What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 3)

by Lauren Hawkeye

  And tomorrow he was coming home.

  But right now, Dee was hovering inside the front door of my apartment, jumping from foot to foot like an impatient child.

  “Zoe, if you don’t hurry up, I’m going to drag you out to the taxi over my shoulder caveman style,” he exclaimed. “The meter’s running.”

  “Bloody hell,” I cried, scooping up my keys and sunnies. “You’re such a tight ass, Scrooge.”

  We were off to the radio station, Absolute, for an interview. They’d picked up our record as album of the week, which meant they were playing all the songs from it at least five times a day. Massive exposure. We’d even been in the week before and recorded little sound bites explaining the meaning behind each track that they played before each went to air.

  The station was located just outside the CBD in Melbourne, so we decided to get a taxi straight there and that way we didn’t have to worry about parking the rusted heap of junk Dee liked to call a car.

  Hurrying me along, he bundled me into the taxi and he was way too amped for a little radio interview.

  “What’s going on?” I asked as the driver puled out into traffic.

  “We’re gunna be late,” he said.

  “Since when do you care about being on time?”

  “I’ve always cared about being on time.”

  “Dylan, I’ve known you since you were twelve and you’ve never cared about punctuality.”

  “Damn it Zoe,” he exclaimed. “Don’t call me that. Now you’ve ruined my mystique with the taxi driver.”

  “I don’t think he cares,” I said, catching the driver’s eye in the mirror and he only shook his head with a small chuckle. “See?”

  “You’re going to the airport tomorrow?” he asked, blatantly changing the subject.

  “Yes, of course,” I scoffed. “I can’t wait another day.”

  “Blergh,” Dee pretended to throw up. “I was gunna offer to come with, but if you’re gunna be all Suckey McSuck Face, then I’ll stay home.”

  “Don’t be such a child.” I laughed at his reaction, knowing he was just being dramatic.

  “I love you, Zo,” he said with a wicked grin.

  Scowling playfully at him I said, “I know you’re playing games with me, Dee, and I’ll let it slide this time. But, if you’re playing some kind of prank, know that I have a mean right hook.”

  “Oh man,” he groaned, throwing his head against the seat back. “I really don’t think my mystique can take a black eye from a girl.”

  I burst out laughing and even the taxi driver stifled one of his own.

  We were dropped outside the front door of the building where Absolute had its offices and studios and when we exited the elevator, we were greeted by a representative, who guided us through the security entrance into the office space.

  When we walked past the reception area, Frank was waiting along with Simone and Chris, who’d become inseparable since they’d gotten together on the tour. They looked perfect together and were beyond happy. Everything had worked out in the end and I hoped it would stay that way. I couldn’t think of two more deserving people than those guys.

  Dee guided me through the office, trailing behind the lady who’d greeted us at the door. I hadn’t been on this side of the radio station before, and it was all very laid back with bright graffiti art spray painted on the walls, posters everywhere and all the staff were in casual clothes. Toward the back of the floor were the studios, wall to celling soundproof glass pimped out with all kinds of sound equipment and street art plastered all over the walls.

  When we approached the studio right at the back, the red light was on over the door, signaling that they were currently on air, but when I saw who was sitting behind the mic, headphones on his head, guitar in hand, I almost had a heart attack.

  “What the hell, Dee!” I slapped him on the arm and he jumped back with a laugh.

  “You know me, Zo. Always meddling.”

  “Always devising little stratagems.” I rolled my eyes.

  Turning back to the studio I shook my head in disbelief as the one and only Will Strickland winked and made a kissy face at me. Pete sat next to him and with a sly smile, gave me a small wave. They weren’t meant to be back until tomorrow.

  “They got back last night,” Dee said in my ear.

  “And what’s going on?” I asked, gesturing to the studio. “I thought…”

  “Shoosh, Hot Legs. They’re back on.”

