Chapter 22
“Stay with me.” I cupped the microphone, slowly closing my eyes.
The lyrics washed over me, and I allowed the rawness of them to bleed into each word. I felt them on a visceral level even though the words weren’t entirely mine. They were Gavin’s, and I’d just helped him polish them. My empathetic nature let me feel his emotions as if they were my own.
Two bodies pressed on either side of me, and I could feel the fine sheen of perspiration on both of them. Under normal circumstances, it probably would have caused feelings of revulsion, but right now, I was in a similar state of ickiness. There was a small bead of sweat coursing down my spine, and strands of my hair were clinging to my neck as I leaned my head back and belted out the final words of the song.
The sound of thunderous applause caused me to open my eyes, and I blinked rapidly. The bar was dim, but the lights we stood under were overly bright. Finally, when I was able to focus more, my gaze scanned the crowd, homing in on the spot where I knew my guys, friends, and family were. Noah, Jaxson, and Troy were now standing on chairs, and the latter placed his fingers into his mouth and let out a shrill whistle. The bodies on either side of me caused me to wobble a bit, reminding me of Gavin and Ben’s presence.
The small smile that had been turning up the corners of my mouth curved even higher, and I beamed up at them. This high was like no other. I had forgotten what it felt like to be fueled by the crowd’s adoration and the satisfaction of knowing we were connecting with them.
The answering smiles on their faces let me know I wasn’t the only one to feel this intense euphoria. My eyes caught on the next act waiting in the wings, and disappointment washed over me. My feelings were slightly assuaged by the looks on their faces. During our very slight break when the sound system began to act up, we were told by the front of the house manager that we were impressing them. He assured us that our middle spot wouldn’t last long.
The last act was the most coveted spot. Not only because they had the best time frame, but also because they had a longer setlist. We had enough songs to entertain for nearly two hours, but we’d had to narrow it down to a third of that. It had taken us nearly two hours alone to decide on the best songs to represent us.
It had been a lot harder than anyone could know considering we didn’t have just one or two talented songwriters, but four of us. Granted, I didn’t contribute as much, but I had a natural knack for helping the others elevate their music to a more complex sound.
“Well, folks, our time together is drawing to an end.” Ben dramatically paused, a pout curving his lips.
He removed the microphone from its cradle, and I smiled at his theatrics and the disgruntled “boos” from the crowd. Jaxson’s catcall was the loudest, but he wasn’t the only one to voice his displeasure, reassuring me that the connection we felt to the crowd wasn’t just in my head.
“Believe us, the feeling is mutual.” Gavin leaned into the mic closest to Taylor then paused to take a drink of his water bottle. “We wish we could stay longer.”
People—not just from our corner—suggested that we do just that. I laughed at their antics, picking up a towel and water from the side of the stage. I wiped the back of my neck and took a sip of my water as Ben and Gavin hyped up the crowd.
As I observed them, I couldn’t help but notice how very different they were on the stage compared to how they were in real life. A few months ago, we couldn’t have dragged Gavin onto a stage, and now he was feeding into their energy like a pro. As for Ben, it was no secret that he had been a talented athlete. However, he’d also performed in piano recitals since he was four years old, so the limelight wasn’t a new thing to him. Despite that, in his everyday life, everyone knew how humble and laid back he was. On stage, though, you would assume that he was extremely outgoing and even a bit cocky.
“Before we sing our last song—" Ben paused once more to garner the reactions from the audience. “We want to thank Boone, the owner of this fine establishment, and all of you. Show him your appreciation by ordering more food and drinks.” He playfully winked. “And, as always, remember to tip your servers and bar staff.”
Ben gave me a pointed look, so I knew it was my turn to speak. We hadn’t really planned how we were going to “entertain” the audience tonight, but Ben had asked us to help hype them up. He and Gavin had done most of the heavy lifting, but I realized how important it was for me to play up the crowd as well. I wanted to leave a lasting impression on them as much as the others did, so I had to be personable and charismatic.
