Driving Tempo

by Raine Thomas

  “Could I?” Rosemary asked, relieved that she might not have to haul it through the entire venue on top of everything else that day.

  “Sure. Come around back here and leave it inside the booth. You can pick it up after the concert.”

  “Thank you so much,” Rosemary said as she deposited her bags, keeping only her purse. “You’re a lifesaver.”

  “No problem, hon. Enjoy the show.”

  Once again, Rosemary’s spirits lifted. Yes, it had been a miserable day, but now she was here and could finally begin to enjoy herself.

  She put on the lanyard holding the pass Lily had left for her and headed into the venue. The people monitoring admittance glanced at her pass, scanned her ticket, and let her in along with everyone else flowing through the doors. It didn’t occur to her until after she got inside that she didn’t know where to go to meet Lily.

  When she pulled out her phone to contact her sister, it was dead. She asked someone if she could borrow their phone only to completely blank on Lily’s cell number.

  Fan-freaking-tastic.

  She also belatedly remembered that she had wanted to change into fresh contact lenses, but they were now back in the booth in her luggage. She debated whether it was worth taking the time to go back for them and decided not to bother. She had held Lily up enough. Now she just had to find her.

  She went up to the closest security guy she could find and, after following his instructions to the next security checkpoint, began a fifteen-minute adventure through the venue’s underbelly trying to find the green rooms where the tour’s acts all hung out while waiting to perform. Lily said she would wait in her green room until Rosemary got there. Little had Rosemary known that the route to get there would be more complicated to navigate than the Minotaur’s Labyrinth.

  Security got more stringent the deeper into the venue she went. Eventually she just kept her ID out and repeated her story about being Lily’s sister to everyone who questioned her. They took one good look at her and her ID, saw the resemblance to Lily, and directed her on to the next segment of her journey.

  At long, long last, a woman informed her that the green rooms were only a couple of turns away. A left, a right, and another left.

  She took off at a brisk pace, knowing The Void was about to take the stage.

  First left, she thought, hurrying around the bend.

  Then the next right.

  Then—

  Bam!

  She never saw it coming. One second she was on her feet, the next she was sprawled on the ground feeling like Muhammad Ali had just plowed his fist into her face.

  “Oh, shit! I mean, sorry. God...are you all right?”

  The concerned male voice vaguely registered in her ringing head. She blinked up at the fluorescent lights flickering on the ceiling. They were blurry because her glasses had flown off her face with the impact. Pain radiated along her chin where she’d been struck. Her thick bun had thankfully spared the back of her head from much trauma. The skirt of her dress was bunched inelegantly up around her thighs, quite possibly giving the guy a glimpse of the stained underwear she had yet to change.

  All at once, the absurdity of her day overwhelmed her. She burst into hysterical laughter. She laughed so hard that her eyes filled with tears...though her disastrous day might also have been to blame for that.

  The guy went to one knee beside her. “I’m so sorry,” he said again. “Are you okay?”

  A large black object filled her peripheral vision, prompting her to look over to see what it was. She realized that the rectangular box currently balanced on his knee was what had struck her. She wondered if the logo was imprinted on her skin.

  “I’m peachy,” she lied, using an elbow to wedge herself up. “But please tell me I didn’t just damage a thousand-dollar piece of sound equipment.”

  “What?”

  She pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked around for her glasses. “That’s a mixer, right? A Behringer?”

  “Uh, yeah.” The guy sounded surprised she knew that.

  “Are you a DJ?” she asked.

  She found her glasses and put them on. They were scratched and smeared to hell.

  Of course they were.

  “No,” he said. “Are you?”

  “Nah. I just know a lot of ‘em.” She resumed her hunt around the floor. “Do you see a driver’s license with a truly atrocious photo on it anywhere?”

  “No, but there’s one in my wallet if you want to borrow it.”

  She laughed, forgetting about the lingering pain in her face. Her gaze finally moved to the guy. He stared back at her. Her pulse immediately leaped into overdrive.

  Wow, she thought. He’s a total hottie!

