Finding Forever: Band on the Run Part Two — A Rock Star Romantic Suspense Read online

  Finding Forever

  Band on the Run part 2

  Lara Wynter

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Lara Wynter

  Afterword

  This book is dedicated to all those precious friends and family who are no longer with us on this earth but who watch over us from above.

  Finding Forever

  Band on the Run Part 2

  © Lara Wynter 2021

  All rights reserved.

  No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by Australian copyright law. For permissions contact:

  [email protected]

  Visit the author’s website at

  https://larawynter.wixsite.com/alora

  First Edition

  Cover design by Wynter Designs © 2021.

  Editing - Patricia Bell.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN: 9798548144188

  Chapter One

  Willow

  I feel like I’ve left my heart behind at Cedar Valley Ranch. Although I’ve been taken again, I cling to the desperate hope that Joss is safe. I need to believe that he is. I’d even stop fighting to regain my freedom if I knew it would keep him alive and safe. I keep my eyes closed as the van speeds along the highway. No need to let Rudy know I’m awake.

  As soon as we get back to Seattle, Rudy will want me to retrieve the gun from his biggest rival in Seattle’s seedy underworld. What he doesn’t know is that I already have it. If he knew that, he’d place a bullet in my skull and bury me in a shallow grave beside the highway. But while he still thinks Jimmy Dubois has the evidence that ties him to at least one murder, I have what I need the most — time.

  My mind drifts back to the night I found the gun. It wasn’t easy to get. It involved crawling through a very small hole and into an even tighter duct — hence the reason Rudy needed me for the job — I’ve never been big and my dancing has kept my figure slight and almost boyish. But I’d done it. I’d gotten in and out without setting off any alarms and no one the wiser. The identical replacement gun would keep Jimmy from discovering my deception.

  It had been pouring with rain when I’d emerged back into the alleyway. I’d made my way to the lockers down by the docks and stashed the gun in the one I’d rented months before. I’m the only living soul that knows exactly where it’s hidden. My plan had been to escape shortly after hiding the gun, but fate had other ideas.

  Now that I have most of my memories back, or at least enough to get by, I don’t feel quite so lost. There are still plenty of blank periods. The worst of it is not remembering who my real parents are. If I ever escape from Rudy, I’ll still be without a family.

  Rudy shoves my shoulder, causing my head to crack against the glass.

  “Wake up, Mea. I have a task for you.”

  I sit upright and blink, stretching out my arms, hoping my performance is convincing. “What do you need me to do?”

  “I need a drink. You’re going to flirt with the store clerk while I get what I want.”

  There’s no point arguing that Rudy has plenty of money to buy his own liquor. He likes the thrill stealing gives him. Even something as small as a bottle of alcohol. I glance at my dirty jeans and top. I can’t even imagine what my hair looks like after being out in the storm. “I’m not sure I’m looking that great right now.”

  Rudy tosses a hairbrush, make-up bag, and baby wipes onto my lap. “Clean yourself up. You have ten minutes.”

  I pull a compact out of the bag and wipe my face clean. Hurriedly, I apply some foundation—concentrating on hiding my scar— then a quick swipe of lipstick and mascara. The hairbrush snarls in my thick red-gold hair. I yank it free and begin again. It takes the rest of my allotted time to tame my wild mane. As we pull up in front of a twenty-four-hour liquor store, Rudy tosses me a shimmery black tank-top. I yank off my shirt, leaving me in my bra and pull on the top as quickly as I can, hating the feel of Rudy’s eyes on my body even though I know he’s not attracted to me in that way.

  I follow Rudy out of the luxury van and into the cool night air. Goosebumps pebble my skin, but I do my best to ignore the cold. We enter the store. The rest of his goons stay in the van. They’ll come in if things go bad, but it’s all part of the sick thrill for Rudy. He gets off on breaking the law. That and making me jump through hoops for him. Rudy heads straight for the back of the store, and I make my way over to the register. I push all thoughts of Joss from my mind as the clerk looks up at me and smiles, his gaze traveling boldly up and down my body. Repressing my sudden need to puke, I force myself to smile. At least this is going to be easy, and Rudy won’t punish me for failing.

  I run my fingertips along the edge of the counter. “Do you think you could help me find something? I’m a little lost.” I throw in a giggle for good measure, but I don’t think it’s necessary given the speed at which Mr. Sleaze jumps up and comes around to my side of the counter.

  “Of course, darlin. What do you need?” He’s much older than me, probably in his late 30s. He runs a hand through his limp, dirty-blond hair.

  “It’s my boyfriend's birthday tomorrow, and I wanted to get him something nice.” I add in the boyfriend bit to give the guy one last chance to redeem himself.

