Love Thief: The Greystone Family: Stolen Hearts

Chapter 11

Chapter

Eleven

Iget back to the box and no Kitten. I’m fucking fuming. I sang my heart out tonight, way more than normal, because I thought she’d be watching and cheering for me. She’s never seen me live, so you’d think she’d be desperate. But no, she’s ill. And gone.

I sit, steaming in my anger. She was absolutely fine earlier. Something’s not adding up. “What did you say was up with her?” I ask Grace, figuring Evie’s closest friend would have something of a clue.

“She came over all funny and went a bit dizzy, so decided to go back. She’ll be at the hotel, she just didn’t want to spoil the night for everyone, or all our fun.”

Xan whips his head around, watching Grace. “Drop her a message,” he says to me, not taking his eyes off Grace. “Check she’s ok.”

I pull my phone out and suddenly I have a lapful of Bells. She’s tripped up, practically diving head first into my cock, tipping her huge cocktail all over my jeans and my phone.

Pushing her off as Gabe comes to grab her, I scowl and ask him, “What’s up with this lot tonight?”

“Been on ecstasy, coke, booze and god knows what else,” he answers, rolling his eyes.

There’s definitely a weird atmosphere. Typically I wouldn’t notice, it all looks normal. Women–check, drink–check, drugs–check, sex on tap–check. Yep all normal. So why does it feel weird?

Because this was life before Evie. B.E. I smile a bit to myself at that. It’s fucking true. It’s boring, dull, lifeless without her here. It’s all the fucking same. She brings the colour, the life. Fucking hell, how dull it all must have been, life B.E.

Kenny backs Grace up to the bar and is making out with her, his hands up her dress. I walk past to sort out my jeans and she grabs my hand and puts it on her tits, making a move to kiss me. I’m shocked, and that takes some doing. What the fuck have they been on?

Laughing at her, as this must be a joke, I step back and remove my hand. “Nice one Grace.”

“You know I want you, Xan, and Kenny,” she says, slurring her words.

“When you’re sober, tell me that. You couldn’t handle me and Xan. Kenny’s just about your limit.”

“If Evie can handle you, I can,” she states with fucking attitude.

I laugh again. “You have no idea.” I get up close and in her face. She has totally pissed me off. “You want me to fuck you, Grace? You want me to fuck that arse of yours? So you can’t sit in that chair at school. I could bite your cunt, stick my tongue in you, bite those tits so they run with blood.”

I pull her head back—not hard, just enough to make sure she feels it through her haze—and grab her throat gently. She whimpers and I can see even though she’s high, she’s terrified. “You’re fucking scared now and I haven’t got anywhere near what I do to Evie. No, Grace, you couldn’t handle me. And Xan, well, he’s a completely different level. That PG shit he did to you at Evie’s house was boring for him. Pure vanilla. He let you off because he knew you were just basic, and always would be.”

I walk off, leaving her with Kenny.

Xan smiles and cracks out the whiskey. “It’s not Marshall’s,” he tells me, “but it’s ok. We’ll have one here and go to the club. I’ve got an idea for a song at the club. It”ll be epic.”

He’s grinning as some girls come into the box with the event promoter. Fuck. This is so hard without her here. I get sucked in for photos, selfies, poses.

Tiff is being super aggressive to any girls that come near me. I think she’s looking out for Evie, until she rubs her hands over my cock and won’t remove them when asked. Fuck my life. Even my wife’s supposed friends are at it.

Over it, I signal to leave and we all go on to the next club.

Same story here—women, women everywhere. Xan has a woman in a booth within minutes of arriving. She has him in her hands in no time, jerking him off, and leaning over to suck him off.

I look at him and he shrugs. “She was desperate to,” he tells me.

“Are we doing a song?” I ask him, sitting down next to him and watching as the woman’s head bobs up and down on him.

“Touch my balls,” Xan tells her, “massage them, now touch underneath.”

I put my head in my hands. Do I really have to listen to this shit? I look at Xan through my fingers, trying to ignore the woman, and laugh as he groans loudly.

