Sheet Music - A Rock 'n' Roll Love Story
- Автор: Lister Ann
- Серия: Sheet Music #1
- Год: 2011
- Язык: голландский
- Год: Lulu.com
- ISBN: 9781105173578
- Жанр: Прочая древняя литература
Электронная книга - «Sheet Music - A Rock 'n' Roll Love Story». Краткое содержание книги:
“And you know this for fact?” Michael asked, remembering the conversation he had with Brian about the very same girl, just days earlier.
“Michael, she’s pregnant.” Barbara rolled her eyes and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“Are you sure it’s his kid? I mean, she wouldn’t be the first fifteen year old to lie to her parents about something like this.”
“Trust me, we’re all sure it’s his,” she sighed. She crossed the room and plunked herself down on the barstool beside Michael, then laid her head down onto the countertop. “She came here to tell him she was pregnant. When she refused to have an abortion, he tried to strangle her. She has the bruises on her throat to prove it.” Barbara sniffed loudly. “I can’t believe this is really happening. I’ve known for years he’s had a thing for younger women - but not fifteen-year-olds and certainly not someone from our own damn family!”
Michael reached out and stroked Barbara’s back. He tried to think of the right words to say but nothing came to him. It was all surreal for him; like something out of a bad movie. Yes, he knew Brian was no angel when it came to cheating on Barbara and Michael had long since give up trying to get him to change his evil ways. But, this was clearly the actions of a man he did not know.
“Has anyone heard from him?” Michael mumbled.
Barbara propped her head up on an elbow. Tears made her cheeks glisten in the sunlight. “No,” she sobbed. “And I hope he never comes back either. He can rot in jail for all I care!”
Michael stepped between her legs on the stool and embraced her in his arms. “You really don’t mean that, Barb. After all the years you two have been together and the shit you’ve survived, this is just one more bump in the road.”
Her arms slid easily around his waist. She pressed her face against his chest and exhaled. For several minutes she held on tightly while Michael tried his best to offer her solace within his arms. His body was firm and lean, much like Brian’s, but with more muscle tone and he smelt heavenly. For one very brief moment, her thoughts focused on Michael.
“Do you think he’s all right?” she asked, a faint quiver in her voice.
“I’ve never known Brian to lay low for very long. He’ll surface soon enough, then we’ll get his legal counsel armed for bear.”
Barbara tipped her head back to meet his gaze. “You know he’ll never survive prison.”
“I know. But it won’t come to that.”
“I hope you’re right.”
The days passed at a snail’s pace. Michael split his time between Barbara’s house and the main office of the band. Still, Brian remained at large. It was usually after midnight by the time Michael crawled into bed each night. Those few hours were the only time Annie had with him and even then, he was distracted with thoughts of Brian.
A patrol car remained outside the gates to their house, making Annie feel like a virtual prisoner. They were living through a nightmare.
It was after ten o’clock on the fifth day when Michael’s cell phone rang in the pocket of his leather jacket. Once again, he was holding vigil at Barbara’s house. He reached for his ringing phone believing it to be Annie. Instead the distraught voice of Brian greeted him.
“Where the hell are you?” Michael asked.
“I really need you, man,” Brian choked.
“Tell me where you are and I’m there.”
Michael listened carefully to the address. “I’ll be there within the hour. Don’t do anything crazy, okay?”
“I’ll sit tight,” Brian replied quietly.
Barbara’s eyes were wide with worry. “Where is he? Is he okay? How did he sound?”
Michael paced the floor of the kitchen trying to figure out a plan to meet Brian without a police escort. “The only way I can do it, is if I call a taxi, have them meet me at the gas station out on the highway and go from there,” he stated, matter-of-factly. “That way the cops won’t see me leave in my own car.”
“And how do you plan on getting to the gas station?”
“I’ll run through the woods. It shouldn’t take me more than a few minutes.”
“It’s pitch black out there, Michael. You could trip and get hurt and no one would be able to find you!”
“Do you have a better plan?”
“No.”
“Look, we both know if I take my car I will be followed. Is that what you want?”
She shook her head. “Can I ask where he is?”
“He’s at the old Harbor View Motel.”
“Can I come with you?”
Michael shook his head. “I think it’s best if I go get him alone.”
She nodded. “Should I call our lawyer?”
“Not yet. Lets wait until I get back, okay?” Michael slipped on his coat and headed toward the back door. There was nothing but thick woods between the house and the main thoroughfare. Reluctantly, he called for a taxi and the plan was set in action. “With any luck, I should be back with Brian in a couple of hours. I’ll call you when I get there.”
Barbara hugged him tightly. “Please be careful, Michael.” He smiled reassuringly and disappeared out the back door. It took less than fifteen minutes for him to make it to the main road, and except for a few cuts and scratches from the underbrush, he was none the worse for wear. As he came out of the woods, the taxi was pulling into the gas station.
Michael quickly flagged down the driver and jumped into the back seat. He gave the man the address and asked him to hurry. Then he called Annie. At last, she saw an ending to the nightmare and sighed with relief.
“Hurry home, Michael, and please be careful,” she urged.
“I’ll see you in a few hours,” he replied.
“I love you.”
“Me too.”
The taxi turned onto Shore Drive and Michael could see the motel in the distance. Brian’s bright red sports car became visible in the parking lot. What Michael failed to see in his excitement was the unmarked police cruiser pulling into the shadows beside the motel, as he got out and paid the taxi driver.
Michael knocked on the door and waited. “Come on, Brian, let me in. It’s me, Mike.”
“The door’s open,” Brian called to him.
Inside, the tiny cluttered room was dimly lit and smelt of rotting food. There were pizza boxes covering a dirty table by the window, Chinese food cartons piled high, and empty booze bottles littered the bureau. The only light came from a filthy bathroom with broken green tile and bugs in the sink. Both the beds were almost stripped bare of the sheets and well used.
Brian sat between the beds on the floor. His appearance caused Michael to stop in his tracks. It was obvious he had not showered or shaved in days, dark circles hung heavy below his bloated eyes, and his lips were puffy and cracked. His clothes clung to his body, outlining his fragility. In his lap, Brian’s fingers toyed with the trigger of a .357 Magnum revolver. Michael’s stomach began to churn into a tight knot.
“What are you doing?” Michael asked, sitting down on the bed to face his friend. He had seen Brian hung-over from booze and drugs before, but this was the worst. In the nearly twenty-five years they had known each other, this was Brian’s rock bottom, the state one reaches before they totally lose touch of reality.
Brian’s eyes drifted up toward the sound of Michael’s voice. It was painful to watch him try and focus but Michael waited until recognition lit Brian’s face. Then tears trickled down his dirty cheeks and his smile faded.
“I really screwed up this time, Mike. I really did.”