Love Damaged

Chapter 1

1

~Ayden~

Emptiness. It’s what I found when I stared at the bottom of my glass. The bourbon Max had poured me was gone. In its place was a void that matched the one I felt in my soul. I knew my heart was still beating because I was alive. I could breathe, move, and go through every physical motion.

What I couldn’t do was feel. My emotions fell silent on a heart that had shattered. Forming a logical thought was impossible. My mind remained numb.

The alcohol came in handy with the crushing pain in my chest. I always thought a broken heart was just a metaphor. I didn’t realize it was a physical possibility. It had to be. I’d never felt this type of pain.

“Need another one?”

I kept my eyes on the glass as I repeated Max’s question in my mind several times. “Yeah. I need another.”

“Coming right up.”

Instead of taking the glass in my hands, he used a new one. I saw him grabbing for it in my peripheral. At least he was willing to serve me whenever I was over the limit, unlike Shawn. Of course, I wasn’t drinking Tequila like I was the night the other bartender cut me off.

His actions caused a chain reaction that led to the worst argument between Mia and me. Then she left. Now she was . . .

I refused to think it was possible that I could have lost her for good. The thought of never seeing her again . . . It’s why I was drinking. I had to numb my mind so the memories would fade. They tormented me every minute of the day because everywhere I looked, I saw Mia.

“Here you go.” Max set my glass in front of me. When he didn’t step away, I forced myself to look at him. “I’m here if you need to talk.”

Shaking my head, I grabbed the glass and drew it closer. “I don’t want to talk. That means I have to think. Thinking would be a terrible waste of this bourbon.”

Nodding his head, he tapped his fingers against the bar. “I understand, but you shouldn’t keep it bottled up. It’s not healthy.”

I raised my glass to him. “My mouth is what led to all of this. I’m the reason Mia’s gone.”

“No, you’re not. Sure, she left that night to get away. That’s what Mia does. She has to have time to process things, and when something dramatic happens in her life, she doesn’t rush into a decision until she’s had time to think.”

“It’s been two weeks since she left. No one has heard from her, not even Andi who swears Mia always keeps in contact regardless of what’s occurring in her life. Something’s happened to her. There’s evidence, Max. I saw her clothes. The blood covering them tested positive as hers.”

He looked away from me and shook his head, refusing to believe the possibility that someone had hurt Mia. Denying it didn’t mean it didn’t happen. Something had. I saw the proof.

“Until I see for myself that Mia’s been harmed, I won’t accept her being dead. I know Mia. She’s easily hurt, but she’s not a delicate flower. The girl can take care of herself.”

There was no point in arguing with him. He wouldn’t allow himself to consider anything negative. I wished I could say the same. It made me envious. “I hope you’re right, Max.”

“Have faith, Ayden. Without it, life is just chaotic.” He stepped back from the bar. “I’ll check in with you in a bit. Yell if you need something before then.”

“Thanks, Max.”

I couldn’t look at him. My mind was already filtering through everything he’d said. I didn’t doubt Mia’s resilience any more than I did her ability to take care of herself. Still, things happened. The fact that Wesley broke into her suite with some guy was proof.

While we didn’t have evidence that Izzy had tampered with Mia’s drink, it was more indication that things could go wrong no matter how tough a person was. What worried me was that Mia had been alone in Death Valley of all places. She could have come across anyone, including someone depraved enough to take her life.

Wesley still wasn’t off the hook as the lead suspect. The local sheriff, Gary, had been back to interview him at least once this week. He warned him and his friend, Eddie, not to leave the vicinity.

At least he was able to get Eddie’s DNA to test against Mia’s r**e kit. We still had a few days before the results came in, but Gary assured Andi he’d have the results of Mia’s blood work by tomorrow. Then we would know if she’d been drugged the night Wesley broke in.

It all made sense, and knowing as much only increased my suspicion. Izzy was just as involved in this as Wesley. They had a history of working together to hurt Mia. This time, they’d taken it further.

“Ayden?” A male voice came from behind me, one I’d heard several times while out on tour. Before I could turn on my stool, someone sat beside me. “It is you.”

“In the flesh,” I answered, doing my best to adjust my eyes.

“And drunk as hell.” He picked up my half-empty glass and brought it to his nose. “Bourbon. Just what I thought.”

Once he set it down, he slapped his hand against my shoulder and shook it. Then he chuckled. I still couldn’t believe he was here.

“Darius Stone.” I extended my hand toward his and shook it. “It’s good to see you, man.”

“You too. I didn’t think I’d see you this soon after the tour ended.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Max approached us a second later. When he saw Darius, he leaned over the bar and gave him a hug. “Damn, man. I never thought I’d see you around here again.”

Darius patted his back then broke free. “That makes two of us. It’s good seeing you too, Max. How’s life treating you?”

“I’m good for the most part.” Max glanced in my direction then refocused on Darius. “Can I get you something?”

“I’ll take a beer, long neck please.”

“You got it,” Max said as he walked toward the cooler.

