Rockstar Romeo - Abbie Zanders Page 0,70

calling, so the fact that he was doing so now didn’t bode well. I steeled myself and accepted the call.

“Jesus Christ, Eva! What have you done?”

I held the phone away from my ear. I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I’d been around Ross long enough to know that he was prone to theatrics. “Ross, calm down and tell me what you’re talking about like a rational human being, or I’m going to hang up and turn off my phone.”

Silence. I counted to ten in my head.

“I don’t know if you’re batshit crazy or fucking brilliant,” Ross replied, his voice now eerily soft.

It sent a chill down my spine, and I almost wished he’d start yelling again.

I exhaled. “I’m sorry, Ross. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Are you serious? Where the fuck are you? Mars?”

“It’s a vacation, Ross. I’m allowed to unplug.”

He muttered a few curses. “I’m going to send a link to your phone. Watch it.”

The call disconnected, the screen reverting back to the picture of Brian and Tommy I had set as my background image. Within seconds, I received Ross’s direct message and clicked on the link, which turned out to be a video from a popular entertainment news site.

“And finally, tonight, a story that will undoubtedly have all the women out there sighing. Reclusive rock legend Jace Logan, voted Sexiest Rocker of the Year last year, posted this heartfelt message to some lucky lady on the Dark Wing website earlier today. The video is going viral, having already received over two million hits in the last few hours. We have a clip of it here for you ...”

I sucked in a breath when I saw Jace’s digital image appear on the screen. My heart started pounding fiercely. Just the sight of him was enough to undo all the rationalizing I’d been doing over the last week.

“To all the Dark Wing fans out there, I beg your indulgence for a minute. You see, I lost something. Something very precious to me. And I’ll do anything to get it back.” He sighed, ran his fingers through his hair, and looked directly into the camera. Directly at me.

“I love you, Angel. I’ve loved you since the first moment I saw you. You are the reason Dark Wing exists. The inspiration behind ‘Fallen Angel.’ You are my Fallen Angel. Nothing is more important to me than you are. Come back to me, Eva. Please.”

One hand grasped the phone in a death grip; the other flew up to my mouth as I sank down onto my bed.

Jace cleared his throat and continued, “I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all of the love and support you’ve given us over the years. Kurt, Dave, Chaz, and I will always be grateful for the wild ride. It’s been an absolute pleasure. But we’ve all agreed that it’s time for Dark Wing to think about what comes next. Our newest album—recently retitled Redemption—will likely be our last. Thanks, and God bless.”

Chapter 21

Dear Ida,

I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. The woman I love is out there somewhere, and I’m losing my mind. I can’t see my future without her in it and I’m desperate, so I’m reaching out to you in the hopes that she sees this.

Eva, angel, if you read this... I love you. Come back to me. Please. — Desperate Rocker

* * *

Dear Readers,

Who doesn’t love a great love story? Let’s help Desperate and make sure this goes viral, shall we?

~ * ~

Jace

The demand for Dark Wing merchandise rose dramatically in the days following the video. No less than ten of our songs were listed on the Most Downloaded lists of both major online music retailers. Venues from all over the world were calling the record company, offering top dollar to be among those selected for Dark Wing’s final farewell tour.

None of it mattered to me. While the Dark Wing website had received millions of hits and the number of posts on social media now surpassed the hundred thousand mark, my private number remained frustratingly silent.

I packed up and left New York the day after the big announcement, taking a long, lonely flight back to LA. We still needed to put the finishing touches on the new album and wrap things up. My heart wasn’t in it, but we had a contract. Plus, it was the last time we were doing this.

I’d thought the guys would be more resistant to the idea of calling it quits, but