I kept still, trying not to flinch when Brick leaned over and planted a quick, light kiss on my temple. My eyes burned with the unshed tears I was desperate to keep at bay for just a little while longer. With the soft click of the door, he was gone, and I jumped from the bed, startling Simon from his slumber. In a rush, I pulled on my clothes, attached Simon's harness, and escaped with my broken heart back to my truck.
Twelve
Brick
Exhausted, I scrubbed the sand from my eyes and let myself back into my hotel room. It was early, and the band had press we had to do this morning. Some morning talk show and a couple of radio interviews before soundcheck and tonight's show. In other words, my dance card was full, when all I really wanted to do was the horizontal tango with my lady who...should have been sound asleep in my bed but was currently not where I left her.
The bathroom was also empty. Her clothes were missing from my floor. And there was no sign of Simon.
It's possible she went to unlock the equipment truck so they could start setting up for tonight, but it was barely four-thirty. The sun wasn't even up yet. I sent her a text before setting my alarm for six, allowing myself just enough time for a nap and a shower before having to report to the studio where the talk show was filmed. I stripped my clothes off and faceplanted into the mattress, losing consciousness before I could finish my next thought.
I woke up dazed and confused and reaching for Marni, groaning in disappointment when all I touched were the cold, lonely sheets. I forced my legs to carry me into the shower and made a mental note to call Shep as soon as I was done.
When Hailey had called me last night, I was shocked to say the least. I hadn't seen the kid in over a year, and in that time she'd grown. Only fourteen, she could easily pass for seventeen or eighteen, which is how she managed to get away with impersonating her older sister and hopping a bus from our shared hometown of Aspen Falls, California to downtown Los Angeles. That and her sticky fingers. Hailey had stolen Edie's license and credit card, using both to procure her bus ticket and fleeing that jackass of a stepdad she and her sisters were cursed with.
Hailey had called me in her time of need because I helped coach her little sister's pee wee soccer team back home. Annabelle Clemens was only six years old the last time I saw her. She must be seven by now. Kid had a natural talent for the sport though she was pretty introverted from what I saw of her off the field. Hailey and Annabelle's oldest sister, Edie, was in college last I knew, working her way through slowly while also working herself to the bone to help pay her mom's medical expenses and provide for the girls where their parents couldn't.
Apparently, their stepdad, Gene Carnrike, was a grade A asshole, according to Hailey. Spent most of his money on booze and all but neglected the girls in his care except for when he was drunk enough to use them for punching bags. I'd met the guy once or twice at Annabelle's soccer games. He'd been in the stands yelling obscenities during play. We'd had him escorted away once. Anyway, according to Hailey, this last drunken bout had been particularly bad and Edie had taken the brunt of it in an effort to protect little Annabelle. Hailey had gotten my number from Edie's phone --all of the adults responsible for the kids on my team had it-- along with the pilfered ID and money before pulling her little runaway act. Why she came to me instead of the police, I was still unsure of. Hailey's only explanation was that she trusted me because Annabelle liked me, and apparently, Annabelle didn't take to most grown-ups.
I didn't know how I was supposed to help. I was definitely in way over my head. And I couldn't bring Hailey back to my room where I'd left a naked Marni, so I went with my gut and took her to Shep, who took some convincing but ultimately caved like the big teddy bear he was.
Showered, dressed, and irritated by the lack of texts on my phone, I hit the contact info for Shep.
He picked up on the first ring. "Hey," he grumbled.
"How is she?"
Shep sighed. "Tough."
"Yeah," I agreed, saddened that she had to be. "I still have no idea what to do."
"I'm going to handle it."
I froze, my hand on the door as I closed it behind me. "You are? How?"
"I don't know yet." Shep snorted. "I'm winging it."
"Sounds like a plan," I said with extra sarcasm.
I heard Hailey's voice in the background asking about breakfast and Shep's reply that she could order whatever she wanted from room service as long as it included a double helping of protein. I knew I'd made the right choice taking her to him. Big softy.
"Look, Brick, I'll meet you and the guys downstairs in the lobby. I need to make sure Hailey has everything she needs before I leave."
"You're going to leave her in your room? Alone?"
"Yeah. Just until after the press stuff is done. Kid's exhausted, man. And she needs to eat something other than whatever fast food shit you fed her last night."
My back stiffened at that. "Dude, it was two in the morning. There wasn't anything but fast food."
"I know. I didn't mean it the way it sounded." His tone was both apologetic and frustrated.
I relaxed. "I know. I'm just on edge this morning. First, this situation with Hailey and her sisters and now Marni's disappeared on me, and she's not answering my texts."
There was a very pregnant pause on Shep's end of the conversation. "Did you sleep with Marni last night?"
"I'm not giving you any details!"
"Calm down; I didn't ask for any," he said with a chuckle. "Maybe she just got sick of dealing with your shit. There's only so much tom foolery one can take."
"I love her," I blurted for some damn reason.
"I know, man. Everybody knows. Jesus. Get with the program."
"Oh my god. Go deal with Hailey. I'll see you soon." I hung up on him and his laughter.
I'd spent the majority of the first talk show appearance trying to discreetly fend off the Kathie Lee wannabe's talon-tipped hand inching up my thigh. The other appearances that morning were relatively uneventful in terms of sexual harassment, and were mildly mind-numbing in terms of subject matter. The LA entertainment scene wasn't exactly rife with intrepid journalists armed with hard-hitting questions.
In between, I'd checked in with Shep for a Hailey update, to which he replied he had it all under control and to stop nagging him.
Fine. Whatever.
The next order of business was finding out where the hell my woman had run off to because this whole avoiding me thing was really starting to piss me off, and I was the good-time-guy; I didn't get pissed off.
By the time I got back to the hotel I was equal parts fuming and worried. She wouldn't return my calls or texts, and nobody I'd talked to had seen her that morning. Or, at least, no one was owning up to it. Neither she nor Simon were in her truck cab, but I did notice that the shirt she'd worn yesterday laid on the bunk in the back, tossed there in either haste or laziness. At least I knew she'd been there at some point, but where the hell was she now?
My phone vibrated in my pocket and I nearly tore my rotator cuff from the speed with which I grabbed for it.