14. Jess
Jess
We had just arrived at the Lycan party when I got a message from Bray. It linked to an InstaPost from Cam’s account: a selfie with her “besties” at the Bard’s Lament. Sure enough, Faye was in the photo, but Bray followed it up saying the event was packed and couldn’t find her anywhere.
When we got to Bard’s Lament, the room was crowded with cosplayers and staff. The stage had been set up for anyone to sign up to sing. As we walked in, two girls dressed as elves were singing a Brit Lohan song, deliberately butchering it while the crowd jeered.
The amount of people crammed into the room was unbelievable. Seeing the crowd, I knew someone at the door wasn’t paying attention to the number of people they had let in. I scanned the swarm of people, but couldn’t find Faye anywhere, and I could tell Danny was getting tense.
“The crowd is insane. How are we going to find her here?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Haven’t found her!” Brayonna announced as she grabbed us both by the arms. “But there’s one vantage point we might be able to use.”
“Where?” Danny asked.
Bray smirked and pointed at the stage.
The girls finished their song to a chorus of boos as a man dressed in a jester’s outfit took their microphones. “Everyone give a round of… okay, I’m not going to ask for applause for them.”
“Seriously?” I asked.
“Next up on the stage is Bennet!”
Danny blinked. “Is Bennet going up there?”
Bray shook her head and pointed at a table where her husband was passed out. “My man is a lightweight. Two whiskey sours, and it’s nap time. But if you want to take his place…”
“Bennet! Where are you, Bennet?”
Danny rolled his eyes and threw his arm up in the air. “Here!” he shouted, forcing his way through the crowd.
I gave Bray a side glance. “Did you get your husband skunked when I texted you in case this would happen?”
Bray feigned innocence. “Who? Me? Manipulating my husband to see if your hot off-Broadway star can sing?”
“Everybody give it up for Bennet!” the jester shouted as Danny got on stage and waved to the crowd. The opening chords to a familiar song kicked in. Bray and I burst into laughter.
“Kismet Sizzle?!” Danny shouted, glaring at the unconscious Bennet. “Really?!”
“I don’t know if I should hug you or hate you right now,” I said to Bray.
Brayonna let out a villainous cackle. “Shut up and give me a hug. You know you love me.”
The music kicked in hard, and Danny began to sing. His rich baritone voice filled the room, beautiful and glorious. The half-drunk crowd suddenly had his attention.
I have hidden away in the dark
I was broken down and left in parts
Bray’s jaw dropped in amazement. “Damn!”
It hit me like a bolt of lightning, leaving me momentarily breathless. “It’s unfair what that man’s voice does to me,” I groaned.
I have burned my soul and earned my scars
I have run and lost myself among the stars
The crowd called out with encouragement. While Danny seemed to acknowledge it with a smile, his eyes darted around the room, scanning for Faye. It still didn’t detract from the performance. He knew how to engage the crowd and more and more of the audience warmed up to him.
But I won’t let my heart dissolve and rust
I know I’ll find a way to earn your trust
Despite it being a Kismet Sizzle song, Danny made it his own. He stomped his foot in time with the sudden surge of the drumbeat.
This is the story of us!
The crowd cheered and I found myself joining them. Bray danced next to me, swaying with the music, her arms up in the air clapping and snapping on the beat. The noise of the crowd roused Bennet from his drunken stupor.
He blinked in confusion when he saw Danny on stage. “Hey, isn’t this supposed to be my song?”
The crowd went wild as Danny launched into the bridge.
Whoa-Oh-Oh-Oh!
I watched as Danny and the crowd did a call and response before Bray nudged me. “Jess! He found her.”
I suddenly realized that Danny had been staring at me, singing and pointing in a certain direction. I followed his finger and caught a glimpse of a purple wig.
“I see her!” I tried to squeeze my way through, but there were too many people. It was a wall cosplayers, and I wasn’t making any progress.
Bray grabbed my shoulder and shouted at the top of her lungs: “Clear the room bitches! Make way for the fey queen!”
A startled sea of cosplayers parted out of my way, and Bray gave me a slap on my rear. “Go get her, tiger!”
I scurried through the free path Bray had created, making my way to the table in the corner.
A bunch of girls in cosplay were chanting along with Danny.
I spotted Cameron, dressed in a slinky fairy costume dancing around while holding a cocktail up in the air.
Right next to her was my target. Faye’s fantasy-inspired Paloma outfit was stunning.
But I spotted another problem as she stumbled around and bumped into other people.
“That’s my uncle!” Faye shouted repeatedly in a slurred voice.
“Jess!” Cams shouted and staggered over to greet me with a hug.
I pushed out my arm to keep her at a distance from me. “What did you do with her?” I shouted, pointing at Faye.
“What? We’re having a couple of drinks.”
“She’s fourteen, Cams!”
Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. “I didn’t know!”
“How much has she had to drink?” I demanded.
“Just one or two cocktails!”
