“Barr…”

  “I’ll get you a table,” he said.

  “Me? What about you?”

  Of course all Barr did was fucking smile at me.

  He walked me to a table just to the left of the stage.

  There were four chairs and a candle burning at the center of the table.

  He pulled out a chair for me.

  The man playing the trumpet hit one last note and held it.

  And he kept holding it until everyone started to clap for him.

  Barr smashed his hands together like thunder and then stuck his fingers into his mouth and whistled.

  The trumpet playing stopped and a short, fat guy smoking a cigarette ran up on stage and grabbed a microphone.

  “Give it up for Benny,” he said.

  Everyone cheered again.

  Benny the trumpet player stepped off the stage and went right to Barr.

  They hugged.

  Benny was at least twice, maybe three times Barr’s age.

  He was tall, skinny, messy hair, and had baggy clothes.

  “How are you, my brother?” Benny asked.

  “Good,” Barr said. “Sounded good up there.”

  “Who is this here?” Benny asked.

  They looked at me.

  “Someone special,” Barr said.

  “You’ve never brought anyone here before, Barr,” Benny said.

  Now that was news to me.

  I raised an eyebrow at Barr.

  He winked.

  Fuck.

  Benny laughed a deep, frog sounding laugh and patted Barr’s shoulder.

  He walked away and Barr pointed to someone.

  I looked and saw a tall, beautiful woman rushing toward us.

  “Haven’t seen you in forever,” she said, hugging Barr.

  Kissing his cheek.

  My hands went flat to the table and I was ready to stand up and throw a punch.

  Calm down, Tinsley… this isn’t real. None of this is real.

  “What do you want to drink, love?” Barr asked me.

  “We have everything possible,” the woman said. “I’m Alex, by the way.”

  “Tinsley,” I said.

  We shook hands.

  “Your name is cool as shit,” Alex said.

  “Thanks.”

  “So what are you drinking?”

  “Soda is fine,” I said. “Cherry…?”

  “You got it,” Alex said. “I’ll make something nice for you.”

  Alex walked away and I looked up at Barr.

  “Never brought anyone here before?” I asked.

  “We’ll talk later, love,” Barr said. “I have something to do.”

  He walked away.

  My jaw dropped.

  He brought me here to just ditch me?

  I casually looked at my phone and saw I had zero service. Of course not, right? I would have to walk out of this place and stand in a dark alleyway to call for help.

  Better yet, who would I call?

  Gi? Beth?

  Pres? Kip?

  Or…

  I had no idea where I was.

  Of course I could find out on my phone.

  But only if I went outside.

  My eyes moved from my phone to Barr.

  Wherever he walked, people talked to him. Yelled for him. Men shook his hand. Women hugged him. He bumped into someone and the guy turned and they went chest to chest.

  That’s when Alex appeared at the table.

  “Here you go, Tinsley,” she said. “You’ll love it. Sweet and bubbly.”

  “Is Barr okay?” I asked.

  She looked and waved her hand. “Don’t worry about that. Just enjoy the drink and the music.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Is it just trumpet players?”

  “No,” Alex said. “Anyone who wants to play. Or sing. Or even read something.”

  “What is this place?”

  Alex laughed. “It doesn’t need a name.”

  “Right,” I said. “Is Barr coming back?”

  “Yeah,” Alex said. “Once he’s done.”

  “Done?”

  Alex half smirked. “He’s playing next.”

  * * *

  The drink was excellent.

  But I only took a sip when I was able to pick my jaw up off the table.

  I stupidly didn’t even really look at the stage to realize there was a piano there.

  When Barr walked up on the stage, he lifted a drink into the air and everyone clapped for him. He looked right at me and winked.

  Barr then sat behind the piano and hit a few random notes.

  He put his drink on top of the piano and cracked his knuckles.

  Then he started to play.

  It was the same song he had been playing that night at Claire’s. Note for note, played to perfection, the classical piece silenced the entire crowd. He kept his head down as he played, sitting sideways so I was able to see his fingers touching the keys.

  This wasn’t something you learned in a week or even a year.

  This was something you did for a long time. Something you worked your ass off to learn. And beyond just being able to play the piano there was something about the way he did it…

  Barr walked his left hand down the piano keys where the sound was deep and growling. He took a drink with his right hand and quickly changed the song. It went from this slow, masterful classical piece to this fast, choppy, jazz sounding thing. So fast and so brutal on the keys, it was impossible to not bob your head up and down, following the notes, secretly waiting for him to lose the song or lose a note, but he never did.

  Then Barr started to nod his head, getting into it.

  Playing faster. Making sounds from the piano that I wasn’t sure could happen.

  He then started crossing his hands back and forth over one another.

  And if that wasn’t enough, Barr stood up, sending the piano bench over on its side.

  Everyone erupted into cheers and claps for him.

  Then he stopped.

  Just completely stopped.

  “Benny!” he yelled. “Bobby!”

  Barr picked up where he left off.

