Impossible Depths (Silver Lake series Book 2)

by McCallum, Coral

  “Thanks, boys,” said Dom, winding the interview up. “We’ll look forward to hearing you later this afternoon. Folks, this is Silver Lake’s first single, Dragon Song.”

  Shortly before six, as they stood at the side of the stage, Jake wasn’t feeling so confident. Their soundcheck had gone smoothly. Todd had done a fantastic job of preparing their guitars. They had tried out a couple of the new songs, but Jake had felt his ribs protesting as he sang with his full power. Adrenaline, plus the pain meds he had swallowed, were kicking in as he paced restlessly back and forth. The rest of Silver Lake were edgy and fidgety. Out on stage, the crew were finalising setting up. From his vantage point at the side of the stage, Jake watched Todd carefully slot a dozen picks into his mic stand. The crowd were beginning to chant “Silver Lake, Silver Lake, Silver Lake, Lake, Lake” and he could see his young protégé drinking in the atmosphere as he continued the final preparations with the rest of the crew.

  A few moments later, Maddy gave them the nod. “Show time, boys!” she declared.

  “Yes, boss,” agreed Jake, giving her a hug.

  “Get your ass out there,” she laughed as she stepped back into the shade to stand beside Lori.

  Silver Lake took to the stage to a deafening roar from the capacity crowd. With a wave to the fans, Jake and Rich launched into the intro to Dragon Song. All nerves vanished as Jake stepped up to the mic. His voice rang out across the crowd, strong and powerful, while behind him, Grey and Rich were playing back to back in front of the drum riser. After their second number, Jake paused to draw breath, then called out, “Good evening! You all still with us?”

  A huge cheer came blasting straight back at him.

  “I can’t hear you!” screamed Jake, cupping his hand to his ear. “You still with us?”

  This time the response was deafening.

  “Damn, it’s hot out here,” he declared, wiping sweat out of his eyes. “This next one is our current single. This is Out Of The Shadows!”

  As Rich began the distinct, delicate intro, the crowd went wild. Feeding from the audience’s reaction, Silver Lake put their heart and soul into the song.

  A few minutes later, Jake loped over to the side of the stage to change guitar. He grabbed his acoustic from Todd then walked slowly back to the centre of the stage, plugging himself into his radio pack and adjusting the strap as he went. His usual stool was missing from its mark. With a grin, Jake walked towards the edge of the stage and sat down.

  “Time to slow it down for a minute or two,” he announced. A stage hand appeared to move his mic stand into its lowest position. “We’ve had a rough few weeks as some of you know so this gives us a chance to catch our breath too.

  The crowd cheered wildly.

  Casually, Jake began to strum the guitar as he looked out over the vast sea of people. A familiar face near the front caught his eye, causing him to pause momentarily. It was his sister and, standing behind her was his brother, Peter. Regaining his composure, Jake said, “This is Stronger Within.”

  The fans lapped up the beautiful ballad, singing along enthusiastically to the anthemic chorus.

  Before he began his second acoustic number, Jake teased the crowd by playing a little of the French air intro from his tribute to Gary.

  “You might find that on our new record in a couple of months,” he commented with a hint of sadness in his voice, before beginning to play Lady Butterfly.

  Jake watched his young sister sing her heart out throughout the song as he played and sang. He still couldn’t believe she was actually there in the front row of the huge crowd. At the end of the acoustic interlude, he ran back to change guitars again. He stole a few seconds to shout to Maddy to get security to bring Lucy and Peter backstage once Silver Lake were done.

  After playing a familiar crowd pleasing rock classic, Jake said, “This is from our new record. This is Impossible. Be kind to us. This is new to us too!”

  Impossible was one of the longest and heaviest tracks off the record. Despite its unfamiliarity, the audience went wild and Jake and Rich watched as a group of fans started moshing in the centre of the crowd, safely out of the reach of the security personnel.

  All too soon, Jake found himself introducing Flyin’ High and bidding the crowd a fond farewell until next time.

