Chapter Five
Ice
W ATCHING RUBY PERFORM on stage is an experience I’m glad I get to have.
She completely plays for the crowd in front of her and doesn’t stop giving them all of her energy and happiness throughout the show.
Ruby never once lost her smile as she went from one song to the next, stopping a few times to share a few words with the fans in front of her.
Watching everyone listen as she speaks is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.
They’re quiet until she asks them a question or mentions the next song she’ll play.
Then, the energy is back as her fans all scream and jump around.
None of them leave or move as her voice fills the air around them and it locks them in place.
They all know every single word to each song and sing with her.
Ruby notices and raises her hands a few times so they get louder as she listens to them and stops singing.
She fully engages everyone in the crowd and makes them feel like they’re a part of the experience. It’s amazing.
When she pulled Memphis on stage, I got a sick feeling deep in the pit of my stomach.
We were all told she was in a relationship with Camden that had just ended.
I’m not sure what happened between the two of them, but part of me wonders if it had to do with Memphis, the bass player of Wicked Angels.
The smile she gave him made my heart hurt because it’s not one I’ve seen on her.
It’s full and only for him. It’s like everyone else vanishes from their world as he pulls her in his arms and I watch on from the sidelines.
Every single part of me wants to rush the stage and rip them apart, to pull Ruby in my arms and hold her while keeping Memphis as far from her as possible.
Even as Memphis talks to the crowd, he doesn’t release his hold on Ruby.
He continues to hold her close and she lets him.
If anything, Ruby leans further against his side like she can’t get close enough to him.
I don’t honestly know if she realizes that’s what she’s doing because it just seems to happen.
It’s not until he releases his hold on her to play the guitar in his hands that I’m able to take my first full breath again.
That is until Ruby’s voice fills the air and tightens the hold she has on me even more.
What the fuck is going on with me?
“You good, Ice?” Lock asks me, stepping closer as we listen to the music playing.
“Yeah. Why?” I return, not taking my eyes off the performance in front of me as Ruby turns to face Memphis and steps closer to him.
“You have a murderous look on your face. It’s one I’ve never seen from you before. What’s goin’ on in that head of yours?” my best friend questions me as I still don’t take my eyes off the couple in front of us.
“Nothin’ is goin’ on, Lock. Just doin’ my job and makin’ sure no one gets close to Ruby. And now Memphis,” I say, growling out the man’s name when he’s done nothing wrong.
“Fuck! You’re jealous. He’s touchin’ Ruby and you don’t like it,” Lock states, making me turn to look at him for a split second to see the large smile on his face. “You’ve got a crush on Ruby and don’t want another man near her. You don’t ever react to women like this, Ice. Tell me I’m wrong.”
I don’t respond to him because there’s no point.
Anything I say at this point would be nothing but a lie.
Lock doesn’t press the issue. We’re both here to do a job and it needs our full attention at this point.
So, we keep our mouths shut and I continue watching another man get looks from Ruby like he’s the only person in the world instead of the crowd in front of them.
I don’t pay attention to the sound of their voices singing together or hear the words.
All I can see is the two of them and I hate how it makes me feel.
When the song finally comes to an end, I watch as Ruby practically jumps in Memphis’ arms and he holds her tight.
He whispers something in her ear after a minute when the crowd goes wild.
For the entire performance, they were silent.
Now, they’ve exploded and showing the love they have for the couple on stage.
After a few minutes, Memphis finally releases Ruby and leaves the stage.
The smile on his face is large as he nods at me before going down the stairs so he can prepare for his own performance with Wicked Angels.
They’re the last band on this stage tonight and I’ve heard the set will be at least two hours.
I won’t be here since I’m with Ruby and will be following her around.
Ruby speaks for a moment before leaving the stage.
Lock and I are immediately on either side of her when she enters the wings and prepares to head down the steps.
I can feel her body heat, see the sweat glistening on her tan skin, and feel the energy flowing through her body.