“Suck harder darlin’,” he tells her, moving her head with his hand and pulling her hair.

Jesus fucking christ, is this what I looked like? Before—before Evie? B.E. I can”t get the phrase out of my head. Fuck I want my wife.

“I’m gonna cum, sweetheart. You gonna take me down?”

Oh Christ, really? “Yes, she will,” I tell him, boredom oozing from me. I don”t know whether to laugh or cry. I’m so fucking done with all this.

“Suck me deep, darling.” She’s moving like a piston on him now, her eyes rolling back in her head. Xan groans and comes, and she takes it down her throat like it’s the tastiest cocktail. Licks him clean, sitting up with her make-up a mess, but a big grin on her face.

“I can do you, Marcus. I like piercings,” she tells me eagerly.

“Not tonight, sugar” Waving her away, I sit back and scrub my hand down my face. “Fuck, this is ridiculous. I don’t even want any of them, but just feel like I ought to because I always did.” I’m babbling and don’t even care about the offended look Xan’s flavour of the hour gives me. “Why did she leave? I want her here.”

He ignores my whining and instead says, “You know how we talked about doing a version of ‘Kiss Me’ on the festival circuit for Evie? Let’s do it tonight, here, see how it plays. Just me and you on mic and guitar, leave the others out of it.”

I look at him. “She’ll love it, but it was going to be a surprise. I want it to be special for her.”

He shrugs. “It will be, let’s do it.”

We both stand and head over to the club owner who’s talking to Levi. He’s up for it, and as he gets us set up, I think about what I’m going to say. I have a vague idea, but when I get on stage, the energy and love hits us both.

“Hey, Vegas,” I shout out to the mad crowd, “how about a little song for you all?” The madness gets louder and I’m grinning at Xan. “You all heard I got married here last night,” I laugh, swinging my arm around and finally pointing to the stage. They all go wild again. I make motions with my hands, egging them on to be louder and louder. “I can’t hear you cheering for me.” The noise level goes off the scale and I tell them, “I fell in love with my wife when I was thirteen years old, and she tried to drown me.”

I look over at Xan and he starts to laugh. “Lucky bastard,” he tells me and comes for a high five.

I stop for a second and then say what I feel in my heart. “This is for you Evie, I love you baby.”

Nearly every person in the club is holding up a phone, recording us, and I know this will be posted all over, along with the wedding news. I want the world to know about the wedding, that I fucking love my wife. I’m fucking happy for the first time in a long time.

All I see when I sing the song is her and Xan, summers right through from innocent kids to full on teenage lovers. Nights out under the stars, just her and me. I can hardly get the words out. I come off stage as high as a fucking kite and hard as iron. I need to go home to her.

I’m working my way through the massive crowd of people grabbing at us. Where the fuck is Mick? I feel my phone vibrate with a text and pull it out, out of habit—James.

James

wtf Dad, she’ll be in bits. send pics. I’ve sent her the link

Me

luv u son

Bucky

Dad epic

Me

luv u son

Jonno

why is my sister trying to charter a plane home

Jonno

fuckheads

What the fuck?

I look round for Mick and catch sight of Xan reading a text. He looks up at me, anger and frustration pouring out of him. “I fucking knew that was a crock of shit.”

“We need to leave,” I shout over the noise.

In moments, we’re pushing our way through the crowd. “Has she got one,” I say without preamble when Jonno answers on the first ring. “Is she in the air? Send me that fucking app.”

“Fuck you, and no. She’s at a private airport. Been there at least an hour. You’re just lucky I’m shit at doing as I’m told and kept checking up on her anyway. She told me I had to go to stalking rehab. I ignored her as usual.”

“Have you spoken to her? What the fuck’s going on?”

“Well, you’re in Vegas, so I thought you’d know. All she said was, ‘Are you getting me a plane or not?’ When I asked why, she hung up.”

It reminds me of James the night he asked me to come get him. I smile despite myself.

