Caged: Cellar Door Series (19 page)

I jerked my head up and looked over at Sam. “Home. As in this your house?” The damn thing was huge. I had no idea the club was pulling in that kind of cash.

Sam clapped a hand to my shoulder and smiled. “I do more than just run Cellar Door JD. While I love the club, I had to have capital to start it. I’ve done pretty well with some of the investments I’ve made over the years. Lost a fair amount too but that happens. It takes money to make money son. Remember that. It’s the best piece of advice I can give you.”

Sam rapped his knuckles against the door frame announcing our arrival. Doc Christine’s face was fire engine red and she was waving one hand around like the person on the other end of the phone could see it. “Look I’m busy. I don’t have time for this. I’m not moving back and that’s final. Stop calling me.” She ended the call and slid the phone across the counter where the medical supplies were stored.

“Sorry about that.” Doc Christine extended her hand to me, shaking mine before gesturing to the table. “It’s good to see you again under better circumstances JD. Have a seat.”

I settled my ass on the paper covered table and pulled off my ball cap and t-shirt exposing my torso to her. Doc snapped on some latex gloves and walked over. My left arm rose and I bent to my right to give her better access. She trailed her fingers around the skin surrounding the staples in full Doctor mode as she murmured. “Looks good. Tissue has fused together nicely and should be minimal scarring. Let’s get these out. You still need to take it easy. Dad told me you weren’t the type to sit still so I am going to give you some sterri strips to put over this while it finishes healing.” She moved across the room and got her staple remover out, returning to tug the first one out. “Its going to pinch a little.”

I sucked in a breath and let it out slowly as the first one pulled free a few small pin pricks of blood forming where the staple had been. Doc wiped them off and proceeded to the next one. After all of them were removed, she poured some alcohol on a piece of gauze and swiped at the incision before pressing her fingers back to it, checking it over once more. Stepping back she smiled widely, the action lighting up her features. She was a good looking woman, a few years older than me but still a fine specimen of a female. “Done.”

“Thanks I’ll try not to make a repeat performance Doc.” I pulled my shirt over my head and pulled my ball cap on backwards as she regarded me; Sam leaning against the door frame just watched everything.

“JD I don’t know how much my Dad has told you but I have a good job down at General. I don’t want to jeopardize it. That said, I do help my father when he needs it, it’s why this clinic was built into his house. Things that go on here stay here.” Doc Christine looked at me sternly.

I nodded. It’s not like she had to tell me that shit. The fighting going on at Cellar Door was kept on the down low, obviously the private treatment when needed, would also be hush hush.

Sam straightened off the door frame and studied me seriously. “You are going places JD. I know what happened before but I’m not blind. You’re not that same kid. It’s why I didn’t hesitate when Matt came to me about you fighting at the club. Matt is a shrewd business man in the making and he believes in you. I’m pretty sure he could sell me dirt and convince me it was as valuable as gold. Don’t fuck it up son. You’ve got a god given gift, a natural talent that others can train for years and never get close to being as good.”

I jumped down off the table. Me and compliments didn’t mix well. I knew what I was made of, having somebody say it out loud made me uncomfortable as hell. “Thanks Sam.”

I took the supplies Doc Christine bagged up for me and followed Sam back upstairs to the front door. He paused with his hand on the door knob. “Thank you for helping like you did. You didn’t have to get involved but you did. It helped Ray and Javier. It helped the club. If you need anything, give me a call. Otherwise, I’ll see you next Friday.” Sam gave me a toothy grin, the action taking years off his age.

“Definitely next Friday. No way am I missing that.” I bumped my knuckles to Sam’s and headed out the door to my truck, stretching my arms up over my head. My side pulled just a little, the healing skin still tight but damn if it didn’t feel good. It was time to get back down to business and I couldn’t wait.

Thursday morphed into Friday then moved in Saturday. Matt had been gone most of the days and nights prepping for the gig at OverTime. The poor fucker was so exhausted that when he did make it home, he went straight to his room. I had been filling hours hitting Odyssey. Even though I still wasn’t ready to get down and dirty on the mat’s I was running through drills, reinforcing my muscle memory with the moves and counters that I’d been training with for years. The past few weeks had sorely screwed my normal training schedule and I needed my head back in the game especially after catching the blade to my side. Kylee had been stopping by when I’d get some time at home but there’d been very little of it.

All of a sudden things seemed strained between us and I couldn’t figure out why. Every time I asked if things were alright, Kylee would blow it off but it was grating my fucking nerves. I’d never been a man of patience but I was trying real hard to give Kylee whatever she needed from me, the problem was that she wasn’t saying what she fucking needed.

Saturday passed quickly and it was time to get ready to head out. I’d offered to drive Kylee but she claimed she had a few things to help her mom with and would meet me and Matt at OverTime. When Matt emerged from his room I did a double take. My boy, the boy few people ever saw was in full effect.

