Chapter 3
DAWSON
Frankie’s ID didn’t raise any flags, so I gave him a pass and a long list of strict instructions on where to go after the show. And what not to do.
Like sneaking off with Iain without informing me.
Then I handed him my phone to e-sign the NDA.
The guy smiled and chatted with me through the whole thing. Which was usually the case. Most guys were so eager to fuck around with a rockstar, especially one as magnetic as Iain, that they would sign away their life without realizing it.
Personally, I found Frankie to be far too smooth and polished for Iain’s usual taste. Then again, he was a friend of Zoe’s and probably worked in PR, so that was his persona. Charming, pretty, effortless.
Everything I was not.
For some reason, Frankie irritated me, but I didn’t have time to stop and think about why. It didn’t matter. Iain could fuck whoever he wanted. As long as the guy didn’t encourage Iain’s subterfuge, I didn’t care.
Once I finished warning Frankie, I escorted him to his seat. The hall was filling up fast now that showtime was only ten minutes out.
Then, I made my way backstage again. The curtain was still closed, and the guys were in place, chatting and getting ready for their opening number.
Iain sounded like his usual jovial self, but I could tell by his pacing back and forth that he was worked up.
I could’ve sworn that earlier, he’d been about to tell me something important.
But he refused. The guy could talk and joke for days, but ask him a serious question, and he evaded it as he did with every security measure I put in place.
“Do you think they’re okay?”
I turned to find Van, Brodie’s husband, standing behind me.
Van was a forty-four-year-old songwriter and the band’s former manager.
There was a fifteen-year age gap between him and Brodie.
Not that it made any difference, given their intense chemistry both on and off the stage.
I’d been a first-hand witness to their love story.
It made me a bit envious, if I was being honest.
I’ve never been in love like that.
Not that I wanted or needed to fall in love.
Putting that ridiculous thought aside, I wondered how Van had gotten the drop on me. I hadn’t heard his footsteps, and the floor of this venue wasn’t exactly soundproof.
“What do you mean?” I asked, startled not only by Van’s stealth but by the question.
“The guys. They seem subdued compared to usual.”
“Your husband sounded like himself in the VIP room earlier.”
“Oh, the snark is still there. That hasn’t changed.” Van smiled, and the crinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened. “Don’t mind me. Maybe it’s my imagination or something.”
“I don’t think so. You’ve been around them as long as I have. What’s up?”
Van sighed and crossed his arms. “Ronin and Faise have been quiet since they got back from visiting his brother in California.”
“Well, dealing with a family member in crisis puts a huge strain on anyone.”
“True, but Faise has been more silent than usual. He never wants to go out or even stop by our place. He wasn’t like that even when he was fresh out of rehab himself.”
I took that information in. “He still looks tired. Or perhaps being in the recording studio nearly every day for the past month has worn them out.”
Then I thought about Iain and my instinct about something being off.
“But you’re right,” I continued. “Something’s going on, at least with Iain. Look at him pacing. He’s been acting nervous these past few weeks. But naturally, he won’t tell me what’s going on.”
Van looked around, stepped back into the farthest corner of the wings, and motioned for me to do the same.
“Iain’s phone was buzzing non-stop in the studio. Even when he turned the notifications off, he checked it every five minutes. And when he’s not playing, he’s always staring at his phone.”
“Maybe an ex is harassing him?”
Van shook his head. “That’s not likely. Iain doesn’t date.”
“What about before they hit the big time?”
“He’s never mentioned anyone.”
“I’m keeping a close eye out. If you notice anything off, you tell me.”
Van grimaced.
“I’m not asking you to break any confidence, Van. Only if you think they’re in danger.”
Van nodded and placed his hands on his hips. “All right. Hopefully, I’m wrong, and they’re just working through some things.”
I gave him a nod. “I’ve gotta do my rounds. See you in a bit.”
Lennie was standing nearby, and I pointed to the stairs when I passed. He nodded in return.
As I wound my way downstairs to the dressing rooms, my phone buzzed.
I glanced at the screen, but it was an unknown number. I swiped to answer.
“Dawson Everly.”
Silence.
“Hello?”
I could hear background noise but that was all, no voice, then the telltale beep of the line dropping.
“Okay, then,” I said aloud to myself as I placed my phone back in my pocket. “Wrong number.”
I knocked on the first dressing room, the one Brodie and Iain shared, and entered.
“Hey, Daws.”
I was greeted by Brodie’s assistant, Bibi. She was also a redhead, but unlike me, her personality was just as fiery. Bibi was fun, hyper-organized, and fiercely protective of all the guys.
“Just a quick room tour, and then I’ll be out of your way.”
“No problem.”
Then I remembered that the guys handed over all their personal belongings, including phones, to her safekeeping while they were on stage.
“Have you noticed Holloway’s phone ringing more than usual?” I asked.
