mind the extra attention, or maybe they were used to the insanity, but security was struggling to keep those with legitimate VIP passes separate from those trying to sneak in separate from those who had heard the radio broadcast and had a protester in tow separate from the press. It was a valiant effort, but they ended up with a big mix of crazy. Toni had no hope of keeping up with most of it, so she decided to stick near Logan, who had taken it upon himself to screen the fans with protesters. Toni had her camera rolling and her voice recorder running and was doing her best to get the blasted release forms signed by anyone who might end up recognizable in her footage and jot down notes at the same time. While Toni was the Queen of Multitasking, everything started to run together in an indistinguishable mix of unfamiliar faces and garbled words. She hoped events weren’t always this overwhelming for the band. How did they put up with this day after day?
“So have you ever actually listened to any of our songs?” Logan asked a woman holding a sign that read Exodus End Should End Now.
“Our church group has studied your lyrics,” she said, her eyes bugging out of her head as they shifted from Logan to Max, who was laughing at something a fan said, to Dare, who had a three-foot circle of space around him and a completely inapproachable look on his face. The church woman actually squeaked in terror when the sexy lead guitarist’s eyes met hers.
“We have lyrics?” Logan glanced at Toni. “Is that what you call the words Max belts out?”
The woman tore her gaze from Dare to look at Logan. “What?”
“I don’t think this one is acting,” Logan said to Toni. He’d already discovered three of the “protesters” had been fans in disguise. It hadn’t been difficult. Eventually they started gushing about being in the presence of musical greatness.
“Why does your church group study Exodus End’s lyrics?” Toni asked, stuffing a release form into the woman’s free hand.
“Its evil message corrupts our children.”
“Can I ditch the lady now?” asked the fan who’d somehow talked her into joining him backstage. Maybe he’d succeeded because he was a boy of fifteen or so who had the most innocent-looking face. Well, except for the nose, eyebrow, and lip piercings. “She’s nucking futs.” The woman gasped and the kid glared at her. “What? I said ‘nucking futs.’ Clean out your ears, old lady.”
“How did you get her to come backstage with you?” Logan asked.
“I told her I wanted to be saved. Can I go talk to Mills now? He’s my idol.”
“Good luck with that,” Logan said. He slapped a backstage pass into the kid’s hand and nodded in Dare’s direction.
Logan tilted his head at the church lady and scratched his jaw with one finger. “So which songs did you analyze? I’m trying to remember which ones have an evil message.”
The woman glanced nervously at Toni. Toni was sure it was because she looked “normal.”
“Isn’t he gorgeous?” Toni asked her.
She looked at Logan. Really looked at him. Her expression softened. “Maybe if he cut his hair,” she whispered out of the corner of her mouth.
Logan laughed. “I cut several inches off of it just a few weeks ago, but I’m not going any shorter. The ladies like to pull it when . . .” He lifted his eyebrows suggestively, and Toni finally found a woman who could blush more crimson than she did when Logan teased.
“Well, I never,” the lady gasped, a hand trembling at her neck.
Logan scowled. “That’s unfortunate. You really should. Not that I’m volunteering. I’m thinking about getting a steady girlfriend.” Logan moved his gaze to Toni. “A sweet girl who gets easily embarrassed. Has brains. Mismatched socks. And big boobs.” He held his hands out two feet in front of his chest. “Really stacked.”
Toni smacked him in the arm, but her heart was smiling. She’d never expected him to consider her girlfriend material. She tucked the idea in the back of her mind. She’d get all goofy about it later when some stranger wasn’t shaking her head in disapproval.
“Did your whole congregation come to protest the concert?” Toni asked the woman.
She shook her head. “Some of ’em don’t blame the band for Jeff’s suicide, but that sweet boy changed when he started listening to Satan’s music.”
Toni’s heart rose to her throat. “I’m so sorry. Did you know Jeff well?”