“Noah’s inside and I know he wants to see you.” Chad pulled back, his hands on my shoulders though so he could look me in the eyes. “Want me to text him and tell him you’re here? I know you don’t really want to head inside.”
“That would be nice. Thanks Chad.” Noah had been there for me as well because of the friendship between Candey, Carrie and I but felt it was because he knew how low you fell when someone beat you down. He knew because just as he desperately tried to save his sister, he refused to let me fall down too. He always knew when I was in my own head and he fought to bring me back. All the hours doing my tattoo were therapeutic in a sense because Noah was a safe place for my thoughts. He had a way of breaking down bullshit and getting to the truth. He was my closest guy friend and I knew he was worried sick about me facing Shame tonight. I also knew he wanted to make sure I didn't face him alone.
“Of course.” Chad kissed me on the cheek and pulled out his phone to send the text.
I looked to Carrie who was smiling at something behind her. I turned and saw Candey making her way toward the fire with Noah on her heels.
“Cassa Stapleton get your hot ass over here.” Candey yelled over the crowed. I had a moment of panic, but a quick search around the yard showed no signs of Shamus. I went right to Candey and hugged her tight. “I didn’t see you get here and I swore you bailed on coming. I was ready to text stalk you brat!” She said with a smile and kissed me on the top of my head. “You doing okay?”
I knew she was asking about seeing Shamus and oddly that wasn’t my biggest concern just then.
“I just wish that I would have come here sooner yesterday.” The guilt would probably never go away and I would now have to live with that amongst other things.
“It wouldn’t have changed a thing sweets.” Noah said consolingly and pulled me close. “How are you?” He asked and I knew there was more to the question than the obvious.
“I’m okay.”
“Any problems?” He asked knowing that Corey was going to be released any day from prison and after the threats he had made when he went in Noah was worried he would follow through. Next to Mikey and his constant worrying over my safety, Noah was just as obsessed over it. Corey hated Jerry James and my relationship with him. The news had been covering Jerry's death, both as a Seattle crabber and the father to Shamus James. If Corey knew of the death he hadn't made a point in letting me know.
“No nothing. It’s been over two years and now with Jerry's death, if he wanted to get to me he could. Even from behind bars he could find a way, so I’m hoping he has let the anger die down and move on.”
“Sweets all he’s had is two years to plan what he wants to do. Promise me you’re careful. No making appointments with new clients without Mikey or me being informed.”
“You’ll be on tour Noah so you won’t be much help.”
His green eyes were just as brilliant as his sisters blue ones and they were boring down on Cassa now.“Tour doesn't start for another six months. Don’t think I can’t help from far away when we are on tour Cassa. I have my ways.”
God Noah could be scary.
Annoyed for even letting the thought of Corey get to me, I ran my fingers through my hair and looked at Noah with my fake smile. “Look tonight isn’t about me or my crazy as fuck ex husband. It’s about Jerry and how amazing he was.”
“Yeah well Jerry will come back from the dead and haunt my ass if I don’t look out for you so just humor me.” Noah chuckled unaffected by annoyance.
I just rolled my eyes looking to Candey for help.“Kiss him or fuck him or something to keep his mind off me.”
“She already did that.” Noah said with a smirk and then laughed when Candey slapped his chest and I cringed. Over the last year I saw and heard enough of them when Noah was in town to make me despise sex anymore.
“Noah who’s this?” A female voice said from a distance. Candey rolled her eyes and shook her head annoyed. I froze and looked in the blue eyes of a woman I had never met.
“Hi.” I said and extended my hand and tried not to cringe at the scowl the woman gave me immediately. I hated these fake bitches that swarmed my guys. I thought the localfangirlsheld the market on insanity but I was so wrong. Now that TAT was a world-wide recognized band and in the top one-hundred thefangirlsare even more demented.
“Hi.” She said as if she was confused by my greeting and possibly could be seeing as mostfangirlshad a seventh grade mentality. “Can I help you?” She asked Candey who was watching her like she was ready to attack at any second. The woman’s voice was cold and sneering like we were the ones crashing the party. Fuck her! Jerry was a dad to me and to my friends. We were family and this bitch was trash.
I was also stunned for a moment and tried to put two and two together. Who was she? I swore I had never met her before. “Hey Cassa come tell me about your shoot today.” Carrie called from behind me but it was the blondes face when she heard my name that made me stay.
“You’reCassa?” She said my name with the enthusiasm of a child and their plaything. I was dead on when I prejudged the bitch. She was beyond catty and her tone made it clear. Too bad for her that I loved knocking catty bitches off their pedestal. I watched these guys suffer through their adolescence, I held their hands as parents died, babies were born, even the times in their lives that they were made victims. I had been there supporting them all along and this bitch thought she had the right to stare me and my girls down? Obviously she knew who I was, either by the guys talking about me or by Shame. It didn’t matter, what did is she thought she had the right to try and intimidate me. I would just teach her the same lesson I taught all the otherfangirlsover the years.
“Is it your concern?” Candey asked, her tone just as snide as the Barbie bitch before me.
“Well unlike you I have a reason for being here. My boyfriends dad died. Your just thefangirlthat keeps Noah warm when he’s home.” She rolled her eyes at Candey before turning her glare on me, looking me up and down like she wanted to see if she measured up.
She didn’t. I had class and morals and I was his girl long before the whores came for him. Hearing this trash call Shame her boyfriend though, was like another knife in the gut and the Barbie doll before me knew she hit her mark.
I felt like she had kicked me in the chest, sadly I know how bad a boot to the sternum hurts so I had to give Barbie credit for making me feel like shit. Noah was watching my reaction and scoffed at Barbie Bitches words. “You wish Brittany. You’re the ass that Shame is tapping this week.” He shrugged his shoulders and planted a kiss on Candey so fierce that they both were breathless when they came up for air. “You’ll be dropped by the time he leaves Seattle. Candey though, Candey is always in my bed.”
No longer bothering with the rude blond who seemed annoyed to be there I tried to get away but the blond wasn’t done.
“He may write songs about you but it’s my name he calls out when fucking me.”
