Chapter Fifteen
They couldn’t have been gone more than fifteen minutes, but in that short span of time, the vibe inside Venery’s makeshift green room had changed.
An electric energy in the air, the boys weren’t chilling out on the sofas anymore.
Standing by the portable air conditioner, long blond hair billowing about his face, Bo twirled a pair of drumsticks.
Kit stretched his wrists while Taylor’s fingers danced over the fretboard of a silent guitar.
Only Sloan appeared unfazed. Propped against the bar, he casually sipped a glass of whiskey. “Welcome back.”
“Don’t even start, man.”
“Start what?”
Matt took the glass out of Sloan’s hand and swallowed its contents. “Just don’t.”
“I’m on your side, you know.” The singer set his gaze on Gina, then. “Believe it or not.”
Maybe he was, but she hadn’t quite forgiven him for being such a jerk, so she wasn’t altogether convinced.
Reaching into his back pocket, Sloan retrieved a small plastic bottle. He sprayed whatever it contained into his throat and tossed it to Matt.
Gina glanced up at him. “What is that?”
“Vocal Eze.”
“It coats the vocal cords. Keeps them lubricated,” Sloan explained. “Tastes like shit, but it works.”
Her nose wrinkled watching Matt’s face contort as he swallowed. “What’s in it?”
“Herbs, mostly. Ginger. Aloe vera. Honey. Glycerin.”
“But why do you need it?” she asked Matt.
With a shake of his head, the voice of Venery chuckled. “For the screams, Trouble.”
Ohhh.
She probably should’ve watched some YouTube videos of Venery playing live, then maybe she would’ve known that. Until that moment, she hadn’t known Matt contributed vocally at all, but now that Gina thought about it, Sloan couldn’t be the only voice on the record now, could he?
“Five minutes,” Brendan announced.
“Time to go, bunny.”
Glancing over to the tent’s open flap, Gina watched Taylor kiss his daughter’s cheek as he handed her off to Jesse. His family accompanied him outside, the bassist and drummer following along right behind them.
With eyes of the deepest brown looking into hers, Matt tucked a curl behind her ear and smiled. “Walk me backstage and kiss me for luck?”
“All right,” she said with a nod.
Teo and Luca waited just inside the opening with Kevin, his aunt, Kelly, and some guy who looked like a bad-boy version of Jesus. Holy hell, that’s Kodiak? Brendan joined them, Katie and their son at his side. Gina had never been more relieved to see another familiar face than she was right then.
It was twenty feet to the tall metal stairs that led up to the stage.
Her brothers walked in front of her, Matt and Sloan tethered at her sides.
Brendan and Katie took up the rear. Security personnel kept determined fans at bay, while men with cameras positioned themselves nearby, aiming for a photo opportunity. Of what exactly, Gina wasn’t sure.
“Fucking ridiculous.” Sloan tucked her under his arm, blocking the men holding cameras from view. “Remember when it was just the local crowd?”
His fingers squeezed into her hip, and Matt snickered. “How many times have we played this gig now?”
“Tonight makes five.”
“See? They expect us now.” Those fingertips traveled to her rib cage, rubbing up and down her side. “People travel from all over to inundate our little neighborhood festival. It’ll never be just the local folks ever again.”
Brendan chuckled from behind them.
“Paps hiding in the fucking bushes amuses you?” Sloan turned around to glare at him. “You’re the one on the festival committee. You got us into this gig in the first place.”
“Don’t look at me.” Holding his hands up in mock surrender, Brendan grinned. “Tay’s the one who offered.”
“I remember. He wanted to get to Chloe.” Matt glanced down at her, and with his arm circling Gina’s shoulders, he pressed a kiss on her temple. “Long story.”
She was so out of the loop. These people shared a history, a lifetime of memories she’d never been a part of. Gina smiled up at him, and, laying her head against Matt’s shoulder, she found she wanted to hear all of his stories. More than that, what she longed for was to be in them.
“Everyone’s just waiting on you two,” Jesse said, hitching his thumb behind him at the bottom of the stairs. “Here, I snagged some drinks for the rest of you. Chloe’s out front holding your seats.”
“Showtime.” Matt held her out in front of him, his hungry gaze taking her in. “Meet me here right after?”
As Gina nodded, he brought her chest to his, and threading his fingers into her hair, his thumbs caressing her face, Matt kissed her.
On a hot summer night, goose bumps sheeted her skin.
Electricity sparked at the back of her neck and ran along her spine.
Tingles popped between her thighs. How could a simple kiss do all that?
Sloan poked her shoulder, shoving Matt to the side. “Hey, what about me?”
Gina pecked the singer’s cheek.
Then, hurrying up the stairs, Matt blew her another kiss and disappeared.