Observing Darius, I assumed he had been a guest at Music Haven in the past. A lot of great bands came through here, even ones that didn’t get their start through the Brooks family.

I wanted to ask him questions, see if he knew Mia or had worked with her in the past, but I didn’t want to bring anything up until Max left. As soon as he placed a beer in front of Darius, he leaned on his elbow as if he were going to stick around for a conversation.

“I want to catch up before you leave, but I have to work. Let’s get together for a beer later.”

“You got it, my man.” Darius gave Max a fist bump before he turned to leave. Once he was out of sight, I thought about ways of bringing up Mia to Darius. It would be best to slowly work up to that point, so I’d start with the obvious.

“What brings you to Music Haven?”

Darius scratched the back of his head then raised his beer toward me. “Let’s have a drink first.”

I obliged. As the bourbon disappeared down my throat, Darius drank from his beer. When he finally finished, he set the bottle in front of him. “To answer your question, I was here about four years ago, not long before our band hit it big.”

“So you met Brandon Brooks?” I was envious when he nodded, but I didn’t miss the way he snorted and took another drink of his beer. He released a sigh once he finished. “Yeah, I knew Brandon. He had a part in Rebel Stone’s success.”

I waited for him to finish, but instead, he glanced away. Something about the tone of his voice said there was more to the story than what he’d told me. I wasn’t sure why he didn’t finish, but it only increased my curiosity.

“Then I take it you know Mia Brooks?”

“Yeah.” He took another drink of his beer. “She had a part—”

“D?” Andi’s voice came from behind us. Confusion and excitement wavered within it as well as her eyes when we turned to greet her.

“Andi. Good to see you, beautiful.”

“You too.” When she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug, I noticed Bentley’s face darken. His jaw flinched as he stood silently observing their interaction.

Once they broke free, Andi grabbed Bentley’s arm and drew him closer. “You remember Bentley Price with Breaking Silence, right?”

“Hell yeah, I do.” They bumped fists much like he and Max had. “How’s it going, Price?”

“It’s going great. We finally recorded our first album and got a contract with a label. Life is good.”

“Glad to hear it. I was hoping things would work out for you guys. You’re too talented not to make it in this business.”

“I guess Mia Brooks thought so too. She’s the reason we’re here.”

Bentley said the f*******n word. Mia. It gained him a glare from Andi. A second later, her lower lip trembled.

Darius jerked his head back when he noticed. “Girl, what’s the matter?”

“I didn’t realize Mia had spoken with you before she left. You haven’t heard the news. Mia is missing.” Her eyes found me a moment later, but it wasn’t to accuse me. It was to see how I was handling the conversation. She did it every time someone brought up Mia around me.

When I glanced at Darius, I noticed the way his forehead wrinkled as he scrunched his face. “What are you talking about?”

Andi leaned against Bentley’s chest as she crossed her arms. “Mia left two weeks ago, after getting in a fight with the guy she was seeing.”

“Oh.” Darius’s short response puzzled me. A few seconds passed before he said anything else. “Who was she seeing?”

Andi faced me and nodded. I felt Darius gawking at me, but when I acknowledged him, he looked away. “I see.”

“Wesley struck again,” Andi continued. “It didn’t quite happen the same way it did last time, but close enough.”

Darius rubbed his face then shook his head. “Close enough, eh? Does that mean Izzy is still here?” He waited until Andi nodded then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

As I listened to them discuss what happened, I questioned how many people knew about Mia and Wesley’s history. Max knew. So did the sheriff. I wasn’t sure why Darius was privileged to the information unless he’d been around when Wesley screwed up Mia’s previous relationship.

That had to be the reason. It would also explain why Darius and Max knew each other well. Rebel Stone must have been guests around the time Mia’s heart was broken. That meant he knew the first guy she dated.

Andi motioned for Max to bring her a drink, then she continued her conversation with Darius. “Wesley and Izzy took things too far this time. I will find out the results in the morning, but Mia had her blood tested to see if she was drugged.”

Her response caused Darius’s back to straighten. It was easy to see how much the news frustrated him. “Who drugged her?”

“Izzy. She was the only one around when it could have happened. It made Mia sick, so she went to her suite and went to bed. That’s when Wesley and some guy showed up.”

Darius blinked a few times as if he hadn’t heard what Andi said. She must have noticed too. Her shoulders slumped, and she winced as her head shook slowly.

“Bentley spotted this guy, Eddie, leaving Mia’s suite. Ayden went in to check on Mia. She was asleep, but Ayden found a c****m in the toilet. He assumed she and Eddie had hooked up.”

I cringed at the memory. Looking back on everything that transpired, I realized how easily I played into Wesley and Izzy’s scheme. I never saw it coming either, and I hated myself for being blind to what was obvious.

“There’s one more thing you should know.” Andi leaned away from Bentley and inched toward Darius. “Mia was worried about what Eddie may have done while she was knocked out. She went to the ER to have a r**e kit performed. The results will be available tomorrow too.”

