Rebel Heart series Box Set Page 28

  “Can’t take that guy anywhere, huh?” Jett muttered.

  Rowen and I exchanged a look. He’d spent several years cleaning up Arrow’s messes. Now they were divided, on opposing sides despite sharing blood and a band. Eventually the things that divided them would stack up until Rowen could no longer come to his brother’s aid. Not that Arrow appreciated it, or if he did, he sure kept it a well-hidden secret.

  I gave Rowen’s hand a squeeze. My gaze strayed to Arrow who was playing rockstar for a few barely legal girls. As far as the rock industry went, we were all small fish in a big pond, but in the local rock scene, our two bands had gained a lot of attention during the band battle, and now we’d reached some sort of city-wide celeb status, Arrow most of all. Pompous and more than a little conceited, he ate up the attention.

  I stifled a sigh and flashed Rowen what I hoped was an encouraging smile. Though I had no intention of saying so, I was starting to get a bad feeling about where tonight was headed.

  Arrow glanced our way and grinned.

  My bad feeling became downright dread.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “I just love “Blood and Fire.” That song changed my life,” a bleached blonde in stilettos gushed as we walked up, touching Arrow’s arm and fluttering her eyelashes.

  “Oh barf,” Jett said, announcing our arrival.

  Arrow shot her a glare that was deadly but gone as fast as it had come. My opinion on the matter, they didn’t care much for one another because they were too much alike.

  “Thanks, doll.” Arrow ignored us and flashed a smile designed only to seduce. “Rowen here helped write that one.”

  He drew attention to Rowen, which resulted in gushed compliments and obvious flirtations. Rowen made nice, accepting compliments with humility and genuine gratitude. He’d dragged us over here so he could babysit Arrow. While I was less than enthused with the turn of events, I somehow kept my dismay to myself. Unlike Jett.

  The trio of groupies assessed us, dismissing Jett and I immediately but eyeing up Rowen with interest. Dating in the rock industry meant having loads of females wanting to sleep with your man. I found it both entertaining and nauseating.

  Jett played with an unlit cigarette and watched the scene play out. Leaning in close she muttered, “Good Lord, I hope I never get that desperate for attention.”

  I couldn’t hide my smile. “Jett, you’re a frontwoman. You’re always that desperate for attention.”

  Head cocked, unlit smoke stuck between her lips, she nodded. “Yeah, well at least I do something to earn it rather than show my tits and bleach my hair.”

  “Now, now. Play nice.” I said with a snicker. “You show your tits all the time. Don’t be so quick to judge.”

  A mischievous smile crossed her face. “Well, I have great tits. It would be a shame to keep them all to myself.”

  Rowen’s name rang across the room, and Sam, the Molly’s Chamber guitarist, waved us over. We joined him at the table he had claimed in the middle of the room. It put us mid-way between the stage and the bar so we had a clear view of both.

  “Hey, Sammy.” Rowen greeted his friend with a fist bump and a few choice swear words. “Where’s Greyson? Did he leave already?”

  Sam nodded and let out a belch. He clutched a beer in one hand. “He had to pick his girlfriend up from work.”

  I listened to the guys shoot the shit while Jett went to the bar for drinks. Sacred Stone was setting up on stage. They’d been the second runner up in the competition, and the singer, Paul Webber, hadn’t been able to accept losing to a girl band. He was a misogynistic pig who made me yearn to do horrible things.

  Jett returned with two double vodka screwdrivers and placed one in front of me. Her gaze landed on the stage. “Oh, this asshole is playing. Great.”

  “Don’t even pay him any attention,” I said. “He’s not worth it.”

  “What about me?” Arrow plopped down at the table and gestured to our drinks, feigning offense.

  Jett flipped him her middle finger, using it to gesture to the girls now waiting in the bar line. “Get one of your groupies to buy you drinks. I’m sure they’ll be along any moment now.”

  “Ah yes, love me some groupies.” Arrow chuckled, amused by himself. “Hey, when do you guys play here next?”

  Jett stared at him in stony silence and sipped from her drink.

  Trying to keep things light, I said, “We play The Spirit Room tomorrow. The Wicked Kiss the night after.”

