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  CADENCE

  J.M. Nevins

  NIMBLE MINX PRESS

  COPYRIGHT AND CREDITS

  NIMBLE MINX PRESS

  26895 Aliso Creek Rd., Ste. B-310

  Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, or locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 by J.M. Nevins

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Nimble Minx Press at www.nimbleminx.com/contact/

  CREDITS:

  Cover design courtesy of Pixel Studio

  Cover photograph: © julenochek

  DEDICATION

  To all who have the courage to reinvent their life and step into the newness that beckons them.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  COPYRIGHT AND CREDITS

  DEDICATION

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER_2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  ASCENDANT

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CHAPTER 1

  Giselle rushed into the hallway, her ears flooded with the haunting echoes of sirens as the ambulance retreated from the estate and traveled down Sunset Plaza Drive toward Cedars Sinai Hospital.

  She struggled to regain her breath and composure as she glanced down at her hands and blouse that were covered with Kit’s blood. She closed her eyes for a moment as if trying to erase what had happened, but it wasn’t working. The images flashed through her mind in a rapid fire sequence despite her efforts to squeeze her eyes shut even tighter. She opened her eyes and shook her head, desperate to make it all go away and knowing she couldn’t.

  She hastily jogged past the office without taking a second look. It was pointless. Multiple pools of blood drenching the office carpet was not something she wanted etched in her memory banks. She was traumatized enough over what had transpired right before her eyes. The once tame office that she worked in daily was now a buzzing L.A.P.D. crime scene cordoned off with yellow tape and inaccessible to her.

  She finally reached the downstairs bathroom and frantically washed the blood off of her hands, sobbing and feeling herself starting to crack. She forced herself to calm down as she took deep gulps of breath. She had important work to do now and it was something she could not drop the ball on.

  After washing up, she returned to the hallway, startled by the female detective awaiting her who offered a friendly grin. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. You’ve been through enough today. We need to get your statement…”

  Frazzled, Giselle held up her hands and avoided the gaze of the detective. “I have to make a call right now. It’s urgent.” She then looked up and met the eyes of the detective. “Actually, maybe you can help me.”

  Giselle went on to explain about the death threats to Sully. The detective left to get to work on her end, while Giselle retreated to the entertainment room to make a call.

  Her hand trembled as she picked up the phone. Her voice was harried and frantic when she spoke. “Sean, is the band in the hotel or at the arena? Where did they go after soundcheck?”

  “Early check today, G. They’re in the hotel, why? Are you looking for Bryan? What’s wrong? You don’t sound like you.”

  Her voice was commanding. “Sean, listen to me. Cancel the show, tell Danny to do whatever he has to do to make sure Sully is protected and get him on a private charter to L.A. immediately. We’ll arrange the pickup on our end. I can’t explain right now, but there is someone out there that may try to hurt him tonight or worse.”

  Sean’s ears suddenly perked up. “What do you mean or worse? G, that’s a very serious threat. You know we can’t just cancel a show without Kit’s ok to do it. We haven’t heard anything here. Did you receive that threat directly?”

  She struggled to regain her composure. “You’ve gotta trust me. The threat is credible. Put bodyguards on Sully now! Pull the all access passes unless you, Danny or Jay know them personally, even press.”

  “Shit, Giselle. This sounds serious. Talk to me. What’s going on?”

  The last thing she felt like doing was talking. She was desperate to get to the hospital. “I can’t talk right now. I’ll call you later. Make sure you have your mobile with you and that Danny has his too.”

  He sighed. “Giselle, you of all people know I can’t cancel the bloody show. I can put bodyguards on Sully for sure, and we can hype up security, but without Kit’s authorization…”

  She raised her voice and struggled to hold back her tears. “Sean, Kit just got shot… here in her office at home. I know this is what she would want. She’s on her way to the hospital in an ambulance. She’s lots a lot of blood. It… it… it doesn’t look good. Please cancel the show. Protect him!”

  There was a long pause on the line. “Done. Whatever else you need, Giselle, let me know. I’ll get Sully out to L.A. Keep us posted, ok? Is it really serious?”

  Giselle finally cracked and couldn’t hold back the sobs that escaped from her. “Yes. She was shot in the chest at close range. She lost consciousness before they put her in the ambulance. Get Sully here safely, please. And if you or Danny would escort him personally, specifically someone that can keep him calm, that would be ideal.”

  “We’ll take care of it, Giselle. Hang in there. Call us with updates.”

  Danny pounded on the door to Sully’s hotel suite. He opened it seconds later, frowning. “Dude, would you relax? I can barely take a piss without you pounding down my door.”

  Danny’s look of warning and stern tone of voice got his attention. “Pat, we gotta go, now. C’mon.”

  He rolled his eyes and shook his head, thoroughly annoyed with his brother’s intrusion. “Jesus.” He met Danny’s eyes. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Go where? It’s too early to head over for the show.”

