Adam shook his head. “It’s not going to be pretty until this all dies back down.”
Ralph came to the back of the bus. “Okay, ladies and gentlemen. As well as anyone that doesn’t cover back here. We’re going to be pulling out of here in about an hour. It’s ahead of schedule, but management has decided it’s not in our best interest to stick around.”
Erin and I looked at each other. This didn’t really affect anyone but her. Neither of us got a lot of sleep on our road trip. I could stay on the bus, but I didn’t want her driving all by herself in the middle of nowhere if she was exhausted.
“I’ll get a hotel room,” she said. She must have been able to read my thoughts. “I got an email about a job in town tomorrow anyway. I could always use the work.”
“Perfect.” I let out a breath I hadn’t know I was holding. “Keep me posted on everything.”
“What are you, lovie, her babysitter?” Thomas asked.
“What’s the matter, Tommy, are you jealous?” Erin rolled her eyes.
“All I have to do is look on the internet if I want you to get my rocks off, Trixie. Without any of the drama.”
“Have fun, Tommy. Don’t get any of your love on your computer. You wouldn’t want to short circuit your girlfriend. That would be drama. I’m going to check on Drake.” Erin got up, ignoring the snickers of the rest of the band, and left the bus.
I could hear the crowd in the parking lot. No one sounded particularly happy out there. The fans had to be pissed. They may have their money back, but they’d expected a show. I was a little worried they would make one if one wasn’t given to them.
Blue lights pulsed when Erin opened the door. Great, the police again. My blood ran cold. It was only a matter of time before one of these officers investigating the band took an interest in me.
I snuggled into Ryder, burying my head on his shoulder. Adam and Thomas had started playing video games, unaffected by anything. It must be nice. I’d be more than happy when Ralph pulled the bus out of this parking lot and away from this city. It had been a rocky stay.
“Josiah’s still here?” Ryder asked. “How is he? You were great tonight. I can’t thank you enough for what you did for him.”
“He’s doing much better.” I picked my head up, happy to share some good news. “He told us a little bit about what he thinks might have happened, but he got tired quick. The blood seemed to work, though. He’s sleeping now.”
The muffled snores making their way down the hallway alerted us things were at least on their way back to normal for Josiah.
“What did he say?” Ryder raised his eyebrows, making them disappear under his hair.
“He thinks he got poisoned,” I told him. “And it sounds like it might have some connection to what happened to Rachel.”
Ryder’s eyebrows came back down as he frowned, thinking about what I said.
“He thinks the guy might have been a vampire,” I added.
“Fuck,” Ryder finally said. “Why the hell are random vampires coming from in the middle of the country to screw with us?”
Josiah felt well enough to travel with us to Phoenix. He hoped to play the show. Hell, all the guys did. The movement to silence Soul Divider was gaining ground.
Ralph brought some of the pamphlets the protesters handed out in the parking lot to us. They could have been considered comical, if these people weren’t hell bent on ruining the band. If what they claimed didn’t have any root in the truth.
“I have witnessed with my own eyes the band ‘Soul Divider’ bringing virgins on stage, drinking their blood, and sacrificing them in the name of Satan. The girls who aren’t sacrificed become undead monsters, who also share the band’s thirst for blood. They drink the blood of their young fans and encourage the audience to participate in their blood rituals. We will not let ‘Soul Divider’ drag our children into Hell.”
“Soul Divider has made a deal with the devil. Their currency is blood and the lives of their fans.”
“Satan spreads his message through bands like Soul Divider.”
The pamphlets encouraged boycotts of the band’s shows, surrender of any merchandise, and donating the money that would have been spent on concert tickets to the Second Christ Church of Denver.
I don’t know if Erin had a chance to talk to Drake after the show, but I couldn’t wait to get to Phoenix to see how he was reacting to all of this. Before he’d made his pact with Talis de Rancourt, he’d always gone out of his way to be seen at premieres, red carpet events, and high profile dinners. He’d campaigned in the past for the president. Drake cared way too much about what other people thought of him. He’d gone out of his way to project an A-list worthy image above the debauchery of your average rock band, even if what was going on behind the scenes was anything but.