  “Right. The vampire bar. I tried to get us a gig there, and the owner kicked me out. She’s such a bitch.” For a split-second Arrow looked wounded by the rejection. Then his arrogance oozed back into place, hiding any sign that he was still human after all.

  I laughed, enjoying that we had a regular gig at a place he couldn’t get into. “She’s not so bad. Can’t blame her for having standards.”

  Arrow scoffed and shoved away from the table, stalking off toward the bar. I couldn’t help but give him a hard time. He liked to dish it out, but he didn’t take it so well.

  Rowen leaned in close so as not to shout over the music. His warm breath tickled against my ear. “I’m worried about him. Something’s up, and he won’t talk to me about it. I think Dash has been working him over hard.”

  The mention of Dash brought a frown to my face. The demon had made it his mission to recruit both brothers for the dark. He’d succeeded with Arrow but had lost Rowen, and he’d been punishing Arrow for it ever since.

  “I get the feeling he’s looking for trouble.” I turned to speak close to Rowen’s ear, brushing my lips over his lobe with each word. “I don’t think I want to be around when he finds it.”

  Capturing my hand in his, Rowen brought it to his lips. With a brow raised I bit my bottom lip and gave him a flirtatious smile. He kissed me, a small peck that quickly became a sensual declaration. Excitement thrilled through me, setting butterflies loose to tickle my ribcage.

  “Get a room.” Jett showed her displeasure by throwing a balled up napkin at us. “I wish Tash and Rubi had come so I didn’t have to look at you disgusting lovebirds all night.”

  The girls had stayed in tonight, Tash with her country-music–loving boyfriend and Rubi to work on her university studies. That left Jett and I to deal with the abundance of testosterone flooding the building.

  Sam saw it as an opportunity to flirt with Jett. “You know, Jett, if you and me were making out too, you wouldn’t have to look at them.” He leaned toward her with lips puckered.

  “You have got to be kidding me.” Despite her derogatory tone, Jett was pleased with the attention. “One of these days I’m going to take you up on that, and you’ll be sorry.”

  Sam made it a point to flirt with Jett as often as possible. She always shot him down, but she appreciated his efforts.

  “I don’t like the looks of this,” Rowen said, staring over my shoulder. “He’s going to get slapped.”

  I turned around to find Arrow chatting up one of the waitresses. Her lip was curled in disgust. Whatever he was saying, she’d probably heard it many times before. Smug and self-assured, Arrow said something that proved how well Rowen knew him. The waitress cracked him across the face before storming off, spewing curses back at him. We couldn’t hear it due to the noise, but I didn’t need audio to know that she’d told Arrow to go fuck himself.

  Our table erupted in jeers as Arrow sauntered back to us with a drink in hand. He was grinning like an idiot, proud of himself.

  “Nice job, dickhead,” Sam crowed. “Tell me again why you still have a better track record with the ladies than I do.”

  Arrow plopped down beside Sam. A wicked glimmer danced through his hazel eyes. “I know what the ladies want. Even if they don’t know it yet.”

  Jett and I exploded into protests. “Oh come on, Arrow,” I said at the same time Jett muttered, “Fuck that.”

  The conversation flowed naturally as jibes were thrown and drinks were downed. After a while, even the music of Sacr
ed Stone was mildly enjoyable.

  Then the sensation of being watched gave me goosebumps. I knew who it was before I located him. Being stalked by a demon was not something I expected to ever get used to.

  Koda leaned against the wall near the front entry. Tall, handsome, and dark haired was the form he chose to present himself in. There was no telling what he really looked like without his illusive physical form. He stared at me, red eyes boring into me with a palpable weight. Like the guy Brook was tailing, I had a demon of my own. Lucky me.

  I didn’t know if Koda had been assigned to me or if he’d taken it upon himself to be a constant reminder of the side I’d turned my back on when I’d chosen to serve the light. As if I needed another reminder; Arrow was more than enough.

  “Not even one night without some demon bullshit, huh?” Rowen appraised the lurking demon. “Do you want to deal with him? I’ve got your back.”