“This next song was written by our very talented Ben and Taylor,” I said into the microphone, pointing to them respectively.
Ben interrupted, pointing at Gavin and me. “Blake, you forgot to mention that you and Gavin assisted.”
I smiled and shrugged. “We just added the sprinkles,” I coquettishly reminded him. “Anyhoo, this song will be uploaded to our playlist by tomorrow afternoon, and by the end of the week, we hope to have the majority of our covers and originals on most of your favorite streaming apps.”
I paused when the crowd went wild. I grinned, realizing Lincoln’s marketing strategies were being well received. Lincoln had informed us this morning he had booked studio space for us this weekend. Taylor, Rick, and Gavin had been skeptical, not wanting to believe that anyone would be eager to download our songs, but Lincoln insisted that we had to become more relevant if this was the path we wanted to pursue. They had grudgingly agreed, and I was sure that after tonight they would understand how important it was to put ourselves out there. We had to create a buzz around our names. The more people who were exposed to us, the more likely it was that doors would open.
Lincoln had offered to open doors for us, but we all agreed—save Mike—that we wanted to do this on our own for the most part. If we became a household name, we wanted to know it was our talent and hard work that had gotten us there.
We were willing to accept Lincoln’s help with finding us the best studio and producer, but we drew the line there. Maybe later, we could use my relationship with him to create more hype, but not right now.
“Thanks again for hanging out with us. We’re Gifted Elements. This is Taylor.” I pointed at Taylor, and he began the intro to our next song on the keyboard. “Rick,” I prompted next. He dutifully began to play the drums. “Gavin or Gav,” I continued as he began to play the bass. “Our fearless leader Benjamin.” Ben picked up his guitar.
Ben playfully rolled his eyes at me. “Not leader,” he insisted as the crowd laughed.
Ben had attempted to “share” his spot with Gavin and me. Taylor and Rick had been just as adamant that we deserved to be seen as a unit since we equally carried the vocals, but Gavin and I demurred. We would continue to have just as many solos as him, but we didn’t want to take away from any of the hard work he had put into forming the band.
Ben was the one who kept our schedules and chased one lead after the other for gigs and venues. Maybe when life got less hectic for Gavin and me, we could help him out more, but right now it wasn’t feasible and Ben didn’t seem to mind. Since the majority of the band was carried by him, we weren’t going to usurp him or share his position. We assured him we could revisit the topic at a later date, and he seemed mollified by that.
Gavin teased. “Heavy is the crown.”
I knew from the outside looking in you would assume we had played and known each other forever, and I loved that because it was so natural and easy for us. The fact that all our banter was off the cuff and completely effortless only reinforced that we had great chemistry.
“He is humble, isn’t he?”
“Are you going to introduce yourself?” Ben chuckled.
“I’m Blake.” I grinned while taking the violin Jace had ready for me. “We’re Gifted Elements, and this is ‘Eleventh Hour.’”
The cheers died down, and we continued playing the mournful intro to our last song. It started out so heartrending and grief-stricken, but by the end of the first chorus, I would ditch the violin, and the song would turn into more of an eff you. It was a song about the realization that “we” were better off without the person that had ripped our hearts out.
It went through the times of hoping the person we had loved so deeply would come back then evolved into no longer waiting for the eleventh hour. We had realized the person’s true nature and determined we were healthier people without the one we’d allowed to hurt us so deeply.
Gavin’s gravelly tones joined Ben’s, and I took a few steps closer to them. By the time we hit the chorus, the music gained grit. It became more aggressive, for lack of a better word, and I lent my vocals as back-up until the last chorus. The guys broke off and began to work the stage while I set down my violin on the stool provided for us.
I grasped the microphone and made my own rounds. I didn’t know what it was, but the energy of the stage and feeding off Gavin and Ben made me less inhibited.As the song wound down, Gavin, Ben, and I met back up in the middle of the stage. The music reverted to the calming tones it had started with. Then everyone stopped playing whatever instruments they had, and I looked at the guys, smiling, as we sang acapella.
