Pierced: Pierced Trilogy Boxed Set (46 page)

At the song’s end, the audience cheers generously. Off Duty Blue is obviously beloved by this crowd full of cops, and rightly so. But they are also very deserving of the accolades they receive. I don’t know how long they’ve been playing together but, they really are very impressive, from their awesome lead guitarist to their charismatic front man and everyone in between. I’m astonished.

I watch as the band leaves the stage and I wonder what will happen now. Will Josh come talk to me or should we continue to pretend that we barely know one another? I look around the bar and I wonder if his superiors are among the throng. Perhaps now that I’ve heard him play, Megan and Scott and I should just go? But as I’m pondering all of this I see Josh look over at me as he talks briefly with one of his bandmates. I recognize him as the drummer, a really good looking African American man. Butler. I think that’s what Josh said his name was. Josh pats him on the arm and laughs at something his friend has said as he turns and walks away from him. And I feel a ripple of butterflies when I realize that he’s walking straight toward our table. His eyes are locked on mine and he’s smiling slightly.

But on his journey across the crowded room, he is stopped repeatedly by people wanting to tell him how great the band sounded. A few of them are what look to be fellow off duty police officers and Josh seems to know them personally. He stops and jokes with them for brief seconds as he slowly makes his way over to me. But most of the admirers wanting his attention are women. I sit and watch helplessly as one girl after another steps into his path and introduces herself or tells him how great he was on stage or offers to buy him a drink. When he’s almost to our table, a very pretty blonde walks right up to him and puts a napkin into his hand and walks away. He watches after her for a second with a curious frown and then looks down at the napkin. He gives a disgusted sigh and balls it up as he reaches our table.

“Hi,” he says nervously, looking down at me.

“Hi.” My response is short and equally nervous. I think I’m blushing slightly.

“May I join you?” he asks hesitantly. Why is he so anxious?

“Sure,” I shrug, motioning to the chair beside me. He sits next to me and he’s eyeing me speculatively. I wonder what he’s thinking, and I want to ask him but, my intrinsic good manners kick in. “You remember my cousin Megan, Detective?”

“Yes, of course,” Josh smiles at her and shakes her hand. “Nice to see you again.”

“And this is my fiancé, Scott,” Megan says.

“Hello,” Josh says, shaking his hand.

“You sounded really good up there,” Scott tells him.

“Oh, thanks,” Josh smiles bashfully.

“I used to play a long time ago,” Scott offers.

“Really? Why’d you give it up?” Josh asks him.

“Life got in the way,” Scott shrugs. “You know how it is. Just got so busy working for my dad’s company.”

Josh nods politely, saying nothing.

“That was awesome though,” Scott gushes, “you guys sound great!”

“Thanks,” he repeats. “Oh, I uh … I understand you’re getting married soon. Congratulations.”

“Yes, thank you! One week from today,” Megan gushes, and her blonde curls bounce delightfully around her shoulders. “You’re coming with Sam, right?” she asks, looking from Josh to me questioningly. And Josh seems a little stunned at the question. He looks at me in surprise and I blush.

“Oh. Well, I … wanted to ask you but … I didn’t know if I should. I mean, with my case and everything.” I hope I don’t sound as nervous as I feel.

He smiles slightly at me, and then he turns back to Megan. “Well, thank you for the invitation but, if we haven’t caught Sam’s stalker by then I’m afraid that might be a little tricky.”

“Well, the invitation stands. It’s going to be a great party and we would love to have you,” Megan assures him. “Right, hon?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Scott chimes in. “Any friend of Sam’s.”

“Thank you,” he smiles politely at them. He looks anxiously over at me then, and I think he wants to say something but, he doesn’t. His fingers absentmindedly fidget with the balled up napkin he’s still holding.

“Hey, honey,” Megan says, looking at Scott. “I think I need a refill. Why don’t we go to the bar?” Scott frowns at her for a second and then catches on to her not-so-subtle maneuver. He nods and they stand and venture over to the small bar on the left side of the room.

When we’re alone at the table we stare at one another in silence for a long moment and I wonder again what he might be thinking. Finally, I break the silence. “I loved the dedication,” I say softly.

