TWENTY-TWO
ZANE’S SMILE LEFT her and a server person she hadn’t seen came scurrying over.
“You want to just bring us a spread of whatever, please.”
“Yes, sir,” the server said and hurried off.
“How’s Alessia doing?”
“Oh, she’s in her element,” she said and switched to the relaxed Tripp. “She thinks you’re cute, by the way.”
His brows went up as his focus floated to the crowd, now back on the beach, doing their thing. Though with one eye on the famous couple, no doubt.
The Breckenridge seemed a little more focused. “Which one is she?”
“It doesn’t matter to you because you’re not going to screw Thea’s sister,” Roxie said, apparently moving on though Zairn still didn’t seem that relaxed. “You could if you’re going to fall in love with her, but I think you have a decade or two of screwing around left to go before you think about settling down.”
“Nothing wrong with being polite.”
Oh, that swagger, and the ease of him. It was quite an achievement that he could be both cocky and laid-back at the same time, while also seeming oblivious and switched on.
Roxie swirled her drink in its glass. “Only you could see a screw as a courtesy.”
“Nah, your man did plenty of that in his day.”
“And now he’s all locked in,” Roxie said. “Don’t you want to be single for Honolulu?”
“Thought the guys weren’t allowed to join your Honolulu party,” Zairn said, only unwinding when Roxie put his hand on her thigh, high on her thigh, like, beneath-her-skirt-near-an-intimate-area high. “Didn’t you say that?”
“Tripp doesn’t count.”
“Yeah, I don’t count.”
The server came over, six of them actually, and laid out meats, skewers, salads, different breads, beans, shrimp, peppers, so much that she didn’t know where to begin.
“Why doesn’t Tripp count?” Zane asked when the servers left.
“Because I’m always invited to the party,” Tripp answered for himself, getting up in time with everyone else.
“Always?”
“Always. You want to know how many bachelorette parties I’ve attended?”
“As the stripper?” Roxie asked, popping something into her mouth.
“If the need arose, yeah.”
“And maybe need wasn’t the only thing rising?” Roxie teased, picking out food and putting some on Zairn’s plate too. “How many bachelorettes have you screwed at the party?”
“He’s not answering that one,” Zane said, handing her a plate. “Not while I’m around, ‘cause I’d only tell his mother.”
“Mom doesn’t mind the screwing.”
“Says you,” Roxie said. “I can’t believe that of a woman so pure and kind of heart. You must break hers every time you ghost a woman.”
“I don’t ghost women. You can’t comment, you hooked up with Z before I ever got a shot, so you’ll never know.”
“I’ll never know what?”
“How well I treat women.”
“No matter how well you treat them, I’d prefer you don’t encourage my sister,” she said, filling her plate. “She’s not the most worldly of women.”
“Translated?” Roxie assisted. “She’ll believe you’re really interested if you speak to her.”
“I’m interested. I’m always interested. Not like I’m a player.”
Roxie scoffed. “You’re the definition of a player, Priest.” The woman paused to land a smile on him. “You just happen to be impossibly adorable too, so we love you anyway.”
“Your guy was a champion player.”
Everyone found their chairs again.
“I take exception to that,” Zairn said, gesturing to Zane. “Tell them about Cam in the day.”
“In the day? How about every day,” Zane said, squeezing her knee when she sat. “You want to talk effortless with women…”
“Cam who?”
“Collier,” Roxie said and swayed over to bump shoulders with her. “Wait until I tell you about him and his life choices.”
“His life choices?”
“Yeah, he—”
“Rox Out!”
The call stalled them and security parted to let someone join them. Someone like Logan Lowe.
“Rocks Off,” Roxie called in return and stood up to go around the table and hug the newcomer.
From the corner of her eye, she tried to see if Zairn was okay, but the guy wasn’t fazed at all. He wiped his hands on a napkin and stood up to shake the guy’s hand as he went around the table.
Logan kissed Roxie’s head, then held up his hands and backed off, smiling toward Zairn. “Not taking it too far, man.”
“Oh, he’s okay,” Roxie said, returning to her seat, dragging it closer to Zairn’s to rest against him. “He knows the rules with my girls.”
The rules again. So if Zairn truly wasn’t bothered about Logan being around, why was he pissed off when Roxie arrived?
“You been to the villa?” Zane asked. “Didn’t think you’d head over here first.”
“Could be I’m avoiding it,” Logan said, slipping his hands in his pockets. “Is he fucked? Where’s Struan?”
Zane nodded beyond him toward the bonfire. “Keeping a low profile.”
“Right.”
The next scream heralded a rash of others, then the crowd were at the deck edge again. Logan didn’t flinch. Though why would he? If he was used to playing to crowds of thousands in arenas, a handful of women on a beach wouldn’t register.
“Do you have a plan?”
“Damage control seems sort of beyond,” Logan said. “Roman wants to be pissed, so he’ll be pissed. No one will take his drama from him.” And that was a pretty accurate sentiment from her point of view. “He wants everyone groveling, ‘cause then he’s the innocent party.”
“Not so innocent.” Everyone looked at her. “Sorry.”
“No, you’re right,” Logan said, though his expression skewed a little, probably because she was a stranger. “He’s got plenty demons of his own, a lot of skeletons in his closet.”
That his entourage would conceal just to remain in his good books.
