by Seven Steps
“Don’t talk to me like that. You are not my father!”
“No, but I am your manager, and as your manager you will listen to what I have to say. You will go on stage, and you will do your song, and your interview, and then, and only then, will you leave this studio.”
“For what, Walter? For what? I’m over, I’m done. My album tanked, my label dropped me, my concerts aren’t selling. What am I going to go on that stage for, huh? For what?”
“For your fans.”
“What fans?”
“The fans who stayed. You stay and you perform for your fans, because the ones who are loyal, they will be loyal forever. If you leave this studio, you are turning your back on them, and if they feel like you’ve turned your back on them, they will walk out of your life and never return. And then it will really be over.”
Noah huffed, his hands on his hips.
“Don’t do it for the label, or for anyone else. Do it for your fans.”
Noah shook his head. He remembered all of the letters and cards he’d gotten over the years, that he still got to this day. Yes, he had fans, and he wouldn’t turn his back on them. He’d go out there and smile and perform. After all, he was a musician, an artist. He had one job. To make people happy. Though his heart was heavy in his chest, he took a deep breath and walked back onto the set.
He’d have to suck it up. What else could he do?
Chapter 15
Noah sat on the bed in his hotel room, staring out over the London skyline.
They called him The Rock King. He used to rule the world. And now, the walls were closing in on him. The castle that he’d built was falling apart. The foundation that held his career, the one thing that he thought was sturdy as iron, was only salt and sand, and it was collapsing.
How could this happen?
He thought that if he just held on, stuck to the things he knew, that it would last forever. He’d learned music, perfected the craft of plucking strings, banging drums, hitting the high notes. He’d studied at the feet of great musicians, learned from them, grew from the seeds that they planted.
I did everything right, he thought angrily. I studied, I learned. I was original. I was creative. Why is that not good enough anymore?
Hot rage flowed through him at the unfairness of it all.
How could they take sixteen years of my life and throw me away? How?
He picked up a chair, flinging it across the room. It hit the wall with a thud before falling back to the floor. The act drained a bit of his anger. He threw a second chair, watched it knock over a fake flower pot on a table, shattering it onto the carpet.
Suddenly understanding why musicians trashed hotel rooms, he let his anger have full reign, destroying, pulling down, crushing, and trampling everything not bolted down, hoping that something would quiet the sharp betrayal that ran through his soul.
They’d failed him. All of them. His fans, the label, they’d all turned their backs on him. Lesliee Day, and everyone like her, had come for him. They’d screamed for his head on a silver platter.
They’d gotten their wish.
His kingdom was falling apart in front of his eyes. He dropped to his knees and covered his face with his hands.
Tears pooled in his palm.
The Rock King, he thought derisively. Who would ever want to be king?
Chapter 16
Cassie
After the concert, Cassie marched into the green room, her eyes glued to the girl who Dondo doted on for the evening. She was a thin redhead named Brenda. She wore a smug smile the whole night, as if she’d been chosen by Noah himself.
“So what do you do for a living, Brenda?” Cassie asked.
“I am a veterinary assistant.” Brenda’s accent was heavy, as if she’d just walked off the set of My Fair Lady.
“Have you been doing that long?”
“This is my first year.” She smiled. “But I love animals. Not the putting them to sleep part though. I’m against euthanizing. I’m very pro-animal rights.”
Cassie nodded, searching for a way to keep the girl talking, to keep her here. “My mom has a dog.”
“Really, what kind?”
“It’s a cocker spaniel mix.”
“Do you have a picture?”
Cassie pulled out her phone and showed Brenda a picture of Max, the sixteen-year-old love of her mother’s life. They’d gotten him after her father left.
“My mom will be heartbroken when he dies,” Cassie said.
Dondo placed a hand on Brenda’s shoulder. His eyes moved to Cassie, narrow with suspicion.
“Ready to go, babe?”
Brenda stood. “Sure.”
“Brenda, we should exchange numbers. I’d love to keep in touch.”
Dondo moved his hand to Brenda’s.
“Babe, we really need to go.”
“Okay.” She turned to Cassie and rattled off a series of numbers before Dondo pulled her through the crowd and out of the green room.
Cassie hurried to put them in her phone, praying that she got them right.
No big deal, she reasoned. I’ll just call and check on her tomorrow. When she’s fine, then I won’t have to be suspicious of Dondo anymore. It’s fine. This is normal.
She hit save on her phone, then plopped down in her seat.
“Enjoy the show, Farmer Cassie?”
Noah appeared at her side. He’d been across the room, taking pictures with the backstage pass holders since she walked in. She hoped that she would’ve been gone before he was through.
“Yeah, it was great.”
“How about we go grab a bite to eat. It’s still early.”
“You know, I think that I’m just going to go back to the hotel and get some sleep.”
