MERCS
Reaching up, I grab hold of Effa’s ass as she climbs down from the rafters. Her soft giggles echo through the backstage area, and I smile as her feet hit the floor which regrettably makes my hands fall away from her. She turns back to me with a wicked smile.
“Thank you for showing me your view of the world. I had a… great time,” she chimes with a smirk.
I chuckle, wrapping my arm around her shoulders, pulling her to me as I glance over to where Jett was standing to see him slowly making his way over.
Great!
“Hey, Eff, can you go get that shower ready for us? I want to have a quick chat with someone about the lighting for tonight,” I lie.
She smiles, completely oblivious, then she leans in kissing my cheek as she rushes off toward the stadium bathroom.
Clenching my jaw, I turn to Jett, who’s now stalking toward me with purpose. His body tense and rigid like he’s angry. Well, fuck him. He has no rights at all. Effa’s mine. I’m not the voyeur here.
He steps right up to me, so close I can smell the stale tobacco on his breath, as he looks me dead in the eye, obviously trying to intimidate me. It doesn’t work as I stiffen my posture, bringing my hands up and shoving his chest hard which makes him take a step back. He breaks out into a small laugh, shaking his head as he stands back up tall and firm.
“What the fuck, asshole. Why were you watching us?” I sneer.
Jett’s smiling face falls like he’s reliving the memory of watching Effa with me, and he frowns so hard his lips look like they’re melting off his face. “You have no right to be taking advantage of her,” he snaps.
“Advantage? Oh… this should be good. Please tell me how I am taking advantage of Effa.”
“She’s young, easily led. A guy like you will corrupt her. You think I don’t know about your money issues, Mercury? You think I don’t know about your sister and her health issues? She’s draining you dry. You’re only after Effa for the money she can provide you. You don’t want her… just her pretty little purse—”
My whole body tenses, all my muscles clench as I fight with myself not to punch this guy right in the fucking throat as hard as possible. “Fuck you, Jett. First of all, don’t you dare talk about my sister. What the fuck would you know. So don’t claim you know me or my motives. As for Effa? She means the world to me. I’d never hurt her, unlike you. You think I want to use her for personal gain? I think you want to be with her to rocket your career, Jett. Men like you are only out for themselves. Stay the fuck away from Effa, and me… or my broke ass foot will be so far up your ass it will kick your slimy teeth in. Don’t threaten me, kid. I look after what’s mine. And Effa… she’s mine.”
His eyes narrow, his body almost shaking with the anger blasting off him. The atmosphere turning frigid with the icy air circulating around us. The standoff is brutal as we stare each other down, only a few feet apart, the threat of a punch being swung imminent. My fists clench as I grit my teeth, the tension rippling off me like a tidal wave, full force and undeniable. The silence between us speaks more volume than the words exchanged, and I know we’re in for a hell of a fight.
He wants Effa, but she’s mine, and if I don’t play my cards right Jett could do a lot of damage. He’s a loose cannon, with power and persuasion, and in this industry, he unfortunately pulls rank over me. I have to get this right because in the end, if I take on the power of a rock star and lose, I might be out of a job with a reference that’s not exactly positive and one girlfriend down. And that’s not the outcome I want.
I have to tread carefully.
But not lose my balls in the process.
His eyes bore deep into mine. I see nothing in his, no life, no soul, just vast emptiness, a bottomless black depth full of rage and contempt. He’s fuming, and as he takes a small step closer, our noses almost touching, I raise my head slightly higher clenching my fists tighter. The unmistakable sound of running footsteps is heard before Jett and I are pulled apart from each other.
“Hey, hey, hey… you two, cool it. I don’t know what that intense as fuck face-off was all about, but I don’t want my fucking lighting tech and the lead singer of the opening band going at it before the show tonight. Thank you very fucking much,” Luke sneers growling at us both.
I turn to face him, his eyes stern and focused on me like a disappointed father figure. I’ve worked hard to get into Luke’s good side, and now here I am fucking that all up.
Great. Good one, Mercs.
