by ML Hamilton
Elena caught a glimpse of Evan as he left the stage. He tossed something to Ravensong, who held it up. A woman’s panty dangled from his fingertips. “That crowd’s wild!” chuckled Evan.
Joshua laughed and tossed the lace garment to his bodyguard, who was lounging in a chair. Elena opened her mouth to call to him, but he was already stepping out into the blinding glare of the spotlight as she reached the side of the stage. The crowd went crazy, the sound deafening. Elena gripped the metal pole and peered out. All she could see was the outline of thousands of bodies surging toward the stage.
“What has gotten into you?” snarled Julian in her ear.
Elena shot him a glare. “I have a very bad feeling,” she said. Her voice was louder than she thought because Joshua’s bodyguard sat up straighter.
“About what?”
“About that,” she said, motioning to the audience.
“That’s nothing. Wait ‘til he really kicks into his routine,” said Julian. “All I hear is the sound of cash registers.”
Elena shook her head in disgust and her gaze met Dominic’s. The huge man rose from his seat and moved toward Elena, staring out at the stage. Julian moved back a pace at his approach, clearly intimidated.
Although Elena and Dominic kept watch, the concert progressed without a hitch. Elena knew she’d get another chance to warn Joshua during Elliot’s guitar solo, but Elliot surprised them all and handed the guitar to Joshua.
At first Joshua refused, but the crowd began to chant. Dominic had relaxed his posture, but he snapped to attention at the cacophony echoing throughout the stadium. Even Julian was drawn back to the edge of the stage and looked out.
“What are they doing?”
He got no response because Joshua finally took the guitar from Elliot and started to play. Elena was transfixed. She forgot her worry, she forgot the crowd, all she saw was the man and the instrument. A moment later, Elliot picked up his second guitar and joined him. The sound of the two guitars wailing in tandem filled the stadium and the audience fell silent. The music wove throughout the vast space -- sweet, piercing...haunting. Elena felt tears start in her eyes. Then, at the same moment, both guitars fell silent. Reverberations hung in the air, echoing across the expanse of the room. Elena caught her breath.
A moment later, madness. The crowd went crazy, screaming, stomping their feet, banging on the railings. Elena felt as if she’d gone deaf. She saw Joshua lift his head, then take a step back. Motion at the edge of the stage drew her attention. Body after body crawled over the edge and bolted. Joshua tried to pull the guitar over his head, but the first body collided with him, knocking him back into the drum stand. Michael fell off the drum stool and disappeared, while Elliot struggled to remove his own guitar. More bodies slammed into Joshua and as Elena watched, the writhing mass collapsed, taking him down with them.
She screamed and started onto the stage. Dominic was a step in front of her, but someone grabbed her around the waist and held her back. Her eyes snapped up to Alec’s face. He wouldn’t let her go and a moment later they were buffeted by other security guards streaming into the melee.
Alec dragged her off the stage and then police officers closed in, forcing all of the band members and roadies toward the reception room. They were shoved inside and the door was forced closed.
Finally Alec released her and she looked around, trying to count everyone. Joshua and Elliot were missing. Her eyes came to rest on Julian, standing disheveled and wide-eyed in the middle of the room.
“I told you!” she shouted, starting for him, but the door opened.
Dominic and Elliot pushed through, dragging Joshua between them.
Elena hurried to him as they eased him onto the couch. “Get me a rag,” she ordered, seeing the blood dripping down the side of his face.
“He hit something when they pulled him down,” said Elliot.
She tilted Joshua’s head back and searched for the wound. He had a cut along his scalp on the right side. “Get an ambulance!”
“I’m all right,” he murmured.
Michael handed her a damp cloth and she tried to wipe the blood away. More dribbled down the side of his face as fast as she wiped. “You need to go to the hospital,” she said, pressing the cloth over the cut and applying pressure.
“I’m all right.”
“No, you’re not...”
“He said he’s fine,” snapped Julian behind her.
She glared at him over her shoulder. “This is all your fault.”
“This isn’t my fault and everything’s all right. The police will restore order and we’ll finish up the concert. Everything’s fine.”
“How is this fine?” she shouted. “You can’t send them back out there. I already told you that stage is too low! Look what happened!”
Julian’s expression hardened. “What the hell do you mean? They have to finish. Those people paid a lot of money to see Avalanche perform and they’re gonna get their money’s worth. I won’t have it said that we didn’t deliver on a promise.”
“You can’t send him back out there, Julian,” said Robert. He was sitting in a chair and his face had still not regained any color. “We can’t go back out there. It’s too volatile.”
“She told you that stage was too low?” said Elliot, moving closer to him.
“It’s not too low.”
“How do you explain this?” shouted Elliot, motioning at Joshua.
“He’s fine. He said so himself.”
“This is bull shit!” snarled Ralph.
Julian glanced at all of them, then fixed his gaze on Joshua. “Get up, Ravensong. You’ve got a concert to finish. A lot of people are counting on you.”
“No!” cried Elena.
“Get up or you’re fired!” shouted Julian in return. “This is our big night and I’m not about to refund any tickets. Get out there and do your job!”