Drake Bonham and Soul Divider were safe. My mom never worried about me listening to their music or going to their shows. These protests flew in the face of the image he’d tried so hard to cultivate.
What did he think would happen when he became a vampire? He couldn’t blame anyone for this but himself. Even if he wasn’t the one who was killing people, making them disappear, or turning them into monsters, he was responsible for introducing this element to the band.
The blood was on his hands, no matter who spilled it.
I had to wonder if word was getting out to the general public. If anyone would suspect this was more than a publicity stunt. If people thought they were simply riding Immortal Dilemma’s coat tails, which would be pathetic for a seasoned band like Soul Divider.
I had to wonder if anyone even cared.
I knew Ralph would be hungry, and I was happy I wouldn’t have to venture out by myself. It might be questionable how many people truly cared about Soul Divider’s exploits, but I knew for certain that people cared about mine. I started rehearsing the story I’d tell people while I laid awake in Ryder’s bunk, watching him sleep when anxiety wouldn’t allow me to. I’d set my license on fire once Catelyn started threatening me. There was nothing to identify me by besides my fingerprints and dental records.
The Arizona air felt good, warming my face and skin after the chill of Ryder’s body. I’d even left my jacket behind, enjoying short sleeves for a change. Ralph, on the other hand complained about the heat. We wound up finding a pita place and we both opted for gyros. We sat in a booth in the mostly empty restaurant, having missed lunchtime by several hours. I kept my eyes on my sandwich, not wanting to make contact with anyone. I jumped every time someone passed by. A little boy ran wild around the restaurant. He was actually pretty cute, but I didn’t dare watch his mother retrieve him and put him back in his booster seat.
“Do you know anything about what’s going on?” I asked Ralph when the mother and child were safely back in their booth, and the boy’s tantrum drowned out any hope of her listening to our conversation. “With Josiah and that Rachel girl?”
“I know people are getting really pissed off, and some of those boys are acting real dumb.” A little bit of Tzatziki sauce dribbled down his chin. “I can’t believe you’re still sticking around. This is a dangerous place for a lady.”
“It’s the best place for me right now.” I raised my eyebrows at him. “As I’m sure you know, I’m not as much of a lady as you like to think I am. Do you know if there are other vampires roaming about?”
“There are.” Ralph dabbed the sauce of his chin and then used the clean part of his napkin to wipe his brow. The poor thing sweated constantly. He’d probably enjoy being a vampire, if it was just for the temperature change. “They’re lawless individuals, who operate off the radar. They’ve been doing it for centuries. These new guys are easy prey for them.”
The lamb from my sandwich sat like a lump in my stomach. “So, could someone be trying to sabotage the band?”
“I wouldn’t doubt it for a minute.” We cleaned up our trays and brought them to the receptacle before heading back outside. “I can’t imagine anyone is happy. These bands
are trying to cash in on a gimmick and exploit people who have lived a certain way for centuries.”
A cop car slowed as it passed us on University Ave. Maybe I looked like a college student being abducted by an older, greasy looking guy. Or maybe they thought I looked familiar. I grasped Ralph’s arm to keep myself upright. He pulled me along. I didn’t think he was any stranger to evading the law.
“It makes sense that the other vampires don’t exactly want to be outed.” Not that I knew anything about vampire traditions. I’m sure they didn’t consult Anne Rice novels for lifestyle advice. Maybe those stories were closer to the truth than I ever imagined.
“Middle America hates anyone who’s different, whether they say it to your face or not. They don’t want all these other groups changing their way of life. Blacks, Hispanics, Gays; they’re all human. They want the same thing as everyone else, to live a happy life. Imagine how that hatred would be intensified for creatures that want to suck their blood.”
