Page 1 of Waiting to Lose
JAKE PACED IN his tour bus as he held his cell to his ear. He wasn’t good at being patient, and Dave, the head of security team, had left him on hold for the last five minutes. Jake had just finished a concert in Wyoming and was anxious to get a shower and change his clothes. More than that, he was worried about what Dave was about to tell him.
Jake flexed his fingers through his thick hair as he remembered the day in June when Madi had been attacked by one of his security guards. The attack wasn’t random. It turned out the guard was acting under an alias and had a vendetta against Jake for some reason. He’d been locked up in jail since then, and Jake was on hold, waiting for Dave to tell him the latest, maybe even a court date.What in the hell was taking him so long?Jake felt a twist in the pit of his stomach. Usually his instincts were on the money. Something was telling him there was a bad reason he had to wait.
They’d been able to keep Madi’s name out of the news, but the guard seemed to know who she was when he attacked her. Dave had been gathering background information on him, but Jake wanted to know more. He was considering hanging up, but Dave finally clicked back on the line.
“Shit, Dave, I was just about to hang up. What’s going on?”
“Umm… Is Caleb there with you?” Dave asked cautiously.
“Why in the hell would I be with Caleb? Just spit it out. You work forme,remember?”
“Listen, Jake, you’d better sit down.”
Jake walked frantically back and forth across the bus, then stopped suddenly. “Just tell me.” Jake could feel his heart leap into his throat. It had to be bad. Dave had never coddled him before.
“I just spoke to the attorney. There was a problem during his arrest. Apparently, the officer never read him his Miranda rights before they questioned him. His confession is inadmissible.”
Jake sat down, then stood up, then sat down again. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“His attorney filed a motion to have him released on bond. Apparently he has enough money in the bank to cover the hefty fee. It looks like he may be out in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Now he’s saying that Madi consented—that it was mutual. I’m sorry, Jake. I know it’s not what you wanted to hear.”
Jake caught the nervousness in Dave’s voice. He knew it wasn’t Dave’s fault, but Jake wanted answers. He could feel his body tense as the anger began to build. “I want to know who is responsible for this. I want to know the names of the arresting officers who came to the bus that day. I want a full report on this security guard, Peter Markum. I want to know how someone with prior arrests for battery, forgery and theft could have secured a job as a guard for me. Explain to me how someone with a record like his could have gotten out with a failure to read Miranda rights?” Jake paced around the room with his hand on his head.
“Jake, I—”
“Tell me how I’m supposed to live, knowing that the man who tried to rape Madi is probably walking free tomorrow? Tell me how I’m supposed to tell Madi that I broke my promise to her that she would never have to worry about him? How do we know he won’t go after her again? I want to know everything there is to know about him, including where he lays his head every night. I want to know if he stands up, how many breaths he takes and every move he makes until I can put him away for good. I want to know why he has it out for me and what he thought he would gain by working for me. Do you hear me? Do you know how fucking pissed I am right now?”
Dave cleared his throat. “I was hoping I could bring you better news. He’s not exactly free, just for now until the actual court date. I was finally able to get some more information on him. It seems this Peter has a slew of aliases that he’s used. If you remember, he came to us with the name and social security number of a Tom Rose. He checked out. We had no reason to doubt him. I have my guys running reports on all his known names. It’s going to take us a while to put it all together. It seems he also may have had a juvenile record. I’m going to talk to some people and try to get the info, if it’s not sealed. It may take some time, but...”
“Time? I don’t have time to wait for him to do something else. I want a tail on him the moment he’s out of police custody. Hire the best, most trustworthy PI there is, and get all the information on him you can. I want this tomorrow, Dave. Do you hear me?”
“I’ll get right on it.”
