Page 55 of Fractured Frets

Crap. What did I do?

“What the fuck happened last night?” How did I end up in their bed? I was fully clothed...but still?

“Wild night, Slip.” Tia giggled. “You’re the best, you crazy man.”

“Yeah. That’s me.” I loved Cole’s sister like she was my own. She’d loved Phil more than I had. She’d been through hell after breaking half her leg during filming on her old TV show, but now she worked for us on our sound and lighting team. If anyone understood pain, she did.

Every bone in my body felt like lead. My muscles ached. My hip was stiff and sore. Bile flooded my stomach and bubbled up into my throat. Yuck!

“You were high as a kite last night. You okay?” Concern hovered low in her voice.

“Yeah.” I covered my eyes with my arm to ward off the morning light. “Just needed to unwind.”

“We all need that every now and then.” Chuckling, Lewis jabbed his foot against my shoulder. “Now get up, get out, and call Maddy. We’ve got to be on the bus in half an hour.”

“Fuck. Thanks.” I sat upright and waited for my head to catch up. “Jesus. What did we do last night?”

Empty bottles of bourbon and vodka lay scattered on the coffee table and floor beside the bed.

Wearing an old black Pink Floyd T-shirt, Tia scratched the back of her hair. Her green eyes were smudged with black eyeliner, and her lashes were clogged with mascara. She still was beautiful...just not my Maddy. “You drank a ton of booze, kept drunk-dialing Maddy, and crashed here on our bed. We were too wasted to move you, so we just let you stay.”

I wiped my hand over my face, trying to wake up. “Sorry about that.”

“No need to apologize. We love you. But get the fuck out.” Smearing on a sexy smile, Tia pointed toward the door. “I need some Lewis time before we have to leave.”

I did not want to stick around for that. “Thanks, Tee. And you too, Lewis. You’re the best. I’m outta here.”

I staggered to my feet, grabbed my cell phone off the nightstand and limped out the door. My head spun as I walked down the corridor, past two on-duty security guards, toward my room. I swiped my access card—thank God it was still in my pocket—and stumbled inside. My bed was still made. My suitcase was in disarray. My meds stood in the bottle beside the TV.

I popped my scheduled oxy and called Maddy. But she didn’t answer. Damn it! She’d be asleep. It’d be near midnight in Vancouver.

Last night had been wild—maybe too wild even for me. But I’d made it through the show without any pain. Win.

We’d hit some English pub and partied with some Scottish dudes celebrating a bachelor party. The high from our show had been too good to come down from. Now it hit me with a vengeance. I dragged my feet into the shower. After freshening up and getting dressed, I packed my bags and was on the bus miraculously on time.

I fell onto one of the bunk beds and closed my eyes. I just needed a good sleep and I’d be set for the next show.

I had to rest. I didn’t want to go down a dope-induced path I couldn’t come back from. I needed to ease up on the pills and not hit the blow ever again. A couple days taking it slow, and I’d be back on track.

I was counting down the hours until I saw Maddy again.

I wanted her more than any stupid, fucked up drug.

She was the only high I needed.

I hated I had to continually remind myself of that.

Chapter 16

MADDY

THE PAST – JULY – 11 MONTHS AGO

ME: You around? I’m in NYC. At hotel. Waiting for TV interview.

Slip: We’re at photoshoot. Waiting for photographer who’s stuck in traffic.

Me: You wearing leather? Love you in leather.

---