Please Don't Make Me Beg

She answered the call on the second ring, and walked outside onto the balcony to talk to him in private. The night air blew cool and fresh around her, and the sound of cars and music drifted faintly up from the street.

"Billie?" she said, realizing her heart was doing a tapdance in her chest.

"Hey, Li, it's me." She could hear voices in the background, and a lot of laughter. "We just finished the show and signing, and I'm back in the lounge with the guys."

"How did the show go?" she asked, recalling with a pang the concert she and Andi had seen just a few days before. It seemed like ages ago...

"It was pretty good. Could have been better, but we got through it okay."

"How are Mike and Tre?" She was stalling, knowing where the conversation would lead soon. The news from Andi was still so fresh in her mind, she didn't know if she could talk about it yet.

"They're fine. Tre's always fine." In the background, she heard a falsetto voice yell, "Damn right I am!" Billie chuckled. "See what I have to put up with?" He sounded tired, and it still amazed her how much of himself he put into every performance.

"You're a trooper," she agreed.

"Look, I hope I didn't wake you up, but I wanted to see if you had any news about Andi. I've had this weird feeling about her all night, and I was worried something might have happened." It was the father in him showing through, she thought.

How could she tell him, when she didn't want to think about it herself? "Billie, I'm actually in Memphis right now. She finally called me from Oklahoma, just a few minutes ago, and they're staying there overnight."

"Oklahoma--wow, they must have gotten an early start!"

"They left before sunrise this morning. Stevie came by an hour or so after you left and told me they'd taken off without telling anyone, so we decided to try to go ahead and see if we could catch up with them." She didn't tell him what had happened at the salon; Stevie had helped her a great deal, and she didn't want to disrespect her by telling the story to someone the girl didn't even know. But the anger she felt toward Evan made her throat tight, and her voice sounded strained.

"So if you're in Memphis, you're not that far behind them, are you?" he asked.

"Just a few hours, but we've already settled in, and Andi was in her room, so we decided to just stay put tonight. I imagine if they leave in the morning, they should get into Berkeley late tomorrow night."

"You know, there's an easier way," he said thoughtfully. "I was going to fly straight back into Oakland from Richmond, but I can get a connection to Memphis and pick you both up in the morning. That way we can fly back to Oakland, and you can pick your car up later. If the flights are timed right, we might even get there before they do."

"Will you even have a chance to sleep?" she asked. She knew he had to be exhausted.

"Yeah, I'll catch a couple of hours on the bus, and then an hour or two on the plane over to you."

"I don't know..." She wanted his support so much, but it wasn't hers to ask for.

"I'm heading back home anyway, Li. Just let me keep you two company and maybe I can help you find them. Who are you going to find that knows that place better than me?"

When she didn't answer right away, he prodded, "It's really no trouble. Like I said, you'd do this for me if Joey were in trouble."

It would be better, she knew, if they didn't keep reopening this door, but the fact was, she needed him terribly just now. "I'd really be grateful, then. All I want to do is meet her somewhere when there are other people around, and bring her home."

"Why do you want other people around?" he asked suspiciously. "What aren't you telling me?"

She hesitated before telling him--she knew before she said it what his reaction would be. But he had to know. "He hit her, Billie. The lowlife little son of a bitch punched her in the face after he tried to beat Dan up."

"That little bastard just signed his death warrant! How could he hurt a girl, especially one who loves him? What a fucking coward!" He was shouting into the phone, and she could imagine the fury on his face. But she could only agree with him.

"Is she hurt?" he asked, voice shaking with rage.

"She said it wasn't much more than a black eye, but apparently it was bad enough that they went to the urgent care clinic."

"You be ready to head to the airport in just a few hours. I'll call you and let you know when to meet me. I'm going to help you find her, and then I'm gonna kick the living shit out of that motherfucker!"

"Let the police take care of him. It's about Andi right now, that's all. I just want her safe and home." She didn't want to admit how much she felt the way Billie did

"Do you have any idea where they're staying?" he asked, his tone more grave than it had been since she had met him.

"No, I don't know which hotel they're going to. But here's where it gets good--there's a studio out there that Evan's brother Craig works for, one that you'll know very well."

"They already have a contact? Which label?" he asked, incredulous.

"You'd better sit down for this. It's Adeline."

"That Craig? He's this cowardly little bastard's brother? My God...He's one of the best sound guys we've had in a long time, and he's really cool. Joey just loves him because he plays basketball with him." Billie ran his hand through his damp hair, shaking his head. He was having a hard time believing the coincidence.

"Li, there's one other thing I want to try, and I really think it might be the smartest thing we could do for Andi right now. Adeline is owned by Adie and me, but she's really the brains behind it. I scout out new bands when I'm not touring or recording, and she makes the business decisions and keeps the office running. If anyone wants to get a demo recorded or talk about a contract, she's the one they have to go to."

"Okay, but I'm not following how that helps Andi."

"What if she knows what's going on with Evan and Andi, and she's waiting for them when they get there?" He waited for her to wade through the tangle of emotions he knew his wife's name would bring up in her.

"Why on earth would she help me, Billie? Think about it--'Oh, Adie, I really need you to get involved in a dangerous situation to help someone you don't even know'. How do you think that'll go over?"

"If she knows Andi's in trouble, as a mother, she'll help. I know her."

"And what will you tell her when she asks you just who the hell this woman and her daughter are?" Her stomach knotted thinking about the anger Adie would feel, the betrayal and resentment.

"My marriage may not be in good shape, but she's still Joey and Jakob's mother, and she's been my wife for thirteen years. There's only one thing I can tell her."

"And that is...?"

"The truth."