Captivated (14 page)

“Torres! Yo, Torres!” The
loud, rough voice yelled from the direction of the visitors’ dugout. Vaguely
familiar, but he couldn’t place it.

He looked over.

Big Lou, Tiny, and a few
of their crew all waved and raised their beers. Big Lou stood, his Riptide cap
barely fitting on his huge head.
“Thanks for the seats,
Dom.”

Laughing, Dom tipped his
cap and gave the guys a thumbs-up.

His debt had been paid.
He focused back on baseball. The stadium filled with a mash-up of every player
’s
walk-up song. Highlights accompanied the music on the Jumbotron. When his song
came on, Irisa’s face filled his mind. If he couldn’t fix things between them,
he’d have to choose a new song. Hearing “Cut Down” would be too much a reminder
of what he’d fucked up.

After the game, he sat on
the couch with Champ. Game highlights rolled across the TV screen. He
’d
had a great game, went three for four with a pair of RBIs, and most important,
his team got the win. He rehearsed what to say to his dad. He’d made up his
mind to hash it out, and wanted it done.
Here goes nothing.
He
dialed his parents
’ home.

His dad answered.
“I
was just about to call you. In the third inning, when you had that full count,
you should have—”

“Can you quit the criticism
just once?” Shit, this wasn’t easy.

“What are you talking
about?”

He
’d
get it off his chest. “No matter what my stats are on the back of a baseball
card at the end of the season, it’s never good enough for you.”

Silence came in response,
then a large expulsion of breath. His dad was probably getting ready to blow.
“I
want to make sure you get the most out of your opportunity. Not like me, a
career minor leaguer who got too wrapped up in partying and blew his chance at
the majors. I only push because I see how good you are.”

He pushed off the couch
and roamed his rooms, raking his fingers through his hair.
“How
good I am? You’re always pointing out the mistakes, the flaws. You’ve never
told me ‘good job’ or ‘nice grand-slam’ or anything, but you praise Cruz and
Rio.”

“Cruz and Rio don’t have
your talent. They’re never going to make it big like you did. I’ve always been
hard on you because of your potential.” His dad’s stern tone ground out as
harsh as ever. “When I played, everyone praised everything I did. No one rode
me hard, no one drove me to improve. I’m not going to apologize for pointing
out things you can work on, and you should appreciate that I’m not kissing your
ass. You have enough people fawning over you.”

No doubt his work ethic
had come from his old man, but still
… “I get enough criticism
from coaches and the media. You’re my dad. You should be my biggest fan, but
instead, you’re the last person I want to talk to after a game.”

Silence. Then a click.

His old man had hung up
on him.

“Damn it.” Dom hurled his
phone onto his bed. That hadn’t gone according to the fucking plan. What if the
conversation with Irisa went the same way?

Remnants
of their night together, the shoes and bra she
’d
left behind, sat on a chair, taunting him every time he passed by. He’d have to
return them to her at some point. If he screwed it up, he’d lose her for sure.

When
the band made a commitment, they honored it. Irisa kept repeating the thought
as the car carried her and the band closer to the charity event. Zander wouldn
’t
let her back out of attending, insisting on a united front.
You
can
’t hide from Dom forever.

The past two weeks on the
road had given her a reprieve. Anger and hurt blended together to form a
shield. She
’d show up, hold her head high, and let Dom see how
unaffected she was. She’d dressed simply for the fancy occasion, and the
cherry-red cocktail dress helped her feign cheerfulness.

When the venue came into
view, her heart pounded, her stomach fluttered, and her hands shook. She
stepped out of the car on shaky limbs.
“I’ll just wait here
until you’re done.”

Her brother
’s
hands rested on her shoulders and he stooped to meet her gaze. “You’re fine.
You can do this.”

Landry grabbed his guitar
case out of the car.
“We’ve got your back.”

Luke extended his hand to
her.
“If
you start freaking out when we’re inside, squeeze my hand and I’ll get you out
of there.” He’d been sullen and moody for the entire length of the road trip,
and she’d been ready to kill him on several occasions, but his offer wiped all
those frustrations away.

Grasping his hand, she
followed Zander and Jayne. Brendan flanked her other side and Landry brought up
the rear. Her own personal protection bubble.

Rock music reverberated
off the walls. Decorations in blue, white, and green covered every surface of
the crowded room. Professional athletes and celebrities mingled with the
attendees. Several members of the Riptide posed for pictures, and Fin the Shark
was making the rounds. But she didn
’t see Dom.

Slade strode up to them.
“Good
to see you, Irisa. Guys. Jayne.”