  “Sage?”

  Lily’s voice came to them from somewhere nearby. Rosemary couldn’t look away from the golden eyes currently holding steady on hers from behind a pair of dark-rimmed glasses. It clicked in the back of her mind that she was staring at Sage Strickland, The Void’s sound specialist. That explained why he was running through the halls with an expensive digital mixer in his hands.

  “Yeah,” Sage replied over his shoulder, not looking away from Rosemary.

  “What in the world are you doing?” Lily asked, hurrying over to them. “You’re late. Christopher is going to kill you.”

  “I know. I’m going.”

  He stood up and reached down to help Rosemary to her feet. When she placed her hand in his, she felt the tingle of it all the way along her arm. It had her breath tangling in her throat.

  He pulled her up so easily that she stumbled into him. Her free hand instinctively went up to brace herself against his chest. She almost licked her lips when she felt the hard body beneath the T-shirt and suit jacket he was wearing. Her eyes once again met his and stayed there for a long, palpable beat.

  “Let’s go, Strickland,” came a low male drawl. “You’ve got a crowd waitin’ for you.”

  Rosemary glanced over as a dark-haired, blue-eyed guy in a suit approached. She thought he looked like a federal agent or something. It was enough to have her stepping back.

  “You’ve got to go, Sage,” Lily urged, giving him a light shove.

  “I know,” he said again, still looking at Rosemary. “Sorry again. Really.”

  “It’s fine,” Rosemary assured him. “Break a leg.”

  He smiled. The sight of it had her heart jitterbugging in her chest. The other guy took him by the arm and started walking, dragging him along. Rosemary watched them both until they disappeared around the corner.

  “I’m so glad you’re finally here, Rosie,” Lily said, drawing her into a hug. “It sounds like you’ve had the day from hell. Judging by your position on the floor a minute ago, it hasn’t gotten any better.”

  Rosemary found herself smiling as she returned her sister’s hug. Thinking of a pair of warm golden eyes and an adorable smile, she replied, “I’m glad I’m finally here too, Lil. And you know what? It’s turning out to be a damn good day.”

  Chapter Two

  “Showtime in fifteen.”

  Lily glanced over at Ryan Westbrook, her security specialist, as he stepped closer from out of the shadows. She nodded in response to his update. She saw Rosemary giving him a curious up-and-down glance as he did the same to her.

  “Thanks, Ryan,” Lily said. “This is my sister, Rosemary. Rosie, this is Specialist Ryan Westbrook. He’s working with me and the band through the end of the tour. You’ll be seeing a lot of him.”

  “Lily has told me all about you,” Ryan said to Rosemary, extending a hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

  Rosemary’s face flushed as she reached out to accept Ryan’s handshake. “Th-thanks,” she stammered.

  Lily couldn’t blame her sister for her reaction. Ryan was undeniably attractive. Even though he did his best to blend in and not draw attention by dressing in jeans, T-shirts, and casual blazers, he was one of those magnetic, compelling people who just couldn’t be ignor
ed.

  “Unfortunately there isn’t much time for socializing,” Lily said, giving her sister’s arm a tug. “We’ve got to get you changed. I managed to have a few things brought here from the hotel after you told me about some of your, uh, challenges today. I wasn’t sure whether you’d have your luggage with you.”

  The color rose even more in Rosemary’s face. Her gaze flitted again to Ryan and then focused on the door of the green room as Ryan opened it for them. Lily waited until he gave her clearance and then ushered Rosemary inside.

  They were greeted by the nearly overwhelming scent of plumeria. Rosemary’s eyes widened as she took in the pink flowers filling the room.

  “I know,” Lily said in response to her sister’s unspoken comment. “Dane used to give me an arrangement of pink plumeria at every concert and I made the mistake of mentioning it in a recent interview. Now I’m getting more and more deliveries from fans at every concert. It’s weird.”

  She didn’t add that Dane had stopped sending the flowers. He felt it wasn’t as romantic now and she preferred that he save his money. Of course, he insisted on showering her with alternative gifts instead, including the bracelet he had given her earlier that evening. No argument she gave seemed to sway him.

