Stronger Within (The Silver Lake Series Book 1)

by McCallum, Coral

  “I don’t know what to say, guys. Thank you doesn’t begin to cover it,” he said humbly. “This is too much. Thank you.”

  He lifted his glass of champagne to propose a toast, “To all of us. To a great tour. To a great final show tomorrow night. To rock and fucking roll.”

  The party gave Jake a rousing cheer, then sang Happy Birthday again as the waiters served their meal. At the table where the band were seated, Jake was sitting between Lori and Grey. His brother was directly across the table from him.

  “Glad to see you’re better dressed now, Mr Power,” commented Jason from the far end of the table.

  “Am I ever going to live this down?” asked Jake, blushing anew at the memory of stepping out onto the stage stripped to the waist.

  “You’ve done it before,” commented Grey between mouthfuls of rice.

  “I know, but that was at an outdoor summer beach gig,” laughed Jake. “And I wasn’t the only one. We all stripped down to our shorts that day”

  “I remember,” reminisced Grey. “It was a hundred degrees out on that stage.”

  “It’ll be all over YouTube by morning,” joked Rich, winking at Lori. “And the kids back at school will be following our every move.”

  “Shit,” muttered Jake, shaking his head at the thought.

  “Personally speaking,” began Maddy, “I think you should do it every night. Did you see the female fans’ reactions?”

  “And some of the male fans,” teased Lori.

  “Hey, leave the kid alone,” said Simon, trying hard not to laugh. “It’s his birthday after all.”

  “Why?” asked Grey with a scowl. “Jake-baiting is our favourite past time!”

  And so their banter continued.

  Eventually the restaurant owner spoke to Maddy and apologised that they really had to close up. When she checked the time, it was after two o’clock in the morning. With the minibus ready outside and the bill paid, the Silver Lake entourage spilled out onto the pavement. As everyone got on board the bus, Jake hugged his brother, “Come back to the hotel with us.”

  “No. I’ll get a cab and head back to my own hotel,” said Simon warmly. “You and Lori need some private time, birthday boy.”

  “Are you joining us tomorrow? Today? Oh, whenever it is?” asked Jake hopefully.

  “If you want me to.”

  “Great. Be at the hotel for midday. We can take it from there. Bring an overnight bag. It’ll be a late one tomorrow.”

  “See you later, Jake,” said Simon with a nod towards the bus. “You’d better go. Your ride is ready to leave.”

  Wrapped in each other’s arms safely curled up in bed, alone at last, Lori kissed Jake tenderly.

  “I never gave you your present,” she whispered softly.

  “I thought that was what you just gave me,” he said, kissing her back “You mean there’s more?”

  “Stay there,” said Lori, carefully stepping out of bed and limping over to her open suitcase. She picked out a small gift bag and came back over to the bed. Sitting naked on top of the covers, she passed the bag to Jake, “Happy birthday, rock star.”

  Sitting up Jake opened the bag to reveal a beautifully wrapped box, complete with silver and blue ribbons. He pulled off the bow, tore off the paper and opened the box to reveal a Tag Heuer watch. Very carefully he lifted the charcoal grey and silver watch out of the box and turned it over and over in his hand, admiring it.

  “Lori, this is way too much,” he protested softly.

  “Nonsense,” she replied. “Put it on.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Don’t say anything. Just put it on,” she said with a smile. “No excuses for being late now.”

  “I guess not,” he said, as he fastened the watch round his wrist. “Thank you, li’l lady.”

  “Glad you like it,” she replied, as she slipped back under the covers. “Now you’d better get some sleep. What time are you needed today?”

  “Not sure,” he said, trying to recall the schedule for the last day. “Ten thirty I think.”

  Sleep then. It’s gone four.”

  The gentle melody of her cell phone ringing wakened Lori from a deep sleep. For a moment she was confused as to where she was. There was a cold empty space in the bed where Jake had been and she realised she had slept through her alarm call. Reaching out she grabbed her phone and answered the call just before it cut to voicemail.

  “Hello,” she said still sounding half asleep.

  “Lori, it's Simon,” came the familiar voice. “I’m downstairs in the lobby.”