Her eyes flashed toward me then darted in a different direction. This time, I was the one left blinking and speechless. We’d have answers tomorrow. Yet Mia wouldn’t be here to hear the results. It wasn’t right.

“Wesley’s such a douche. I swear to God, I’m going to punch that little weasel when I see him,” Darius growled. “He’s messed with Mia’s life one too many times.”

“He did more than mess with her life this time,” I snapped. All three looked at me with wide eyes. “You forgot to tell him that Wesley’s the prime suspect in Mia’s disappearance. The sheriff brought her car back and had evidence I identified as the clothing she was wearing the night she left. It had blood splatters all over it.”

No one said a word. I couldn’t say anything else either. A lump formed in my throat as I closed my eyes and faced the bar. When I reopened them, I concentrated on my glass. I didn’t want to think about this. It’s why I came to drink. Now I was being forced to relive every horrible memory.

“You really think she’s dead, don’t you?” I wasn’t sure who Darius was asking, but I nodded my head. “Listen, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard some of what you guys just told me. The only thing I didn’t know was who Mia was seeing when all of it happened.”

I met his gaze. “Well, now you know everything.”

“Yeah, but you don’t. Mia isn’t dead. I wasn’t invited to come here until a few days ago.”

“What?” Andi blurted the question before I could.

Darius regarded both of us, as well as Bentley, and then took a drink of his beer. When he set it back on the bar, he looked at me. “Mia is alive and well. She may have a broken heart, but she isn’t dead.”

“How do you know?” Bentley asked this time.

Shifting in his seat, Darius took turns looking at each of us. “She called me after she left here. I could tell she was upset, especially when she admitted that she was heading to Death Valley.”

I thought back to the moment when Andi revealed that Dante’s View in Death Valley was the place where Mia’s mother, Morgan had met Izzy’s mother, Selena. It’s where she learned that her husband had cheated on her and had another child. It was the last place she ever stood.

“When she told me where she was going, I got worried. I know what that place means to her. After we hung up, I couldn’t sleep, so I packed a bag and hopped on my Harley. I just so happened to be in L.A. when I got her call.”

“So you just drove to Death Valley on a chance that you might run into her?”

“Yeah,” Darius answered me. “I got there around daybreak and found the ‘Vette. She was sitting in the back. When I saw she was hurt, I took her to the closest ER to see if she needed stitches. She checked in under a pseudonym.” He paused a moment to regard me. “When she said she needed time away, I took her back to where I was staying in L.A. and reported her car as stranded to the local authorities.”

“Gary said someone called it in. Still, if this is true, why hasn’t Mia called me? The least she could have done is text.”

“It’s not my place to answer that.” Darius peered over his shoulder toward the main doors. “Why don’t you ask her yourself? She just walked into the bar.”

By the time I realized what he’d said, Andi had bolted away. I glanced past her in time to see Mia meet her a few barstools from where we were sitting. Darius had been telling the truth. Mia was alive, and judging by her flawless appearance, she was perfectly safe.

I was overcome with relief and anger at the same time. Seeing her was the highlight of my last two torturous weeks. Knowing she hadn’t bothered to contact us and let us know she was alive had me pissed. It was cruel.

Then again, I had been cruel to her.

“Oh my God!” Andi squealed as she hugged Mia. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t called.” Mia’s apology sounded sincere. So did the way she looked at Andi when they broke their embrace.

“Don’t think for a second I’m not pissed as hell. How could you leave like that and not call me? You should have at least texted. We thought you were dead.”

“Dead?”

Andi nodded. “Gary brought your car back and started asking questions. Then he showed us the clothing you were wearing the night you left. There was blood everywhere.”

As Andi raised her hand to her mouth, Mia rubbed her arm. “I’m sorry I worried you, but the blood came from this.” She raised her hand and pointed to a purple line in the center of her palm. “I broke a whiskey bottle and sliced my palm. The first-aid kit wasn’t in the “Vette, so I tore some of the frayed edges on my shirt and used them as a bandages.” Her eyes shifted toward Darius. “I’m sure D explained everything else.”

“He did,” Andi replied. She grabbed Mia’s upper arm and tugged her toward the corner of the bar. “You need to talk to Ayden, Mia. He’s been a mess.”

My face burned when I heard Andi mention me. The heat in my cheeks increased when Mia pulled her arm out of Andi’s grasp and peered at me. It wasn’t long before she lowered her eyes. “I don’t want to talk to him.”

“Mia, please. You don’t know how much your disappearance has affected him. He regrets everything that happened, including believing Wesley’s lies. He still loves you.”

“She’s right,” I confessed as I stood from the stool and approached her. “I’m sorry, Mia. I’m sorry for everything. I never should have doubted you. I’m an idiot.”

She said nothing as I took my last step. I was inches away from drawing her into my arms and begging for her forgiveness. I wanted to feel her close to me. This ache inside me wouldn’t go away until I did.

Before I could act on my thoughts, Mia’s eyes trailed over me. Then they switched to Andi. I half expected her to ask me to speak in private, but she didn’t. Instead, she walked away.