They chatted about the
venue and how the proceeds for the evening would be divided among the area
’s
animal shelters. And then Dom came into view and everything else faded away.
His light blue shirt and charcoal-gray pants highlighted his golden skin and
dark, good looks. Faint remnants of a black eye decorated his skin. Regret
flashed hot and fast. She’d never meant to hit him.

“Thanks for coming.” He
met her gaze, and then his glance dropped to her dress, then to her hand
clasped in Luke’s. Brown eyes flashed with intensity.

Zander stepped forward
and extended his hand, his voice several degrees cooler than normal.
“Thanks
for asking us.”

Tapping his fingers at
his side, Dom shifted his stance.
“Irisa, do you have a
minute?”

She wasn
’t
ready for another round of talking or another round of lies. She squeezed
Luke’s hand.

He stepped closer and
cleared his throat.
“Now isn’t the best time for that,
Torres.” The band members glanced at her, then closed ranks around her.

More people came by,
drifting between them and drawing Dom
’s attention.

So much for developing a
thick shield. The wound was still too raw. Living in the same building as him
was too much. Hopefully, the offer she
’d put in on her dream
house would be accepted. Then she could get away, and have a fresh start.

Zander leaned in.
“That
wasn’t so bad, right? Now let’s get a drink and pretend you’re enjoying
yourself.”

She allowed Luke to lead
her away, following the band, and resisted the temptation to glance over her
shoulder. Goosebumps pebbled, and she swore she could feel Dom
’s
gaze on her skin.

Pretending to have the
time of her life was exhausting and had given her a headache. Irisa sipped
seltzer water and kept close to the stage while the guys did a quick warmup.

“Excuse me, Irisa?” A
voice drifted toward her amid a cloud of perfume. Familiar perfume. Revolting
perfume.

She turned and came face
to face with Natalie Frye. Her heart jolted and her stomach jumped. She
straightened her spine and tightened her grip on her glass. What the hell? The
ex? Really? Did she and Dom plan this? A glance over her shoulder confirmed
Jayne wasn
’t yet back from the bar, and the guys were twenty
feet away. She didn’t see Dom anywhere.

The blonde thrust her
hand out.
“Natalie Frye. I just wanted to introduce myself. I
trust Dom passed along my demo?” She hung on to the arm of the massive
linebacker beside her. “He got all bent out of shape when I asked him to do it,
but I was sure you wouldn’t mind. It must happen all the time, right?”

Something wasn
’t
adding up. The letter said he’d offered, but now she’d contradicted herself.
“I’m sorry, but I make it a policy not to get involved in artist submissions.
You can find the appropriate address on Excite’s website.”

A pout formed on Natalie
’s
lips. “I’d thought you would be able to help me get my demo to the top of the
pile.”

“I’m sorry. I really
don’t have any pull with the company.”

“Oh, come on now, you’re
the manager for their biggest band.” Natalie stepped into Irisa’s personal
space. She reminded her of a lion moving in for the kill.

“Well, I don’t.” She
shifted her body toward the stage, desperate for a breath of fresh air.

Natalie moved right along
with her. She flicked her hand through her hair.
“Is there any way
I can get you to change your mind? I just know you’d know all the right
people.”

Irisa fought the urge to
throw her drink in the woman
’s face. “If you’ll excuse me.”

Turning, she took off in
the direction of the restrooms. That awful perfume seemed to have burned her
sinuses. If Natalie followed her, well, she
’d see what happened when
you backed a Rostov into a corner.

The giant shark stepped
in her path, waving his fins. She peered through the dark mesh of the shark
’s
open mouth and could barely make out Liam’s head. “Hi, Liam.”

“Having fun?”

“Not really.” She sighed
and risked a glance over her shoulder. Safe.

“Did Natalie say
something to upset you? She has that effect on people.”

“It was awkward. I didn’t
expect her to come up to me. She’s really insistent.” She paused. How much did
Liam know?

He leaned down.
“Just
watch yourself with her. She’s a pro at taking advantage of people. She put Dom
through the wringer.”

“Did she?”

“Messed him up pretty
good for a while. I don’t trust her. You’re better off staying far away.”

“If she’d treated him
that badly, I wonder why he’d continue to see her.” Hugging her arms to her
chest, she shook her head. “Never mind. You’re his friend and I don’t want to
put you in the middle.”

“Dom’s one of my best
friends. He’s a good guy, a decent guy. He doesn’t lie. He also doesn’t cheat.
Not with baseball, not with anything.” The intense, serious words coming from
the huge, cartoonish shark gave her pause.

Sounds of The Fury
’s
music wafted from the stage. “My guys are up. I guess I’d better head back in
there.”