His eyes widened a bit, allowing her to see his disappointment. “Okay. I’ll walk you to your car.”
He stood, walked to the door, turned, and waited for her to follow him.
The crowd looked up, wondering where the star was going, and who was the girl with the thick curls who followed him out the door.
He moved slowly down the hallway, making sure that they kept in step.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine.”
“You seem like you’re a little pissed with me.”
“Pissed? With you? No. I’m fine.”
“Okay.” He snapped his fingers twice and clapped his hands. “What do you say we order some room service when we get back. Jumping around on stage for two hours makes me hungry.”
“No, I’m good, thanks.”
They passed through the doorway that led to the parking garage.
“Thank you for walking with me,” she said. “I’m sure that I can take it from here.”
“It’s no problem,” he said, half in the orange light from the parking garage, half in the white light from the hallway. “You know, you can come in the limo with me if you want. There’s plenty of room.”
“No, thank you.”
She turned on her heels and marched away, hoping that he could read the full range of her anger at him.
I don’t need you, Mister LaRock. After next week, I’ll never see you again.
The thought didn’t bring her the peace she’d hoped. Instead, it darkened her mood, bitterness rising in her throat.
I’ll never see you again.
She had just clicked off her rental car alarm when she felt something sharp stick in her back.
The voice was deep, like the growl of an animal. “Give me your purse. Do not turn around.”
Cassie’s heart froze in her chest. She snatched her black purse off her shoulder and handed it to him, keeping her eyes glued to the top of the car.
“Don’t turn around,” he repeated.
“Hey!”
The heat from the robber was suddenly gone.
Cassie whipped around in time to see Noah with his arms on the guy’s collar, throwing him to the ground.
Something fell from the robber’s
hand and clattered to the ground.
She gasped.
A razor.
Cassie ran for the purse that the robber had dropped.
The robber stumbled to his feet, grabbing the razor from the warm pavement.
“Back off, man!” he cried.
Noah put his hands in front of him.
Cassie quickly dialed concert security, yelling into the phone.
The robber lunged at Noah.
Noah jumped left, the blade barely missing his abdomen.
Cassie screamed.
The robber lunged again.
Noah grabbed the robber’s outstretched arm, pulling him in for a hard knee to the gut.
The robber grunted as he doubled over.
Noah pulled the man back up and sent a hard fist to his jaw.
The robber spun to the ground.
The door to the parking garage flew open and officers in dark uniforms raced in, standing between the man on the floor and Noah.
Cassie, phone frozen at her ear, could only see Noah. He had almost been skewered rescuing her. The thought sent her running into his arms.
He placed a hand on her head, pulled her close.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She laughed into his shoulder. “Me? You almost got shish kebabbed!”
He shook his head. “Let’s get back to the hotel before this place becomes a circus.”
She nodded, allowing him to lead her as her mind went wild.
What if I lost him?
***
The food grew cold in front of Cassie. She was in no mood to eat. She’s called her father’s room to tell him what happened, but he wasn’t there.
She called her mother, but she didn’t answer her phone.
This must be what shock feels like. I’m going into shock.
“Cas,” Noah said, the rumble in his voice grabbing her attention. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”
“I know. I was…I was just so scared.”
He came over to her bed and wrapped her in his arms.
“I know. I was scared too.”
“When I saw the razor, I just froze.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not okay!” She stood, walked out of his reach. “Gosh, I feel so stupid. What if he had stabbed you? What if you had bled out?”
“He didn’t stab me, I’m fine.”
“But what if you weren’t? Do you know what I was thinking when we were walking to the car? I was thinking how mad I was at you for those kisses. If you had died…now, it all seems so stupid.”
Her emotions got the best of her and she wiped away a tear that had fallen.
He paused. His voice was soft when he spoke again. “Why were you mad about the kisses?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. You just end them so quickly, I guess I thought you didn’t really like them, or me.”
“Is that why you were pissed at me? Baby, you got me all wrong.”
“I do?”
He opened his arms, allowed her to fall into them. “I love kissing you. Maybe too much.”
“Then why do you pull away? Is it me?”
He shook his head. “No. It’s me.”
Her heart sank. She’d heard that line before. It always ended with I don’t want to see you anymore.
She suddenly felt foolish, stood, and walked to the opposite bed.
“No, wait, that came out wrong. Let me explain. You are not a groupie. You’re not one of those empty-headed girls who come through the green room looking for a good time and an update to their Facebook status. You’re different. You have dreams, things going on, and I respect that.”
“So that’s why you don’t want to kiss me?”
“No, that’s why I do want to kiss you. But I know that it can’t go any further than that. You’re going away soon, back to school. I don’t want to come between you and your dream. If we get too deep into this…I don’t want to ruin your life.”
She heard the truth in his words. Understood his valor. But the thought still hurt. She was leaving soon. Maybe it was best that they ended it now.