I turned and took hold of Faye’s arm, who was still enthralled with Danny’s singing. “Hey Faye!”
Faye turned and gasped. “Jess! Hi! You’re here too? Hi!”
“Heeeeey!” I said, taking her arm and gently guiding her away from the table and into the crowd. “Having a good time?”
“Cam’s been so nice! She got me these fruity drinks, and people have been singing!”
I checked the stage to see Danny watching me as he continued to sing. I gave him a thumbs up and he smiled back at me, nodding in gratitude.
Faye continued to babble about her evening. I heaved a sigh of relief as we made our way through the crowd. I eventually saw Bray and a somewhat inebriated Bennet waiting for us.
“I can’t believe Uncle Danny is singing Kismet Sizzle!” Faye laughed. “It’s so funny!”
As Danny sang the final verse, I managed to get a very tipsy Faye back towards the main entrance.
I am strong! This is me!
I am who I’m supposed to be!
I am free!
The crowd went insane with cheers and applause. I watched Danny give a victorious bow before hustling to get back to us.
“Not bad, Sky Masterson,” I teased.
Danny gave me a small smile, but he quickly focused all his attention on his niece. “Hey, Boss. You all right?”
“Pfffft. I’m great,” Faye said dismissing him with a wave of her hand that clearly showed she was intoxicated.
A disappointed expression crossed Danny's face. “Oh. Great. You’re drunk.”
“I’m not drunk!” Faye protested. “I haven’t had anything to drink. I’ve been drinking some strawberry-mocktail-something or other.”
“Sweetie?” I said, leaning in. “Cam didn’t know how old you were. She’s been giving you actual cocktails.”
Faye gasped in shock. “Oh no!”
Bray chuckled. “You do remember that you snuck out tonight, right?”
Faye blinked at Bray and then turned to look at Danny. The reality of her situation sunk in. “Oh. I am so screwed.”
We rode back to the hotel in quiet, awkward silence. It was only interrupted by Faye’s sobs in the back seat.
“She’s going to kill me.”
“She won’t kill you. She’ll say she will, but you’re going to be grounded,” Danny assured her. “You scared the hell out of us. You know how lucky you are, right?”
“I don’t suppose you could be Team Faye when we get home?” She sniffed.
Danny chuckled. “Kid, I am always on Team Faye. But you snuck out and got drunk after being told no on multiple occasions. Sometimes being on your team means making sure you understand the consequences of your actions.”
I shot a quick glance at Danny, his head turned to cast an affectionate look at his niece. He had been a nervous wreck about Faye. I had expected him to read her the riot act. Instead, he was kind and caring to a fault, despite running ragged all over Mission Verde.
“Faye, it’s your first time you’ve really done something bad,” Danny consoled her. “Trust me, your mom did a lot worse at your age.”
Faye let out a half sob/half laugh. “I don’t suppose you could give me a list before we get back?”
I tried very hard not to laugh. Danny gave a little chuckle. “Yeah, I’m not giving you that list until you’re really in trouble. Just apologize to her. Straight off, first thing. Admit you did something wrong. You’ll be fine. You made a mistake, but it is not the end of the world.”
She let out a little whimper of agreement. A few minutes later she fell asleep.
Danny turned around, and I could see the tension in him start to release. He took a long breath and let it go. His shoulders finally relaxed as he slumped in his seat.
“You okay?” I asked.
“I am now,” he said calmly.
Faye remained quiet with guilt for the rest of the ride. She leaned on Danny the entire time as we walked from the garage to their hotel room. I followed them down the hallway, listening to him talk in calming tones as she sniffled.
Inside the suite, Paige sat on the couch, exhausted and red-eyed.
The coffee table was covered in Snickers wrappers.
As soon as Faye walked in, they both burst into tears.
I stepped back into the hallway to let them sort out the night.
As much as I’d grown to love the Finnegan clan, I knew this was a family moment.
Before I could get away, Danny grabbed my arm.
“Where are you going?” he asked, a small smile somehow on his face.
“I thought you might need to broker a peace deal,” I joked.
“They’ll be fine,” Danny assured me. “But I couldn’t let you leave without telling you how grateful I am that you were here tonight. We would have never found her without you.”
My face grew warm, and I could feel that fluttering settle in my chest. “I did what anyone else would have done.”
“Maybe. But Faye means the world to me, and you got her back home safe. I can’t thank you enough.” He leaned over and gave me a kiss on the lips. “Today, you’re my hero.”
“I’m happy I could help,” I said, beaming at him. He pulled me into an embrace and let out a content sigh. I could feel him relaxing into me.
“Not the way I thought my evening would end,” he joked. “Car repairs, karaoke, and a missing fourteen-year-old.”
I pulled back a bit so I could see his face, giving him a sly smile. “Well. It doesn’t have to end that way.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Oh? What did you have in mind? More Kismet Sizzle songs?”
I gave him a kiss, my lips lingering over his. I took his hand and led him to the elevator. “Trust me. There won’t be any more singing tonight.”