Joshua forced open his eyes. He reached up, pushing Elena’s hand away. Elena thought his eyes seemed out of focus.
“No, Joshua,” she said in misery.
“I’m fine,” he answered, bracing a hand on the arm of the couch and pushing himself forward. “Help me up!”
Dominic and Elena both reached for him. They got him to his feet, but once there, he swayed against them. Elena moved in quickly to his side, but his eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped, dragging her down with him.
“Call an ambulance!” she screamed, inciting a flurry of motion all around them.
* * *
Elena stared at the tile on the floor. She could imagine pictures in the swirls of black. The plastic chair was unforgiving beneath her, but she only vaguely noticed it.
“Here,” came Elliot’s voice above her and a styrofoam cup appeared in her line of sight. She reached for the tea and held it close. He sat down beside her, cradling his own cup of coffee. “This isn’t your fault.”
She met his gaze. “If I had just warned someone...”
“You did. I heard your message. I just wish I’d checked it before we went on stage.”
She gave him a grim smile. “Have you ever seen anything like that before?”
He leaned back in his chair and sipped his drink. “Not before Joshua, but since him, yeah, it’s gotten out of control a few times. I should never have given him that guitar.”
“Maybe we both should stop blaming ourselves.” Her eyes drifted to Julian. “It’s easier to blame him.”
“Don’t get me started.”
Elena set the tea on the table beside her. “What’s taking so long?”
“I’m sure they’re doing some type of scan or something.” He leaned forward and touched her knee. “Why don’t you go back to the hotel and I’ll call you as soon as we hear something?”
“No, I wouldn’t be able to rest anyway.” She fell silent, contemplating the floor again, then she leaned closer to Elliot. “Explain something to me, please. Julian is aware that Joshua changed the band, right? I mean he understands that Joshu
a gave you a level of exposure you wouldn’t have had without his name.”
“Yeah, he knows that.”
“But yet he hates him, doesn’t he?”
Elliot nodded.
“Why?”
Elliot’s eyes drifted to Julian where he sat, typing into his blackberry. “I’m not sure I can explain it, but with Joshua, I think you feel one of two things. You either think the world of him, or you hate him. You either marvel at his talent, or you despise it. You either acknowledge his looks or you envy them. I don’t think there’s a middle ground with a man like Joshua.”
Oddly enough, Elena thought of the roadie, Alec, and his obviously jealousy where Joshua was concerned. “Does Julian really have the authority to fire him?”
Elliot gave a snort of disgust. “He can try, but he knows the rest of us would quit. He’s always trying to goad us into going on without him. I think he believes we’ve got a big enough name now without Joshua, but we all know we’d go back to being a garage band again. The public loves our music because Joshua writes it. Oh, we might collaborate once in awhile, but you’ve never seen him when he’s composing. We add a few suggestions, a riff here or there, but it’s Joshua who pulls it all together.”
“Why did Joshua think he had to go back on stage?”
Elliot sighed. “Don’t think for a moment that Julian doesn’t know Joshua’s weakness. All he had to tell him is that the fans expected a concert and Joshua owed it to them. Joshua’s never forgotten who put him in the lifestyle he’s living now. And he’s aware he stays there by the grace of those same fans.”
Elena leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. Weariness pressed down on her. She had just started to drift asleep when she heard people scramble to their feet. Her eyes snapped open and glanced to the entrance of the waiting room. The doctor had appeared in the doorway.
“He’s going to be all right,” he said and a collective sigh went around the room.
Elena rose to her feet and approached the group.
“He has a moderately severe concussion, but he wants me to release him. He’s going to need at least two full days of complete bed rest, no activities of any kind.”
“Impossible,” said Julian. “We have a concert tomorrow night.”
The doctor’s eyes whipped to Julian’s face. “Maybe you didn’t hear me. I said he has a concussion.”
“I also heard you say he was going to be fine. Look, we’re running a business here.”
“You son of a bitch...” began Elliot.
The doctor crossed his arms. “Let me put this a little more clearly. If I don’t have a guarantee that he isn’t going to do anything but sleep for the next two days, I won’t release him. Is that clear?”
Julian was still watching Elliot.
Elena spoke before she realized what she was doing. “We’ll cancel the concert tomorrow night, and I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything for the next three or four days. After tomorrow night’s concert, we have a three day break and then a day of travel.”
Julian started to open his mouth, but Elena glared at him. The doctor’s eyes passed between them, then he nodded. “I’ll release him to your care,” he told Elena. With another look at Julian, he left the room.
“You had no right!” said Julian, rounding on her.
Elena faced him. “Do you want to tell that to a lawyer? I warned you that the stage was too low, but you didn’t listen. I’m sure the event planner at the stadium would be happy to corroborate my position so he can avoid a lawsuit himself. How far do you really want to take this? A negligence lawsuit filed by one of your own employees has got to be negative publicity, wouldn’t you think?”
Julian’s eyes widened, then circled around the group. Elena didn’t think he found much sympathy there. With a mumbled curse, he turned on his heel and stormed from the room.