  “Shit,” muttered Lori, sitting up. “What time is it?”

  “Midday,” he replied, then added. “Did I waken you?”

  “Yes,” she admitted. “But I’m glad you did. Give me half an hour and I’ll be down.”

  “Will I get us a table in the bar restaurant place?”

  “Sounds like a plan,” agreed Lori. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”

  “Don’t rush. I’ll see you down here when you’re ready.”

  “Half an hour,” she promised, already climbing out of bed.

  When she came out of the shower ten minutes later, Lori could hear voices in the room. Listening at the closed bathroom door, she recognised Jake’s voice, but wasn’t immediately sure of the other one. Wrapped in a towel, Lori also realised that the two towelling robes were lying on the bed. There was nothing for it, she was going to have to go into the room. As she opened the bathroom door, holding on tightly to the towel, she prayed it was someone she knew who was there with Jake.

  At the sound of the door opening, Jake turned round.

  “Lori!” he exclaimed, his eyes wide with surprise at her state of undress.

  Simon was sitting on the chair at the far side of the room next to her open suitcase. Mustering as much dignity as she could, Lori walked across the room.

  “Sorry, boys,” she said quietly as she limped over to her suitcase. “I wasn’t expecting company.”

  “I should’ve waited downstairs,” said Simon apologetically. “I’m so sorry, Lori.”

  “Just look away till I get my clothes out of that bag,” she said, trying not to sound as embarrassed as she felt.

  Quickly she lifted the clothes she had set aside for the day and turned to retreat to the sanctuary of the bathroom. As she moved past Simon, the edge of the towel caught on his knee, peeling back to reveal most of the scarring on her thigh. He glanced up at Jake and flushed scarlet with embarrassment.

  “I shouldn’t be here, Jake,” he said, getting to his feet. “Let’s go back downstairs.”

  “Stay where you are,” said Lori, her tone sharper than she intended. “I’ll be five minutes.”

  She could hear their muffled conversation through the closed bathroom door as she wriggled her way into her jeans and top. Her damp skin was making it impossible to dress in a hurry. Finally, she was dressed and was brushing out her wet hair when there was a gentle knock on the door.

  “Lori, can I come in?” asked Jake.

  “It’s not locked,” she replied.

  He slipped in and closed the door gently behind him. “I just wanted to check you were ok.”

  “I’m fine. Embarrassed but fine,” she answered, continuing to brush her hair.

  “I’m not sure my brother is,” he said with a smile. “He’s mortified.”

  “Why? Has he never seen a woman in a towel before?” she asked, trying to inject some humour into the situation. “It’s no big deal if we don’t turn it into one. And, yes, I know he saw my scars.”

  “You sure you’re ok?”

  Lori nodded and took a deep breath, “At least I only walked out half naked in front of two people unlike someone we could mention.”

  “Very funny, li’l lady,” he said with a grin. “Hurry up. I need to be finished lunch by two.”

  On the way down in the lift, Simon apologised profusely for embarrassing Lori. No matter how many times she assured him that ther
e was no harm done, he continued to look upset by the incident. As they waited for their lunch order to be brought out a few minutes later, Lori reached across the table and touched his hand. “Simon, please stop apologising. Relax,” she said warmly. “I know you saw the scars on my thigh. Trust me, you never saw the half of them.”

  He looked her straight in the eye and replied, “As long as you’re not angry that I saw more of you than I should have.”

  “Let’s forget it ever happened,” she suggested.

  Changing the subject, Jake asked what the two of them were going to do while the band completed their sound check and a meet and greet session alongside Weigh Station for a handful of VIP fans.

  “Hang about and wait, I guess,” said Simon as the waitress arrived with their lunch.

  “We could do some sightseeing?” suggested Lori. “As long as we’re back at the arena for six we should be ok, shouldn’t we?”

  Jake nodded as he took a bite out of his panini, “Just make sure you have your passes and Gary’s phone number.”

  “I’ve got them,” said Lori. “So, Simon, what do you fancy doing for a couple of hours?”

  “Your choice, young lady.”

  “Well,” began Lori. “I would like to see the British Museum. I never made it there the last time I was in London.”

