by Cari Quinn
Jules swallowed down a lump. “I won’t let you guys down.”
Elle rushed forward to embrace her. “You couldn’t.”
Jules swung her bass around her back. “I’m scared, guys. But I think it’s the good kind of scared. The kind that makes me want to kick ass.”
“That’s what I’m talking about.” Molly hugged Jules tight. “Now we’re going to show them all how it’s done.” She twirled away in a flurry of brightly colored skirts and ran out with a wave. “I hear we’ve got some love in the house tonight,” she yelled into the microphone.
Elle huffed out a breath and checked her pack on her strap one more time. “Need a minute?”
Jules nodded. “Just one. I’ll be right behind you.”
Elle dashed away a tear with a laugh. “You better.” She followed Molly out to her side of the stage. The crowd was screaming at a decibel usually reserved for the encore. But Jules was glad because it truly gave her a second to collect herself.
She blew out a slow breath and caught Tristan’s gaze. He curled his arm around their son, his fingers in the rock on devil’s horns, then he flicked out his thumb to change it to I love you.
She mouthed I love you to him and then up to the starlight-strewn arena ceiling for Randy before she ran out on stage. In the middle of the chaos of the left hand side of the arena was a bouncing Lauren, who climbed over the railing in her section then dove into the freaking hamster ball with West.
They were in a puppy pile of hugs and kisses as they rolled around the general admission crowd.
These were her people and God, she loved them so.
Jules stepped up to her microphone. “I’m thinking she said yes?”
Lauren stuck her hand out from the side of the ball and waved her left hand. The audience went apeshit.
“Are we going to start this show or what?”
The booming voice came from Mal, which made Jules twirl around with a surprised laugh considering he barely spoke into his mic. Actually, she was pretty sure he had it turned off most of the time.
“I was just about to ask the same question.” Molly dragged her mic stand with her flowing scarves to the center of the stage. “Could you kindly give us our keyboard player back?” she asked the crowd.
Ryan scrambled up to West’s station. “I’ll cover for you, bro!” He lifted his arms over his head and cracked his knuckles. “Now how does a piano work?”
The crowd laughed, then cheered as Ryan raced down the keys with a deft hand.
Molly rolled her eyes. “Showoff.”
Ryan beamed. Their jack-of-all-trades could play any instrument they put in front of him. Kind of like Jules once upon a time. But now her baby was the bass. She curled her fingers around the fret and the muscle memory made her jangling nerves calm.
This was her life. She’d bounced around instruments trying to find her true fit, but in the end it was the heartbeat she’d connected to most.
For the first time in her life she’d been important. Not just a pretty girl at a party or the wild child aching for attention. No, she’d faded to the back and finally became exactly what she was meant to be.
Molly and Luc were the voice.
Elle was the heart.
Ryan and West were the fun.
Michael was their support system in ways even he didn’t understand.
Malachi was their strength. He’d hate the label, but he’d become one of the bedrocks of the band.
A she was the heartbeat.
She’d never allowed herself to be important to anyone because that was the road to pain. And God, had she been proven correct on that score, but it didn’t mean she had to stop living.
Jules tipped her head back and the wash of lights on the ceiling of the arena blurred before becoming crystal clear.
Sparks had given her the best parts of him and now she could do the same for her band.
Jules thumbed the opening cords to “Break Me Down”
The song was about recovering from loss and coming back stronger for it.
Molly and Elle both swung around to her with huge smiles. Elle jumped right into the song and Michael raced after her with his layered rhythm.
Molly grasped her mic and curled her finger at Luc. “Shall we?”
Luc tugged his hair back down and met her at the mic, their lips only inches apart as the song boomed through the crowd.
It was a slow build, just as they were as a band, but in the end it was thunder.
West finally made it to the stage by the third song and they were off like a shot. There was no stopping them from there. Ryan rolled through his trunk of toys to add comedic relief to the heavier songs. When he sat cross-legged in front of Mal’s drum riser with a ukulele during “Dangerous” there was simply no hope for a serious show.
Instead of ignoring him, Elle raced back to do a guitar duel with him and his tiny guitar. Then she roared with laughter as Ryan played the lower part of her double necked guitar.
Mal stood up and tossed a water bottle at him.
Ryan ran around the stage to hide behind Luc, then he stole Michael’s backup guitar and went heavy in on the guitar solos with Elle and Michael. By the time they got to the halfway mark of the show Jules realized she hadn’t thought about anything but the joy of playing. Even at the one off shows they’d done since they’d lost Randy, the anxiety always burned under the fun.
Tonight had been pure joy.
Molly waved to someone on the sidelines and suddenly a ridiculous pink couch came out on a riser. “We have a little something special for you tonight. As most of you know, we’ve had a rather tumultuous year. And we never thought part of that would include starting a new tour with Brooklyn Dawn. I’m a prideful bitch and part of me was like, fuck no. We headline on our own.”
The crowd shouted out some boos and some cheers.