  I watched then as Benny got back up on stage with his trumpet. And another guy - Bobby - carried a gigantic bass or cello or whatever.

  Barr slowed the song down and nodded to them.

  The three started to play a wildly catchy jazz song like they had been playing together all their lives.

  People clapped again.

  My jaw dropped again.

  I couldn’t catch my breath at the sight of this.

  Barr… the badass dickhead who was part of the Rulz. The guy who had people fearing him on a daily basis. The guy who put his foot through a guitar because the guitar player didn’t play a song fast enough. The asshole who threatened to close down Mom’s rehab center because I wouldn’t kiss him.

  That same guy was on stage at an underground music club, playing piano.

  And he wanted me to see this.

  He brought me here to show me.

  And it was really cool.

  The jazz song came to an end and Benny and Bobby left the stage to applause.

  Barr kept playing with his right hand as he crouched, reached back, and picked up the piano stool.

  He sat down and segued back into the classical sounding music.

  His fingers worked up the piano to the higher notes and then back down to the other side.

  Barr hit one last note and stopped.

  He stood, grabbed his drink, and nodded.

  The place exploded one more time with applause.

  Everyone stood up.

  So I stood up.

  Barr didn’t walk off the stage either. He simply stepped off the front of the stage and walked right to me. I was so caught up in the moment I reached for his face and grabbed him. His hands grabbed my sides and he lifted me off my feet.

  My heart pounded inside my chest as I stared into his honey gold eyes.

  I was lost in them.

  Not far.

  But enough.

  Barr pressed his lips to mine and my heart felt like it exploded worse than the applause in the underground club.

  All I could think about was Barr carrying me away to some secret room to do whatever he wanted to do. Everything about him oozed a sense of coolness that he tried to hide for whatever reason. What I had seen with the piano, the music, and the underground club made the smoking make more sense. On top of everything else about Barr.

  He kissed me harder.

  I kissed him back even harder.

  But then Barr was suddenly gone.

  I dropped down and missed the ground somehow and fell back.

  I hit the table and pain shot through my hip.

  I spilled my drink, stepped on an ice cube, and ended up on my ass again.

  Barr wasn’t there to save me.

  Because Barr was now in a bar fight.

  * * *

  It was the guy he had gone chest to chest with before.

  He had Barr pressed against a wall and landed a punch to Barr’s jaw.

  I hurried to grab at the edge of the table to get back to my feet.

  Barr grabbed the guy by the shirt and threw him back. The guy tried to throw another punch but Barr blocked it. Barr punched the guy in the gut, making him bend over. Then Barr grabbed the guy by his shirt and jeans and threw him at the wall. The guy hit with a hard thud and stumbled back. He turned and wasn’t done fighting yet. Offering another punch, he clipped Barr on the cheek. That only pissed Barr off even more. He went after the guy again.

  “Let me clean that up,” a voice said.

  It was Alex with a towel, wiping up the spilled soda.

  “What is this?” I asked her.

  “Typical,” she said. “You better get ready to go, though. Hank won’t let him hang around after this.”

  “Hank?” I asked.

  “The guy who owns this place.”

  “Oh. Right. How much for the drink then?”

  “Nothing,” Alex said.

  “What?”

  “Just get Barr and get him out of here.”

  Barr and the guy were still tangled up as I took a few steps.

  How the hell could I break up a fight like this?

  I stood a few feet away from Barr and the guy as they traded more blows. Finally, Barr got a hold of the guy’s shirt and threw him toward the stage. The guy landed on the stage and stayed there, taking deep breaths.

  Barr looked at me and smiled.

  “Barr?” I asked.

  “I think we should go,” he said.

  “You think?” I asked.

  “I think so,” Barr said. “Come on, love, let’s get out of here.”

  He reached for my hand.

  I heard someone scream his name and that made Barr move faster.

  I could only assume that it was Hank yelling.

  We ran together, hand in hand, Barr looking back at me, smiling and even laughing as we made our way back up the steps toward the door to the alley.

  Barr pointed to the door. “Hey, Tommy, open that for me?”

  The tall guy who opened the door for us shook his head as he opened it again.

  “See you around, Barr,” his deep voice growled.

  We blasted through the open door and into the alley, Barr laughing his ass off while I couldn’t find a breath to talk. The door behind me shut and locked.

  “What the hell was that?” I yelled at Barr.

  He let my hand go and reached for my face.

  Our lips smashed together, led by him as he drove me back until I was against whatever building it was that stood there in the alley with the underground club.

  Barr kissed me hard and fast again.

  But it was short lived.

  When he pulled away I licked my lips and tasted blood.

  It wasn’t my blood though.

  It was his blood.

  I wasn’t sure if I had ever been so turned on in my life before.

  My chin started to quiver and I forgot all about what tonight was really about.

  “Richy will come after me if we don’t leave, love,” Barr said.

  “Okay,” I said.

  “It’s fine, Tinsley,” Barr said in the sincerest voice I ever heard him speak in. “It’s all fine.”

