Unsteady Rhythm (House of Archer Book 2)

by Raine Thomas

  Lily hadn’t wanted it to end. The following morning came nonetheless, complete with Trey bringing back her phone and laptop.

  Back to reality.

  Much as she had figured, a huge load of social media posts and e-mails awaited her when she finally tuned back into the world. She supposed the plus side to having so much work to do was that it meant the House of Archer trailer had made a notable impact on The Void’s following.

  The proof also reflected in their sales. Christopher’s assistant tracked downloads of the band’s music and had confirmed a significant bump over the past few days as the trailer made its way around the world. That news had thrilled Lily right along with the rest of the band. After all, that was why they were doing this.

  Of less excitement to her was the increasing interest directed at her, both from the press and seemingly rabid fans. She found it both flattering and alarming. There was little doubt in her mind that if things continued along this path, it would impact her day-to-day life.

  That theory was about to be put to the test. She was even then sitting in the back of one of Dane’s vehicles on the way to the dreaded lunch with her sisters in what she thought of as Paparazzi Central. Dane hadn’t had any trouble making the arrangements the day after she had talked to Caroline and Bridgette. She was mystified over how he managed such things.

  Barney was driving her. Trey sat in the passenger seat. She felt silly being chauffeured around a city she was used to navigating on her own—by two trained bodyguards, no less. Since she had yet to visit her apartment, however, she didn’t have her car.

  At her request, Sydney had made the drive to Dane’s from Long Beach to attend the lunch with her. Lily had figured she would just ride to the restaurant with her friend. Instead, Dane had insisted that Lily allow Barney and Trey to escort them. He had pointed out that he would be in the recording studio for most of the day and wouldn’t need the added security. He had the same concerns as she did about the potential for paparazzi to deal with downtown. Her recent frightening experience in San Diego had kept her from arguing.

  Now she shifted in her seat, trying to get more comfortable. She was wired with a House of Archer microphone. The battery pack resting against her back felt like a hundred-pound weight.

  What absurd things would her sisters say or do this time?

  She barely stopped herself from turning to look at Duff sitting in the back of the SUV with his camera. He occasionally made sounds as though he was manipulating the camera’s mechanics. She couldn’t imagine what footage he was capturing or if he was even recording yet. She figured it was better not to know.

  A pain in her stomach had her bringing a hand up to press against it. Sydney, who had spent most of the drive studying what appeared to be a reading primer, looked over at her.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  Lily released a long breath. “Not really.”

  Sydney reached over and grasped her hand in a comforting squeeze. “Do you want to cancel? There’s no shame in that.”

  “No. I just want to fast-forward to the end of the meal. Is that too much to ask?”

  Sydney smiled. “If only life worked that way.”

  “If it did, I would rewind and relive yesterday all over again,” Lily said wistfully.

  “It sounds like you and Archer had a lovely day.”

  “Yeah.”

  She knew Sydney had spent most of the previous day at the beach, whereas Aria had gone straight into work-mode. Their model friend was even then participating in the second day of an intensive three-day photo shoot and fashion expo.

  “Are you prepping for school already?” Lily asked, nodding at the primer. Her friend would be transitioning from a teacher’s assistant position into a full-time teaching role once the school year started back up.

  Sydney also glanced down at it. “Sort of. I’m putting together a literacy lesson plan for a particularly recalcitrant student.”

  “Well if anyone can do it, you can,” Lily encouraged her.

  Not wanting to keep her friend from such important work, Lily pulled out her cell phone to check on her social media posts from that morning and let Sydney get back to it. She scrolled through the comments, reading them and liking or responding to the ones that warranted it. When she got to a post she had made about looking forward to sitting in on the band’s recording session later that afternoon, she found a comment from someone named D. Kruce that stopped her in her tracks.

  “Bitch, stay the f*ck out of The Void’s session. A slut like you will f*cking ruin them. F*ck off and die, Lily.”

  Lily’s stomach pain spiked. She glanced up, almost expecting everyone to be staring at her accusingly. It seemed odd that the rest of the world was operating like usual when she felt so viciously attacked.

  This was the first openly hostile comment she’d seen. It hit her harder than she expected, especially when she read the responses to the comment and saw a number of people backing the person who posted it. Yes, there were some people who supported Lily, but not nearly as many as she would have hoped.

  Apparently her role as villain on House of Archer was firmly cemented even after just one trailer.

  If her posts started getting more and more comments like this one, would she lose her job? Or would Christopher see it as a positive thing because it generated another layer of interest in the band and the show?

  Conflicted, she decided to delete the comment. It didn’t feel right to reward that kind of behavior.

  She put her phone away as Barney finally pulled up to Meilleur. She couldn’t help but be impressed and more than a little intimidated by the restaurant’s sleek curved glass and chrome exterior. The valets who approached the vehicle wore maroon livery and white gloves even in the middle of the day. The patrons entering and exiting the front doors were all dressed like fashion plates. It had her once again questioning her decision to cave into her sisters’ demands. She was bound to stick out in her off-the-rack department store dress and bargain basement shoes.

