Niall counted the band in and Max adjusted the volume on his in-ear monitors. A faint crackling sounded and he ripped the right one out, turning to wave to the band. They stopped playing and Max faced front again.
“What the hell is that crackle? And someone fix the feedback,” he snapped. “I can’t hear a fucking thing.”
GRACE STOOD WITH Kenna in the middle of the arena floor, still devoid of chairs. Max looked ready to kill someone and Grace watched as the sound people went into panic mode. Everyone jumped when Max barked and they all had expressions of fear as they did his bidding...or tried to, anyway.
Except Kenna. She just rolled her eyes and continued to make notes on her iPad.
“Should we do anything?” Grace asked.
“No. It’ll just set him off more.” Kenna gave her a gentle smile. “If you don’t poke the bear, he’ll eventually calm down. We’ll have to talk with the sound people, though. These guys are new to us. It’s only their second concert, and if they muck it up today, they won’t be back.”
“Really? Max is that picky?”
Kenna nodded. “Aye, lass. Max gets what Max wants. It’s a double-edged sword, because he can be a nasty bastard, but it’s also why they’re so bloody good. Max demands excellence, and anyone who does well within the organization can write their own ticket as far as working for any other bands goes. Fallen Crown has a reputation for only hiring the best, so if the crew does well here, other bands know they’ll do well for them.”
“I guess that’s good.”
“It is. The crackle’s new, though,” Kenna said. “Not something we typically experience.”
“They probably need to put his pack on a different channel.”
“Really?”
Grace nodded. “It happens to us sometimes when we’re using an older sound system.”
“Well, let’s see if they figure it out. They better be quick, though. Max is melting down.”
Grace sighed. “He so has LVS.”
“LVS?”
“Lead vocal syndrome. It’s a horrible disease, except it tends to infect others more than the person with it.”
Kenna laughed. “Aye, lass, that’s entirely accurate.”
Grace frowned as she watched Max berate one of the men again. “That poor sound guy looks like he’s going to cry.”
“He might,” Kenna said. “It’s been known to happen.”
“I can’t watch this,” Grace said. “Do you mind if I talk to Max?”
“Are you kidding? If you can talk him down off the ledge, I’ll give you a raise.”
Grace slipped in the side door so she could walk onto the stage. As she drew closer, she heard the tail end of Max’s tirade, and grimaced.
“...you’re a fucking incompetent bastard,” Max snapped. “Where the fuck did you learn to do sound?”
“Whoa,” Grace warned, and stepped between them. “I don’t know that name calling’s going to solve anything here.” She faced the sound guy. “What’s your name?”
“Roy.”
“Hi, Roy. I’m Grace. Have you changed the channel on his pack?”
“I’ve been kind of busy getting reamed.”
“Right, sorry,” she said. “Why don’t you try to fix the sound issue, and I’ll see if I can help Max with his monitors.”
Roy didn’t wait to be told twice, jumping from the stage and heading to the sound board.
Grace faced Max, who looked ready to kill. “Give the guy a break, huh?”
He raised an eyebrow. “I get that this place has just implemented the proper monitoring system, but there’s no excuse for shoddy workmanship.”
“Who pissed in your cereal this morning?” She grabbed his arm and pulled him out of view of everyone else. “Hey. That guy’s a human being, Max, not to mention, he’s responsible for how good you sound. Maybe give him little respect?”
She dropped his arm, but he grasped her hand. “Keep touching me.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because it makes me feel less like killing someone.”
Grace shook her head. “You are such a frickin’ diva.”
Max smiled. “Aye. I am.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.” She raised an eyebrow. “Are you ready to try again? Maybe apologize to Roy for calling him a bastard?”
“Apologize?”
Grace nodded. “Yes. Is that so alien to you?”
“What do I have to apologize for?” Max argued. “He has a job to do, and right now, he’s failing at it.” He lowered his voice. “I pay a lot of money for decent service.”
“You pay? Only you? No one else has anything to do with it?”
Max hardened his expression.
“You don’t scare me, Max,” she said.
His body relaxed and Grace took a deep breath. “Max. The sound guy didn’t murder your dog. He’s having technical issues, which he will fix if you give him half a chance. But name calling is unacceptable. At the very least, you should apologize for that.”
Max ran his thumb over her knuckles as he continued to stare at her. “Perhaps you’re right.”
“Perhaps?”
“Yes, perhaps.”
“Where’s the Max I spent the day with yesterday? The one who was sweet and not just to me? May I have him back please?”
He grinned. “All right, love, I’ll apologize...if you do something for me.”
“I don’t respond to manipulation,” she lied. She pretty much responded to anything he did.
He chuckled. “Oh, you’ll enjoy it.”
“Oh, really?” She narrowed her eyes. “What, exactly?”
“This.” He leaned close, his grin firmly set to sexy, and covered her mouth with his.
Grace was too overcome by the kiss to object. As was her habit of late, she slipped her fingers into his hair and stood on her tiptoes for better access. Max held her tighter, lifting her off her feet, and deepening the kiss.