He nods slightly but says nothing as he continues to watch me intently. His fingers are still playing with the tattered napkin and I reach over and gently take it from his hands. And he watches me closely as I open it up and examine it. Apparently the blonde’s name is Darla, and she wants him to call her,
anytime.

“It’s too bad you lost this number,” I say timidly as I begin tearing up the napkin. “She was pretty.”

“She?” Josh asks sincerely, a slight frown on his face. “I didn’t think there were any other women here tonight besides you.”

Holy cow. What a great line!
I smile shyly at him with a small shake of my head. “I really want to kiss you right now,” I say quietly and he chuckles at me. “So, does that happen often, Detective?” I ask with an attitude. “That adoring throng of female fans throwing themselves at you?”

He laughs out loud this time and I can’t help but smile broadly. When he calms down, he nods his head slowly. “Yeah, well … chicks dig the guitar I guess,” he shrugs smugly, still smiling.

“Hmm, and the guns obviously,” I reply, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, that too,” he says glancing around the joint. “Probably about half the women in here are cop groupies.”

“Cop groupies?” I say incredulously, and he nods. “I didn’t know there was such a thing. I wasn’t talking about those guns. I was talking about these guns,” I say, lightly squeezing his bicep, and he chuckles again.

He looks at me silently for a long moment, and then asks somewhat bashfully, “So what did you think?” I know he’s referring to the band and I’m a little surprised at the level of anxiety I can hear in his voice. He is so adorable.

“I think I’ve discovered a new appreciation for rock music,” I say quietly, and he smiles. “I thought you were amazing, Josh! The band sounded wonderful but …
you
were just incredible. You really are a very talented musician.” He gives me that heartbreakingly shy smile of his and I melt.

We sit talking then about the bar and about nothing in particular and I can see that Megan and Scott have hit the crowded dance floor and they seem to be enjoying themselves. As we talk, I notice that Josh is very careful not to touch me in an overly familiar way. In fact, he barely touches me at all and I have to make myself remember that his colleagues are probably watching. And, at one point, I see him glance over near the small bar on the left and he lets out an agitated sigh, rolling his eyes. Looking over that way, I see what looks like Josh’s partner sitting with an attractive young brunette with a short pixie haircut. She’s very pretty, and I remember Josh telling me that his partner has been married for about a year. That must be his wife. And I can tell that Josh and I are the topic of conversation for the two of them.

I don’t get to think about it for too long though because someone suddenly slaps Josh on the shoulder and he looks up and smiles broadly. The gentleman is older but, very distinguished looking, tall and rugged with salt-n-pepper hair and soft blue eyes. He shakes Josh’s hand, smiling warmly, and then he pulls out a chair and sits down next to him.

“Great set tonight, Guy,” the gentleman says with a smile.

“Thanks, Lee,” Josh smiles back at him.

He looks over at me and eyes me with a curious expression. “Who’s your friend?” he asks bluntly.

Josh hesitates slightly and …
oh, my gosh! Did he just blush?
I think he did! “Um, Lee this is … Samantha Colby.” Josh seems reluctant to tell him my name, and from his friend’s reaction I think I understand why. He’s obviously aware of the fact that Josh is working on my assault/stalking case and he’s wondering what we’re doing here together. He looks stunned for a few seconds as he stares pointedly at Josh. But he recovers quickly and looks back at me with a warm smile, extending his hand to me.

“How do you do?” he asks kindly, and I smile and take his hand.

“Sam,” Josh says turning to me, “this is Lee Parson.”

“Oh!” The recognition in my voice is audible. “Hello. It’s so nice to meet you,” I smile at him. This is the man that Josh said was like a father to him. His mentor. Well that explains Josh’s embarrassment a moment ago. And I notice that he is visibly self-conscious all of a sudden. Is he afraid that his mentor won’t approve of our relationship?

Lee Parson, I can tell, is watching us closely. He looks from me to Josh and back again. “Do you come here often, Miss Colby?” he asks. “To The Slammer, I mean.”

“Please call me Samantha,” I say nervously. “And no. I don’t come here often. My cousin and I just wanted to check out the live music.” It’s not a total lie. We came because we wanted to hear Josh’s band play.

“And what did you think?” he asks with a smile.

“I thought the band was wonderful,” I gush, and he nods slowly, still smiling at me. Then he turns to Josh.