  As the band left the stage to a thunderous cheer, Jake breathed a sigh of relief. Despite the strapping he was wearing, his shoulder was throbbing, his ribs were on fire, but he felt on top of the world. Beside him, Rich removed his sunglasses and wiped the sweat, or was it tears, from his eyes.

  “He’d have loved that set,” commented the guitarist with a sad smile.

  “I hope so,” sighed Jake, handing his guitar to Todd. “Great job, young man. Perfect.”

  “Thanks, Jake,” replied the teenager, relieved to have survived his first set as guitar technician.

  By the time the band had made their way backstage to the communal VIP hospitality area, the security guards had brought Lucy and Peter round to join them.

  “I was looking forward to seeing When The Chips Are Down,” teased Lucy as she hugged her brother.

  “We can get you back out there for them,” promised Jake. “Peter, how’re you?”

  “Great. Awesome set, young brother.”

  “Didn’t know you were still here,” commented Jake.

  “Transferred to Dover permanently. Desk job,” he explained. “Not much use for one-armed pilots.”

  “And we promised to be front row, didn’t we?” laughed Lucy, hugging both her brothers.

  “If I’d known you were there, I’d have joined you,” said Lori, joining the group.

  “You guys are crazy!” laughed Jake, lifting a bottle of water from a nearby table. “Completely insane!”

  As the penultimate act took to the stage, the Silver Lake party retired to their bus for dinner. In true over-the-top style, Maddy had arranged for a silver service seafood banquet to be laid on for the band and crew. Two long trestle tables had been set up and the catering firm were standing by to begin service. All of them were starving and were soon tucking into blue crab and lobster. Several journalists and photographers were hovering about, but Maddy soon asked for the band to be left alone to enjoy their meal.

  “Lucy,” called Jake from the far end of the table. “Did you seriously want to see When The Chips Are Down?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Peter, what about you?”

  “I’m easy. I’ve never heard of them,” confessed his older brother, almost sounding embarrassed by the admission. “I hadn’t heard of any of the folks who played last night either.”

  “Last night?” echoed Lori curiously.

  “Miss Lucy Lou here has us camping for the entire weekend,” muttered Peter.

  This revelation caused great hilarity and triggered no end of teasing, aimed directly at Lucy. Just as the joke was in danger of being carried too far, Jake intervened, “Come on then. Let’s see if we can find you a spot to watch the headliners. Lori, are you coming?”

  “I’ll wait here,” she replied, swatting at a mosquito. “You go on though.”

  “I’ll see these guys sorted then be straight back,” promised Jake, kissing her softly on the forehead.

  As he started to leave, Maddy called out, “Bus pulls out at eleven, Mr Power. Don’t get lost or be late!”

  “I’ll go with him,” said Grey, standing up and stretching. “Fancy checking them out myself.”

  On the way back to the main stage, Jake and Grey were stopped repeatedly by VIP ticket fans wanting photos and autographs. Seizing the opportunity, Lucy too photographed the guys with their fans, adding to her collection to share on the fan page. By the time they reached the side of the stage, the headliners had already started their set. Neither Jake nor Grey had seen them perform before and watched as closely as Lucy did. From the expression on Peter’s face, he wasn’t enjoying the band. After half a dozen songs, he tapped Jake on the shoulder and indicated he was g
oing back to the bus.

  “Can you stay with Lucy?” Jake asked Grey. “I’ll head back with Peter.”

  “Sure. I’ll bring her back safely,” promised Grey with a wink.

  “See you back at the bus.”

  In a few moments, Jake had caught up with his brother. They made their way slowly back to the Silver Lake camp.

  “How do you cope with all of this?” asked Peter seriously, when they were half way back and had been stopped another half a dozen times by fans.

  “What do you mean?”

  “All the attention. Performing. The travelling.”

  “It’s what I’ve spent twenty years working for,” replied Jake honestly. “Yeah, it’s tough at times, but the buzz you get out on that stage makes it all worthwhile.”

  “You were quite something out there earlier,” complimented his brother with a proud smile. “That crowd would’ve done anything you asked.”

