“Jagged Sin is calling you Savage Traitors. They claim they have talked to Gene Hayes, and he has assured them that just like Liza set him up, Savaged Illusions set up Jagged Sin in the garage incident.”
Justice spun, his eyes blazing. “Hayes is a convicted rapist. Now Ace and his crew are joining forces with him? That shows who they really are. As for the garage incident, Ace and his two sidekicks were drunk and stoned and jumped Simon. Do you not see the stitches in his face? How are we the bad guys here?”
“They claim Liza got Nikki, their former publicist, to turn against them. Their story is she screamed first, and they thought Simon was hurting her.”
Liza’s stomach churned, and she slapped her hand over her mouth. My God. Did Ace hate Simon so much they’d make up huge lies?
Stupid question. Three of Jagged Sin’s band members jumped him in the garage. Of course he did.
But had Ace really talked to Gene Hayes? Anything was possible with the Internet.
A new voice interrupted her thoughts. “Liza, didn’t you know about Jagged Sin aligning themselves with Hayes and supporting Fury Run? Justice didn’t tell you? We discussed the problem at lunch.”
Turning, Liza faced Christine Castle. The business manager wore a designer dress and Louboutin heels, her blonde hair cut longer on one side. Christine’s whole look was polished, trendy and very expensive. She radiated power.
“I, uh… We haven’t talked since then. I mean not alone. There was dress rehearsal, then he got ready here, and all the preshow meetings and interviews…” She studied Justice as he answered another question. He’d dressed for the show in slim dark jeans and a blue T-shirt that left his tatted arms bare. His jaw was rock hard, and she saw him tap his thigh—his only sign of nerves.
Exactly like his father had done earlier today.
“If they win tonight, they’re going to the big time. Everything changes then. You get that, right?”
Liza dragged her gaze from Justice to the manager. “What do you mean?”
Christine sighed, and the hard edge in her voice softened. “You know Justice is fame driven. The whole band wants it bad.”
Fame driven. Same as her father. “I know.” But Justice had proved he wasn’t anything like Eddie Ranger.
“I’m not trying to be cruel, Liza. I’ve seen Justice with you and heard the way he talks about you. He does like you. But it just won’t last. It can’t. This kind of life is all-consuming and requires a hell of a lot of sacrifice. The travel alone kills relationships. But I’m also speaking as their manager.” Her eyes took on a determined glint. “The guys need to focus on their passion—music—not get caught up in the drama of relationships outside the band.”
“Drama. Like my past.” There it was, the bald truth.
“Yes.” Christine touched her arm. “Hayes is a dangerous adversary. The man’s a greedy, narcissistic personality who truly believes his talent makes him entitled. And you, a mere girl, destroyed him. For a while he hid, then he started stepping out, playing small concerts…but that’s not enough for someone like him.”
Chills dripped down her spine. She’d done her best not to think of Hayes over the years. “You know him?”
“You weren’t his first victim. I knew girls, or more specifically their families, that he paid off for the exact kind of thing you went through. Guys like him need to have their man parts whacked off.”
She shook her head, unable to believe this. “But why didn’t you speak up? Why are you protecting him?” Anger sparked. “He could be hurting other girls. You’re a woman.” That offended a deep part of her. Shouldn’t women try to help each other?
“I’m protecting myself. I had to fight longer and harder than any man to make it in this business. It’s more difficult for women, that’s a fact. I pick my battles, and those battles are about my clients’ success and ultimately mine. That’s reality.”
That wasn’t Liza’s reality. She lost all respect for the other woman. She had chosen her career over helping stop a rapist. “So what is this conversation about?” What did Christine want? And would Hayes find a way to come back to the U.S.?
“Believe it or not, I’m trying to open your eyes to the facts, as well as protect my client. If you get in the way, if push comes to shove, who do you think Justice will choose? You or his career?”
Liza flinched, the worry too close to her deepest fear.
“All right,” Frank the producer announced. “Ten minutes.”
The band headed out to the backstage area by the stairs. Liza followed, her thoughts swirling. Makeup people and crew members swarmed the guys, doing last-minute fixes and checking mic packs.
She watched the highly choreographed chaos with a pounding heart. Forgetting her own worries, all she could think was, This is it. The two-hour show that would decide their fates, either launching Justice to stardom and keeping Liza on the path to her degree or leaving them both in the dirt.
“Places,” Frank yelled.
Everyone moved toward the stage, but Justice broke away, stopping by her.
“Jesus, look at my hands.” He held them out.
Liza eyed the way they trembled slightly, and laced their fingers together. “You’re always amped before a show.” Once the assistant handed him his guitar and he ran on stage, all the wild energy would focus. Smiling, she added, “This is what makes you so good. You give them everything when you’re onstage.”
“Tonight is different.”
Yeah it was. This was the finale, the pressure insane. But that wasn’t what he meant. “‘Expired Hero.’” As much as he wanted to win and gain fame, he also hoped to reach his father.
“It’s mine, Beth.”
Oh she knew. He’d written it and convinced his band this was the song that would take them to the next level. Justice was laying the most vulnerable part of himself out there for the world.
