Too Tempting (The Lewis Cousins 1)

“Damn right.”

“Then why don’t you go out on your own and prove it?”

Anxiety crept along Archer’s spine. “Don’t tempt me.”

Brandon laughed, loudly and heartily. The harsh sound resonated off the tunnel walls, slapping against Archer’s pride. His hands curled into fists.

Making an exaggerated show of wiping his eyes, Brandon said, “Archie, you’re a talentless, dickless, completely expendable son of a bitch. We’ve had backup singers and guitarists before you and we’ll have others when we finally get rid of you. I dare you to break your contract and try to hack it on your own. Hell, I’ll even convince the rest of the band to sign off on your departure so you don’t get penalized with breach of contract. That’s how sure I am that you mean nothing to us.”

Archer refused to show any of the concern he felt over Brandon’s conviction. “Fine. Maybe I will.”

“Yeah,” Brandon said, shaking his head and laughing again. “Good luck with that. I’m sure it’ll go so much better than the last time you cut a solo album.”

Still chuckling, Brandon turned and headed towards the band’s green room, touching two fingers to his forehead and lifting them in a mocking farewell salute. Regina looked up from her phone as Brandon neared her at the end of the tunnel. She glanced from him to Archer. After a brief pause, she followed Brandon around the corner and out of sight.

Guess it was clear where her loyalty stood.

When he was alone, Archer opened and closed his fists as the argument with Brandon ran through his mind. His anger warred against a heavy onslaught of uncertainty. Why had he gone and mouthed off like that? He’d known it would never go his way. Now he had all but gotten himself kicked out of a band that was making its way up the charts.

Unvented frustration stormed through him. With no one there to shout at, he turned and gave a nearby metal door a swift kick.

“Hey!” yelled a feminine voice from the other side of the door.

“What the hell?” Archer eyed the door. “Who’s in there?”

“My name’s Lily Montgomery. I’m locked in here. Can you open the door?”

He grabbed the door’s handle and attempted to turn it. “No. The lock looks messed up. I think someone tried to use something other than a key to open it.”

“Oh, great. Maybe that’s why the door was propped open earlier.”

Archer looked in the direction of the green room. Although it grated, he needed to go back and make amends with Brandon. Who had he been trying to kid with all of that talk about going out on his own?

“I’ll send someone to get you out of there,” he said absently, turning to head down the tunnel.

“No!” the voice—Lily, he recalled—exclaimed. “Please don’t leave me. It’s dark and cramped in here and I’ve been trapped for hours.”

“I can’t get the door open unless I go get someone.”

“Do you have a phone?”

“Who the hell am I supposed to call?”

“My Uncle Ray. He’s a security guard here.”

Sighing, Archer pulled out his phone. “Fine. What’s his number?”

She rattled off the digits. He entered the number and listened as it rolled to voicemail. Sensing that the trapped Lily wouldn’t be happy with that outcome, he disconnected the call and issued a sharp whistle to catch the attention of the security guards at the end of the tunnel. When they glanced at him, he waved one of them over.

“What’s wrong?” the guard asked as he approached.

“There’s someone locked in here,” Archer told him. “Do you have a key?”

The guard’s brow furrowed. “No, but I’ll find out who does.”

“Thanks.” As the guard headed back to his companion at a jog, Archer said, “They know you’re in there now, Lily. Someone will come and get you out soon.”

“Don’t leave me. Please.”