  Jake blushed, then shrugged his shoulders before admitting, “Today was tough.”

  “Didn’t show.”

  “That’s a good thing,” agreed Jake wearily. “If that set had been any longer I’d have struggled big time. My ribs are killing me.”

  “When’s your next show?”

  “Friday night,” replied his brother. “Somewhere in upstate New York.”

  “Is it a full set?”

  Jake shook his head, “No. Another short one. Next full show is in Atlantic City on September 6th. Want to come?”

  “Would love to.”

  “I was going to call Simon and Dad too,” continued Jake hopefully. “It’s a big show for us. Thought perhaps you’d all like to be there.”

  “No idea where the old man is but I’m sure he’ll come if he can. Same for Simon.”

  “Well, I can only ask,” said Jake as they arrived back at the Silver Lake party.

  Life over the next three weeks picked up pace as the promotional work for Impossible Depths began in earnest. Now that she was back in the driving seat, Maddy was pushing Silver Lake hard and soon lined up numerous interviews and radio slots for them. The three other festival weekends that had been booked passed smoothly. Twice she managed to get them moved up the bill. Working flat out took the band’s minds off any lingering thoughts of the accident. By the start of September and, after their last outdoor show, both Jake and Rich agreed that they finally felt as though they’d returned to full fitness.

  After the final festival appearance, Jason called a band meeting at the record company offices in Philadelphia. It was the first time that Silver Lake had been back there since July. It was the final ghost they had to lay to rest. As before, they had driven up in two cars – Grey travelling with Jake and Rich, while Maddy and Paul drove up together. Walking back into the city centre building felt a little surreal, but they were soon directed to a meeting room that none of them had been in before. When Jake entered, with Grey and Rich following closely behind him, he was surprised to discover they were the first to arrive. At the conference table, Jason was sitting chatting with an older gentleman with long, snow white hair, tied in a braid that stretched down his back. As the three members of Silver Lake clattered into the room, both of them looked up.

  “Boys,” called out Jason. “Come on in. Grab a seat.”

  The three of them sat at the opposite side of the table to the Englishman and the long haired stranger.

  “Is Maddison with you?”

  “She’s on her way,” replied Grey, helping himself to a glass of juice from the pitcher on the table. “They left just after us, I think.”

  “Good. Good,” replied the Englishman. “I’d like to introduce you to Jethro Steele. Jethro, this is, from left to right, Rich Santiago, Grey Cooper and Jake Power.”

  After a round of handshaking and polite greetings, Rich cut to the chase, “No offence, Jethro, but where do you fit in?”

  Before Jason could answer, the white haired Jethro replied, “I’m here to support your manager.”

  “This should be interesting,” mused Grey softly.

  “Jason,” began Jake, his tone sharper than he had intended. “Does Maddison know about him?”

  “In a roundabout way. She knows I’ve been looking for someone to support her for the tour of the UK and Europe. I may have brought the start date forward a little here.”

  Before any of them could say anything else, the door opened, allowing Maddy and Paul to enter the room. Much to the band’s amazement, when she saw the white haired man, Maddy screamed, “Jethro!” and rushed to hug him.

  “Easy, Maddison,” he said, hugging her back.

  “Jason,” she exclaimed shrilly. “You never said it was Jethro you were talking to?”

  “Didn’t I?” replied the Englishman innocently. “Must have slipped my mind.”

  “Ok, what’s the deal here?” asked Rich, looking from Maddy to Jethro then to Jason.

  “It’s ok, boys,” said Maddy, taking a seat next to Jethro. “We’re old friends. If I have to accept help from someone, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather work with. Trust me on this.”

  “I showed Maddison here the ropes on her first world tour,” explained Jethro grinning mischievously. “She was a fast learner.”

  “And you guys work well together?” asked Rich curiously.

  “Beautifully,” declared Maddison enthusiastically.

  “Ok, then,” sighed Grey, still somewhat bemused. “Looks like Jethro here made the team. Now can we get down to business?”