“Send me the location, I’ll get there. Can you call Tommy and tell him not to let her board anything?” I ask him.

“He won’t do that. If he’s taken her there, she must need to go. He’ll fetch her home,” Jonno states logically.

I spy Mick and grab him. “Let’s go, Mick. Jonno’s sending you the location.”

I hang up and Xan is pushing me out of the club as fast as we can get through the crowds. We go at warp speed to the airport, but as they won’t give me the app, I can’t see if she’s still there. I assume she is as Jonno hasn’t said otherwise.

“What do you think happened?” I ask Xan.

“I don’t fucking know, but those girls were acting weird. Have been since the wedding.”

“That was yesterday!” I exclaim.

James

why is mum at an airport? I can see her on my app. What have u done?

Fuck me!

Me

on way there, am sorting it

Bucky

u better

Fucking kids!

They’re worse than her brothers. I show Xan the texts and he laughs. “You are a dead man, from so many angles.”

James

hurry the fuck up, Dad. she’s moving

My heart rate is through the roof. We’re holding onto the oh shit handles in the car as Mick drives like a bat out of hell.

We pull up and see Kasey Becker, Hollywood A-lister, looking remarkably healthy. Last time I saw him, I was dragging him out of his pool at his famous New Year’s Eve party, half drowned and very pale. Although on second thoughts, maybe not that great, as he’s staggering towards the plane, zigzagging on the tarmac in front of us.

“Hey, my man, how the fuck are you?” He can hardly stand and is covered in glitter. “I’m off to England. Got myself a stowaway.” He points to the jet on the tarmac.

I can see Tommy just going up the steps so she must be already on board. She really is leaving me. Fucking nightmare woman. “Well, you’ve got a few more, now. Let’s go.”

“We don’t have our passports!” shouts Xander, the anxiety ringing in his voice.

“I’ve got them.” Mick’s calm voice breaks through the panic and chaos. “I went and got them after Tommy called when they left the hotel. He left them for me at the desk just in case.”

“I could kiss you, Mick. You are getting a big fat raise. Let’s go, Kasey.”

Kasey goes up the stairs first. “Hey honey, I’m Kasey. Do I know you? You look familiar.”

He’s such a prick. I know he’s never met her, but he knows who she is. I roll my eyes at his infantile behaviour.

“I bumped into some friends. Hope you don’t mind others.” He smiles at her, full white gleaming teeth on show. She answers, and I can’t hear what she says, but he laughs.

I walk through the door as if I’m annoyed with her, but then say in the soft voice she loves, “Hello, Kitten. Fancy meeting you here.”

She looks up at me with a storm raging in those beautiful eyes. Then she starts to fucking cry. What the hell is going on?

Xan rushes in behind me. “What have you said?” He hits me on the back and I stop him as he goes towards her, shaking my head at him.

Going to her, I pick her up and take her to the back of the plane and sit her in my lap. She’s still crying, and I let her cry. My head is all over the place, my fucking chest feels like it’s being cleaved open. I don’t even realise I’m doing it, but I’m talking quietly to her, telling her I love her. Why is she leaving us? I’m kissing her face, licking up her tears. Don’t leave me, don’t leave us. I’m touching her hair, kissing her, every bit of me is touching her.

Xan comes over and squats down. “We’re all going home, Kitten. Don’t leave us. Not again.”

He’s as bad as me. Seeing he needs to touch her to make sure she’s still here, I nod at him. He puts his hands on her legs and touches her skin, he touches her hair. He looks like he might cry, he can hardly speak.

She holds her hand out to him and takes his hand in hers, giving comfort as much as taking it. Wrapping her fingers through his.

“I’m sorry, I just didn’t know what to do. I’m sorry for leaving,” she says so quietly.

I kiss her. “Don’t. We’re here now. We’d have come sooner, we didn’t know.”

“I saw your song. James sent it to me.” She touches my face and kisses me. “It was beautiful. You both looked so gorgeous up there, it was amazing.”

