Read Online In My Father's Shadow by Jl Paul - Free Book Online Page A

chair closer, his brow furrowed,
frown on his lips. “Did he hit you or something?”
    She laughed manically and the sound curdled her own
blood. “I’d kick his ass.”
    He cracked a tiny smile. “Yeah, I know you’re some
sort of superwoman, but you better let me know if anyone ever hits
you. I know you think you can take on anyone but I still want you
to tell me if someone ever touches you.”
    She smiled softly and patted his hand, her heart
filling with love for her favorite cousin. She nodded and watched a
couple of girls dancing close to the stage trying to get RJ’s
attention. “It’s nothing like that,” she said quietly, not certain
if she should say anything more.
    “Did he try something with you last night?” Jamie
persisted.
    She whipped her head around to face him. “No. He
wasn’t even in our room until nearly dawn.” She was horrified to
feel tears building up behind her eyes. She rose from her seat,
nearly knocking her chair over, eager to make a quick getaway. But
Jamie was on her in a heartbeat. He grabbed her arm and dragged her
to the lobby. He forced her into a chair and made her talk.
    ***
    Cole was relieved when they finally finished the last
set. He accepted a bottled water from one of the waitresses as he
jumped from the stage and sought out Jamie. He’d witnessed Ally’s
dramatic exit and Jamie’s return without her and had had a hard
time concentrating on his music.
    Jamie rushed to him and grabbed his arm. “Where is
she?” Cole asked.
    Jamie shook his head and pushed his friend back to
the drum kit. “I’ll help you take it down,” he said. Puzzled, Cole
climbed back onstage with Jamie and bent his head over the cymbals.
In quiet whispers, Jamie told Cole everything Ally had confessed to
him in the lobby.
    ***
    Ally, fresh from a long, hot shower, turned the
lights out and crawled between the sheets. She was totally
exhausted after having little sleep the night before and hoped
sleep would find her immediately and not allow her to think about
Cole or what he would be up to that night.
    But sleep eluded her as it had the night before as
Jamie’s words ran through her mind instead. He’d told her over and
over that Cole had been in RJ’s room with the rest of the guys most
of the night, playing cards and celebrating a great gig. Yeah, he
had confessed that Cole hadn’t come up with them right away, but he
hadn’t mentioned what had kept him.
    He had then taken her hand and asked her if she had
feelings for Cole. She’d denied it hotly, making up lame excuses as
to why she was so angry. She’d been pretty sure that Jamie hadn’t
bought any of her lies but she wasn’t overly concerned. She’d be
back to school the next day and could easily avoid Cole there.
    She tossed and turned, flopping from back to stomach
to side to side until well after eleven. She had hoped to be sound
asleep before Cole came back to the room but of course luck was
against her.
    “Get up, Al,” he ordered, storming through the door
and flipping on the lights.
    She sat up, shielding her eyes. “Leave me alone,
Cole. Go sleep with your buddies.”
    He sat next to her and pulled her hands from her
eyes, his face contorted in rage. “You thought I was with that girl
all night last night?”
    She turned her head and whipped her hands out of his
clasp. “I don’t know. I wasn’t there. Thank God.”
    He gripped her chin and forced her eyes to his
furious brown ones. “I didn’t sleep with her and I can’t believe
you’d think that lowly of me. Damn, Al, what kind of person do you
think I am?”
    She couldn’t answer as shame warred with anger and
jealousy. She just didn’t know what she thought. “Sorry,” she
mumbled, hardly convincing.
    “I talked to that chick for a little while but that
was all. She was just interested in us because she’s a big fan of
Tight Control. She was hitting on me, sure, but she wasn’t
interested in me, per se.” His eyes flashed anger again. “And