Jane hung back when the security guard escorted Terri and Jane through to the Green room backstage. The usual gaggle of management personnel, PR and marketing people, record company reps and other bigwigs, mingled with the musicians and their assorted hangers’ on, stage crew and roadies. Wild Dogz were in residence for three nights and this was the first of their gigs, so there was bound to be a great deal of interest on this opening evening.

Jane was relieved to see that Silas wasn’t among the musicians. Bobo was deep in conversation with several music journalists, and Mikhail had his arm around a tiny blonde. Not much change there. Dewey floated around, making sure everyone had what they needed or were linked up with whomever they wanted to see. Jane avoided catching his eye, and instead made a beeline for a dark corner and a vacant seat.

Terri collected a couple of drinks and joined her. “Born to hand jive, baby,” she teased.

“How long do we have to stay? You know this is my idea of hell?” Jane grumped.

Terri sighed. “Not long, I guess. The thing is, I was hoping to spend some time with Dewey.” She looked knowingly at Jane.

“You said I could stay at your place!” Jane was alarmed. She had dumped her bag at Terri’s and the last train back to Bristol would be leaving shortly.

“Well, you can. I guess if I’m meeting up with Dewey, he and I can go back to his hotel, and you can get a taxi back to mine. That’s if you’re adamant about leaving us here?”

“I guess so,” Jane said, feeling slightly hurt.

“Or you could just party with us?” Teri beseeched her friend, but Jane shook her head, her mind made up.

***

From her vantage point at the back of the room, Jane noticed Silas the minute he did join the party. She observed his slightly rolling gait, and surmised he’d already been drinking in his dressing room. Heads turned to watch him enter the room, and he greeted people politely, although without a great deal of enthusiasm.

He was a babe magnet. More so than the other members of the band, with the possible exception of Mikhail who still preferred his women stupidly young. Bobo’s girlfriend Mel, now his wife and heavily pregnant, was still around. John enjoyed any attention that came his way, however most of the women in the room fixated on Silas.

Silas himself appeared oblivious to the stir he caused. He posed for photos, sporting his trade mark grin, and signed whatever people wanted him to sign. Programmes, CD covers, paper, arms, backs and breasts. He did it all on demand.

In a rare moment when he found himself alone, Jane watched as he grabbed a bottle of whisky from a table and drank deeply, his face falling. He looked older. Tired. A suit grabbed his arm and led him onto the next congregation of adoring spectators, where Silas listened attentively for a while, nodded in agreement several times, laughed at the right moments before beating a hasty retreat. Jane watched him leave.

She felt sorry for him. He’d been touring and recording for years. Perhaps it was time for a break. She knew what Roy would have said. All good groups, if they want longevity, have to take the time to go out and find themselves as individuals again. Time apart will make or break a band. But if they survive the break, they transition to a new level.

Jane gathered her things together. Now was the time to make good her escape. Terri was otherwise engaged chatting to several people grouped around Dewey, and Jane decided not to disturb her. It was time to shut the door on the past. In retrospect she was glad she had come, she felt as though she had finally laid some ghosts to rest.

Now she had to find her way out of the vast backstage area. She slipped through several groupings of people, and turned to check that Terri wasn’t looking her way, before edging out into the huge corridor beyond.

Jane drew in a sharp breath. Silas was leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette, a bottle of beer hanging precariously from his fingertips. He looked exhausted. Jane took a step backwards, intending to creep back into the Green room, until a loud clanging from the stage area to their right, caused Silas to look up.

They locked eyes. Jane’s heart thudded in her chest.

“Jane Fraser?” asked Silas as though he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing.

Jane nodded. “Hello Silas,” she said quietly.

Silas’s face lit up. “Jane!” he exclaimed, pushing himself away from the wall and bounding towards her. Exuberant, he scooped her up and swung her about. “Is it really you? After all this time?”

“Yes,” Jane tried to extricate herself from his embrace.

“How come you’re here?”

“Dewey …”

“Dewey? He knows you’re here?” Silas frowned. “He didn’t say anything to me, the toad. How the devil are you?”

“I’m well, thank you.” Jane studied Silas. Up close she could see a few wrinkles around his eyes, a small scar on his cheek that she couldn’t remember being there. He looked a little more lived in. She guessed they both did.

Silas pushed her away slightly to appraise her. He didn’t seem to find her wanting because he grinned happily at her. “You’re still beautiful, Jane.”

