There wasn’t much of a reaction from Luke when I told him. All I got was a nod, and he said, “We’re playing Candy Lake’s house party tonight. It’s a good paying gig. Don’t fuck this up.”
Don’t fuck it up. Sound advice. I smoothed my clammy hands down my pants and nodded. “Sure. I can do that. I mean, I can not do that. Not fuck it up, I mean.” I was already messing it up.
Emerson rolled his eyes. “Are we sure about this? Chicks bring drama.” His lip curled up into a sneer. “Especially this one.”
Braden yelled from the van behind us, “One, she’s amazing on drums. Two, even though she’s my sister and it pains me to say this—it really does—she’s hot. We got the girls coming in droves to see us, but guys will come too now. Sorry, Bri. I feel like I’m pimping you out.”
I shrugged.
He continued, “And three, she needs to stay busy. We need to keep her away from Turner in her free time.”
Emerson grunted right next to him in the seat. “That’s my best friend, asshole.”
Braden shot back, “You don’t agree with keeping her away from him?”
My cousin lowered his head. My brother had him with that one. Luke shook his head. “Why are you making this same argument? I already said she’s in.” He said to me, “And I mean it, Bri. I know your history with Candy Lake. Be nice. She has two parties every summer and more during the winter. She booked us in the past, and she pays the best. I don’t want to lose this gig. We need the money.”
Candy Lake? Move over Emerson; she was another admirer of mine. My lips twitched at my own joke. I was lame, and so was Candy Lake. She wasn’t as bad as Emerson with her hatred of me. No one was. The last time I saw her, the two of us ended up pulling each other’s hair and rolling on the ground. It had been a chick fight gone bad and not one of my glorious moments. I could fight better than that, but she got me on a night when I had been drunk, way too drunk. The party loved it. I had not.
I shrugged. “I won’t start anything with her.” But if she started something like other girls had in the past, she had another think coming.
“I mean it, Bri. You hated her in high school. Don’t start anything tonight.” He walked around me and went to the driver’s side. As he got in, Braden clapped his hand on the seat. “Come on, Bri. Hop your ass in here so we can go and make some girls’ panties wet.”
Because that made sense.
I shook my head and got into the van. As Braden slammed the side door shut, I remarked, “We need to have a talk where you remember that I’m your sister.”
Braden winked at me. “You are, but come on, you’re going to be treated like a dude now.”
“For some reason I feel like that’s a compliment, but I have no idea why.”
Emerson rolled his eyes. “We’re treating you like an equal. Stop complaining about it.”
“Why don’t you stop complaining?” I gripped my armrest. “Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.”
He was staring at me. “Keep it—”
“Shut up,” Luke clipped out, pulling out of the parking lot. “Both of you. Here's the plan. We’re going to the party, we’ll do the set we practiced with Bri in the basement, and then we’ll head back. The two of you don’t even need to talk to each other.”
“She—”
“Got it?” Luke barked, giving Emerson a pointed look in the rearview mirror.
“Yeah.” My cousin lowered his head. “Got it.”
“Bri?” Luke addressed me.
“Yeah?”
“No fighting.”
I cracked a grin. We’ll see.
“I mean it.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”
The drive wasn’t long to get to her house, and from what I remembered about Candy Lake, I wasn’t surprised to see the mansion and guest house sitting on the beach, surrounded by trees. Luke drove right up to a stage that was perched in front of the house, facing the ocean. He took off, and the rest of us started to unpack the equipment. No one spoke, which surprised me, but I was grateful at the same time. Emerson still seemed pissed, and Braden kept stopping to check out every girl that walked by us.
Candy Lake was the popular girl in high school. Luke and Braden had been popular, too, but they never cared or worked for it. People just liked them, and lucky for me, they were content to hang out with me. The popular girls and I never mixed well. They talked about things that didn’t interest me—fashion, boyfriends, and gossip—and I only wanted to play drums. Growing up as a tomboy, I was the most comfortable hanging out with my brother and his friends.
“Are we ready to go?”
Luke had come back. He hoisted himself onto the stage in one fluid movement. The athleticism shouldn’t have been impressive, it was one leap, but it took my breath away. He looked like a damn cat. That had been another thing about Luke. He was gorgeous, dark, mysterious, and athletic. He could’ve played sports, been worshiped for just that feat, but he only cared about music and…I swallowed tightly…me.
“Bri!” Braden yelled in front of me.
“What?” I jerked back. As I glanced around, they were all looking right at me, and my cheeks instantly reddened. “You guys were talking?”
Emerson cursed and bent back over his guitar, tuning it.
“So, you’re ready?” Braden stepped in front of me and took my shoulders in his hands. “I know it’s your first time with us in front of a crowd, but you can do it. You’re a natural. Our practice set was amazing. We didn’t have too many hiccups.”
