Sons of Mayhem 3: The Full Force

by Pink, Nikki

  But it was show time.

  Johnny led the way up the stairs at the back of the stage, followed by Neal, Rabbie and then me. The very air itself was alive with the roars of the crowd and then I burst out onto the stage. My jaw dropped. I’d never seen a crowd like this. And they were roaring for me.

  Tens of thousands of people, roaring, and screaming and shouting and yelling and crying and it was all for the band; the band I was once again, even temporarily, a part of.

  I gulped and shook my head. This isn’t real, I thought. But it was. It was realer than anything.

  44

  Lonnie

  We stood there, four guys on stage and we were the centre of the fucking universe. Kings of the world. Gods among men.

  I don't know how many people were there but it was thousands, tens of thousands, and they were there for us.

  "Good evening," said Johnny, putting on his 'posh' voice which the Americans seemed to love.

  The crowd answered with a roar that could be heard for miles, a deep resonating sound of tens of thousands of voices all shouting in unison which echoed when they stopped.

  "Do you want to hear a few tunes?" asked Johnny.

  I glanced across at Neal and he grinned. I looked behind at Rabbie on the drums and his face was lit up in manic glee.

  The crowd answered Johnny louder than before and Neal responded with a single note on his guitar.

  Rabbie smacked his drum once.

  There was an expectant silence. I strummed a single note on my bass and all eyes were on me. I felt electric.

  "Well come on then, boys! Let's fucking do this!"

  Then it was on. Rabbie started on the drums and Neal and I quickly followed. Johnny started prancing around the stage like a maniac hybrid of Mick Jagger and Miley Cyrus and let his beautiful voice unleash.

  The energy. Holy shit, the energy. All those people, all that power, all that noise, all those hormones and emotions and feelings and hopes and dreams all filling the air with an atmosphere so deliciously thick and vibrant that if you could have packaged it and sold it we would have been billionaires.

  We screamed through half a dozen songs, each one reaching the crowd in a different way. Some ramped them up and made them mosh like their lives depended on it. Others made them bounce around like they were on pogo sticks. Others made the girls weep and their boyfriends wrap consoling arms around them.

  Maybe this is what I should have been doing with my life, I mused, as I stared out into the sea of hungry faces sucking the music right out of my bass and drinking it down with every flick of my finger. Maybe this is what it was all about.

  The earpiece I was wearing crackled. It was deep in my ear and the volume was cranked so even with the ridiculous noise of the crowd and the show I could hear the voice coming through. "You're doing amazing! This is fucking history right here, boys. Fucking history. Keep it up!" I couldn't help but grin at Chad's enthusiasm. He was a headcase but shit, when I looked out at that crowd, I knew he'd done alright by the band. They really were going to go down in the history books. And maybe me too.

  After a dozen songs Johnny launched us into a series of covers. We did songs by the Chilis, Oasis, the Clash, Muse and even the Stones. We were running on an autopilot controlled not by a computer, but by the vibe of the crowd and the energy in the air, playing together in a perfect psychic connection that only a musician can truly know.

  The concert went perfectly. Amazingly. Until everything turned to shit, that is.

  45

  Ava

  I stood at the side of the stage staring out, my jaw hanging open like I was catching flies as I watched Lonnie and the others do their thing.

  The small show where I'd first caught Lonnie's eye was nothing like this. Nothing. That was a little band in a little club who built up a decent atmosphere and put on a pretty good show.

  This. This felt like the biggest band in the world at the biggest show in the world. They dripped sex as they strutted around the stage, feeding off the energy of the crowd and then blasting it right back at them through their instruments.

  I felt a nudge on my arm and, realizing my mouth was hanging open, slammed it shut. It was Nicole and her friend Lucy; the one I’d seen getting eaten by Johnny while he was being taken from behind himself.

  "Amazing!" yelled Nicole. We were slightly behind the massive speakers where we were, so their insane output was being blasted away from us, allowing the sounds of our shouts to carry the few inches between us.

