Lost (Book 6 of the Forbidden Series)

11

Bartlett Tennessee…

It had been almost ten months, and Zeke had worked his way from runner to negotiator. Around Christmas, Jared had gunned down one of his right-hand men for sticking his hand in the cookie jar. He had been skimming drugs off the top of the shipments and delivering short. Such activities were unforgivable, and now the man enjoyed a shallow grave outside Tennessee, only Zeke wasn’t quite sure where.

By that time Zeke had proven himself loyal and ambitious. A tricky combination, because people with no ambition got nowhere, and people with too much often died young. Jared had first brought Zeke on as muscle for his bigger deal negotiations. He preferred to have some manpower behind him when negotiating with drug lords.

Zeke spent most of his time outside guarding doors with an AK-forty-seven in his hand. However, it didn’t take him too long to work his way into the actual negotiation room after he shot down a rival dealer’s attempt on Jared’s life as they left a deal one night.

Zeke had seen the car coming. The rear tinted window rolled down as it approached. It had all happened in a matter of seconds. He had seen the glint of the muzzle and placing his hand on Jared’s head he had pushed him to the sidewalk, and open fired on the passing car at the same time the shooter in the car had fired on them.

Zeke had taken a bullet to the shoulder. The hot lead had burnt as it tore into his flesh; the force of the strike had sent Zeke spinning into the wall behind him. Jared had been unharmed and so grateful he had promoted Zeke to his side at the negotiation table. It had been a great step forward for the case but Zeke unfortunately still had a bullet in his shoulder. They couldn’t take him to a hospital, after all, they believed him to be a criminal, and hospitals reported gunshot wounds to the police. Instead, Jared instructed Nick and Seth to drag Zeke bleeding and weak to a well-known unlicensed mob doctor.

Without any anesthesia or painkillers, the doctor handed Zeke a bottle of whiskey and then took a less than clean surgical knife and began to dig the bullet out. Zeke had taken a long drink from the bottle after which Seth had rolled up a towel and jammed it into Zeke’s mouth for him to bite down on while the doctor was digging around in his shoulder. Nick and Seth held Zeke down as the doctor cut into the wound. The pain was excruciating, Zeke bit down hard on the towel in his mouth as it muffled his tortured screams.

It took five agonizing minutes for the doctor to dig the bullet out of Zeke’s shoulder. He thought the worst was over when he heard the clank of the bullet hit the table they had him pinned down on. “Hold him still.” The doctor ordered his friends. He then poured the rest of the whiskey over the wound, and it stung so much it caused Zeke to jerk and shake. Zeke slammed his head back on the table trying to get away. His eyes widened in horror when he saw the doctor held up a red-hot poker from his fireplace. “We must cauterize the wound to stop the bleeding.” The doctor explained approaching the table. “This is going to hurt.” He warned.

Zeke struggled, trying to get away, but Seth and Nick held him down. The doctor pressed the red-hot poker into his wound, and Zeke let out a scream that would have split the night had he not been gagged by a towel. The torture was too much, and he had blacked out. Later Zeke had woken up in his motel room with a Mexican cocktail of drugs to prevent infection, and a prostitute paid for by Jared to thank him for his protection.

It had been a nightmare, but it had taken Zeke from lackey to trusted confidant. The next deal Jared had Zeke was at his side at the table rubbing elbows with the big leaguers. From this point, he would be able to learn all their contacts. Their shipping plans. He could take down the organization from the top. Cutting off the head of the serpent so to speak.

Zeke needed to gain enough intelligence to nail every last one of them in court. After that, all he needed was a perfect sting. Something that brought them all together in one place so they could all be taken down at the same time when the time came to make the arrests. Both of which took time and planning.

Zeke had spent more than two and a half years doing what was necessary to pin these guys to the wall, and he had come too far now to let it fall apart. Zeke was so close he could almost taste victory. But things had come to a standstill lately. Word had gotten out that the feds were closing in and the heads were starting to get nervous.

