Wild Renegade (15 page)

"What's
the matter?" I ask while pulling on my underwear.

"I'm
dying for a cigarette right now." Ace sighs.

I
go over to him and slip my arms around his waist. "You're doing great. You
don't need it. I know you can do this," I say encouragingly.

Ace
takes a deep breath and nods. "I can do this," he repeats.

We
finish getting dressed then head down to the lobby where we meet up with everyone
else. Alex comes over to us and gives Ace a man hug before turning to me. He
hauls me into a big bear hug that has me laughing.

"Hey!
Let go of my woman!" Ace laughs, yanking me out of Alex's arms and into
his. "Mine!"

Alex
chuckles. "I'd be this biggest dumbass if I didn't know that."

"Damn
straight," Ace affirms and squeezes me.

We
all pile into a couple of vans and drive to a restaurant not too far from the
hotel. When we get there, there is actually a crowd of people and paparazzi
waiting outside of the place. The bodyguards get out first and back people up,
making us a path to get into the restaurant. Then we slowly make our way
through the crowd toward the front door. And by we, I mean - Me, Ace, Beau,
Lizette, Dean, Everett, and Roland. None of the other dancers are with us.
Flashes go crazy and shit is shouted at us from all directions. I caught a
couple of questions about why I'm still with Ace since he cheated on me, blah,
blah, blah.

Once
inside, the hostess sits us in a secluded back room, which is much appreciated
by us all. I sit down with Ace on one side of me and Everett on the other. Ace
puts his arm around the back of my chair and leans over to give me a kiss on
the cheek. I glance over at him to find him smiling adoringly at me. How did I
get so lucky? I may never know.

This
place moves fast and within twenty minutes, we're all chowing down on pancakes,
French toast, omelets, sausage, and bacon; plus, there's coffee, lots of
coffee. I ordered French toast while Ace got chocolate chip pancakes.

"Can
I try a bite?" Ace asks me.

I
cut off a bite for him and feed it to him.

"Mmm,
that's delicious," he says.

"I
know, right," I agree.

Ace
offers me a bite of his pancakes. I accept, letting him feed it to me.

"Those
are really good," I moan.

Ace
leans in and kisses me on the lips. "Mmm, you taste good, too." He
growls against my lips.

I
smile and flick my tongue over his bottom lip. "So do you." I giggle.

"Jesus
Christ, do you two fucking mind? I'm trying to eat my food here," Dean
huffs from his seat across from us. "God, you're worse than Beau and
Lizette."

"Hey!"
Beau and Lizette say at the same time then look at each other and laugh.

Ace
and I kiss one more time before going back to eating our own breakfasts.
 
Once we are all finished eating, we go
back to the hotel to gather up our things because we have to get back on the
bus to go to the next city. This time I get to ride on the bus with Renegade.

Chapter
Nine

~Nicole~

We
are back in New York for a short Christmas holiday and have a week off from the
tour. We're about half way through, which is good. I'm looking forward to our
month off before starting the European part of the tour - that's still a couple
of months away, though. I spent last night in a hotel room by myself. Ace and I
have been together constantly since we got back together and it was nice to be
alone for a little while. He's not bothering me or anything, but I feel that to
keep a relationship healthy, you need to spend time apart. Ace agreed with me,
which was good. He said that he was dying to sprawl out on his couch and watch
his favorite shows, alone. We already planned to spend Christmas Eve at his
place, where he's going to have his grandparents over for dinner. Then Christmas
day we are going to my parents’ house. Should be fun...NOT! My dad still
doesn't like Ace, and now it's practically turned into hatred since he found
out about the whole cheating debacle. I've tried to explain that it was a big
misunderstanding, but he doesn't care, it's just another excuse not to like
Ace. We still have a couple of days before we have to worry about all that,
though.

Today,
we are going out to do some much needed Christmas shopping. We've obviously had
no time to do any shopping while on tour. I head downstairs to meet Ace and
Alex, who are waiting for me across the street. They tried pulling into the
parking garage but the gate isn't working for some reason, so they just parked
across the street. I told them that I'd just meet them out there instead of
having them come up. I step up to the curb and see both guys leaning casually
against the hood of Alex's Hummer, talking and laughing. Ace looks over first
and smiles at me and waves. Alex is next to look up.
 

I
smile and wave back. I look both ways of the semi-busy street before stepping
out - no cars are coming because the light at the corner is red. From the
corner of my eye, I see a car pull out from a parking spot a little ways down
the street. I don't think anything of it because I'm sure they can see me
crossing, I continue toward Ace and Alex.
 