  I nodded, my face now displaying a ridiculous grin. This was the most amazing thing I'd ever experienced. Well, that and what Lonnie had been doing to me in the hotel room the last few days. But that wouldn't be a one time event, I hoped.

  "I've just been told..." said Johnny up on the stage, "by our manager..." he continued, his every few words interrupted by the roars of the crowd, "that our female audience..." he paused while the air was filled with screeched uncontrolled primal yells, "likes some eye candy."

  And with that, Johnny reached for the neck of his t-shirt and gave a yank, the muscles of his arms rippling as he tore open his t-shirt and threw the shreds to the floor.

  Toned torso, rippling muscles and a slick sweat-covered torso were revealed. I thought my ears were going to burst from the shrieks of the crowd.

  Then Neal the lead guitarist followed suit, throwing the remains of his shirt into the audience and holding his arms up in a double rock salute as he took his turn to receive the adoring worship of the crowd. He was a little thicker, a little stronger than slim Johnny but he had a body any woman would want to pick them up and then throw them down. Any woman except me, that is.

  Then it was Lonnie's turn. My beautiful, tough, English bastard biker. With a big grin he tore off his shirt and I bit my lip as that body I'd begun to get to know well was revealed for everyone to see. I felt a heady mixture of intense pride and burning jealousy as tens of thousands of women took in my beautiful man's body and let out screams. How many girls would be lying back with their eyes closed tonight pretending their boyfriend was actually my Lonnie?

  I watched as he turned and walked across the stage. Toward me.

  Butterflies filled my stomach as my man came to me with a cheeky grin on his face. I was standing much lower than him and let out a gasp of shock when he reached the side of the stage, bent down, placed two strong hands under my arms and lifted me bodily into the air. Holding me in front of him like a trophy he turned and took a couple of steps back to the visible part of the stage. Without even letting my feet touch the floor of the stage he pulled me close to him and gave me the most heartstopping, breathtaking, stomach flipping kiss in the history of the world, in front of a million people.

  "Love ya babe," he growled in my ear.

  He put me down and handed me the shredded remains of his t-shirt while a million people cheered us on. I placed two hands on his hard wet chest and he grabbed me by my ass and pulled me in for another quick kiss. Blinking and shaking and about to collapse he grabbed me and carried me back to my spot on the side of the stage.

  He placed me down and headed back out to the center of the stage as the audience yelled and whistled and screeched

  I had to hold onto the edge of the stage to prevent my knees from giving way. My head was spinning a million miles an hour. Every inch of my skin tingled, my hard nipples pressed against my shirt and I gasped breaths in and out.

  Another smack on my arm. "I think he really likes you!" yelled Lucy, giggling.

  I just shook my head slowly in awe. I didn't know whose body I'd been thrust into, whose life it was I was living now, but holy shit I hoped this dream would never end.

  46

  Lonnie

  That felt good. Real damn good. Holding my girl up for the whole world to see and giving her a kiss right on the lips. From the roars of the crowd it seemed like they approved too.

  As we powered into another song I felt the cool evening breeze blowing across the bare skin of my to
rso and found myself giving a big old stupid smile as my fingers worked themselves across the fretboard and strings without me even having to think about it. My mind flew now, back to the last few days in the motel. I don't know what the fuck had happened to me. No girl had ever messed with my head like that before. Shit, I'd heard all the songs about love but never really got them before. Didn't understand that it can come out of nowhere, grab you in a chokehold, then bodyslam you into the road until you give in to it, accept it for what it is: an unpredictable, uncontrollable force of nature that tames you. You don't choose it, you can't rationalize it, and you sure as shit don't know when it's going to hit.

  But then it does. And it's the best thing in the world.

  "Boys, go in to your last song. Shit's getting real."

  I awoke as if from a daze, hit a wrong note, and looked out into the crowd.

  Uhoh.