“Suck it up, Cade,” she teased, trying to make him laugh. This was his big night, and Liza wanted him to enjoy it. “I let you read pages from my book. That was way scarier than singing the most important song of your career in front of millions of people. I swear, if I’d known the rock egos I’d be forced to deal with, I’d never have taken this gig.”
His eyes crinkled, shifting his face from hard to almost boyish. “Been a tough road, huh?”
“The worst.” If she didn’t count that she’d met a man who made her feel like she didn’t have to bury her past and be perfect every second. He gave her more security and encouragement than she’d ever experienced. “But I’ve never believed in any other person like I believe in you.”
“Beth.”
The way he did that, saying her name with reverence, always got to her. But this wasn’t their moment, it was his. “Now get out there, and get me that internship.”
“I’ll give it my best shot.” He kissed her. “Win or lose, I need this, Beth.”
“What?”
He released her hands to take her face in his palms. “Us.”
God she hoped so. Because this man owned her heart.
Chapter 17
More than an hour and a half into the show, Justice took his mark in the center of the darkened stage. To his left, Simon found his place. River settled just behind them as Gray took a seat at the piano and Lynx perched on drums at the back.
The whole show was a massive production tonight, a real battle, with each band going on stage three different times to perform a classic, modern and an original rock song. Video packages led into each song, with a lot of emotion roiling through the auditorium.
This was Savaged Illusions’ last set. Once they came back from commercial, they would play their final song.
“Expired Hero.”
Don’t fuck this up. Don’t lose this.
“One minute,” a voice warned them.
Anxiety rippled up his spine. Had the band made the right choice? All week long, they’d worked together on some changes and perfected the song. But it was still his song, the
one he’d written. The one that told a story…
The world only wanted you when you were on top.
Justice and the guys had to win. He couldn’t let his band down. And failing in front of millions of people?
His dad would never come home.
His mom would be right about him.
And Beth…she’d chosen him over her family. If he lost now, would she regret that choice?
Pressure closed in on him, trying to shake his nerves. A slow smile curved his mouth. Fuck that. Justice didn’t do stage fright. He’d made it this far, to the moment where he stood ready to prove to the world he was a rock star. Worthy.
Not just him, but his entire band. Savaged Illusions would conquer tonight.
Glancing over at Simon, Justice held out his fist. “Ready to own this, man?”
Simon bumped fists, heat boiling in his gaze. “Born ready.”
“Time to unleash the savages,” Lynx said behind them.
The next warning came. “Ten seconds.”
Justice fingered his guitar strings, preparing for the blast of hot lights once they were cued in. His heart pounded, and he loved every damned second. All the work, the travel and long days, frustrations and fights.
It came down to now.
A movement caught his attention in the wings of the stage by the stairs. While he and the band were in the darkened center, there was enough light on the side to get a clear view of Liza. Seeing her watching fed his confidence, flooding him with the desire to preen for her. Like a damned rooster. He almost laughed. Her just being there made this moment perfect. She did this to him, stoked his passion higher and stronger.
His girl believed in his dream, believed in him. They were all in, together.
He was more in love with this girl each day. But right now he had a show to win. He gave her a quick thumbs-up, but she missed it when she turned and whispered to someone.
Weird. Was someone else with her, or maybe on the stairs telling her she shouldn’t be there? Liza had watched them from that spot before and no one had bothered her. His scalp prickled. Justice leaned toward her, trying to see.
Another person came into view.
The prickle ran straight down his spine and slammed into his gut. How? Was it really him?
“We’re back in three, two, one, and go.”
Lights blazed on, and the jumbo screen behind them sprang to life. Piano music haunted the air.
But Justice stayed rooted, unable to look away from the large man. One second later, the stage spotlights focused on Justice, blinding him until all he could see was a shadowing figure in the wings.
That quick glimpse was long enough for Justice to recognize his father.
His dad was here with his girlfriend. How was that even—?
Something jabbed his back and snapped him back into reality. He guessed that River had nudged him. Turning his head, he got an eyeful of the close-up camera tight on his face catching his shock.
He’d fumbled his cue on stage in front of millions.
Oh hell no.
Adrenaline exploded, the rush hitting his system. Justice turned his gaze straight into the camera and launched into “Expired Hero.”
Behind them, the massive screen flickered with images of war juxtaposed with pictures of Justice as a kid with his dad. He didn’t look at the screen; he knew what was there. Didn’t care about that. What did matter was that one glimpse of his dad was seared on his brain. He’d looked old, ragged and tired. A shadow of the hero in Justice’s memory. Pain and regret opened up, spilling more of his blood into the song.
He wouldn’t fail now. Not like he had that day long ago. I wish you’d never come home. His own words ricocheted in his brain, paired with the absolute devastation on his dad’s scarred face. Those memories gushed from his soul into the song. River’s dark bassline throbbed with emotion, Lynx pounded home the rage on his kit, Gray brought out the pain, and Simon…he played like a monster, ripping up his guitar, his vocals so powerful it forced Justice to push his voice to the next level.
Sweat poured from Justice, his throat raw by the time he sang the final note.
