by Amy Briggs
We were having a great time, laughing and enjoying ourselves, when there was a light knock at the door. I got up to answer it, and standing before me was the buffest guy I’d ever seen. Not super tall, but this guy definitely worked out every day. Then I remembered I’d seen him before. He was in Gallows for the Guilty.
“Hey Rock, how are you?” I shook his hand.
“I’m great. I just wanted to stop by real quick and say hi, and introduce myself to the girls. I had something else going on last night, so I couldn’t join ya’ll for drinks, but I’ll be out there watching tonight,” he replied. I opened the door for him to come in, and the girls got up to say hello and introduce themselves.
“So nice to meet you. Great show last night,” Miranda said, smiling.
“Thanks, love; glad you had a good time.” He turned to Leo. “And who’s this?” He didn’t go in for a handshake, but rather put his hand out, the way a gentleman would help a lady out of the car for example.
Leo blushed, taking his hand, and bowing slightly. “I’m Leo. I’m the Little Queens stylist. I tour with them.”
“Well, Leo, I’m Rock. Perhaps you’d be interested in a drink while the girls are on?” he asked, as we all watched, jaws dropping around the room.
“That would be lovely,” he replied, clearly taken with Rock. “Once I get the girls all gussied up, I’ll head out there and look for you.”
“You won’t have to look hard. I’ll be at the bar, waiting,” Rock said with a smooth, slight southern drawl.
Leo let out a little giggle, causing the girls to look at each other to verify what we had all just witnessed.
“Don’t let me keep you,” Rock said, backing toward the door. “Leo, I’ll be waiting,” he winked and left as quickly as he’d come.
I shut the door behind him, and started laughing. “Well, well, well, Leo. It looks like you’ve got a fan.”
The girls were giggling in unison, absolutely loving what they just saw. “Oh my God, Leo, he was hot. You should definitely get some of that tonight,” Carmen gushed, poking him in the arm.
“Oh you two, hush up,” Leo replied, still blushing. “He was a handsome devil, wasn’t he?”
“He sure was,” Carmen replied. “Now fix my hair so you can go get some action!”
We all continued to laugh, teasing Leo about Rock’s not so subtle interest in him. Hell, there’s someone for everyone out there; you never know where you’re gonna find them.
A short time later, the girls were all prepped, Miranda was in the no talking zone, and it was just about show time. I walked to the side of the stage with her, keeping my eyes peeled for any sign of our guy, but seeing nothing. I gave her a quick kiss, and whispered, “I love you,” in her ear just before she placed her earpieces in. She mouthed the words, “Love you too,” and then started to hop up and down in place, getting ready to run onstage. It was a wild crowd that night, there had been a lot of hype for that show, and you could hear it in their energy.
I did my usual lurking about while the show went on, listening to them perform as I snooped. I stopped in to see Irish for a moment - he was working in the office - and he let me know that none of his guys reported anything strange, so it looked like our efforts were a wash. Caleb had been outside, watching the parking lot, and scrutinizing patrons as they came and went prior to the show. Now that it had started, he’d set up a station near the exit, where he had a great view of the entire room. We were coming up empty in San Francisco, and it looked like we’d be in this investigation for the long haul. Operation Royal Protection was getting extended until further notice. Next stop, Portland.
We’d been in Portland for maybe half a day when I got a call, asking me and Carmen to come to the lobby to talk to the opening act’s drummer. I couldn’t even remember his name. They weren’t that great, and they were real alcoholics, completely unprofessional.
“What’s up, guys?” I asked, Ryan and Carmen standing with me. Carmen looked as annoyed as I did. She had no patience for this kind of bullshit. To her, it was the equivalent of office work, dealing with personnel.
“So, um, James got arrested last night, and they’re not letting him out in time for our show tonight. He’s in jail.”
“What do you mean, ‘he’s in jail’. What for?” I asked angrily. The drummer of the band with the stupid name just blinked at me like he didn’t understand English. I shifted my stare over to Ryan, who shrugged his shoulders.
“Um, he was in a bar fight and got caught with a bit of coke.” The idiot confessed to me.
“You knew the rules,” was all I said before glancing around the room, running my hands through my hair. I was looking for someone to explain to me how the lead singer of an opening act could be so fucking stupid as to be arrested for fighting and drug possession at a bar at the crack of fucking dawn in a state where pot was legal and he could have had plenty of fun with that.
The blank stares continued as I shifted my glance from drummer to guitarist to bass player, and got nothing.
“Well, you’re fired,” I said blankly.
As the faces of the band members fell, the guitar player pleaded with me. “Miranda, come on. It’s not our fault. You can’t fire us!”
