He grabbed the iPad and scrolled to the next picture. It was another of Jazz, this one at their concert at Red Rocks. She sat behind her kit, her head thrown back. The pink and blue spotlights picked up the gold dust on her skin. The irony wasn’t lost on him. She’d always sparkled. A jewel in a morass of rocks.
His island of safety in the center of a world covered in landmines.
“I won’t let this touch her,” he whispered, knowing he already had. He’d not only let it touch her, he’d invited it into their bed.
“It already is. If it affects you, it affects her.” She took back her iPad and tapped the screen. “I’m transferring the sum you mentioned into your account. I want you to pay every penny to the spinecrackers you owe. Understand me?”
His hand went lax on the sheets. “But—”
“I don’t want a Hallmark moment about this. You’re a commodity I want to protect, as is Jasmine. But make no mistake. If I find out you didn’t pay every red cent of this advance on your future income to those you’re indebted to, or if you don’t keep your fucking nose clean, you will not only be cut off, you’ll be out of the band. End of story. I have no use for drug addicts.” She rose. “If Jasmine is smart, neither will she.”
The door squeaked open and Jazz poked her head in. “I heard my name.”
Gray’s shoulders relaxed, the tension that had gripped him easing away at the sight of his girl’s tremulous smile. “Of course you did. You’re my favorite subject. Get in here.”
She slipped inside the room and waved a small white bag. “I brought you a couple of kinds of pain pills. Hopefully something will work.” She set the bag down on the nightstand and bit her lip, her gaze pingponging from Lila to Gray and back again. “Are you okay? How are you feeling?” She moved forward to fuss with the sheets. “Your color’s better at least and—”
“Baby, stop.” He gripped her wrist and brought her hand to his mouth. “You’ve done enough. You need some sleep.”
“How do you know I haven’t slept?”
“Because he knows you.” Lila patted her shoulder and walked to the door. “Thanks for calling me. I know it must not have been easy.”
Jazz sank on the edge of the bed. “No, it really wasn’t.” She sent Gray a look under her lashes. “But Snake obviously intends to cause problems. Better we deal with them now.”
“True enough. A wise woman faces an enemy head-on.” Lila pivoted to face them once more. “Your work sabbatical is ending a couple of days early. From your shows and the material you’re producing, it appears that you’ve made considerable progress, which is what this was all about. Bring your songs and yourselves to Ripper Records at ten a.m. tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow as in later today? Or tomorrow tomorrow?”
Lila offered Jazz a rare smile. “Tomorrow tomorrow. Enjoy your last day and night in paradise.” She gave Gray a glance heavy with things unsaid. “Make sure you come back prepared to work your asses off. One date remains on your club tour and we have a video to shoot, then you’re heading into the studio. We want to keep this momentum going.”
“Got it. Thanks, Lila.”
“You’re welcome. Feel better,” she said to Gray, pulling the door shut behind her.
Jazz screwed up her mouth and gazed down at her hands. “So on a scale of one to ten, how pissed are you at me right now?”
He laughed and gripped his ribs at the twinge of pain. “Ow. Fucker. Next time I’m going to use his bald head to polish the floor.”
“Sure you are, honey.”
He laughed again. “I’m not pissed at you at all. Well, maybe a two. She didn’t threaten to dismantle me from the balls up, so whatever you said must’ve smoothed over the waters pretty good.” And you inadvertently got me the money I needed.
Definitely couldn’t be pissed about that.
“When I told her Snake had tried to kick her guitarist’s ass, she seemed to lose some of her interest in what Snake was spouting off about. Though she did ask me a kind of weird question.” Jazz frowned. “When I told her I had something to tell her, the first thing she said was, ‘it’s not you and Nick again, is it?’”
“Hmm. If I didn’t think she had more taste than that, I’d wonder if our uptight label rep had a thing for Mr. Personality Plus. But she told me she’s married so that can’t be it.”
She snorted. “Yeah, because people never cheat.”
He slid over on the mattress and held out his arm. “C’mere. It’s been too long since I’ve held you.”