It was my favorite part of the song, and no matter how many times we practiced this part, it still gave me goosebumps. I harmonized as Ben and Gavin did the melody. Our voices trailed off, and Taylor played a few notes indicating the end of the song.
The room erupted in applause and catcalls. Euphoria engulfed me when we got a standing ovation, and someone even started a chant for an encore. Ben took the lead and laughed as he spoke into his mic once more.
Ben took our hands as Taylor and Rick joined us. “Thanks again, Ashby’s, and as much as we would love to give you what you want, Three Pied Pipers are eager to entertain you.”
“Keep checking Ashby’s socials. Hopefully we’ll be back to entertain y’all!” Gavin threw a wink at the crowd before tossing his guitar pick into the audience.
I laughed as I took my bow, not surprised in the least when quite a few females scrambled to retrieve the pick. Emboldened by Gavin’s actions, Taylor and Rick took off their t-shirts and threw them into the crowd. A few shrieks and catcalls came from the audience as they scampered for the cast-offs. Ben didn’t throw anything, but he did go to the end of the stage to give high-fives or fists bumps to the females yelling his name.
“Look who became the attention whores,” I teased, sidling up beside Gavin.
“Fuck,” Gavin hissed before throwing an arm around my shoulder and smiling down at me. “I never did drugs before, but I imagine this is how it feels.”
I heard my name being called by a few of the men. I smiled and waved at them but thought better of joining the boys at the edge of the stage. I didn’t think my men would appreciate me flirting with the audience, and it wasn’t safe to risk it in my condition.
“You were amazing,” was husked in my ear moments before strong arms encased me.
I smiled at Remy. “Thanks, big guy, and thank you for finding this opportunity for us. Do you wanna feed me?”
He grasped my face and brushed his lips against my own. “Drake texted to tell me we have potstickers and nachos at the table.”
I wrapped my arm around his waist. “Then what are we waiting for?”
Realizing how sweaty I was, I contemplated getting changed, but my hunger won out.
η
“Your mom has the voice of an angel, but you, my dear, are a siren,” Greg said moments after I found a seat between Troy and Lincoln.
When Remy told us about our first gig, our friends immediately said they were going. Pops and Megan quickly said they were coming as well. Even Miranda had tentatively inquired about coming as well.Before I could ask where the children would go, Mr. Moore and Cora had volunteered to watch them.
Alex and Ella couldn’t understand why they couldn’t go. We had to explain to them that even though it was typically a family friendly bar, after eight on a Friday night the crowd tended to get rowdier. We had to get permission from Victoria’s dad to come but we thought Kade and Micah were mature enough to come.
I was glad to see our judgment call wasn’t terribly negligent considering other teenagers were here as well. Plus, our teenagers weren’t like other typical teenagers.They deserved to have certain freedoms and choices, especially since we could monitor them in the setting.
“You guys sounded amazing,” Megan gushed.
“The next act will have a tough go following after you.” Pops leaned over to kiss the top of my head.
He had never been very physically affectionate toward me, but with the news of his grandchildren, he seemed all the more determined to treat me like a well-loved daughter. Pops could never replace the man that I knew as my father, but I had grown to love him in a different way.
“Thanks.” I smiled before grabbing a potsticker.
I barely had it in my mouth before Lincoln was resituating me into his lap. I shook my head and playfully rolled my eyes at him. He had been gone since Wednesday, and I was glad to have him back, even if he was manhandling me.
“Did you want something else besides appetizers?” Lincoln asked as a pretty, leggy, brunette began to approach our table.
It was quite a feat for her to navigate the crowded place. By the end of the night, she would be run off her feet, but I was sure her tips were well worth the exhaustion. If she was a decent server, I knew our table alone would generously tip her. My guys typically matched tips to the bill. Even when we had bad service, they never stiffed the servers. They might not leave a generous one, but no one ever walked away from our tables without a tip. I appreciated that trait in them, remembering all too well what it was like working for tips.
