Heart Beats Read online

  Heart Beats

  Davidson King

  Heart Beats

  Joker’s Sin Book Three

  Copyright © 2020 Davidson King

  https://www.davidsonking.com

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Cover design by: Designs by Morningstar

  Editing done by: Flat Earth Editing

  Proofreading provided by: Flat Earth Editing and Anita Ford

  Interior Design and Formatting provided by: Flawless Touch Formatting

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without express written permission from the author, Davidson King. The only exception is in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. While references may be made to actual places and events, the names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.

  Contents

  Trademark

  Warnings:

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Other Books by Davidson King

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Trademark

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or in any means – by electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission, except in the case of the brief quotations embodied in the critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. All products and/or brand names mentioned are registered trademarks of their respective holders/companies.

  Warnings:

  Violence. Not suggested for people under 18.

  It’s been a hard time. 2020 hasn’t been kind. This one is for all of you.

  Chapter One

  Shane

  “I really appreciate you inviting me to come with you, Toby.” I tugged on my lanyard and stared down at my name. VIP passes to DJay Con. Toby, my best friend, was supposed to go with his boyfriend, Atlas, but he had an emergency, so he invited me.

  “Are you kidding? I don’t think Atlas was really interested, anyway. I know you love this stuff as much as I do, so it’s gonna be fun!” Toby and I had known each other for a long time. We’d worked together at a shitty dive bar, Vick’s Tricks, before both working at Joker’s Sin.

  It was there that Toby fell in love with the owner, Atlas, and when I joined the club, working behind the bar, I’d never felt so good. Better pay, safer, and true friends.

  “Is Ledger here?” I asked, and from the smirk on Toby’s face, I could see I wasn’t fooling him.

  “Of course he is. He got me and Atlas the tickets to begin with. He hasn’t been to the con in a couple of years—not a fan of the panels—but he said if he had to do it this year, he wanted someone from Joker’s Sin to come.”

  Ledger was the DJ for Joker’s Sin and one of the best I’d ever seen or heard. It didn’t hurt that he was hotter than any man I’d ever laid eyes on, and I knew he had an interest in me. I just wished he’d act on it, even though I was a grown adult and could probably just be like, “Hey, wanna, like, go out?” Something about his eyes was so intense, they made me freeze in place. Not terror…but total intimidation.

  “It’s noon now, so Ledger should be in Ballroom Two for his panel. It starts in half an hour, and I promised we’d be there.” Toby sped up, and I was able to follow easily.

  “You told him I was coming?”

  He stopped at the doors, just about to open them, when he turned. “No, and stop, you sound like a teenager all crushing. Be cool, and act like you should be there. Eager is a weird whatever on you.”

  “Hey.” I put my hand over his as he pulled the door open. “I don’t get Ledger. You know I like him, and I think he likes me but…I dunno.”

  Toby patted my shoulder. “Teenage girl. Just be you, okay?” He didn’t let me answer, and when we opened the door, a huge guy blocked it.

  “Panel doesn’t start for another half hour—lineup is there.” He pointed toward a huge row of people.

  “No, sorry, here.” Toby held up his ID. “I’m Toby St. Clair, and this is Shane Reeves. We’re here because DJ Edge asked us to be.” Toby smiled, but the big man just narrowed his eyes.

  “Wait here, I’ll have to ask DJ Edge.” The door shut in our faces.

  “Rude,” I said and looked over at all the people staring us down. “I never knew how many groupies DJs had.”

  Toby chuckled. “Ciro once told me he gets more questions about Ledger than about Atlas as people wait to get inside the club.” Ciro was head of security for Joker’s Sin, and if I thought Ledger was intimidating, Ciro was scary. He was a man of few words, but I knew he’d seen some shit, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d killed someone.

  When the door opened, the big man was back. “Okay, you two can come in.”

  Toby thanked him, and we walked inside. There were easily two or three hundred chairs set up, and people were still setting up more. The panel featured five DJs from all over the country, and Ledger was one of them.

  “Where’s Atlas?” Ledger asked by way of greeting, and I cursed myself for ever thinking he possibly liked me in that way.

  “Working, Ledger, so Shane came to help. ‘Thank you’ works in response.” I felt Toby’s glare, and it was a funny thing. He had never been one to stand up for himself. One thing Atlas gave Toby was self-worth. He made Toby ignite the embers that lingered in his soul, and I’d always be grateful to Atlas for loving my best friend that much.