“You’re right.” I sighed. My blood ran cold, fearing for Ryder. What would happen to the band if people knew what they really were? Something told me a trial with judge and jury wouldn’t suffice. I imagined something more along the lines of the Salem Witch Trials. After all, they were no longer human – so human rights wouldn’t apply.
The first hints of pastel started to stretch through the eastern edge of the sky. Soon we’d be able to check into the hotel, and the band would head to sound check. The buses idled in the parking lot while the roadies began to set things up. Things seemed quiet so far.
Maybe tonight would go off without incident. It seemed like too much to ask.
The band rehearsed a song I’d never heard before in the back of the bus. It could have been one off of this album. I was ashamed to admit the new stuff still hadn’t stuck with me. Ryder sang lead. I stopped in the hallway, savoring the rich bluesy tone of his voice. It told a story all on its own. I stayed hidden in the shadows until there was a pause.
“No sound check tonight?” I kissed Ryder’s cheek, leaning over his acoustic guitar. I worried instantly that the show had been called off again.
“There will be. Just practicing some new stuff.”
“For your album?” I asked as I pulled a pillow off of the couch and sat in the corner on the floor. Space was tight with all of the instruments back there.
“Yeah. You like?” He smiled down at me.
“I love. Keep playing.”
“These songs are rough, lovie, we’re all still learning.” Thomas had sheet music spread in front of him on the couch. I admired musicians. Music was another language, actually four different languages, that somehow these guys made come together so everyone all over the world could understand.
“Do what you need to do. Ignore me.” I sat back as they launched into another song, enjoying my own personal concert. Even if the song still needed work, it was awesome. Much better than the recent Soul Divider stuff. Ryder had less and less control over the band’s music lately.
I could’ve sat there listening to them for the rest of my life.
No matter what Ralph seemed to think, I enjoyed my life with these guys. Sure, we were cramped and crowded and didn’t get to see much in the way of sunlight, but I loved being a part of this little family.
I just wished I’d joined them under different circumstances. My mind wandered to Erin, hoping she was safe at her job back in Denver, but trying to figure out how she made the leap from hanging around the buses to being invited onto Drake’s bus was beyond me.
There was so much I hadn’t asked her about her life. There was so much that shocked me about her life. God, did I even know the person I’d considered my best friend all those years at all?
Hopefully, there’d be plenty of time to catch up once we got to Vegas. I took Ryder practicing songs for the new album as a sign that he didn’t take Drake’s threats to me seriously.
Or maybe he just didn’t care.
I couldn’t think about that possibility right now.
“Mellie, I need to talk to you.” Erin peered through the crack of the open door once I responded to her frantic knocking. Dark circles of makeup and sleeplessness framed her sunken eyes, and her unwashed hair was rolled in a ball to the side of her head. She pushed her way through and closed the door.
“Did something happen to you? Those fucking bastards,” I hissed. “The guys are still asleep. Come into the bathroom.”
We closed the door behind us. Erin paced in the small room and I sat on the edge of the tub.
“No one did anything to me,” Erin insisted. I raised my eyebrow in disbelief. “Please, they think I’m a goddess or something. But something did happen. I got set up.”
“What do you mean? Was it a sex bust?” I knew that couldn’t be it. Surely she’d be in jail if she did something wrong and that had been the case.
“No, what I do is legal. They wanted to talk about the band.” She stopped pacing. “And you.”
“Oh God.” I steadied myself on the lip of the tub, clutching the porcelain. “They know I’m here?”
“Not really. I didn’t tell them everything. They knew you were in St. Louis, because Catelyn told them. And Chicago. But I told them I separated from the tour after that and lost track of you, which was kind of true. Did you really kill Jamie, Mel?”
I slid off the tub and down on to the floor. “I did.” My voice was small. Emotion washed over me. Hearing Erin say those words out loud made it as real as if I was back in my bedroom with the bloody, lifeless bodies. And all this time, she never suspected her best friend could be capable of such a thing. “I came home and caught him in bed with the bitch downstairs. I just went crazy when I saw them.”