In the spring a ring in Florida had been busted, and the heads in Tennessee had suspended all negotiations until further investigation could be made. All members were scrutinized and investigated searching for any possible snitches, informants, or cops. Zeke was not too worried his cover was well designed with a paper trail and everything. He had been with them long enough and was high enough up the food chain not to warrant close attention. Unfortunately, they were all forced to sit tight until further notice.

So, they did what they normally did on their downtime, went out and raised a little hell. Two weeks into their downtime the guys had been out all-night bar hopping. Drinking like fishes and harassing the patrons of various clubs and bars. They got off on the thrill of intimidating good men and embarrassing them in front of their women. Zeke mostly went along for the booze and the ride. He sat at the bar slamming back shots while the others would harass some skinny guy and his girlfriend. Occasionally a fight might break out, and Zeke would join in, coming to the aid of his brethren.

It was around twelve thirty when they busted through the door of one bar. The guys were already wild and rowdy by now bent on making a scene. Zeke reached behind the bar and grabbed a bottle of whiskey tossing a twenty-dollar bill at the bartender. He sat himself down on a barstool and rested his elbow on the bar slamming back the bottle and watching the chaos. He glanced up at the huge televisions mounted in the corners. They were tuned to MTV but muted while the jukebox played.

He had only been paying half attention when the video playing caught his full interest. The woman rocking out on her guitar looked familiar with her beautiful body and long blonde hair streaked with red. Her piercing green eyes fixed on the camera with that come-hither stare and her full red lips singing something he couldn’t hear. Zeke jumped up and pulled the plug of the jukebox killing the music. He then stepped up on a chair and then the table kicking over someone’s drink so he could reach the television. He reached up and pressed the volume button turning it up nice and loud to hear the song.

Her voice was incredible, she looked incredible. Zeke had no doubt in his mind this was Kat he was looking at. So, this had been her big secret. The song was coming to an end, and the title, artist, and production notes were shown in the corner of the screen briefly. So, she had not just resembled the frontwoman from Quick Shot, she had been the frontwoman from Quick Shot all along and had not told him. Zeke found himself laughing at his ignorance. The whole time she had been a rock star and he had been clueless.

The song ended, and the Video DJ started talking about how wonderful their new album now in stores was, how their concert shows were rumoured to be the bomb, and how viewers could still win tickets to some of their final shows in the last three states before the tour ended. Then the station flashed the tour dates and contest rules on the screen. The last three dates were Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Kat would be in Montgomery in two nights from tonight. She would be a total of three hours away.

“Hay she looks like that girl you hooked up with a few months back,” Seth commented, looking up at Zeke from his perch on the table.

Zeke stared down at him. “I got to get tickets to that show,” Zeke said and jumped off the table.

“It’s in Alabama.” Seth pointed out.

“So, what it’s a few hours away? I’ll make the drive stay the night and come back the next day. I ain’t got nothing else to do right now.”

“How do you plan to get tickets? It’s sold out. You have to win the tickets, and the chances of that are slim.” Seth said.

“There has to be a way to get into that show,” Zeke said lifting the whisky bottle to his lips. He’d mug a scalper if he had to. He wasn’t letting Kat pass by without seeing her. She had been on his mind so much. In his dreams almost every night. He missed her terribly. Zeke wondered if she ever thought of him. If she ever missed him too? Come hell or high water he was getting into that show.

***

Montgomery Alabama…

Zeke had left for Montgomery early that morning. He had been trying the local radio stations all day and the night before trying to win tickets with no luck. He had walked the parking lot of the Coliseum looking for scalpers. It had taken over four hours, but he finally found a guy who was selling a ticket for five hundred dollars. Zeke could not believe how much the bloody ticket went for. He had wished he had his badge and he would have just busted the lowlife and taken the ticket for free. Not exactly the most honest thing to do but when you spend years living like a crook sometimes it was hard to remember that he was held to a higher ethic.

Unfortunately, the ticket wasn’t close to the stage. It still had a fair view he was close enough to see everything, and he had an unobstructed view of the stage, but there had to have been like two thousand people between him and the stage there would be no way Kat would ever spot him.