She leans forward and kisses Xan on the lips, looking into his eyes. “Thank you, Xander.”

“It was for you, all for you.” He leans in and kisses her again. “Everything will be alright.” He’s patting her on the knee as he takes the seat next to me.

Evie is still in my lap, but I move her to sit between the two of us so we’re both holding her. What the fuck has happened? She’s never been as emotional as this. But then, do I really know if that’s true? We’ve only been back in contact six months, and most of that has been a rollercoaster.

My boys start up again.

James

u got her?

Bucky

she better be ok

Bucky

is she?

Me

got her. on way home, c u at Cornhill. all good

Slight exaggeration, but still, what are they going to do? We’re on our way home.

Something must have happened at that boxing event with those women, and I need to find out what. I message into our band group chat.

Me

WTF. We’re headed home, Evie with us. Find out what went on

Gabe

no sense here. fucking senseless

Levi

Becky rambling about an argument

Me

Well you better find out, cos they are not coming on our tour. fuck them all

Xan

too right. I knew it was weird. fucking bitches. they can fuck off, I’m with Marcus

Levi

that’s my girlfriend

Xan

and?

Levi

fuck you Xan. u just want to fuck her

Xan

and?

I laugh at that and look over at Xander. ”Dick,” I mouth at him.

He grins. ”Fucker,” he mouths to me.

Evie’s phone pings three or four times, and when she goes to pull it out, I see it’s from Grace

Grace

U bitch, Lauren was right about u

Grace

your husband grabbed my tits, not bothered about being married

Grace

I have it on a recording he offered to fuck me on day 1 of wedded bliss

Grace

audio recording

She looks up at me.

“No chance,” I start to laugh, “she’s delusional. What’s wrong with them all?”

She plays the recording, the bit where I’m telling Grace what I would do to her, to prove a point. When she turns her questioning eyes to Xan, and I can’t tell if the tears are hurt or irate, I grasp her chin and turn her back to face me. “Do you think I would do that to her? No, so no. Xander said he fell asleep mid fuck.”

Xan nods. “He was saying that to her because she grabbed at him and was all, ‘I want you all. Fuck me Marcus, Xander, Kenny, anyone.’ She was off her head. Marcus was scaring her. And to his credit, she looked completely terrified. I bet Kenny’s dumped her. He was on about it yesterday after the wedding. I think they all got wedding fever and couldn’t understand why no one was dragging them up the aisle,” Xan explains.

“Mick,” I shout over. “Get Jase on the phone. Grace recorded a conversation at the boxing match. Delete it from every device she has. And check she’s not sent it on anywhere for future use. In fact, get Jonno to stop her sending anything, anywhere.”

I hear Mick talking to Jonno, and then the team in Vegas. They’ll get it sorted. I have bigger issues to deal with here and now.

“Do you want to lay down?” I ask Evie. When she shakes her head and moves in closer to us both, I recline our seats a bit and we settle down. I ask the stewardess for a blanket, knowing it’s going to be a long flight.

Becker has collapsed, and is snoring loudly. I cover Evie and us all up and wait and see how things work out. Get my head together. It’s mashed at present.

People need to back the fuck off, always up in my business. As things on the jet quiet down, I can see what’s happened and close my eyes as it all comes together. Her best friend—she thought—has turned on her. And considering I think Grace was her only real friend, no wonder she was going crazy. I’ve seen it so many times. When things change, people get weird. Especially if they think it’s better than they’ve got.

Clearly Grace has missed who Evie really is and what she has. I bet she never told her anything about her life. A bit of privacy in a world for her with no privacy. And now me, the world’s most transparent man. Everything laid bare. She”s been dragged from the shadows and the first casualty was someone who she thought she could trust. Her best and only girlfriend. A harsh lesson, but one we learned long ago.

Mick comes over. “Sorted on the recording. Kenny has her under hotel arrest until we can make sure it’s all contained.” He looks at Evie who’s now asleep. “Tom said she went mad, tried to jump out of the car. He’s never seen her so upset.”