  Rosemary elbowed Lily lightly in the side. “Look at you, getting gifts from fans and giving interviews.”

  Now it was Lily’s turn to flush. “Like I said, it’s weird. Anyway, let’s get you changed. I’ve got some spare contacts you can wear if our prescriptions are still close.”

  The door to the room’s attached bathroom opened and one of Lily’s best friends, Sydney Ward, came out. She smiled when she saw them.

  “Hi, Rosemary,” Sydney said. “It’s great to see you again.”

  “Good to see you too,” Rosemary said. “I love your outfit.”

  Sydney smoothed the front of her navy and white striped T-shirt that she wore paired with red pedal-pushers and ballet flats in a 50’s style vintage look. “Thanks.”

  “Let’s focus on you,” Lily urged her sister as she strode over to the wardrobe rack where a few of her clothing items hung. “We’ve got about ten minutes to get to our seats. I recommend you go more casual for the concert and we’ll dress it up a bit for the after-party.”

  Knowing her sister’s usual Boho style, Lily had specified a few items she thought would work well for her. They were close to the same size, which was a real blessing in this instance. Rosemary wasted no time in selecting a tiered lace evergreen mini-skirt and coordinating floral cotton top. The brown suede over-the-knee boots she wore worked well with the new outfit. It turned out their prescriptions were close enough that Rosemary could wear Lily’s extra disposable contacts more comfortably than her old glasses. Sydney helped brush Rosemary’s hair and style it into an artful topknot that left half of her long hair spilling to the middle of her back. At the same time, Lily helped her apply some fresh makeup.

  “Where in the world is my compact?” Lily asked as she rummaged in her purse.

  “Lost something else, did you?” Sydney asked with laughter in her voice.

  “It’s not funny,” Lily grumbled, zipping her purse with an irritated swipe. “I swear I put it in here before we came to the venue. By the time this tour ends, I’ll have to buy an entirely new wardrobe, cosmetics and all.”

  “Having trouble keeping track of everything?” Rosemary asked.

  Lily sighed. “Yeah. Why can’t I have your organizational skills?”

  Rosemary laughed as Ryan poked his head in the door. He extended something that Lily identified as Rosemary’s driver’s license. Lily thanked him and handed it to her sister.

  “Ready to roll?” Ryan asked.

  “I just need a quick bathroom break,” Rosemary said. “I’ll be ready in one minute.”

  She was true to her word. The women were all soon walking at a brisk pace down the tunnel accompanied by Ryan and another security specialist, Iván Velasquez. Lily’s other dedicated bodyguard, Barney Caldwell, took up his post outside the green room door, where he would wait for them to return.

  “Do you really need all of this security?” Rosemary asked.

  Lily exchanged a glance with Sydney. She hadn’t told her sister—or anyone else in her family—about the stalker who had detained her in the band’s Denver hotel by tying her to the treatment table in the hotel’s spa. Although the incident had occurred two weeks ago, the terror of it remained with her. The police had gotten a composite sketch together based on her spa attendant’s observations. As yet, that hadn’t helped them identify him.

  Then there were the ongoing threats she had been receiving both on social media and by e-mail. Efforts had been made to pinpoint the source of both. All that the authorities had been able to learn so far was that the person sending the e-mails was doing so from free internet locations around L.A. The assumption was that the social media comments were being made the same way, though those were more difficult to track. It was frustrating that the investigations were so slow-going, but Lily understood that these things didn’t happen as rapidly as television and movies made it seem.

  “It’s just a precaution,” Lily replied, giving Rosemary a reassuring smile.

  There would be time enough to catch her sister up on the more stressful aspects of this tour and the reality show capturing everything. For now she wanted Rosemary to enjoy the end of what had been a remarkably bad day for her so far.

