Stone Cold Page 3

  Chapter Two

  “Man, if I’d known it was gonna be that intense, I never would’ve asked you to stop by for a drink tonight,” J.T. said, leaning over the bar.

  “So you did ask me to come by ’cause you knew she was gonna be here. I thought you were my friend? You must have known she’s just about the last person I’d want to see.”

  “Yeah,” J.T. said, leaning back. “But I also knew she was probably the one person you needed to see the most. You two need to put what happened between you to rest so you can both move on with your lives. Livin’ with all this anger isn’t healthy, man.”

  “I moved on a long time ago,” Drake said, popping a pretzel in his mouth.

  “I’ve known you a long time,” J.T. said, bracing his hands on the bar. “And I’ve never seen you more miserable than you’ve been this past year.”

  “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” Drake thought he’d been hiding it well. Apparently not. “I haven’t been wanting for female companionship, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  People were starting to file in to the bar and a man claimed a stool several seats away from Drake. He gave the bartender his order before shooting a side-long glance at Drake.

  J.T. shook his head. “That’s not what I’m talkin’ about and you know it. Man, I used to be that guy. Hookin’ up with a different buckle bunny every night, dousing the loneliness in liquor, then I met Nik and everything changed for me. I didn’t wanna be that guy anymore. I wanted to be a better man ’cause she made me believe I could be.”

  “I like myself just fine, J.T.”

  “Really? You like the guy who said all those ugly things to a lady he once loved? Hell, I’ve known you a lot of years and I haven’t even heard you say shit like that to your worst enemy.” He leaned closer, looking Drake in the eye. “That’s the woman you used to make love to every night.”

  That reminder felt like someone twisted the knife blade sticking out of his back. As if his mind would ever let him forget the intimacy they’d one shared. “That was before I knew what she was capable of.”

  “She made a mistake.” He smirked. “Granted, as far as mistakes go, that one pretty much tops the list, but we both know she’s a good girl.”

  Drake rolled his eyes. “She’s a junkie.” The word tasted foul, mainly because he’d never thought of her that way. He knew she’d had a terrible childhood and she was coping the only way she knew how.

  “She’s a recovering addict, same as she was when you asked her to be your wife, the mother of your children.”

  “Maybe I was naïve, but I thought she was capable of changing, getting her life together. That night I found her with my brother, I realized she’s never gonna change. Once an addict, always an addict.”

  J.T. threw his hands up in the air. “I can see I’m not gonna get through to you tonight. You want me to call you a cab?”

  “Nah, I’ll just call my driver. Thanks for the offer though.”

  J.T. offered his hand. “I hope you don’t think I over-stepped, tryin’ to bring you two together tonight. I was just hopin’ you’d be able to talk. I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”

  Drake accepted his friend’s hand. “No hard feelings. I know you were just trying to help.”

  “The drinks are on the house tonight,” J.T. said, smiling.

  “In that case…” Drake pointed to a bottle of eighteen-year-old scotch behind the bar. “Might as well haul out the good stuff.”

  J.T. chuckled. “Whatever you want, Roy can get it for you. I’m goin’ home to my beautiful wife.”

  Drake tried to ignore the pang of envy. “Give Nik a kiss for me.”

  “Will do. I’ll see ya around,” J.T. said, coming around the bar and slapping Drake on the back as he walked toward the door.

  The man who’d been sitting a few feet away from Drake moved closer. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with your friend.”

  Drake brought his glass to his lips. “Then you weren’t trying hard enough.” The last thing he wanted was make small talk with some nosy stranger. He knew he should leave before Cassidy and her band took the stage, but there was a part of him that wanted to know if she still had it.

  The well-dressed, middle-aged man extended his hand. “Name’s Phil.”

  Drake glanced at the man’s outstretched hand a minute before he accepted it. “Drake.”

  “That’s what I thought,” he said, smiling. “You’re Cassidy’s ex.”