  47

  Lonnie

  There was some kind of disturbance going down at the back of the crowd. Pushing, shoving, fighting. It was hard to tell, there were so many people, there were bright lights shining on us, and it was a goddamn rock show anyway - there's always pushing and shoving at the very least.

  But I could make out some guys in leathers. Cuts. Bikers. Some of the security brought in for the show, people we didn't even know, and they were right in the thick of it.

  "Play 'On your Knees', boys," came Chad's voice into the headset.

  I looked at Johnny. He looked at me. I shrugged. He grinned. I scanned around and Neal and Rabbie gave nods as well.

  This was it, the final song of the show.

  Johnny held out three fingers, then two, then one and we began laying into it nice and thick, pouring music out into the crowd like a rich sauce.

  At the back things were getting rough. Dozens of people were fighting now, but the people at the front didn't know that; couldn't see back there. They were jumping and smiling and having a great time while we gave them what they came for.

  Jase looked back at me with some concern. He held a finger up in the air and span it in a circle. That means go. Move out. I caught his eye and in between notes held up a pair of fingers. Two minutes. He shrugged and nodded back at me.

  ~When you're on your knees~ Johnny sung as we neared the bridge. Normally Neal would get to do a long guitar solo here. Not today. Jase had disappeared from the stage and I could see him with our original security crew. The Sons and the Ragers were all gathered near the front. The other bikers, the ones we didn't really know had been scattered throughout the rest of the crowd. Even with the dozens of extra men we'd brought in it hadn't been enough, not for a show of this size. But how the hell can you organize something like that so last minute? Fucking Chad.

  The final chorus began and things were turning to crap. There were screams and shouts now and people were fleeing in every direction, those who weren't there to fight running off to the back, the left, the right. The crowd at the front still mostly unaware, though beginning to get an inkling that the vibe had changed, that things were going wrong and the atmosphere was changing.

  "Our ride out of here is scheduled in 60 seconds. I repeat, 60 seconds."

  Our ride? What ride was he talking about I wondered.

  We got through the last verse.

  ~neeeeeeeeeeeds...~ Johnny's final words faded away.

  Jase and the crew jumped up onto the stage and in front of us mayhem was unleashed. Pushing and shoving and shouting. Bottles flying, screams and shouts. I had no idea what the hell was going on, but I knew what I had to do.

  Get Ava the fuck out of here.

  As the final notes from our instruments faded a new sound took their place. Motorbikes. Lots of them.

  That couldn't be right though, I realized, that wasn't possible right now. Then I looked up.

  "There's our ride boys. Get the fuck off the back of the stage and run to the lights." Chad's voice faded in a crackle. I was still staring up at the rapidly approaching helicopter. That Chad was a piece of work, that was for sure.

  Jase ran over to me. "Get Nicole for me, would you?"

  I frowned at him. "I'm not leaving you here."

  Jase shook his head. "Not up for negotiation. That's an order. Take Nicole and Ava and the band. You're running security for the band, remember? And look after my old lady."

  I frowned again. It wasn't right. But it was an order. "You sure?"

  "Go!"

  Jase turned and then he was with BK, and Everest, and Reap and the others, making a human shield.

  "Go!" I yelled to the other guys waving my hand back. There was no need. They were already fleeing.

  I ran to the side of the stage and jumped down next to Ava and Nicole.

  "Time to go," I growled, wrapping an arm around each of them. They were shielded from a proper view of the crowd here and were only now beginning to realize that all hell was breaking loose.

  We broke into a trot as I hustled them through tangled wires, packing crates, trash bags and the other assorted debris that surrounds a last minute mega-show.

  The helicopter had landed in a circle of lights that Chad had somehow arranged. I guessed the little twat had arranged the helicopter exit beforehand.

  We hurried over, heads down as the spinning blades whipped above us. Johnny, Rabbie, Neal, Lucy and Chad were clambering into the helicopter. I hustled the girls up to the door, and as they were jumping in I turned around for one final look.

