Chapter 28
SEBASTIAN
The floodlights snap on, illuminating a milling crowd of sweaty, make-up-smeared women. Jade shoves through to me, her eyeliner smudged and her face white with shock. I grab her hands tightly.
‘Tommy stole Rach!’ she gasps.
‘I know, I’ve got eyes. Pretty ones,’ I say, fluttering my eyelashes at her to lighten the mood. But Jade isn’t in the mood for my silly antics, and I don’t blame her.
‘We have to go backstage. Now!’ she barks. ‘Before Tommy sticks something where he shouldn’t.’
Kiki giggles, listening. ‘I don’t think Rach will mind. She adores him, and he’s sooo famous!’
But Jade’s lips flatten, and she pushes her way over to the side of the stage. I have to say I’m impressed that she’s so determined to save her mum from Tommy.
I catch up with her before she reaches security and grab her arm.
‘Maybe you should let this happen rather than trying to change things,’ I tell her. ‘At least Tommy does the right thing and sticks by your mum.’
Jade scowls and wrenches her arm away. ‘Either help me or fuck off, Sebastian. You had one job to do. If you hadn’t distracted me...’ She takes a deep shaky breath.
‘Fine,’ I say, knowing I’m not going to win this argument. ‘What do you need me to do?’
‘I need you to help me get Rach away from Tommy. I don’t care if we have to drag her away from him kicking and screaming and she hates my guts forever. He can’t sleep with her!’
I nod. ‘OK, lead the way.’
Jade doesn’t know I shouldn’t be doing this. That I’m going to get in a whole lot of trouble with my boss for fucking around with the timeline. Like being ‘uncreated’ trouble. But if Jade is willing to sacrifice herself for love, perhaps I can too. Who’s going to miss a horny-assed devil anyway?
We show our tickets to a uniformed security guard, who checks them carefully. ‘Did Tommy Rains give you these?’
‘Yes, I’m with PopTrax magazine,’ Jade says impatiently. ‘Can we go through?’
The guard hesitates. ‘Where’s your press pass?’ he asks, looking at her.
Then Ash shows up with Kiki and flashes his press lanyard. ‘We’re all with PopTrax.’
Jade is having conniptions as the guard takes his sweet time looking at the lanyard and checking tickets.
He even gives Ash and me pat-downs. Finally, he says, ‘OK, you’re all fine to go backstage.
Sorry to hold you up, but you can’t be too careful these days.
’ He waves to the door behind him. ‘Through there and turn right. That will take you to the band lounge area.’
Kiki is gurgling with excitement, while Jade looks like she’s going to throw up. Bravely, I risk taking her hand and am thankful when she doesn’t bite my fingers. Phew, I think I’ve been forgiven for Tommy absconding with Rach. I got a bit distracted having Jade in my arms.
‘The Tommy Rains cockblocking mission is a go,’ I whisper to her as we make our way down a brightly lit corridor, and Jade’s lips twist ruefully.
‘Can you transport us perhaps?’ she asks in a low voice. ‘Just you and me. It’d be quicker. He might be seducing her right now.’
‘No, it’s too risky. Too many people around.’ I glance back at Ash and Kiki. ‘Plus it’d blow my cover.’
Jade bites her lip and looks like she’s going to argue but nods.
When we arrive at the lounge area, it’s full of various personnel, but only two band members: Leo, the drummer, and Eddie, the keyboardist. They’re still in their concert get-up and sitting on a couch, eating mini club sandwiches and quaffing bottles of Tango.
Tommy and Steve, the guitarist, are nowhere in sight.
I leave it up to Ash to do the honours since he’s met them previously. He flashes his press pass around to let everyone know we’re meant to be there.
‘Hey, guys, great show!’
Leo and Eddie look at him warily.
‘Thanks, Ash, but we’re not talking to you now,’ says Leo, reaching for another sandwich. ‘There’s a press conference booked for—’
‘We’re not here about that,’ Jade interrupts. ‘I need to find my flatmate. Tommy took her backstage.’
Leo stuffs the sandwich in his mouth and chews, while Jade is practically hopping with impatience. ‘Man, these are good. I was starving. I can never eat much before a show,’ he says after swallowing. ‘Nerves, you know?’
