"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said with a smile in her voice. She settled the tray on the table, along with some appetizer plates and napkins.

"Pull up a chair and have some."

She put her hand on her stomach. "I couldn't eat another thing tonight. You all enjoy, though." Alyssa crossed to the big table and scanned for her phone.

Tori pushed into the room carrying beers for two of the guys. The keyboardist pulled her into his lap and kissed her on the cheek. She giggled, clearly enjoying the attention.

Lazy fingers traced the low scoop on the back of her shirt. "You should be more like your friend. She knows what we like." Trent's breath was hot against her ear.

Alyssa's scalp prickled and she debated how to respond. "You guys are great," she forced herself to say in a normal voice. "But I'm, uh, seeing someone."

He leaned in. "I don't mind."

She filled her hands with dirty dishes. "Sorry," she said, not knowing how else to say no without offending him.

He dragged his knuckles down her arm. "Oh, come on. Don't be like that. Have some fun."

Knowing she wasn't going to say anything that would make him back off, Alyssa bit her tongue and skirted around him.

"Bitch," he murmured under his breath.

Alyssa's throat went tight, but she kept walking until she was out of the room and down the hall. She rounded the first corner, out of sight of the green room, and collapsed against the wall. Okay, pull it together, Aly. You're fine. She needed to find Pete, but it turned out she didn't need to go looking. He was talking to the guys in the kitchen.

"Just spoke to their manager. They'll clear out within a half hour," he said. "Thank you for your patience tonight, everyone."

Relief flooded Alyssa as she placed the dirties in a bin and joined the group.

"You can close down in here. Marco closed the bar. Who wants the green room tonight? I'll throw in a little extra, given the hour."

Eric looked her way but she shook her head. She'd had enough of the green room for today. Plus, Marco was waiting for her. Eric finally agreed to do it.

"Okay, then," Pete said. "Alyssa, you and Tori are done for the night. The guys will handle the rest."

Butterflies took flight in her stomach at the realization she'd have to talk to Marco now. The question about her phone returned, adding worry to the anticipation suddenly flooding her system. Maybe it was in her car. If she didn't find it, she was going to be distracted over it the whole time they were talking. Please don't let me have lost it. If she did, she wouldn't be able to replace it any time soon, and being cut off from Brady would kill her. She'd definitely had it on the way home from DC, because she'd listened to music.

Alyssa turned in to the lounge, ready to tell Marco she needed a few minutes to search for her phone, but he wasn't in there. She retrieved her keys from her locker and left to check her car.

The night air was still and thunder rumbled in the distance. At the side of the lot, the band's tour bus idled, crew members coming in and out of the stage doors with equipment. Two of the band members came out as she reached her car, and lingered by the door to the bus before getting on.

Finally! She couldn't say she was sad to see them go.

Alyssa unlocked her car and searched the front seat. Her heart sank. Seats. Floor. Center console. Her phone wasn't anywhere. She opened the back door and leaned way down to look under the driver's seat. There! Between the console and the side of her seat. Oh, thank God. She fished it out of the tight spot and pushed herself up.

She turned and crashed into somebody. Her heart flew into her throat.

"No, stay there. That was working for me."

Trent. Are you kidding me? "Excuse me," Alyssa said with none of the friendly tone she'd mustered earlier.

He braced one hand on the car's roof over her shoulder, boxing her in between his body and the open passenger door. His other hand curled behind her head and grabbed tightly onto her ponytail. The next thing Alyssa knew, her mouth was full of his tongue and the stale taste of cigarettes and alcohol.

After a moment of stunned shock, Alyssa shoved at his chest, breaking the kiss and fumbling her phone. It dropped to the ground. "What the hell?" Her heart hammered against her sternum and ice crawled over her skin.

"Come on," he said, grabbing her wrists in his hands and holding them against her chest. He shoved her back and the car's frame jammed into her neck, stealing her breath. He pressed his body into hers and smeared a sloppy kiss onto her cheek when she turned her face away. He tugged her wrists in warning. "Come on."

Adrenaline made her feel like she was vibrating. "Get the fuck off me," she rasped, yanking at her hands.

His grip tightened and he ground his erection into her hip. "What a dirty mouth. I'm going to love feeling it on my dick." He leaned down and sucked on her neck.

Annoyance and alarm morphed into rage. She was not helpless. And she was not going to be this asshole's victim. Three years of self-defense classes kicked in. He was too close to get in a knee lift, so she relaxed her arms and felt his grip loosen. She linked her fingers together and leaned slightly into him.

"Yeah," he moaned, taking a half step back to get a better shot at her lips.

Seizing her moment, Alyssa screamed and stomped down on his foot as hard as she could.

He jolted back. "Ow! You bitch."

Using his surprise, she leaned away and yanked her arms out of his hands. She stumbled backward against the car, but she was free.

Trent glared at her and lunged.

Chapter Thirteen

Why had she left without him?

Disappointment coursed through Marco's veins. Pete had asked for his help with something and he'd learned the band had finally gone. Looking everywhere for Alyssa, he stopped in the green room and Eric told him he'd seen her leave ten minutes before.

He dialed her number as he headed to the parking lot. He had to make things right. It was eating him up inside. His call went straight to voice mail. "Alyssa. Where are you? I thought we were going to talk. Call me, okay?" He sighed and barged through the exit in frustration.

The door had no more than clicked shut behind him when a noise like a scuffle caught his attention. He scanned the lot.

And his vision went red with rage.

He took off at a sprint, his target some piece of shit who was all over his Alyssa. She stomped on his foot and shoved him off with a scream, but the man came right back at her.

A strange pride roared through Marco as she slammed the heel of her palm into his chin, whipping his head back. The guy staggered but clearly wasn't taking no for an answer.