She buried her face in my shirt, her fingers bunching it as she gripped me tight. She still wasn’t making any sounds. Just shuddering silently.
“Anything salvageable?”
“Hope she has good insurance.”
Teagan’s nails dug into my chest.
“Dallas.”
I turned at the clipped male voice I knew all too well. “Great.”
Teagan looked up at me, her lashes starred with tears.
“Chuckles is here.”
“His name is not Chuckles.” She took a step back from me, dashing away the tears.
I grunted.
All at once, Teagan seemed to pull herself together. I wanted to believe it was because she wasn’t close to Noah. That she could let down her guard with me in a different way than she would in front of outsiders.
But another part of me wondered if there was more.
Noah cut his way through the small crowd gathered across the street. She headed for him and he caught her into a quick hug. My hands tightened into fists.
McCain cleared his throat. “We should be out of here in the next hour or so. She won’t be able to go in until tomorrow at the earliest.”
I nodded. “Thanks, man.”
I couldn’t hear what Teagan was saying but she gestured across the street where the neighbor must be. Noah made his way over to me.
“I can’t leave you guys alone for a week.”
It had actually been a little longer than that, but I wasn’t going to correct him. “You know this isn’t her fault.”
Noah’s expression was steady and flat.
“She wasn’t even home. She was over at the club then she was with me.”
“Convenient.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Noah dipped his hands into his black cargo pants pockets. “It means she’s got some explaining to do. I just finished cleaning up the mess at Purgatory. More cops and firefighters. Great way to start the morning.”
“She didn’t do anything. She got scared at the club.”
Noah stared me down. “What the hell was she doing there?”
I faltered. I couldn’t exactly explain it. I still didn’t really understand what had happened myself. “She wanted some solo piano time.”
“At oh-dark-thirty?”
“We’re all a little messed up, Jordan. If she needed some time to bang on her piano to straighten herself out, then that’s what she did.”
“It’s not like we’re on the road. She’s home. She could play at home like the rest of your bandmates.”
I lifted my chin. “Maybe she wanted a feel for the place before tonight. These charity gigs don’t give us much time for rehearsal before we’re passed around like party favors for pictures and signatures.”
“You’re breaking my heart, Dallas.”
“Fuck you.” I cracked my knuckles. “You just fucking hugged her like you’re old pals.” Or more, but I wasn’t going there. “Now you’re accusing her?”
“I’m asking questions. Just doing my job,” he said, his voice low and hard.
Point taken.
“What’s going on?” Teagan came up between us.
“Nothing.” I tightened my jaw. “Noah was just asking about your place. I’m sure he’s got work to do to figure out the security here.”
Noah folded his arms and glanced between Teagan and me. “Right.” His jaw was just as clenched as mine. “Make sure the two of you are at the club on time.”
“Of course we will.” Teagan’s voice was tight.
Noah gave her a curt nod, turned on his heel, and headed for McCain.
Teagan frowned up at me. “He’s really mad at me, huh?”
I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her into me. “No one’s mad at you. They’re just worried.”
She shook her head. “No, they’re mad. I messed everything up and now this.”
“McCain said that you can’t go in until tomorrow at the earliest. Why don’t you come back to my place for now? We’ve got a few hours. Maybe take a nap.”
“I don’t want to put you out.”
“You’re not.”
She pulled away and rubbed her temple. “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know if I can sleep.”
Considering the bruises from exhaustion under her eyes, I had a feeling she’d pass out in the car before we even got back into the city. Adrenaline was a tricky thing. You were wired one minute and crashing the next.
“Did you talk to Justine?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I couldn’t tell her much, of course. She said she called 911 when she saw smoke coming from my kitchen window. I usually leave it cracked open for some air when I’m cooking.”
“You cook?”
She gave me a half smile. “Shut up.”
I kissed her forehead. “Well, I’m glad she was paying attention. It sounds like it could have been far worse.”
“If I forget to say thanks…”
“There’s no need.” I urged her across the street toward where I parked.
“You’re a really good friend.”
My chest ached in ways I tried to ignore. I pulled out my keys to unlock the car as we got closer. “Always.”
I opened the door for her and she slipped inside, flashing me a weak smile. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”
“You’ll never have to find out.” I closed the door and blew out a breath as I went around the back of the car.
I needed a minute before I got in. I wasn’t quite sure when I’d gone from friendly feelings to more when it came to this woman, but I knew I was seriously fucked.
As I predicted, she passed out before we even hit the bridge. It left me with far too much time on my hands. I had just as many questions as Lila and Noah probably had.
I knew she’d sneak in and play during the quiet sometimes. But slipping into a rehearsal room at odd hours was different than middle of the night visits to a closed club.
I’d just figured her desire to get as much time on the piano as possible was a quirk of being the new girl in the band. She always wanted to make sure she knew
