Chapter 16
Andy
I kiss Sienna, loving how responsive she’s been since we made love in front of Tanner’s old barn. Maybe that’s why I’m not thinking straight and let her take that job in Charlotte.
What if that crazy bastard of a husband comes looking for her.
Hell, he’s not her husband. He lost his right to her when he got himself declared dead. He’ll be good and truly deceased if he tries to harm her.
While me and Sienna sit in the small back seat of the Camaro I rented for speed, Jack drives. Out the front window, the city’s skyscrapers loom, incongruent with the lush greenery surrounding the thruway.
“I don’t feel good letting you sing tonight.” My legs hit my chest, even with the front seat pushed up as far as it will go.
Sienna pulls my gaze to hers with a soft palm to my cheek. “If someone wanted me dead, they would’ve already tried.”
Why then, do I feel so uneasy?
Google Maps directs us around the center of Charlotte, deep into a seedier part of town. Inside the dark club, I pace a hole in the plank floor while she tests the sound system.
“Check, check.” Her voice echoes all the way up in the balcony.
Finally, the sound guy nods, she places the mic on the stand, and comes over to me with a big smile. “Jack says people are already lining up at the door.”
After I kiss those cherry flavored lips, I press the comm unit in my ear. “All clear?”
“Affirmative.” Jack’s voice comes in loud and clear.
Me and him argued for some time this afternoon but he won. We can’t guard Sienna forever. She needs her life back and to do that, we need to force Olafson’s hand.
Next to me, her pink lips smile and the makeup on her eyelids sparkle. “I hope everyone stays for two sets. The band gets a percentage of the evening’s take.”
“No worries, luv. If they try to leave, I’ll just have Jack convince them to stay.”
He snickers in my headset while she laughs and hits me playfully on my bicep. Then, we chat about what it was like to grow up around here while we wait for the show to start.
When a guy jumps offstage, my hand twitches for my weapon until I realize he’s a member of the band. “You’re Quinn, right?”
“Guilty as charged.” I shake the firm, calloused grip.
“I’m Jasper.” His accent says he’s an Aussie. “The ads you put on Facebook were killer, mate.”
His unique choice of words shakes me up a bit but I’m antsy. He’s probably a nice enough guy and I might like him except for how his eyes rove over Sienna’s form.
She gives the Australian a big smile, the one that’s supposed to be reserved for me. “Thanks for letting me sit in.”
“You kiddin’? Half the people lined up at the door are here to get a glimpse of you. They’re dying to know if Peter Olafson’s wife can sing.” He touches her goddamned hand. “You’re a dream come true.”
Hell yeah, she is but she’s my dream come true, not yours. To make that perfectly clear, I stand closer to my woman with my arm around her waist while they talk music.
They choose mostly old blues favorites which seems to make Sienna happy as she sits down and tunes her new guitar. Earlier, I drove her to every pawn shop in the area until she found one thatspoke to her. Of course, she wouldn’t let me buy it, paying instead with her karaoke winnings.
When the doors open, I settle down on a stool nearest the stage and study the audience with Peter’s image burned into my brain. It reminds me of my college days when I worked as a bouncer.
“See him?” Jack asks in my comm.
“Nothing.”
Everyone takes their seats, the lights dim, and my girl walks out. She singsMustang Sally,as if she just smoked a pack of cigarettes. If I didn’t know better, I would swear she’s been singing blues since diapers.
