Chapter
Fifteen
At Tessa's insistence, AJ performed at the concert
the next night. She refused to let the bartender get the best of her. He
had been caught and he confessed. He was going to jail. There would be no
embarrassing trial to go through. It was over. At least that part was
over.
Tessa went to the venue with the guys. They helped
her get out of the bus and into the building. The fans, instead of converging
upon them trying to touch the men, applauded and chanted her name. They stayed
back so she would not get hurt any more than she already was.
"I don't understand, AJ. What was that all about?"
"Full disclosure, baby. It was bound to get out, so
Kevin and Howie released the story before the tabloids could get a hold of
it and twist it all around. They told the whole story, right down to you
loosing the baby."
"Oh no." Tessa hid her face in her hands.
"It's okay." AJ pulled her hands away and kissed them.
"It had to be done. The way you looked, the press would have had a hay day
with it. They would have accused me of beating you. The baby would have come
out sometime. Then it would have gotten worse. They would have said that
I beat you to get rid of the baby. Do you understand?" He bent his head down
so he could see her eyes.
She just put her arms around his neck and pulled him
close. What could she say to him? She had basically ruined him. Everything
she had tried to save him from, was out anyway. She felt terrible.
When the concert was over, Tessa was waiting on the
bus for the guys. They told her it had been a good concert. The crowd had
applauded when AJ came out on stage for his solo. Even for their show of
support, there was a strain between the group now.
THREE WEEKS LATER
Everything had changed. One man..., One sick man, had
changed all their lives. Kevin would not let his girlfriend come to see him.
Brian kept his under an armed guard. Nick drank more and AJ had lost the
sparkle in his eyes.
Tessa had to do something. They could not go on like
this. She loved AJ too much to keep putting him through this torment. She
had to let him go.
AJ came into their room at the hotel and found Tessa
finishing packing her things. He knew she was running. He could not blame
her. His lifestyle had done this to her. She had been abused and beaten.
He had promised to take care of her and she had been attacked right under
his nose. Their love making had suffered. He knew being intimate with him
was hard on her. So, he stopped trying to make love to her. He just held
her at night. Even though she said she wasn't going to let it happen, that
sick bastard took away her spirit. He had taken away her the light in her
eyes.
AJ decided not to fight her on her leaving. Maybe she
really needed to get away from him. She had been through so much, how could
he expect her to stick it out when he was tired of fighting the ghost of
the bartender himself. He love her too much to keep putting her through this
torment. He had to let her go.
He sat down on the bed and looked at her. He held open
his arms and she walked into them wrapping her arms around his head. She
kissed him on the top of his head, picked up her bag and left the room, and
his life.
AJ sat looking at the closed door and cried.