Jade clears her throat. ‘So Tommy and my flatmate?’
‘Oh, yeah,’ he says, realising we’re all waiting for an answer. ‘The guys just left in the limo with some groupies. They’re heading to the after-party at Tommy’s mansion.’
Jade looks like she’s going to have a meltdown.
I grasp her shoulder to keep her calm. ‘Breathe,’ I whisper.
Having finished his food, Leo has noticed Kiki and is taking in her denim cut-offs and sparkly shoulders. He rises and sticks out his hand to her, realising he should do the greet-the-fan thing.
‘Sorry for not introducing myself,’ he says politely. ‘I’m Leo. Drummer.’
Kiki seems a bit star-struck but shakes his hand. ‘Yes, I know. Hi. I’m Kimberly, but everyone calls me Kiki.’
‘Kiki,’ he tries out her name. ‘That’s cute.’
‘We’re heading to the after-party now,’ says Eddie, grinning when Leo raises his eyebrows at him. ‘Do you guys wanna come too?’
‘Oooh, yes please!’ Kiki squeals, and Leo smiles at her enthusiasm. ‘Now that’s the kind of fan we like.’ He reaches out a finger and pushes one of her dangly lightning bolt earrings, making it swing. Leo seems a lot more interested in her than Ash, I have to say.
But Jade isn’t too keen on his attention to Kiki.
‘No, Sebastian and I will go alone,’ she says. ‘Ash, can you take...’ She stops, realising that Kiki and Ash will be alone together at the flat.
‘Let’s all go together,’ I intervene. ‘I’ll play chaperone.’
Leo shoots me a dirty look, as if to say, ‘Back off, buddy. She’s mine.’
But I crack my knuckles, and he shrugs.
‘Hey, man, no need to play the heavy,’ he says earnestly to me as Eddie helps the others into the waiting stretch limo. ‘I’m not like Tommy. It’s hard to meet decent women these days, ya know.’
‘I know the feeling,’ I say bleakly, watching Jade’s pert bottom disappear into the limo.
‘What do you do?’ asks Leo, looking me up and down.
‘I’m a part-time courier,’ I say. ‘And a full-time ... model.’
Leo looks impressed. ‘International?’
‘No, local. But I may be heading down under in the near future.’
Leo slaps me on the shoulder. ‘Australia, that’s great! Good for you.’
Hmm ... not quite what I meant, but I’m definitely toast once Lucifer finds out about my meddling.
He’ll be sending his upper-echelon devils to the Echo Ministry after-party since drug taking will be rife.
He’ll be looking for opportunities to tempt weak humans to take overdoses in the toilets. And to spy on Jade and me.
The limo speeds along the wet North London streets. Pedestrians peer through the windows whenever we stop at the lights, trying to catch a glimpse of someone famous, but the glass is blacked out. I’m not sure if they’d know who Leo and Eddie are anyway. Tommy Rains is the famous frontman.
‘We’ve got about a twenty-minute drive before we get to the mansion,’ says Leo, settling back with his arm stretching out behind Kiki’s shoulders.
‘Would you like a drink, my lovely?’ He reaches into the mini fridge beside him and pulls out a bottle of chilled champagne and a posh green box of Fortnum he’s really trying to woo her. It’s kind of sweet. But I hope he keeps his word and doesn’t try anything, like getting her drunk and sleeping with her. Jade’s got enough to worry about at the moment, and so do I.
‘We need to find Rach and leave asap,’ I mutter to Jade out of the side of my mouth as Leo pours sparkling froth into a flute glass for Kiki. The rest of us decline, not that he’s offered us any.
Jade tilts her head. ‘Oh?’
‘I have a feeling it’s going to be mental, and my boss ... It’s not safe.’
‘Got it,’ she whispers. ‘Thanks for helping me, by the way. There’s a lot of moving parts to this Back to the Future thing.’
I stroke her hand, feeling disconsolate. ‘Tell me about it.’
‘Are you OK?’ she asks.
I nod. ‘Yeah, just a little workplace anxiety.’