“Now, now. Settle down. It’s only because I’m jealous as fuck of this woman. How the hell am I supposed to co-headline with Lindsey-fucking-York?”
The arena lost their minds as Lindsey came out from the side of the stage.
Molly smiled at Lindsey. “Well, you do it by asking one of your heroes to come out on stage with you and sing a song.”
“Hey, girl.” Lindsey curled into the couch. She didn’t have her stage clothes on yet, but she did have sparkly yoga pants on and a Warning Sign baby doll T-shirt. Her blond hair was done up with wild curls that matched Molly’s in volume if not color. Lindsey’s was more of an ethereal pale blond with baby blue ends. “Who’s a fan of who?” Lindsey cut her fingers under her boobs where their logo was stretched.
Molly mirrored her curled position on the other side of the couch as she dragged the microphone arm down between them on the couch. “Now, I usually play this song with my man.” She waved at Luc. “But when I found out it was one of Lindsey’s favorite songs too, I had to ask her to sing with me.”
Lindsey leaned into the mic. “Ozzy rules, but Lita rocks.”
Jules moved up to the front of the stage. She usually hung near the back with Michael, but she needed to be front and center for this. Elle came over with her double-neck back on and handed her backup to Jules. “We need all the layers we can get for this one, girl.”
Jules swallowed and swapped out her bass when her tech scrambled out. “Are you sure?”
“Girl, this is going to be epic.”
“Girl-fucking-power tonight, people.” Luc moved over to where Michael was and propped his arm on his shoulder. “Is there anything hotter?”
“No, sir.” Michael folded his arms across his broad chest.
Elle nodded at Jules and they both started the opening cords to the achingly perfect song. The cell phone lights blazed through the night and there wasn’t a single murmur in the crowd. The ultimate respect as Molly and Lindsey sang “Close My Eyes Forever”.
The night belonged to two strong women with voices that soared and echoed around the sold out arena.
Jules wasn’t sure how she’d
landed here, but she was damn proud of what her band had accomplished. And as the guitar solo drove it all home, the arena was on their feet with more screams than even these two women could sing over. Lindsey laughed and clapped, waiting for the fervor to come down to a manageable level.
Then she and Molly killed it.
As the last tones soared out, Jules and Elle echoed them with the final chords of the song.
Luc pulled the microphone stand back for Lindsey and helped her off the couch. “Can I have my girl back now?”
Lindsey laughed and grabbed the mic. “Not sure you’re going to be allowed to sing that song again. I think we owned that shit.”
Luc leaned down. “Yeah, you did.” Luc faced the crowd. “Now that these women have firmly handed me my balls, how about we rock this shit?”
Lindsey laughed and waved as she ran backstage.
The band tore through the rest of the set and Jules was breathless as they finally reached the end of the show. Tristan was waiting for her in the wings as the band tumbled off the stage with laughter and slaps. Only the encore was left.
Jules rushed to Tristan. “Where’s—”
He cut her off with a hard, fast kiss as he hauled her up against him. She didn’t even hesitate, just kissed him back for all she was worth. When he finally let her free, she laughed. “Well, all righty then.”
Tristan’s eyes were bright with lust. “I’ve never seen anything so fucking hot before.”
Jules pushed her sweaty hair out of her face. “Yeah? I don’t think we’ve ever been more on in the entirety of our careers.”
“And it shows.”
She hugged him, locking her arms around his hips. “Where’s our boy?”
“Bess has him. He conked out in the middle of the show, but I didn’t want to miss the end.”
“Aww. Thank you for bringing him. And for being here even when I asked you not to be.”
He shrugged. “I figure I can get away with a little selective hearing for a little while longer.”
“Uh huh.”
The roar of the crowd begging for more couldn’t be denied. “I gotta go back to work. Be here when I’m done?”
“Every fucking time, babe.”
She laughed and chased her band back onto the stage. It was so good to be back.
And this time, it was forever.
Thanks for reading FINDING FOREVER. Join us for our new rockstar series with Lindsey York, lead singer for Brooklyn Dawn, and Alex Nash as they navigate the choppy waters of fame and love.
One-click PLAY DIRTY, Made in Oblivion Book 1.
He makes people into stars. She already is one...and she burns far too brightly for him to touch. Not when every relationship he has turns to ash. Preorder PLAY DIRTY, Made in Oblivion book one, available December 12, 2018.
One-click PLAY DIRTY now!
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Oblivion World Character Chart
Beware...spoilers aplenty in this character chart. Read at your own risk!
