Fade to Red (36 page)

“You’ll both wear bulletproof vests and no one will even be able to tell,” Dion told Beckham and Ian.

He held the vests up and handed one to both of them. Ian and Beckham started talking at the same time.

“Why would she shoot me if she wants to be with me?”

“What happens if she tries to shoot somewhere other than the vest?”

“What makes you think she’ll even come to the show?”

Dion lifted an eyebrow. “I think she’s desperate. I have no idea if she’ll try to hurt anyone, but I do think she’ll show up and possibly try … who knows what? It’s worth a try to draw her out. We’ll make sure the news covers that you
are
still performing tomorrow night in L.A., a special acoustic show, despite having to cancel the last several dates. Just hear me out, and hopefully she’ll come.”

Everything was still on hold with the tour. Dion and Ian knew what Beckham wanted, but they were the only ones.

Dion tossed beanie hats in their direction. “The outside of these have the same material as bulletproof glass, and the inside is like a wet suit. Wear it low enough on your forehead for more coverage. Oh, and don’t get shot anywhere else. That’s all I got.”

Beckham put his hat on first.

Ian sighed. “I’m not gonna look as good as you. I don’t look good in hats.”

“Oh please, you’re the Sexiest Man Alive. You look good in anything.”

Ian put his hat on and stared at Beckham, both eyebrows raised. Beckham choked and then laughed hard.

“How is that possible?” he asked, wiping his eyes.

“Told you.” Ian shrugged.

“Are you guys done playing dress-up?” Dion asked.

“Geez,” Ian mouthed to Beckham over Dion’s head.

“Saw that,” Dion muttered.

Ian and Beckham laughed. Dion shook his head, but his mouth twitched.

“Shall we walk through it again?”

They nodded, the gravity of the situation pulling them back to the moment, and he went through the plan from the top.

Once Dion had gone through everything and grilled Beckham and Ian backwards and forwards, they joined everyone else. The rest of the day felt like a vacation. Sophia and Rachel stayed busy in the kitchen, making tons of food: hoagies, queso and chips, brownies, lasagna, salad, garlic bread, and cheesecake.

Roxie and Leo kept the board games going. They were a good team. Beckham got a kick watching the two of them interact. They were both competitive and talked a fair amount of smack … with everyone but each other. They were both so partial with each other that several times they were called out for not being fair.

Leo shrugged. “If I can’t win, I want
her
to win.”

Roxie laughed. “And if he can’t win,
I
want to win.”

“Maybe Beckham could win sometime though, once or something,” Leo said a few beats later.

If life were always as sweet as this…

Beckham loved the way the little guy looked at him—like he was eleven feet tall.

Roxie noticed Beckham smiling at her and Leo and her eyes warmed. It might take time to prove to her how much he loved her but when he remembered how she’d responded during their night together, he knew it was worth it. He hoped he was right and that she loved him too. It’d make what he planned to do go so much smoother if she did.

That night after dinner, he stopped her before she went to tuck in Leo.

“Do you feel well enough to stay up a little longer? I won’t keep you up late,” he said quietly.

“Sure. I’ll come out after Leo falls asleep.”

Leo was doing his rounds, hugging everyone. When he got to Beckham, he barreled into him with a huge hug.

“This has been the best day ever,” Leo said.

“I hope to have lots more days just like this with you,” Beckham said.

Roxie walked out, her hair piled high on her head. She looked like she’d been in a bad fight and lost, but she was more beautiful and graceful to him than she’d ever been. It reminded him of the first time he saw her. He hated that even his thoughts would always be prefaced with the words, ‘that he could remember’ because for him, seeing her onstage that day in San Diego had changed his life.

She stopped in front of him.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“About the same as the other thirty times you’ve asked me today.” She smiled.

He groaned. “I just don’t understand how you’re up and around like it’s no big deal that you were nearly killed. How are you not complaining all day with the pain?”

“I’m a woman,” she said and laughed.

He rolled his eyes. “You’ve got me there.”

“Seriously, I am feeling better. Yeah, I’m really sore, but I’m breathing so much better and I’m so happy…” She stopped and looked shy all of a sudden.

“Go on,” he said with a grin.

“I’ve enjoyed this day too. It’s been fun seeing our families get along so well.”

He let out a whoosh of breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “I meant what I said to Leo—I want to have more days like this … with you.”

Her lips parted and he had to kiss her. More tentative than he wanted, trying to make sure he didn’t hurt her, but it still felt like magic. He stopped before he got too carried away in the kiss, and her eyes were shining. He traced her lips with his thumb, unable to look away.

“I love you, Roxie.”

He felt her breath hitch and her eyes widened.

“I know I still have some things to prove to you, but I’m willing to spend the rest of my life putting in the time it takes.”

She swallowed and he trailed his fingers down her neck, still looking in her eyes for any hope of a chance.

“You don’t have to promise me forever,” he said, his voice low and husky. “But do you think … one day … you could think about it?”

She took a deep, shaky breath and her eyes fell to his lips. “I already know what I’m too scared to hope for…”

He waited, but she didn’t say anything else. “What is that?”

“That you really do mean what you just said.” Her eyes shifted to the side.

A grin nearly split his face wide open, and he tried to tame it down before she looked at him again.

“That I
love
you? Because I really, really
do
mean that, Roxie Taylor!” He leaned down and put his face in her hair. “I really do love you,” he whispered in her ear.

She shivered and turned her face toward his. Her hands wove through his hair and she pulled him closer, kissing him the way he’d wanted to kiss her—complete abandon. He felt lightheaded and bereft when she put her hands on his cheeks and pulled away, breathing hard.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She smiled. “More than okay. Just … catching my breath.”

