Unwritten (Woodlands 5)

I hop out and knock on the Passat’s window.

In the driver’s seat, Davis jumps and curses. His hand fumbles for a button on the door, then the window rolls open. “What the hell are you doing here?” he demands.

“Probably the same thing as you.” I jerk a thumb over my shoulder. “This Marrow’s place?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?” he asks with narrowed eyes.

“One of my roommates is an information junkie. He did some googling and figured it out. What do you know about Marrow?”

Davis scrapes a hand through his hair. For the first time I realize he’s got red highlights. His sister’s hair is darker and richer than his, but I’m starting to see the resemblance. “He was in college with her, a computer science major. They had some courses together, but they weren’t friends. Landry swears she never said more than a couple words to him the entire time she was in college. And I believe her. Landry spends most of her time with her nose glued to her computer. She’s oblivious to how guys see her.”

My eyebrows shoot up. Girl is a total smoke show. How can she not notice the stares she gets? “How is that possible?”

“She was a late bloomer. No one paid attention to her in high school. She had some acne problems. Braces. She went to college, lived in the computer lab for four years, and graduated looking like she does now.” He gives me a wry half smile. “It was a hell of a lot easier when she was this awkward teenager who guys mostly left alone.”

And now she looks like a wet dream. Oval face, with that red hair and green-gold eyes. A tiny waist and a sweet set of tits that would rest perfectly in my palms. I don’t envy Davis’s position.

“So this guy asked her out and she turned him down?”

“No. He made up this whole fucking relationship in his head.” He does the hand and hair thing again. “Landry and her friend, May, worked on this project all through college. A few months after they graduated, they finished it up and sold the code. I encouraged both of them to get a life. Landry started going out and…I guess it triggered him. She began dating and he felt like she was betraying him. He attacked her in her apartment one night.” Davis drags a finger along the side of his cheek. “The mug broke and cut her. She still has a scar.”

All my humor’s gone, replaced by a boatload of guilt.

“It’s not your fault, man,” I try to reassure him.

He shakes his head. “I know that, but I still can’t stop thinking about how I was the one who told her that she was wasting away in our parents’ basement. That she should get out and have some fun.” He turns a sad face in my direction. “I can’t leave her behind.”

My heart sinks, but I think I knew this was coming.

“Fuck. I get it.” I stuff my hands in my pockets. If it were my sister, I couldn’t leave her behind, either.

“Sorry, Adam. I wanted this. I really did.”

“I know.”

With a bleak look, he rolls up his window and drives away.

Chapter Five

Adam

“You think he’ll go for it?” Finn asks.

I check my messages again. Nothing. I shove my phone into my back pocket.

“He was downing celebration shots faster than Rudd when I told them about the tour invite. He wants to go, but he can’t leave his sister behind. I’m hoping that he’ll look at the tour bus and be shocked and awed.” I pick up the sledgehammer and whale it across the eighteen-year-old cabinets. They come down with a crash that’s not as satisfying as I thought it’d be. What I’d really like to do is take the hammer to the side of the head of the asshole who hurt Landry Olsen.

“Can’t they just report this yahoo to the police?” The sink goes out the door, followed by the fixtures and the basin of the old shower. “You sure it’s not about his job?”

My initial fear about asking Davis to be part of FMK was that he was too much of a desk jockey to put in the practice time, but he surprised me by showing up every night we asked of him and offering every spare minute on the weekends. He’s been as committed as Rudd and Ian. Maybe even more than Ian, since the drummer has the new baby in his house.

“No, it’s the family drama.” I wouldn’t leave sweet Landry alone, either. This idea of mine is inspired. For a few months I’ll get Landry in close proximity to me, where I can wear down any resistance she might have, and I’ll play with my band all over the country. It’s the definition of a win-win.

“Maybe get a different singer? One without so much baggage.” Finn staples a bunch of cords to the ceiling. We’re renovating the entire bus, from the electrical and plumbing to the new leather seating areas and mahogany paneling.

“Nah, Davis is it.”

“Oh, the old Adam Rees intuition.” Finn points the side of the staple gun against his temple.