“Oh, I can, and I just did. You’re a package deal, and not only do we don’t do drugs on this tour, your front man managed to get arrested with drugs in a town that it’s fucking legal in. That is fucking stupid. So you’re out. Guilty by association, my friend. Your contract stipulates you’ll follow the rules we lay outset, and that happens to be one of them. Getting arrested is a deal breaker, kid. So, I suggest you find yourself a new singer, and get your asses clean. But you’re off this tour,” I said curtly. We didn’t have time to deal with that kind of bullshit.
They walked away, tails between their legs. While the nice me felt bad, I knew I did the right thing. Ryan walked over and squeezed me from behind, kissing the top of my head. “Well, babe, you did what you had to do.”
“So, now we don’t have an opening act. What now?” Carmen asked, twirling her drumsticks around in her hands.
“I guess we need to call Dad and find someone else ASAP. Tonight, we go on without one and just kick ass,” I replied.
“What about that band from San Francisco?” Carmen asked.
“Gallows for the Guilty?” I asked. “They were fucking good.”
“Yes! Gallows for the Guilty. They own Bar 7 where we played, so they’re at least somewhat responsible,” she laughed, musing to herself about something.
“Did something happen there?” I recognized that look. She’d gotten into some kind of shenanigans there.
“Psht, no.” She blew me off. “But that band. They’re the ones. Let’s get them to finish out the tour with us. Call Dad and make it happen,” she said.
“Fucking great idea, Carmen. I’ll see if they’ll do it,” I replied. As I pulled my phone out of my pocket, I took stock of Carmen and Ryan, pausing to look at them. I realized how great it was to have them both with me.
“What?” Ryan asked, smiling at me with those blue eyes I fell in love with at the beginning of the summer.
“Nothing.” A huge grin formed on my face.
“Oh my God. Get a room, you two,” Carmen whined sarcastically, before laughing.
“I’m lucky I have you both!” I threw my arms around her in a huge hug.
“Oh, for fucks’ sake, get off me! You’re crazy!” She was laughing and fighting me off at the same time, just like when we were kids. I let her go, and proceeded to call my dad about the guys from Bar 7.
I had my two favorite people in the world by my side, on tour with me, looking out for me. My life was fucking incredible.
Now, all I needed was to get this band to join us.
To Be Continued...
Find out what happens when Gallows for the Guilty joins the Little Queens to finish out the tour in Royal Persuasion, Book 2 of the Little Queens Duet.
Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar on
Me
Poison – Talk Dirty to Me
Heart – Crazy on You
Heart – Little Queens
Blackstone Cherry – Stay
Soundgarden – Burden in My Hand
Heart – Never
Motley Crue – Without You
Warrant – Cherry Pie
Heart – What About Love
Alice In Chains – Would
INXS – Never Tear Us Apart
First and foremost, I have to thank Jess Epps. We kept this project a huge secret after we sat together one night dreaming of the ultimate rock chick book. We wanted to do something fun and badass, and working with my best friend was an incredible experience. Her imagination is super fucked up and amazing, and you guys are gonna love what happens next. I cannot imagine doing this book, hell, this whole project, with anyone else. I love you!
BT Urruela, what can I say man? You not only loaned us your characters and your world, but you alone truly pushed me to believe that I could be on a cover, something I’d never imagined I could ever do. It was scary and it was fun, and I’d do it all over again with you behind the lens. Collaborating with you is officially one of my favorite things to do, we have the same vision and ideas, and our days writing together are some of my favorite memories in Florida. Can’t wait to keep working together and creating amazing stories with you. You’re an amazing person, and I’m truly blessed to call you my friend.
Rob Somers. You are my brother to the end. Our cross-country road trip sealed the deal for life, and I’ll always be grateful for that. You and Jenifer have treated me like family since the day we met, and I look forward to every time our tribe gets together. I’m so grateful for both of you in my life.
My family, especially my brother Jesse. I know you hate reading this filthy smut, but you encourage me to live my dreams no matter what it takes, and you’re always my cheering section. I love you dude.
Danielle Pearl, we were destined to be friends, and I can’t thank you enough for not only sharing your secrets to success but also for being my sounding board for absolutely anything. Stephanie Hoffman McManus, you’re one of the coolest people I’ve ever met, and I cannot thank you enough for all you do as a friend to support me. Carina Adams, as always, you drop what you’re doing for a quick read, and it means the world to me.
Golden Czermak, dude. You’re a design genius. Your cover is amazing, and the poster design you did for us was so realistic, I kind of want to form the band for real. I’m so happy we’ve become not only colleagues, but also friends. You’re part of the tribe man, and we’re so lucky for it General!
