You got to Me (Love on Tour #3) (3 page)

4

I watched as a beautiful blonde broke away from the crowd of people hanging around near the bus. A security guard tried to grab her, but she slipped through, and ran right toward Sean.

“Sean, baby!”

“I got this.” Mike moved ahead of us and stopped the woman in her tracks. He was talking to her while we made a ten-foot arc around them, toward the bus.

But just as Sean passed by, she whirled away from Mike and launched herself at him. “Sean!”

Her arms were wrapped around his waist before I even knew what was happening. Sean tried to extract himself gently. But every time he moved an arm, she dodged it and reattached. I watched this for a handful of seconds, then, she put her hand right on his crotch. And I saw red.

I was not in control of my body, not at all. I marched forward and grabbed her shoulders with both of my hands. I yanked her away from Sean and held her at arms length from me, my hands gripping her tightly. It took me another second to realize that Bell was standing right beside me.

“Back off, bitch!” Bell yelled.

“Hey, what the fuck?” Another three women tried to break away toward us, but the security guards held them back.

“What the hell!”

“Don’t touch what isn’t yours,” Bell said.

“Hey, back off. Wifey’s not here and I want a piece. Oww, you’re hurting me!”

My fingers were squeezing into her flesh.

“Lisa,” I heard Sean say. I felt his big hand on my shoulder.

“Sean and I have history. Who the fuck are you?” Shanna asked me.

“I’m wifey’s big sister,” I said in a low, menacing voice.

“Come on, Lisa,” Sean said, in a near whisper. “Let’s get on the bus.”

One of the security guards that was holding the line near the bus, stepped forward. I loosened my grip, and Shanna slipped out of it and into the hands of the guard. She didn’t say anything further, she just stared at me, her mouth parted in an ‘O.’

I let Sean pull me onto the bus. He sat me in the booth by the window and slid in beside me. Hank put Bell across from me and sat down next to her. Mike and Sam stood at the end of the table and stared. I heard the bus door close and the engine start.

“Sit the fuck down,” Tony said.

Sam and Mike both plopped down on the couch across from us.

“Bad. Ass.” Sam said.

“Really, really badass,” Mike said.

I hung my head in my hands. Holy shit! What had I just done? I could feel Sean rubbing little circles on my back.

“You and me, Lisa. We are a force to be reckoned with,” Bell said.

“Yeah, but, damn,” Hank said. “I knew you had in you, little Bell, but I didn’t know Lisa was such a…”

“Badass, Hank, the word you are looking for is badass,” Sam said.

“Definitely,” Hank said.

“Lisa, are you okay?” Sean asked.

I wasn’t okay. I was trying to figure out exactly what had turned me from non-violent, mild-mannered professor into a raging lunatic. I had felt that level of anger a few times in my life. Once, when the kid down the street cornered Brad in an alley and beat him up, and the day I’d found out what Dani’s ex-boyfriend, Brynn, had done to her. But what was this about? Was it about Dani? Or was it about me?

“Who was that, anyway?” Bell asked.

“Shanna is a chick that Sean hooked up with once years ago, and he found out the next day that she was a complete nutcase. She stalks him whenever we’re in town,” Hank explained.

“Lisa,” Sean said quietly.

“I have never done anything like that in my life,” I said between my fingers.

“Hey, people get crazy when they’re defending themselves,” Sam said.

And there it was. He’d put a voice to it. Had I been defending what
I
wanted?

“No, it’s more than that,” Sean said. “Lisa and I get it.”

I looked up at him.

“I might get pissed if someone hurt me,” Sean said to Sam. “But I’d be ten times more pissed if they hurt you.” He shrugged. “It’s an older sibling thing. Right, Lisa?”

I was feeling two things at once. I was relieved that Sean was right. I’d been defending my sister, not myself. And I was way too happy about the way Sean had lumped him and me together.

“So, that’s it, big brother?”

“Yep, you wouldn’t understand,” Sean gave Sam a crooked grin.

“If I had a dime for every time I heard that,” Sam said.

“I get it. I’m a big brother, too,” Hank said.

“You’re an only child,” Sam responded.

“No. I got Baby.”

That upset me, too. Hank and Dani were so close. He referred to her as his little sister all the time. But Dani was mine, mine to claim, mine to protect.