  “Boyfriend huh?” He shrugs. “That’s okay, I’m fine with that. Life is too short to worry about labeling everything. Name’s Aden, by the way, what's yours, sweetness?”

  Is this guy for real? I repress a shudder. I really want to knee him in the groin and leave, but knowing Rudy, he’s probably taking his sweet time. “Can you recommend anything?”

  “We keep all our special edition stuff out back.” He places a hand at my waist as he tries to lead me toward the back of the store.

  No way am I going into some back room with this guy. I reach out and grab the nearest bottle of who-knows-what. At this point, I’m past caring about Rudy. “Found it!” I hold the bottle aloft.

  He takes the pink bottle from my hand. “Shimmer Vodka?”

  “Yep, he loves anything that glitters.” I walk as quickly as I can over to the register. It’s then that I realize my dilemma. I have no money to pay. I shove my hands in my jeans pocket before coming up empty. “I’m sorry. I’ll have to come back later. I seem to have left my purse at home.”

  Aiden sets the bottle down and slides an arm around my waist. He leans in close, his hot breath in my ear. “Never mind, darlin’. I’m sure we can work something out.”

  My
hand flies to his cheek. The slap rings out.

  His hand races to his cheek to cover the red welt forming. “You little cow!” He makes a grab for my arm, but I dance backward out of his reach. I turn and fly out the door, not stopping until I’m back in the van, breathing hard.

  Rudy throws back his head and roars with laughter. “Losing your touch, little Mea?” He takes a gulp from the bottle of whisky he just swiped and wipes the back of one hand across his mouth.

  I glare at him in defiance. “Can we just go?”

  The driver pulls back onto the street so fast that I fly forward into the back of his seat. I push myself back and do up my seatbelt before returning my gaze back out into the night.

  Chapter Two

  Joss

  The sun is just rising as we reach the outskirts of Seattle. My head still throbs, but the urge to vomit has lessened. Hopefully, the last of the drugs Rudy injected me with will be out of my system soon. I need to find Willow, but of course, with her amnesia, she was never able to tell me where Gadsden kept her. Who knows how many houses and hideouts he owns, anyway. She could be anywhere, and in a city of several million people, finding her isn’t going to be easy.

  “Where to, Boss?” Jasper asks as the traffic increases, and we come to a stop at a red light.

  I clench my fingers into fists and rub them along my thighs. “I don’t know. I guess we need to set up a base somewhere.”

  “We can check into a hotel, but we don’t want the press knowing that you're here.”

  My phone rings, and I snatch it up. It’s the band’s drummer, Jase. I put the phone on speaker. “What’s up?”

  “You haven’t sent an update for a while. Just thought I’d better check in with you. How’s Willow?”

  I curse under my breath and quickly fill him in on Gadsden’s attack on the Ranch and how he’s taken Willow captive again.

  He swears so loudly even Jasper glances over before turning his attention back to the road.

  “We’re back in Seattle now. Just trying to figure out what our next step should be.”

  “I guess we’ll see you soon then,” Jase says.

  “What? We were thinking of renting a room. Why would we come back to Horsham House?”

  “Because your family is here. Harrison has been going crazy not knowing what’s happening.”

  We’re not related by blood, but we’re as close as family. “Maggie runs Horsham House, and if our suspicions are correct, she’s working with Gadsden. We can hardly come to you.”

  “Does the expression, ‘keep your friends close, and your enemies closer’ mean anything to you?”

  I turn to Jasper. “What do you think, Jas?”

  “I think he has a good point. If we head to Horsham House, I can keep an eye on Maggie. I might also be able to tap into their security. It’s our best chance of finding Willow quickly if you’re right about Maggie being involved.”

  “Okay,” I agree. If it helps us find Willow, I’m all in. “We’re on our way now.”

  “Good,” Jase replies. “I didn’t want to add to your stress level, but if you don’t get back here soon we’re likely to lose our contract for the new album. They found out you left in the middle of recording and all hell broke loose.”

  “I’ll be there.” I end the call.

  My teeth grind together. I can’t afford to let my actions mess up the rest of the band's success. If only I could split myself in two. How I’m going to balance finding Willow with recording the new album, I have no idea. If it was just my career on the line, I wouldn’t care. But it’s not. I have to make it all work ... somehow.

  I sit impatiently as we pass through the security gates and continue along the stately drive toward Horsham House. As we stop in front of the elegant mansion, Harrison is out front awaiting our arrival. A musical genius, he’s probably got a lot of the music for the album already recorded. If only he could sing, no one would even miss me. As soon as the car stops, I exit and embrace Harrison in a quick hug.

  Harrison’s calming presence is just what I need right now.

  “I’m glad you’re back,” Harrison says sincerely. “Even if it’s not under the best circumstances. I’m sorry to hear about Willow. Jase filled us in.” He throws an arm around my shoulder and leads me inside.

