotions manager for his uncle’s club. It had been one of the places we’d done our surprise-we’re-really-Black-Addiction gigs when we were playing undercover. And if Kenzie trusted him, then Joey did. A phone call later and we had our own private meet and greet set up. It kept us away from the prying eyes of the press who struggled with non-of-your-business types of situations. Mike aka micro penis, or as I preferred to call him dickless wonder, had been more than accommodating with allowing me to choose the venue. No surprises there.

I was being a hundred percent truthful when I told Beth that keeping my hands to myself hadn’t been easy. I’d have ended him and then turned myself in to the cops with no questions asked, no fucks given either if it meant she would be okay. But instead of doing what I wanted, I did what was right. And in this instance, it meant being a man and letting my girl decide what she wanted.

Took a hell of a lot more balls than beating his face in, I can tell you that.

That slap she’d given him probably was more gratifying to her than anything I could have done, and that was what it was all about. Even when she’d assumed she had been falling apart, I knew how strong she was.

She had always been fierce; there weren’t too many women who would have been cool for me to walk in and out of her life like an asshole. I’d marveled at how awesome it had been, stupid in not realizing what I had potentially been throwing away. She was far better a person than I could ever be, and whether she saw it or not, she was a gladiator.

I would do what I did all again in a heartbeat for the woman in my arms. Having her tell me that she loved me and we were going to be together, well that was a fucking prize I’d only hoped to win.

“You guys making out or am I cool to come back?” Joey’s face poked through the doorway, his smile a hint he’d at least heard some of our conversation.

“You have the worst timing in the world, dude.” I pulled my lips reluctantly from Beth’s mouth. We had just been enjoying our non-verbal celebration of douchebag making his exit, the
I love yous
leading into more show than tell.

“Bullshit, I could have totally picked a worst time.” He grinned, the rest of his body stepping into the room. “Where did Dom go?” He looked around noticing the dude in question hadn’t returned. “Big Foot need an understudy or something?”

“I’m right here, loser.” Dom pushed open a door, ignoring Joey’s usual insults about the guy’s size. Honestly, he was huge, so I understood Joey’s fixation.

“Hey man, thanks for the space.” I threw my hand out there, waiting for his to clap against mine. “And for keeping it on the quiet too.”

“Not a problem.” He nodded before moving his attention to Beth. “You cool? My brother in law works for the IRS and would love to give him a colonoscopy.”

“Thanks,” Beth smiled, my other arm around her keeping her close. “Let’s rain check that for now.”

“Offer’s there.” Dom shrugged, his massive shoulders rolling as he moved. “He might have some problems getting into a few clubs in the near future too. I hear crowd control is a big issue these days.” Big-ass grin tossed our way as well as the freebie. He, like the rest of us, couldn’t stand disrespectful assholes.

“Nice work.” I gave him a quick nod. The additional grief the POS would be receiving courtesy of Dom’s network making me happy. “We’ll be out of here in a minute or two, let you get back to work.”

“Take as long as you need.” He gave his knuckles a crack before picking up a clipboard on the bar. “I’ll be in my office, just shut the front door on your way out.” A few steps later, and he was gone from the space.

“You know, for a big mofo, he’s pretty agile.” Joey nodded to the closed door of Dom’s office. “I always expect more Fe Fi Fo Fum.”

“You’re lucky he’s got the patience to match his shoe size.” I laughed, giving my girl a squeeze. “You want to get out of here, sweetheart?”

“Yes.” She nodded, her arms untangling themselves from mine as she walked over to my buddy. “Thanks, Joey.” My BFF treated to a hug courtesy of my girl.

“No thanks necessary, babe.” Joey returned the hug. “We take care of ours, and your dude has been there for my ass more than I care to admit. Family first, always.”

He was right on the money about that. It wasn’t about keeping score either. One of the boys or Angie needed something, there’d be no questions asked. But they’d had my back too, every single one of them pulling through whenever I needed. It’s what a family did, and we’d always been more than just a band.

“He’s right.” I waited patiently for Beth to return to my side. “Like it or not, you’re part of this now. And everything that comes with it.”

Her face lit up, the smile she gave me making my world turn. “I think I’m going to handle that just fine.”

***

As far as work was concerned, it had been a wash. Rus and Angie were cool with having a down day, so instead of heading into the studio, we said our goodbyes to Joey, and Beth and I headed back to my apartment.

It was good to see the smile on her face as some of the tension eased out of her, but I wasn’t living in fantasyland thinking it was smooth sailing from here on out.

She was still unsure of where she sat on a few issues, her job being the most obvious. It wasn’t about her being on personal leave either, assuming they dropped whatever bullshit investigation, AKA witch-hunt, and allowed her to come back, why would she go back after they’d treated her like that? If it were up to me I’d be flashing them deuces and telling them to peace out; their handling of the situation not cool. I didn’t give a fuck what the rumor had been, you circle your wagons and you stand beside your people until you have some facts. But as strong as my opinion was on the matter, I was behind her whatever choice she made. She wouldn’t get any lip from me.