  “Sorry, just nervous. Hey, man.” Ledger gave me a curt nod.

  “Hey. You’ll be fine—at least there are four others up there with you, right?” He shrugged and went backstage. “Do we follow?” I asked Toby, and he nodded.

  There were quite a few people there: four other DJs and whomever they’d brought as their assistants, and honestly, I had no idea who anyone was. Toby wasn’t wrong, I loved going to cons, but I’d never really known any DJs other than Ledger, and to see how huge the scene was made me realize that
maybe I should.

  “Okay, if you can all gather, I want to go over everything.” A small woman with blonde hair, ample cleavage, and a red, shiny jumpsuit said.

  “Who’s that?” I whispered to Toby, who shrugged.

  “I’m Silvia Vera, and I’ll be the moderator for your panel.” That answered my question. “I will go out onto the stage first, introduce myself, say a few things none of you care about. Then I will introduce each of you and upon hearing your name you’ll come out, I’ll announce what you’re all doing these days, yadda yadda, and ask questions.” She gestured to some papers on the small table by a couch. “You all saw the questions I’ll be asking. After that, I’ll open the floor for questions from the audience. Sound good?”

  “Are there ways to avoid certain questions?” A woman with light-purple hair spoke up.

  “If you’re referring to a certain tryst with an A-list celebrity, Trinity, then no. I won’t ask, but if a guest does, well, you answer it however you want.” Silvia’s smile was more of a sneer; there was clearly no love between her and Trinity.

  “So if I tell them to fuck off, that’s cool?” Trinity stood and took a couple of steps toward Silvia. My eyes darted over to Ledger, who was sitting on the couch, rolling his eyes. Toby was watching excitedly, so I went over to Ledger.

  “Trinity is a DJ too?” I questioned as I sat next to him.

  “Mmm. She’s also a drama queen and slept with Silvia’s husband two years ago. Hence this.” He waved in the direction of the two women.

  “Ahh, wow, who knew the DJ life was so dramatic?”

  Ledger looked over at me, a small smile playing on his lips. “Stick around; the panel is sure to entertain.” Once again, I was struck speechless by his gaze—blue eyes with flecks of gold. The man was stunning, and when he licked his lips, I wanted to taste the trail his tongue made.

  “You all have ten minutes,” Silvia snapped and stormed out of the room. Ledger stood, and the moment we had was severed.

  “We can stand off to the side of the stage during it all, or would you rather sit in the front row?” Toby asked after the DJs were all summoned by some con instructor.

  “What would I do in the wings?”

  We stared at each other for a moment and laughed. “Good point. We can take the front row.” Toby and I told Ledger where we’d be, and he nodded and went back to talking to Trinity, who had her long nails sliding up his arm.

  “She’s a viper,” Toby said when we took our seats.

  “Who?”

  “Trinity. You know, the woman you were trying to blow up with your mind just now.”

  “Was I that obvious?” I hoped I didn’t come off as a crazy, obsessed person to Ledger.

  “I just know you is all. But I wouldn’t worry about Trinity. Even Ledger wouldn’t sleep with that.”

  “What do you mean, ‘even Ledger’?” I knew he was single and all, but I didn’t think he slept around.

  “Ledger enjoys sex, Shane. I’m just saying. Atlas said he’s picky, though, and won’t sleep with just anyone who touches him.”

  I knew that should have eased my mind, but it didn’t.

  “Doors opening,” someone shouted, and Toby and I turned and watched as the ballroom began to fill, and I looked around. There were three microphones set up in the aisles for when people wanted to ask questions. There was reserved seating for some, mostly friends and associates of the DJs. And wow, were we hated by people who seemed to think sitting here was like dating one of them.

  “Are we supposed to ask questions?”

  Toby shook his head. “No. As a matter of fact, I have a text from Ledger that says if we ask any questions, he’ll play sex noises at the club when he gets back, and tell people it’s me and Atlas role-playing as Teletubbies.”

  A loud laugh escaped me, and a few people close to us turned our way. It was so noisy, I was shocked anyone heard me. “That’s hilarious.”

  It took almost half an hour to get everyone in, seated, and settled. The stage was set with a long table for the DJs, their name tags, bottles of water, and microphones. There was a podium on the other end, where I assumed Silvia would be moderating.

  I scanned the room, realizing people were wearing shirts and hats with the DJs’ names on them. “Oh, my God, we need to get DJ Edge merchandise before we leave and all wear it one day for work.”

