Tainted Bastard (Tainted Knights Book 4), Page 2

  “We’ll listen to one song, and we can go,” Gray assured me as he lifted his own beer to his lips and drained it. “I’m expecting a call from Kas anyway.”

  Snorting, I leaned back against the bar top and watched the other members of Blonde Bombshells. Gray was so whipped, and he didn’t even realize it. Kassa was on the other side of the country, yet she was his first thought in every situation. It was cute and pathetic all at once. My idiot friend loved that girl more than any thing or any person in the universe, only he wouldn’t let himself be with her.

  Dumbass.

  The song the band was playing was a cover song, something we did all the time because fresh songs were hard to come by. Cash and Jace were constantly writing, but not all of their songs got the band’s vote. Kin, however, had written us a few that we’d recorded and Emmie had been passing out to record labels. Girl had some sick talent at putting pen to paper and coming up with pure gold.

  This song the Blondes were playing had a long instrumental opening, focusing on the guitarist and the bassists. The guitarist had some mad skills, that much was clear, but for some reason, my gaze kept going back to the girl with the microphone. She was totally into the music, her smile hypnotizing the crowd at times.

  And then she lifted the mic to her lips, and I was suddenly pulled under the same spell everyone else in the room had fallen victim to.

  Holy shit, the girl had some pipes on her. The hair on my arms stood up, and all I could do was watch her, transfixed as her amazing voice awed every single person in the club. My heart seemed to pound along to the beat of the drum, and all I wanted to do was grab her and hide her away from everyone else, keep her for my entertainment only.

  My eyes swept over her, taking in the beauty I’d noticed just moments ago when I was only a few feet away on that same stage with her. Her platinum blond hair was waist-length, her makeup perfect without being overdone. She wore a pair of short leather shorts that barely covered her ass, over a pair of fishnet stockings. Her T-shirt was shredded and draped over a leather bralette that pushed up her generous tits with just the right amount of cleavage, giving every man in the room very, very bad thoughts.

  Fuck, she was sexy, and I couldn’t help wondering just how good she would taste on my tongue.

  “Girl’s got it,” Gray said with a laugh, clapping his hands and throwing up horns when the song came to an end. “Cutter got the perfect replacements. I was worried for him, thought he couldn’t find anyone to draw in the crowd like we did for this place. Looks like I was wrong.”

  All I could do was nod. Even though her voice had faded, the next song was starting, and all I wanted was to stand there and listen to her all fucking night.

  My friend nudged my arm. “You ready?”

  I shook my head, not even sparing him a glance, too enthralled by the witch onstage. “Nah, man. You go. Tell Kas I said hi.”

  For the next fifty minutes, I stood there, hands in my front jeans pockets, not seeing anyone around me. Not drinking. Not fucking taking my eyes off the siren onstage. Her voice was calling me to her, and I was fighting it with everything inside of me.

  When the set was over and the lights went out, only to come back on moments later, the stage was empty. I glanced around, trying to find the beauty who had twisted me inside and out with just the sound of her damn voice. But there was no sign of her or the other Blondes.

  Knowing where to find her, I moved through the crowd, at times physically pushing people out of my way so I could make my way to the green room where the guys and I used to hang out before and after a show. The door was closed when I got there, and I knocked twice before opening it.

  Inside, the five chicks were spread out across the two couches in the middle of the room, bottles of water in hand. My gaze zeroed in on the one who’d held me prisoner for the past hour. She was sitting between the drummer and the guitarist, swallowing water like she hadn’t had a drop in days.

  But something was different about her now. Gone was the aura I’d seen floating around her while she was onstage. Gone was the smile that had only minutes before made me want to fall to my knees at her feet and beg her to never stop singing. She was still beautiful, still gorgeous, yet there was a coldness to her now.

  Without even talking to her, I knew there was a wall up a hundred miles high, and it only intrigued me more. It was like she was Dr. Jekyll and Miss Hyde, one and the same, and the comparison made me think of Lzzy Hale. Fuck, this chick had a voice to rival even Lzzy’s.

