Play Me (Jaded Ivory Book 5) Page 2

  The moment my hands touched the door, I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d made it out of there without having to deal with her again. Monty was a few steps ahead of me when I heard my name from behind.

  “Jackson, please.”

  2

  Jackson

  I wanted to keep walking, but of course Monty and Sawyer stopped and turned around.

  “Jesus fucking Christ.” Monty froze in his tracks. I had no doubt he’d recognized Megan.

  Sawyer’s gazed snapped to his, but before Monty could actually say anything to her, I told Sawyer, “Take him to the car. I’ll be there in a second.”

  Sawyer narrowed his eyes at me but didn’t say anything as he forced Monty back around, practically pushing him to the car. Thank fuck it was the last movie of the night and the parking lot was practically empty. I sucked in a deep breath and spun on my heel to face her.

  By the time I turned around she was standing only a few feet away.

  I pushed my hands into my pockets. “Can I help you with something?” I didn’t know what else to say that wouldn’t draw more attention to us.

  “Jackson,” she said low enough I had to strain to hear her. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  I scoffed. “Well, I damn sure didn’t expect to see you either. Otherwise I wouldn’t have come.”

  “Can we talk?” She rubbed her hands over her arms. Whether it was to keep away the cool night air or the frostiness in my expression, I had no idea. “I have so much I need to explain to you.”

  I leaned forward, keeping my voice low. “There’s not a single fucking thing you could say that would make me want to stand here and listen to you.”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but I whirled around and walked to the car. Nothing she could possibly say would change the disgust and hatred I felt toward her.

  The moment the door closed behind me, Sawyer twisted around in his seat to stare at me. Monty’s hands were wrapped around the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white as he glared out the window.

  “Who the hell was that and why did I have to practically drag him back to the car?” He threw his thumb over his shoulder at Monty.

  I sighed and dropped my head against the back seat. “That was my ex-girlfriend.”

  Monty scoffed. “Ex-girlfriend, that’s a really nice description for the bitch who up and left.”

  Sawyer’s gaze bounced between the two of us. Fuck, if I didn’t want to dig up all this shit again, but Monty had just thrown gasoline on the fire. There was no way to keep pushing the memories to the back of my mind. My lips pulled in a tight line and I ran a hand down my face.

  “Sophomore year…”

  Sawyer narrowed his eyes. “What about it?”

  Monty glanced at me through the rearview mirror, when a flash went off somewhere to the left of the car.

  “Think we can get out of here? I’d rather not give people time to take more pictures of us sitting in the parking lot.” When Sawyer opened his mouth, most likely to argue, I promised, “I’ll talk on the way.”

  Monty nodded and started the car, backing out of the space carefully, so he didn’t hit anyone who decided they needed to get closer for a better shot.

  When we turned out of the lot, Sawyer looked back at me. “Start talking. What do you mean ex-girlfriend? I’m used to Monty being a dick to people he doesn’t know when they piss him off, but that’s a new one for you. At least it usually takes you more to let someone have it.”

  I closed my eyes, trying to block her face from my thoughts, even knowing it would be impossible now that I saw her.

  “Remember sophomore year of college?”

  “Yeah,” Sawyer said, the streetlights highlighting the confusion on his face. “We started Jaded Ivory after winter break. What does it have to do with that woman?”

  I fidgeted in my seat. “That was Megan.”

  “Bitch,” Monty mumbled under his breath, but I ignored him and kept talking.

  “We started dating not long after school started freshman year. She was in the nursing program.” I sighed and leaned my head back on the seat. “She completely supported my dream of singing and playing professionally. All in all, she was pretty fucking perfect.”

  “Until she wasn’t.” Monty had to deal with the aftermath.

  “Damn, I’m guessing she dumped you?” Sawyer asked. “That sucks, man.”

  I shook my head. “Not exactly. We left for winter break, but since my family lives on the West Coast and hers on the East, and we both still lived in the dorms, we knew we wouldn’t see each other until we got back to school.” Suddenly, my brain was transported back to that night. “It didn’t matter, though. I’d already asked her to move in with me into an apartment in the fall, then we wouldn’t have to spend a month at a time without each other. It seemed like the perfect solution.” I paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain the rest. “Except, she didn’t return after winter break. My parents had taken me and my brother to Mexico the week before school started again. When I got back to campus and she didn’t answer my texts, I went over to her apartment. All her stuff was gone. Her roommate told me she’d been there a few days earlier to pack everything and move out. I never saw or heard from her again.”

  “Fuck,” Sawyer whispered. “No wonder you don’t trust most women.”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  Monty pulled the car to a stop at a red light. “At least you got your head out of your ass when it comes to my wife.”

  He had a point. I’d let my experience with Megan cloud my opinion of Allana. With very flimsy evidence, I was willing to try and convict her in my head of something she hadn’t done, even when Monty swore she was innocent.

  Thank fuck he’d forgiven us. It had taken time and he could still be extremely overprotective of her. Not that I could blame him. We’d all messed up royally.

  “I did. I think all this still fucks with my head.”