The sound of a guitar broke through the haze of Grace’s distraction and she broke the kiss, dropping her forehead against his. “Baby, you can’t keep doing that.”
“I absolutely can.” He grinned. “Especially when you call me ‘baby.’”
Grace tried for a stern expression. “This is so unprofessional.”
“Good thing I’m the boss.”
“It’s because you’re the boss that makes it worse.”
He kissed her cheek and lowered her to the ground. “Perhaps I’ll add it to your job description.”
“Oh, you’re freakin’ hilarious.”
“Mr. MacMillan?” Roy stood behind him, microphone in his hand.
Max scowled and Grace tugged on his hand. “Be nice,” she whispered.
He winked and then faced the sound tech. “Roy. I apologize for calling you a bastard.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Roy said, and handed him the microphone. “You should be all set.”
Max took the microphone and put his monitors back in his ears. After another quick kiss, Grace snuck back to Kenna while Max continued sound check. A roadie handed Max his guitar and the rest of the evening went off without an issue.
During the show, Kenna and Grace got everything set up for the meet and greet afterward. Grace felt a little nervous about the whole process, because she’d met Max during a meet and greet and remembered how floozy some of the women were that made their way backstage. She wasn’t looking forward to women grinding themselves all over him.
“Security’s always on high alert, so we don’t typically have anything to worry about. Although, there have been the occasional cat fights,” Kenna explained. “We just need to make sure the pens don’t run out of ink and there are plenty of photos to sign. Also, we’re to be on hand if a fan wants a picture with one or all of the guys.”
Grace nodded. “Sounds good.”
“If someone gets a little too close, security will take care of it, so don’t feel like you have to step in.”
Grace picked up on the subtle hin
t not to react to Max’s many fans. “Got it.”
“You’re doing great, Grace. And the fact you can ‘handle’ Max is certainly a bonus. He’s been positively pleasant since your little talk with him.”
Grace smiled. “Thanks.”
“We might actually get back to the hotel before three.”
“Is that rare?” Grace asked.
“Aye.” Kenna set a stack of black-and-white photos on the table. “Things don’t always go this smoothly.”
Grace shrugged. “Even if we did run late, I’m a night owl, so it’s all good. This has been a lot of fun.”
“Me too, but it takes a little while for me to come down on nights like tonight.” Kenna chuckled. “Luckily, we have nothing on the agenda, so you can sleep until noon if you like. Sure beats days when we have back-to-back shows and have to be up early after a late night.”
“I bet.” Grace laid a pen next to a stack of photos. “Do you miss home?”
Kenna shrugged. “You know, I probably would if the band toured more often. I feel quite lucky, because over the last few years or so, they’ve limited their international tours, so I’m home most of the time. Of course, there’s so much more to do at home, sometimes I wish I was back on the road.”
“Well, this is exciting for me,” Grace said.
“Good.” The roar of the crowd could be heard through the concrete walls, albeit muted. “Get ready.” Kenna guided Grace to a corner behind a table just as the band started walking toward them, surrounded by very large security personnel.
Grace’s heart raced as they approached. Max and Niall were laughing about something, and if it were possible for Max to be more gorgeous while he appeared to be carefree and happy, she didn’t know how. He looked as though he’d just spent an hour primping, rather than two hours of running around like a madman on stage.
He caught her eye and his smile widened. His expression held so much affection for her, Grace could barely breathe. He looked at her as though she were the most beautiful woman in the room.
The band had just about five minutes to sit down before the crowd descended on them. Grace was pulled in a hundred different directions as fans asked a myriad of questions while waiting for their turn with the band. She smiled and helped when she could, answered what she knew, and tried to ignore the skankier women trying to plaster themselves against her man.
My man. Grace sighed. She was a goner. She might as well admit it and embrace her new reality.
Her skin crawled as a woman pulled her breast halfway out of her shirt for Max to sign. Grace felt the sudden urge to slap her. Max shook his head and leaned away from the woman, politely dismissing her. Well done, Max. He glanced her way and smiled, his eyes filled with love just for her. Grace smiled at him and went back to work.
“You bitch!” someone shouted.
Grace was pulled from her tasks by the squawk. But before she could register who was yelling, she was dragged behind a security “wall,” just as all hell seemed to break loose. Women were attacking each other, hair extensions flying and shrieking voices echoing through the room.
Kenna stood beside her and leaned down to whisper, “Don’t worry. Security’ll get everything under control in a minute.”
Security broke formation for a brief second and Grace forced herself not to grin like a love-sick teen as Max wrapped a protective arm around her. He kissed the top of her head and held her close as the cat-fight continued in front of them.
Niall and the other band members managed to pull three young girls to the side. All must have been in their mid-teens and were caught between giggling and nervousness at the din surrounding them. Grace figured they would have stories to tell all their friends at school the next day about how Fallen Crown had protected them. It was actually quite sweet.
A minute had long since passed before the crowd was broken up and ushered out of the arena. Meet and greet was officially over and Grace’s job was done for the day. Max slipped away from her in order to speak to the band and Grace was left with Kenna.
“Really great job today, Grace,” she said.
