Wicked Innocence (Wicked Innocence 1)

The truth was, I couldn’t handle being around her because she was a constant reminder of what I’d done. I’d ruined her life, and no amount of small talk was going to fix that. I was a fucking pussy, a coward, and nobody was angrier about it than me.

“Sure, Sax.” Her gaze dropped as she smiled. “See you later.”

***

I tracked down Stace sitting by the bar with a group of her friends.

“What?” she said with wide eyes as I shook my head. “Don’t worry, we’re just sitting here. No law against that, right?”

“Sure,” I muttered, eyeing her suspiciously. “Listen, I gotta go and sort some shit out for the tour. Happy birthday, little sis.” After crushing her in a hug, I handed her an envelope.

She looked at it suspiciously. “This is my big, amazing present?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. “I’ll kill you if it’s a gift certificate. You know how I feel about them.”

“Just open it,” I laughed.

Rolling her eyes, she tore along the length of the envelope and peered inside. Her mouth fell open, a half-assed squeal escaping from her mouth. “Are you freaking kidding me? How the hell did you score these? They’ve been sold out for months.” She excitedly waved two tickets in the air—Arctic Monkeys in Vegas.

There were some benefits to being a washed up rock star, such as being able to get ‘industry’ tickets to shows that had sold out in seconds.

She threw her arms around me. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I knew there was a reason I kept you around.”

“Saxon!”

I turned around and waited as my father walked up the path toward me. My mood dropped at the sight of him. I could always trust him to be able to ruin the moment.

“Hey, Dad.” I rubbed the back of my neck, bracing myself for the disapproval over whatever it was I was doing wrong this time.

“Leaving without saying hello to your old man?” He cocked his head and grinned, clapping me on the back. I smiled thinly. Anyone watching us would think we got along well, which just goes to show how looks can be deceiving.

“Sorry, I have some things to organize for the band. I’m this close to hooking them a gig in the LA Festival.”

“Dan was telling me. That’s fantastic. Your mother and I are so proud of the way you’ve turned your life around.”

Funny that my uncle is more supportive of me than my own father.

“Thanks,” I said instead, not wanting to start an argument on what was Stace’s day. “I really have to go. I’ll call you. Keep out of trouble,” I said to Stace, flashing her a grin.

I walked off, the bitterness that consumed me completely ruining my night. All I’d ever wanted was for them to be proud of me. Too bad it took nearly killing myself to get that. And even then, nothing I did was ever good enough.

***

Today was obviously a day for doing things I wasn’t used to doing. My stomach churned as I knocked on the front door. It swung open and Max gaped at me. From the looks of him, he hadn’t fully recovered from a big night before—even though it was after nine in the evening.

“Holy shit, dude. How the fuck are you?” He let me in, patting me on the back as I walked past him. “I can’t believe you’re here. I thought you, like, died or something dude.”

I laughed. “Yeah, sorry about that. I went through a bit of a rough patch for a while there. I have been meaning to call.”

He waved his arm. “Seriously dude, don’t stress. I’m just happy to see you. Drink? I’ve got beer and beer.”

“I’ll have a soda if you have one. Or just a water.”

He raised his eyebrows. “My man doesn’t drink anymore?”

I shook my head. “Rarely. There’s a lot about me that’s changed. You don’t look any different, though,” I added, my voice dry.

Max’s eyes crinkled as he laughed, his voice low and raspy. “Except older and slower. God, I’m nearly thirty, dude. Where the hell did life go?” he groaned, handing me a can of Coke. He cracked open a beer for himself and gulped half of it down. I laughed.

Max had been the drummer in Savaged. He honestly looked no different even though I hadn’t seen him in years. His dark brown hair was cropped short and had a sprinkling of silver through it, but he had the same goofy, fun, and laid back attitude as he’d had way back then.