Matt was sporting a white sleeveless t-shirt with a pair of dark blue denim cargo shorts, a pair of  DC sneakers were on his feet and he had on a white ball cap turned backwards. The flames of his tattoo were evident on his bared biceps giving him the bad boy vibe, something he normally worked to keep under wraps. He was Matt Layne, lead singer. Not Matt Layne boy wonder doing everything to please his parents and I was damn glad to see him. He threw me a wide evil ass grin and grabbed my truck keys tossing them to me.

I was sporting the exact opposite of Matt. I was kicking my Diesel boots with a pair of black cargo shorts, a dark charcoal t-shirt and a black ball cap that was shoved on backwards, my ink flowing all over my arms could only be covered by long sleeves, not that I ever tried to cover up. Besides it was mid-summer and hot as hell out.

I caught the keys in mid air and returned Matt’s grin. “Time to roll my man. Let’s do this.” I pocketed my cell and we headed out to my truck. I’d just settled in to the driver’s seat when Matt asked me where Kylee was.

I lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Said she would meet us there.” I shoved my key in the ignition and Matt got the message, I didn’t want to talk about the fact Kylee seemed to be pulling back from me.

I pulled around the rear of OverTime and made sure Matt caught up with Troy and the rest of the guys in Days Gone By, following them all inside the back of the bar. Cellar Door was bigger but OverTime was no small dive joint. They would be able to pack in a good size crowd and history dictated that there’d be one.

There was a room just for acts to get ready in and we filed into it, everyone taking a second to catch up in a series of greetings and how the fuck are you’s? I hadn’t seen or talked to most of the guys in the room in four years but they seemed on the up and up about what was going on for me with my fighting courtesy of Matt.

Troy clasped a hand to my shoulder and chuckled. “Damn dude, of all the things you could do, you want to get hit?”

I shook my head. “Whole point is to avoid getting hit and hit them.”

Troy laughed with Cam, Braden and Mason the other members of Days Gone By, another round of exchanges occurring back and forth between all of us. It was funny how easy it was to fall back in to the same banter we’d all had during high school. Matt had always been closer to the guys but we’d all gotten along and it was damn good to see them doing so well.

A small knock sounded against the door before opening, a dark haired angel poking her head around it like she was half worried at what she would find.

“Kylee girl, get your ass in here.” Troy enveloped Kylee in a large hug as she launched herself into the room which had Matt casting a worried look at me. I shook it off letting him know I was tight. Granted I hated to see any man’s hands on her, but I knew how close Kylee had been with the group.

Kylee made her rounds between all the members catching up with them before talking  with Matt giving her support to him about the performance getting ready to take place. When she made her way over to me it was like there was a wall between us and I was starting to get lit about it. We hadn’t had a whole lot of words about what was going on between us but I thought she’d figured out how I fucking felt.

“Hey you.” Her blasé greeting had my teeth on edge.

“Hey.” I was trying not to put my boot in my mouth by saying something that would piss her off which meant I probably needed to say little to fucking nothing with the way I  was feeling.

She smiled at me, the gesture not reaching her eyes.

I moved closer into her space, lowering my voice. “What’s wrong Kylee?”

She shook her head, placing her palms on my biceps and pushing back to put space between us. “Nothing. I’m going to head out front. Jenn and some of the other girls from school are out there. They are excited about the show.”

I nodded and crossed my arms over my chest. “Want me to go with you?” I felt more than saw Matt close in near us.

“No. Its fine, I’m just going to chit chat with them before the show starts. I’ll catch up with you later.” Before I could say otherwise, she was out the door like her feet were on fire.

Matt’s hand landed on my shoulder. “Easy JD. I don’t think she even realized what she was doing.”

I swung my head around and the pissed off I was feeling must have been mirrored in my face because Matt stepped back, dropping his hand from my shoulder. “Really? What part did she not fucking realize cause what I was catching was a whole lot of you stay here, I wouldn’t want anyone to see us together.”

Troy’s head shot up from where he was talking to the rest of the band with a questioning look on his face. Matt raised a hand to stop any question that might pop out of Troy’s mouth.

“Go get a drink. The bands getting ready to set up. I need you to keep it chill JD. If I want to try to at least fix things with Ronnie so she’ll at least speak to me, you can’t lose your shit tonight.”

Matt had never asked much from me so I felt compelled to get it together for my boy. I adjusted my ball cap on my head, tossed a nod to the band and headed out to the bar determined to hold my shit together.

I found a spot along the long bar and leaned an elbow against the wood top. Ronnie rolled her eyes at me.

“You know for one mean asshole, you sure do make pissed look pretty.”

I laughed deeply caught off guard by her comment. “That so? I wouldn’t figure on pretty being associated with me Ronnie.”

She filled up a tall pilsner glass of beer and passed it to me. “If saying that gets rid of that attitude you were wearing I’ll call you a bunch more girly names. You here to see the band?”

She was scoping the bar out and I knew she was wondering if Matt was with me. “I went to school with the guys from Day’s Gone By. They’re a good group. Had to come show some support for the hometown boys.”

“Oh really? I didn’t know that. I knew they were local and they have a great following. We have had fans calling for two days asking about what time they were scheduled to go on.” Ronnie took an order for a round of drinks from some petite blonde who had made her way up to the bar and then continued her conversation with me. “I saw Kylee. She’s floating around here somewhere.”