  Danny pushed past him and threw open the closet door. He surveyed the room quickly as he seized Sully’s suitcase and started packing up his belongings, grabbing items from his bathroom and then his closet. “Good to see you’re relatively organized. Makes my job easier.”

  Sully let out an aggravated sigh and ignored his brother’s backhanded comment as he stared at what Danny was doing. “What the fuck?”

  Having found enough of Sully’s clothes for a few days, Danny shut the suitcase and didn’t say a word. He seized Sully’s arm, stared straight ahead and started leading him along. Sully was about to protest and wriggled out of Danny’s grasp when he suddenly noticed there were two large bodyguards in front of them, two behind them and one on each side of them.

  He glanced at Danny and lowered his voice. “Bro, is there something major going on here that I should know about?”

  Danny couldn’t face him. He was afraid Sully would be able to read it all over his face. He stared straight ahead and spoke stoically. “Let’s get you into the limo, and I’ll tell you there.”

  Satisfied with Danny’s answer, Sully reluctantly went along with it. The tour had been unlike anything he had experienced and the addition of bodyguards wasn’t all that surprising to him.

  He sighed, feeling once again like he was in a vice. His fame had become even more
constraining on this tour, on a level that was starting to alarm him. The pressures were immense and he felt his body tensing up. He shoved the thoughts of out of his mind and switched his focus.

  When they walked into the lobby, Sully noticed the rest of the band wasn’t there. Immediately, a sinking feeling he couldn’t shake consumed him. He swallowed hard and noticed that things were different. Instead of going to the back exit where all the limos usually lined up, they went down a narrow hallway and out of a side exit.

  Not only was the limousine waiting, but two more bodyguards, one standing in front of the door and one standing on the other side of the car. Two San Antonio police cruisers were sitting idle with lights on as well, one in front of the limousine and one behind it.

  As they approached, the bodyguard opened the door to the limousine for Sully. Danny and all six bodyguards trailed behind. Desperate to make light of a nerve wracking situation, Sully grinned as he sat across from his brother. “This is a little over the top, don’t you think? I’m a famous rock star, not the President of the United States. We don’t need secret service detail on our tours, Danny, although I am flattered.” He snickered.

  Danny stared out the window as the limousine started moving. He took a moment to compose his thoughts before he looked at Sully. Personally, he was still rattled by the news that his sister-in-law had been shot in her home office.

  He leaned forward, made a stiff drink and handed it to Sully as he met his eyes. “Pat, we’re on our way to the airport. There’s a chartered jet waiting to take us back to L.A.”

  Sully frowned, quick to go on the defensive. “What the hell? Oh c’mon!” He threw his hands up in frustration and met his brother’s eyes once again. “Danny, have you lost your shit? I can’t fly to L.A. You know that. Is this one of your stupid ‘how to be a better husband’ lectures again? Fucking spare me!” He growled with frustration as he shifted his gaze out the window.

  He felt his anger rising as he shook his head. His steel-blue eyes narrowed as he looked at his brother. “My God, Danny, you never stop do you? Well, let me tell ya something’, not everyone has a perfect marriage like you and Christine. I don’t need to hear again how I’m fucking up. Shit, that’s been playing like a broken record my entire life!”

  He shook his head vehemently. “Nope, not again.” He leaned forward and pushed the button to lower the partition. He yelled to the driver. “Let me out of this fucking car now or turn it the fuck around! I have a show in four hours!”

  Danny rolled his eyes, sighed and shook his head. He met his brother’s eyes. “No, you don’t. The show has been canceled.” He leaned back and spoke to the chauffeur in hushed tones, confirming they continue their course to the airport.

  Sully rolled his eyes. “Oh shit.” He guzzled half of his drink, shook his head in disbelief and glared. “Seriously? Did Kit put you up to this? We’re really gonna take it this far and disappoint some fans? Wow. This is beyond ridiculous.” He shook his head and turned his attention away from his brother and out the window again.

  Curiosity seized him, though, and he found himself looking over at Danny again. He stared into his brother’s eyes, cocking his head to the side. “So tell me, what have I done now?” His voice dripped of sarcasm. “Tell me what my charges are here, ‘cuz clearly I’m guilty until presumed innocent.” He folded his arms in front of his chest defiantly.

  Danny met his eyes, doing his best to keep his own temper in check. Sully always had a way of pushing his buttons. He remembered Kit and that grounded him and helped him to stay focused.

  He sighed. “I haven’t said anything, Pat. This isn’t about me judging you or Kit judging you. This isn’t about that at all. Kit was shot in her office at the house, and there are threats on your life right now. Last we heard, she was being rushed to the hospital. Not only do we need to keep you safe, but we need to get you there by her side. She needs you.” His tone became more solemn. “From what I understand, it’s pretty serious, Pat.”

  Sully stared at Danny, his guard coming down as he remained stunned by the words that hung in the air. He chugged the remainder of his drink. He felt his chest tighten as he swallowed hard, feeling like his world was starting to spin out of control. Fear encompassed him as he met his brother’s eyes again and silently held out his glass for a refill.

