Sacrifice (4 page)

Rachel didn’t fight me for it, simply letting me have it as though she understood my need to hold something tangible from this night. John grinned down at me as the band finished their set and started to leave the stage. The crowd didn’t want it to be over and I joined in as the chant went up for ‘one more song!’

They started one of their slower numbers and Rachel took that opportunity to grab my arm. She towed me towards a door leading to backstage. I went with her, curious what exactly she had in mind. And anyway if there was even the remotest possibility that I might get to meet my favourite band then I was going to jump at it.

She flashed a small bracelet at the two guards on the door and they simply waved us past.

“How the hell did you manage that?” I asked, shocked as the door slid shut behind us.

“I’ve been hanging out with the band, I needed a way to get from the front to the back easily so I got one of these.” She said proudly displaying the small plastic bracelet with the words V.I.P emblazoned across the front of it. With a giggle she led me down the hall as the last strains of Backwards Sliding Domino’s song, Crystal Memories came to a halt.

My heart flipped in my chest I imagined what I would do if I saw them. What would I say to them? Would they think I was just one of the usual mindless zombies who came to their shows demanding entertainment? All I could do was hope that they would see me differently.

And yet a small niggle at the back of my mind told me that I would have been happier to spend more time with Sam…

CHAPTER FOUR

Natasha

Being backstage wasn’t half as fun as I thought it would be. The band Uncharted Switch seemed to be made up of nothing but assholes. But what made it worse was Rachel seemed to determined to ingratiate herself in any way possible with her guitarist. I sat against the far wall and watched as she repeatedly tried to get him to pay attention to her. He was more interested in the bottle of whiskey he held and the half clad girl that danced with one of the other band members in the corner.

Telling her to just walk away and leave him to his own devices was an exercise in pointlessness. Rachel wanted him and that was it. And who was I to stand in her way? I wasn’t her mother. I held no authority over her…

“You look bored.” The lead singer, whose name I’d forgotten plonked himself down on the couch next to me. Two cups in his hands. He held one of the cups out to me and I shook my head.

“Nah, I don’t drink, thanks.”

He smiled and I couldn’t help but notice how perfectly white and straight all of his teeth were. It was an odd thing to notice but then it was odd to see someone with teeth that perfect. It was a Hollywood smile for sure. A small part of me wondered how much it had cost him to get a smile like that…

“I know. I’ve watched you this evening. It’s only coke, I promise.” He jiggled the cup in my direction and I peered into the murky depths. It fizzed and crackled and it had the distinctive smell of coke. I was a Coca-Cola addict. It was the one thing that kept me functioning. Some people drank copious amounts of coffee. I drank Cola like it was going out of fashion.

I took the cup and smiled tentatively. My father had always warned me to never leave drinks unattended or take drinks from strangers… It was some of the wisdom he had imparted to me before he dumped me at the gates of the college. I suppose some small part of him felt guilt and that was his way of dispelling it.

I took a small sip and wrinkled my nose. It tasted a little flat and part of me wondered if it was even the real thing? Surely someone who had the money to pay for a smile like that could afford Coca-Cola…

“I know, it’s not the real thing. I’m sorry. One of the guys went shopping and well…” He spread his hands out before him, gesturing to the room.

He turned back to me, tucking one of his legs up beneath him and draped an arm across the back of the couch. His brown eyes were warm, friendly and I felt myself relaxing. His brown hair was messy but it was all fake. It wasn’t messy in the same way Sam’s was from running his fingers through it. I knew that if I touched this guys hair it would feel hard and sticky, from too much product.

“I’m Ian.” He held his hand out to me and I took it. When his fingers closed around mine he squeezed me hand just a little harder than was necessary.

“Natasha, right?” He smiled again, flashing his pearly whites at me.

“Yeah, I’m here with, Rachel.” I glanced around the room as I swallowed down a little more of the cola. The taste wasn’t as bad as it had been originally but it still wasn’t great. It took me a minute to catch sight of Rachel. And she seemed to be deep in conversation with someone who seemed familiar. I just couldn’t put my finger on why.

