Captivated (18 page)

Champ
’s
bark and Dom’s laughter echoed from the hall. Giving Luke some time to cool
down would be a smart idea. Irisa silenced her phone and tossed it on the
bedside table.

Dom entered the room
bearing two steaming cups of coffee and a smile wider than she
’d
ever seen. Her heart fluttered wildly and she patted the space beside her on
the mattress. “Saved you a spot.”

He climbed in beside her,
smelling of fresh air and sunshine.
“I could get used to
this. A beautiful woman in my bed, happy to see me.”

“And she’s thrilled you
brought coffee.” Irisa accepted the cup and his kiss.

“Sure you’re okay? You
look a little stressed.”

“Just band issues.
Apparently, Luke’s been giving Jayne a hard time. I didn’t notice. And the fact
that I didn’t notice is a
huge
deal. Maybe I shouldn
’t miss their interview today.”

His lips pressed together
for a brief moment.
“Do what you need to do. There’ll be other
games.”

She
’d
caught the dimmed energy. He’d done so much for her. She didn’t want anything
to mar the new step in their relationship. “No, I’ll come to the game. I want
to be there for you. It’s only an interview. What could go wrong?”

Driving to the stadium a
few hours later was an exercise in patience. Deciding what to wear had taken
the better part of an hour. And Dom hadn
’t been any help.
Wear
whatever you want.
Right. She
’d finally settled
on shorts, sandals, and a loose, flowy tank top the same shade as the blue in
the Riptide’s uniforms. Dom’s promise of getting her a
Torres
t-shirt for the next game eased some of her nerves over meeting the players
’
wives and girlfriends.

She checked the time and
swore, then switched from the sports station to K-SWT. The band
’s
interview was already underway. But instead of The Fury and Assertive Ire
talking about co-headlining the tour, and how the shows had been so far, Luke’s
voice filled the air, spewing venom about the band.

What. The. Hell.

She pulled over to the
side of the road and sent a text to Zander.
What
’s
going on?

Then called him. No
response.

“Get him the hell off the
air.” Her brother’s voice boomed out of the car’s speakers, jolting her in her
seat. “Now.”

Luke
’s
angry voice continued, “I don’t need any of you… My friend Seth was more than
happy to give me a ride to The Caboose.”

The bar where the band
had played their first-ever gig had always held a special place in their
hearts. Why were he and Seth there and not with their bands?

The DJ laughed, mingling
with the sounds of the bar.
“Classic rock and roll, man. What’re
you drinking?”

Zander
’s
voice drowned out Luke’s response. “I’m not kidding, man. End it, or I’ll end
you.”

“No way. This is gold.”

Shit. She had to get to
there.

Luke continued sounding
off about the tour and lashing out about every major and minor grievance he
’d
had over the band’s ten-year run. And Zander’s growling threats to the
station’s producer continued to cut in.

“Stop, stop, stop. Oh
God, just please shut him up.” She tugged on her hands-free headset, dialed
Dom’s number, and then pulled back onto the road. As soon as he answered, she
cut off his greeting. “I can’t make it to the game. Luke’s at a bar, drinking
and angry, and on-air with the radio station. I’m headed to The Caboose now to
try to rein him in.”

“By yourself? Where’s
your brother?”

“The band is at the station
doing the interview. Luke called in. They shouldn’t have put him on. He’s just
insulted the band and it’s getting worse. This is huge. I’m sorry, but I have
to go.”

“I’ve seen him drinking
and angry. Bad combination. You can’t go alone.”

“I don’t have a choice.”
She ended the call. If she sped, she could make it to the bar in ten minutes.
But that wouldn’t be fast enough to stop the disaster brewing.

Dom
stared at the phone in his hand. She
’d hung up on him, racing
to save Luke from himself.

Luke. The angry drunk.
The fighting drunk. Bits of his tirade had come through during the call, awful
background vocals to Irisa
’s desperate message. He’d sounded a
lot more ticked off than he had the night of the bar fight. And she was going
to face him down. Alone.

A chill of unease shot
through Dom
’s spine. He jumped to his feet. His teammates were
leaving the locker room, heading toward the field and the game minutes away
from starting. He didn’t have time to go after them to give an explanation.
Didn’t have time to do anything except grab his wallet and keys and bolt for
the parking lot.

Security stopped him by
the exit.
“Mr. Torres, everything okay?”

“Gotta go.” He pushed
open the door and ran to his truck. Pulled out onto the street. Tuned in to the
radio station.

“Well, folks.” The DJ’s
chuckling voice filled the air. “If you’ve just tuned in expecting to hear the
interview with The Fury and Assertive Ire, I have something better. Minutes
ago, Zander Rostov stormed out of our studio with his band mates and Assertive
Ire in tow. I can only assume they’re headed to The Caboose to join Luke
Thompson and Seth Reines for a drink. Hang tight during this commercial break,
and I’ll replay the interview. You don’t want to miss it.”