Jett huffs with a scowl and turns up his nose. “Tell lover boy to stop fucking in public and maybe then this will all run a little smoother,” Jett jabs moving past me, shouldering me on the way through, causing me to take a step back from the abrupt push to my side.
Luke glares at me, his nostrils flaring as he raises a brow, and I’m more annoyed than ever at Jett for making this day even harder.
“Care to tell me what Jett was talking about?” Luke asks.
I crack my neck to the side not really wanting to talk to Luke about this—our relationship is not exactly one of friendship. “Jett saw Effa and me… together. He’s just jealous. He has a hidden agenda, Luke, and we need to be careful of him. I know he’s going to cause trouble.”
He licks his lips with a nod. “Where did he see you?”
I tense up hoping that wouldn’t be the one bit of information from that sentence that he caught onto. I was hoping he’d be more interested in the words ‘Jett’ and ‘trouble’ than the drama of Effa and me in public. I look up, Luke follows my line of sight. “The rafters.”
Luke lets out what sounds like an unimpressed snort and raises his brow. “Okay, that’s a good thing, if there’s something good to be taken from this. I was hoping it wasn’t in… public, public... as in like a car or something where photographs could have been taken. But Mercs, please, keep your escapades in places more hidden. I don’t want anything leaked about Effa, or any intimate photos turning up in Rolling Stone or some trashy magazine. So keep it in private. Got it?”
“Yeah, of course. Sorry. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. It won’t happen again. But Luke… Jett,” I shake my head, “… he’s a fucking issue.”
He rubs the back of his neck. “Hmm… yes. I’ve been thinking this for a couple of days. I’ve been watching him, watching her. It’s a little disconcerting, I must admit. Other crew members have discussed the Jett issue with me too, so you’re not the only one. He’s not exactly liked and has been throwing his weight around. Leave it with me.”
I like that someone’s on the same page as me when it comes to that broody fucking rocker. “Thank you, Luke. Effa’s safety is my main priority and with Jett… well, I don’t trust the guy.”
He rests his hand on my shoulder and squeezes tightly in a comforting way. “I like that you truly care about Effa, it gives me a good feeling about the two of you. One that I didn’t have at the start. But Mercs, as much as Effa’s headstrong and confident, she’s also naïve and can be led easily. Watch her, okay?”
With one simple nod, I know I will do just that. Turning, I head toward the bathroom where I know Effa will be waiting for me. I try to decide whether to tell her about this stupid altercation with Jett or not. But I’m not sure that me exerting my brute strength for her is something she’d like. Let’s face it she’s all about peace, harmony and love. So I might keep this one under wraps for now, just until I can suss out Jett a little more. Until I have something more concrete to tell Effa. I don’t want to worry her or make her feel awkward.
So as I walk to the bathroom, my decision is to say nothing.
It might bite me on the ass, but only time will tell.
EFFA
We’re about ready to head out for the concert, but I forgot my lucky pic in the green room. So I’m racing back there now, minutes before I have to head on stage. Swift Division has finished their set and it’s the changeover period, so I need to haul ass. As I approach the green room, Luke’s voice is clear as he talks to someone sternly, and I come to an abrupt halt just outside of the room to make sure I’m not interrupting anything important.
“So you need to make sure that at all costs, Jett is to be kept away from Effa,” Luke’s firm tone echoes through the room and I furrow my brows jolting my head back in surprise.
I round the doorway and enter the room to notice Luke’s talking with Raoul and they both turn to look at me.
“Effa, you need to be getting ready,” Luke chides and I shake my head.
“What the hell are you guys talking about?” I blurt out.
“General business. Nothing for you to worry about. Go on, you need to go, Effa,” Luke berates moving his hands in a shoo motion.
I huff folding my arms over my chest in defiance.
Raoul grimaces as he stands there watching me and Luke face off.
“Luke, I’m not stupid. You were discussing Jett and me... why?”
Luke huffs out a groan and steps up to me. “Look, people are noticing that Jett’s attention toward you is becoming a little… troublesome. There’s also been some issues with Jett around the crew. So, I want Raoul to keep some distance between the two of you.”
