Friday night, we gathered at my house for some drinks before heading over to Bar 7 to watch the Gallows for the Guilty show. I would have rather had Miranda all to myself, but the guys were doing us a huge solid looking out for my girl, and it was the least we could do. I had seen them perform there before, and they were a fucking great band. I knew Miranda and Carmen would have a good time getting out anyway. Since we’d met with Irish down at the bar, he’d kept me updated, letting me know that no one had come by with anything, and no strangers, other than our sound guy, had stopped in. We vouched for Travis, so there was no one else lurking about so far.

I drove us all over the venue, which was actually in Diablo, just outside of the city. Irish had tickets waiting for us, and backstage passes so that we could go anywhere we wanted. A table had been reserved for us as well; they really took great care of us. I made a mental note to offer my services if they ever needed anything, even just a favor off the books. As much as I didn’t want Miranda upset, I was really hoping that this guy would show up with something and we could nail him. He deserved worse than jail for putting her through the anxiety she’d had to endure, and before I turned him over, I’d planned to hand out some punishment of my own, if given the chance.

The night had gone over uneventfully, and the girls had a fantastic time. The guys put on a hell of a show, and even sat with us for a few drinks afterwards. I hadn’t met Xander before; he was quiet, but killed it on stage. His wife Paige was quiet as well, but sweet as can be, and seemed to have a nice time hanging out with Miranda and Carmen. Shane, one of the other owners, who I’d met before, stayed for just one beer. His girl Gabi was recovering from a pretty serious surgery and wasn’t feeling that well, so she had stayed home.

Even though I was friendly with the guys at the bar, I wouldn’t have necessarily considered them friends until that night. They’d gone above and beyond to not only make us welcome, but they looked after us, and that is what people in your fucking tribe do. Those guys were legit, and their women weren’t shitty to other women; they were funny and smart, and got along with Carmen and Miranda like they’d known each other forever. The majority of us closed down the bar, and while Carmen took off with Logan, a bar back who was Irish’s younger brother, Mike headed back to the hotel, and Miranda and I left to go back to my place.

She seemed quiet on the ride home. “You okay?” I asked, bringing her hand to my lips while I drove us home.

Swiveling her head in my direction, she smiled softly. “I’m great, actually,” she replied. “It was such a fun night.”

“Yes, it sure was.” I squeezed her hand gently, resting it on my lap. “What did you think of the band?” I asked. I loved hearing her opinions on music. She always made me think harder about what I was listening to, and why something appealed to me.

“I thought their sound was super clean. You can tell that even for a house band, which they think they are, they’ve been playing together for a long time. I think they’re better than a house band, actually,” she mused, clearly thinking it over.

“What makes you say that?” I asked. I agreed with her, but wanted to hear her professional opinion.

“They have their shit together, for starters,” she chuckled. “They know who they are, and they own it. They’re not trying to be someone else. Carmen and I worked really hard at that. We do our Heart tribute every night, but that’s because they influenced us. And we figured if we owned it, and gave them their props every show for helping shape us as musicians, no one would ever say we were trying to be them.”

“Wow, that’s fascinating. I had no idea that’s why you did it,” I replied. “I love all of your music, but I have to say, that portion of your show is one of my favorites. When you and Carmen eliminate all the noise around you, and it’s just you two and your instruments, out there on stage, just singing. It’s powerful,” I admitted. I got chills every single time I heard Miranda hit a high note, or belt something out.

“Wow, thank you,” she replied, sitting up.

“You know, I don’t tell you nearly enough how amazing I think you are,” I confessed.

“Oh, I don’t know, you told me this morning in the shower once or twice,” she teased me, referencing the amazing blowjob she had given me in the shower.

Laughing loudly, I blushed a little. “That doesn’t count, does it?” I was cracking up.

Starting to giggle, she replied, “Oh it totally counts.”