* * *
Elliot closed the inner door to Joshua’s suite. “He’s resting peacefully now. The doctor gave him something to ease the pain.”
Elena exhaled.
“Go get some sleep. I’ll take the couch here in case he needs something.”
Elena eyed the uncomfortable sofa. “Why don’t I take the couch tonight? You get some rest and then you’re welcome to it tomorrow night.”
Elliot was also eyeing the length of it. “I’ll take you up on that. I’ll be by in the morning to give you a break.”
“Sounds good,” said Elena, walking him to the door.
He held up his cell phone. “Call if you need anything. I have it turned on now.” He gave her a sheepish grin.
She returned it. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”
He nodded, then stepped into the hallway. Elena shut and bolted the door.
Striding to the inner room, she slipped inside and shut the door behind her. Joshua lay in the bed on his back, one arm pressed over his eyes. Without stopping to think of the choice she was making, Elena slipped off her clothes, then climbed under the covers next to him.
He gave a grunt and moved his arm as she pressed her body the length of his. “Pity I have such a headache or I’d show you how happy I am to see you,” he murmured.
Elena placed her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. “Shh,” she whispered in his ear, “enjoy it while it lasts. Tomorrow night you get Elliot.”
“Mmm,” he grumbled, “that won’t be nearly as much fun.”
* * *
Elliot opened the door to Elena. He had dark circles under his eyes and he was rubbing his neck. He gave her a critical stare. “You look as bad as I feel,” he said with a grimace.
“Thanks,” she answered, moving into the suite. “You try canceling a concert with Julian breathing over your shoulder. By the way, you’re performing here again at the end of the tour.”
“Before or after we tour Europe?”
“Before. Europe is on hold until we see how Joshua recovers.”
Elliot’s brows rose. “How did you get Julian to agree to that?”
“I didn’t. I just told him that was how it was going to be.” Her eyes drifted to the inner door. “How is he today?”
“He slept through the night. Can’t get him to eat much, but I guess I wouldn’t be hungry if my head was pounding like a drum.”
“How did you sleep?”
Elliot rubbed the back of his neck again. “You’re right. That couch isn’t made for a full-grown man.”
Elena smiled. “Well, I think he’ll be all right by himself tonight, don’t you?”
Elliot shrugged. “If nothing’s gone wrong by now, I think he’s probably out of danger. Besides, he can call one of us if he needs us.”
“Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll see if I can get him to eat something.”
“You got it.” He gave Elena a mischievous smile. “If you hide out in here, Julian will probably leave you alone. I think this is the last room Julian would come to if he wanted to find you.”
Elena laughed. “You’re probably right.”
After Elliot left, Elena went to the inner door and knocked.
“Come in.”
Elena pushed open the door and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness inside. She could make out Joshua’s silhouette sitting on the edge of the bed. She crossed to his side. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to get a shower,” he said, squinting up at her. “Once the room stops spinning.”
“Don’t you think that’s pushing it.”
“I need a shower, Elena,” he answered in annoyance.
“Okay, don’t get angry.”
He braced his head with his hand. “I’m sorry. My damn head just hurts so much.”
“Have you taken the medication the doctor gave you?”
“I’m trying not to,” he answered.
Elena left it alone. She guessed she understood why he would avoid it. “Let me help you.”
He allowed her to steady him as he climbed to his feet, then they carefully made their way t
o the bathroom. He sank down on the toilet, while she adjusted the water temperature and laid out a towel for him.
“Are you sure about this?” she asked.
He nodded.
“I’ll be just outside if you need me.”
“Thanks.”
She slipped from the room and left the door ajar. Taking a seat in one of the chairs, she picked up the newspaper that lay on the table. Flipping to the entertainment section, she searched for any articles about the band. There on the second page was a photograph of Ravensong, microphone in hand, standing on stage with the audience all around him. Elena settled into the chair and read the brief article. The reporter had interviewed Alec of all people. Alec had stated that he was more than willing to step in for Ravensong should he be unable to continue. Elena chuckled. Poor Alec, always orbiting in someone else’s star.
The only other interview was Julian, himself. Elena’s jaw clenched. The way Julian played up Joshua’s injury, the public would have to wonder if he’d have permanent brain damage. Slamming the paper down on the table, Elena looked away in disgust. That crocodile was willing to use anything to his advantage.
When Joshua emerged from the bathroom, he looked pale and his forehead was furrowed. Elena climbed out of the chair and helped him to the bed, where he lay back, his damp hair spreading across the pillow.
“Are you all right?”
“Fine,” he murmured.
She started to pull away, but he caught her hand, drawing her down toward him. “Don’t go.” His hand slid up to her face and buried in her hair. “Why don’t you make me forget how badly my head hurts?”
She smiled and crossed her hands on his chest. “I don’t think you’re up for that yet.”
“If you do all the work...”
She laughed. “I thought we agreed to avoid this very thing.”
He gave her a severe look. “How successful have we been?”
“Not very,” she admitted.
“How successful do you really want to be?”
“Not very,” she repeated.