After his call with Dave, Jake took a long, hot shower. He walked from the bathroom to the bed and dropped the towel from his hips, pulling on a pair of boxer briefs before sitting on the edge. He bent down at the waist and placed his fingertips together, making a triangle with his hands. What was he going to tell Madi? It was ten o’clock in Chicago and almost time for him to call her. He imagined the expression on her face when he told her he’d failed her and that the man who had tried to hurt her would soon be free to try again.
He practiced the words over and over in his head, telling her he was sorry. Madi would probably tell him it wasn’t his fault. He shook his head, knowing she would try to ease his discomfort when he should be easing hers. He would remind her she was safe in Chicago. For the first time since they’d found each other again, Jake was glad Madi wasn’t in L.A. If she were in L.A., she’d be in danger. Maybe if he had Peter Markum watched twenty-four hours a day, then she’d be safe no matter where she was. It would be like he wasn’t even out. After a moment, he considered whether or not he should even tell her. What good would it do her? She would be worried and stressed, and he wouldn’t be there to make her feel protected. She would worry abouthim,and she’d constantly be looking over her shoulder. Her grades would suffer.Shewould suffer.
He stood and paced the room with his hands in his hair. After several minutes, he picked up his cell and dialed a number.
“Haster Surveillance, this is Rob.”
“Rob, it’s Jake. I have something to ask you and it’s big. It’s going to require several of your best men. I don’t care about the cost.”
“Whatever you need, Jake. Just name it.”
“Do you remember when I told you about the security guard who attacked my girlfriend?
“Yep.”
“Well, he’s getting out. I have my personal team tailing him, but I need you for something even more important. I need you to protect my family and my girl. Do you think you can do that?”
“We’ve been friends for years. You’re like family to me. Just tell me what you need.”
“I need you to arrange for a guard in Chicago. The thing is… she can’t know you’re there. I need you to protect her from the shadows. She doesn’t know, and I’m not going to tell her until I can speak to her face to face, or until the threat becomes more severe. I’ll fax you the details.”
“Consider it done. I know some people there. I’ll take care of it.”
Jake quickly threw on a pair of sweats and walked out his door into the main area of the bus, looking for his manager. “Caleb, he’s getting out. I want you to call a staff meeting when we arrive in Denver. I want everyone watching out for this guy, but I don’t want a word of this to get back to Madi.”
Caleb nodded, but Jake didn’t allow him time to speak before he turned and closed the door. He knew he should tell her, but he didn’t want to frighten her. It wasn’t like he was lying; he just wasn’t worrying her needlessly—at least not until he knew more. As far as he knew, this guard had no idea where she was, and he wanted to keep it that way. He would tell her when he saw her at Thanksgiving, after he knew for sure Peter was being tailed every second of the day and that he had a definite court date.
As he leaned against the doorframe, he could feel the pain creeping in. How could this have happened? Madi would have been better off if she’d never even met him, but it was too late for that. Jake’s chest ached at the thought of never seeing her again. She was a part of him and he needed her. But one thing he did know for sure, he would give up everything he had to keep her safe, even if it meant he had to lose her in the process.
He made a mental checklist to make sure every angle had been covered. Madi would have a shield first thing in the morning. His friend Rob was ex-military and ran his own security firm. He would only use his people from now on. Jake knew Rob employed mostly military men and conducted background checks like the secret service. He should have used him from the beginning, instead of going off Caleb’s recommendation. Never again. Jake would trust his instincts from here on out.
He took a deep breath and glared at the clock: five more minutes. He needed to calm down and attempt to act normal. No one knew him better than Madi, and she would be able to tell he was tense if he wasn’t careful. As he thought of her, his lips curled into a smile. It had been way too long since he’d held her in his arms. If he hadn’t been completely booked on tour, he would have flown out to see her immediately. His final concert was scheduled for November. When he saw her face to face, he’d tell her everything. He just had to put on this charade for a while longer. She had school to think about, and he knew she would worry about him. Peter was bound to screw up, and they’d be there to catch him. Jake would never let him near Madi ever again, no matter what he had to do.
***