Ian put his hand on my shoulder drawing my attention back to him. “You alright? You seemed to space out a little there.”

I stared at him as my head started to spin slowly. At first it was almost subtle enough for me to ignore it. But it was definitely there. I stared down into the cup I held in my hand. My dad was right… As much as I didn’t want to admit he was right about anything, I was now cursing myself inwardly that I hadn’t taken his advice.

“The drink…” My words came out slower than I intended, a slight slur in my speech. I tried to move, to stand, but my body didn’t want to cooperate. It didn’t want to listen to the commands my brain was screaming at it.

Ian smiled at me again and I had the overwhelming urge to punch him but I couldn’t even lift my hand.

“They said this stuff was good but I didn’t expect it to be this good…” He leaned in close to me and wrapped his finger through a stray strand of my hair. “Everyone here saw you talking to me, saw you being flirty with me… When we leave together they’ll assume you want it. And you do want it, I can see it in your eyes. A sort of desperate need. I know girls like you, without a little help you’d pretend to be chaste, pure…” He pressed his lips against my ear as he spoke, his tongue trailing around the lobe.

My stomach rolled in disgust and inside my head I was screaming. Screaming for him to get lost. Screaming at my body to work, to do anything… Not this…

“Daniel says hi.”

His words turned the blood in my veins to ice. My hand jerked enough allowing me to spill the contents of the cola across his lap. In his eyes I could see the anger, I knew what would happen if he got me alone and there was no way I could allow it. I had to fight.

My eyes rolled up in my head as he tugged me to my feet, his arm wrapping around my shoulder holding me close. He pressed his mouth against my neck as he manoeuvred us both towards the door.

“No.” The word came out as a slurred squeak and all it really did was make him laugh. Panic swelled in my chest as I frantically tried to think of something I could do. My brain was beginning to slow down and the world around me was running in streamers of light.

I closed my eyes for what felt like a second and suddenly we were in the hall backstage at the club. My legs buckled beneath me and it was the only thing I could do to maybe slow him down. I moaned and fought to keep my wits about me. Part of me hoped I hadn’t drank enough of whatever he had given me. But I knew better than that. If that was the case I still wouldn’t recover fast enough to fend him off.

“Where are you going with her?”

His voice thrilled through me. It sparked something inside me and I willed my body to move, to obey my orders so I could see him. But nothing happened. Instead I hung limply in Ian’s arms, his grip tight and uncomfortable.

“She’s had a bit too much to drink so I’m just going to get her home.” Ian lied smoothly, his smile never faltering as he stared at Sam. Ian had turned me just enough that I could see Sam advance on us. 

The look in his eyes was one of pure rage. It was as though he knew exactly what was going on. That he could see through Ian like looking through a window. I didn’t know how he could, or even what made him want to get involved.

“I don’t think so…” Sam’s voice was low, even and it surprised my drug addled brain.

Ian’s smile faltered, “What?” He didn’t have a chance to say anything else. I watched in slow motion as Sam drew back his fist and punched Ian in the face.

The world spun in sickening circles again and when I opened my eyes it was Sam who held me tightly in his grip. Ian sat on the floor his back against the wall as blood poured from his mouth. I wanted to laugh as he spat one perfectly white tooth out into his hand. He moaned in pain and Sam simply lifted me a little higher and strode away down the hall.

My head lolled back against the seat of his car as he sat me in the passenger side. He slapped my face gently and lifted a bottle of water to my lips. I couldn’t lift my hands to stop the cold liquid from trickling down my chin and dripping down the front of my top.

“Natasha, can you hear me? Do you know where you are?” His voice penetrated the haze that surrounded my brain.