  “You get lost?” the drummer half growled, shifting protectively closer to the witch beside her.

  “Wanted to say I was impressed. Good job tonight.”

  “Thanks.” The bassist I’d flirted with earlier stood and took my arm. “Come sit with us. We need some eye candy to drool over while we catch our breath.”

  I didn’t budge when she tried to pull me toward the couch she’d just vacated. I didn’t like to be touched often, and this chick was too much like my stepmother for me to allow her to get any closer than she already was. Pulling away from her, I moved to the only chair between the two couches that faced each other. As I sat down, my gaze went straight back to the witch.

  “I’m Peyton,” the bassist introduced. “This is London, and over there are Aubree, Roanna, and Genesis.”

  Roanna. It was different. I’d never heard it before, but I liked it. A lot.

  “I’m Sin,” I said, wanting her to know my name.

  Three of the five laughed, with the exception of Aubree and Roanna. “Oh, we know exactly who you are. Tainted Knights is wickedly talented, by the way. You guys are going to go places fast,” Peyton praised.

  “That’s what our manager tells us,” I told her with a shrug.

  Considering our manager was Emmie Armstrong, I was fairly sure I could believe her, and she wasn’t just blowing smoke up our asses so she could ride the coattails of our rising success. It was still a little surreal that the most sought-after manager in the business wanted to represent us. Emmie would help us get to the top—and get us there as fast as possible in the rock world.

  “We were going to head out for something to eat,” Peyton said, her tone enticing.

  Ignoring her, I kept my eyes on Roanna. “Where are you going to eat?”

  Pink filled her cheeks, but she didn’t answer, keeping her eyes downcast. Aubree touched a hand to her shoulder, making her flinch, and then answered for her. “We were thinking pizza. Want to come with us?”

  Look at me, I commanded silently, willing Roanna to look at me and not at the floor. I needed her eyes on me, and I didn’t even understand why. A full minute passed, but she never lifted her eyes once. Mentally cursing, I stood, not wanting to make her uncomfortable when she should have been celebrating. “Nah. I’ve got somewhere to be. You have fun though, ladies.”

  As I walked out the door, I glanced back and caught Roanna watching me walk away. For a second, our gazes locked, and it felt like I was suddenly drowning in the need to hear her voice again. Just one more damn time.

  “Goodnight, Roanna,” I murmured.

  “G-Goodnight,” she whispered, but it was all I needed.

  Winking, I closed the door behind me and walked away.

  Back at the bar, I ordered a beer, pushing all thoughts of Roanna and her hypnotic voice from my head. The brown bottle was set in front of me just as a hand touched my arm, sharp nails climbing upward. Looking down, I found Peyton had followed me.

  Disgusted with her, I shook off her touch. “Get lost,” I told her, my voice cold.

  “I was on my way out. Thought you might want to see our apartment. Maybe check out how soft my mattress is,” she purred as she moved in closer.

  I picked up my beer and walked away. Jace and Kin were on their way upstairs, so I followed them. On the VIP floor, I searched the crowd and found my bandbrother and his girlfriend sitting on one of the leather couches, talking to Harris.

  I dropped down beside the beautiful redhead, taki
ng a handful from the bag of trail mix she offered.

  “We don’t have to go back to my place.”

  Smothering a groan, I looked up to find Peyton had followed me yet again. For fuck’s sake, she was a clinger.

  She sat down on the arm of the couch beside me, taking my beer from me.

  I heard Kin laugh. “Want me to get rid of her?” she offered.

  “Fuck yes,” I muttered, tossing the last of the nuts and M&Ms into my mouth, chomping down on them to try to relieve some of my frustration with the chick now drinking my beer. But I knew she wouldn’t follow through. Kin liked to squeeze me by the balls metaphorically whenever she got the chance.

  Seeing I was watching her swallow my drink, Peyton offered it back. “Thanks, I needed that.”

  “Keep it,” I bit out. “Hard to tell where that mouth has been. Don’t want a case of herpes.”