Noah is already at the bottom of the stairs and a young woman is next to him with a baby in her arms. Ruby rushes right up to her and pulls her in for a hug.
The girl looks familiar, but I can’t tell who she is with all the make-up on her face and the bruises filling her skin.
She’s tried to cover them, but I know Ruby sees them as her entire body stiffens.
She’s pissed. Tension and rage fill her as her body starts to shake ever so slightly like she’s holding herself back and it’s overwhelming her.
This girl is important to Ruby as we start to move once again.
Up ahead, I see a large crowd of fans. There’s event staff already there trying to hold them back, but I have a feeling if one of them gets loose, all hell is going to break loose.
Leaning closer to Ruby without breaking my stride, I take in the slight vanilla scent coming from her skin and breathe deeply.
“There’s a large crowd of fans up ahead. I’m gonna place my hand on your back so I can move you through them faster. Is that okay?” I ask Ruby as her body heat and that sweet vanilla scent continue to surround me, invading every inch of my body.
“That’s okay,” she says as I lay my hand gently against the soft, smooth bare skin of her back. I feel goosebumps pebble on her skin beneath my touch as a slight shiver flows through her entire body. She’s just as affected by my touch as I am to her.
I want to rub my hand against more of her skin, see what kinds of reactions I can pull from her, but I keep myself in check.
I’m here to protect Ruby, not brush myself against her body.
We quicken our pace through the fans as they all start to scream and chant for Ruby to stop at them.
She smiles and waves at everyone and never once stops rushing forward, surrounded by security and holding the young woman close to her.
Lock steps in and does the same thing with the other girl, protecting her as we are Ruby.
Just before Ruby disappears into the small building that’s been reserved by Jagger for her, she tells Noah she’ll be heading back out once Nora is settled on the bus.
I look to the other woman who now stands with her head bowed, looking at the ground instead of anyone around her.
She’s trying to hide. It’s something I’ve seen from victims of abuse.
This woman is making herself as small as she possibly can in the hopes no one will see her.
I see her. I’ll get to the bottom of this situation and make sure whoever put those bruises on her never touches her again.
This woman is obviously important to Ruby and deserves to be protected.
Every woman and child deserve to be protected from the monsters in their lives.
When Ruby and Nora disappear behind the door, we all remain outside on guard.
A few minutes after the door closes, a cart is rolled over and Noah stops the catering employee.
I watch as he goes through every dish and cup, checking for anything that might hurt Ruby.
When he’s satisfied, he takes the cart himself and knocks on the door.
It takes a few minutes, but it’s finally opened and Noah remains outside after pushing the cart forward enough for Ruby to grab it and bring it into the room.
The door is once again closed behind her as I keep scanning the area around the room she’s in.
***
R uby hasn’t come back out of the room for the last hour and a half.
We can’t hear anything going on inside as we all remain looking out for any signs of someone attempting to get close when they don’t belong here.
I’ve been vigilant as I try to keep my attention on the task at hand and not thinking about Ruby and what she’s doing right this second.
I want to know everything about her and I can’t stop my mind from forming one question after another the longer I stand here. This really isn't like me.
It’s not long before I see Jagger walking up with Judge and Wren.
I know Jagger arranged a private meet and greet with Ruby, it must be the President and his ol’ lady.
When I take in Wren’s bouncing steps, I can’t help but smile because I can already see the excitement filling her.
Her eyes sparkle as she looks around at everything in the backstage area since it’s now different from the last time she was here while things were still being set up.
She’s pulling Judge along as if he’s holding her back and I know he’s allowing it because he’s so much larger than his wife.
Judge is extremely indulgent when it comes to this woman and she doesn’t take advantage of it the way others would.
This is one time she’s allowing her excitement to take over and lead each move she makes. It’s funny.
“Hey, Ice,” Wren greets me, the large smile still in place as she stops next to me. “Are you having fun?”
“I’m workin’, Sweetheart. I wouldn’t say it’s fun,” I tell her with a smile on my face as I look down at her for the briefest moment.