“Her friend fucked her over. It’s hard.”

I touch her hair, looking into the most beautiful face I have ever seen. Even in sleep, she’s dazzling. I can see the slight blotches from her tears. The worry lines that haven’t dissipated even in slumber. I want to smooth them all away. Protect her from this shit show that is my life. But I can’t let her go, I’m way too selfish for that. I fucking need her. We need her. I can’t go back to life B.E. I won’t allow anyone to let that happen.

“We need to take better care of her, Marcus,” Xander says, stroking her skin. “She’ll go, she’s tried tonight. We can’t let it happen again.” Xander voices all my fears.

“I know. We will.”

Mick looks at her, holding onto Xan’s and my hands. “She did nothing wrong, other than marry you, of course,” he prods me. “She shouldn’t have to pay with her friends.”

“Yeah, but you and I know that if not now, when? Because she would have done that at some point. She was no friend.” I can’t be bothered to think about fucking Grace. What a total bitch.

“I’m fucked. Wake me before we land. We might need to sort exiting out, especially if people know Becker is on this flight. It could be crowded.”

“We get in around 10p.m. UK time. It’s a long haul home. Are you going to stay in London?” Mick asks us.

“I think we should,” says Xan. “Let’s go to Evie’s flat, it’s not far from the airport. If we fly into London City, can you sort with Becker’s crowd?”

“Will do,” he confirms before moving off.

“She’ll feel better if she has her own stuff around her. Are the boys there? Or at the Greystone house?” Xan asks

“I dropped them with the Greystones. They were a nightmare. I don”t know how Evie does it.”

“I think you were being played, Daddy,” Xan laughs. “I saw the pictures they were sending her.”

“Little shits.” I break out in a huge smile. “We’ll just be us tonight and get them to come tomorrow morning.”

In the end, Kasey Becker comes with us, at Evie’s insistence. It seems there’s some huge political event on and all the best hotels are booked. Kasey’s staff have fucked up, but he comes with us and is knocked out by the apartment. Evie sets him up in the guest wing while his security go with Mick and Tommy to ‘the pods’ downstairs.

“I can’t believe I’ve slept on the plane and am still tired.”

She says no to coffee, or she won’t sleep, and gets Kasey some tea. When he goes to stand outside, she puts the heaters on for him and we all sit out on the chairs watching London by night.

“I’ve got an early call tomorrow at the studios,” he tells us. “I need to be away by 7am. Is that ok, Evie?”

“Yeah, I’ll be up and get you sorted. Do you want food here or will you get it at the studio?”

“Studio will do it, don’t go to any trouble. I’m thankful you let me stay. Do you want me out tomorrow or…?”

She shakes her head. “No you can stay on. I’m not sure what we’re doing?” She turns to Xan and I.

“We’ll sort it tomorrow, Kitten. Don’t worry now. Come back here, Kasey, and I’ll let you know what our plans are,” I tell him.

“I’ll say goodnight then. Thanks, stowaway.” He kisses her and waves at us and leaves.

It’s after midnight. Xan hardly sleeps, so he’s still lively and awake, but Evie and I are flagging.

“I’m so tired again, I’m going to bed. Are you okay in James’s room, Xan?” she asks him and he nods at her. Standing, she kisses him, turns to me, picking up my hand, and says, “Come through when you’re ready.”

As she walks away from us both, I look at Xander. “This is a fucking nightmare. We can’t keep this up, we’ll all be basket cases. The touring hasn’t even started yet, and that’s hard work in itself. Maybe I should leave her at home, so at least she isn’t battered every time.”

Xander turns to me as serious as I’ve ever seen him. “No, she has to come. She has to be with us. If you leave her at home, they’ll find another way to get to her and we won’t be there to sort it. Ensure she stays with us, Marcus. It gives us a chance to keep her. Otherwise she’ll be smoke in the wind again. She’s good at it, you’ve seen her this six months. She’s ghosted you and the Greystones, and that takes some doing. With us, always.”