  Jace snickered, and Kin slapped my arm, hissing at me to, “Play nice, douchebag.” Whatever the hell that meant. She knew me well enough to know I didn’t play nice with anyone—ever—with the exception of Kassa.

  “Don’t talk to my staff like that, dude,” Harris warned, but the three of us could tell it was halfhearted. These days, that was about as close to showing emotion as Harris came. His breakup with Lucy Thornton seemed to have sucked the life right out of him.

  Peyton didn’t seem to understand that he was only making noise because he was supposed to, not necessarily because he wanted to, and went straight from me to Harris. Thank you, Jesus. I nearly sighed with relief when she stood up and went to sit closer to her new boss.

  Girl was a freak, all clingy and unable to take a hint. She was going to be a problem, I could just tell that about her. Let Harris deal with her kind of crazy. I wanted nothing to do with her.

  Especially when it was Roanna I couldn’t get out of my head.

  Chapter 3

  Roanna

  My gym bag tossed over my shoulder, I walked into First Bass behind Aubree and Genesis. With Gen and London practically at each other’s throats lately, it was kind of a relief when one or the other decided to come in later with Peyton. Not that either one of them got along so well with Peyton any more than each other. Those three alone for more than a few hours at a time could turn our apartment upside down with the fights they had.

  Aubree thought it was funny—and hot. She would rather sit back and watch them tear each other’s hair out than stop them. I, on the other hand, only wanted peace.

  For years, all London and Genesis have done is fight. I didn’t even know when it really started, because in the beginning, all four of us were so close I never expected it to be any different. Then the bickering began. But soon it became full-on fights so bad it left them both with scratched-up faces and bald patches on their heads. Aubree joked that they were too much alike, but I suspected it had something to do with a guy they both wanted. It was only a guess, though, because neither one of them ever spoke of it.

  The club was empty with the exception of the bartenders setting up for the night, a few waitresses helping out. Nate, who worked upstairs as the only bartender on the VIP floor, whistled down at us.

  “I’ll bring you some drinks, ladies. Give me ten,” he called down.

  Genesis fanned herself as we headed back to the green room. “Jesus, that man is delicious.”

  “Leave him alone, Gen,” Aubree told her as she tossed her bag on the floor and pulled out her clothes for the show later. “Nate seems like a really nice guy. Sweet, even. He doesn’t need you fucking him over and changing that.”

  “What?” Genesis asked with mock surprise. “I would never!”

  Aubree and I shared a look, then snickered. “Sure, babe,” Aubree soothed. “Because you never turn a guy into some raging bull by the time you break his heart.”

  “Hey, I’m not that bad.” Genesis tried to defend herself. “They know the score going into a relationship with me.”

  “You sound like a guy,” I laughed as I pulled my hair into a high ponytail so I could do my makeup. “That is totally something they would say.”

  “I hate double standards,” Genesis complained, carefully laying out her clothes. “Why is it they’re patted on the back for fucking around, but I’m deemed a slut?”

  “Because you are a slut,” Aubree confirmed.

  “Well, yeah.” She grinned.

  “Suck it up, buttercup. And I don’t mean Nate’s dick. Don’t fuck around at work, bitch. You mess this up for us, and I’ll cut you.”

  I sat down at the small vanity Harris put in there for us to do our makeup, something Peyton asked for weeks ago and he’d readily given in. Our boss had been helping us out left and right since we started the month before. I wasn’t sure if it was because he liked Peyton—and according to her, he was already obsessively in love with her—or if the guy liked the business we were bringing in. Either way, it was getting us the shit we wanted, plus he was introducing us to the connections we needed to get somewhere once our contract was up.

  Sadly, we hadn’t been afforded the same offer our predecessors had with the infamous Emmie Armstrong. I blamed Peyton, London, and Genesis for bickering so much when the redhead showed up one night to give us a listen. The way those three were sniping at each other and practically showing their claws, it was no wonder the manager didn’t want to deal with our shit.