And you’re still handsome, she wanted to say. Still incredibly hot. But she didn’t say anything.

“Where were you going? You weren’t leaving, were you?” Silas asked anxiously.

“I was, as it happens.”

“Without finding me?” Silas asked in astonishment.

“You were busy. Lots of people to see. I didn’t want to disturb you.” She smiled at him and moved away. He grabbed her arm.

“Wait, Jane?”

“No,” Jane said. “I need to go.” She wrenched her arm free and hurriedly walked away.

 

***

It seemed to take an age to return to the back door. Jane handed in her pass and broke out into the cool air of the night beyond. There was a hardcore collection of Wild Dogz fans here, and they examined her curiously as she rushed past them. She waited for a security guard to unlock the gate for her and dashed into the street beyond.

She heard some shouting behind her, and crossed the road in a rush. She had been intent on making her way around to the front of the venue. There would be cabs there, no doubt, and she could hurry back to Terri’s. Instead she decided to slip up the side alley and head out towards the main road and civilization beyond. She would find a cab as she went, or a Tube if they were still running.

The alley was dimly lit so she scurried on, glad of the shadows which would give her a chance to lose Silas. He wouldn’t know the area and was less likely to search for her, however when someone grabbed her arm, she turned furiously, fully expecting Silas to be behind her. It wasn’t Silas, but a man she had never seen before, dressed in khaki-coloured trousers and a black t-shirt. She hadn’t previously noticed him in the vicinity.

“Get off me,” she gasped in shock.

He wrenched her arm painfully and she cried out. Thrusting one hand out to cover her mouth and silence her, he slammed her against the wall. She smacked her head and slumped to the ground, dazed. Her assailant was on her in a second, grabbing a handful of her blouse and ripping it. She cried out and he slapped her, hard.

Then he was gone, knocked from the side by a greater force.

“Hey! What the fuck are you doing, man?” An angry American voice. “Get the fuck off her!”

Silas.

Jane sat up with some difficulty, her head swimming. In the dim light she could see the two men coming to blows. Her attacker landed a good one to Silas’s face, splitting his cheek. Silas leapt up straight away and jabbed him on the chin, then kicked him in the balls. The guy screamed, and hobbled away, Silas yelling after him as he went.

Jane groaned, blinking her eyes to clear her vision. Silas knelt next to her, smoothing her hair away from her face. The rock star millionaire, incongruous, kneeling in the dirt and among the litter blowing around in the gutter.

“Jane,” he asked gently. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m alright,” she said, trying to knock his hands away.

“You’re bleeding, honey.”

“I am?” Jane asked, putting up her hand to the side of her head. Her fingers came away bloody. The shock of that made her feel sick.

“Let me help you.” Silas steadied her as she tried to stand, hauling her to her feet when it seemed she would fall again. Her blouse blew open in the wind, torn down the seam.

“I’m bleeding,” she repeated dully, reaching up to her head again.

“Yes. I need to take you back to the arena. They have first aid people there.”

“I want to go home,” she protested.

“I know you do. We’ll get you home as soon as they’ve checked you over, okay?” Silas’s tone was soothing, her head hazy. Jane leant into him as he led her back the way they had come, wrapping his arms around her and trapping her blouse so that it covered her modesty as they made their way back through the gate and passed the group of fans still hanging around.

Once they had gained access to the building, Silas barked out a series of orders. A first aider was sent for, a chair was found, and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. One of the security personnel went in search of Terri. Jane gave into the ministrations of the first aider, comforted by Silas’s presence. She watched him fretting, moving around impatiently, trying to get her sorted out, before finally allowing the gash on his own cheek to be seen to.

“The first aider thinks you should go to the hospital,” Silas said.

“They always say that when it’s a bang on the head,” said Jane. “I say it all the time when one of my students has a bump in the playground or the gym.”

“Just to be on the safe side?” asked Silas.

“I’ll be fine. It doesn’t even need stitches.” She grimaced. “I could do with a shot of whisky.”

The security guard who had been sent off in search of Terri and Dewey returned. He’d been unable to find them.

Silas squatted down next to Jane. “I don’t think you should be on your own until we can find Terri. Dewey’s staying at the same hotel as the band. If you won’t go to a hospital, at least come back there with me and we’ll leave a message for them on reception.”

“Do you have whisky?” Jane asked.

“Maybe you ought to settle for tea?”