He rested his forehead on hers. “You’ve given me exactly the answer I hoped for tonight.”

The next morning, he had to leave before she woke up. He was still flying high on her kisses from the night before. By tomorrow, he hoped to have the fear of Coco far behind them.

Beckham and Ian were in the conference room at Dion’s office. Beckham wasn’t even sure who everyone was—he wondered for the hundredth time if he should even be putting his trust in all these people. He trusted Dion and Howie, but this was a little much. One of his friends from the LAPD walked in and his tension eased.

“Did you tell Sparrow what we’re doing?” he asked.

Ian frowned and swiped his hand across his jaw. “No. And she’s gonna have my head for it, too.”

“Might need to wear that hat around her too, then.” Beckham smirked.

“And lose my swagger status? Nuh-uh. I don’t think so,” Ian said, shaking his head.

“
Swagger
status? Do I even want to know?”

Ian smiled. “Just something Sparrow says…” He drifted off, lost in thought.

Beckham chuckled. “Right.”

Howie sat down beside him and Dion began the meeting.

Before they went onstage that night, Beckham stopped Ian.

“I just want to give you another chance to get out of this. I’m already so grateful that you got Roxie out of that house. You don’t have to go out there tonight.”

Ian’s brows creased. “I’m not letting you do this alone, man. I want to see her locked up as much as you do.” He put his fist out for Beckham to bump. Beckham came in for a hug. “All right. That’s cool too.” Ian laughed. “Come on. Let’s do this. Maybe we’ll even have some fun out there.”

Beckham gave him a weak smile and they went out together. The crowd went wild.

The night went without a hitch. As in,
nothing happened
.

Musically, it was one of the most fulfilling shows they’d done together. There were thousands of people there, but it still felt intimate. Between songs, they talked with each other the same as they did offstage—like best friends with the same quirky sense of humor—and the audience ate it up.

When they walked offstage, Beckham looked at Ian.

“Is it crazy that tonight was my favorite?”

Ian pounded Beckham on the back.

“I think it’s fitting. Honored to be out there with you, Beck.”

Beckham glanced up at the ceiling and swallowed his emotion.

“Thank you,” he said. He looked at Ian and nodded, knowing Ian got all that he wasn’t saying too.

Howie and Will flanked Beckham and Ian as they walked through the back halls of the stadium. Two guards in front and back joined them before they reached the doors. When Dion stepped out to walk with them, he looked apologetic.

Beckham nodded in greeting. “I don’t regret a thing about tonight,” he said.

The doors opened and there wasn’t the usual huge burst of flashes and people cheering, but a small crowd had been given access. Beckham and Ian waved and smiled, stopping to sign a few autographs, but moving quickly toward the limo.

Beckham sensed it before it happened. He lowered his head and kept walking. A loud shot rang out.

PING.

He felt like he’d been hit with a baseball bat.

He heard screams in the distance and his eyes blurred as he looked over his shoulder at Ian.

The second shot gutted him and he went down.

Concrete.

Ambulance.

Syringe.

Black.

“We’ve just received word that pop star Beckham Woods was pronounced dead on arrival tonight by hospital officials, after suffering two fatal gunshot wounds outside a downtown Los Angeles venue where he was performing earlier this evening. Ian Sterling was with Woods at the time but appeared to be unharmed.

The two stars have been through a lot in their short time as friends, with Beckham’s girlfriend, Roxie Taylor, and Sterling being kidnapped by Colette Williams earlier this month. Williams’ location has still not been identified, and at this time we have no evidence suggesting she was part of the shooting.

Police are requesting anyone with information regarding this case call the hotline. The number will be shown at the bottom of the screen for the remainder of this broadcast.

We will greatly miss the performer who has entertained us for nearly two decades with his award-winning songs and playful personality. The world has lost a star whose light will never go out.”

“This news just in: The home of Colette Williams, the alleged kidnapper of Roxie Taylor and Ian Sterling, burned to the ground last night. Neighbors from the nearby house heard a loud explosion and called 911 at 11:59 p.m., but the house was leveled by the time the fire department arrived. The remains of three bodies were found, but at this time, they have not been identified.

Colette Williams allegedly stalked the newly deceased Beckham Woods for many years. It is still unknown whether or not she was responsible for his death.”

The emergency phone line rang, and Daniel moved to pick it up.

“Don’t answer that!” Will shouted.

Roxie and Sparrow stared at the guard. Daniel paused by the table and frowned. Mild-mannered and quiet, it was the loudest they’d heard Will speak.

Will answered the phone and said very little. He agreed with whatever was being said and hung up.

It was late. Leo and Journey had been in bed for hours, and everyone else was tired but concerned about Beckham and Ian.

“Okay, what’s going on?” Roxie asked. “Beckham and Ian have been gone all day. We’re really getting worried.”

Will seemed nervous. “Pack your things. We’re leaving in an hour.”

“Tonight?” Sierra asked.

“I don’t want to leave without Beckham,” Roxie said, folding her arms.

His mom and sister agreed.

Will mumbled and then looked at them. “Dion will explain it all when he gets here. Get whatever you want to take with you, otherwise it will be left if it’s not packed within the hour.”

Sparrow’s eyes were wide. “Wow,” she said, glaring at Will. “I don’t know why we’ve been kept in the dark all day about … whatever’s going on … but there’s no need for you to be rude.” She immediately went splotchy, her signature embarrassed face, and Roxie walked over and put her arm around her.

“What she said,” Roxie said, squeezing Sparrow.

They split up, each hurrying to their rooms. Chloe decided to take a quick shower since she didn’t have much to pack. It took Roxie a while to get everything together because Leo had spread out his toys in their room. She was waiting until the very last minute to wake him up.