“So, what are you going to do?” The pressure I hadn’t applied was coming thick and fast from her roommate. “There is nothing to investigate. No scandal, you should be able to come back, right?”

Jules had knocked on my door the minute she’d gotten home from class, partially to find out the 4-1-1 and partially to tell us they had already started to take odds on whether we were having a boy or a girl. The general consensus for Beth’s leave, she was knocked up.

“I don’t know if I want to go back.” Beth’s pendulum of should-I-stay-or-should-I-go kept swinging. “I would hate to leave my kids, but I hated being backed into a corner. Part of me really doesn’t want to be there.”

“But you can’t leave, what will you do?” she persisted, her insistence starting to piss me off.

I knew Jules meant well, heart in the right place and all of that, but she was going to be giving Beth zero grief on this.

“She can do whatever she wants. There are other schools, or she can couch surf for a while. But whatever she decides, we’re both going to support her, you hearing me, Jules?”

“Whoa, dude.” She gave me a handful of settle down I wasn’t interested in hearing. “If you weren’t totally staring me down, that alpha shit would be so hot right now.” She fanned herself for effect.

“Are you hitting on my boyfriend?” Beth laughed, ignoring the fact I was rolling my eyes at the BS being tossed my way. I had learned pretty quickly that acknowledging it only made it worse.

“No, but I’m freaking shocked you aren’t dry humping him right now.” Jules nodded as if to agree with her own assessment.

“Do I need to remind the two of you, I’m still here and can hear every fucking word?” I waved my hand like a fucking loser in my own house. The conversation took a left turn onto a what-the-fuck tangent.

“Like we could ever forget you’re here.” Beth smiled, her hand resting on my chest.

“Although, if you really wanted to remind us, you should take off your shirt. Just sayin’.” Jules’ eyes following Beth’s hand action, her smile getting wider.

“I’m not taking off my shirt.” At least not right now; later when Beth and I were alone it would be another story. “Nice try though. Now, let’s refocus on what’s important, a job doesn’t define you or at least it shouldn’t.”

I didn’t usually pull the Confucius shit, but in this instance it was valid. Beth was an amazing woman with a huge heart. She’d always wanted to be around kids and teaching was what made her happy. It wasn’t the other way around.

“Honest to God, I am no happier playing a stadium than I was playing a bar with two bucks in my pocket. Sure, shit is easier now. I don’t have to worry about money and the success feels great, but if it all goes away tomorrow I would be okay with it.”

Perhaps that came out wrong, like I didn’t give a shit what she did or that she shouldn’t be pissed that her hand had been forced. She should be livid, and I absolutely cared, but what I was trying to say—albeit badly—was that she should do what made her happy, the location wasn’t what was important.

Thank Christ, I wasn’t a fucking career counselor, because I would suck at it.

“Max is right,” Beth announced, failing to clue me in on what she was giving me props for.

“Awesome.” I clapped my hands together happy I’d helped in some way. How exactly? I was still none the wiser. “About . . .” I waited for enlightenment.

“That I’m not going to give up teaching. I love it, but I’m not going to be forced to stay because I’m afraid I won’t find something else. There are other schools, and I am damn good at what I do.”

And fuck yeah, we’d made progress. Some of that bravado I knew she had was peeking through again. Jules looked like someone had kicked her puppy, the realization that they weren’t going to be working together sinking in. I guess there was the other issue of living arrangements that I was going to bring up too. As in, I wanted her out of her apartment and into mine.

I hadn’t mentioned it yet because shit had been crazy enough without me adding to it, but make no mistake, it was coming. Deep down I think Jules knew it too, which is why she was bummed about the job.

Jules stayed a little longer, but didn’t try and change Beth’s mind. Then she said her
see ya laters
and went back downstairs. She hadn’t asked if Beth was joining her, rightly assuming she wasn’t.

“She’s disappointed.” Beth curled up on the couch, the funk of the earlier conversation hanging in the air. “I get it; I just want her to know it’s not personal.”

“It’s not your responsibility to make it okay for everyone. It’s good to care, but it’s also cool to be a little selfish sometimes too.” She did not have to take ownership for other people’s feelings. That was for everyone else to do.

“I feel guilty.” She bit her lip, her body fitting perfectly against mine as I sat beside her, her head resting on my shoulder.

“About what?” My hand moved slowly up and down her arm.

“Well, we wasted a lot of time in the past.” She snuggled in deeper, her voice vibrating off my chest. “Trying to do the right thing but in the end it really wasn’t, not for either of us.”

“Don’t think about the past, none of it matters now.”

“No, I know but I mean that I want different things now.”

“And what is it that you want?” Because let’s face it, whatever she wanted was pretty much hers. She wanted the Taj Mahal, I’d find a way to bring that son of bitch to her, brick by fucking brick.

“You,” she said quietly.

“You already have me.” I laughed, not a single part of me left unclaimed.

“No, you said forever and I want to know if you meant it.”

“Of course I meant it, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Make love to me, Max.”

“That’s one thing you’ll never have to tell me to do. I’ll volunteer every time.”