“So you plan to go there and, what?” Roxie asked. “Tell him to chill out? Did you have to fly all the way here for that?”
“Problem is keeping him sober,” Tripp added and gestured. “Sit down, eat, if you’re hanging out.”
“Nah, man, I’m waiting for…”
When Logan’s head rose, she followed his line of sight to see another man creep through the security guards. Roxie’s gasp suggested this wasn’t the best guest to have at the party.
“Are you fucking insane?” Zairn asked Logan.
“No, no,” Zane said and stood.
Zairn was on his feet a moment later.
“Who is that?” she whispered to Roxie.
“Deacon,” Roxie said, shifting her seat again to link their arms. “Sway’s other man.”
Oh, God, this was—okay so maybe the guy wanted to clear the air. Maybe he wanted to smack Roman in the face, and who were any of them to stand in the way of that.
Okay, yes, that was a little catty.
Still, she could understand why the men were reluctant.
“Is that the smartest idea?”
“Logan can’t fix it, can he? Why should he apologize or explain his bandmate’s actions?”
Zane came back, extending his hand for hers. “This could get messy.”
“What does that mean?”
“We’ll have to go with him to—”
“You fucking asshole!”
As Zane turned, Roxie and Tripp both leaped up. And there was Roman, smashing his way through the guards to come stomping up on the huddle of guys.
“Ro,” Tripp said and tried to intercept him, but it was left to Logan to get in his way.
Zairn stayed by Deacon, and, she had to say, he didn’t seem as stressed or worried as the others. It was all drama, yes, and maybe Roman deserved to have his heart broken and his ego checked.
So why was she concerned?
Alessia.
The women on the beach were still crowded by the deck rail. With the shouting and the cursing, there was a lot of support for Roman, which would just fuel his insanity.
“You fuck my woman? You fuck my girl and—”
“She was never your fucking girl,” Deacon hollered back. “You’re just the asshole who couldn’t get it up when he fell on her in bed.”
She cringed, and Roxie’s head turned showing a similar expression.
“Deacon, we’re not doing this now,” Zane said, slipping an arm around her.
The guy didn’t seem to hear it. Roman shoved at Tripp, who shoved right back, Logan got between them just as Roman threw a fist. It bounced off Logan, startling him enough to drop his guard. Roman lunged, Deacon pushed him away, they shoved and then Roman’s arm came flailing out again.
Wasn’t exactly the most finessed fight in the world.
“Is he high?” she asked Roxie when the woman got close.
“Probably.”
“Are you okay?” Zane asked and put her hand in Roxie’s. “I’ll have security take the guests home.”
The men were still pushing, trying to fight, trading insults, as Tripp and Logan fought to keep them apart. Zane marched off to talk to one of the guards. Zairn came sauntering over to pick up his glass.
Roxie smirked at him. “I don’t see you breaking a sweat, sweetheart.”
“Guy deserves it.” Zairn wasn’t shy in swinging his glass up to his lips. “You ladies want to take this party to the terrace?”
“Providing we can leave Roman behind.”
“That’s exactly the idea.”
“Let me make sure my sister’s okay first.”
And it was as she turned her back that the glint of light on glass startled her. Not just any glass, a lens.
She whipped back around, showing Roxie her horror. “Is that the press? There in the trees?”
Roxie leaned to the side and she stepped out of the way to clear the view. “Yep. Dumbass. He invites them here, then gives them a show.”
“There’ll be a lot more damage control needed now,” Zairn said. “So much for salvaging his career. Now everything will go to shit.”
She met his eye. “He deserves that too.”
Another shout, another swing, and this time Roman made contact. Tripp threw him back, a look on his face that suggested maybe his own restraint was slipping too.
The hubbub on the beach grew to a furor and that was when the screaming started.
Alessia.
Passing through Roxie and Zairn, the mass of bodies pushing and shoving on the sand seemed to have no beginning or end. Her sister was somewhere in there and that was her only driving force. At the bottom of the deck stairs, someone grabbed her arm. A security guy.
She immediately tried to yank it back. “Let me go.”
“Miss Florin—”
“Let me go! I need to get my—”
“Thea!”
Alessia’s voice brought her around and there she was, being almost carried away by two big guys in black. Security. Her guard didn’t let go but did move with her as she hurried in her sister’s wake. Two other security guys came close, so she lost sight of her. They kept on going up the beach and over the grass toward the carts.
A massive crash stopped all movement. Shouting. Screaming. Crying. Shit, what had…?
The deck rail was broken and there was Roman rolling around in the sand with Deacon.
“Oh my God!” Alessia screeched. “Oh my God!”
“Enough,” she said.
The press had moved in closer, but Magnus was there, trying to get in their way. Good luck with that. What a shitshow and what an idiot.
“But Thea what if—”
“No,” she said, spurred to act when the security guards huddled in close and kept on moving.
Bundled onto a cart with Alessia, she held her sister as they drove away. She’d come to the island to protect her sister and tonight, she’d done that.
What about Zane?
She’d just abandoned him. Alessia wasn’t the only person there she cared about anymore. Zane, Roxie, even Zairn and Tripp, she didn’t want any of them hurt. Security had protected her, protected Alessia. Would Zane order them to protect him just as carefully?
Damn, not that he didn’t have enough going on, but she wanted to see him, to speak to him, to demand he be there with her. The guy was trying to keep his family together, and she’d just walked away. Another apology hung in her future.