  Oh, well. There wasn’t a thing she could do about it now.

  She pinched the bridge of her nose when she saw the number of photographers gathered near the restaurant’s entrance. She had figured her sisters would tell everyone they knew about this lunch in an effort to put themselves in the spotlight. Word had definitely gotten around. Although she had anticipated it, the reality of dealing with the paparazzi on top of her sisters had a headache brewing.

  The show needs this, she reminded herself as Barney and Trey exited the car and beat the valets to the vehicle’s doors.

  Turning to Sydney, she noted her friend didn’t look any happier about the cameras than she was. “Thanks again for doing this,” she said.

  “Of course. Let’s just get this part over with.”

  “Yeah. Stick with Barney and Trey until we get inside. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  They exited the vehicle to a cacophony of camera clicks and shouts. Duff hopped out behind Lily, his camera raised and recording. Barney led Lily around to Sydney’s side of the car and then assisted Trey in escorting them both towards the door.

  When they were only a few feet from the vehicle, Lily heard high-pitched feminine squeals. She immediately knew who was issuing them before she saw her sisters dashing outside from the restaurant’s lobby. She should have known they would lay in wait for her in an attempt to get in some of the paparazzi’s shots.

  They stopped short when Trey stepped forward. Lily saw their expressions turn mutinous in an instant.

  “That’s Caroline and Bridgette, Trey,” Lily told him.

  He eased back. Her sisters’ smiles returned.

  “What took you so long?” Caroline asked, reaching for Lily and hooking her arm through Lily’s like they were best friends. “We’ve been waiting and waiting for you.”

  Lily exchanged a get-a-load-of-this look with Sydney, who hid a laugh behind her hand. “Well the reservation isn’t until noon,” she said as they
entered the restaurant. “We still have a few minutes to spare.”

  Barney left them in Trey’s care once they were inside, returning to the vehicle. Lily knew he would find somewhere to park it himself and remain on standby until he was needed.

  It felt like everyone in the restaurant turned to stare at them as they entered. Both Trey and Duff with his camera were enough to draw attention, never mind her loud sisters. Lily struggled to ignore the curious looks. She was no A-lister. The attention was rather embarrassing. Fortunately, this kind of thing wasn’t unusual in L.A. and the diners quickly returned to their meals.

  “Welcome, Ms. Montgomery,” a tall, dark-skinned male greeted her with a warm smile. “We’re pleased to have you and your companions dining with us today.”

  She was thrown off by his polite bow and personal greeting. “Thank you,” she said. “We’re looking forward to it.”

  Her sisters looked annoyed that they weren’t the ones getting the attention. As much as Lily hated having the focus on her, she was just spiteful enough to be glad about it right then.

  “If you ladies will follow me, I’ll see you to your table.”

  Lily thanked him again and joined Sydney and her sisters in winding through the tables until they reached one along the back wall. Duff positioned himself unobtrusively in the available corner, telling Lily that the table choice had been deliberate to accommodate the filming. It was one more baffling thing Dane had been able to arrange on such short notice. Trey stood beside Duff, evidently planning to stand there throughout the meal.

  Lily waited until they were all handed menus and their water glasses were filled before she looked between Caroline and Bridgett and asked, “Do you two remember Sydney? You all met a couple of years ago when we went to that music festival in Santa Monica.”

  Her sisters exchanged eye rolls. “Yeah, we remember,” Bridgette said.

  Lily knew her sisters found Sydney too boring and educated for their taste. She wanted to say something about their rudeness, but Sydney gave Lily’s foot a little tap under the table. She looked amused.

  “So, before this goes any further,” Lily said, switching the subject, “did you two sign the releases that were overnighted to you?”

  “Yes,” Caroline said, rolling her eyes a second time. “The delivery guy picked them up earlier.”

  Behind the camera, Duff raised a thumb to confirm that. Lily relaxed a little. At least the legalities had been taken care of. She wouldn’t have wanted to go through all of this without it ultimately being airable.

  “Great,” Lily said as their server approached.

  “Hi there, ladies,” he said. “My name is Berk and I’ll be your server today. Can I get any of you something to drink besides water?”

  “Do you have sangria?” Caroline asked.

  Before Berk could reply, Lily said, “Caroline,” in a subtle warning. Her sisters were both underage.

  “What?” Caroline retorted, lifting her chin in a dare-you gesture.

  “We have several types of sangria,” Berk replied smoothly. “I’ll just need to see everyone’s IDs before I can place orders from the bar.”

  “We won’t be drinking,” Lily said, not flinching under Caroline’s venomous glare. “Thank you, though.”

  “Of course. We do have several popular fruit juices if those would interest anyone.”

  They managed to place their drink orders without further drama. No sooner did Berk depart and Lily opened her menu than Caroline spoke again.

  “So where are the tickets and passes?”

  “They’re in my purse,” Lily replied, not taking her eyes off her menu. “I’ll give them to you before we leave.”

  “I still don’t understand why you could only get two tickets to each concert,” Bridgette whined.

  “You could always look at it from the viewpoint that Lily was able to get you both tickets and backstage passes to two of The Void’s sold-out concerts,” Sydney said in her pragmatic way. “Do you know how many people out there would love to be in your shoes?”