My phone was at the hotel charging, and I needed to call my sister, right now. “Sean, give me your phone,” I said, holding out my hand.

He didn’t question it. He just pulled his phone out of his pocket. Dani’s face was right on the front. She was beautiful, standing in the sun on their porch, laughing, her hair, which was so much like mine, thrown back. Her big brown eyes were smiling at the camera. I hit the little phone symbol and put the screen to my ear.

“Hey, honey,” she said.

“Dani, it’s me.”

“Lisa!” God, she sounded so happy to hear from me. “Hi, big sis!”

“Hi,” I said weakly.

“Lisa, is everything okay?”

“Not really.”

“What happened?”

“I just went crazy on some girl out in the parking lot.”

“Really? Wow!”

“Dani, it was insane. I think I might have left bruises.”

“Did you punch her?”

“What? No! But Dani, I was violent.”

“She was awesome,” Bell yelled toward the phone.

My sister laughed.

“Dani, this is not funny.”

“Your nephew is laughing, too. Hear him?” I heard an adorable little giggle. “Don’t be upset, Leese. It’s okay. I’m sure she deserved it.”

“She did,” I mumbled.

“Good looking out, big sis.”

“How do you know that’s what I was doing?” I swallowed hard.

“It’s not hard to guess. You’re in SF, so it was probably that psycho Shanna chick.”

“You know about her?”

“Yeah, I forgot to warn you. She turns up every time Sean’s in town. That chick is like a bad penny. So was it her?”

“Yeah, she was getting… handsy.”

“Like I said, thanks for looking out. I love you, Leese.”

“I love you, too.”

“And there he goes.” I heard Henry scream. “I better go. Call me tomorrow.”

“Okay.” I hung up and handed the phone back to Sean.

“Did I hear my son screaming his head off at the end there?”

“Yes, about thirty seconds before he was laughing.”

“Yeah, he’s kind of a basket case,” he said affectionately.

“What are you talking about? Little Henry is perfect,” Hank said.

“Oh, please, you’re so stoked that the kid is named after you,” Mike said. “But don’t forget that his middle name is Michael.”

“Yeah, but his last name is Rushton,” Sam said.

“So?” Mike responded.

“So, I’m the only sibling that goes by that name, since Stacey took Rush as her stage name, too. So there.”

“Rushton is still on my driver’s license,” Sean said.

“Whatever, when the kid is the star quarterback in his high school, he’ll be wearing my last name on his jersey.”

Sean laughed.

“Okay, morons, we’re here,” Tony said, stopping the bus.

“Already?”

“Yes, already. It’s a short drive and traffic was good. Get the fuck off my bus.”

We walked into the hotel and piled onto the elevator together.  Bell and Hank got off a floor before the rest of us. I had no idea where Sam’s room was, but he stayed on the elevator until we reached the floor where Sean and I had side-by-side rooms. Then he walked with us to Sean’s room.

“I am calling my wife and hitting the hay,” Sean said. “Goodnight Lisa. Night Sam.”

I walked to my room. Sam followed me. When I got there, I pulled my keycard out of the back pocket of my jeans. Sam leaned against the wall next to my door.

“You know Lisa, every time I see you, I learn something new about you.”

I tried the key, the light flashed red.

“I’m pretty good at reading people, you know.”

I tried the key again. The stupid red light flashed again.

“It’s kind of a talent of mine. And you, you are one of those rare people who wears her emotions right on her face.”

I tried a third time. Damn.

“That probably surprises you. But it’s true.”

“I have to go to the front desk,” I said. “My key doesn’t work.”

Sam held his hand out. I slapped the card into his palm. He turned it around and slid the key into the lock. The green light came on and the lock disengaged. But instead of swinging the door open, Sam held it just a few inches open and handed the key back to me.

“Wanna get a drink with me?”

I pushed past him and into my room. “Good night, Sam.”

5

Somehow, on the ride to Portland I got stuck with Sam for a long stretch. Bell and Hank were cuddling on the bed in the back. Sean was on the couch across from the kitchenette, on the phone with Baby for most of the ride, Mike was on the couch across from the booth, working on his computer. And Sam was talking my ear off.

“I loved my history classes in college. Of course I was pre-law, so I only took a couple, you know. I took one U.S. history class and one on ancient Greece. What kinds of classes do you teach?”

