He places his hands on my shoulders. “I have it handled, Mallory. I’m fine,” he says in a gentler but no less stubborn tone.
Music from downstairs thumps, loud and insistent, shaking the walls. I groan and roll my eyes. “I’m sick of living here.”
“I’ll go down and tell them to cool it,” he says, taking a step away.
“No, it’s okay. Stay here.” God only knows he’s probably going to get more coke. While my main concern will always be Chaser, it hasn’t escaped my notice that the whole band is falling apart.
“Be right back.” He kisses my cheek.
Twenty minutes later, he’s still gone.
Fed up, I decide to go find him.
What am I going to do if Chaser won’t get help? Leave him?
I can’t picture life without him in my world.
It’s too hard to admit to myself that the man I’m living with isn’t the man I fell in love with.
As usual, the party has spilled into the hallway and up the stairs.
Occasionally, Kickstart’s hangers-on realize Chaser lives right upstairs and try to crash our apartment. One of many reasons I want to find a new place.
Eager to make sure he’s okay, I practically trip over people in my hurry to get downstairs.
And I almost die when I step inside the apartment.
Chapter Thirty
Chaser
I was in the middle of…something.
Came downstairs for a reason. Fuck if I know what it was now.
Found Jacob dazed in the bathtub with a needle in his arm. That’s new. Explains why he’s been so much more out of it lately.
Want no part of that shit. Unless they’re inking some badass designs in my skin, needles freak me the fuck out.
Since Jacob’s unconscious, I relieve him of the coke in his pocket—obviously he won’t be needing any. A rush of excitement burns through me as I lay out a few lines on the back of the toilet.
The burning thrum clears my head, so I snort another line.
My heart drums a frantic beat, warning me I’ve had enough.
“What’re you doing here?” Garrett asks from behind me. I wipe my face and stuff the baggie with the last bit of powder in my back pocket.
I point to Jacob. “This new?”
He crosses his arms over his chest and leans on the door frame “You really think you’re one to talk?”
While he has a point, I’m still feeling superior for some reason. “I wouldn’t touch that shit.”
Garrett shrugs. “We worked hard this week. Leave him be.”
I assume that’s code for Garrett’s dancing with Mr. Brownstone too these days. Fucking fantastic.
“I’ll take care of him.” Garrett jerks his head toward the living room. “Go enjoy the party.” He all but shoves me out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
Like a five-year-old, playing the most messed up game of hide-and-seek ever, I bang on the walls, calling out for Alvin.
“Where are ya, Chipmunk?”
Finally, I find him in the bedroom smoking a joint and getting a blow job from a naked, curvy redhead.
“Sorry, mate! Carry on!” I shout.
He salutes me and I slam the door.
Living room. Music’s so damn loud. Isn’t that why I came down here?
I push through people who I don’t recognize and don’t care to talk to, seeking the way out. Who the fuck are all these people and where did they come from?
“Chaser! How’s the album?”
“Chaser! When’s the next video?”
“Chaser! Are you really touring with Vicious Vandals?”
I mumble out a few answers but keep moving.
“Hey, Chaser!” Holly jumps in front of me.
“‘Sup, Holly? Haven’t seen you in a while.”
Her mouth twists, and she glares in the direction of the bathroom. “I’ve been busy. Seeing someone.”
Jacob never claimed she was more than a house sitter and occasional fuck, so I’m not sure what she’s so pissed about.
“Where’s Mallory?”
I point to the ceiling. “Home.”
“Aw, she’s such a party pooper.” Holly pouts.
Who over the age of ten still says that?
She wraps her fingers around my arm and drags me over to the couch. “We need to catch up. How’s the new album going? Are you shooting another video? Need any extras for it?”
“Whoa. Slow down.”
“I’ve always liked you, Chaser.” She traces a line over my cheek and down my neck. It tickles, but that’s not the reason I shake her off.
My heart pounds a dangerous warning. This isn’t why I came down here. My girl’s upstairs waiting for me.
I push Holly out of my lap. “I gotta go.”
“Can I come with?”
“No.”
She hooks her fingers in my belt and tugs. “Come on. Let’s go use the bedroom.”
“Alvin’s getting a blow job.”
She giggles and cups me through my jeans. “That’s kind of what I had in mind.”
The apartment door’s wide open. Doesn’t close anymore after someone kicked it in at one of the more recent parties. Anyone can find their way inside.
I shove her hand away.
“Not interested.”
“Come on,” she pleads, staring up at me with desperate let-me-suck-your-dick eyes.