  Drake looked the stranger up and down, trying to ascertain whether he could be the man Cassidy referred to earlier. He looked too straight-laced to get involved with someone as colorful as Cassidy. “Who the hell are you?” He couldn’t keep the bite from his voice as he realized he was jealous. He didn’t want her anymore, but that didn’t mean he wanted anyone else to have her either.

  “Let’s just say I’m a friend of hers.”

  The way he said it made Drake want to knock him off that stool, but he held his temper, hoping to get more information about the nature of their relationship. He knew he shouldn’t care what she did or who she did it with, but logic often wasn’t a factor when his battered ego was calling the shots.

  “Define friend.”

  The man laughed, shaking his head. “I keep a roof over her head when I can and she helps me with… things.”

  Curling his hand around his glass, Drake muttered, “I’ll just bet she does.”

  He hated to think she’d stooped that low, trading the body he’d once worshipped for a roof over her head, but his conscience reminded him he’d given her little choice when he blacklisted her. Aside from J.T., everyone else who called themselves his friend or even an acquaintance hadn’t even batted an eye when he told them Cassidy was never gonna make it in this business.

  His word was usually the last word in Nashville music circles and he’d earned that respect the hard way. No way would anyone take the side of a wannabe country singer who hadn’t even cut a record over a producer who’d been the talent behind two hundred and thirty million in record sales in his illustrious career.

  “Things ended badly for you two, didn’t they?” Phil asked, bringing his soft drink to his lips. “You still seem angry… bitter. I don’t have to tell you it’s not healthy to live with so much resentment.”

  He could scarcely believe her new lover had the audacity to lecture him about bygones. He would never, ever forget what Cassidy had done to him.

  Relationships had never been easy for Drake. Being wealthy and powerful meant he always had to be on guard against women who just wanted to benefit from his hard work and reputation. He thought Cassidy was different. From the first time he met her, he’d sensed there was something about her…

  As she claimed the stage, his mind drifted back to the first night he’d seen her, standing right there, in the center of the same stage. She was singing about heartache, and he felt every word as though she was singing directly to him. He assumed she was. At first, he thought someone must’ve told her he was in the audience, watching her show, that this could be her big break to play with the heavy hitters if Drake saw something special in her. But when he approached her later and asked if he could buy her a drink, she seemed surprised, as though she had no idea he was there… watching her.

  “She’s something else, isn’t she?” Phil asked, propping his chin in his hand as he gazed at the stage and the gorgeous woman singing a heart-wrenching ballad Drake had never heard before. “I never get tired of listening to her. I remember the first time I heard her sing—”

  Drake held his hand up. “If you don’t mind, I just wanna watch the show.” The last thing he wanted was to hear about how the man at his side had developed a bond with the woman who used to share his bed.

  “Sure,” Phil said, shrugging. He looked at Drake intensely, as though he was trying to read his expression before he turned his attention back to the stage.

  In spite of his attempts to block it out, he
r song got under Drake’s skin. He closed his eyes and listened to the incredible tone of her voice. If anything, she’d gotten even better over the past year. He couldn’t help but wonder what she’d traded for those vocal lessons.

  “You still have feelings for her.”

  Drake was shocked speechless by Phil’s assessment. By the time he finally recovered his voice, Cassidy and her band were gearing up for an up-tempo song. “No, you’ve got nothing to worry about, man. I’m done with her.”

  “You sure about that?” Phil asked, smiling.

  “Yeah, I’m sure.” He expected the man to be jealous, over protective the way he had once been when Cassidy had been his woman. A lot of good it had done him. Even with his ring on her finger, she still betrayed him and with his identical twin brother, no less. That still stung more than anything else. What could Lee have possibly given her that he couldn’t have?

  “You’re wondering why she chose him over you, aren’t you, Drake?”