  They soon arrived at the private box that had been reserved for them. At the beginning of the tour, Lily and her friends had all sat close to the stage. Once Lily’s fan base grew, she had to change that for safety’s sake. The last concert where she had tried to sit among The Void’s fans had been a near-disaster. Ryan had had to pull in reinforcements to extricate her. She was just glad the mob scene had happened before Dane and the rest of the band had taken the stage so it didn’t disrupt the concert.

  It wasn’t as though it was a huge hardship to sit in the private box to enjoy the concert, Lily thought as she greeted their assigned attendant for the evening and requested a Lemon Drop Martini from the bar. Sure, she wasn’t close enough to make eye contact with Dane while he performed now, but there was something to be said for being able to sit down whenever she wanted and have a semi-private bathroom nearby.

  “All this for us?” Rosemary asked as she stood in the middle of the spacious box and looked around. “Will the Brat Pack be joining us?”

  It took Lily a minute to realize that Rosemary was referring to their younger half-sisters, Caroline and Bridgette. The young women had been following the tour in their father’s old car for the past couple weeks. The nickname coaxed a laugh out of her. It was the most appropriate moniker she’d ever heard.

  “No,” she replied. “They attended one concert in the box and threw a fit when I wouldn’t let them drink.” Caroline and Bridgette were both underage. “Now they sit down as close to the stage as the tour manager can arrange.”

  Rosemary shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re going through so much trouble for them. They don’t deserve it.”

  “We’re only fitting them into the concerts where there are extra promotional tickets available. No special arrangements or anything.”

  “Are they staying at the same hotel as us?”

  Lily thought Rosemary sounded unhappy about the idea. “I have no idea where they’re staying or how they’re paying for it. They pick up the tickets at Will Call for the events I text them about. If there’s an after-party, I usually invite them. I’ve only seen them a few times over the past couple weeks, thank goodness. They just want to get on camera.”

  “Of course they do. Will they be at the after-party tonight?”

  “Yeah, probably hitting on every guy in the room.”

  “Oh—they’re coming on,” Sydney said, hurrying to take a seat.

  The crowd noise escalated as the previously darkened stage started swirling with colorful lights. Lily and Rosemary moved next to Sydney a
nd also took their seats. Despite the number of concerts she had seen over the past couple months, Lily’s pulse thrummed in anticipation. She absolutely loved seeing Dane perform.

  When the band ran out onto the stage, the crowd screamed in delight. Lily joined them, shouting at the top of her lungs while wishing the band good luck. She smiled when she saw Rosemary and Sydney doing the same.

  “Hey there, Kansas City!” Dane greeted the crowd when he was settled behind the mic. “Are you ready for the best night of your lives?”

  The resulting roar shook the roof. Dane gave the crowd one of his famous dimpled smiles and waited for the noise to die down before speaking again.

  “We’re ready too,” he said, winking into the crowd and generating a number of female shrieks. “In fact...we were born ready.”

  Lily smiled as the beat picked up and he launched into “Born Ready,” one of the band’s first big hits. She sang along with him, careful to keep her voice low so she didn’t go hoarse.

  Her attention shifted from Dane, who wasn’t playing guitar on this song but instead roved the stage and engaged the fans, to Xander and Keith on their guitars. Xander played lead guitar and Keith played bass, and both were backup vocalists. After seven years together, they played seamlessly and knew how to feed off each other to perfect a set.

  Driving the beat was Noelle Fox. She bounced behind her drum kit with more energy than a five-year-old on a sugar rush. Her hair, known for its variety of colors, was currently styled like Harley Quinn character’s from Suicide Squad, one blonde ponytail dipped in bright pink and the other in bold turquoise. She even sported a similar baseball jersey type T-shirt like the character, which amused Lily. Noelle was far from athletic.

  Sage wasn’t with his band mates on the stage, though he was just as critical a member of The Void as any of them. He worked from an area known as the front of house. It was situated in the middle of the venue facing the stage to give the sound specialists the best acoustic vantage point to work their magic. Lily had recently learned all of this while shadowing the band and collecting information for news stories she was writing. It gave her an interesting perspective on the concerts now and made her realize how little she had known about the effort involved in bringing everything together for each performance.