The next morning was the day of the show, and nothing had happened at Bar 7 all week. It seemed our stalker was either going to hit that night, or he was skipping San Francisco… or he was onto us. Either way, we were off to Portland afterward for a Sunday night show there. The girls didn’t do many of those because two nights in a row was a lot for them, and Sunday shows were apparently hit or miss when it came to good crowds.

Voodoo Donuts was originally where the girls wanted to get food in Portland, until the incident in New Orleans, so they were both crabby and disappointed that doughnuts were ruined for them and wanted me to catch the stalker today in retaliation. I shook my head, laughing at them as they explained their philosophy for avoiding the most well-known doughnut joint that wasn’t a chain while they sat getting their hair and makeup done by Leo.

We were having a great time, laughing and enjoying ourselves, when there was a light knock at the door. I got up to answer it, and standing before me was the buffest guy I’d ever seen. Not super tall, but this guy definitely worked out every day. Then I remembered I’d seen him before. He was in Gallows for the Guilty.

“Hey Rock, how are you?” I shook his hand.

“I’m great. I just wanted to stop by real quick and say hi, and introduce myself to the girls. I had something else going on last night, so I couldn’t join ya’ll for drinks, but I’ll be out there watching tonight,” he replied. I opened the door for him to come in, and the girls got up to say hello and introduce themselves.

“So nice to meet you. Great show last night,” Miranda said, smiling.

“Thanks, love; glad you had a good time.” He turned to Leo. “And who’s this?” He didn’t go in for a handshake, but rather put his hand out, the way a gentleman would help a lady out of the car for example.

Leo blushed, taking his hand, and bowing slightly. “I’m Leo. I’m the Little Queens stylist. I tour with them.”

“Well, Leo, I’m Rock. Perhaps you’d be interested in a drink while the girls are on?” he asked, as we all watched, jaws dropping around the room.

“That would be lovely,” he replied, clearly taken with Rock. “Once I get the girls all gussied up, I’ll head out there and look for you.”

“You won’t have to look hard. I’ll be at the bar, waiting,” Rock said with a smooth, slight southern drawl.

Leo let out a little giggle, causing the girls to look at each other to verify what we had all just witnessed.

“Don’t let me keep you,” Rock said, backing toward the door. “Leo, I’ll be waiting,” he winked and left as quickly as he’d come.

I shut the door behind him, and started laughing. “Well, well, well, Leo. It looks like you’ve got a fan.”

The girls were giggling in unison, absolutely loving what they just saw. “Oh my God, Leo, he was hot. You should definitely get some of that tonight,” Carmen gushed, poking him in the arm.

“Oh you two, hush up,” Leo replied, still blushing. “He was a handsome devil, wasn’t he?”

“He sure was,” Carmen replied. “Now fix my hair so you can go get some action!”

We all continued to laugh, teasing Leo about Rock’s not so subtle interest in him. Hell, there’s someone for everyone out there; you never know where you’re gonna find them.

A short time later, the girls were all prepped, Miranda was in the no talking zone, and it was just about show time. I walked to the side of the stage with her, keeping my eyes peeled for any sign of our guy, but seeing nothing. I gave her a quick kiss, and whispered, “I love you,” in her ear just before she placed her earpieces in. She mouthed the words, “Love you too,” and then started to hop up and down in place, getting ready to run onstage. It was a wild crowd that night, there had been a lot of hype for that show, and you could hear it in their energy.

I did my usual lurking about while the show went on, listening to them perform as I snooped. I stopped in to see Irish for a moment - he was working in the office - and he let me know that none of his guys reported anything strange, so it looked like our efforts were a wash. Caleb had been outside, watching the parking lot, and scrutinizing patrons as they came and went prior to the show. Now that it had started, he’d set up a station near the exit, where he had a great view of the entire room. We were coming up empty in San Francisco, and it looked like we’d be in this investigation for the long haul. Operation Royal Protection was getting extended until further notice. Next stop, Portland.