Risky Rockstar: A Hero Club Novel, стр. 40
“It’s Kevin.”
He clears his throat, and I stand, walking to the other side of the room. “Kev, is everything okay?”
“Is this Hayley?” My stomach plummets when I hear a stranger’s voice on the other side of the line. My eyes flick up to Kade’s, and he sees the fear in mine and stands, placing his guitar against the table and making his way across the room to me. He doesn’t say anything—just lays a hand on my arm, offering silent support, which I appreciate because my legs feel like rubber bands at the moment.
“Yeah, this is Hayley.”
“Hayley, my name is Rod, owner of One for the Road. I have Kevin here. He’s pretty out of it, and I think you should come get him. I tried the first number in his contact log, a Claire, but it’s out of service, so I tried the next one on the list.”
If I thought my stomach plummeted before, I was wildly mistaken. It’s sitting so low in my belly that it feels like I’ve swallowed lead. Somehow, I know Claire’s absence and Kevin being so drunk has something to do with the show tonight, and dread settles around me, squeezing the air out of me.
“Can you ping me the location?”
“Sure can. Uh…I’d hurry if I were you. People are starting to take pictures.”
Dammit!
I tell Rod I’ll be on my way and look at Kade. “I’m so sorry. I have to go. It’s Kevin.”
I search the room for my keys, but they aren’t on the counter where I’d normally leave them. I jog to the couch and start dragging things out of my bag, eventually tipping it all over the furniture. Coins, lipsticks, and even a bunch of tampons roll out, but I’m too worried about Kevin right now to be embarrassed. Kade bends down and stills my hands.
“Hayley, what’s going on?” The concern in his eyes brings tears to my own as I’m smothered in guilt.
“It’s Kevin. He’s at a bar downtown. Rod, the owner, says he’s pretty drunk, and he can’t get hold of Claire. I think this has something to do with the show tonight. I think this is my fault. I need to go get him. People are taking photos. I have to go get him.” I realize Kade probably doesn’t know what’s going on, but I’m too frazzled to explain right now.
“Let me drive you.” He slips his hand into his pocket and retrieves his keys. “You shouldn’t drive if you’re this upset.”
I shake my head. “I can’t impose.”
“You aren’t imposing. I’m offering.”
I blow out a breath. I can’t find my keys, and I’ve had a few glasses of wine, so I shouldn’t drive. Besides, I’m probably going to need Kade’s help to get Kevin here, anyway. I notice he hasn’t asked me who Claire is or what I’m rambling about, and I’m grateful for that. He’s just offered support.
“Okay.” I grab for my purse and start shoving everything back. Kade helps me gather my lipsticks and tampons and hands them to me like he isn’t handing me feminine products. For some reason, that makes me like him even more. He doesn’t get stupid over a tampon like most guys do.
I sling my bag over my shoulder and slip on my shoes waiting by the door as we head out. Kade opens the door to his midnight-blue truck. It suits him. He gives me a leg up, and somehow I find comfort in being so high off the ground. It makes me feel miles away from reality from up here.
“Didn’t I read somewhere that you drive an Impala?”
Something flashes over his face so quickly that I can’t place the emotion. “Long ago. Back in the day.”
The way he says it tells me the topic is closed for the night. “I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t come on your bike, huh?”
Kade smiles wryly, and it confuses me more than the look he got when he talked about cars. We drive to the bar in relative silence. The radio is on, and one of my songs comes on and Kade absently starts humming along. “Can we turn that off? It’s a bit weird hearing myself on the radio.”
“Gets to you too? I get really uncomfortable hearing my own voice.”
I turn in my seat. “Are you serious? I think most mothers use your voice to soothe their babies to sleep.” I’m being silly, and it makes me blush, but it’s nice getting my mind off my troubles, even just for a bit.
“I don’t think that works with all my songs.”
I laugh. That’s true. Some of LP-45’s songs are very hard rock. “I guess not.”
We pull up to the bar, and aside from a few drunk people loitering on the sidewalk, the place looks pretty dead. We tell the bouncers we’re here for Kevin. It looks like Rod isn’t letting anyone else in, and I appreciate him for that. Kade and I make our way to the bar where Kevin is passed out on his arms. He looks really bad. I look around to see if anyone is watching, but the place is empty except for the really tall guy behind the bar with a Nike cap perched on his bald head. He introduces himself as Rod, the owner who called to tell me about Kevin.
“I closed up shop. Mr. Peyton here is one of my favorite actors, and he’s a stand-up guy. Something terrible must have happened to him to get him like this.”
Guilt hammers me, and I struggle to swallow. Kade looks at Rod. “Is there a way I can bring my truck around back? Avoid, y’know…”
Rod nods. “Of course.”
Kade jogs outside to get his truck.
“You must’ve lost quite a bit of cash closing up shop for the night,” I say.
He waves me off. “It’s