Silence dropped for a single heartbeat. Then applause exploded like rockets, going higher and longer than he could ever remember. Like a wave, the audience surged to their feet in a standing ovation.
The huge swell of energy crashed over the stage, filling a part of Justice—but another part of him, the youngest part of his soul that was still a lost teenage boy, craved the reaction of one person. The one man he’d looked up to and still wanted approval from. His father.
Justice turned to the wings, needing to see his dad, desperate to glean some acknowledgment or understanding in his eyes.
But his dad was gone.
* * *
Liza wanted to beg Noah to stay, but she’d made a deal. Plus she could see the man was trembling, with sweat dotting his forehead. Every loud noise caused him to twitch.
What had it cost him to stand there in the wings for those four minutes?
“Thank you, Noah.” She walked him outside into the dark, staying close to the door to avoid encountering a Hayes groupie. They were all herded behind a barricade by the street, so she was safe here and focused on Noah. “This will mean so much to Justice.”
“Not as much as it means to me,” he said in a low, thick voice.
“Are you sure you can’t talk to him?”
“Can’t.”
She didn’t let any further protest escape into words. Noah coming to the show was a step in the right direction. “He loves you.”
Noah faced her. “I hear the screams every time I close my eyes. I failed them, and they died. Not easy deaths, but horrible and agonizing. Because I made a mistake. I can’t face my son. I can’t.” He walked away, a tall, lanky man with shoulders bowed from an internal weight no one could see. She wanted to run after him and…
What? Hug him because a hug would make it all better? What could she do? Oh, they might get the police to pick him up, get him locked down for seventy-two hours for a psychological evaluation. And then what?
They’d release him, and he might be more traumatized. Not a good plan.
Her heart broke for Justice. She got it now, the frustration he lived with every day.
“Liza,” Colin called from the door. “The show’s coming back on in one minute.”
Her stomach clenched, her nerves twanging hard. At this rate, her intestines were going to resemble overcooked spaghetti.
* * *
Justice stood beneath the spotlights, struggling to keep his face relaxed and confident. River waited at his left, Lynx and Gray on the right, and Simon crowded behind him.
A few feet over, the lights caught the bright purple zigzags Wendy had added to her blue hair. She and the girls all held hands.
“Waiting’s a bitch,” Simon muttered.
Justice silently agreed.
“And now,” the show’s host announced, “after ten weeks of competition, we’re in the final minutes of the eleventh and last week…and down to two bands, Fury Run and Savaged Illusions.”
The audience leapt to their feet, their excitement palpable.
Once they settled, the announcer went on, “Voting has officially closed, and the computer is tallying those, along with the judges’ scores.” He turned to the judges. “Now’s a good time to thank…”
Justice wanted to wrap his hands around the guy’s throat and shake him until he stopped delaying by naming each judge, talking about how wonderful they were and kissing their asses. Sweat trickled down his back, and he worked to keep his hands loose at his sides. Was his dad still in the building, or had he left? Would it matter if Justice won? Would his dad come home? How had Liza found him?
“It’s been an incredibly exciting season, our best so far. This is the hardest part, as only one band can take home the title of Court of Rock Champion.”
They could have another entire season while this jerk-off delayed.
“Ah.” He tapped his earpiece. “Yep, the final votes have been double-checked and locked in. The winner of Season 4 of Court of Rock is…”
The host trailed off as the drums tapped out a tension-filled beat. The cameras zoomed in on both bands.
Swear to God, his heart slammed harder than Sloane punched. He stared straight ahead while thinking about all the practices and shows, the fights and negotiating, every single note he’d sung and hours he’d played, all the sleepless nights…and it came down to this moment.
They had to win.
“Fury Run!”
* * *
Justice got off the stage and went in search of Liza. He waved off the assistants telling him to get into the media pen. The guys were on his heels, but right now his head rang with failure.
You’re a loser. You’ll always be a loser. No wonder your father takes off. He can’t stand to be around you.
His mom had recognized it when he was sixteen, and now eight years later, he’d just proved her right.
And his dad? Well, he wasn’t here now, was he? Justice scanned every face, unable to find his dad or Liza. Finally he made his way to the greenroom.
Liza sat there alone. Everyone else had spilled out to the halls and backstage.
“Where’s my dad?”
“Justice.” She shot to her feet and rushed toward him. “He couldn’t stay. I tried, but he just couldn’t do it.”
His last shred of hope died. “He saw me lose.”
“What?” She took his hand, her face softening. “No. He saw you sing, and he was so proud of you. But he was sweating and anxious. Every noise made him jump. I don’t know what caused it exactly, being inside, all the people, or the sounds, maybe the war scenes on the video, whatever it was, he fought through it long enough to watch you. He didn’t stay to see the outcome.”
“But he won’t talk to me.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “He can’t. I don’t understand it either.”
Her pain pierced enough of his misery that he pulled her into his arms. “Don’t cry.”
“I can’t help it. None of this is fair. You should have won, and your dad should have stayed.”
Savaged Dreams: Savaged Illusions Trilogy Book 1 Page 24