  My gaze was greeted by a beer bottle catching me right in the forehead.

  "You suck! Si's the man!"

  Without thinking I powered toward the asshole and barreled into him with my shoulder.

  He was a twenty-something frat boy in a wife-beater, pretty gym-muscles showing. Gym-muscles don't mean shit in the streets though. He went flying as I flew into him. A moment later I was on top of him.

  "I- I'm sorry man!"

  A drop of blood dropped from my forehead onto him and I let out a growl.

  Bang. I gave him a solid shot on the jaw, just a little something to teach him a lesson, and then I was up.

  Bollocks. I looked around and now the chaos was spreading back here, back into the previously untroubled area behind the stage.

  It was time to get the fuck out of Dodge.

  I ran back toward the helicopter. Ava was peering anxiously out the door and she let out a smile of relief when I arrived. Love that.

  I climbed in and it wasn't a moment too soon. Guys were swinging punches at each other, more bottles were flying and I saw someone swinging a guitar into the back of the stage.

  With a metallic rolling the door was slid and slammed shut and the engines whined as they span us up into the air.

  I collapsed back into a seat, Ava's head on my shoulder. My ears were ringing, my head was stinging, but my heart - my heart was singing.

  As we flew I began to chuckle. What a fuckin' ride.

  48

  Lonnie

  One last meeting before we could go off and celebrate - or go to bed. This gongshow of a tour was over, finally. How long had it been? A week? Ten days? It felt like a fucking month. A year. I wondered how Bottle and the rest of the boys were getting on back at the clubhouse. Things were probably a lot less dramatic there I guessed.

  Jase clinked his bottle against mine.

  "Pretty fun, huh?"

  I grinned. He and the rest of the crew had got out fine by sticking together and sending anyone who went near them packing with a flurry of fists and stomps from their work boots. Not that many tried. They were a scary looking bunch.

  The door burst open and in came Chad, followed by the band.

  "Alright, good show boys!" he reached me and stood behind me, a hand on each of my shoulders.

  "Now Lonnie, we need to get you sorted the fuck out. You missed a few notes in Energy and King of Sin, and I don't want you bringing your woman on stage again, we want the audience to think they could have you, even if they can't. Plausible obtainability is great for the femal
e fans. Now, do you even have a valid passport? If not we'll get you one, stat. I know a guy at the consulate in LA. We've got shows in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow lined up, then we're going to do something international. Ten countries in ten days or some shit, then there's the new al--"

  I stood up and span around, holding out a finger in front of Chad Chad's mouth to shush him. "What are you talking about?"

  He tilted his head quizzically. "Getting you up to speed. We've got to use this momentum. Right now you're the biggest band in the world! We--"

  "Dude, I'm not in the band. I'm done with that. Done."

  "But the show toni--"

  "Done." I growled and gave him my I'll-fuck-you-up look.

  Chad gulped.

  "You don't need us anymore, right? Tour's over." Chad's jaw was hanging open like he couldn't believe I didn't want to be in the band again. I turned to Jase. "Let's roll."

  Jase clinked his bottle against mine and got up to join me.

  Chad grabbed at my leather cut, pleading eyes wide. “Private jets! Limos! Class A drugs off the curved asses and perky tits of the hottest groupies in the world! Fame and Fortune, Mathew!”

  I shook my head slowly. “Nah. Mathew’s dead boys. I’m Lonnie now. And I don’t need any of that shit. It's been real. Later everyone." I said to the room as we headed out.

  As we stomped down the hall Jase turned to me. "Did you even consider it?" he asked.

  I laughed. "Nah. One night was kind of fun, but I ain't going to live that life. Hell no."

  He punched me on the shoulder. "What about the groupies, man?"

  "Fuck the groupies. I got exactly what I need right here now."

  "You mean me?"

  I laughed and gave him a punch back on the arm. "Upstairs. What say we get the girls and go get some drinks somewhere?"