I grunted as Ronnie slid the drinks to the female who was almost bouncing on her tip toes besides me. She grabbed up the glasses calling out some names who I assumed where the group she was with before I looked back at Ronnie, raising my glass and draining almost half of the tall beer.

“Yeah she said she was coming.” Ronnie pulled a frown but didn’t say anything more, just moved down the bar to catch the next order.

OverTime was filling to capacity and the band was set up, had sound checked which had the crowd responding excitedly. I’d seen Kylee sitting at Jenn’s table closer to the stage animatedly talking and had to remind myself that Matt asked me to stay chill. It was easier said than fucking done when I felt like she was flat dissing me because we were in public and her girls where there.

Kylee moved from Jenn’s table, heading to the back and when she returned a little while later she looked pale. My brows automatically drew down, something wasn’t right with her. I went to push off the bar when lights hit the stage moving towards it, the main lights of the bar dimming to give the stage full recognition keeping me in place.

              Troy hit the stage with Cam, their guitars slung around their necks as Braden set up behind the drums, Mason grabbed his bass and moved in front of his own mic. The crowd went wild, cheers and loud whistles sounding off. The lights lowered on the stage leaving the place in almost pitch black darkness when the first roll of the drums reverberated throughout OverTime. The entire band started in and then a center light flared highlighting the lead singer. Matt, with a mirrored pair of sunglasses grabbed the mic at the same time a pair of arms came around my waist.

              Matt was belting out lyrics, no one the wiser it was him except for the diehard fans who recognized his vocals from back when he was the front man of Day’s Gone By. The crowd chanted through the chorus, sang along with the original tune that I recognized. It was one Matt had written with Troy, a pure metal song that my boy owned with his deep vocals screaming over the crowd.

              I glanced down at Kylee, her face pressing into my side and had to speak loudly to be heard over the music. “It’s dark now so you can be seen with me?”

              She looked up at me in shock, her face going even paler and I immediately regretted the harsh tone I’d spoken to her in but I was speaking the fucking truth nonetheless.
              “Its not like that JD.”

              “Sure as fuck seems like that’s exactly what it is. I get it. Do your thing Kylee. I’m done.” I moved out of her grasp without looking back at her again, to save my fucking sanity. I moved towards the side of the stage, jostling people out of the way needing space away from her.

              Matt slid from one song into the next, the crowd eating up the performance, hanging on every word he sung, hands in the air pulsing with the beat of each song. I recognized the riff of the guitar before Matt even started in on the vocals of his next one, his t-shirt being jerked up over his head. How the hell he kept his ball cap and glasses on was amazing considering he’d removed the shirt with one hand. He roared out the lyrics, spinning with the last chorus so his back showed, the inked skull and flames that coated his back proudly on display as he finished out the last lines of Down In Flames. The song was one of Matt’s; he’d written the music and lyrics and it was one of the most popular songs Days Gone By had. He’d given it to the band when he bowed out as a member feeling like he owed them something. It was money, it was the song that had gotten them noticed to begin with and Matt was doing it the justice the song deserved.

              He turned back to the crowd, ripped off his sunglasses and ball cap, the crowd jumping up and down wildly. A body swayed into mine and I immediately threw out an arm to steady the female when I realized it was Ronnie and she was staring at the stage like she’d seen a ghost.

              “Easy girl. Just let him finish.” Ronnie swallowed and nodded slightly.

              Lights lowered, barely illuminating the stage as Cam and Troy sat down with acoustic guitars and Matt came to stand in front his mic, both hands gripping it.

              “Evening everyone. How the hell are we all doing?” The crowd went crazy screaming before finally settling down as Matt held up a hand.

              “I had something to say, something that I keep getting shut down on. Somebody I think highly of, a friend, I hurt and I don’t blame her for not wanting to speak to me. So tonight I am going to try to get through to her. You guys game to help me out?” The crowd went ballistic, louder than they’d been all night.

              Matt held his hand up again, getting the crowd to still as the chords to Buck Cherry’s I’m Sorry started up, his voice floating over the crowd. He sang from his heart, put all the effort he could into the apology he was giving to Ronnie. She moved away from me, watching Matt intently as he performed. Her body was stiff even though her face was showing a whole shit ton of emotion.

              Matt ended the song; carrying out the final I’m sorry in a long extended note. The lights lowered and the crowd went insane cheering for Days Gone By and my boy. I was beyond fucking proud of his performance, of the bands. It was unreal that Matt had let all of it go. He belonged on stage, was a natural born performer and was hugely talented.

              Ronnie had left my side at some point, the ceiling lights coming back up as the band broke down all their equipment. OverTime’s sound system filled in the music that the band’s had vacated and everyone was talking about the show, the entire atmosphere still amped from it.

              I made my way back to the bar and got a beer, chugging it down. I didn’t see Ronnie and hoped she was in the back talking with Matt, hopefully forgiving him and mending their friendship.