  Business lasted for several hours as they laid out the plans for the run up to the album launch on October 14th and the plans for the winter tour. In addition to the sixteen European dates, Jason had tagged five US dates onto the start of the tour schedule. All five were east coast dates, but he hinted that he was trying to secure a couple of west coast shows too.

  “Jason,” began Jethro, having listened to the heavy schedule that had been laid out. “When do you expect these boys to recharge their batteries?”

  “There’s down time built in,” stated Jason bluntly.

  “Not hellish much,” countered Jethro, fingering the end of his long white braid. “By the time you factor in all the album promotional work and the fact that these boys have families, you’re stretching them pretty damn thin here.”

  “I agree,” said Maddy, scanning the list of dates again. “Can you delay the west coast shows until some point in the new year? Late January maybe?”

  “Potentially,” conceded Jason sourly.

  “If you postponed them until the new year,” began Rich, reviewing the schedule, “perhaps you could extend the run into the Midwest too?”

  “Leave it with me,” stated the Englishman calmly. “I’ll make a few calls and see what’s feasible here. Now, is everything in place for Friday?”

  “We’ve a full run through planned for Wednesday,” said Jake, running his hands through his hair nervously. “There’s press stuff set up for most of Thursday afternoon and Friday morning as I recall.”

  “Plus a VIP session on Friday afternoon,” finished off Maddy.

  “I’ll be down on Friday,” said Jason. “I’ve a few VIPs to bring along myself.”

  “Jethro,” asked Maddy hopefully. “Are you coming along?”

  “Purely to watch, Maddison,” he replied warmly. “That’s if I’m invited, boys?”

  “We’d be honoured to have you along,” said Grey theatrically.

  “Then I guess I’ll see you all in Atlantic City then,” he agreed as he got to his feet. “Maddison, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  Thunder clouds had gathered over Rehoboth as the band drove back towards town. Having dropped Grey and Rich off en route, Jake was glad to have a few minutes alone to mull over the day’s developments. Common sense told him that Maddison needed help with the management of the band; his heart wasn’t ready to see someone else fill Gary’s shoes. Seeing Maddy welcome Jethro into the fold had made it a little easier, but Jake still felt like a traitor for liking the
eccentric Jethro. As he turned the truck into the driveway, the first flash of lightning lit up the charcoal grey sky, bringing him back to reality. Torrential rain began to fall as the thunder rolled overhead.

  Dripping and soaked through from the short run round the side of the house, Jake stumbled into the kitchen through the back door. From the sunroom, he could hear Lori clattering around, muttering about the storm.

  “You ok, li’l lady?” he called as he dumped his bag on the kitchen table.

  “Two hours work ruined!” she grumbled as she came through, clutching her damp sketch book.

  “Can’t you dry it off?” asked Jake, trying not to smile at her obvious anger.

  “No I bloody can’t! The colours have all run!”

  “Come here,” suggested Jake, reaching out to wrap his arms round her. “Did you know that you’re beautiful when you’re angry?”

  “Hmph,” she growled as she succumbed to his embrace. As she felt the damp warmth of his body against her, Lori felt her anger begin to melt away. “How did the big meeting go?”

  “Interestingly,” he replied, kissing the top of her head. “I’ll tell you all about it after I’ve been for a run.”

  “A run? In that rain?”

  “Yup,” he said softly. “It’ll be good for my soul. I won’t be long.”

  Rain was still lashing down as Jake set off along the beach at a leisurely pace. Gradually, he had been building up the distance and intensity of his runs, but decided to take things easy today, not wanting to risk aggravating his ribs before the band’s Atlantic City show. Waves were crashing onto the shore beside him, causing him to dash back up the sand every few minutes as the foaming water surged towards him. Jake breathed in the fresh salty ocean air and, breath by breath, he felt all the frustrations of the day exhale away into the storm. Now that he had cooled off and got things back into perspective, he realised that Jethro was maybe what Silver Lake needed. Someone totally different to Gary; someone who knew Maddison, and, as he had already demonstrated, someone who would stand up for them. Gary would have approved of him, Jake reasoned by the time he turned towards home.