  It was okay, though. There were a hundred other managers out there, maybe not as good as Emmie, but they could get us moving in the business. Just not as fast as the redhead would have. Tainted Knights was already on the radio, and they didn’t even have a record label yet. I heard them almost every day, and while I was happy for them, I was a little jealous too. I would have happily given up both of my oversized tits just to be in their shoes right then.

  A tap at the door alerted us to Nate’s presence. He walked in, not seeming to notice or even care that Aubree was only in her panties and bra. I liked that he wasn’t all leery and crude, his eyes barely brushing over her before moving on to offer me a genuine smile and a wink for Genesis.

  Everyone knew Aubree was a lesbian, including the bartender. She made no secret of it, having hooked up with a few chicks at the club. My soul sisters and I would have slaughtered anyone who tried to give her shit about it.

  Dropping a cooler full of cold bottles of water on the table between the two couches, he straightened. “Need anything else, ladies?”

  “Nope. Thanks, handsome,” Genesis told him with a wink.

  He grinned, making his face look young and carefree. “Let me know if that changes. Have a good set tonight. Roanna, I’ll make sure someone brings you that honey concoction you like for your throat after your set.”

  “Th-Thanks,” I stuttered out, and I felt the heat flood my cheeks.

  As he left, Peyton and London were walking in. London brushed against him as they passed each other, giving him a look that told him without words she wanted to fuck him. I could practically see the steam starting to bellow out of Genesis’s ears. This was going to be a disaster, I could already tell.

  Groaning, I jumped to my feet. “Stop it. Right now. I mean it.”

  All four of them turned to me in surprise. I never raised my voice to them, to anyone, ever. Hell, I could barely speak half the time. But I couldn’t stand to see the train wreck that was already starting to derail in front of me. “Ro—” London began.

  I lifted a hand, cutting her off. “We are family. And yes, I know families argue sometimes. But I’m tired of you two constantly being at each other’s throats. Now you’re going to start fighting over a guy? Really? That’s so juvenile and beneath both of you. Not to mention, it’s going to cause issues here at work. So just… Stop!”

  Genesis grimaced, shamefaced. “You’re right, Ro. I swear, from here on out, Nate is off-limits.”

  “Yeah,” London agreed. “We won’t do anything to mess with work. Don’t worry, Roanna. I promise you, we won’t fight over Nate.”

  I began to
relax a little. We didn’t make promises idly, and they were never empty ones. I took them at their word, and I sat back down at the vanity to finish up my eye makeup.

  “I’m ordering pizza,” Aubree announced as she zipped up her jeans. “I’m starving.”

  “Ugh, no thanks,” Peyton groaned as she sat down. “Not hungry.”

  I rolled my eyes at my reflection. Over a month later and she still wasn’t over her stage fright.

  “Ro? You want a veggie?” Aubree asked, lifting her phone to her ear.

  “Yeah,” I said, finishing up my eyes and then starting on my lipstick. “But no tomatoes.”

  “I remember, babe.”

  Once I was done, Genesis took my spot, and I grabbed my bag so I could change. By the time we were all ready and had eaten dinner, it was almost time to take the stage. I grabbed a bottle of water, trying to hydrate as much as possible before I spent the next hour torturing my throat.

  “Slay them tonight, ladies,” Harris said as he came into the room. “Also, the house is packed, and I’ve had to tighten security around the stage. Roanna, I don’t want you worrying about anyone trying to climb up onstage with you like last week.”

  “I’m not worried,” I assured him, tossing the empty bottle into the recycling bin. For whatever reason, it was easy to talk to Harris. Maybe it was the tortured look I saw in his eyes every day, or that he never once looked at me or the other Blondes like we were sex dolls there for his enjoyment—which was something nearly every other man on the planet seemed to do. Perhaps it was just that he exuded this protectiveness that told me he would shield my soul sisters and me with his last breath while we were under his club’s roof. Either way, I didn’t stutter when I was around him. “My girls have my back.”

  “Just a heads-up, my parents are here tonight. Once the show is over, come on upstairs and I’ll introduce you again.” Tipping up his chin, he left.