“I teach all kinds of classes.”

“Okay, sure, but you must have a period in history that you specialize in.”

“Don’t you have work to do or something?”

He leaned back in the booth and put his hands behind his head. “Nope. I did so much legwork before the tour that the thing practically takes care of itself.”

I sighed and turned back to my book.

“What are you reading?”

I looked at him, exasperated. “You really want a history lesson?”

“Absolutely.”

I folded my book closed. This should be easy. I figured five minutes tops and he’d be snoring.

“Fine. I specialize in the history of government agencies, specifically the Department of Interior, that’s what my dissertation was on, and that’s what I’m considered the expert on. But lately I’ve been branching out. Most recently, I wrote an article on the history of the Department of Treasury.”

He should already be asleep. He wasn’t. He leaned forward. “I can’t decide which one I want to hear about first.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“No, I mean, I have absolutely no doubt that there a million little mysteries buried in the history of the Treasury Department. But the Interior has such a vast and complex history – I mean the Bureau of Indian affairs, the National Park Service. Start with the Park Service. I understand the first Director was actually, literally insane, is that true?”

“He was hospitalized for mental illness, but there’s a lot more to that story.” I studied him. “You really want to hear this?”

“Why is that so hard to believe?”

“What?”

“Well, I’m just wondering, what is it about your perception of me that leads you–”

“No, no more psychoanalysis.” I said. This guy was like an amateur shrink. “Fine. You want it, you got. The entire idea for National Parks starts in 1870. There are conflicting reports about exactly whose idea it was. But either way, it starts with the Washburn Expedition…”

Thirty minutes later, not only was he still awake, but he was actually still paying attention, and even asking questions. I stopped in the middle of explaining the 1916 Organic Act and its far-reaching implications. “If you’re interested in history, why did you go into law?”

“He’s interested in absolutely everything,” Sean said, taking a seat next to me in the booth. “He’s always been like that. The geek.”

“Hey, we can’t all be single-minded.”

Sean grunted.

“Did you go through a million majors in school?” My brother Brad had done that.

“Nope. I knew I wanted to be a music manager since I was 14. So I went right into pre-law. But I did take a big variety of electives.”

“14?”

“Yep,” He looked over at Sean. “First time I saw Sean play.”

“Sean would have been 20 by then,” I said. I looked at Sean. “Baby – damn, I mean Dani – says that you started playing with bands in high school. How come Sam didn’t see you play before then?”

Sean chuckled at my flub. “Yeah, but other than playing in the basement, Sam and Stacey weren’t allowed to go to my shows. My mother was convinced that someone would offer them a joint. So one night, when I was home from college, my old garage band and I were playing at a little all-ages venue in Kalamazoo, and genius here snuck out to see the show.”

“Sean actually saw me in the crowd. He stopped in the middle of the show, barreled through the audience, and picked me up by my collar.” Sam laughed.

“Then what happened?”

“He stuck me backstage with some girl he was dating, and told her keep her eyes on me.” He shrugged. “I talked her into giving me a beer.”

“No shit! I didn’t know that.”

Sam wiggled his eyebrows. “She swore me to secrecy.”

“Mother fucker.”

“Anyway, that was the night I decided what I wanted to do.”

So, Sam defined himself by his big brother. I could probably psychoanalyze that myself.

****

Bell’s parents were a bit of a fascination for me. They were these ordinary people who’d once been in an actual cult for ten years. They were also a contradiction to each other. Bell’s dad, Ian, was a slightly below average height, beer-bellied, red-headed Irish plumber with about as much penchant for speaking as Sean. Bell’s mom, Irene, was a tiny, fit, very talkative, Filipino mapmaker.

“That was amazing, Mrs. O,” Hank said.

He looked pretty strange sitting at their table, squeezed between Irene and Bell, the paisley walls, and china cabinet stuffed with bizarre knick-knacks framing his massive, tattooed body.

Sean looked even stranger, but far more at ease. He leaned back in his chair and patted his belly. “Incredible.”

“I don’t want anyone to hate me. But I have to sound the twenty minute warning,” Sam said.

“Oh, yes, I know. Your show is tonight,” Irene said. “Speaking of which, Hank, Bell sent us one of your albums.”

“She did?” Hank’s uncharacteristic nervousness seemed to grow.

“I have to say, it was very dark.”