“Emerson hadn’t been there.”
My brother let go of my shoulders, stepping away. “He plays the same as Gunn, better. Em will be fine. We’re good to go.” He cursed then. “Maybe you’re right. Luke, you think we should do a practice set?”
Luke adjusted the microphone stand, his eyes shifted to me. “Yeah. It wouldn’t hurt.”
“Good.” Braden clapped his hands together and moved to pick up his guitar. “Let’s do this shit. We’re going to be awesome.”
Emerson grunted, rolling his eyes. “Are you on something? If you are, not fair. Share it, cousin.” He opened his lips, showing his teeth for a second. “Anything would help to get us through this.”
He wasn’t talking about the gig. He was referencing me. I got the insult immediately. My eyes narrowed to slits, and without realizing what I was doing, I surged for him. Enough was enough, but Luke stepped right in front of me. He caught me and held me back, throwing over his shoulder to Emerson, “Could you stop? It’s getting old, and I’m likely to kick you to the curb instead.” One of his hands rested on my hip, and I went still at the touch, feeling burned from the slightest pressure.
I wasn’t paying attention to what Emerson replied. I sucked in my breath and closed my eyes. I never thought he would touch me again, not even a hug, not how he used to throw his arm around my shoulders, or not how he would play with my hands when we were bored.
Then his hand dropped, and he turned, glancing down at me. “You okay with that?”
Hearing the gruffness in his voice, my eyes rose to his. I could only nod in response. He went back to the microphone, keeping his back to me, but it was there. I had felt it again. It stung me. The old connection was still between us. Knowing it was there and feeling it for a moment, had my body wired.
I climbed to my seat and picked up my sticks. I was ready to go.
The sticks twirled on my palm, and I held them like that, letting them spin in the air. The song had paused. They were waiting for me, but I still let those sticks go. This was my time to shine. Forget Emerson. This was about music—our music. I was the best, and he was going to be reminded of it. No matter what shit he said about me, he’d keep his mouth shut about this. Drumming was what I did best, and this felt so right. I let the anticipation build. The crowd was waiting. Everyone was waiting. My body was writhing with the tempo. The beat poured through my blood, but I savored it, still holding off, and then, it was time. Everything clicked. The song was perfect now, and I flicked the right stick up with my finger, caught it with my thumb, and slammed it down at the same time.
I didn’t hear the crowd.
I knew their mouths were open. Their arms were flailing, but it wasn’t about them. They were nothing to me. It was about the music. My leg tapped on the bass, and I glanced up, knowing Braden would mold his chord with my beat. He sensed me and instinctually turned. His head bent further down as his fingers played over the strings. He was doing it. There was no contact between us except the music.
Then Emerson joined, and he held his note. My beat continued, pulsating out. It infected everyone. No one was immune, and we raised the climax all the way up.
This was what we did.
This was how we played.
We were a team.
Braden added to the drama, his guitar hitting the higher notes, and Emerson helped build up the tension. We were waiting, all three of us now. We needed one more to join—voice.
Luke was at the front of the stage. His back was turned. His head was bent, and he held the microphone. He was feeling everything, letting the song continue and build. When we were at the right spot, the perfect moment, his head bobbed, and he started to sing.
His voice was clear and smooth. He started with that first note, and the crowd’s energy spiked. I still couldn’t hear them. I closed my eyes and gave over to the music.
I bled into the beat.
We never stopped because I wouldn’t let them. There was a moment’s pause—a brief moment—and at the signal, the next song was launched. We ran the entire set. One perfect unit. I rolled the beat through, matching the adrenaline in my body. It was going to be like this every night now. Knowing that, I relished the feeling, anticipating this ride from now on.
As Luke belted out the words and Emerson switched the bass, Braden hit that haunting note.
This was when the crowd felt us. If they hadn’t by then, it was this moment when a renewed fever spread through them. My blood was buzzing, knowing we held them by the balls. We decided how they felt. We had control like gods. My arms crashed down with more force, and I gritted my teeth, going with the roller coaster inside me.
More than once, Luke found me and took me on a different ride. He felt it, too. All the bullshit was gone. We were a band. Emerson might’ve hated me, but he didn’t when we played together. A connection ran through all of us when we performed. No one went against us, or we’d all fail.
I had missed this. Playing with Braden. Luke. Setting the rhythm.
I never got off the roller coaster, not even at the end of our set. I craved being up there, setting the beat, yielding that power. After an intense set, I retreated to a back corner and recuperated there. The waves crashed over me, and I gulped for air, feeling that buzz in my blood. I wanted to keep it going, so I started for the bar, wanting a drink. Then a hand touched my hip. Luke, I thought. My body instantly molded toward his, and my pulse spiked. Then reality crashed back into place. It was Elijah.