I snort, rolling my eyes, and let out a small laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding, right? I mean the guy’s a little weird, but that’s not logical, Luke. What if we need to talk shop? Having us separated is only going to make tour life harder… for me, for him.”
“Effa, we don’t trust him alone with you.”
Furrowing my brows, I wince. “Okay, well, if you’re so worried, then have it so Raoul is watching me. He basically does that anyway. And if Raoul doesn’t like anything that Jett does when we’re together, then Raoul can judo chop his ass.”
Raoul smirks in a rare occurrence from him, as Luke huffs glancing to Raoul for confirmation. “What do you think, Raoul? Can you tail her and watch her movements?”
“Of course. If Jett becomes a hassle, I will, indeed… judo chop his ass.”
I chuckle and give Raoul two thumbs up as I smile at him brightly.
Luke shakes his head and grabs my shoulders spinning me around. “Now go. You’re going to hold up the show.”
He shoves me and I giggle as I take a step forward to race out the door, but then I gasp and turn back around running to the desk, grab my lucky pic, turn, smile wide at the two men and then bolt like lightning back toward the stage.
I just hope I’ve made the right choice. Because I don’t want to piss anyone off, and I feel like me being kept apart from Jett will only serve to anger him more and I don’t want that.
This is the right option.
I just hope Mercs sees it that way.
Two Weeks Later
We’ve finally landed in Pennsylvania, Mercs’ hometown. And although we’re playing in Pittsburgh for two nights, we’re here for four days, and so for the first two, we’ve decided to head back to Ligonier to catch up with Mercs’ gran and Kiera.
Since friending Kiera two weeks ago, I’ve been chatting with her on Facebook Messenger and trying to get to know her a little more. She’s intelligent, charming, sweet, and everything I would expect of an eighteen year old.
I grab onto Mercs’ hand and squeeze tight looking at his smiling face. “You excited?” I ask.
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. But, nervous too. I just hope you all get along okay in person.”
Furrowing my brows, I ask, “Why wouldn’t we get along?”
He shakes his head. “No. You will. I mean, there’s no reason you wouldn’t… I just… oh fuck! I’m nervous.”
Smiling wide, I giggle, liking the more vulnerable side of Mercs. He puts on a tough show most of the time, but if there’s one thing I know, it’s that his Gran and Kiera are the most important people in his life, and so me meeting them is pretty freaking huge.
“How long is the drive from the airport?” I ask.
“Just over an hour or so, depending on traffic,” he answers standing up as Amanda opens the doors.
Casey strides past us sniffing the air like a hound on the hunt. “I smell popcorn… possibly bacon and cheddar with a bit of spice. Maybe all of them together. Now that’s a popcorn I want to try,” Casey states racing out of the jet followed by an eye-rolling Kristy.
Andi shakes her head and groans. “Girl’s got the nose of a dog, and the stomach of a pig. How she stays so incredibly skinny, I’ll never know.”
Andi walks off as Alana chuckles and turns to me. “Have fun in Ligonier. I’ll miss you.” She leans in and embraces me.
Smiling, I hug her back with a slight giggle. “I’ll only be gone a couple of days. I’ll be back before you know it.”
She pulls back and nods. “No. I know. I’m just used to seeing you every day. I’m glad I have Kristy to keep me company.”
“Are you okay?” I ask, and she plasters on a bright smile.
“Fine. Just plodding along as per usual. You know me.”
I glance to Mercs who’s reaching up grabbing our bags, and then he starts to head off, winking at me. He obviously knows I need some time with my sister before we leave.
He moves for the jet door and smiles at Alana. “Keep the crew in line for me will you, Alana. I think they’ll listen to you while I’m home,” he instructs, and she giggles.
“Sure thing, Mercs. Have a great break,” she states as he walks off the jet waving back to her.
I turn and look to Alana. “Okay, spill. What’s up?”
She shakes her head and grimaces. “No, honestly, it’s nothing.”
