Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
I closed my eyes as I sang the lyrics, pouring all my rage and love for my mother into them. As I hit the chorus, Billie joined in. Her voice was soft but held power. I guessed it shouldn’t have shocked me that my angel also sounded like one.
The song ended, and I placed the guitar down before leaning into her and brushing my lips against hers. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Billie asked.
“For making me feel a little less alone.”
13
Cain
We went through the motions at the press conference. Kaye was losing her ever-loving mind about the scene on the balcony.
“Do you have any idea how fucking problematic your little stunt on the balcony was? I get it; you’re rock stars, and with that comes all kinds of women and men who will do anything you want. But Jesus fuckin’ Christ, get some goddamn common sense.”
Marley chuckles. “Gotta admit that shit was hot. You gotta give me her name. She seems like a fun time.”
Lars jumps out of his chair and punches Marley in the jaw, knocking him to the floor. “You better bleach any image of her out of your damn eyes.”
Marley thumbs his jaw. “Damn, Lars. You’ve never been crazy about one of your groupies before. That must have been some magic pussy. Now I really want to give it a test drive.”
Lars jumps on top of Marley and punches him in the face repeatedly. “I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you.”
I wrap my arms around him, pulling him off while Iggy does the same with Marley.
“You’re fuckin’ crazy!” Iggy screams. “What the fuck’s gotten into you?”
“Just tell your boy to shut the fuck up!” Lars yells back.
“You’re the one who put her on display for the world,” Marley grunts, pulling out his phone and shoving it in Lars’ face. It’s the two of us holding Billie up, legs spread with cum dripping from her pussy. “If she means something, maybe keep her pussy out of the news.”
I don’t know why, but seeing that image has my blood boiling. Do I regret it? No. Does it bother me when other men stare at it? No. I enjoy that others find Billie as hot as I do.
But the image has Lars thrashing against me, wanting to rip Marley’s head off.
“Get him out of here, Ig. I’ll deal with Lars, but get Marley out of here before shit gets much worse.”
Iggy nods and pulls Marley from the room, leaving Kaye, Lars, and me behind.
“What was that about?” Kaye demands.
“Kaye, I think you should leave too,” I mutter.
“I’m not going anywhere. You’re messing with my shit now. I let you fuckers get away with a lot, but not this. This shit goes sideways, and it’s my reputation. I won’t let you little shits fuck with my life.”
I like Kaye. She’s funny, smart, knows music, and I never have to worry about any of the guys fucking her cause the idea of dick turns her stomach. But at this moment, I want to throttle her. “Kaye, I’ve got this. Please go.”
She huffs and mumbles obscenities my way before heading out the door and slamming it behind her.
I toss Lars toward the sofa and get on top of him. He struggles beneath me as I clasp his arms above his head. “Stop it.”
“Let go of me, Cain. Let the fuck go.” Lars’ voice cracks, his pain blaring through the bravado he wears to protect him from emotion. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him like this. Ten years, to be exact.
I walked into the darkness, broken glass bottles scattered along the floor. Carefully, I stepped over the shards and flicked on the light switch, illuminating the scene before me. Lars was crouched on the floor, his bloody arms wrapped around his legs, shaking in a fetal position.
“Lars.”
I checked his body for damage. I’d never seen him like this. Even when his mother was rushed to the hospital because of an overdose, he was still somewhat put together. Cold and distant, sure, but he didn’t fall apart.
He resisted when I pulled him to me, but I ignored him. We sat while he sobbed in my arms. I wasn’t sure what to do or say. Lars gave me purpose. He redirected my anger, sorrow, and rage into something productive. We’d built something that wasn’t based on pain and neglect but on admiration, affection, and ability. We’d taken the tattered fabric of our life and made it into a beautiful tapestry of sound. Then we’d found something more. Love. Love for each other and love for a sweet girl who we believed was above anything we deserved.
“All I’ll do is bring you down, Cain. I fuckin’ deserve nothing and no one. Run now while you have the chance. Save yourself.”
His words were a muffled heartbreak against my chest. “I’m not leaving you, Lars. It’s you and me. We said always and forever. No matter what, I’ll never leave you.”