I shoved his hand off. “What are you doing?”
He rolled his eyes, but grabbed my hand and started forward. Eli moved lithely through the crowd. Most knew who he was and moved away so he could pass, but the rest moved on instinct anyway. As we moved inside the guest house Candy said we could use for the night, I started to move around him, but bumped into him and felt something hard inside his jacket. His gaze locked with mine. I caught the warning in his eyes and narrowed mine. “What are you doing here?”
“You weren’t supposed to feel that.”
“What?”
He jerked his head forward. “You should go.”
“We just got done playing our set.” What was in his jacket?
“You should go.”
A message flashed in his eyes. Then it clicked. Something was going to happen. My lips parted again, and feeling a sense of urgency, I grabbed his arm this time. “What is happening? What’s in your jacket?”
“Bri.” Another warning flared over his face. “I mean it, go. I grabbed you and brought you over here for a reason.” His eyes trailed past my shoulder, and I turned.
I didn’t have to look far.
Luke was sitting in a lawn chair.
Eli pushed me forward, a soft touch on the small of my back. He said into my ear, “Go to him and go home. Get Emerson out of here, too.”
My ex and cousin should’ve taken priority in my mind, but to be honest, I was having a hard time remembering what Eli said to do as I watched Luke. A group had congregated around him. Some were sitting in their own chairs. Others were standing and drinking, but most of them were watching him, just like I was. Candy Lake was hovering over him. Her very skimpy, very see-through shirt stuck to her skin, displaying a perfect view of her waistline.
She was bending over and whispering into his ear. Her hand grazed over his chest, testing him, and when he didn’t brush it away, her hand grew bolder. It trailed down to the waistband of his jeans and rested on his stomach. Her lips formed a seductive smile. I could imagine her soothing sounds, crooning to him, and then she shifted on her feet. Her hand was still touching his shoulder.
My hands were clenched to the sides of my pants, as if to hold myself back from walking over there and slapping her. Bitch. Bitch. Bitch.
She straddled him.
My eyes were going to pop out. A burning sensation tunneled inside my chest.
He didn’t touch her, but he didn’t ask her to move either. She leaned forward and pressed her chest against his. Her head tilted, and she nuzzled him under his chin and then trailed her lips to his ear. I couldn’t handle it. He’s mine. I started forward—she leaned back, arching so her breasts were right in front of his face. The bitch wasn’t wearing a bra. I was going to lose it. Luke was staring right at me when my foot came down hard.
Our eyes caught and held, and a smirk appeared on his face. I flushed. He’d known the whole time I was watching. Fucker.
I started for them—BANG! BANG! I froze, staring at Luke, who froze, too.
Eli.
Then everything connected in my head. It was a gun inside his jacket. That’s why he wanted me to go.
There was silence for one second before chaos ensued. Some people screamed in terror. Some sprinted to their cars or the house, trying to get somewhere safe. When a guy knocked into me, Luke shoved Candy off him and started for me. I couldn’t move as I watched him push through the crowd, his eyes fierce and his jaw set. When he got to me, I said, “That’s Eli. He brought a gun here.”
He grabbed my hand. It was like someone had hit my Pause button. His contact hit the Play button, and I was ready to go. We turned and ran together. When a group of girls ran the other way between us, Luke let go of me. I swerved to one side, and he went the other. More people streamed past us, but we kept going. Everyone was running away from the gunshots. We were running toward them. Luke kept glancing at me, making sure I was still with him. I did the same. We were moving as one unit again. The feeling of being in tune with him sent a new wave of adrenaline through me. It pushed me faster, and when the crowd began to thin, I started looking around.
Braden. Emerson. Elijah. I needed to find any or all of them. But Braden was my priority.
“Bri!” Luke shouted and pointed to the side. I caught a glimpse of Emerson disappearing around a corner and veered that way. Luke said, “Stay here. I’ll get him.”
“I’ll look for Braden,” I said, but he was already gone.
As I moved in the opposite direction, I saw a clump of trees. Braden might’ve gone back there. Maybe with a girl? I rounded the opening by the trees. No Braden. He wasn’t anywhere. No one else was around. They’d all disappeared. I could hear car doors in the distance and saw the flash of headlights as people drove away.
My heart was pounding in my chest from the frenzy. I needed to listen for Braden, if I could hear his voice somewhere, but I couldn’t make out anything, so I started forward through the trees. They led away from the beach. The light from Candy’s guesthouse was in the west, and I headed that way. As I continued through the woods, I saw the van parked in a clearing and walked toward it. I was about to step into the clearing when a hand wrapped around my elbow and pulled me back. I was pressed against a chest and reared back to scream.
