Page 31 of Still Her
He hesitantly nods but turns to follow her, each one of his strides matching about three of Mayzie’s power steps.
I’m not sure exactly where she’s headed but I have a pretty good idea of what she’s going to do when she gets there.
Yep. There’s a good chance my ass is sleeping in one of the bunks tonight…
* * *
MAYZIE
One of the cons to touring with a rock band? There’s no place to fucking dance. Sure, the fans tend to dance in the rows of seats while rocking out to the show, but what about me? Before this life turned into what it is, the dance studio, Dance It Outwas my safe haven. I took dance classes, taught some, and sometimes just took a studio to myself while I worked through stressful times. I would put on some hard rock and let my body do what it wanted and needed to blow off the steam.
I’m on a mission. I’ve reached my limit and I need to take it out on a dance floor. This arena is where the local basketball team plays. Obviously, the main court is out of the question as the stage is currently being put up by about seventy roadies, but maybe they have a practice gym or something. I know most teams practice at a separate training facility, but you never know.
I come to the side of the round, brick building and find a door that’s been propped open. I follow a narrow hallway that curves along the left side of the building until I find an open lobby area with green signs hanging on the large brick walls. “Locker Rooms” and “Training Gym” are etched in gold on one of the signs with an arrow pointing to the left. Bingo.
I follow the hallway to a tunnel, which I meander down until I find a set of double doors with windows, clearly showing a small basketball gym on one side of the expansive room, and work out equipment such as treadmills and weight machines set up all around the other side. I push through the door and make a beeline for the court. The floor is nice smooth hardwood and it will more than do. And there’s not a soul in sight. Perfect.
I pull out my phone and bring up the hard rock station on my music app. I stick in my earbuds and am pleased to have my ears greeted by good ol’Thunderstruck, perfect for getting me into the hardcore, kickass mindset. I let the rapidly flowing guitar riff cycle through my blood as I sit down and stretch my muscles before getting up to shake out my body and pace a bit before throwing myself into the music.
15
Jack
“I’m sorry,but I’m with her on this one,” Matt tells me as we walk down the tunnel after sound check.
“Me too,” adds Chris, keeping pace behind us.
“So you’ll put my wife in a dangerous predicament to avoid coughing up some money and finding another agent?” I accuse.
“Not me,” Josh says, bringing up the rear. “I’m with you, Jack.”
“Thank you.” I give him a heavy nod as I continue forward.
“Come on, Jack. You know it’s not like that,” Matt chastises. “The hell do you take us for? I agree with her that it’s best to take him down and not let him carry on with this shit, with us or anyone else.”
“You didn’t see her after he was done with her,” I growl.
“Maybe she’s over it,” Chris shrugs, shaking his head. “And it should be her choice.”
“It shouldn’t be; it should beourchoice. It’sourlife.”
“And is that the same thing you had to say to her earlier?” Matt challenges me.
I stop dead mid-stride and snap my face towards his. I open my mouth to give a rebuttal, but nothing comes out. He tilts his head and lifts an eyebrow.
“Listen,” he continues, “we all care about her. None of us want to see her get hurt. I’m on board with this because I don’t think she actuallywillget hurt.It will be scary, sure. But if she thinks she can do this…” he shakes his head and holds his hands out. “I’m inclined to think she can too.”
I stare at the concrete floor as I take in his words, as I listen to my best friend showing faith in my girl. Something I failed to do earlier. Something I didn’t even think to do because the number one thing on my mind was protecting her with everything I am.
“From what you’ve told me,” Matt brings my attention back to his soapbox, “Mayzie can be a little spitfire when she’s crossed. Sure, that asshole scared the shit out of her that night, but he also caught her off guard. In this case she’d be walking in prepared, fully loaded, in the right head space. You know, if I gave a shit about Eli, I’d almost be more afraid forhim,” he chuckles, and damnit, I can’t help but join him when I think of Mayzie all fired up and handing Eli his ass.
I’m not sold on doing this. I seriously want to take the option of Mayzie getting proof off the table. What Matt had to say has given me some things to consider, one of which is that I need to considerMayzie’swords. I need to hear her out and not shut her down.
I tell the guys to go ahead to the dressing room as I pull my phone out of my back pocket. I think about calling Maze, but I have a feeling I know what she’s doing, so I call Shane instead.
“Jack,” he greets when he picks up.
“Hey man, everything alright with her?”