“She thought the band was
wonderful,
” he teases, and Josh nods, smiling nervously. “She probably has a crush on one of the band members, huh?”

Josh closes his eyes briefly and lowers his head slightly. Then he looks at his friend and says, “I wouldn’t know, Lee.”

“Wouldn’t you?” he asks sarcastically. He is obviously having a little fun at our expense. Either Josh has told him everything or he has correctly assessed the situation for himself. And I can tell that Josh is growing uncomfortable. Yet, he doesn’t get upset with him. Lee’s teasing is clearly done in a loving, respectful manner and Josh seems to have the sort of indulgent patience with him that any adult child would have with their parent.

Lee chuckles then and says, “Hey, would you do me a favor, Guy? Go and get me another beer, please.”

Josh hesitates a beat, looking at his friend with wide eyes. “Lee.” His voice carries an unmistakable ‘what-are-you-up-to’ tone to it but, Lee doesn’t back down.

“Go on,” Lee says, shooing Josh away with a wave of his hand and an amused grin on his face. Josh gives a sigh and a slight roll of his eyes and looks at me.

“Can I get you another spritzer?” he asks me nervously.

“Sure,” I say, trying not to smile at his discomfort. Their interaction is fun to watch; they do relate to one another in a very parent/child sort of way. Josh sighs heavily then and gets up, reluctantly walking to the bar and leaving me alone with Lee Parson.

“Guy thinks I’m going to interrogate you now but, really I just like giving him a hard time,” he shrugs with a smile, and I can’t help laughing with him. I like Lee Parson right away. He seems warm and fun-loving.

“Josh speaks very fondly of you,” I tell him.

“Does he now?” Lee’s voice is warm as he smiles at me.

“Yes,” I nod. “He says you’ve been like a mentor or a father-figure to him over the years. He said you were always very supportive … even back when he was a child.”

Lee looks surprised at my words. “Guy told you about his childhood?” he asks. And I can hear the astonishment in his voice. It dawns on me then that this man is one of the police officers who Josh says was at his house often when he was a little boy. He probably has all the answers to the questions plaguing me about Josh’s past. All the things Josh is reluctant to share with me about his childhood and his dad. If only I could pick his brain for an hour or so. But I know that wouldn’t be fair to Josh.

“He hasn’t said a lot,” I say honestly. “But he has told me how he was never very close to his own father so, I know your friendship means much more to him than he probably lets on to you.”

Lee is quiet for a second and I get the feeling he is thinking back over memories. “Danny Pierce,” he says quietly, looking me in the eye. “Miserable son of a bitch. Mean as a snake. He made life hell for Guy and his mom.”

Oh?
Well this is more information than Josh has ever offered me. I don’t even think that he’s ever told me his dad’s name before. Made life hell for them how? I want desperately to ask Lee but, I know that I shouldn’t. It wouldn’t be right. And I don’t get the chance to dwell on it because Lee continues talking.

He leans in, resting his forearms on the table and fixing me with a serious gaze. “Well, if Guy is sharing information about his past with you, Samantha … well, that tells me he’s not merely fond of you, but that he trusts you.” He is silent as he looks me over curiously for a moment before continuing. “He obviously has real feelings for you. He doesn’t normally talk about his childhood, or his father. Not to anyone.”

Trusts me? I am astounded at his words. He thinks Josh has real feelings for me? Has Josh said something to him, I wonder? Lee seemed taken aback when Josh first introduced us. Is that because he didn’t know that Josh and I were seeing each other or because he was surprised at seeing us here together while my case is still open? Either way, his words give me pause.

“It hasn’t been easy for him. Opening up to me about his past,” I admit quietly, hoping my candor might encourage him to offer the insight that Josh is reluctant to.

“No, I don’t imagine it has,” Lee says matter-of-factly. “Guy usually keeps a tight lid on his past, and he has good reason to.” He hesitates for a moment and then continues. “When his old man died, I know that Olivia took him to see a child psychologist but … I don’t think Guy got much out of it. A therapist can’t help much if the patient refuses to talk.”

Holy shit.
Josh was in therapy after his dad passed away. Why? If they were never very close, as Josh claims, and if he made Josh’s life hell … why did his death affect Josh to the point that he needed to be in counseling?

“I can’t imagine what that must have been like for him,” I mumble distractedly.