I grab her hand and squeeze as she looks back up at me. “Talk to me.”
She exhales and leans back against the chair. “I’m just feeling a little… redundant.”
My stomach sinks and my heart rate increases. “What! Why?”
She sniffs. “The band is great, we sound amazing, but in the interviews and stuff, no one ever talks to me. I do the PR with Luke, but even he’s pushing me out. Kristy’s on top of social media and well… you have Mercs now.”
I let out a gasp of air I didn’t know I was holding as my stomach sinks through the bottom of the jet and splatters onto the tarmac. My eyes begin to flood as I reach out pulling Alana to me into a tight embrace. Her warmth wrapping around me like a sisterly hug always does. “Oh my Gaia, Alana. Don’t ever talk like that. We would fall apart without you. You’re the only levelheaded one amongst us.” I pull back and look into her eyes. Hers are now watering too. “If Luke’s giving you a hard time, tell him to come to me, and that I want you doing more PR work not less. You’re amazing at it.”
Her body tightens as she shudders slightly. She’s really affected by this. Fuck.
“Okay, that’s it. I’m staying in the hotel with you, and we’re having sister bonding time over the next two days. Okay?”
Her eyes open wide and she gasps. “No. No way. God no. I couldn’t do that to you, Effa. You’ve been dying to meet Kiera and Gran. No. Please go. It would upset me more if you stayed for me and didn’t meet them. I’ll be fine. I have Kristy to take care of me. Plus, you can call whenever you’re free and tell me how amazing they are, and how you gang up on Mercs and make him feel inferior… that will make me happy.”
My muscles tense. I really want to go and see Mercs’ family. But my family is right here in front of me, in pain. I need to be here for her. Shaking my head, I reach out grabbing her again. “No. I’m staying. You need me.”
She pulls back and groans. “Effa, no. Now you’re making me angry. Please, you have to go. I’ll be devastated if you don’t get to meet his family knowing it was my fault. Don’t put that pressure on me. Please don’t make me feel bad for the rest of the tour knowing you had a shot at meeting them and I blew it for you.”
I swallow hard and nod. “Okay, I’ll go. But I’ll have my cell on me the entire time, and I want you to check in with me every few hours, okay?”
“Fine, but I promise I’ll be okay.”
“You’re not redundant, Alana. I don’t know who’s made you feel this way, and I hate myself if I’ve had a part to play in that. But don’t ever think you aren’t needed.”
She nods leaning in and planting a kiss on my cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Always. Now, go and get laid, okay?”
“Effa!” Her eyes open wide as she gasps making me smile wide at her shock. I love her innocence.
Chuckling, I grab her hand, and we walk toward the exit and down the few steps to the tarmac. Luke and Mercs are waiting by the two cars for us. I smile leaning in hugging Alana. “Don’t let Luke give you shit. He’s a douche, just remember that. Plus, we can fire him if we need to,” I joke, and she giggles in my ear, the sound finally letting me relax a little.
She pulls back, and we walk over to the two separate cars. Hers is a stretch Hummer containing everyone, and mine is a black Audi sedan for me, Mercs, and the driver. Luke looks to me as Alana approaches, and he furrows his brows like he knows we were talking about him. I purse my lips letting him know I’m not happy with how he’s treating my sister. He swallows hard, looks to Alana and places his hand on her back, leading her into the car. He’s always in such a rush.
“Have a good break you two. Don’t do anything stupid,” Luke calls out as I walk toward Mercs.
Mercs chuckles and I roll my eyes. “Depends on your definition of stupid, now doesn’t it, Luke?” I call back, and he furrows his brows at me, looking a little taken aback by my attitude toward him. He says nothing more, getting in the Hummer and shutting the door.
I spin back toward Mercs, and he raises his brow at me with a slight smirk. “Something going on there, with Luke?” He opens the back door, and I slide in with him following me.
Sighing, I shake my head. “No, not really. More like all of us. I think Alana is feeling left out and we’re all to blame. I feel like crap. I hate leaving her when she’s down.”