Everything
that happens next seems to happen in slow motion. Alex glances down the street
in the direction in which the car is coming. I see his eyes widen then his
large body springs into action. He yells for me to stop as he starts sprinting
toward me. I frown in confusion right before I hear the engine of the car
revving faster. I look over and see that instead of slowing down, the car is
racing toward me. Ace screams my name as he starts running toward me, too. I know
that there is not enough time to get out of the way. That car is going to hit
me and most likely kill me. The next thing I know, Alex is in front of me,
shoving me back hard. My body flies out of the way just as the car barrels into
him.

I
land and roll, feet going over my head and I end up in a sitting position. I
watch in horror as Alex's body rolls over the hood and roof of the car and
flips awkwardly in the air before his body lands a few feet away from me with a
sickening thud. The first thing I think to do is get the license plate number
on the car that just hit Alex and is driving away. I memorize the letters and
numbers, refusing to forget. I will not let this fuck head get away with
possibly killing one of my friends. Ace suddenly appears in front of me on his
knees. He grabs my shoulders.

"Nikki!
Baby, are you okay?" he asks frantically, his eyes skimming over my body.

I
blink up at him. "Yeah...yeah, I'm okay, go check on Alex," I say, my
voice breathier than I would have liked, but hey, I did almost get hit by a
car. When Ace doesn't move, I shove at him. "Go! Go help him,
dammit!"

He
does as he's told and gets to his feet. Sneakers skid as Ace runs over to Alex,
who is moaning weakly in agony in the middle of the street. A couple of older
men come over and help me get to my feet, wincing at the ache in my back and
hip. I thank the men before I limp over to Ace and Alex. Ace is on his knees
next to his best friend, holding Alex's head still. He's bent over, talking
softly to him. My head is somewhat foggy, but I still have enough sense to pull
out my cell phone from my back pocket. The screen is cracked but I'm still able
to use it. I call 911 and tell them everything that just happened.

The
operator wants to know if Alex is bleeding anywhere that I can see. I swallow
hard. I hadn't looked past his face, afraid of what I'd see. But I glance down
the rest of his body. One of his leather jacket clad arms is bent the wrong way
and I can see that his right tibia is broken and bleeding through his jeans,
which probably means that the bone came through the skin. The bile rises in my
throat and I have to take a moment to swallow it back down before I can tell
the operator everything I see.

Ace
glances back at me, his eyes wide and frantic. "Tell them to hurry!"

I
nod and repeat that to the operator. I glance up and down the street, seeing
that a crowd is now forming. The sidewalks are pretty packed with people
walking to different places, so I’m not surprised to see tons of them gathering
around.
 
Most have their cell phones
out, either talking on them or pointing them in our direction, taking pictures
and video. I stay on the phone with the 911 operator until I hear the sirens.
When I hang up, I go and kneel down by Alex's head. He's actually awake, his
eyes glazed over. Ace still has a hold on his head, probably terrified that his
neck is broken, which I can totally understand. Alex moans in pain and it
absolutely breaks my heart. He squeezes his eyes shut as his breath catches.

"Help
is almost here, Alex, hang on," I say, my voice cracking with the threat
of tears.

He
swallows convulsively a few times before asking, "You...okay?"

"Nothing
but a couple of bumps.
 
You saved my
life, Alex, thank you," I whisper, my chin trembling as I fight back
tears.

A
small watery smile curls his lips. "Rather me...than you."

The
sob catches in my throat. "Oh, Alex," I croak, shaking my head.
 

An
ambulance and police car pull up and the EMTs rush over. The first thing they
do is put a neck brace on him, telling Ace not to let go until they have it on.
Once it is secure, Ace stands, immediately pulling me into his arms.

"Fuck,
Nikki, are you okay? You fell kinda hard, you should get checked out,
too," Ace says, his hands roaming over me.

I
nod. "I will, let them focus on Alex first," I whisper, swiping away
the tears running down my face.

Ace
tugs me closer, pressing my head against his chest. He buries his face into my
hair. "I thought that was going to be you laying in the street broken and
bleeding," he rasps.

"So
did I."

"I'll
never be able to thank him for sacrificing himself," he says, his voice
thick with emotion.

I
just shake my head against his chest. I don't know how I will ever thank him
either. As they get Alex loaded up, another ambulance shows up. Ace makes me go
over to let them check me out while the police come to talk to us. Ace calls
Alex's father so that his parents can meet him at the hospital. Then the police
start asking questions. I relay the license plate number to them and Ace is
able to give them a description, even though it's weird.