Bibi shook her head, her ponytail sliding over her shoulder. “I don’t think so. But he did turn it off before he gave it to me.”
“Does he normally do that?”
“No, but maybe he was expecting a message or call that he doesn’t want anyone to see. If Brodie’s rings, I answer it, but everyone else, I leave alone.”
“That’s what I thought, thanks.”
“Why the question about his phone?”
“Call it bodyguard intuition. He’s getting more calls than usual but he won’t answer his phone. And he got testy when I asked him about it.”
“That’s because you don’t know how to ask.”
“What?”
“Come on, Dawson. You order him to do stuff, and you know he hates that. Instead, try talking to him. Person to person, not bodyguard to client.”
“I have. I do.”
“No, you don’t. Look, you’re great at what you do, and no one can fault that. But you don’t share much of anything personal with anyone.”
“I have a line when it comes to work and—”
Bibi held her hand up. “I know, I get it. But to build trust, especially in this environment, you need to open up. We’re not just dealing with the band’s work schedules.
We’re a part of their everyday life. We see stuff no one else does.
And I speak from experience. I mean, Jesus, Brodie probably knows more about my personal life than some of my family at this point.
And vice versa. It’s necessary. Because without that, he wouldn’t trust me to help him manage every aspect of this crazy-ass world he lives in. ”
“And so, what, I should take Holloway out for a beer?” I quipped.
“No. Just talk to him like you would a friend. It’s the only way you’re going to get through.”
I digested Bibi’s advice even though it didn’t sit well with me.
I’d never had a problem with other clients doing as I said.
It was always with their best interests in mind.
But maybe Bibi was right. Even if the thought made me somewhat uncomfortable.
I tended to keep myself to myself, even in my personal life.
It was the complaint of past girlfriends and boyfriends.
Fucking hell, it was the reason I was still single.
The only person I’d ever opened up to was my son, Jaxon. After my ex-girlfriend Nadia—his mom—passed away two years ago, I’d become both parents to him. And he was still healing. No way was I going to let him down and not be the father he needed.
But it still wasn’t easy.
“I’ll take your advice into consideration,” I finally replied with a nod.
And I would. Even though it made my stomach flip over.
I checked the remaining rooms in the basement and then headed back up to the wings.
The guys were into their first set, and the crowd was lapping it up.
As usual, I was mesmerized by the way Iain played his guitar.
It seemed effortless, even though I knew it was anything but.
His fingers were so quick and nimble, and the way he held his guitar?
It was like another extension of his body.
When he got in the zone, with his blond hair thrown back and that look of pure joy on his face, everyone in the crowd went wild.
He and Brodie played off each other, sharing the mic at one point as Iain sang back up. The crowd loved it and screamed his name as loud as Brodie’s.
Of all the guys in the band, Brodie was the most popular for sure. He was a talented singer with an intense performance style and a demanding charisma that drew the crowds. Iain came a close second with the fans.
But it was Iain who always commandeered my attention. On and off stage.
Even though he wasn’t shy or humble when it came to his sex life, his self-deprecating jokes about his talent were telling.
And surprising. He was a curious mix of guitar genius, celebrity ego, and, shockingly, imposter syndrome.
You wouldn’t know it to look at him, but Iain Holloway wasn’t just another cocky rockstar.
He played up the image, and most of the time, people bought it.
But underneath that glamorous veneer, Iain had layers. And secrets.
Of that, I was sure.
As sure as I was that as soon as he was done on stage, he’d be sneaking out of the venue with his man of the night…
Iain suddenly spun around, playing to Faisel on the drums, and caught me staring.
Instead of blinking and looking away, I didn’t move a muscle.
An electric throb of awareness pulsed between us.
It’s just animosity, I reasoned. Keep your enemies closer and all that.
I had no idea what I was trying to prove, but I wanted him to know I saw him. I recognized the fear in his eyes earlier. All my training and my sixth sense told me to keep pushing him for answers. Or that I should try Bibi’s method.
No matter what, I wasn’t letting him out of my sight.
Iain stuck his tongue out at me, and that’s what finally broke my trance.
Christ.
I wanted to laugh and spit nails at the same time.
Clients often irritated me, but not to this degree. Iain was making me restless in a way I’d never been with any detail.
Thankfully, he turned back to face the audience and finished his guitar solo.
“He’s incredible, isn’t he?”
Ace’s sudden voice startled me.
Shit, that was twice in one night I’d been taken by surprise. What the fuck?
Head in the game.
“Hypnotizing. Every time. He makes it look so easy.”
Ace chuckled. “That man is so talented, and the funny thing is, he downplays it.”
“I was just thinking the same thing.”
“Between you and me, he loves hearing the praise. Lives for it. Some musicians need that feedback more than others. No matter how famous they are or how good a player, they need the attention.”
I made a mental note. A strategy was forming in my mind.
A way to finally get Iain to see reason.
And if he didn’t?
Sometimes, you just have to fight dirty to get what you want.