Chapter 22
Hunter
“No, no, no!” Leif shouted. “You’re too fucking slow coming into the bridge, and it’s throwing everyone off. Start again from the chorus.”
“Fuck you!” I threw my drumsticks across the room, making Ryker jump and narrowly missing Leif’s torso. “You fucking do it!”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Leif flung the sheet music he’d been holding at me, but it fluttered harmlessly to the floor.
“Me?” I roared, spittle flying. “I’m the fucking problem here? Are you serious?”
“Whoa.” Beau prowled between us, pushing his palm against my heaving chest.
I didn’t even know I’d moved across the room toward Leif.
But I was fucking hot. Because once again, he’d spent the whole practice telling me how I didn’t measure up.
“I’m not Gio. I can’t play like him every fucking song. And definitely not on songs he never even played. You get that I’m not him, right? I’m a whole ’nother person.”
“What the fuck?” Leif looked at the other guys like I was the problem here.
“Fuck it. Just vote already.” I stepped away from Beau’s hand and headed back to my drumkit. “I know I still have a week or whatever, but I’m over it. He’s never going to change his mind about me. We all know how it’s going to go. Just vote me out so I put this fucking nightmare behind me.”
“Nightmare?” Leif scoffed. “Are you talking about me?”
“Who else? I get along with the other guys. They don’t have a problem with how I play—I’ve even hung out with the rest of the guys—but you have no end of issues with me.
If I’m not too fast, then I’m too slow. Or too loud.
And let’s not forget the time I was sitting too low.
You’re the fucking Goldilocks of backseat drummers.
I’m over it. Just vote me out already so you can go on to your solo career you have all lined up.
The rest of us have lives to piece together. ”
Ryker winced.
Leif stared me down, but I wasn’t going to be cowed. He was an asshole, and it was long past time he knew that we knew what he was up to.
His right eyebrow twitched. “Fine. Let’s vote. All in favor of Hunter becoming a permanent member of the Licks?”
Ryker’s hand immediately went up. Mal shrugged and raised his hand. They both turned to look at Beau.
Beau shook his head and took a step back from Leif. My heart dropped into my stomach. Shit, did he know about me and Iz?
Finally, he sighed heavily and raised his right hand.
We all turned to Leif, and I cocked my head in challenge. He wasn’t going to vote for me.
We all knew he wasn’t going to.
His hand went into the air.
“Wait. What?” I sank onto my stool in disbelief. That wasn’t supposed to happen. “What about your solo deal?”
“What solo deal? The one I had before Gio died? The one I’ve been spending the past two months working with my lawyers to unravel? That solo deal?”
Ryker winced and used his raised hand to rub the back of his neck. “Uh, we thought you were spending so much time with your lawyers because you were leaving again.”
“And you’ve been so hard on the kid here.” Mal hitched a thumb in my direction. “I don’t think you’ve said one positive thing to him the whole month we’ve been playing together.”
“Because I know he can do better. Because he’s the best fucking drummer I’ve ever played with.”
My whole body froze at Leif’s words. “Better than Gio?”
Leif lifted a shoulder but didn’t actually say the words.
“I told you that you didn’t have anything to worry about, kid. Leif wouldn’t do you—or us—like that,” Beau rumbled. “You guys look for drama in every fucking corner.”
“Says the guy married to Phoebe Foster Benoit,” Ryker chortled.
“You best keep my wife’s name out of your mouth!” Beau roared.
Mal sighed and waded in between them. “Did none of you learn from the whole shitshow a few months ago? We don’t talk shit about each other’s wives.”
“Not even when it’s true?” Ryker asked in a faux innocent voice.
“Motherfucker!” Beau roared just before he punched Ryker in the face.
Leif and I joined the scrum, pulling Beau off a much shorter Ryker.
“What the fuck is your problem?” Mal shouted at a sprawled Ryker as the three of us held a panting Beau back.
“This fucker knows. We all know!” Ryker gestured wildly before pushing himself up.
“He’s treating Izzy like shit because he wants to fuck his bat shit crazy wife.
He left his daughter crying in the pantry yesterday and walked away with Phoebe like she didn’t even fucking matter.
Did you even hear the shit your wife screamed at her? Do you even care?”
Beau looked down, his shameful expression silently answering the accusation.
Ryker shook his head. “The rest of us spent the day cheering her up because you left her. Again. You chose your toxic wife over your flesh and blood again.”
I was so proud of Ryker for saying what we were all thinking.
I’d’ve liked to be the one to stand up for Izzy, but I was afraid I would slip up and out us. And honestly, Beau scared the shit out of me. Even a dumb fucker like me could do the math—six-four crossed with five-eleven equaled an ass kicking for me.
