“What do you as a job?” I question.
“Nothing interesting. I’m a contractor,” Gabe replies, and I bite my lip, not knowing what he means.
At the risk of sounding stupid in front of my new brother-in-law, I dare to ask. “What is a contractor?”
“Wow, Liam wasn’t wrong when he said you had a lot to learn. I’m sorry you were brought up that way. It must be hard.” Gabe gives me his pity. “A contractor is like a builder. I work on constructing houses, mainly under government contracts. It’s nowhere near as glamorous as my brother’s job, but I enjoy it and get a big sense of achievement when I see the completed buildings. Liam actually got me to work on his place—have you seen it?”
I shake my head. “We’ve been staying on the bus or in hotels while in Seattle. So I’ve not seen where he lives yet. Hopefully, when the tour finishes, I will.”
“Hmm.” Gabe trails off and goes back to watching the band as they play the songs I’ve come to love and know pretty much all the words to.
The band’s music is inspiring, and the lyrics give advice and hope to anyone who listens to them. I can see why they are so famous and well respected.
“Bloody arrogant assholes,” I hear Zoey grumble from behind me.
“Is everything okay?” I question, stepping back from direct view of the stage, ready to help her if needed.
“Just a couple of radio executives. They’re complaining that they aren’t getting exclusive access to Saving Tate after the concert. The band isn’t giving exclusive access to anyone tonight. That was yesterday, and I made sure it was well known. They’re threatening to boycott the band’s songs if they don’t get what they want.”
“Tell them to go fuck themselves,” Gabe interrupts.
“I wish I could. The band has invited some of the kids in tonight from the Foundation we run. They’ve all had serious issues at home. The band was going to put a lot of time in with them, but I’m going to have to cut that short so the band can give exclusive time to the stuck up assholes. Tate is going to be livid. I need to find a room to put them in because they’ll have to wait for the band to see the kids first. I’m not giving them priority.” I can see Zoey is really pissed at the executives and with good reason.
“Wait.” I take her hand. “Don’t make them wait. Get the band to go to them first. I know how sweaty and disgusting they all are when they first come off stage. Give the executives the real rock stars. Let them see the band’s reaction to being prevented from greeting their true guests first. Get the ‘arrogant assholes’ over and done with. I’ll take the kids on stage, and they can have a look at the band’s instruments while they wait. I loved it when Liam showed me everything the other day, and I remember what he told me. I can show the children. I’m sure they’ll love it.”
“You know what, that’s a fabulous idea. The guy’s moods will have mellowed after they’ve spent time with the kids, but giving the executives four sweaty, grumpy men could be fun. Thank you, Yivi. I’ll go set it up. As soon as the concert is finished, I’ll ask the adults accompanying the children to bring them straight onto the stage.”
“I’ll be waiting for them.” I smile at Zoey as she scurries off to sort out the executives. It’s then I realize I used the word, assholes. I chuckle to myself as I turn back to watch the rest of the concert.
“What’s so funny?” Gabe asks, staring down at me.
He looks very much like Liam with his dark hair and eyes. He doesn’t have any tattoos, though, that I can see, and he doesn’t set my nerve endings alight with his smile and touch like my husband does. I feel Liam even when he isn’t close, and I can sense where he is in a room even if I can’t see him.
“It will probably sound silly to you, but I said the word asshole. That’s a naughty word, and where I came from, I would have been punished.”
“The cult?” Gabe questions.
“Yes,” I reply. I don’t want to talk about it and sour my mood. “It’s a horrible place. I’m glad I’m free.”
I look over at Liam, who’s in the middle of an energetic segment in the concert and is banging loudly.
“Fuck,” Gabe says, and I tilt my head up instantly to look at him.
“What?”
“Have you said that word yet?”
I shake my head. “No, that’s one of the really bad ones.”
“Say it.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not? You said you were free? If you are going to be spending the rest of your life with my brother, you’ll certainly hear it being said. I think he uses it in most sentences.”
Gabe isn’t lying about that. I’ve noticed Liam and all the band members using that word a lot, along with several others.
I test the start of the word on my lips. “F…” I giggle like a little schoolgirl. “I can’t.”
Gabe folds his arms across his chest, daring me. “Fuck, Shit, Piss, Cunt.”
“Gabe!” I exclaim in shock.
“They roll off the tongue easily when they need to. Come on. Try it.”
I test the word again. “Fuck.” My voice is tiny and almost indistinguishable against the music around us.
“Louder,” Gabe orders.
“Fuck,” I say it in a half scream.
“That was pitiful.”
“Fuck,” I scream in my loudest voice, and a big smile adorns my face. A few of the people around us stop and stare. “Everything’s all right,” I inform them, “I’m just learning a new word.”
Gabe throws his head back and laughs. “I can see why my brother likes you. It makes it even harder that I have to do this.”
“Do what?”
Before I can stop him, Gabe slams his lips against mine and steals a kiss from me. I struggle against him and eventually push him away with a hard slap to his cheek.
“What are you doing? I’m not that sort of person. I love your brother. How dare you do that?”
“I’m sorry,” Gabe apologizes, but he doesn’t get to finish his sentence before he’s knocked to the floor directly in front of me by an irate Liam.
Chapter 15
Liam
#MotherFuckingCockSuckerImGoingToKillHim
Even I can hear Yivi screaming ‘fuck’ from the top of her voice at the side of the stage. It sends a thrill through my body to know she’s learning dirty words. The thrill doesn’t last long when I see Gabe force a kiss to my wife’s lips.
My own brother!
Yivi stands rigid at first before she starts to struggle to get him off her. I know she doesn’t want it.
He’s a dead bastard!
I’m over my drum set in a matter of seconds, sending it flying everywhere as I race toward where my brother, my fucking brother, is forcing himself on my wife, my wife.
I’m vaguely aware of the music stopping around me as I send my fist into Gabe’s face. Another punch follows quickly, sending blood splattering across his cheek. We roll around on the backstage floor, Gabe trying to escape from me, but I’m not going to stop until I kill him.