“Hmmm.”

“And it surprised me because you are such a happy-go-lucky guy.” Irene smiled at him, the way my mother smiled at Sean.

“I am. I’m very happy. Especially now that I have… Susi.”

I let out a little chuckle at the exact the same moment Mike did. I had never heard Hank call his girlfriend by her real name.

“I liked it,” Ian said, gazing at Hank.

“Yeah?”

“Yes. You do a good job with the guitar, son.”

“Thanks. Hey Ian, do you think you and I could talk somewhere?”

“Sure, Hank.” Ian stood up. “Let’s go outside.”

I watched he and Hank move to the covered porch that was attached to the living room.

Bell watched them, too. “What’s that all about?” she asked her mom.

“I don’t know, dear. Sean, did you bring baby pictures?”

“I sure did.” Sean turned to me. “Did you bring my tablet, Lisa?”

I pulled his tablet out of my purse and handed it to him.

“If you can’t have your wife around, her sister does nicely in a pinch, huh?” Irene said.

“She sure does,” Sean smiled.

I was uncomfortable as hell, and not just because I’d been sitting on that hard wooden chair for the last hour and a half.

“Irene, where’s your restroom?”

“Straight back from the living room, dear.” She pointed toward the archway that stood between the dining room and the rest of the living area.

I stood up as Sean passed the tablet over and Bell showed her mom how to scroll through the pictures. I walked through the arch and into a comfortably situated room with an overstuffed couch and two large armchairs. I could see Hank and Ian on the porch through the sliding glass door at one end of the room. To the right was a short hallway. I walked down it and found a yellow and green bathroom on the left.

I splashed cold water on my face and looked at myself in the mirror. I was a monster, a horrible monster. I wanted my sister’s life. I wanted her husband and her adorable baby boy. If I was a good person, I would just be happy for Dani. I turned away from the demon in the mirror and walked out into the hall.

I nearly ran right into Sam. “What are you doing?”

“Shhh,” he whispered. “I’m on a mission here. Wanna help?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Shhh.” He took my arm and pulled me into the living room. “Don’t you wanna know what they’re talking about?” He pointed to the sliding glass door. Beyond it, I could see Hank and Ian out on the porch.

I kept my voice low. “What are you going to do? Press your ear to the glass? It’s too thick, you moron. Not to mention see-through.”

He pointed to the window that sat on the other side of the door. Through it I could see the screen wall of the porch. Sam walked over to the window. I turned around and looked toward the dining room. From here I couldn’t see Bell, Mike, Sean, and Irene sitting at the table, which meant they couldn’t see us, either. I walked over to Sam.

Very gently, Sam raised the window. I was surprised that it didn’t make any noise. As soon as it was open, I could hear the voices drifting out from the porch. I leaned forward.

“Yeah?” I heard Hank say.

“Absolutely.”

“Keep it a secret though, okay?”

“Mum’s the word.”

“I’ll be sure to call you afterward.”

“You do that.”

The voices drifted further away from us. Oh shit. I saw the sliding glass door move.

“Shut it,” I whispered frantically.

Sam was frantic too. He dropped the window and it hit the sill with a loud thud.

I have no idea how I reacted so quickly. But my body was faster than my mind. I dropped to the floor.

Hank and Ian both turned as soon as they were over the threshold, and saw me lying there on the floor.

“Oh my God. Are you alright?” Ian asked.

Both men moved toward me at the same time, but Hank got there first. He pulled me up. I looked at Sam. He had the most ridiculous grin on his face. Jackass.

“What happened?”

“I was coming out of the bathroom and I ran right into Sam. I just fell down.”

“Are you hurt?” Ian asked.

Hank looked me over. Then he looked around the room and over at Sam. Of course, the whole story made no sense. But Hank didn’t say so.

By then, the rest of the party had moved into the living room to see what the commotion was about.

“Lisa, dear. Did you hit your head?” Gloria asked.

“No. I stopped my fall with my elbow.” Which was true, and the damn thing hurt.

“Are you sure? That was a loud bang,” Bell asked.

Sam made a choking sound.

Irene looked at my arm, which was slightly red from its landing on the thin, pilled carpet.

“Let’s get some ice on that.” She ushered me back to the dining room.

I glanced back at Sam. He was repressing his laughter. I was really starting to hate that guy.