Page 25 of Anthem of Love and Loathing

Golden is right behind him. He doesn’t look as peeved as he was earlier. But it doesn’t matter. I’ve done what I had to do to protect the band.

If Kelsey knows what’s good for her, she won’t stick around. She’ll leave tonight and get far the fuck away from L.A. Riot.

And me.

9

Kelsey

“I’m leaving.” I try to push past Bronx when he enters the room. Golden is behind him. Both look concerned, though Bronx looks more like he wants to murder Riot who has disappeared into his room where he left his little groupie waiting for him.

I could get behind his murder. Asshole. Piece of shit. Prick.

Bronx’s green eyes are ablaze. He grips both of my upper arms and walks me back into the room. His head is bent, his voice deep and gritty. “What did he say to you?”

“He told me to leave.” He threatened to make me if I didn’t, but Bronx doesn’t need to hear that. “It doesn’t matter. Coming here was clearly a mistake. He’s totally off the deep end. There’s nothing I can... or want to do... to help him.”

There has to be a better way of keeping myself out of Marco’s crosshairs.

“What the fuck?” Bronx’s voice comes out all growly and weird. There’s a note of protectiveness to it that’s incredibly fierce. He brushes my hair away from my neck.

I grimace as I realize that asshole probably left marks on me. I wasn’t going to let Riot realize he was hurting me at the time, but there was a second there where I couldn’t breathe properly.

The boy I used to know wouldn’t have taken it that far. But he isn’t that boy anymore. Or he never was. I didn’t think he would cheat on me, but he did that too.

Bronx brushes the back of his fingers over the sensitive area on my skin. His touch is soothing. Some of the tension in me melts.

“This is bullshit,” he says with deadly seriousness. “I’m going to have a fucking word with him.”

“No. Leave it.” I wrap my fingers around Bronx’s tanned muscular forearm. All the time he spends hammering his kit has given him amazing arms. It’s practically porn.

If there wasn’t history between me and the band, perhaps we could have explored the many ways he could find a beat between my legs. But that’s not what we agreed on. He wanted my help with Riot.

I can’t see how I’m supposed to do that. He doesn’t want me here. I don’t want to be here. “I can’t do this. I can’t be around him. It’s too fucking hard.”

I let go of Bronx’s arm and he lowers it to his side. He looks at me like he wants to tell me not to go. “I understand.”

I hug my drummer boy. And he folds around me, encasing me in a bear hug. “Let me give you some money to get you on your feet.”

“Okay.” I don’t want to take his money, but I will send him back whatever he gives me once I’m situated.

Bronx untucks his wallet from his pocket and pulls out several hundred in notes. He hands them over without counting them. “Don’t you dare pay me back, Kelsey. I mean it.”

With watery eyes, I smile at him as I fold the notes and tuck them inside my bra. I leave my heels by the bed. My ankle cannot do another day on four inches of hell. I’d rather go barefoot until I can find something else.

Golden must notice because he kicks off his shoes. Bending down, he picks up his brown and white striped sneakers and holds them out to me. “These should get you through until you can pick up something more your style.”

“Thank you.” I kiss his cheek. His barely-there stubble is scratchy.

He catches me and hugs me too. “Sorry. I didn’t realize he would do that... to your neck. I never even considered.”

I clasp his face between both my hands. “You didn’t do anything wrong. He’s the one who should be ashamed of his actions.”

“He would be if—”

“Don’t make excuses for him.” He’s the one who hurt me, and hurt me again, and wants to continue hurting me. He’s the jackass who can’t see past his own self-centered ego to see what loving him cost me.

I’d say I wish I’d never met him, but then I wouldn’t know the two men standing in front of me.