“Rachel.” It was the only thing I could say. If Ian could do that to me, then what would they do to her? Now that I was safe panic flared inside me for my friend. I had left her helpless, she didn’t know what they were capable of. Just a few hours before I thought the worst they could do was break her heart… Now I knew it could be so much worse.

“She’s fine. I know the guys in Backward Sliding Domino, I’ve been friends for years with the drummer, Adam. He’s taken her home and called the cops on Uncharted Switch.”

His words gave me comfort and I let myself slip into the unconsciousness that clawed at me. He shook me again and I moaned, not wanting to open my eyes. Everything was so bright. The overhead light in the parking garage was practically blinding me. And it was making me feel ill in a way I wasn’t happy with.

Sam held my hand, his fingers felt coarse as they stroked across the skin on the back of my hand. But it was nice, comforting.

“I’m going to take you home, Natasha, if that’s alright with you?” He stared hard into my eyes and as much as I wanted to answer I couldn’t. I was tired and at that moment all I wanted to do was sleep.

My eyes drifted shut again and I let go. The soft stroke of his hand on mine the only thing I took with me. It haunted the images that flashed through my mind. The look in his eyes when he had seen Ian holding me… 

Flashes of reality attempted to puncture my unconscious state but the drugs in my system were too strong and easily kept me encased in my cocoon. I was happy. Happy that Sam had found me. Happy and safe and it was all that mattered.

CHAPTER FIVE

Sam

When he had seen Ian holding her like that. Like she meant nothing… That she was simply a piece of meat, something he planned to have his fun with and then leave broken… It was too much. It wasn’t as though he was prone to violence but he was left with a sense of satisfaction when he had punched Ian. Knocked him on his ass…

But it was her, the woman in the passenger seat beside him as he drove through the city streets. The lights from overhead flashing by, momentarily illuminating her face every time. There was something in her that had him. That pulled him in.

It reminded Sam of the time he had nearly drowned. The feel of the water as it had poured in over his head. The sinking sensation as his body dropped and dropped into the depths. The water pulled at him, drawing him deeper. And it didn’t seem to matter how much he fought against it.

In fact he was almost positive that the more he fought to reach the surface the more of a hold it took on him. It was like running on the spot. Your body fights to gain ground but there is no ground to be had.

The moment he couldn’t hold his breath anymore. The moment the water had flooded down his throat and in through his nose it was like nothing else on this earth. People often said drowning was peaceful… They were wrong.

But this was a different type of drowning. A different type of being sucked under. And Sam wasn’t sure he wanted it to stop. The way she looked at him. The curve of her lips when she smiled. It made him feel like coming home. And that was something Sam had never experienced before.

Yeah, of course he had a home, a mother who loved him. But nothing like this. Nothing like how he felt when he was near Natasha. Just a moment in the warmth of her gaze was enough to have him feeling like a junkie.

He pulled the car onto her street and quickly parked it. He killed the engine and stared over at her for a minute. She looked like she was asleep, as though she had no cares in the world. But that was the drugs… If he had missed her, if he had allowed Ian to slip away with her without him noticing in time…

Sam shook his head in an attempt to clear the thoughts from his mind. It wasn’t somewhere he needed to go right now. He needed to get her upstairs and into bed. He climbed wearily from the car and made his way around to her side. Lifting her gently into his arms he stared down into her face for a second as she stirred and murmured. He wanted to know what she dreamt of, what filled her head and made her so peaceful… It was the type of sleep he wished he could have and never would.

Slamming the car door with his foot he fished with one hand in her handbag for her keys before making his way to the door and letting himself in. The entry hall to the building was empty and for that he was glad. At least this way he didn’t have to explain to anyone why he was carrying an unconscious Natasha.

Taking the stairs two at a time he reached her floor easily and made his way to the front door of her apartment. He had no idea if she had a roommate. If she did it would probably complicate things…

He couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped him. It was ridiculous. Here he was on a job, his orders were simple and yet he had managed to get himself this badly entangled… After just a few days. If his brother or his father could see him now they’d be disappointed.