With genuine sincerity in my voice, I looked at Brenda and said, “I heard Drezden sing.”
- Chapter Nineteen -
Drezden
The venue, a bar known as Belly Up, was surrounded by eager fans. I could see them all from the window of the bus. Though I was sure they couldn't see me, it was clear many of them were trying.
“You want to head out there?”
It was Colt who'd spoke. I didn't spare him a glance. “I want Brenda to answer her damn phone is what I want.”
Crouching low, the drummer's ear-gauge swung in my face; it no longer sported a bandage from the bar fight with Johnny. “She isn't answering for a reason.”
“No shit,” I mumbled. “It's the 'reason' that worries me.”
“You try to call Lola?”
My fingers traced the hard lump of my cell phone in my pocket. Three fucking times. I called her over and over, she didn't pick up once. “Yes."
Colt tapped his nails to an unheard rhythm. For some time it was the only noise; that, and the muffled roar of the crowd outside. “Listen,” he started, speaking more to the window than me, “You can't sit here worrying. They're fine, just running late. Brenda was pissed at you earlier, right? I bet she isn't picking up because of that.”
I considered him thoughtfully. “And Lola? What's her reason?”
“I—look, Drez.” He sighed heavily. “I don't know. Maybe she's just busy, or maybe Brenda won't let her answer. That's possible, yeah?”
Leaning away from the window, my tiny frown grew. Could Brenda do that? This morning, Brenda had made it clear she wanted us to pretend that Lola and I hadn't hooked up. I'd told her I wouldn't. If I knew anything about Brenda, it was that she was stubborn as me.
Fuck. Is she trying to force a wedge between us? Colt might be right about this.
I noticed he was grinning triumphantly, like he'd read my face and realized I agreed with him. Standing with a groan, I said, “Since our attentive manager isn't here with those groceries, want to go find something to eat before sound check?”
“Hell yeah!” Laughing openly, Colt stood and cracked his back. “Hey, Porter!” The bassist craned his head out from his room. “Come on, let's go get some grub. I'm starving.”
As a group, we stepped out of the bus. The wave of screams welcomed us to the world, security holding back the throngs of attendees with quickly constructed barriers. Girls thrust signs in the air, each proclaiming their love for the band, or for me, specifically.
Porter and Colt were more generous with their returned smiles than I was. Even under the energy of our adoring fans, my mind was stuck on where Lola could be. Not knowing was poison in my blood. It gnawed deep and there was no antidote.
Rounding the corner, we vanished behind the building. Trailers and food trucks filled the parking lot; enticing, greasy smells softened my worries. A hamburger won't make me think about Lola any less. That didn't stop me from grabbing one from a cart.
Digging into my back pocket for my wallet, I tried to yank it free in between bites of food. A hand, coming down hard on my shoulder, froze me. “Here, I'll get that for you,” Sean said.
Lola's brother.
“There.” He tossed a five-dollar bill at the vendor while wearing a huge smile. “That should cover it.”
I had a strong feeling that he was putting on an act, and I trusted my instincts more than I trusted him. Pushing backwards, not hiding my suspicion, I glared at the guitarist. Sean was shorter than me, but not by much. “I don't need your charity.” Hamburger juice dripped down my wrist; I ignored it.
His smile wavered. “No shit. It's called being nice. Familiar with it?”
In my peripheral vision, Colt and Porter appeared. Likewise, the vaguely familiar members of Barbed Fire moved in behind Sean. I didn't know them well, but in the rising static tension, I noted the size of the long-haired blonde on the left. The drummer, if I'm right. My eyes moved slowly the other way. And that skinny-fuck there must be the singer.
“So you're being nice to me,” I said, not tempering my distaste. “Why, what do you want?” There's no way he doesn't know about what happened last night. Was Sean the kind of brother that would think I'd corrupted his sister, taken advantage of her or some shit?