Looks like Liza is up to her old tricks. Ben and Ryan are more determined than ever to get out of her financial grasp, no matter what, although they have no idea how to do that. See what's happening with them in this week's chapter of In Pieces. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!
In Pieces #80 (19.3)
Once the rest of the band arrived, they all went to
breakfast at a nearby restaurant, Marge’s treat. The atmosphere was somewhat
subdued, not surprising considering everything that was going on. But once they
all ate, they began to relax a little. Ryan appreciated that everyone was so
considerate of both Ben and Abby. That was just one of the things he loved
about them. Afterward, they returned to the motel and Marge checked out. She
dropped Ben and Ryan at the park on her way out of town, so they could retrieve
Cameron’s sedan.
“Don’t worry, we’ll figure out something,” she said when she
hugged them good-bye. Ryan hoped she was right.
A light rain was falling by the time they got to the motel,
so hanging out at the pool wasn’t really an option. Ryan decided to work on the
book. He sat on the edge of the bed, Ben curled up beside him, and wrote for a
while. He thought everything was going pretty well so far. His goal was to let
the personalities of the various band members shine through his words. They
already had a fan base, but hopefully the book would get more people interested
in them and their music.
After a couple of hours, he shut down his laptop and he and
Ben made love, then took a nap. When they woke, they took a shower and dressed,
then met the others for dinner at a local burger joint. They discussed the
schedule, as well as the week off that was coming up.
“I figured we’d hang out at Cameron’s until we hit the road
again,” Aiden said. “But now I’m not so sure I want to. Guess it depends on if
he’s there or not.” Nobody had to ask who he meant. “On the one hand, I hope he
isn’t, but on the other, I am dying to knock his stupid ass out.”
Ryan could easily understand how Aiden felt. He felt the
same way, even though he wasn’t usually given to violence.
“We’ll work it out when we get there,” Ben said. “No sense
in worrying about it now. Besides, you know how he is. Comes and goes, no rhyme
or reason. It’s just as likely he won’t be there. Either way, we’re parting
ways with him, once I sort out our financing.”
“Good riddance,” Abby said. Ryan thought he saw dark circles
under her eyes. Maybe she wasn’t sleeping very well. Not surprising, under the
circumstances.
“Something’ll work out,” Deacon said, his usual optimistic
self. “We just have to believe in ourselves.” Ryan appreciated his outlook. He
just hoped the other man was right.
The next day was sunny and warm. They drove the short
distance to Lafayette and quickly found their motel and checked in. They
weren’t due onstage until nine, so they split up for the afternoon. Deacon and
Keanu opted to stay at the hotel in order to check out the pool, but they
weren’t fooling anyone when they made a beeline to their room. Aiden and Abby
decided to walk around the area and get some exercise, so Ben and Ryan took the
sedan and drove around Lafayette. Ryan offered to drive, so Ben scooted up
against him in the front seat and played navigator.
They stopped for lunch at an Indian restaurant. The food was
delicious and the proprietor very friendly. They were feeling pretty good by
the time they returned to their hotel.
“Whoa, when they say spicy, they really mean it.” Ben
laughed as he used his key card to let them into their room. “I’m glad I didn’t
order it any hotter than I did. That might—”
Ryan had been trailing Ben, listening to him, when he heard
Ben’s words stop abruptly. He looked at Ben in surprise. Ben was staring at
something in the room. Oh no, it couldn’t be, could it?
But when Ryan moved past Ben, intending to shield him from
harm, all he saw at first was a large flower arrangement sitting on their
dresser. Then he spotted the card attached to it.
All my love, L.
to be continued
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