  “Fine by me.”

  Six o’clock had come and gone and there was no sign of Lori or Simon arriving at the arena and Jake was growing anxious. He had tried to call both of them several times, but their phones had gone straight to voicemail. Watching the dressing room door, he paced restlessly up and down. After a few minutes Maddy sent him to warm up, promising to send Lori through as soon as she arrived. Reluctantly, he agreed, knowing that he had to warm up properly before the show. In the small rehearsal room he went through the motions of his warm up routine, trying to maintain his focus on his voice and his breathing. His mind was racing, imagining all kinds of horrors that could have happened to them.

  The squeal of the door opening behind him startled him back to reality.

  “Sorry,” said Lori quietly as she stood in the doorway. “Maddy said you were worried.”

  Jake turned to face her, relief flooding through him. In two quick strides, he was beside her and had pulled her into his arms.

  “I was worried,” he whispered, his face buried in her hair.

  “I’m sorry,” she apologised. “We decided to venture back on the underground. No phone signal down there. I wanted to get changed, so we dashed back to our hotel, then came straight here. It took us fifteen minutes to get into the building.”

  “You’re here now. That’s all that matters,” said Jake. “Stay till I finish my warm up, please.”

  “Is this punishment?” she joked, sitting on the only seat in the small room.

  “No,” he said, trying to look and sound stern. “That comes later.”

  Trying not to giggle, Lori sat quietly as he ran through the last few vocal exercises and scales. Happy that he was in good shape, Jake took her by the hand and led her back to the main dressing room. There were only a few minutes left before show time and his fellow band mates were pacing about like caged animals, anxious to get out on stage. A large bottle of champagne sat open in the middle of the table. Seeing Jake eyeing it up, Rich explained, “Dan sent it through for us. Do you want one?”

  Jake shook his head, “I’ll wait till later.”

  “Lori?” offered Rich, lifting an empty glass.

  “Please,” she replied. “Just a half glass though.”

  From his reclined position on the couch, Simon said, “Sorry, we were late, Jake. My fault entirely.”

  “No harm done,” replied Jake, still keeping a protective arm around Lori’s waist. “Did you have a good afternoon?”

  “Loved it,” declared Lori with a smile. “But then you know how much I love museums.”

  “I guess I should be glad you made it back here at all,” joked Jake.

  “We did stay till closing time,” she confessed. “But I bought you a present.”

  Slipping out from his grasp, she went over to the chair where she had left her bag and tossed a white T-shirt to him.

  “It’s the Rosetta Stone,” she explained as he held it up.

  Nodding approvingly, he said, “I’ll wear it later, li’l lady. Thank you.”

  He tossed it back over to her and, while she was folding it neatly, he called over to Simon, “Do you fancy watching from out front tonight?”

  His brother sat up and replied, “Yeah, I’d love to.”

  “I spoke to our film maker, Scott, earlier,” explained Jake. “He’s going to be filming from the pit right down at the front tonight. He’ll take you with him, if you’re up for it.”

  “I’m up for it,” Simon declared, getting to his feet.

  “Well, you’d better get your ass out there,” said Maddy, manoeuvring herself out of the chair. “Come on. I’ll help you find him. Gary, keep an eye on the clock.”

  A few short minutes later, Gary rounded them up and led Silver Lake out of the dressing room for the final show of the tour. When they reached the side of the stage, they were surprised to find Jason already there with Weigh Station’s front man. As they tried to have a hushed conversation, the house lights went out and it was time for Silver Lake to step out on stage. One of the stage crew had thoughtfully left a spare stool in the wings and Lori settled herself on it to watch the show. She had brought her camera with her and was hopeful of getting a few shots of the band in action. Behind her, Dan leaned forward and said, “That boy has so much talent. He’ll headline the next time he’s on that stage.”

  “I hope so,” said Lori, turning to smile at him.

  “Look after him, Mz Hyde,” he added warmly.

  The first notes of Dragon Song filled the air and conversation became almost impossible as the band gave one thousand percent to the London crowd.

