Full Tilt (Full Tilt #1)(24)

“Okay, okay,” Jimmy Ray said, moving between us. “Let’s all calm down. We’re all friends here…”

“The hell we are,” I said, not taking my eyes from Ryan. My one arm held Kacey tight, the other balled into a fist at my side. Adrenaline coursed through my veins and it felt f*cking good, and reckless. I wasn’t a violent guy but if this bastard wanted a fight, I’d give it to him.

The band members, with some prompting from Jimmy, moved toward the house. Ryan was too drunk to fight, and I think he knew it. He flipped me the bird and let himself be pulled away by his mates. Lola remained behind.

“We’re all good?” Jimmy asked. “You okay, kitten?”

Kacey moved away from my arm but stayed close, holding onto the cuff of my jacket. She gave a stiff smile. “Sure, Jimmy. I’m great.”

“Screw that,” Lola said, glaring at her manager. “If Ryan touches her again I’ll chop his dick off. Get rid of them, Jimmy. Find another opening act.”

I liked this Lola.

Kacey waved a hand. “No, no, it’s not a big deal. It’s okay…”

“No, it’s not okay,” I said.

Jimmy rubbed his chin. “This has to be a big thing? Right now? I got a hundred people coming to this party…”

Even as he spoke, other cars were arriving, cabs and limos—a steady stream of people. If I didn’t move the limo soon, it was going to get boxed in.

I looked down at Kacey. She was drunk, and if I let her go inside that house, she’d only get drunker. Or pass out. Ryan might decide to take what he wanted anyway, and in a house that size, with a party raging, who would know?

Keep to the routine, I thought, even as my hands moved on their own. I took Kacey’s face and tilted it gently, making her look at me. Her broad mouth trembled under red lipstick. Dark makeup pulled her eyes into long blue sapphires, pale blue with a darker ring around the iris. I hadn’t noticed that before. Beautiful. She didn’t belong here.

“You want to leave?” I asked.

Her eyes held mine, liquor dimming the shine I’d seen in them during our lunch. But her voice was steady when she answered, “Yeah, I do.”

I smiled at her, strangely proud. “Done.”

Her glassy eyes widened in surprise, then with a gust of whiskey-soaked breath, she wilted against me. “It’s all good, Jimmy,” she murmured. “Jonah… He’s so good to me.”

I walked her to the front seat of the limo and helped her in. Her head lolled against the headrest, her eyes closed, and I buckled the seatbelt on her to keep her safe.

“Pack her a bag?” I said to Lola, shutting the door.

She narrowed her eyes at me, sizing me up, then nodded and went into the house.

Jimmy looked after her, then swung around back to me. “Pack a bag?”

“She’s staying with me a few days,” I said.

He blew air out his cheeks wetly. “We’re outta here on Tuesday.” He was drunk as hell too, but trying to hold onto some authority. “I got twenty-five more cities lined up and she’s under contract. Just so you know the score.”

“I know it,” I said, my voice stony. I pulled up all of my six feet, towering over him. “She’s taking a break from this scene.”

And then what? the voice of caution asked me. I ignored it.

“A break. Yeah, okay.” Jimmy lit a smoke and jabbed the two fingers that held it at me. “I know where you work. You want to keep your job, you take care of her.”

“Better than you have,” I said.

“You think you’re special to her? Her hero?” He snorted a laugh. “Take a number, buddy.”

He retreated into the house that was rapidly filling up. Lola came back with a duffel bag and a small leather backpack. I took them and walked to the trunk.

“What’s the deal here?” Lola asked. “Are you two…?”

“No.” I tossed the bags in the trunk. “She needs some time away. Obviously.”

“So she stays a few days on your couch, and then rejoins us before we leave Vegas?”

“That’s the plan.” I slammed the trunk lid. “If you’re worried whether or not she’s safe with me, she is. I swear on my life I would never hurt her, okay?”

Lola nodded slowly. “Okay, fine. This could be good. It wouldn’t kill Kacey to stay sober for forty-eight consecutive hours. I love her to pieces, but she’s a f*cking flake. This is our big break. It’s my big break, and if she can keep her shit together long enough, she’d see that it’s her big break too.”

I doubt it. I moved to the driver’s side.

“I’m going to call her,” Lola told me, following. “To make sure she’s all right.”

“I would hope so,” I replied, and slammed the door.

You can’t peel out in a limousine, but I came close, and the pink palace faded out of my rear view.





I drove back to A-1 to return the limo, hustling Kacey through the garage into my truck. By some miracle no one saw us. Back at my apartment, it was last night all over again, except that Kacey didn’t smell of puke and smoke. The scent of her perfume, her sweat and a tinge of whiskey permeated the air as I helped her out of the truck.