  “No. Just ignore him. He wants a reaction so we’re not going to give him one.” Meeting Koda’s eyes, I gave a slow shake of my head before turning away.

  He continued to stare, unmoving.

  Before I’d chosen the light, Koda had been dedicated to recruiting me. From being my friend to pledging his love for me, he’d tried everything. And failed. Yet, here he was. Demons never gave up. Whether recruiting, manipulating, or straight up opposing, the dark was going to be a constant shadow in my life.

  A loud squeal followed by a giggle drew my attention back to the table. One of the groupies had joined us. She dragged a chair over from another table and crammed in between Arrow and Sam before excitedly introducing herself as Vicky.

  She gushed over each Molly’s Chamber member, flooding them with flirtatious compliments. Jett and I exchanged a look. As copious amounts of liquor were consumed, both she and Arrow became unbearably annoying.

  Sacred Stone finished their set, and the DJ promptly took over, playing some well-loved 80s rock that got people dancing. Though I wasn’t a dancer by any means, it was tempting if only to get away from Arrow and his giggling friend.

  On a quick trip to the restroom, Koda intercepted me. Not at all a surprise. “You look lovely this evening, Spike.” He glided out of the shadows into my path, making me jerk to a halt.

  “What do you want, Koda?” My palms itched and I clenched my fists. “Do you really have nothing better to do than creep around here watching me? It’s a waste of time.”

  Koda peered down his angular nose at me, assessing my mood. “Your time, maybe. Time means nothing to me.” When I huffed and tried to shove by him, he held up a hand to stop me. “You know I can’t just let you go. It doesn’t work that way.”

  “Yeah, I know how it works. Just because you insist on being a constant annoyance does not mean that I’m required to engage with you or even acknowledge your existence. Leave me alone.”

  “You’re still in danger, Spike. You always will be. As long as you’re light. That’s just the way it is. No sense trying to fight it.” Koda made a show of looking me over. “I’ll be here, waiting for my opportunity. When you realize the futility of fighting the good fight and you start to hunger for more, I’ll be here. I’ll always be here.” He spoke in a manner that made it sound as if he was both warning me and threatening me.

  Rather than encourage him with a reply, I shoved by him without a glance back. I kept hoping that Koda would grow weary of this one-sided game, but it was becoming undeniably clear that might never happen.

  I returned from the restroom to find that all hell had broken loose in my brief absence. Arrow and Paul were going at it, throwing fists that landed with enough force to make me cringe. I was pretty sure I could guess who’d started it. Sam and Rowen were trying to break them up, but neither guy made it easy for them. Paul’s friends were useless, watching the ordeal with amusement. If they thought their boy could hold his own against an ego-fed and most likely coke-fueled Arrow, they were about to realize how wrong that assumption was.

  Jett stood close enough to watch the action without being involved. She raised her glass in cheers when I joined her. “Can you believe these fucking idiots?”

  “Who started it?” I asked. Since the time Arrow had punched Paul for insulting me at a late-night diner, the two of them had been on rocky ground.

  “Hard to say.” She shrugged, her gaze on the chaos. “Paul walked by, made a snarky remark about having already fucked Arrow’s bimbo, but Arrow threw the first punch.”

  Vicky the Groupie watched the action with something between shock and delight. She was under the impression that this was all about her, but it wasn’t. It was about two guys who both wanted to be top dog in this town when there was only room for one.

  Two bouncers appeared, and that seemed to be enough to bring the fight to an end. Paul backed off with hands up, likely hoping he wouldn’t get kicked out. His short brown hair was disheveled, his face blotchy and red. Blood trickled from one nostril.

  Arrow struggled to get to Paul despite the burly bouncer in his path. The guy had to shove him back a few times before Arrow settled down. Swiping a hand over his nose, he seemed pleased to find that it wasn’t bleeding. A nice shiner was already forming under one eye though. I’d lost count of how many shiners I’d seen Arrow with since we’d first met. Apparently a lot of people wanted to hit him in the face. Me included. I’d thrown a punch at him myself.

  He stooped to pick up the hat that had fallen from his head in the fight. Tucking it into his back pocket, he ran a hand through his unruly hair and shot Paul a venomous glare.