"She
was wearing a pink wig, sunglasses, and a scarf over her nose and mouth,"
he says to the cop.

I
glance up from watching the EMT clean my scraped up palms. "What?" I
ask incredulously.

Ace
looks at me and nods, scratching his head in confusion. "I know, it's odd,
but I swear, that's what I saw."

I
frown. "You don't think Hillary would go this far, do you?" I ask
him.

Ace
opens and closes his mouth a couple of times before shaking his head. "I
don't know, it's possible."

"Who's
Hillary?" asks the cop.

Ace
explains what went down between Hillary and us and how she was fired about a
month ago for her antics. After a few more questions and clearance from the
EMT, we are able to leave and go check on Alex at the hospital . I ended up
with only a few scrapes and bruises. Luckily, wearing jeans and my winter coat
saved me from losing more than just some skin on my hands. My jacket has a couple
of tears in it, so I'll need to get a new one, but whatever, that's the least
of my worries right now.

When
we get to the hospital, we find out that Alex has been taken into surgery to
stop some internal bleeding. While in surgery, they are also going to set his
broken arm and leg, which might possibly need to be pinned. Poor Alex. We sit
in the waiting room with his parents for a good seven hours while he's in
surgery.

I'm
half asleep with my head on Ace's shoulder when the doctor comes into the
waiting room to give Alex's parents an update on how their son is doing.
Apparently, surgery went well, they were able to stop the bleeding. At the
moment, he's in a medically induced coma due to some swelling on his brain,
most likely from hitting his head on the car or the ground. They placed him in
the ICU for now to keep an eye on him.

We
all go up to the ICU floor. Ace and I wait in the waiting room up there while
Alex's parents go in to see him first; only two visitors are allowed at a time.
I lean against Ace, who puts his arm around me. My whole body aches. The EMT
said it would, but damn, I didn't think it would be this soon. I grunt and
groan softly as I shift under his arm, trying to get comfortable.

"You
okay?" Ace asks.

"Getting
stiff and sore," I mutter.

He
kisses my forehead. "Well, we won't stay long, and when we get back to my
place, you can soak in the tub."

I
sigh. "Yeah, that sounds good right about now."

Ten
minutes later, Mr. and Mrs. DeGrassi come out and let us go in. He's hooked up
to all kinds of beeping machines. His right arm is wrapped and propped on a
pillow, as is his right leg, The doctor said that they wouldn't be able to put
a cast on until the swelling goes down. It's like a punch in the gut to see
such a strong man reduced to lying in a hospital bed, broken.

"Shit,"
Ace breathes and rakes a hand through his hair.

I
fight back tears as we both walk over and stand next to the bed. I gently place
my hand over Alex's. Ace places a hand on his shoulder and leans closer.

"Hey,
buddy, I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I'm here for you brother. You’re
gonna be just fine, okay?" he rasps quietly.

With
my free hand, I find Ace's and lace my fingers with his. Ace squeezes it and
gives me a grateful glance. We stay only for a few more minutes. When we walk
back out into the waiting room, Lizette and Beau are there, pacing with worried
looks on their faces. There are also a few police officers standing off to the
side, one in a suit, probably a detective. Lizette is the first to notice us
and rushes over.

"Oh
my god! Nicole, are you okay?" she gasps and pulls me into her arms.

I
hiss as my aching body protests. Lizette quickly releases me.

"Oh!
I'm so sorry! Are you hurt?"

"Nothing
serious, just really sore from the fall." I wince.

"How
did you guys hear?" Ace asks as Beau pulls him into a hug.

"It's
all over the news, my man," Beau grumbles.

"Shit."
Ace grunts.

"The
publicist is waiting for the go ahead to put out a statement. I wanted to talk
to you first before doing anything," Lizette says.

I
see Ace glance over at Alex's parents before turning back to Lizette.
"Just tell people to respect Alex and his family’s’ privacy."

Lizette
nods. "Okay."

"There
is already a big crowd outside of the hospital," Beau says, pinching the
bridge of his nose.

I
sigh. Nothing can ever be easy or personal when it comes to being famous.

~Ace~

It's
no surprise that there is a crowd outside of the hospital. I'm sure it's a
mixture of newscasters, paparazzi, and fans. I hate hospitals; the last time I
was in one was when Beau was kicked in the face by a horse. There is never a
good reason to be in a hospital, it's always for something bad.