  He turned to face the man, praying he couldn’t read his thoughts. What kind of game is this guy playing? Determined to find out, he said, “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

  Phil smiled as he reached in to the bowl of pretzels. “Sure, you do. I can’t even imagine how you must have felt, walking in on them together.”

  Knowing that she trusted this guy enough to share that with him cut Drake to the core. Was she in love with him? Planning a future with him? He looked at her, trying to establish whether she was wearing an engagement ring or, worse, a wedding band, but he was too far away to tell. Besides, wouldn’t Phil have introduced herself as her fiancé or husband? He said he was her friend. Not that Drake believed that for a second, especially if they were close enough that she would share the intimate details of her life with him.

  “Are you surprised she told me?”

  What was it about this guy? How could he read him as easily as an open book? “I don’t care what she told you—”

  “Yes, you do.” He chuckled. “I’m a psychologist, in case you were wondering.”

  “A psychologist?” He wasn’t naïve enough to believe Cassidy had been seeing him professionally. There was no question in Drake’s mind their relationship was of a personal nature. The way Phil watched her move across the stage with such respect and admiration in his eyes told Drake all he needed to know. “Then you should be smart enough to know that a girl like her is never gonna change.”

  “On the contrary, my friend. She’s already changed. She’s not the same woman you proposed to.”

  “Really? How the hell would you know that?”

  “She was a shell of a girl when she came to me. Broken, confused, alone, feeling… worthless. I’ve helped her find her inner strength, something you didn’t have the tools to do.” He held his hands up, obviously feeling threatened by Drake’s body language. “No offense. It’s just that you would’ve had to be where we’ve been to understand how hard it is to make it to the other side.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “I’m a recovering addict as well.”

  Drake stared at the straight-laced man beside him, shocked that he shared Cassidy’s affliction. “You can’t be serious.”

  His kind green eyes shone with amusement. “I can assure you I’m not joking.”

  Drake looked up at the stage and started to see signs that maybe this man was right, perhaps Cassidy had changed over the past year. She’d certainly stood up to him earlier, instead of cowering in fear and shame the way he’d expected her to. She also seemed to have an inner confidence she’d never possessed before.

  “What’s your story?” Suddenly, he found himself interested in learning how this man had turned his life around.

  “I got hooked during college. I managed to hide it from my wife—”

  “Hold on,” Drake said, looking at his left hand, hoping to find evidence of his marital status. “You’re married?”

  Phil smiled. “For fifteen years. Believe it or not, my wife stood by me, even when she should have kicked me out on my ass.”

  Drake felt a twinge of guilt. He had no doubt that barb was directed at his treatment of Cassidy. Sure, he’d thrown her out when she needed him most, but she’d slept with his brother. That’s not the kind of indiscretion a man can forgive or forget. Ever. “I’m willing to bet you didn’t sleep with your wife’s sister.”

  “No, but I did a lot of things some may consider unforgiveable. Spent our grocery money on drugs, pawned her wedding ring…” He sighed. “The list goes on, I’m afraid.”

  “Okay, you did some lousy things, I’ll give you that.” Drake found himself smiling at the man when he realized he was no longer a threat. “So, how’d you get clean? What was the turning point for you?”

  “I found out my wife was pregnant with our son. I didn’t want to be a father my son would be ashamed of. My father was a good man. He died too young, but I was so proud of him. I wanted my son to feel that way about me. So…” He took a deep breath. “I went through an intensive in-patient treatment program and it changed my life.”

  “I’m glad it all worked out for you,” Drake said, wishing Cassidy had the same success with the treatment program he’d paid for.

  “I went back to school and finished my degree.” He took a sip of his drink before adding, “Fortunately, my beautiful wife understood when I told her I wanted to open a non-profit center to help people overcome drug addiction. It doesn’t pay much, but I love what I do.”

  Drake let his words sink in before he asked, “Is that how you met Cassidy?”

  Phil slid off his stool. “I think I’ll let her tell you that story, if she’s so inclined.” He reached in to his pocket and threw a bill down on the bar.