“So, that’s it, then?” she asked. “We’re done?”
He rose, came to her side of the bed, sat next to her. “No.” He placed a large, calloused hand on her cheek. “I don’t think I could ever be done with you.”
Her eyes rose to his then, watched him watching her.
“So what’s next?”
“We’ll ride out these next few days and see how it goes.”
“And then?”
“I don’t know.”
She sighed.
She didn’t know either. All she knew was that he was close, and she wanted his lips on hers more than she wanted breath.
She thought of tonight. Thought of losing him. Thought of their future.
Screw it.
She threw caution into the wind and kissed him fiercely. He froze, caught by surprise at her boldness. Then a deep sound of pleasure rumbled into his chest as he took control of the kiss. She opened her mouth to him. Their tongues had barely touched before he pulled away.
“Stop doing that!” she cried.
“I’m sorry.” He stood. “Five seconds. That’s all the control I’ve got.”
He made his way to the door, put his hand on the handle, ran back to her. “Just five more.”
He kissed her again, hard, deep, robbing her of the ability to think before the door slammed behind him, and she was alone again.
Chapter 17
Unknown
His hands were large, his fingers interlacing as they wrapped around her throat.
The room began to spin. She tried to take a gasp but no air would come. His fingers were too tight.
Her vision blurred, then blackened.
The man let out a breath, the sound something akin to relief.
His fingers loosened slightly, but it was too late then. She’d been without air for too long.
Who will take care of the puppies? she wondered.
A flash of light.
A burst of pain.
And then, nothing at all.
Chapter 18
Cassie
Janice texted Cassie around eleven thirty that night.
Hi, dear! Sorry for not answering earlier. I was out. I’ll call you tomorrow. Love ya!
Out with who? Cassie wondered.
Sighing, she flipped on the television, but nothing interesting was on.
She searched for a Facebook page for Brenda but came up short. There was no account associated with the number she had, and she didn’t know her last name.
After zoning out watching YouTube videos for what seemed like an eternity, she flipped over on her back and looked at the clock. It was nearly three and she hadn’t slept a wink.
She blew out a frustrated breath and closed her eyes. Her mind turned to thoughts of Noah.
What would happen when she went back to Connecticut? Would Noah and she remain friends, or would he be out of her life forever?
I’ve only known him for a few days, she reasoned. It shouldn’t matter, should it? So then why does it matter?
Finally, she stood and walked to the window, staring out at the moon.
When did it all become so complicated?
Her phone buzzed twice.
She looked at the clock again.
Who could be texting me now?
She reached over and looked at the screen.
Noah: Are you awake?
She smiled, texted back.
Can’t sleep.
A few seconds passed but the phone didn’t buzz again.
She sighed, dropped it on the bed. Why did he have to play so many games?
A knock on the door had her turning her head. She knew who it was immediately. Checking herself in the mirror, she smoothed her hair, jogged to the door, and pulled it open.
Noah grinned back at her. He looked absolutely gorgeous in a black t-shirt and pajama pants.
“You are very distracti
ng,” he said.
“Me?”
“Yes, you.” He touched her nose, making her giggle. “So I figured since you were on my mind anyway, we should hang out.”
“Like, now?”
“Yes, now.”
“It’s three in the morning. What will we do?”
“Oh, I can think of a few things. Put on some slippers.”
She smiled and slid her feet into a pair of pink plaid house slippers. He held out his hand and she slid her fingers into his. His touch warmed her right down to her heart.
They took the stairs to the roof, the metal door creaking loudly when they pushed on it.
“Where are we going?”
“Uh, to the roof,” Noah said.
“I know that, but what are we doing on the roof?”
“Just come on.”
He led her to a small blanket laid near the roof’s edge.
Above her the stars sparkled, a million shimmering dancers around an orange moon.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“When’s the last time you looked up at the moon? Like, just laid down and stared at it?”
“I don’t know. When I was a kid maybe?”
He pulled her down next to him onto the soft, blue blanket. They lay there in silence, staring up at the beautiful London sky.
“When I was eight,” he said, “my dad would take me up to the roof of our apartment building in the Bronx. We’d lay on a blanket, look up at the moon, and he’d tell me about life. He had so much advice, and, granted, most of it was useless, but I listened anyway. I liked hearing him talk. I miss that.” He paused. “When he died, my mom would take me camping, and we would look up at the moon too. She didn’t say much though. I think it helped her feel close to Dad. I know it helped me to.”
“You miss them a lot, don’t you?”
“Yeah. We were close. I mean, they weren’t directly involved in my career, that was all Walter, but they gave me good advice, and always let me know that they loved me.” He shook his head. “All the money that I made, I couldn’t save them. There’s no cure for cancer, or car wrecks. It kind of made me question things, you know.”