The house lights began to fade, and the crowd broke out into a screaming cheer. The opening act was up first. A fresh-faced group that wasn’t bad but certainly didn’t measure up to their headlining counterparts. They played for half an hour and then left the stage, and the real show was about to begin. The large room went dark, and no one could see anything for a minute. Then Zeke heard the beat of a drum and the opening chord of a bass. Suddenly the guitar chimed in, and the stage exploded in pyrotechnics.

Kat was center stage a white guitar strapped over her slender shoulder, and the microphone stand in her hands. Her voice rang out across the Coliseum. So strong, so clear and passionate. The men in the band played with the same unbridled passion as she performed with. It was an explosive opening song that grabbed the audience. Enthralled them and left them screaming and cheering. Zeke couldn’t help smiling when she and her lead guitarist broke out into a guitar solo battle. Their fingers flew over the strings so fast he was surprised they didn’t get entangled. It was a hell of a show, and Zeke now understood why ticket prices were so insane.

Kat looked good up there. Her hair was twisted and pulled up in a precarious configuration on the top of her head and held in place with two black sticks. She was wearing one of those black strapless dresses, the ones so famous for teaching ex-lovers the meaning of regret. The waistline came tight around just under her bust line and then fell in a silky draping manner cutting off mid-thigh. She wore black leather boots laced up her calves with a tall heel adding at least three extra inches to her height. Zeke was amazed at how well she pranced around the stage in them.

Zeke watched the show longingly. She was amazing the way she threw herself into her music when she played the guitar, and the times she put the guitar down and took the microphone in her hand playing to the audience. Kat was a natural showman. The woman never stopped moving she was always going, always had such high energy. It was no wonder her body looked the way it did. He felt tired just watching her.

The show was phenomenal and had lasted two hours. As the show started to wrap up, Zeke stood up and left his seat. He needed to find a way to get to Kat. Someway to see her and have her see him. He knew that if she could see him, she would happily invite him to stay. It was just getting to her that was difficult. He needed to get backstage.

Zeke wandered around trying to find his way backstage. The entrance was blocked by bouncers and security. Big men with experience tossing pushy fans. She was well guarded. Zeke first tried to talk his way backstage, but without a pass, no one was getting through. Everyone was packed together tight. Bumping into one another trying to get closer to the gate to get a glimpse backstage.

Zeke gave up. He was getting nowhere this way. Zeke pushed through the crowd and broke out the other end. He walked along the seats and headed down to the front row. Zeke looked around and noticed all the roadies clearing down the stage. He climbed up on stage and began to help, blending right in. He got a huge speaker on a dolly and then wheeled it off stage. He looked around trying to see where he should go to find Kat. There were so many people around he didn’t have a clue where to start.

He rolled the speaker over to a stack of others and left it there. Zeke then started to wander around trying to find a dressing room or something of that nature. It took a few minutes and then he found one. Unfortunately, there was more security out front of the door. That had to be where she was. It only made sense they wouldn’t have security guarding doughnuts or something. Hopefully, they would assume he had a pass since he was already backstage and not make him present the pass he did not have.

Zeke approached the door and tried to walk past the security. One guard placed his hand out and stopped him. “Where are you going?”

“To see the band.” Zeke declared.

Both guards laughed. “I don’t think so.” The other said. “No one is seeing the band tonight.” Darn it. “How did you get backstage?”

“Look I’m a friend. I know Mrs. Thompson.” Zeke tried to explain.

“Everyone knows her.” The first one chuckled.

“I know her biblically.” Zeke grinned.

“And I’m the pope.” The guard laughed. “Take a hike.”

“Look ask her. I know her. I know she likes to be called Kat not Katherine and she’s got a butterfly tattoo on the small of her back.” Zeke said trying to prove he knew the artist they were trying to protect.

“You could have learnt all that in a magazine or on the internet.” The second guard snapped pushing Zeke away. “Go away.” He was a big dumb brute and Zeke did not like that he dared to place his hands on him, but he bit back his annoyance and remained calm.

“Tell her Zeke is here. She’ll know me I promise.” He begged.

“That’s it.” The first guard growled, “Get lost, or we’ll kick your butt.”