He pressed the gas pedal
to the floor. Memories of Luke the night of the fight sped through his mind
with every passing mile. Outraged and out of control. And his five-foot-five
goddess was on a collision course with a man who had fists of fury. His stomach
felt like a lead weight. If anything happened to her
…

He didn
’t
have a clue where the radio station was located in relation to the bar, or how
long the band would take to arrive. Weaving around cars, he pushed his truck to
the max. Getting to Irisa as fast as possible was all that mattered.

A large crowd gathered
outside the bar. He parked in the first open space he found and stepped
outside. The sea of faces turned to him as he strode closer. People taking
pictures, talking about the interview and how they were waiting for a glimpse
of the bands as they arrived. Which meant he
’d beat them there. Which
meant Irisa was alone. He fought through the throng and edged his way inside.

“Hey, it’s Dom Torres!”

“Dom, why aren’t you at
your game?”

He waved at the guys
calling out to him and kept going. Too many people packed into the room.
Finally, he spotted Irisa and Luke at the end of the bar, and pushed his way
toward them.

Irisa
’s
voice reached him. “Come on, Luke. Let’s get out of here and we can talk.” She
laid her hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged her off and
spun around, eyes sparking anger. He pushed off the barstool and loomed over
her, so much larger, so much more a threat than he
’d
seemed sitting down. “Leave me alone. Go back to whatever”—his gaze connected
with Dom’s and he sneered—“or whoever you were doing when I called you this
morning.”

Dom surged forward and
stepped in front of Irisa.
“You’d better apologize for that.”

Eyes wide, Irisa gripped
his forearm, relief written across her features.
“What are you doing
here?”

“Thought you might need
me.” He spoke to her but kept his focus on Luke.

“As what? Protection from
me?” Luke glanced between them, looking more and more pissed off with each
passing second.

The crowd erupted in
shouts and cheers behind them. People surged toward the entrance, then ebbed
away, like a human wave, parting to allow The Fury and Assertive Ire access to
the room. Zander
’s expression promised murder. He spotted
them and strode over. The crowd surged again, toward them, following the band.
Flashes from people taking pictures went off like strobe lights. Frenetic
energy crackled the air. Instinct told Dom something wasn’t right. He wrapped
his arms around Irisa and pulled her away. His height gave him the advantage as
he moved them along the perimeter of the noisy room.

“What are you doing? I
have to get between Luke and Zander.” She pushed against his hold, voice
pitched high over the crowd.

“Trust me, that’s the
last place you need to be.” Too many things reminded him of the bar fight. They
needed to get outside, away from the mob.

The band
’s
voices all mixed together, yelling over one another. People in the crowd pushed
each other out of the way, aiming for a better vantage point. Small shoving
matches were breaking out around them. Dom held tight to Irisa, turning her
toward the wall, using his body as a shield, and looked for another exit.

A female scream pierced
the air.
“Seth’s not breathing! I need an ambulance!”

Someone shoved hard into
Dom
’s
back. He barely managed to keep his weight from crushing Irisa. A tall man fled
to the back of the room to where the woman screamed again. The crowd pulled in
two directions, toward The Fury’s members facing off at one end, toward
Assertive Ire at the other, with people running back and forth between the two.

“I have to help. My band
needs me.” Irisa twisted out of his hold and darted into the crowd.

“You can’t get in the
middle of that.” He raced after her.

A large man shoved past
her, sending her careening into a table, and, for a moment, stopping Dom
’s
heart. He lunged over a chair and hauled her to her feet. “Are you hurt?”

Eyes wide, gaze roaming
over the crowd, she rubbed her shoulder.
“Just jostled.”

Enough
.
He tucked her against his chest and turned her away from the crowd.
“Stay
with me. Let me worry about getting us out of here.”

Chaos swirled around
them. Sirens wailed in deafening volume, and then blue and red flashing lights
illuminated the bar. The crowd scattered under the police officers
’
directions, making way for the paramedics. Other officers began breaking up
fights, questioning people, and talking to the members of the bands. Sickness
crawled through Dom’s stomach as he watched the paramedics load Seth onto a
stretcher and rush him to the ambulance. The feeling worsened when he glimpsed
the worry etched onto Seth’s band mates’ faces.

Irisa elbow-nudged his
side, and Dom lowered his gaze to the brunette in his arms. She hadn
’t
been trying to get his attention. Hers was rooted to the scene in front of
them. She’d bumped him because her arm had moved. Her one hand rubbed in small
circles over her stomach and the other dug through her purse and came up with a
pink tablet.

Damn it. He laced his
fingers through hers, hoping his touch on her middle would help soothe the
ache. He tipped her face to his.
“It’ll be all right.”