A hand clamped over me, and Elijah said into my ear, “Shut up.”
My knees sagged in relief, but I tried to hit his chest. “You scared the crap out of me.”
He rolled his eyes. “You were about to get shot.”
My eyes widened.
“And before you even start, that gunshot wasn’t me.”
“Then who was it?”
His hood was pulled over his baseball cap. He’d been standing in the shadows, hidden by his black clothing and a tree. At my question, he pulled me further into the shadows with him and shook his head.
“Elijah.”
His mouth went into a flat line.
“Elijah!”
He hissed, “I can’t tell you shit, okay? You can’t know about this stuff.” He cursed, regret flashing in his eyes for a moment. “You shouldn’t even be here with me. What are you doing? You and pretty boy should be long gone by now. I told you to go.”
“We’re looking for Braden and Emerson.”
Elijah narrowed his eyes. “They’re gone.”
“What do you mean?”
“They took off. I saw them running for the cars a minute ago.”
“They’re safe?”
“Yeah. Emerson texted; he said he’d wait at Rowdy’s with the band.”
Sudden tears threatened to spill. They came hard and fast. My brother was safe. Emerson was safe. I closed my eyes. Luke. Where had Luke gone?
Elijah watched me. “What’s wrong?”
“Luke went looking for them.”
His eyes darkened in anger. “Why aren’t you people normal? Run for safety next time instead of running toward the danger.”
“Are you in trouble?”
“Not the time to hash this out.” He tried to shield me with his body, moving me closer to him so I was against the tree. As we both heard twigs breaking behind us, he put his finger to his mouth. I nodded, and we waited. My heart started racing. More branches broke. Someone was coming toward us. A tree branch was shoved out of the way. They were near, just on the other side of the tree. Then they stepped right beside us. Elijah’s hand tightened on my arm as his other hand moved to the inside of his sweatshirt. I knew what he was grabbing, and I held my breath.
Please no. Please no. Please go away, repeated in my head. I didn’t dare look at who was right next to us, but from the corner of my eye, I saw the shape of a very large man. He was so close. If he turned even an inch, he would see us. Elijah’s hand tightened on the gun, and he began to turn it in his sweatshirt so it was pointed at whoever was there.
The man scoffed to himself and spoke into his phone, “Yeah. No sign of Turner. Let’s go to his house. He must’ve gotten out earlier than we thought—”
Someone moved into the trees next to him. They yelled, “He’s right next to you! Watch out—”
Elijah shot at him and then shoved me away from him and lunged for the guy next to him. The second guy, the one Elijah had tried to shoot, cursed but hadn’t been hit. He grabbed for Elijah, but Luke came out of nowhere. He wrapped a hand around the guy’s neck, kicked at his knee so he fell down, and then grabbed onto his arm. He squeezed until the guy went unconscious, and then Luke let him go, stepping back.
He looked at me, an unspoken question in his gaze. I shook my head, letting him know I was all right. Then he turned toward Elijah, but he didn’t need help. The guy who had spoken on the phone was unconscious, too. Both Luke and Elijah were too calm. It sent an eerie shiver down my back.
Luke broke the silence. “His buddies are on their way.”
“I know.” Elijah jerked a hand to me. “Get her out of here.”
I said, “Emerson and Braden are heading home. Elijah saw them leave.”
Luke nodded. “I know. I came looking for you.” His tone was accusing. “I told you to stay put.”
“Over here!” someone shouted, followed by sounds of people running through the woods.
Elijah started to say, “Take he—” but Luke had already grabbed me. His arm wrapped around my waist, and he held me in the air, carrying me toward the van. Luke threw me inside and jumped in after me. A guy I didn’t know was behind the wheel, and as soon as the doors shut, he took off. I turned, expecting Elijah to be with us, but he wasn’t.
“Where’d he go?”
Luke whipped his head to mine, narrowing his eyes. “He took off.”
“What? Why? He’d be safer with us.”
“No.”
I stopped, hearing the authority in his tone and couldn’t look away from him. His eyes flashed in anger. He had made a decision. “Elijah is dangerous. The farther we are from him, the better. He’ll be fine. He can take care of himself.”
That was true. I sat back and leaned my head against the seat while the adrenaline pumped in my veins. Feeling Luke watching me, I asked, “What?”
“No argument?” He was ready for one. I could see it in his eyes.
I shook my head. “No. No argument. I know he’s dangerous.”
I sensed the surprise from him, but he didn’t say anything. He leaned back in his seat, and we were silent the entire way home. I didn’t want to think about what Eli had gotten himself into. He wasn’t my problem anymore.