“I get that we don’t talk shit about each other’s wives because we respect each other. But I’ve lost respect for you, brother.” Ryker shook his head. “That girl deserves a hell of a lot better than what she’s getting from you. She lost her mom—her entire world—and where the fuck are you?”
Beau opened his mouth then paused, shook his head, and stomped away.
Leaving the rest of us standing awkwardly in strained silence.
“Shit.” Ryker spun around. His shoulders heaved with his sigh. “I’m sorry, guys. I know we promised not to talk shit about each other’s partners or whatever. I definitely could’ve handled that better.”
Mal shrugged. “I dunno. I mean you’re right. We’ve all thought it about her, and what’s going on with Izzy is fucked up.”
“It deserved to be said,” Leif agreed.
I nodded. “I’m just glad you were able to say it before he beat the shit out of you.”
The guys laughed like I said something funny.
Mal shrugged. “Beau is all bluster. He’s got that whole gentle giant thing going for him.”
I looked at Ryker’s red cheekbone. No doubt he’d have a killer black eye tomorrow. “Riiiiight.”
“Let’s pack it up for the day.” Ryker probed his swollen face. “I don’t think Beau’s coming back any time soon.”
The rest of the guys murmured their agreement, and I headed for my drumkit to grab the new sheet music.
I had shit to work on.
Because I was the newest member of the Long Licks!
It took everything inside me to keep cool and not act like I was thrilled as fuck.
Because I was. I wanted to grin like a fool, shout the news to the heavens, and then go find Iz and celebrate the news horizontally. Fuck all the joy and nerves and angst away.
I wanted to celebrate!
“Hey, kid.”
I jumped as Leif suddenly appeared at my side.
“I’m sorry that I was extra critical about you this last month.
It’s no excuse, but I’ve been stressed about shit with the lawyers.
It’s not a small thing I’m unwinding here.
And I’ve pissed more than a few people off—including our label, which, you know, we have one more album due to them.
I just wanted to have everything perfect.
Have us meld together before we went to them with our next album. ”
“I can appreciate that.” I nodded slowly. “But for future reference, I need some positive mixed in with the negative, unless you want me hulking out like Beau just did. I don’t need to be patted on the head, but give me something before you rip me to shreds.”
Leif laughed. “That I can do. And I wasn’t blowing smoke up your ass before. You are the best drummer I’ve ever played with.”
“Thanks, man. That means a lot.”
“Gio was great, but he was erratic—even before the drugs came onto the scene.” He shook his head.
“But you have that single-minded drive that’ll take us so much further.
It’s probably why I’ve been so hard on you.
I can tell that you’re someone who’s motivated by anger.
And I kinda, sorta, maybe was feeding into it. ”
“Fucker.” But I had to laugh. I couldn’t be angry right now. I was a Lick! My fucking childhood dream was coming true.
“So to make it up to you, I uh, I want to throw a party to officially welcome you to the fold. Eight o’clock Friday at my place. You can invite anyone you want, and I’ll have my assistant invite some important people in the industry. Maybe we’ll play a few songs and show everyone why we chose you.”
“I, yeah, sounds good.” It felt so fucking surreal. Leif Eccles was throwing me a party? Me?
Shit, no one wake me up because this dream was awesome.
When I got to my car, I had to call my girl.
“Hey, you busy? Because I want to celebrate the best fucking news ever.”
“Does this have something to do with the way Beau just stomped out of here? Because he didn’t look very happy.”
I winced. Oh right. Shit. “Uh, no it doesn’t. That was its own separate drama, but I can fill you in on it too.”
“Meet you at the corner?”
I wanted to tell her fuck it and we’d just leave together. I mean, I got voted in. I was a Lick! But a large part of me was still nervous about Beau’s reaction. Especially given how volatile he’d already been today.
I didn’t want to be the final annoyance that pushed him over the edge.
“I’ll be waiting.”
In hindsight, we should’ve picked a different place—somewhere further away that the guys wouldn’t have driven past.
But then I wasn’t exactly thinking.
I pulled up, put it in park, and waited in front of my car with my hip on my bumper.
When Izzy finally came around the corner, I couldn’t wait.
I ran toward her, grabbed her around the waist and spun us in a huge circle. “I’m a Lick! The guys voted me in!”
“What?” Izzy shrieked. “Seriously?”
“Yes!”
“Hell yeah!” Izzy crowed just before I took her lips in a crushing kiss.
I was so fucking happy. For once in my life, it felt like everything was sliding into place. I had the band and the girl. Life was damn near perfect.