Grace smiled. “Thank you.”
“With nothing on the agenda tomorrow, make sure Max spoils you, eh?”
“I’ll do my best.” Grace felt the herself blushing, unsure how else to respond. Max had apparently not been secretive about his feelings for her, and that made her feel both flattered and nervous.
Kenna walked away and Grace wasn’t entirely certain what to do. Was she supposed to wait for Max, or ride with the crew back to the hotel? She probably shouldn’t stand around looking like an idiot. She started to follow Kenna.
“Grace,” Max called, jogging to catch up with her. “Where are you going?”
“I assumed back to the hotel.”
“Not without me, love.” He took her hand. “I’ve got a car. Fancy a ride?”
“You want to go somewhere else?” She checked her watch. “At 2:02 in the morning?”
“Are you tired?”
Grace shook her head. “Not in the least.”
Max grinned. “It’ll be worth it. I promise.”
“Will it involve food?”
Max nodded. “Aye, love. I’ll feed you.”
“I’m in, then.” She laid her hand on her stomach. “Because I am starving.”
He chuckled. “Come on. We’re out back.”
MAX TOOK GRACE’S iPad and linked his fingers with hers, leading her to the back of the arena, sticking close to their security guards. Bruce nodded to her in greeting and then walked them to the awaiting car. Grace noticed the area was clear. No screaming fans, no other security guards. Bruce handed Max a set of keys and opened the front passenger door for Grace.
“You’re going to drive?” Grace asked.
“Aye.” Max grinned. “I love to drive.”
She narrowed her eyes. “How often have you driven on the right side of the street?”
“Often enough.”
“Hmmm.” Grace looked at Bruce. “Am I going to die in a fiery car crash?”
Bruce chuckled, but shook his head. “I can confirm Mr. MacMillan is a fine driver...even on the wrong side of the street.”
“Oh, you’re funny,” Grace retorted, but climbed into the car.
Bruce closed her door and Max got in the driver’s seat.
Grace secured her seatbelt and turned to Max. “So, where are we going?”
Max tapped the GPS. “I thought we’d get takeaways, see if we can see these Northern Lights everyone talks about, and then head back to the hotel.”
“I think it’s too early for the Northern Lights. Aren’t they later in the fall?”
“I read that there’s the off-chance you can see them on a clear night.” He grinned. “Let’s see what we can see on the way to get food. It’ll be an adventure.”
“Well, I love adventure, so drive on, James.”
Max chuckled as he entered a search request for fast food into the GPS and then started the car. He maneuvered the vehicle expertly onto the correct side of the street and followed the directions. Grace was feeling a little tired now that her body wasn’t in motion, but she refused to give in to her sleepiness. She had Max all to herself for only a few more hours, and she wasn’t giving up the chance to spend time with him.
“What would you like?” Max asked.
Grace blinked, realizing she’d almost fallen asleep between the arena and the restaurant. “Um, cheeseburger, no onions, fries, and a chocolate shake.”
“That sounds good. I think I’ll have the same,” Max said, and leaned out the window to order, pulling up to the window to pay.
Food retrieved, Max glanced at Grace. “How about we go back to the hotel. You can barely keep your eyes open.”
“But you wanted to find the Northern Lights.”
He smiled. “I don’t think you’d be able to stay awake to enjoy them, even if we did find them. Besides, the fog’s rolling in, so I doubt we’d be particularly successful.”
<
br /> “I’d argue with you, but I’m too exhausted.” She gave him a tired smile. “Sorry if I’m being a party pooper.”
“Hey, as long as we’re together, I don’t really care what we do.”
“I like that answer,” she said.
Max grinned and drove them back to the hotel, heading to the private entrance in the back.
“Damn it!” Max snapped as they approached. A crowd milled around both the front of the hotel and the private entrance. People obviously figured out that wherever the paparazzi were would be the best place to get a glimpse of the band.
He pulled the car over, out of sight of the crowd, and put it in park.
“What should we do?” Grace asked.
“We’re going to have to drive through it.”
“Is there another option? Do you have a disguise or something? Baseball hat? Fake nose and moustache?”
Max chuckled. “I keep those in my other pants.”
Grace giggled. “I’ll make a note to carry all kinds of costumes with me when I’m with you.”
Max took her hand. “I could ring Niall and have him provide a diversion. Or I could have Bruce intervene.”
Grace smiled. “No, don’t bug them. Let’s just go for it.”
“There will be a lot of flashes, love. You may want to cover your eyes.”
Grace nodded and Max pulled away from their hiding place and headed toward the hotel. Grace was ready for the cameras, and for the most part, ready for the screaming. What she was not ready for was the swarm of people attacking the car.
She heard the click of the automatic locks as Max made sure they were secure inside and then covered her face as the car inched forward. She had no idea women could scream so loud, and in the same general key. The car started to rock and she gasped.
“Hold on, love,” Max said, and added a little gas.
Grace nodded, keeping her face covered until the car came to a stop.
“You can look now,” Max said. “Security’s taken care of the crowd.”
Bound by Song (Cauld Ane Series, #4) Page 13