  Monty peeked in the rearview again. “I thought you’d gotten over it. Until you said something to Allana about it when you came to find me.”

  I sighed. “Honestly, until then, I thought I was over it.”

  “I’m not sure you get over shit like this,” Sawyer said. “I mean, it’s one thing to break up with you, but to just disappear with no word—that would screw with anyone’s head.”

  Sawyer couldn’t have been more right.

  Shit.

  I ran a hand through my hair. It had been seven years since Megan disappeared. Apparently, I hadn’t gotten over it.

  Lights passed in a blur as we drove down the highway. Thoughts of the whole night swirled through my head. From the moment I ran into her at the concession stand to walking away from her in the parking lot. Maybe it made me a dick to keep moving, especially as I thought back and could remember the way her eyes shimmered in the lights from the theater’s sign, but self-preservation was at the top of my list.

  If I’d been so willing to cast aside one of my best friends and his wife because of what Megan did, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of havoc she could cause standing in front of me.

  I hadn’t even realized Monty pulled into the garage at my condo building until he snapped his fingers in front of my face.

  “Earth to Jackson.”

  I glanced around, the familiar space in front of the elevators grabbing my attention.

  “Sorry, man. I wasn’t paying attention to where we were.”

  His brows drew together. “Are you sure you’re okay to stay here tonight alone? You can sleep in the spare bedroom at our place.”

  “Or ours,” Sawyer chimed in.

  I shook my head. “Nah. I just zoned out.” I reached for the handle and pulled it open. “I’ll see you guys at practice tomorrow.”

  Before either of them could try and convince me to crash at their places, I darted out of the car and went straight for the elevator.

  The familiar ding should have made me feel comfortable. Ma
de me feel at home. This time it didn’t. The sound made my skin crawl. My brain wouldn’t stop when all I wanted to do was purge the night from my memory.

  The moment I walked into the condo, the silence hit me. I still hadn’t gotten used to Monty being gone. Besides the two months he stayed with Allana, Monty and I had lived together since we were eighteen. The last time he moved out, I hoped he’d come back, and he had, but this time it was permanent. He had a wife and I couldn’t blame them for wanting a place of their own. How Sawyer, Heath, Jenna, and Reagan all shared a house was beyond me.

  Then again, I never imagined a situation where I would be living with a girlfriend or wife. Hell, I didn’t even want to date anyone. I’d learned my lesson a long time ago. I would never burn through women the way Monty had before he married Allana, but every woman who climbed in my bed knew it would never be permanent.

  I kicked my shoes off and dropped my keys onto the table by the door. The first stop I made—the kitchen. A half-filled bottle of Captain Morgan sat on the counter. I filled a glass partway and grabbed a Coke from the fridge, topping it off.

  I tipped it up to my lips, draining most of it before heading to the living room and dropping down on the couch.

  How had my life gotten so complicated in the last few hours?

  Not that it was really complicated, besides the fact Megan apparently lived in the same city. Why would she move here? Unless she spent most of her time in a bubble, there was no way she didn’t know where I lived. Hell, every time I turned around the media was printing something about one of us. Usually Monty. She had to know I played guitar for Jaded Ivory.

  I stared at the ice cubes floating in the glass, remembering the look on her face when I ran into her. She seemed surprised to see me at first. Then something changed. Her features had relaxed, like she’d gotten what she wanted. It was a look I recognized. Not that she was the same person anymore. A lot of time had passed since I’d seen her last.

  “Fuck,” I said into the empty room, scrubbing a hand over my face.

  Why the hell couldn’t I get her out of my head?

  What happened tonight shouldn’t have any impact on me. I managed to live just fine without her for years. The band had been my salvation. A way to push all of it to the back of my head.

  Sawyer approached me weeks after Megan had left and I couldn’t have found a better outlet. I had no idea at the time where it would lead me.

  “What a mess tonight was,” I said into the empty room as if someone would hear me.

  I drained the rest of my glass and refilled it. If only she’d called, texted—hell even if she had emailed me, I wouldn’t have spent years of my life wondering what the hell had happened to her. Wondering what I’d done to push her away.

  By the time I finished a second drink, I realized I wouldn’t get her out of my head no matter how long I sat there or how much alcohol I consumed.

  I set the glass on the table and stood. Hopefully after a good night’s sleep, I’d be able to lock Megan back up in the box I’d managed to keep her in for so long.

  Shuffling down the hall, I noticed, not for the first time, how empty the condo seemed without Monty’s shit everywhere. Sighing, I continued down to my room.

  Exhaustion settled deep into my bones. I tugged my shirt over my head and tossed it in the direction of the hamper. It hit the side and fell to the floor. Too tired and annoyed to deal with it tonight, I left it there and started on the button of my pants. Slipping them over my hips, I stepped out of them the second they touched the ground.

  The sheets were cool on my skin as I slipped between them. Exactly what I needed to cool down from the Captain and frustration of the evening. My head hit the pillow and I did my best to clear my mind. We had practice in the morning. If anything, it would give me something else to focus on. Closing my eyes, I let sleep take me.

  Everything would be better in the morning.