  Bridgette made a condescending face over Sydney’s logic. Caroline silently mimicked Sydney behind her menu.

  God, they were such brats.

  “We want to watch the show from backstage like you get to do, Lily,” Caroline said.

  Lily put down her menu. “I work when I’m backstage. I don’t stand back there watching the concert. You wouldn’t be allowed back there.”

  “We would if you talked to someone about it.”

  Trying to ignore the pounding in her head, Lily said, “It’s not going to happen, so let it go. If you can’t be happy with what I managed to get you, I’ll keep the tickets and passes and give them to fans who actually want them.”

  Caroline’s eyes narrowed. “Well, you’ve sure turned into a stuck-up bitch, haven’t you?” she bit out.

  “If that’s how you want to look at it,” Lily agreed.

  “I’m going to tell Mom,” Bridgette declared.

  Sydney looked at her from over the top of her menu. “How old are you two again?”

  Bridgette’s face twisted in disdain. “I’m nineteen and Caroline is twenty. Why?”

  Sydney shrugged and looked back at her menu. “I just don’t know anyone your age who still goes running to their mommies to solve their problems, that’s all.”

  Lily choked on the sip of water she had just taken. The gasps and sputters of outrage from her sisters made her want to stand up and cheer Sydney on. She managed to keep herself under control as Berk returned to the table with their drinks and began reviewing the specials. After he took their orders and departed, Lily decided to try and ease her sisters’ tempers by reaching into her purse and pulling out the tickets and backstage passes for them.

  “Here you go,” she said, handing them across the table.

  It had the desired result. Her sisters both grinned and grabbed everything from her. They spent a few minutes chatting animatedly with each other as they compared the tickets and examined the plastic lanyards bearing the passes.

  Guess a thank you is too much to ask, Sydney signed when Lily glanced at her.

  Lily shrugged. She hadn’t expected gratitude.

  “So are you going to go shopping while you’re in town, Lily?” Caroline asked once they had put their tickets and passes away.

  “No. Why?”

  Her sisters exchanged more eye rolls. “Because you’re, like, Archer’s girlfriend now,” Bridgette said in a way that had an unspoken “Duh!” carrying through it. “You can’t go wandering around in front of the paparazzi dressed like you usually do.”

  “Totally,” Caroline agreed. “Do you want to embarrass him?”

  Lily attempted to shrug off their comments. Part of her knew they had a point. She was now in a high-profile relationship. The press was already judging her. Hell, they were crucifying her. It surely didn’t reflect well on Dane to be dating someone whose paltry monthly income barely covered her share of the rent and utilities on an apartment she shared with two other people.

  That point alone wouldn’t have completely swayed her. But there was also the point that she needed to fill her new “role” on House of Archer as a woman in love with Dane’s money. If she started wearing designer brands—or at least convincing knock-offs—that would add to the illusion.

  She wasn’t about to spend Dane’s money on such frivolities, though. She wondered if her credit had improved enough that she could possibly get one more card to cover the cost of a couple of new things. Maybe she could manage to sell a news article or two at a discount to earn some quick money. She was sure Aria could help her find some good deals.

  One way or another, she had to figure it out. Her superficial and judgmental sisters were the gauge she needed to follow if she was going to convince the public that she was the Lily Montgomery they saw on television.

  She just hoped she didn’t lose her increasingly shaky grasp on her real identity in the process.

  Chapter Eleven


  Archer loved working in the recording studio. It was a place where magic happened.

  The Void didn’t always record their songs with the entire band in the studio at once. Depending on their schedules, they sometimes recorded each part separately and allowed Sage and the producer to overdub the tracks until it came together in a way everyone agreed sounded best.

  For this album, though, they had all agreed that they needed to go full-scale on most of the songs. It would allow them to feed off each other’s energy and produce the truest end product.

  They wanted to start this session with “Not Mine” since it was already getting hyped by Lily and the press. Their fans were clamoring to hear it. Christopher had everything lined up to have the song ready to release as a single by mid-to-late July, so they were on a tight schedule.

  With studio time at a premium, the band assisted The Void’s equipment crew members who had come along to set everything up and then started right off with recording the version of “Not Mine” they had been practicing every chance they got over the past two weeks. Archer had been sure they’d nail it in one or two takes considering how easily it had come together for them and how good it had been sounding during practice. It was an unsettling surprise to all of them when it didn’t gel as swiftly as they’d hoped.

  Archer didn’t want to waste their studio time. He got them to switch it up. They recorded “Call to the Ordinary” instead. It only took them three takes to consider it ready for air.

  Hoping that song’s success would get them back on track, they tried recording “Not Mine” again. Archer wanted to beat his head against the soundproofed walls when it still didn’t sound right.

  Had they put too much pressure on themselves with this song? he wondered. They had all been sure it would be their next number one hit. Now nothing they laid down came close to reaching the level they envisioned.

  It probably wasn’t helping that the House of Archer cameras were recording everything. He found them stifling right then and he was used to being in front of them.