  Toby laughed. “We are so doing that, no question.”

  “Good afternoon, everyone.” Silvia walked onto the stage. “I’m Silvia Vera of the talk show, Sweet Talking with Silvia.” I’d never heard of the show, and judging by the silence in the room, I didn’t think I was the only one.

  “I’ll be the ringmaster of this circus today, and what a show we have in store for you. Great panel, so I hope you all have your questions ready. Let’s get started.”

  She went over to the podium and introduced all the DJs: Ledger, of course, and Trinity. I found out the other three were DJ Scratch, Maxx3000, and ZiggyJay. Hearing their accomplishments made me realize how big Ledger really was.

  As I watched them all settle in, Ledger appeared cool, calm, and collected as he sat back, but his constant swallowing belied his calm persona.

  For the first twenty minutes or so, Silvia asked a bunch of benign questions to all the DJs. It seemed to relax them, and the room was loving the answers. While some got into a lot of detail, Ledger kept his more exact and didn’t exaggerate anything.

  I was glad Trinity was at the end of the table, away from Ledger, but every time he said something, she felt the need to comment…Was it rational to hope a stage light fell on her?

  “He’s doing good,” Toby whispered in my ear.

  “Yeah, but it’ll be interesting to see what the audience asks. I don’t think they’ll be asking what kind of toothpaste they use.”

  Toby shrugged. “Fans are weird. Atlas once had someone come in with long braids and wearing a suit Atlas had. Said he wanted to be just like him. Fans sometimes do things that are creepy.”

  I supposed he was right. I was about to say something, when Silvia spoke.

  “And now it’s time for some audience questions. Please, one person at each mic at a time. After you’ve asked your question, you can stay until it’s answered in case one of the DJs needs clarification. Then please take your seat, so someone else can have their chance. I will call on you when it’s your turn. I do have to warn you, a DJ can refuse your question.”

  There were people working the con on all sides, and they instructed three people to head up to the microphones. As eager as I was to hear what they’d ask, I was nervous for Ledger. It had to be scary not knowing what someone would ask you.

  “The lady with the purple shirt, go ahead, you’re first.”

  I took a deep breath and listened.

  Chapter Two

  Ledger

  While the lady in the purple shirt asked Maxx3000 a question, my gaze moved to where Toby and Shane sat in the front row. Toby was smiling as he listened to the answer Maxx3000 was giving, but I could tell Shane wasn’t listening. His eyes were looking all over the room. Every few seconds they locked with mine, and the blush that covered his cheeks gave me butterflies. I chuckled at the thought. I’d never felt butterflies when it came to anyone else. From the second I saw him walk into Joker’s Sin a little over a year ago, there was just something about him.

  His red hair and gray eyes, how it always seemed like he was dissecting me, figuring me out when the whole time I was doing the same thing. Too many times I wanted to grab his face and kiss him until he blushed from head to toe, then spend the night finding all the places he turned rosy.

  “This question is for DJ Edge.” A small voice spoke from the microphone. I jolted back to reality and gave the fan my full attention.

  “What can I answer for you?” I smiled at the guy with the curly, brown hair. He had glasses that were too large for his face, he was tall and lanky and had a notebook he was hugging to his chest.

  “I
have a few questions, but I guess I can only ask one at this time, so I suppose I will choose to ask you about equipment.”

  “Oh, okay.” That shocked me. Most people asked about songs, significant others, style. No one ever really showed interest in equipment aside from vendors trying to sell me new pieces that were, in their words, top-of-the-line.

  “So, um, I was wondering. If someone were starting out as a DJ, what equipment would you recommend they buy?” The guy’s nose wrinkled, and he pushed his glasses up. He seemed awkward and uncomfortable, and people were chuckling at his question. Sure, he might not seem like a DJ, but being a DJ didn’t mean you had to look like The Rock.

  “Great question…What’s your name?” I gave him another smile, glad when my praise made the chuckling stop.

  “My name? Oh, it’s Charles.”

  “Well, Charles, being a DJ can be costly, so you want to be sure it’s for you. I’d recommend a starter kit of sorts. You can get a decent one online for a hundred bucks. If you want to push a little higher, go with maybe the Hercules DJ starter kit.”

  Charles nodded his head, turned, and returned to his seat. He didn’t say thank you or anything, and he gave no indication as to whether my answer was helpful.