Cassy Roop, as always, you jump into action when you know someone is in need, and your VIP passes helped bring our story to life. Thank you for your vision, and for your never-ending flexibility. I love you girl. Can’t wait for our collaboration!
Sharon Abreau, you’re my lifeline. When things are bananas, you’re always there to help me out, and you go out of your way to make sure everything is always in place. I’m so lucky to have you on this ride, and I cannot express my gratitude enough for your support.
Jenn Wood, our editor, thank you for taking us on late in the game and helping us in a pinch. This book was the little book that could, with delays, issues of all kinds, and a complicated collaboration, and you stepped up to the plate big time. Thank you.
Leigh Stone, your formatting is magical. Books go to you like a spa treatment, and they’re always more beautiful after you’ve gotten your hands on them. Love you girl, and can’t wait to see you in Ireland!
Lastly, the readers and the bloggers. You rule my world. You give me reason to keep writing, and your words drive me. I will be forever grateful that you pick up any of my books. Thank you for everything you do for the authors of the world.
This book was kept a secret from almost everybody, until the very end. So my list of acknowledgements will be short.
Amy,
Since the first time we met, we have had a friendship that can't be properly explained. It just happened. Just like this book...it just happened. I knew this book would be incredible from the moment we spoke of it. It just fell into place. Thanksgiving Eve, we sat at 7 West and came up with Carmen and Miranda and our book titles. That was the beginning of a great night, a great weekend and a great journey. Now we're here, our book has been published and we get to share our girls with the world. I couldn't imagine it with anyone else but you. I love you to death. Thank you for all you have done with this book. I appreciate you more than you know.
Taylor,
When we all sat around one night in Florida and were discussing the book, I think we all knew what everyone was thinking when that light bulb visibly went off above your head. Thank you for collaborating with us, and being there from the beginning. Brainstorming the merge of our characters and coming up with marketing ideas has been educational and nothing short of a blast. Thank you for carting us around Tampa, and spending your afternoon shooting for these book covers. You nailed it! #Tribe
Golden,
I cannot say thank you enough for the amazing job you did on our covers! As always, you knocked it out of the park with these two and left Amy and I giddy and squealing with excitement when you sent the images. To be excited about a cover like that...well that's how it's supposed to be. I can't decide which is my favorite; the book covers or the poster! You did an incredible job, General!
Rob and Jenifer Somers,
Thank you two so much for hosting Amy and myself that weekend in Tampa. Thank you for spending your afternoon with us, shooting, posing, wardrobe, hair... lol the list goes on. We had a lot of laughs, a lot of drinks, and a minor hair fire, but an incredible time nonetheless. I love the memories this family has made together. I Love you both!
Cassy Roop,
Thank you for designing our badass VIP passes! I did a happy dance when we got the design back. As always, you're a rock star!
To my friends and family,
Thank you for always supporting me, pushing me and occasionally talking me down from the ledge lol. I love you.
To Jenn Wood our editor and Leigh Stone our formatter, thank you for the rush job you did on our book. We appreciate you more than you know. We couldn't have done it without you.
Amy Briggs is a Texas based writer, consultant, and entrepreneur. Leaving the corporate life behind, Amy now runs several small businesses from the comfort of her home while spinning realistic, thrilling and romantic stories.
Formerly a firefighter and EMT in New Jersey living next to a military base, Amy was initially drawn to creating stories around emergency services and the military, and draws on her experiences to show the depth and emotional side of the lifestyle. Her love of fairy tales carries through each of her novels and she hopes to inspire readers to fall in love with love.
Other Books by Amy Briggs
The Brotherhood of District 23: Fired Up (Book 1)
Fully Involved (Book 2)
Controlled Burn (Book 3)
The Complete Brotherhood of District 23
The Brotherhood of District 23 Coloring Book
Hot & Cold
(co-written with Mikey Lee; a Brotherhood of District 23/Sin Series Crossover)
Fairy Tales Reimagined Series
Dream State (Book 1)
Jess Epps has resided in the greater St. Louis area for the last sixteen years. She is an avid Cardinals and Blues fan and frequents games whenever possible. While writing is a large part of her life, she spends her days as a Registered Dental Hygienist. Not only does she balance her writing with her day job, she has also broken into the modeling world as a book cover model; with over thirty covers to date. When she is not writing, modeling or cleaning teeth, she spends her free time with her friends, family and most importantly her niece and nephew.
Jess is known for writing seemingly sweet and sexy novels, but don't be fooled; she will quickly "off" a beloved character or throw a major twist in the plot just to keep her readers guessing.
It’s a Date Series: (co-written with Sasha Brummer)
It’s a Date
Winter’s Date