“You were so close when Ruby was on stage. I can’t even imagine how everything sounded that close,” she gushes as Judge wraps his arms around her stomach and I watch Noah pull Jagger aside as they talk for a few minutes. It’s not long before Jagger walks back over to us.
“Ruby is ready to meet you both. When you get in there, she has someone with her. Ruby’s best friend is here with her young son.
Please don’t pay them attention and don’t say anythin’ to her.
It took a lot to get this girl here when she lives so close by and Ruby needs her to stay,” Jagger informs Wren and Judge as I watch my President’s body stiffen in response.
He’s clearly picking up on the unspoken words of Jagger.
“We won’t say anything to her. I promise,” Wren immediately agrees before Jagger leads them to the door and knocks.
Jagger walks back over and motions for the rest of us to move closer to him. We all do.
“Nora is Ruby’s best friend and we have no clue how long she’ll be with us.
There are times Nora goes to a few tour dates with Ruby before headin’ home.
Other times it’s just for the night and then she leaves.
I’m not sure what’s goin’ on, but I wasn’t lyin’ when I said it took a lot to get Nora here.
Ruby has been missin’ her and I’m the one who called to talk her into showin’ up today.
Ruby is upset based on the call I got from her a few minutes ago and it’s up to us to ensure Nora and her son are protected.
So, tonight, there will be no less than ten men on the bus at all times.
I want every single angle covered. Remain sharp and the shifts will be shorter.
Everyone will be pullin’ a shift on her bus with the exception of Camden.
Any questions?” Jagger says, looking at each of us.
“Any clue who we’re supposed to be lookin’ for?
” I ask him, making everyone look at me.
“Anyone who was just here when Nora was brought over could clearly see the bruisin’ on her face and neck.
It would be good to know who the fuck we’re supposed to keep away from them in case the asshole tries to disguise himself like one of us or somethin’. ”
“That’s a good point. Noah has a picture of him.
His name is Dillon and he’s Nora’s boyfriend.
Noah, send it to everyone on both security teams. If you see him, keep him away from the bus and get the cops here immediately to remove him from the grounds.
Until we know what’s goin’ on without any doubt, we’ll say he’s trespassin’ or somethin’ that will get him banned from the grounds,” Jagger says as we all nod in response while Noah pulls out his phone and presses some keys before I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket.
I don’t pull it out because the door of the building opens and I watch Judge and Wren step out and make their way over to us.
“Don’t let that woman out of your sight,” Judge whispers when he steps up to me. “I want you to find anythin’ on the piece of shit who hurt her when you’re not workin’ here. You find anythin’, let me know. She’s a fuckin’ wreck.”
“I’m on it. Was already plannin’ on diggin’ up information on that fucker,” I assure him before Wren pulls his attention away so they can go catch Wicked Angels leaving the stage.
Ruby and Nora don’t leave the building for a while after Judge and Wren disappear in the crowd.
We surround them for the short trip to the bus and don’t move until both of them are safely locked inside.
Noah lets us know Memphis might come over after his show is done, but the band has plans to spend time together so he’s not sure.
We’re not to stop him from getting on the bus, but we have to check with Ruby to ensure it’s okay.
Obviously everyone around here knows this Nora girl and I would think she knows Memphis as well.
Especially with how close to Ruby both of them seem to be.
Noah takes our dinner and drink order before disappearing with Jagger.
In less than twenty minutes, carts of food are brought over for all of us.
I’ve got another burger and fries, two pieces of pizza, water, a soda, and a few pieces of cake.
I’m not going anywhere tonight until I absolutely have to so I’ll have enough food to enjoy when I get hungry.
For now, I focus on keeping sharp eyes scanning our surroundings until Ruby is ready to go see the group of fans still back here.
They’ll be leaving soon because the venue is closing for the night.
This isn’t the camping area so everyone will be made to head out until everything opens tomorrow.
I can’t wait for the quietness to take over. It makes our jobs a lot easier.