  We couldn’t hear them through the glass, but a speaker was positioned outside, amplifying to the entire office what was currently being broadcast. The announcer, I realized, was Hugo, the guy who’d interviewed me and Frank all that time ago on the day we found out that we were touring with The Stabs.

  “You’re listening to Absolute and that track you heard right there was Luck Now from a band out of Melbourne called Big Scary. Hey. I’m Hugo taking you right through to five. We’ve got a special surprise for you right now. I know you were all expecting the guys from The Devil’s Tattoo in for a chat, but we’ve been hijacked by a couple of guys you might know from a band called The Stabs. Will and Pete, how are you guys going?”

  “Great, thanks Hugo,” Will replied, eyeing me through the glass.

  “So you guys have come in this arvo and just wormed your way into the studio. But I understand you’ve got something special lined up for our listeners? Care to explain?”

  “Well, we just got back from our tour in Europe. Last night, in fact, and we have this song we’d like to play,” Pete said, amusement in his voice.

  “A new song?”

  “This one is actually a collaboration,” Will replied. “I helped a beautiful, tattooed, rock goddess write this one night on our last Australian tour.”

  “You’re not talking about Zoe from The Devil’s Tattoo are you?” Hugo asked with a laugh. “Because she’s standing right outside this studio looking at you like you’re mad.”

  “The one and only.”

  “Well, I’m dying to hear it now. What’s the story behind it?”

  “Well, we didn’t get off to the greatest start. So, one night I managed to corner her and convince her to let me help with a song she was writing. And it was the first time I knew I wanted her forever. I mean, I knew I wanted her the first moment I laid eyes on her, but that was the first time I wanted it to be forever. I hope she doesn’t mind, but I made up a couple of words.”

  “Ohhh, a love story in the making.” Hugo laughed, looking out at me with a wink.

  Grimacing, I shrugged.

  “We’d like to play it for you today and I’d especially like to play it for Zoe.”

  I recognized the song immediately, after all it had been rolling around my head for days before we wrote it out that night. With the two acoustic guitars, it was more haunting that I remembered. At some point he must have worked further on it. As they played through the intro, I picked out a few progressions that weren’t there before. But, when Will started singing, my breath caught in my throat and I swore my heart stopped beating.

  See the color in your eyes, I’m strung out no place to go now

  Light bared on a grey soul

  Soul lights of night, A specter came stole my breath

  Don’t worry, I’ll find you, I’ve never been gone

  See that I’m losing my heart, It’s never seen the likes of you

  My soul struck confession

  Bright lights of night, That burn into my soul

  Don’t worry, I’ll find you, I’ve never been gone

  Just a ghost in a crowd

  Look and see her eyes, they glow

  It’s a hard mountain to climb

  But the view from here is Undeniable

  See me and you’ll feel the same, And we’ll stay here forever

  No matter where I’ve been

  Dim lights of life, that burn a length of years

  Don’t worry, I’ll find you, I’ve never been gone

  Just a ghost in a crowd
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  Look and see her eyes, they glow

  It’s a hard mountain to climb

  But the view from here is Undeniable

  Don’t worry, I’ll find you, I’ve never been gone

  The view from here is Undeniable

  Undeniable

  As soon as the song finished, Will ripped off his headphones and pushed his guitar into Pete’s surprised grasp. I was too stunned to move as he pushed through the studio door and swept me up into his arms, spinning me around, planting a kiss right on my lips in front of everyone.

  “I love you Will Strickland.”

  His face split into a wide grin. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  I smiled in return and couldn’t help it in the slightest when I said breathlessly, “It’s undeniable.”

  About the Author

  Hey there. My name is Nicole R. Taylor (the R stands for radical…not really, but I’ll never tell) and I write books and stuff.

  I dream impossible dreams and live impossible fantasies. Sometimes I live out of a suitcase in far away lands. Sometimes I just like staying in.