  Reaching for his arm, Drake asked, “Why did you come here tonight?”

  “I thought Cassidy needed me.” He looked up at the stage. “But I can see she doesn’t. She’s going to be just fine.”

  “She called you?”

  “Yes,” he said, sliding his hands into the pockets of his bomber jacket. “Seeing you again left her feeling a little shaky.”

  Given the way Drake had attacked her, he could understand why. “Tell me something. Is she clean now?”

  Phil pointed to the woman commanding center stage. “You tell me.” He looked at Drake a long time as though he was considering how much he should divulge. “Keep in mind things aren’t always as they seem, Drake. Sometimes you just need to dig a little deeper to get to the truth.”

  “What’re you talkin’ about?”

  “Figuring that out is going to be your journey, my friend.” Phil smiled. “Godspeed.”

  Chapter Three

  Getting through that set, knowing Drake was sitting there, watching her, waiting for her to mess up so he could ridicule her, was one of the hardest things Cassidy had ever done. But knowing it was her only opportunity to prove to him that he hadn’t won, she poured everything she had in to every song she sang.

  She smiled at the cowboys trying to get her attention as though she was having the time of her life. She’d almost managed to keep the smile firmly fixed in place until one of those cowboys blocked her path to the dressing room.

  “Why don’t you take a whirl ’round the dance floor with me, ya sexy little thang?”

  He wasn’t asking; he was telling, and his firm grip on her wrist told her that he didn’t intend to take no for an answer. Not wanting to start trouble and lose the only decent gig she had left, she smiled politely and tried to shake him off. “Maybe some other time.”

  “Now sounds like a good time to me,” he said, hauling her toward the dance floor.

  She tried digging her heels in, but it was no use. At barely five feet tall and one hundred and five pounds on a good day, this average-sized man was the one calling the shots in a physical battle. “I said I don’t want—” She ran straight into his back when he stopped suddenly, taking a step back. As soon as she peered over his shoulder
, she could see why he was backing down.

  Any man in his right mind would run when his rival was six feet three inches, two-hundred-and-forty pounds of rippling muscle that seemed poised to strike.

  The last time she’d seen Drake this angry had been the night he had kicked her out of his penthouse. She knew he’d never take his aggression out on her, but any man who got in his way had always been fair game.

  Concerned about the fall-out if she was the cause of a brawl in J.T.’s bar, she stepped between the two men, pressing her palms in to Drake’s stomach in an attempt to force him to take a step back. Lord have mercy, the man still had a six-pack that most Calvin Klein models would envy.

  “It’s okay, hon,” she said, trying to give the man the impression they were a couple. “He didn’t mean any harm.”

  Drake didn’t even spare her a glance as he glared over the top of her head. “That’s not the way it looked from where I was sitting.” He took a step forward, effectively sandwiching Cassidy between his unyielding chest and the paunch of the man at her back.

  “Please,” she whispered, looking up into his dark, determined eyes.

  Obviously, he sympathized with her position because he grabbed her waist and pulled her tight against his chest.

  Shocked by his state of arousal, she looked up into his eyes, but he was giving nothing away. “Drake, I…”

  “Look,” the other man said, raising his hands. “I don’t want any trouble. I didn’t notice the ring…” he stammered. “I’m sorry… I…”

  Drake’s eyes fell to her hand on his chest. That’s when he saw it. His engagement ring still on her finger.

  Cassidy felt the heat rising to her hairline as her eyes fell to the center of his chest. She heard the man behind her scramble away, but he was suddenly the least of her worries. She thought of taking the ring off, but without a safe place to keep it, that didn’t seem like an option. Her room at the shelter was often occupied by other residents and her car wasn’t an option any more than selling it was. If she’d pawned it, the ring would have paid for a cheap, one-bedroom apartment for more than a year, but every time she tried, she backed out at the last minute, telling the annoyed pawn shop owner she wasn’t ready to sell it.