I didn’t have time to answer Lincoln before our waitress reached our table. “Is there anything else I can get you all?” she asked before her eyes landed on me. “Girl! You have some pipes on you for being such a small package. I hope to see you back here next week. The Pipers are good.” She flicked her thumb over her shoulder. “But I think they’ve gotten too comfortable here. I haven’t heard anything new from them in nearly a year. They’ve fallen into the stereotypical sex, drugs, and booze trap. Plus, we all know they have one foot out the door since they’ve been landing bigger gigs.”
I inwardly preened, finishing the bite in my mouth. “Thanks. I hope you’ll be seeing more of us too. Can I have a house salad with extra cheese, cucumbers, and eggs with the house vinaigrette on the side?”
“Can she also have a hot tea with lemon and honey?” Drake asked.
“Sure can.” She smiled. “I’ll be back in a jiff.”
“Thanks,” Drake and I simultaneously responded before smiling at each other.
Our server stopped at the table beside us, and I felt such deep contentment at the amount of our friends that had come out. Dawn, Marcel, Rachel, Terrance, Race, Herman, Tamara, Bentley, Anna, and the girl Taylor was starting to see were sitting with Victoria, Kade, and Micah. As I observed them, I saw Mercedes and Sierra praising Gavin. Even from my seat, it was easy to see his face turning red as they kissed and praised him.
“I wish your grandmother could see you perform.” Miranda said, picking up our previous conversation.“Your grandfather had an amazing voice, and Andy was a savant with instruments. You seem to have parts of both of them.”
“We’ll make sure to invite her next time,” I offered before placing a jalapeno on one of the loaded chips.
“She’ll love that—” Miranda began to say before Herman rushed over to our table.
“Small group of gifted are coming our way,” he stated without preamble. “Called base, and no one was expected to head this way.”
I stiffened and had to swallow a groan. I was exhausted and didn’t want to have to deal with them. Unfortunately, I didn’t think we had a choice.
η
“Maybe we should get you home,” Gavin said, grasping Sierra’s face before laying his lips against her forehead. “It’s already late, and I know you need your rest.”
Jace, Remy, and Troy looked over at me, and I raised a brow at them. I knew they didn’t want me anywhere near the “action,” but I had already argued that I was safer with them than being isolated on the premises. Even if Micah were to zap me home, it could make him use energy he might need for the upcoming confrontation. Of course, if I felt like I was a weakness in any way, we would take the risk.
“You know she’s not going anywhere.” Noah smirked before throwing an arm around my shoulder. “From Herman’s count, there’s ten of them and over fifteen of us. I’m sure we can handle it.”
Unfortunately, we’d had to leave the bar early to stand outside in the parking lot. We didn’t believe that this could be a friendly visit considering no one had been expecting their arrival.Plus, it was suspicious that they were coming to us so far away from base.
We didn’t want any civilians to be caught up in our gift wars. As it was, I’d had to convince the entire bar to stay indoors until after the situation was resolved.The senate just reconvened, and our bill was on the docket.We didn’t need to give any of the fanatics any more fodder to argue that we should be registered.
“I want to stay just in case I’m needed.I took a nap today, and I’m not in the least bit tired,” Sierra insisted.
Gavin looked concerned, but he reluctantly nodded before softly kissing herlips.
“Okay, let’s get to our spots,” Pops commanded.
We had been divided into three groups. Each group was able to subdue or “imprison” the vehicles’ occupants before they could even think about going on the offense.We didn’t need to draw any attention to ourselves, and we couldn’t prevent anyone from entering the lot. As if the universe were giving us further evidence to support our theories, another vehicle pulled into the lot.
We looked over at Herman, and he shook his head.“It’s not them.”
“I’ll tell them to go in, but not to come out until I tell them to.” I casually began to walk their way.
I wasn’t in the least surprised when Remy and Jace fell into step beside me. Jace grasped my hand and kissed the back of it. We watched three giggling females come out of their vehicle. One of them adjusted the skirt of her very short dress while the other one spritzed on some perfume. The last one placed her keys in her tiny purse and lit a cigarette. It was evident that they were ready for a night out.