  I write about vampires with complexes, rock stars looking for epic love, insane witches, super heroes, post-apocalyptic warriors, soul baring music lovers and samurai sword wielding women…all from a desk in a country town in southern Australia.

  Catch Nicole on the Internet:

  Website:

  http://www.nicolertaylorwrites.com

  Twitter:

  http://www.twitter.com/nicole_noir

  Facebook:

  http://www.facebook.com/nrtaylorwrites

  Newsletter:

  http://eepurl.com/yolGP

  Nicole R. Taylor is the author of:

  The Devil’s Tattoo: (Contemporary Romance)

  The Devil’s Tattoo (#1)

  The Fire Walker (#2)

  The Panic Switch (#3) Coming Soon

  The Witch Hunter Saga: (Urban Fantasy)

  The Witch Hunter (#1) FREE to download

  The Return (#2)

  The Shadow’s Son (#3)

  The Awakening (#4)

  Young Blood (A Novella)

  London Vampires: (Paranormal Romance)

  The Unhallowed (#1) Late 2014

  AND

  What Remains (Post-Apocalyptic stand alone)

  Also writing Erotic Romance as AMITY CROSS

  The Unexpected series:

  Unexpected (#1) FREE to download

  Unexplainable (#2)

  Unintended (#3)

  Undeniable (#4)

  Unbearable (#5)

  Unstoppable (#6)

  Website:

  http://www.amitycrosswrites.com/

  Twitter:

  https://twitter.com/amitycross

  Facebook:

  https://www.facebook.com/theamitycross

  Sons of Mayhem

  The First Novel

  Nikki Pink

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  SONS OF MAYHEM: THE FIRST NOVEL

  Second edition. May 15, 2014

  Copyright © 2014 Nikki Pink.

  Written by Nikki Pink.

  Author’s Note

  Mailing List and Facebook

  I release all my books at a discount for the first 3 days. If you’d like to receive an email letting you know the moment a new book is released so you can take advantage of the reduced price, please join my mailing list here.

  Don’t worry, I only send out 1-2 emails per month.

  Please join my new release and announcements mailing list at: www.nikkipinkwriter.com/mailing-list

  I’m also on Facebook. Come find me at www.facebook.com/nikkipinkwriter <== My Facebook page has more frequent pictures, teasers, giveaways and news.

  Chapter One

  I was awoken by the sound of helicopters, sirens and shouts outside my dorm room window. With fists rubbing my bleary eyes and adrenaline pumping through my veins I hopped out of bed and went over to the window to see what was causing the mayhem.

  Peering down to the road outside I saw there weren’t actually any helicopters after all. But there were about a dozen deafening motorcycles and two campus police cars. I could see the cops yelling incoherently, but they were like mime artists completely drowned out by the roars of the massive motorcycles. The bikers appeared to be laughing at the wild gesticulations of the campus police.

  I watched on in bemusement as a girl in a tiny pair of shorts hopped off the back of a motorcycle. She pressed her face up against the face of the bearded rider, who nonchalantly slipped a hand under her shirt and appeared to give one of her breasts a squeeze.

  The blond haired girl placed a hand on his crotch, returning the squeeze, before heading towards the dorm. As she turned my way I sucked in air in a gasp and then chuckled. It was Lucy. My roommate. My wild you’ll-never-guess-what-she-got-up-to-last-night roommate.

  The lead biker stuck a gloved fist in the air and then made a circling motion with an extended finger. A moment later the bikes roared away from the building leaving the two campus rent-a-cops spluttering in impotent rage.

  I pulled on my favorite gray sweat pants and sat on our small sofa while I waited for Lucy to make her way up to the second floor.

  A minute later I heard her key jabbing at the door. One, two, three times I heard her stab at the lock before she finally got the key home. The door burst open and a moment later the beautiful yet disheveled Lucy burst in.