  “I think you two need to leave for the rest of the night.” The bouncer addressed both guys. “Come back tomorrow but keep your hands to yourself.”

  Arrow eyed the bouncer, and I was sure he was going to argue. But he just shrugged and said, “Just give me five minutes to finish my drink. Then I’m gone.”

  The bouncer fixed Arrow with a hard glare. “Five minutes. I’m timing you.”

  Paul and his friends packed their gear out while we all returned to our table.

  I’d had enough of demons and dirtbags for one evening. I was ready to call it a night.

  Arrow grabbed his abandoned drink and slugged it back while his blonde friend clung to him with a constant smile. As if the entire fight hadn’t happened, he looked at me and said, “Oh, yeah. Spike, I almost forgot. We’re thinking about adding a second guitarist. Are you interested? I’m sure I could be convinced to let you audition.”

  Well that sure came out of left field. I stared at him in confusion. “Your brain must’ve taken a beating just now, huh? You’re talking nonsense.”

  Jett pointed a finger in Arrow’s face. “Fuck. You. You’re not stealing my guitarist, shithead.”

  Arrow merely smirked. He just couldn’t get enough trouble tonight.

  “Ok, we’re done here. You need to go home and calm the fuck down before you do or say something you’ll regret.” Rowen, having had enough for one night, none too gently shoved Arrow along toward the exit. Vicky trailed along, hot on their heels.

  “Just think about it, Spike,” Arrow called over his shoulder. “Then we won’t have to fight over that song you wrote with Rowen.”

  “What the fuck is he talking about?” Jett’s eyes were wolf, solid chocolate-brown orbs without a trace of white. “Does that piece of shit think he’s got a right to that song? I’ll cut him, Spike. Like the bitch that he is.”

  I cast a nervous glance after the guys, breathing easier when I saw Arrow disappear outside. In all honesty, Jett scared me when she wolfed out. I was never sure what her breaking point was.

  “He’s trying to piss you off. He’s all jacked up from the fight and feeling cocky. Don’t let him get to you, or he wins.” Cringing inwardly, I patted her arm, hoping to calm the beast within. “I’m not leaving Crimson, and that fucker isn’t getting his hands on the song I wrote with Rowen.”

  She made a noise of disgust that ended in a small growl that made goosebumps pop up on my arms despite the heat
inside The Spirit Room. “I think I’m going to take off,” she said. “I need to get furry and let off a little steam.” After dramatically kissing my cheek, Jett vacated.

  Alone, Sam and I stared at one another awkwardly. He smiled, shrugged, and turned his attention to his phone. I waited for Rowen to return and then we too took our leave.

  * * * *

  “So what’s up with Arrow suddenly wanting that song we wrote?” My fingers slid through Rowen’s soft hair.

  We sprawled on the couch at my apartment, cozy and warm, while the snow fell beyond the window, watching late night TV, which meant making fun of the ridiculous infomercials. Rowen was uncharacteristically quiet, and I knew he was thinking about Arrow. He’d always felt responsible for Arrow, even though they were both old enough to make their own decisions. Now that he knew they were siblings, I doubted that would ever change.

  His head lay on my stomach, his hand holding tight to my hip. “He heard it and decided it should be a Molly’s Chamber song. I told him that he can’t claim it, but he still insisted on playing it for the guys at Dark Mountain Records. They loved it.”

  “But, but it’s not Arrow’s song,” I sputtered, tensing with growing ire.

  “I know; I told him that. They said they want the song and they want one of our bands to record it. They said we should sit down with Joe and discuss it. I was going to tell you.” Rowen sighed. “I think you guys should take it. Arrow will get over it.”

  Joe was our recently acquired manager. He was the middleman between our bands and Dark Mountain Records, who had awarded a record deal to Crimson Sin for winning the band battle. Because they’d loved Molly’s Chamber too, they’d offered them an EP deal. Now they were pitting both bands against each other, again.

  “We wrote that song. Together. It was a bonding moment. I don’t want it to be ruined by some stupid fight. We never should’ve shown it to either Arrow or Jett.” I frowned at the man on the TV trying to convince me that his magic diet elixir would change my life.