“Will it? I wonder.” She
wrapped her arm around him and pressed in close. She seemed so small, so weary,
so defeated. “I’m glad you were here. But what happened with your game?”

“Don’t worry about it.”
He kissed her forehead. He’d had teammates lean on him in clutch situations,
but he’d never had anyone grasp onto him as though he were a life preserver in
a turbulent sea. With her, he’d gladly play that role.

The crowd thinned. Dom
guided Irisa over the sticky, beer-splashed floor to the corner of the room
occupied by her band and two officers so she could give her statement. He still
wasn
’t
sure she hadn’t been hurt in that fall, and wasn’t about to leave her alone.
The Riptide game played out on the screen mounted on the wall over their heads.
The closed caption scroll along the bottom telegraphed the broadcaster’s
speculation on his whereabouts.
Security confirmed Dom
Torres left the stadium minutes before game time. No one in the organization
has any idea of his whereabouts. Andrew Nokes is filling in at center field.
His phone vibrated with calls from his father and his hitting coach.

The reality of what he
’d
done sank in.

He
’d
left his team stranded.

And he had a feeling they
wouldn
’t
understand.

Murmured
conversations replaced the music usually throbbing in the bar. Broken chairs
and overturned tables, spilled drinks and broken glasses littered the space.
Irisa waited until the police officer had finished making his notes and moved
on to another person before she turned to her band. Her temper, on simmer since
the interview, heated to boiling. Dom
’s hand on her back kept
her grounded and in control. She wanted to throttle them. “What the hell,
guys?”

Zander, his arm slung
around Jayne
’s shoulders, moved away. He spoke with the bar’s
owner. Jake had always been one of their biggest supporters. Hopefully, that
relationship hadn’t been too damaged.

Brendan shoved his hands
in his pockets and glared at Luke. Landry followed suit, leaning on the bar.
His favorite jacket sported a fresh tear. Luke, muscles tight, stood a few feet
away from the others and returned their scowls. No fighting. There were too
many cops around.

“You’re damn lucky you
didn’t actually get involved in any of the fights around you.” She rubbed her throbbing
shoulder. “You especially, Luke. Why weren’t you at the interview? And what
possessed you to call in?”

Luke rubbed his hand over
his face.
“We’re supposed to be at sound check now.”

“That’s all you have to
say?” Her nails bit into her palms. “Are you kidding me?”

“What do you want me to
say?” He lifted his hands. “Seth might be dead. Does anything else really
matter? I’m stopping by the hospital first.”

He didn
’t
wait for an answer. Brilliant sunlight streamed through the opened door,
illuminating his exit.

She wouldn
’t
let herself think along those lines. Seth couldn’t die. Shaken, she stared at
the others. Dom’s hands closed over her shoulders, a steady wall of support for
her to lean on.

Zander came over.
“I
told Jake to bill me for all damages.”

Ringing echoed from her
purse.
Oliver
.
“Great. Just what I need.” How was she
supposed to put what had happened into words? Or insist that she did, in fact,
have control of her band?

Dom
’s
hands tightened and his voice deepened to a growl. “I’d be happy to answer it
for you.”

“Me too.” Zander snatched
the phone from her hand. “Oliver, it’s Zander. Irisa’s busy right now. What do
you want?” His tone matched Dom’s—angry and annoyed. Eyes sparking fire, he
shook his head at them and banged his fist on the wall. “My band is fine.
Griffin’s is not. They’re at the hospital with Seth and won’t be playing
tonight. You might want to be a little more concerned about them. We’re on our
way to sound check and it’s on your head if we’re late.”

He tapped the phone
’s
screen, then held it out to her. “Done. Now let’s get the hell out of here.”

“Thank you.” Relief
welled within her. She’d still have to deal with him later, but the small
reprieve would give her time to think.

Dom
’s
phone buzzed. He stared at the screen, lips pressed together in a firm line. A
muscle in his jaw tightened. “I have to go back to the stadium.”

Something in his voice
drew her up short. She waved the band to go ahead and turned to him.
“What’s
wrong?”

“A meeting.”

“With your teammates?”

He shoved his phone in
his pocket and then cupped her face in his hands.
“I
don’t feel right about leaving you. Not with Luke the way he is.”

So protective, so caring.
She raised her hands to cover his.
“I’ll be all right.
Everyone’s worried about Seth, so I don’t think anything else will happen
tonight. Besides, there’ll be lots of people at the arena.”

“Still.”

“Thank you for coming to
my rescue.” She rose onto her toes and kissed him. Drawing strength from his
scent and the feel of his mouth on hers, she slid her arms around his strong
back. Hard muscles flexed there as his hands drifted from her face to her
waist.

“Anytime.”

He walked her to her car.
After another heady kiss, he was gone. And she was left with an uneasy feeling
in her gut she couldn
’t shake as she headed to the arena.