Nick Crandall: Oblivion lead guitarist
Twin brother to Elle/Ricki, married to Lila Shawcross, daughters Charlie and Avery, co-founder of Oblivion
Simon Kagan: Oblivion lead singer
Brother to Ian Kagan, married to Margo Reece, co-founder of Oblivion
Deacon McCoy: Oblivion’s bass guitarist
Married to Harper Pruitt, daughter Alexa Grace, co-founder of Oblivion
William ‘Snake’ Scotsman*: Oblivion ex-drummer
Son Axl with Chloe Adams, co-founder of Oblivion
Jazz Edwards: Oblivion drummer
Sister Molly McIntire, married to Gray Duffy, son Dylan Edward and daughter Briana
Gray Duffy: Oblivion rhythm guitarist
Married to Jazz Edwards, son Dylan Edward and daughter Briana
Margo Reece: Oblivion violinist
Sister Juliet Reece, married to Simon Kagan
Lila Shawcross: Ripper Records executive and Oblivion’s manager
Married to Nick Crandall, daughters Charlie and Avery, stepmother to Michael and Malachi Shawcross
Donovan Lewis: Ripper Records CEO
Chloe Adams: Waitress
Married to Michael Shawcross, son Axl (Bio-father Snake Scotsman) and daughter Hope
Michael Shawcross: Warning Sign guitarist
Brother Malachi Shawcross, married to Chloe Adams, daughter Hope
Juliet Reece: Warning Sign bass guitarist
Sister Margo Reece, in a relationship with Randy Pruitt* and Tristan Eves, son Joshua Randall
Randy Pruitt*: Warning Sign roadie/lighting tech
Sister Harper Pruitt, in a relationship with Juliet Reece and Tristan Eves, son Joshua Randall
Tristan Eves: Head chef at The Hollow
In a relationship with Juliet Reece & Randy Pruitt*, son Joshua Randal, best friends with Hunter Jordan from Hammered
West Reynolds: Warning Sign keyboardist
In a relationship with Lauren Bryant, daughter Chloe (isn’t in her life)
Lauren ‘Lo’ Bryant: Author
In a relationship with West Reynolds, best friends with Ethan Haywood
Denver Casey (nee: Casey Lewis): Tour bus driver for Rebel Rage and Warning Sign
Donovan Lewis’s niece, married to Ryan Waters
Ryan Waters: Warning Sign jack-of-all-trades
Married to Denver Casey
Ethan Haywood: Professor at UCLA
In a relationship with Molly McIntire & Luc Moreau, best friends with Lauren Bryant
Luc Moreau: Warning Sign co-lead singer
In a relationship with Molly McIntire & Ethan Haywood, former lead singer for The Grunge
Molly McIntire: Warning Sign lead singer
Sister Jazz Edwards, in a relationship with Ethan Haywood & Luc Moreau
Malachi Shawcross: Warning Sign drummer
Brother Michael Shawcross, engaged to Elle ‘Ricki’ Crandall
Ricki ‘Elle’ Crandall: Warning Sign guitarist
Twin sister to Nick Crandall, engaged to Malachi Shawcross
Hunter Jordan: Hammered lead singer
Brother Noah Jordan, married to Kennedy McManus
Kennedy McManus: Publicist for Hammered
Married to Hunter Jordan
Reed ‘Bats’ Mason: Hammered lead guitarist
Zachary Kane: Hammered rhythm guitarist
Indiana West: Hammered band manager
Victoria Sheer: Actress/Model
involved with Reed Mason, ex-girlfriend Hunter Jordan
Faith ‘Keys’ Keystone: Hammered keyboardist
Married to Quinn Alexander
Quinn Alexander: Roth Defense specialist, former Navy Seal
Married to Faith Keystone, best friends with Noah Jordan
Callie Templeton: Photographer
Sister Ava Templeton, married to Owen Blackwell, daughter Lily
Owen Blackwell: Hammered bass guitarist
Married to Callie Templeton, daughter Lily
Hudson Wyatt: Hammered drummer, former Formula 1 race car driver
In a relationship with Piper Lockwood
Piper Lockwood: Owns Rosie & Hank’s Pussy Palace Café
In a relationship with Hudson Wyatt
Dex Munroe: Ripper Records Executive, manager for Hammered and Warning Sign
Ava Templeton: Blogger, runs Hammered website and blog, writing book on Hammered
Sister Callie Templeton
Ian Kagan: Solo artist
Brother Simon Kagan, involved with Zoe Manning
Zoe Manning: Artist/photographer
&nbs
p; Cousin Lila Shawcross Crandall, involved with Ian Kagan
Bent: security for J Town, JoEllen Foundation
Lindsey York: Brooklyn Dawn lead singer
Jamison DuCaine: Brooklyn Dawn lead guitarist
Teagan Daly: Brooklyn Dawn keyboards/sax
High school friends with Ricki ‘Elle’ Crandall
Cooper Dallas: Brooklyn Dawn drummer
Zane Landry: Brooklyn Dawn rhythm guitarist
Oz Taylor: Brooklyn Dawn bass guitarist
Alexander Nash: Record producer
Friends with Logan King
Roman: Clothing Designer
Noah Jordan: Roth Defense specialist
Brother Hunter Jordan, best friends with Quinn Alexander
Flynn Sheppard: Solo country rock artist
Friends with Luc Moreau, friends with Ian Kagan