Erin sat down next to me, looking pale. “Wow.”
“They were fucking in my bed, Erin. I lost it. I hate myself for making him do what he did. If I could have just paid more attention to him, stopped nagging him, gave him a little something now and again, he wouldn’t have wanted to do that.”
“You don’t know that,” Erin countered. “Some guys just can’t be happy with what they have, even if they have it all.”
“Like Drake?” I asked.
“Like Drake.” She sighed. “Is that how you think of me, Mel? I’m doing the same thing.”
I’d never thought of it like that. Drake’s relationship with his wife wasn’t real to me. “It’s not right, what he does.”
“I do it, too.”
I smiled weakly at Erin taking responsibility for her actions. “Have you had sex with him in her bed?”
“No,” Erin didn’t look proud. “But I would.”
I tried not to look disgusted. “Is it because of the blood that you do these things?”
“No. It’s because she’s a bitch and she deserves what she gets. She screws around on the side, too. And then attacks me every chance she gets. Pill-popping plastic hypocrite.”
“I’m not going to pretend I understand.”
“I didn’t ask you to, Mellie.” Erin tried to smile, but the corners of her mouth fought against it. “I don’t understand what you did, either.”
I needed to get out of my glass house if I was going to walk around with a bucket full of stones, ready to toss at everyone who didn’t subscribe to my way of thinking.
“What else did they ask you about? Who was it?”
Erin sighed. “It was an FBI agent. It’s an interstate case now, since they assumed you were on the run when they found your car in Pennsylvania. Plus the vampire claims. They wanted to know if I’d seen you, if you said anything, if you had any reason to do what you did. They wanted to know if you were a vampire—“
“They took that seriously?” My mouth dropped.
“Yeah. I mean, it’s real. We aren’t the first people to deal with this. We just never knew about it.”
“Are they piecing me together with the troubles that are going on here?” My heart squeezed itself into a knot.
“They have more questions
than answers. They know about the band. What they are. And Catelyn told them you were with Ryder.”
“Fuck!” Why didn’t I let Ryder take care of her when he wanted to? Why did I want to protect this girl when she had no interest in doing the same for me? How many more bad decisions could I make? “What am I going to do? All they have to do is check the band’s tour schedule to find me.”
“I don’t know, Mellie.” Erin looked like she was having as much trouble breathing as I was. “I said I didn’t know where you were anymore. I don’t know if they’ll believe me. Can you hide somewhere?”
“Where? I have no money, no car, no place to go.” I choked on a sob. “I should just give myself up.”
“No. You just have to make it another day until we get to Vegas. I can hide you there. We will figure this out, I promise.”
“You don’t think I deserve to be punished?” I asked.
She pressed her lips together tightly and didn’t speak right away. Did I really want to hear her answer?
“I know you’re sorry for what you did,” she finally said. “And I know you’re not a criminal. I don’t think spending your life in jail is going to make things better for anyone. I still think you have a lot of good to do in this world.”
I dissolved in to a lump, sobbing. I fell against Erin’s body. She wrapped her arms around me, stroking my hair and murmuring things to me along the lines of everything would be all right. How could it? And how could she accept what I had done without judgment when I couldn’t do the same for her? I didn’t deserve her comfort or help. I cried harder, realizing I did it to everyone who loved me. Erin, Jamie, Ryder.
I deserved my misery.
Someone knocked on the door and I tried to pull myself together. Erin told them to come in. It was Ryder, still looking disheveled from sleep and concerned that someone was hysterical. My eyes burned from too many tears as I looked up at him, the sadness on his face crushed my heart all over again. He crouched down next to us. I made my way from Erin’s lap to his. I inhaled his scent the best I could through my stuffed up nose. His cool body felt good against my tantrum-overheated skin. I felt safe in his arms, like the rest of the world couldn’t touch us in this Phoenix hotel room.
Night Moves Page 14