I paused by the vehicle closest to them, pretending that it was our ride. “The talent is hot tonight. You should stay for at least an hour.”
“Okaaay—” One of the women shot me a look full of attitude. “Freak!” she muttered to the other girls before they giggled and walked away.
I wasn’t exactly proud of what I said or did next. Blame it on being triggered from my high school years. Normally, I would have tried to understand where the girl was coming from. After all, she didn’t know who I was, and I was randomly approaching them. However, tonight wasn’t the night to mess with me. I had been on such a high, and then once again, Horatio had to ruin it for me.
“Just trying to be nice.” I gave them a saccharine smile. “Just like how nice you are going to be. You should tip your server or bartender really, really well tonight and be fine with it once you see your bank statement tomorrow. In fact, I think you should match your bill tonight.”
I saw the glazed looks over their looks before they nodded and headed toward the bar.
“Your viciousness is sexy at times,” Remy rasped in my ear before he grabbed my butt.
I turned on him and giggled, surprised by his action. He didn’t give me much room to react before he lifted me up, and I couldn’t help but wrap my legs around him. I didn’t even try to resist when he took my lips with a hunger that stunned me.
“Did you guys forget what we’re supposed to be doing?” Jace asked in exasperation.
“Nah, but we still have time.” Remy smirked before kissing me once more.
“Your lovey dovey-ness is nearly vomit-inducing!” Kade jokingly retched as we walked past our group.
“That’s not what you thought last week when you were eating Gabby Dawson’s face after training,” Victoria sniped.
I winced as Kade whirled on her. It took everything in me not to get involved with their relationship. I knew Kade was trying to get to know her, but I hadn’t been aware that he wasn’t discreet with his dalliances. It made my heart hurt for Vicky, but I also knew my interference wouldn’t help at all.
“We’ll talk to him later,” Jace informed me.
I smiled at him, thankful he was reading my thoughts. Somehow, I thought Kade would take it better from them and not from his big—well, older—sister.
We rejoined our group, and luckily, we didn’t have to wait for long before three vehicles pulled into the parking lot. It was evident they were together because they came from the same direction, and when they entered the parking lot, they went to the same area to find a spot. Since it was so full, they couldn’t find any parking spots close to each other. That worked to our advantage considering the strategy we had come up with.
“Show time,” Randy muttered seconds before she carefully concealed us.
We all headed toward the vehicles closest to our spots. We were nearly to ours when Kade cried out in pain. I turned to see him falling to his knees, grasping his hand as if he were in pain. I was torn between running to his aid and restraining the people in the vehicle closest to us.
Before I could make a decision, Noah broke free from us. “I got him!”
With his reassurance, I turned back to the people we were tasked to apprehend. I was nearly at the trunk when suddenly it felt like my limbs were wading through quicksand. The more I tried to shake off the feeling, the heavier my appendages became. I tried to turn my head to see how my guys and the others were faring, but it felt too weighty. With growing alarm, I attempted to caress my babies, as if I could somehow shield them from whatever was happening to me.
“What. Is. Going. On?” My voice came out in a slur.
“Break. It. Bl—Bl—ake!” Troy stuttered.
“Blake!” Remy barked. “Now.”
It took a moment longer for their words to finally sink in. I could stop all this. I closed my eyes, and with great concentration I imagined the people that were attempting to make a drop on us. Unfortunately, in my altered state, it felt like I was trying to catch rain drops with a fish net.
“Stop! Stop! Stop!” a familiar masculine voice cried out in alarm. “Release Blake and her men!”
I knew it wasn’t one of our people, but my mind couldn’t seem to wrap around who it was. Luckily, not all of our people were in the same predicament as us. In fact, it appeared as if the other two vehicles had been unloaded and were now surrounded by our people. Only my guys and I were afflicted by this strange occurrence.
Another man blustered,“They attacked us first!”