“You think I’m scared of you?” Zeke snarled annoyed by these men. He rolled with the Fiends, and these two lug-heads did not intimidate him in the least.

“You should be, there are two of us and one of you.” The second threatened.

“You’re right. It’s not fair at all. You go get some more guys; I’ll wait.” Zeke mocked. Furious both guards grabbed Zeke, and he started fighting back. Punching one in the side of the head and kicking the other as the two ganged up on him.

The door opened up, and one of the men from the band stood in the threshold watching the brawl. He lifted a blond brow questioningly. “What on earth is going on out here?” He demanded.

The two guards held Zeke by both arms presenting him to the man in the doorway. “This chump here insists he is a friend of the band.” One said.

“I’ve never met this guy in my life.” The guy in the doorway said.

“That is what we thought.” The other guard snarled.

“I didn’t say I knew the band I said I knew Kat.” Zeke corrected them angrily. The least they could do was get it right.

“What’s going on?” Came another male voice from inside the room.

The guy in the door looked at whoever had spoken. “Some guy out here trying to get in to see us. He says he knows you, Kat. The guy looks like he knocked over a liquor store.”

“Tell her it’s Zeke.” He prompted the man in the doorway.

“Says his name is Zack.”

“Zeke!” He yelled with frustration. How hard was it to get his name right?

“Zeke?” He heard Kat’s voice like an angel from heaven. Suddenly she appeared in the doorway and came around her bandmate. She looked utterly surprised to see him, but the smile on her face overjoyed Zeke. She then turned her attention to the goons holding him. “Let him go I know him. He can come in.”

The two guards released Zeke, and he straightened his shirt and jacket glaring at both guards. “I told you so.” He said victoriously.

“Come in.” Kat offered as she and her friend stepped aside. Zeke went inside the room, and Kat shut the door. He looked around and saw the small room was outfitted with a table filled with food and drink. A vanity for them to prepare at. There was a black patent leather couch where two men were sitting, and two matching armchairs. One man on the couch had his bass resting in his lap, and he looked as if he had been plucking the strings before Zeke had interrupted. The other with the long brown hair was spinning wooden drumsticks idly between his fingers.

They were both watching him. Their eyes studied him carefully. He looked back over his shoulder and saw the blond man leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest, giving him the same questioning look. Kat’s smile was beaming as she introduced everyone. “Um, this is unexpected. Everyone this is Zeke.” She said pointing to him and then pointing to the man with the bass. “This is Sam, the one beside him is Travis, and this one by the door is Troy. These are my boys.” She said with a sly smile the only one getting her joke was Zeke.

“Kat, what is this?” Troy asked.

Kat smiled at Troy. “What life threw at me.” She said cryptically. Suddenly all three men made a sound of understanding, and Zeke wondered what she had told them about her time in Tennessee. She then turned her attention back to Zeke. “What are you doing in Montgomery?” She asked coming to stand in front of him.

“I saw you on TV, and they said you would be here. I had to come to see you. You were so close I couldn’t just let you slide by without seeing you.” Zeke said staring into her bright eyes. He had missed those eyes and the way they smiled. He would have given anything to hold her, to kiss her at that moment but they were not alone, and it had been months. It was possible she had found another.

“It’s good to see you.” She said. “You have to join us for the after party.” She insisted. “Once the stage is cleared down and packed up everyone parties at the hotel.”

“Will the goons try to keep me out?” He asked half joking.

“I’d say ride along with us in the limo, but I’m sure you’ve got your bike.” She said walking to the vanity and taking a napkin. Kat wrote down the hotel address and the hall number where the party was to be held. Her back to everyone she finished what she had been doing and then stuffed the napkin into his pocket. “I’ll meet you by the drink table.” She offered. “Say in an hour.”

Zeke smiled. “Great I’ll see you there.” He nodded good-bye to the guys and opened the door. He stepped outside and shut the door behind him. Once out of the room he reached into his pocket and removed the napkin to read what was written there. Along with the hotel and hall number were her suite number and a lipstick kiss. Zeke glared smugly at the two guards he had brawled with and cockily flipped them the bird before leaving them behind him.