  Out on stage Jake felt relaxed and in control. He was trying to ignore the voice in his head that said this was the final show. Focussing on his playing and his vocals, he determined to chill and enjoy the moment. When the spotlights panned out across the audience, he was awestruck by the sight of the thousands of fans singing along with him. Down among the security personnel and press photographers he could see Simon shadowing Scott. When it came to the acoustic interlude, he quickly settled himself on the wooden bar stool, stealing a quick look over at Lori in the wings.

  “Ok, folks, are you still with us?” he asked, turning his full attention back to the crowd. “Time to calm down for a minute or two. Catch our breath.”

  The crowd cheered.

  “The next two songs are special to me,” began Jake. “They were written for a very special person in my life and I’m delighted she’s here tonight. If you know the words, please help me sing them for her. This is Stronger Within.”

  The London crowd sang both acoustic numbers word perfect along with Jake as he knew they would. As he switched back to his electric guitar, Jake called out to them, “That was beautiful. Thank you. You guys are amazing.”

  All too soon the band were wrapping things up with Flyin’ High and as the last notes faded out over the arena, Jake thanked the London fans, “You’ve been brilliant. Thank you for making tonight special. Till next time. We’ll love you and leave you.”

  As Paul hurled his used drumsticks out into the crowd, the others flicked a handful of guitar picks out into the sea of fans then waved them goodbye, savouring every last second out on the arena stage. Jason was the first to congratulate each of them as they came off stage. Knowing that Jake would be back in a few minutes, Lori stayed where she was, allowing the band to celebrate the success of the show together. From her perch on the stool, Lori watched the road crew slickly clear all the Silver Lake gear off stage and a second crew uncover the Weigh Station equipment and set up their mics. She could just make out Simon and Scott down in the pit in front of the stage. It wasn’t easy to mistake Simon as
at six foot four he towered over the filmmaker. Before Weigh Station were even in the wings, Jake was back beside her. Still sweaty and without having changed his shirt, he hugged her tight.

  “You were fantastic out there tonight, rock star,” she said between kisses.

  “Just doing my job, li’l lady,” he replied with a mischievous grin. “That crowd are lapping it up tonight.”

  “You planning on keeping your shirt on tonight?” she teased.

  “Too damn right I am!”

  Their conversation was cut short by the arrival of Weigh Station beside them. As Dan prepared to go on, he turned to Jake and said, “You up for three numbers tonight?”

  “Three?”

  Dan nodded, “Watch for your cue, young man.”

  As the older singer charged out on stage to a deafening roar, Jake was left wondering what the third song was to be. He glanced nervously at Lori, who just shrugged. Hand in hand, they watched the Weigh Station set, occasionally spotting Simon and Scott at the far side of the stage. All too soon Dan was stepping forward and introducing Jake. Accepting his guitar from the technician, Jake sprinted out on stage to a huge cheer from the crowd.

  “Nice to see you’re better dressed this evening, Mr Power,” joked Dan then he turned to the audience. “For those of you who missed it last night, Mr Power here, forgot to put his shirt on before he joined me up here.”

  There was an immediate rowdy chorus of wolf whistles and shouts of “Get it off!”

  “Not tonight,” said Jake, shaking his head.

  A chorus of boos surged back at him.

  “Are you really going to disappoint these young ladies down at the front?” challenged Dan playfully as he pointed to a group of girls wearing Silver Lake T-shirts.

  Realising he had no choice, Jake handed his guitar to Dan and pulled his T-shirt off over his head. The audience went wild as he tossed the sweat soaked shirt down to the group of screaming Silver Lake fans.

  “Ok, now that my esteemed friend is appropriately dressed, it’s time for Broken Bottle Empty Glass!” roared Dan, trying hard not to laugh.

  Feeling slightly self-conscious, Jake stepped up to the microphone and, for the final time, sang the gently hoarse lyrics of Broken Bottle Empty Glass. He turned the last chorus over to the crowd and both he and Dan stood back in awe of their fans. Sunset After The Storm almost raised the roof off the arena a few minutes later and again the fans sang every word. With the last notes dying away around him, Dan stepped up to the front of the stage, “London, give it up for the talented Mr Jake Power!”