  He finally spoke in a methodical low tone barely audible, as if he didn’t want to speak the words aloud and state their truth. “My wife got shot and now someone is trying to kill me?” His steel blue eyes clouded over with a mix of confusion and terror.

  Danny fixed him another drink, handed it to him and nodded as he sighed, relieved he was finally understanding the gravity of the situation. “Yes.”

  He leaned back, slammed his fist against the door in frustration and stared out the window, feeling rage course through his body. He was rendered speechless as he wondered how his level of fame had contributed to this moment with threats on his life and his wife fighting for her life after a gunshot wound she sustained in their own home.

  He closed his eyes and secretly regretted the uptick of fan obsession on this tour as well as increased press coverage. It had catapulted them to a level where one rogue, obsessed fan could ruin their entire lives.

  He said a silent prayer that Kit would be alive and well when the plane touched down in California. He didn’t want to entertain what his life would be like without her. He decided to cast the thought out entirely and focus on everything being ok. He tried to convince himself it would be, although his intuition nagged him otherwise. He suddenly felt like the flight from San Antonio to Los Angeles would be one of the longest of his life.

  * * *

  Dr. Kyle Nicholls stared at his reflection, ran his fingers through his short, brown hair and double-checked his black bow tie. Pleased with it, he threw on his tuxedo jacket and headed out. He was looking forward to the evening ahead at the gala for the Lindley-McKenna Foundation. It wasn’t often that he had a pressing social event to attend, and he realized how much he had missed that aspect of his life.

  As he strolled down the hallway toward the nurses’ station, a female colleague passed by, whistled and called out. “Looking good, Ky!”

  He was considered one of the most eligible bachelors and while something about the title made him feel uncomfortable, he didn’t mind the attention. Standing six foot three, his tall, athletic build and star quality smile certainly helped matters.

  He chuckled and shook his head, feeling like a fish out of water. “Thanks, Aimee.”

  It was a slow night at the hospital and when he approached the nurses’ station, two of them jokingly stood up and applauded him. Jennifer, the head nurse, smiled. “Wow! You certainly do look nice in a tux, doc.”

  His sage green eyes twinkled as he flashed a charming smile that reflected irresistible dimples and made the nurses swoon even more. “Thank you, Jen.” Normally he wasn’t the social type and kept to himself, but he had heard the rumors that nurses all over the hospital had crushes on him. Tonight, feeling more vulnerable and out of his element, he decided to humor them.

  He smoothed the tuxedo jacket and chuckled. “I feel weird in it. Definite departure from living my life in scrubs.” He nodded. “I’m officially off the clock for two whole days,” he smiled and chuckled again. “At least that’s what I hope. I’m out. Have a good evening, ladies. Just waiting on…”

  Before he could finish his sentence, Emily approached in an elegant, blue, full-length gown that flowed nicely as she walked. He nodded with approval and grinned as he held his arm out for her and continued his sentence. “And here she is.” As she linked her arm in his, he glanced down at her. “You look great, Em. Really pretty.”

  She smiled up at him excitedly. “Thanks. Ready to go?”

  He nodded and shifted his attention to Jennifer. “We’re out, officially.”

  Jennifer giggled. “You two look great. Have fun!”

  Kyle opened the passenger door to his black Jeep CJ7
hard top and helped Emily. She thanked him, and he shut the door. As he rounded the back of his Jeep, he heard his beeper go off and realized he had shoved it into one of his pockets as a force of habit. He groaned and pulled it out as he opened his driver’s side door. He climbed in and stared at it.

  Emily frowned. “Did you just get paged?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. They’re probably just messing with us. Let’s get a move on. I don’t want to be late for this.”

  He started the engine, and as he put the Jeep into reverse gear, the pager went off again. He heard Emily’s beeper go off as well and exchanged a look with her as he handed over his pager. “Take a look at mine and yours. I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

  As he reversed out of his parking space, Emily glanced over. “9-1-1 page this time on yours. Mine is standard. I’m calling in. Where’s your mobile?”

  He kept his attention on navigating his way out of the hospital parking lot. “Glove box.”

  He listened to her talking and within seconds, turned his Jeep around. He headed back to where he was originally parked in the physicians’ designated spaces. He turned off the engine and glanced at her as she scrambled to grab her evening bag. She tossed his pager back to him and opened her passenger door.

  She quickened her pace, struggling a bit in her gown and heels. He jogged next to her. “Ok, what do we got? What did they say?”

  She headed toward the emergency room. “We need to get you scrubbed in like yesterday. Gunshot wound to the chest. They’re bringing her in now.” She stopped and looked up at him. “I’m sure they’ll tell us the details in there, but they said this is a high-profile VIP case, and we need to use discretion.”

  He shook his head. “Dammit. Are you in the O.R. with me on this?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I wasn’t on call tonight, but the other O.R. nurse is sick, so I volunteered.”