“We didn’t attack!” Kade snarled, cradling Micah’s head in his lap. “We were peacefully subduing you, so we could figure out your intentions.”
I turned to find out the extent of his injuries. With sheer determination, I gritted my teeth and sloughed my way toward them. It felt like I was stuck in a wind tunnel, being pushed back with every step I took, and with every second that passed, I became more panicked.
“He’s going to be okay.” Noah looked at me before looking at the others.
A small slip of a teenage girl pushed past a couple of guys that bore a striking resemblance to her. “I’m a reactive person. If I feel attacked, I can and will produce anything to protect myself. I’m sorry I stabbed you. Most of the time, it’s not a conscious decision what I’ll use to protect myself. He grabbed me, and my mind automatically produced the knife. I wasn’t even thinking when I stabbed him.”
“Okay, it seems like it was all a misunderstanding. We come in peace,” a sultry feminine voice soothed.
She took a few steps forward, and the streetlamp illuminated her enough for us to see her. She was beautiful in a girl-next-door kind of way with her long black hair braided and thrown over her shoulder. Her eyes were bright, and even in the dim light I could tell they were a very light shade. But what surprised me most was the fact that she was pregnant. From my guesstimation, she was roughly in her third trimester.
“Giuseppe, release Blake and her men,” she said in a stern tone.
Just as quickly as the weighted feeling came about, it was gone. Suddenly, I felt weightless. It was disorienting to say the least, and I stumbled forward with a small cry. I was beyond thankful Lincoln and Drake were nearby to catch me before I could fall to the pavement.
“They’ve been telling us the truth,” Rachel calmly informed us all.
Pops took control of the situation. “Tell us why you’re here. It’s obvious you came looking for us, and you know Blake and my boys.”
Before anyone could speak up on their behalf, Micah let out another pained cry, grasping his shoulder at the same time the teenage girl crumbled to her knees, a keening cry leaving her lips. Reacting instinctively, I immediately produced two fireballs in each of my hands, prepared to throw them.
Rachel had said they weren’t lying to us, but I couldn’t trust them as easily. My brother and the teenage girl were now writhing around on the ground, their distressed cries throwing me on high alert.
Miranda moved as if on autopilot, ignoring the fact that the teenager wasn’t one of us. She didn’t seem to notice when everyone else went back into defensive positions. We couldn’t believe these people, and they weren’t going to trust us even though it was apparent they had sought us out.
I hadn’t realized Jace had made his way over there, inspecting them with Miranda, until he looked up at me. His eyes were wide with surprise when his gaze met mine. He stood up, clearly intending to take the lead.
He braced his hands on his hips before saying, “No one attack anyone.”
Something else had to be going on since he was attempting to deescalate the situation. If we all popped off, things could quickly spiral out of control, and it would take far too long for the clean-up crew to get here. We couldn’t wage war in such a crowded area.
“Everyone calm down!” I said through clenched teeth, making sure I had compulsion behind the words.
“What is going on?” Greg inquired, looking over my shoulder with a narrowed glance.
The words that came out of Miranda’s mouth floored me.“They were marked. Micah and Shiloh are connected.”
My gasp echoed around the entire group. I had never seen anyone marked or heard about it occurring so openly.I closed my eyes. Shit. Hopefully, his marking went better than Kade’s.
As my wide-eyed gaze looked around the entire group, my shock increased. Not five feet away from me stood Ethan, Bridgette’s connected. I was seconds from attacking him when I realized two things. One, he didn’t look like the man I had seen weeks ago. He appeared haggard and tired, not nearly as put together as he normally was. And two, his eyes were filled with desperation.
It was that look in his eyes that paused my hand. Shit. His presence could be a bad thing for us, or it could be a good thing. It could be bad if he was trying to infiltrate our ranks, but even he had to know we wouldn’t be so gullible as to allow him in without proper vetting.
Hopefully, his presence could give us the intel we needed to take Horatio down once and for all, but I guessed only time would tell.
The End
For now…