  He took my hand, his fingers interlocked into mine, and we got the hell out of there.

  We didn’t run but we walked pretty damn fast to get back to his car.

  He opened the passenger side door for me and stopped me before I could get into the car.

  “I’ve never brought anyone here,” he whispered. “Not even Pres or Kip. Nobody knows about this place. Except you.”

  I swallowed hard.

  I didn’t know what to say.

  Barr kissed my cheek. I smelled sweat, smoke, and blood.

  This guy was a total badass.

  Dangerous in a way that was too wild to be real.

  But it was all real.

  I climbed into the car and waited for Barr to do the same.

  He quickly took off from the alleyway and got onto some main roads, checking his mirror a few times.

  “You think we’re being followed?” I asked, my heart fluttering at the sense of danger.

  “Nah,” he said. “Richy wouldn’t go that far for it.”

  “Why did that guy hit you?” I asked.

  Barr smirked and didn’t answer me.

  “Are you hungry, love?” he asked.

  “Actually, I am.”

  “Good.”

  Barr hit the gas pedal harder and the car sped up instantly. I lived through that whole pressure on my chest feeling from the speed. But I also had to endure Barr reaching across the seat, touching my leg, making it well known there were thoughts and intentions on his mind.

  I reminded myself a hundred times of their stupid bet.

  Even still…

  I glanced down at Barr’s hand dancing up and down my leg. Gently flirting as it moved a little bit more toward my inner thigh again and again.

  He took his hand away when we cruised through some drive-thru place to get food. He ordered cheeseburgers, fries, sodas, and milkshakes.

  He didn’t even ask what I wanted.

  After paying, he drove another minute or so before pulling over into a parking lot to a building that stood tall and wide against the night sky, not a single light on in the place.

  “Trespassing?” I asked.

  Barr turned his head. “I own it.”

  “What?”

  “One of my buildings.”

  “Your buildings?” I asked.

  “Call me whatever you want, love, but I’m not living on my parents dime forever,” Barr said with a wink.

  He got out of the car and I joined him. He lit up a cigarette and put his food on the hood of the car. The way he parked, the headlights reflected just enough to give us light to see each other and our food.

  I dug into my food because all the adrenaline had left me starving. Not to mention the way Barr made me feel. My mind and body were tired already.

  “My mother had a drinking problem,” Barr said. He took one last drag of his cigarette and tossed it. Then he grabbed a milkshake. “A bad one.”

  “Oh?”

  “She was in show business when she was young,” Barr said. “Was smart, funny, pretty, and talented as hell. She threw it all away.”

  “Wow.”

  “It was her own fault. Getting tied up with my old man the way she did. He was at one of her shows and he approached her. Rich, handsome dude with the beautiful artist. So fucking cliché, right?”

  “Maybe.”

  “She got knocked up and here I am,” Barr said.

  “How family friendly.”

  “Yeah right,” Barr said. “My old man wanted a trophy. And the second I popped out, my mother started drinking. And her only dream was to make me into the star she never became. My old man liked the idea of me being beaten and tied to a piano.” Barr took a big gulp of his milkshake. “I guess you could say I was a wild child.”

  “Was?” I asked.

  “I was tossed into that shit and never wanted it,” Barr said. “But I did it. And my mother swears the first time she heard me play an actual song without needing help or needing the music, it made her want to get sober. So she did.”

  “She was drinking…”

  “There’s a difference between her having a few drinks with Claire and what she used to do,” Barr said.

  “Right. Sorry.”

  Barr put his empty milkshake cup on the ground. “She gave up anything related to her past life and dove head first into my old man’s real estate gig. She could act her heart out to close deals and that made her filthy rich.”

  “And you stuck with the piano?”

  “Something to kill the time, love,” Barr said. “But I let my parents down when I told them to go fuck themselves when they wanted me to go to some music school. I’m doing this shit on my own terms now.”

  “So that’s where the underground thing came from?”

  Barr nodded. “I got into some trouble at one point and had to attend a different school. Don’t ask. Met some guys and through some friends of friends I hooked up with Benny. Poor as shit, blowing on his trumpet on a street corner, hoping to make enough for a meal. He knew Hank and he would play underground just for the sake of music. That’s how I got tied into it.”

  I shook my head.

  I was in disbelief.

  This kind of story hiding behind those honey gold eyes. And yet on the outside he was such a… a… fucking asshole.

  “So I guess my point, love, is that I get how the parent thing goes,” Barr said. “Leaning on you. Pushing at you. Whether you’re rich or poor. But sometimes you have to make your own decisions and path.”

  “I’m sure it helps when you have some money in your pocket first though,” I said.

  Barr reached into his pocket and then threw money across the hood of the car at me. It was a lot of money. More than I had ever seen before in my life.

  I lifted an eyebrow. “No thanks, Barr.”

  I turned and let out a deep breath and got back into the car.

  Barr collected the cash and swept the bags of food and drinks off the hood of the car.

  Littering in the parking lot that he owned.

 

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