  “Is there somewhere safe we can talk?”

  “You really think we have to worry about that?”

  I glance around the hall, not sure what I’m expecting to see. It’s not as if any bugs would be visible. “We can’t take any chances. This is too important.”

  “You know, I have a sudden urge to try my hand at archery.” Harrison winks at me. “You game?”

  “Sure. As long as you can keep Jase from shooting me in the butt, I’m in.”

  Harrison laughs. “I’ll keep an eye on him. Let me go round up Jase and Will and we’ll meet you outside.”

  I head out into the expansive grounds. Over to my left are the stables. A ride could really clear my head right now. And Dervish reminds me of my own horse, Danger, back on the ranch. But rather than horses, my mind returns to Willow. The first time I ever saw her was in these very stables. She thought I was Matt, the stable manager. I’d let her think that. It had been refreshing to talk to someone that didn't know about the band, or care about my fame. Turns out I needn't have worried. Willow doesn’t care about any of that stuff, anyway.

  With a sigh, I turn the other way and head to the long, open space between the trees where the large, colored archery targets are backed by bales of straw to stop any wild arrows. No doubt there will be plenty of those today. The thought almost brings a chuckle … almost.

  A genuine smile lifts the corner of my mouth as Jase, Harrison, and Will walk toward me, carrying an assortment of recurve bows and colorfully fletched arrows.

  Will has his long, blond hair tied back at the nape of his neck. He drops his equipment in a messy pile on the ground and embraces me in a fierce hug. “Good to see you back, man.” He releases me with a final back slap. “We’ll find her. You know we will.”

  I ignore the sudden wetness in my eyes, blinking rapidly. “Thanks, Will. And for keeping things going when I ran out on you all.”

  “Some things are more important than even music,” Jase says. “We’ve got your back, brother.”

  Harrison, sensing I’m close to breaking down, hands me a bow. “Let’s get this show on the road. First to hit the bullseye gets to choose tonight's pizza toppings.”

  “Yes! I’m in,” Jase says, choosing his equipment and passing me in his quest to get off the first shot.

  I laugh as his arrow shoots wildly into the air, bypassing even the straw bales.

  “Watch it,” Harrison admonishes with a smile on his face. “You want to hit the gardener and get us kicked out?”

  Jase shrugs his broad shoulders. “Guess I don't know my own strength.” He makes a show of flexing his centerfold-worthy biceps.

  Will pushes him out of the way. “Brain beats brawn any day. Watch and learn, young padawan.” He at least takes the time to sight the target before he releases his arrow. It flies straight and hit’s the white part of the board just outside the rings.

  “Not bad,” Harrison nods sagely before nocking his own arrow. He smoothly releases his hold. The arrow thunks into the first of the black rings and is the best shot by far. He turns to face us, a triumphant smile on his face, and lets out a whoop, fist-punching the air.

  We bump fists.

  “Let me try this thing.” I take the bow from Harrison and chose an arrow fletched with red-gold feathers. It reminds me of Willow's hair. All my mirth leaves as swiftly as it came.

  I slip on the arm protector and finger tab, not wanting to injure myself when we still have the rest of the album to record. Pulling back on the bowstring, I watch as the arrow lands with a thunk in the top right corner of the target. Archery requires intense focus, something I’m definitely lacking at the moment.

  Will, always with excess energy
to burn, offers to retrieve all the arrows for the next round. We still have plenty in reserve, but no one complains as he jogs down to collect them. He even takes the time to find Jase’s wayward arrow.

  “So.” Harrison’s tone turns serious as Will returns. “What are we going to do to find Willow? And how are we going to tie that in with finishing the album?”

  “Screw the album,” Jase says. “Joss has finally found his soulmate. Finding her is our number one goal.”

  I shake my head. “While I appreciate you saying that, more than you can ever know, I don’t want to flush your lives down the toilet. We need to figure out how to do both the album and rescue Willow.”

  Harrison shrugs. “I’ve never heard you sound happier than when you called and told me you’d found the love of your life. It must be eating you up inside to know Rudy Gadsden has her again. We’re behind you one hundred percent. Just tell us what you want us to do.”

  I throw my arms in the air. “That’s just it. I have no freaking idea what to do next. Jasper’s going to try to find out what he can by keeping an eye on Maggie. We need to know if she’s really involved with Gadsden. He’s also going to try to hack into the computers here and see what he can find out. There could be others involved.”

  “What about the rest of your security team?” Will asks. “Are they coming here to help us?”

  I clench my hands into fists. “I wish I could say yes, but after Greg betrayed us, I can’t trust that more of my team hasn’t been compromised. Apart from Jasper, who I have, and do, trust with my life, we’re on our own.”