“Champagne slushy.” Jesse pressed a plastic souvenir cup with a purple straw into her hand and winked. “Festival tradition.”
“Thanks.” Tentatively, she took a sip, the icy libation going down easy. “Mmm, I like it.”
Katie took them to a section in front of the barricade cordoned off for the media and VIPs. The security guard ushering them through, Gina filed in behind her with her brothers, Kevin, his aunt, and her boyfriend, and followed to where Chloe waited for them.
“There you are,” Chloe exclaimed and hugged Katie. “Were the kids okay?”
“They’re fine. The guys got it handled.”
“Aren’t they coming?” Gina peered past the guards, looking for Jesse or Brendan.
“Too many decibels for delicate little ears,” Chloe said with a giggle. She did that a lot. “The boys will have fun hanging out backstage, and besides, I need an hour off from Mommy duty.”
“Won’t it be just as loud back there as over here?”
“We got them Loops and baby earmuffs.” She waved off her concern and giggled again, the sparkly silver hoops in her lobes dancing to the sound of her laughter.
I guess not, then.
Anticipation lodging in the pit of her stomach, Gina glanced around the rapidly filling VIP area. “Who are all these people?”
“City aldermen, festival committee members, and invited press mostly.”
“What in hell is she doing here?” Katie pointed toward the crowd gathered right of the center stage.
Chloe followed her gaze. “Who?”
“Look, that’s psycho-bitch Kelsey over there at the barricade, isn’t it?”
“Heh, yeah.” Her lip curled in disgust, Chloe turned away. “Thank fuck Dillon dipped out to take Linnie home.”
“Oh, shit.” Katie gasped as if she’d just remembered something. “What if Matt sees her?”
And?
Gina glanced over at the Barbie doll wannabe, her eyes drawn to the diamond flashing on her ring finger.
Brown hair up in a tight, high ponytail.
Makeup that didn’t melt off her severe-looking face.
Trendy designer clothes. Prada bag—authentic, no doubt.
While the woman seemed confident, she appeared out of place.
“It’s not like that. At all,” Katie explained, mistaking Gina’s perusal for concern. “Kelsey used to date Dillon.”
“She’s a horrible person,” Chloe added, nodding.
“We were all at the club’s Halloween party—it was the first time we could get Dillon out of the house after Kyan died—and he brought Kelsey.”
“Big mistake.” Spreading her fingers apart, the redhead mimicked an explosion. “Huge.”
“Why?”
“The wolf pack performed last year.” Katie smirked, her breath tickling Gina’s ear. “They staged a hunt.”
“And Kelsey’s easily offended.”
“Bullshit.” With a roll of her aquamarine eyes, Katie cocked her pretty blonde head. “C’mon, Chloe, she was dating Dillon, for fuck’s sake. Besides, she was well aware the Red Door’s a sex club.”
“Sex-positive.”
Gina knew that. While nobody spoke of it much, nearly everyone did. Still, she was clueless. “I’m so confused. A hunt?”
“Every year, there’s an act that goes with the ball’s theme. Brendan even let the vamps out once,” Chloe explained.
“Vamps?”
“Vampires. They have a blood fetish.” With a shudder, Katie wrinkled up her nose. “That didn’t turn out so well.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” Chloe hugged the girl and, thankfully, continued with her story.
“But the wolf pack, they’re primal, and they were something else, let me tell you.
A lone girl in the center of the platform and a wolf waiting in each corner.
The club was made to look like a haunted forest, you see. ”
Okayyy.
“It’s a competition of sorts.” With a slow smile building, Katie’s skin flushed, and a wicked glimmer shone in her eyes. Lowering her voice, she inclined her head. “The wolf that catches the girl gets to claim her for everyone to see.”
“Claim her?”
“Mate.”
Huh? Ohhh.
Chloe looked at her and winked. “Wolves mate for life, you know.”
“The wolf is a hunter, the rabbit its prey… I will catch you.”
“And what happens then?”
“I get to keep you.”
Gina grinned.
“Anyway, Kelsey had been rude all evening, so things were tense between her and Dillon, which made it uncomfortable for the rest of us,” Chloe said, and then shrugged. “Matt was just trying to lighten things up a bit. He gave her a growly.”
What the fuck is that?
“She lost it, then.” Katie glanced at the woman, her nostrils flaring. “Called Matt ‘Fido’, like he was some mangy, flea-infested dog.”
“He set her straight, though, didn’t he?” With a toss of her long beach waves, Chloe giggled.
“I was so fucking proud of him.” Turning to Gina, Katie held onto her arm and smiled. “You’ve got such a good man, Gina. A real man, unlike the lame excuse for one Kelsey’s got with her now.”
Oh, I know.