Page 35 of Cry, Little Dove

I’ve been there a handful of times to watch the local basketball team play, but tonight, a different event is on the schedule. A banner on the side gives away my surprise for Erica—or rather, a part of it.

“Billy Talent?” she asks and grabs my sleeve, yanking on it. “We’re going to see Billy Talent? You’re kidding me, right?”

I put a hand over my heart in mock offense. “Do I seem like a man who’d joke about something as important as his girlfriend’s favorite band?”

She turns tomato red. “How do you know they’re my favorite?”

“I stalked you for a while before I kidnapped you. When I stood outside your motel room, I heard you listening to them every day on repeat, more than any other music.”

She slaps a hand across her forehead, but that doesn’t dull her grin.

“I should be so mad, Cain. So. Fucking. Mad.” Her gaze drifts to the venue, and she groans. “But I can’t be. Last year when the tickets went on sale, I took a day off to wait online and when I finally got through, they were sold out! Scalpers resold them for a fortune, but that was way out of my league. I never thought I’d get to see them live again! And now we’re here and… and—”

Her speechless joy fills my chest with light.

Hurting Erica is like a powerful drug injected right into my veins. It’s addictive. I can’t live without it. But seeing her happy has me caring about nothing else in the world so long as I can make her smile.

I smirk while I light a cigarette and take the first drag. “Go on. Say it, little dove.”

“Damn you.” She kicks a pebble onto the road. “Fine.” Her eyes roll before they fix on me and she gives me an even sweeter smile. “This is… incredible. I’m seriously grateful. Thank you, Cain.”

“There you go. That wasn’t difficult at all, was it?”

She glares at me. “Don’t push your luck, curly.”

I laugh and take her hand, leading her across the street as I smoke. “The concert ain’t the most exciting part.”

“There’smore?”

I don’t answer. It’s better if she sees it for herself.

We cross the plaza in front of the main entrance, but instead of lining up to show our tickets, I swerve to the left. I throw away my cigarette and grab my phone to send a quick text to the band manager’s number I’ve been given via email. He said I should let him know when we’ve arrived, and he’ll take care of the rest.

At first, he was reluctant when I reached out to arrange a meet-and-greet with the band, but everybody has their price, and I simply had to mention the right number. It’s an expensive event, sure, but every cent spent on Erica is a worthwhile investment.

“Where are you taking me?” she asks as we round the arena and the noise of the crowd fades. “Are you going to fuck me by the dumpsters to make me pay for this?”

“If you want me to, darlin’.” I wink. “But jokes aside, this ain’t a transaction. I don’t expect anything from you in return for this date night. Is it so unfathomable that I wanna do something nice for you without any ulterior motives?”

She scoffs. “Yeah, it is.”

“You know that’s bullshit.”

Erica grumbles something about kidnapping and drugging but when we approach a metal gate, she quickly perks up. A pair of security guards stand on each side. They look us up and down, one opening their mouth to say something, when his radio buzzes and garbled speech comes through.

“Understood,” he says into the little black box and waves us closer. “Cain and Erica Morrow?”

My heart lifts. God, that sounds like music to my ears. She wears my last name so well.

Erica’s eyes nearly pop out of their sockets as she stares at the guard. Her head snaps to me. No doubt she wants to give me an earful for acting like she’s my wife, but I answer the man before she can get a word out.

“Yeah, that’s us,” I say.

The guard punches a code into a keypad on the fence and the gate opens. “Follow me, please.”

That adorable, giddy smile hasn’t left Erica’s face since we walked out of the backstage area and found a spot by the side of the VIP pit in front of the stage. And the entire time I have been asking myself one question:

How did she become even more beautiful?

---