  3

  Jackson

  I pushed the hair out of my eyes. The heat of the day combined with the equipment surrounding us didn’t help. If the concert hadn’t been for charity, I probably would have bitched more about being stuck out here in the blistering heatwave. But with every band needing a run through on the stage, we had to take our turn whenever there was time.

  “Fuck, it’s hot out here.”

  “Why is it every time I see you, you’re bitching about something?” a voice asked from behind me.

  Aiden.

  Friends since elementary school, Aiden and I had talked about forming our own band since we were in middle school. Both singers and guitar players, we needed other musicians to round us out. By sophomore year, we found a drummer, bassist, and keyboard player. We took turns playing lead guitar and singing. And things worked well for us for a long time. Plenty of places in our hometown had us play. Festivals, parties, even one wedding. I don’t think either of us knew where we would end up.

  Then college happened. Accepted to two different schools, even though we’d applied for the same ones, we had to accept it was time to move on. It was hard at first, then I met Monty and things got a little easier.

  “Maybe because you spend too much time on the East Coast these days and you forgot this weather isn’t normal for us.”

  I held my hand out for one of my oldest friends. He reached out and pulled me into a hug. “How you doing, man?”

  “Sweating my ass off.” I laughed. “How ya been?”

  “I’m good. Missing the West Coast, though.”

  “Who says you have to stay away?”

  “Christine likes it there.” He lifted a shoulder. “Who am I to upset her?”

  “Good point.”

  Aiden’s eyes traveled around the stage and the arena. “Did you ever imagine we’d end up here?”

  I followed his gaze. Thousands of empty seats with a barrier to block people from getting to the stage. The stage larger than most of the places we’d played throughout high school.

  “I always hoped. It’s weird to be doing it in two different bands, though.”

  While I’d originally been the singer for Jaded Ivory, I knew we were better off with Mari at the front. The crowds loved her. Aiden, on the other hand, had become the front man for Violet Obsession.

  “It is.”

  I nodded. “But, I’m happy to see us both playing for a living.”

  “Playing? We’re not just playing, we’re killing it.”

  I laughed. “You gotta point. But looking back, I don’t think we would’ve made it the way things were going. It takes something unique to get noticed these days. You have it and so do we.”

  Aiden’s eyes traveled over my shoulder. I glanced back to see where his gaze followed Mari, who had just walked on stage.

  “That you do.”

  Violet Obsession had a female drummer and while that shouldn’t be unique in this day and age, unfortunately it was. Like Mari always said, we could only hope that seeing women in rock bands would help push other little girls into music places they used to be afraid to go.

  “I saw the schedule and you guys aren’t supposed to practice until later. What are you doing here?”

  He shrugged. “Came to see if my oldest friend wanted to grab a drink one night.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You’re not flying out tomorrow?”

  A smirk lifted the corner of his lips. “What would you say if I told you I convinced Christine to buy a second house here?”

  My eyes grew wide. “You did?”

  “Yep. Took a while, but with all the traveling here I’ve done over the last few years, she agrees it would be nice not to be constantly stuck in hotels.”

  “Can’t say I blame her. I prefer the tour bus to hotels. At least it’s mine.”

  Aiden nodded. “Yep. Saw you guys might be heading out soon. Any idea who they might be sending with you?”

  “Not a fucking clue. They’re being awfully tight-lipped about the whole thing. Not even Reagan knows.”

  He rub
bed his hand over the light scruff covering his chin. “Hmm…I wonder why they haven’t told you.” That familiar half smile lifted the corner of his lips. He knew something I didn’t.

  “Spit it out, ass. I know you know something.”

  “Maybe.”

  I gave him a light, playful shove to the shoulder. “Spit it out.”

  “Let’s just say a certain Violet band got a call the other day to do a dual-headlined tour with a certain band that likes Ivory.”

  “No shit.” Excitement spread through me. I reached out for Aiden’s hand and pulled him into a hug. It had been years since I’d gotten to spend more than one night hanging out with Aiden before one of us had to head somewhere else or home.

  Then something occurred to me. The last I knew Violet Obsession was signed with Punk Beat Records.

  I let go of him. “When did you guys sign with LiteStar?”

  “We didn’t. LiteStar bought out Punk Beat two weeks ago. They just haven’t announced it yet.”

  “How come we haven’t heard anything about it? I would expect shit like that to run like a wildfire through the gossip blogs.”

  “I think that’s why no one knows. Hell, I think they only told us so we’d agree to a tour with you guys. Not like they know our history together.”

  “True enough.” Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mari and Sawyer talking on the side of the stage, her shoulders slumped forward. Shit, I hope nothing happened. “Think it’s okay to tell Heath and Monty?”

  Aiden glanced over at where Monty and Heath were still setting up the rest of the equipment. “Heath sure. I’m not so sure Monty can keep a secret.”

  “Oh, he can.”

  Aiden’s gaze snapped back to me. “Really?”

  “Yep. When you remind him you’re going to tell Allana that he can’t say shit.”

  Aiden nodded in understanding. “So, Allana keeps the secret for Monty.”

  “In a way. Come on.”