Chapter 4

4

J ake ran a hand through his freshly washed hair. They were back at the hotel for the night. They had a second show tomorrow evening in Houston, so they had a rare night of being able to sleep in a room versus in their tour bus.

A knock on the door had him pulling it open, half expecting to see Claire standing on the other side. It was Theo, their bass guitarist. His heart immediately sank, and he suddenly felt stupid. Claire had no reason to visit his room. He hadn't said one word to her yet, and based on her face, she clearly had a lot of catching up to do with Ben.

Will, their manager and best friend, had arranged for Jake, Liam, and Theo to get to the hotel while Ben and Claire stayed behind talking. They hadn't seen either of them since, and Jake was dying to talk to Ben. He needed to know what happened and when their flight would leave to go murder the man who hurt Claire.

Theo followed Jake into his room and sat on the edge of the bed while Jake continued to pace.

"How are you doing, man?" Theo asked.

Out of all the guys, Theo knew the history between Jake and Claire. Jake had felt like he was spiraling once Claire disappeared, and he ended up telling Theo everything. Holding it in had only created issues with playing. Theo had cornered him one day and forced it out of him. It made it easier for Jake to focus once he had let it all out. Easier, but not by much.

Jake continued to pace. "Not great."

Theo nodded and watched Jake for a few minutes before scooting back on the bed, crossing his arms behind his head and relaxing.

"I want to punch him," Jake hissed.

"I think we all do."

"How can someone beat a woman? Especially…" He stopped himself before finishing that sentence and took a deep breath, standing still and squeezing his eyes shut.

"Especially Claire?"

Jake nodded.

"Have you talked to Ben?" Theo asked.

Jake turned to Theo. "Is he back yet?"

"He and Claire got here about thirty minutes ago."

Jake immediately moved to leave the room, but stopped short. He had no idea which room they were in.

Theo chuckled and swung his legs off the bed before standing up. "They're down the hall in room 1530."

Jake snatched his room key off the dresser and deposited it in his pocket before following Theo out of the room. Theo stepped into his own room and gave a small wave before the door shut.

It was past midnight, and he was exhausted, but Jake knew he wouldn't sleep unless he talked to Ben. He walked down the hallway, watching the numbers grow as he went until he stopped in front of the right room. He raised his hand to knock and lightly rapped on the door, hoping they weren't asleep yet.

The door opened and Claire stood before him, wearing Ben's T-shirt and sweatpants. She stepped back as if she hadn't been expecting him and crossed her arms in front of herself.

His heart immediately jumped into his throat, and his eyes traveled over her.

Her dark brown hair was down and parted, so a good chunk of it covered one side of her face, which he suspected was by design. He itched to reach over and brush it back, so he could see what was beneath. Her hazel eyes stared back at him, but he couldn't read her like he used to. While they once used to smile with laughter, they now looked guarded and closed off.

"Hi," she said.

That simple word socked him in the stomach. He wanted to pull her into his arms and promise to rid the world of men like Charles, but she wasn't his. He couldn't do that. She wouldn't want it.

"Hi," he said. "How are you?"

He dropped his head back and squeezed his eyes shut at the stupidity of the question. Just when he was about to apologize, she giggled.

His head snapped back to hers, and she smiled softly at him. He reached out and brushed her arm, electricity pulsing through his body at the slight touch.

"It's good to see you," he said.

Before she could reply, Ben interrupted them when he came out of the bathroom. Claire glanced over her shoulder to look at Ben, who stepped up to the door.

"Oh, hey, Jake." He looked as exhausted as Jake felt.

"Hey." Jake rubbed a hand over the back of his short hair. "I just wanted to see how you both were and make sure you made it here okay."

Ben nodded and scrubbed a hand down his face. "We are good for now. I'm just happy to have Claire here."

Claire smiled. "I'm glad to be here."

"Let me know if you need help with anything. I'm ready to ride at dawn." Jake gave Ben a meaningful look.

Claire furrowed her eyebrows, and Ben laughed.

"Thanks, bro. We can discuss it later," Ben said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Claire asked. Then her eyes widened. "You guys better not be planning anything stupid."

Ben shrugged. "I think we should all get some sleep. Tomorrow will be busy."

Jake nodded reluctantly. He wanted nothing more than to pull Claire into his arms, to feel her and know she was actually here and he wasn't just imagining it. He wanted to protect her from the man she ran from. To know she would be okay. His hands clenched into fists at his side.

"It's good to see you again, Claire," Jake said.

Her eyes met his briefly before shifting away. "It's good to see you, too."

Jake went back to his room before he could insist Claire stay in his room. The thought was asinine. Ben would never allow it. Ben needed her near just as much as Jake felt he needed her next to him.

Jake got into bed, despite knowing he would barely sleep. But he needed to at least try. When he finally drifted off, the only thing, the only person he dreamt about was Claire.