He reaches out grabbing my hand and squeezes. “You can stay, Effa. Gran and Kiera will understand.”
Nodding, I smile at him. “I know, but Alana won’t allow it. I tried. She laid the guilts on me good and proper. So I’m going to be checking up on her a lot… I hope you don’t mind.”
He slides in next to me so our legs are touching, and he wraps his arm around my shoulders pulling my head down to rest on his shoulder. “Hey, I wouldn’t want it any other way. Now sit back and relax. Kristy will look after her, and I’ll send word to Tank and Jay to make sure someone’s always talking to her at the hotel and stuff.”
Smiling wide, I cuddle into his side. “I knew I liked you for a reason.”
He chuckles. The driver starts the car, and we’re off toward Mercs’ childhood hometown, and the place I’m staying for the next two nights. I just hope everything will be okay without me at the hotel.
Mercs runs his hand up and down my arm gently in a soothing way. It’s nice, almost relaxing, when he leans into me. “Have you had much to do with Jett lately?”
My ears prick up, and I sit up a little wondering why he’s asked me such a strange question. It seems weird, especially after my conversation with Luke and Raoul. Jett was all over me like a rash and then suddenly two weeks ago, he seemed to drop me like a cold fish. Sure he talks to me occasionally, but something happened, and I’m not sure what. I didn’t really think anything of it, just maybe that he saw I was with Mercs and he got sick of trying. But now that Mercs has brought him up it’s ringing alarm bells for me.
“Why would you ask that?” I query.
He shrugs. “I’m just curious. I saw you guys together a bit, and now I’m not sure if I ever see you talking.”
I look up to him, my eyes narrowing, as I clench my jaw tight becoming more and more suspicious of his motives. “Why Mercs? Why would Jett suddenly stop talking to me? To be honest, I was wondering the same thing?”
He shrugs and looks away from me a little too quickly to be a coincidence.
I sit up as I point at him. “You! You did it. What the hell happened, Mercs?” I say with a smirk.
“Well, okay, fine, but honestly I had no idea he would give up so easily. I thought I’d have a fight on my hands. He wants you, Effa, and I just made it clear that he can’t get in your pants or take what’s mine, and he should stop trying to win your affections.”
I choke on thin air trying to figure this out. Jett and Mercs had an argument over me, and I didn’t even know about it. “You have got to be kidding me. When the fuck did that happen?”
He tenses. “He saw us… on the rafters. He saw everything, and he made it quite clear that he was going to cause trouble. So I told him that I wasn’t going to bow out gracefully and that he needed to back the fuck off and leave you alone. Stop trying to win you over for his own personal gain. Then I told Luke to be watchful of Jett with you and he agreed.”
“Oh…” I raise my brow. “So that’s why Luke was talking with Raoul about more protection for me? I overheard them discussing my security needs.”
“Yes, because I asked for it.”
“You know… why couldn’t you have talked to me about it first? Before you chatted with Luke. Don’t you think it’s up to me to decide who I should be around?”
“No. Not when men like Jett are forcing their way into your life. He’s a manipulative, conniving grade-A douche, and honestly Effa, I don’t want you around him. You mean so much to me and I think he’s a threat.”
I snort. “A threat? Really? This is Jett you’re talking about, right? He’s goofy for sure, and he’s a little left of center, and maybe a bit manipulative… yeah, I’ve seen that side of him. But a threat? Mmm… I don’t think so, Mercs. I think you’re overreacting.”
Mercs sighs. “I love the way you embrace everyone, you see the good in all people. But Effa, there’s no good in him. He wants you, and he can’t have you. And I will make damn sure he never gets close enough to hurt you.”
“I get what you were trying to do, but you should’ve included me and that’s all I’m going to say on the matter.”
He seems a little shocked by my reaction, but he reaches out and holds my hand.
Our conversation abruptly ends, so I turn to look out the window.
Silence, mixed with the sound of the tires traveling the road, thumps in my ears.
I’m annoyed he didn’t include me, but at the same time, I know it comes from a caring place and that sets my heart fluttering.