“Hey, Mase, we’re rollin’ out.”
“Yeah, good. See you tomorrow.”
Summer waved goodbye to Kurt and Christian while Mason strummed through the new bridge, trying out the lyrics and testing the transitions. “This is perfect, babe. I owe you one.”
“Well, since you brought it up, I need to collect the last hundred and fifty for the songs you bought in September.”
His fingers slapped against the strings, cutting off the chords. “Shit. I never paid you?”
“Not yet.”
He propped his guitar in the corner of the couch and dug in the front pocket of his jeans. “Here.” He pulled out a wad of cash, counted out the exact amount, and handed the bills to her. “Totally forgot. Sorry about that.”
“No problem. I know you’re good for it.” She put the bills into her purse, making sure to zipper it closed. “I have a couple of new songs ready to go if you’d like to hear them.”
“That’d be great.” He stood and gathered the music sheets, laying them flat in the bottom of his beat-up guitar case. “But we gotta clear out of here by two. You staying in town? Maybe we can kick back at your place some night?”
“Actually,” she said, seizing the opportunity. “I’m sort of homeless at the moment. Any chance I could crash on your couch for a few days.”
“Oh, man, I’d love to offer.” He retrieved his guitar and laid it to rest on the crushed red velvet. “But Kimber moved in a couple of months ago, and you know how she gets.” He closed the lid and snapped the latches. “Hey, Ben, you got a couch my girl can sleep on for a few nights?”
The lead guitarist looked Summer over like she was a ten-dollar all-you-can-eat-buffet, and she declined the offer to be his next meal before he made it. “Oh, that’s fine,” she said. “I’m good. I’ve got another option.”
The Pine Glen motel was shabby in a not-chic kind of way and cost twenty bucks a night if you paid in cash upfront. Still better than offering up her virginity to Mason’s buddy, and if she checked in tomorrow, she’d only have to pay for two nights.
With a bit of luck, she’d be back on her feet and have a new family to live with before the holidays. If not…well, she didn’t want to think about it.
CHAPTEREIGHT
Jamie driftedawake to the dull throb of his fucked-up knee only to discover he wasn’t alone. Despite being told to go, his father snored in the next bed, the soft rumblings a comforting buzz in the dark room.
When out on tour, the sounds of men asleep meant a moment of peace. Didn’t matter where he was—in the barracks on a foreign base—or resting against the wall of a bombed-out building in the middle of a combat zone. If the people around him were relaxed enough to catch some z’s, it meant safety for the time being.
Sure, with a shouted order or the drop of a bomb, shit could change in a heartbeat, but in between that one second and the next, he lived in his happy place. Saw the faces of his loved ones. Dwelled on the good memories of his wife, his mother, his friends, his brothers.
Those still alive. And those he’d lost.
His heart clutched.
Kosamina…
The baby…
His eyes filled with tears, and to prevent them from falling, he filled his lungs with air. One steadying breath after the other. He didn’t know how to mourn them, what to feel, or how to react. He’d fallen out of love with Ko, and her little girl…
She hadn’t been his.
But so what? He still cared for them. Felt the weight of their deaths ride heavy on his shoulders. If only he’d reacted quicker, drawn his weapon sooner.
Maybe?
His arm muscles cramped, and his movements slow, he lifted his hand and swiped at the moisture dampening his face. He’d witnessed people dying before. Men. Women. Children. Gunned down. Wounded. Bloodied. Broken.
Death and destruction were the outcomes of war. Didn’t matter which side thought they were in the right. The result was always the same.
Not me. Not my family. Not my problem.
As cold as it sounded, one tour after another, his mantra had kept him sane. Kept him together when he was elbows deep in blood and guts, trying to save the life of one stranger or another in a country that didn’t matter to him, and didn’t want him there to begin with.