  I wrinkled my nose as she stumbled in and collapsed onto the couch. She smelled almost like a frat party; the only difference being she smelled of cheap whisky instead of cheap beer. She dropped her head onto my lap.

  “I just had the best night. You would not believe it.”

  I looked down at her formerly made up face. Now mascara was smeared around her eyes, her lipstick was almost completely gone and I could see the yellowish hints of bruises on her shoulders peeking out from her too tight t-shirt. “What the hell Lucy?” If that’s what you look like after a good night, I’d hate to see you after a bad one.

  “I was with the Sons of Mayhem. It was un-fucking-believable.” Her eyes were closed now and I could tell she was about to pass out. I wanted to get her onto her bed before she did. But more than that, I wanted to hear just what in the hell she’d gotten up to last night.

  This semester I’d found myself in a rut. Every day was the same ole’ same ole’. Even my boyfriend was boring. More and more I’d found myself living vicariously through Lucy, jealous of not just the fun she had, but the fact that she actually seemed to be living life, not just floating on through it.

  “I thought you went out with Jamie last night?” I said.

  “Oh him? Yeah. Was that only last night? Well he’s a loser. We broke up. Then I met the Sons… actually they just dropped me off.”

  “Yeah. I heard them.”

  “Oh you could hear them up here?” Lucy sounded surprised. Or maybe it was fake surprised. Or maybe she was just too drunk to make any sense.

  “Of course I heard them! You could hear them two counties away. You had the donut patrol’s sirens going too. You made a pretty big scene, you know.”

  She giggled, her head shaking up and down on my lap as she did so. “Did you see them? They’re cool aren’t they?”

  “I saw one of them molesting you out the window.” I thought back to seeing the biker slip his hand up her shirt, in front of the gang and the campus cops. I shivered slightly. I kind of wished it had been me. It’d been too long since someone had made me feel attractive. Not that I wanted to be groped in front of an audience, but still, to be grabbed by someone who found me attractive. That’d be something.

  Lucy giggled again. She seemed to find me hilarious. Probably because she was still drunk. “If that’s being molested then molest me every damn day.” She slapped her thigh and shrieked as if she thought it was the funniest thing in the world. It was kind of funny though. I let out a little laug
h too.

  “So are you, like, dating that guy who grabbed your tit? Or what?” I was intensely curious now as to what exactly her relationship was with these guys.

  “What, Brodie? Oh no. He just gave me a ride back. I was partying with a couple of the other guys last night.” My head spun. What had she gotten up to last night?

  “So are you like… y’know…” I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to ask next.

  “Y’know what?” Her eyes were beginning to flicker again. I could see she was fading.

  “Are you like joining their gang or something?”

  Her eyes opened wide again. Apparently I’d said something ridiculous. “Joining their gang? I’m a girl, doofus.”

  “So what?” I asked, truthfully. I knew nothing about them. In fact, peering out of our second floor dorm window as they dropped Lucy off was the closest I’d ever been to a motorcycle gang.

  Her tone was more serious now. It was the most focused I’d seen her that morning. “Only guys can join the actual club. But, there are two kinds of female club associates.” Associates? That’s a big word for a drunk girl at 6am, “There’s party chicks, and old ladies.”

  “Party chicks and old ladies? Please tell me you’re not an old lady.” I laughed, causing Lucy to grin too.

  “Ha ha. Anyway, I could be. I mean, I couldn’t, but I could be. If you see what I mean.”

  “Nope.” She probably thought she was making sense.

  “I mean, an old lady is like a serious girlfriend, or a wife. It means you belong to just one guy. I’m going to be a party chick though. As soon as I’m inis—” She stumbled on her words, “inishishiated. Initiated. I mean. As soon as I’m inished. Initiated.”

  “Uhhuh.” I nodded. “So what’s that? What’s a party chick?” I was intrigued now.

  “A party chick means you can like…” she thought for a second, “party with them. Like, hang out with them in their clubhouse and, you know, party.”