“I’ll go with you. No one
will mess with you when you have a shark on your side.” He patted her arm with
his fin and walked with her to the stage. To her relief, Natalie was gone.

The band played three
songs, and then Zander took the mic.
“This last one we’re
gonna play is for Dom. We love that he uses “Cut Down” as his walk-up song.
Dom, if you’re out there, come up on stage.”

The crowd cheered when
Dom joined them halfway through. He looked out into the crowd, and his gaze came
to a rest on her. Her breath caught in her chest. It hurt,
hurt
to see
him. She didn
’t know what to believe about the demo or Natalie, but
the emotions playing across his face—longing, intensity, desire, and
frustration—pulled at something in her core.

The last notes faded away
and he turned to the band. The absence of his attention filled her with an
aching, lonely chill.

Exhausted
from a sleepless night tossing and turning and reliving the charity event,
Irisa slogged through the day running on coffee and the adrenaline that pumped
through her on show days. She snuck away after the band
’s
pre-show meet-and-greet and checked her email. Still no word about the house.
Hopefully she’d hear soon.

Raised voices met her as
she walked down the hall to their dressing room.

Zander and Luke stood
glaring at each other in the middle of the room.

Her brother
’s
hands tightened to fists. “Fuck you. Go. I’ll sing.”

Luke laughed, then
sneered.
“The fans won’t buy that. We can replace a bass
player, a drummer, hell, even you. But you can’t replace a lead singer. I’m
what brings fans in.”

“You’re what brings the
fans in? Just you, asshole?”

“Guys, enough.” Irisa
pushed between them. “You have to be onstage in a few minutes. Pull it
together.”

“Might want to watch that
ego, buddy. All of us have taken turns at the mic.”

“You think you can do
better than me?” Luke shoved Zander’s chest. “Fine. Have at it.” He grabbed his
jacket and walked out of the room.

Irisa stared at the
ceiling, searching for patience. She
’d give Luke a minute by
himself to cool off. After drawing in five deep, slow breaths, she cast a glare
at each member of the band. Her blood raced and her stomach burned. “Is it too
much to ask that you get along for one show?”

“I’m getting really tired
of him.” Zander’s hand tapped a rapid rhythm at his side.

Landry tugged on his
leather jacket.
“Not only him.”

Her brother turned on the
bassist.
“What was that?”

The door opened and Jayne
walked in.
“It’s showtime.”

“Did you see Luke?” Irisa
gripped her roll of antacids. At this rate, she’d need an entire roll to get
through the night.

She shook her head.
“Where
was he going?”

Brendan moved toward the
door.
“I’ll
go look for him.”

“No. Get to the stage.
I’ll find him.” Jayne rushed out.

Irisa dialed his cell.
The call went to voice mail.
“You’re supposed to be on stage now.”
She sent a text with the same message.

“What the hell?” Zander
grabbed his guitar and stalked out of the room.

“He couldn’t have gone
very far.” He’d probably ducked into a restroom or bumped into a fan or member
of the crew.

The minutes ticked by.

Jayne met them backstage.
“Security
couldn’t find him, so they checked their cameras. He walked out of the building
a few minutes ago and got into a cab.”

“Fuck.” Zander’s
expletive exploded over the backstage chaos. “He wants to leave that way?
Fine.”

Irisa grabbed hold of his
arm.
“You
can’t go out there and tell the fans that he walked out.”

“I know, I know. He got
sick.” He used air quotes and smirked.

“Make sure you don’t use
those hand gestures when you tell the fans.” Tension flooded in a tightening
band at her temples. This was all shades of bad. How could he leave? She called
him again, and then sent another text.

The Fury took the stage.

For a while, the crowd
was sympathetic. Zander filled in as singer and encouraged them to sing along.
Then he brought a fan on stage. She
’d held up a sign that
read
It
’s my birthday and I came here to sing with Luke.

“She came here to sing
with Luke, so how about we sing “Happy Birthday” to her?” Zander charmed the
crowd with his smile.

Irisa moved closer. Still
no response from Luke, but the guys were pulling off the show, no problem. They
could get through this.

The crowd sang. And the
girl grinned and hugged Zander, then held up her phone and took a photo with
him. She squinted at her screen and her mouth dropped open. She thrust her
finger in his face.
“You lied. Luke’s not sick. He’s at a bar
with my friend.”

His mic picked up her
words.

Boos drowned out the
music.

Zander faced the crowd.
“I
told you his voice was strained, guys. He couldn’t perform and give you one
hundred percent. That’s why he’s not here. But come on, let’s show everyone why
you’re the best crowd we’ve had on the tour.”

The band launched into
one of their high-energy hits.