Liam laughs bitterly. “Learn from him? He’s a fucking bottom-dweller. He only does things that benefit himself, or haven’t you learned that by now?”
“Ah, the life of a politician.”
“They’re all fucking corrupt,” Liam says.
“Maybe, but they’re also people who are good to have as friends.”
“Says you.”
“Okay,” Kai says. “We’re ready.”
We go over to the stage. “I didn’t realize things were so bad between Liam and Dirk,” Bria says.
I shake my head. “You have no idea.”
“Did something happen recently?”
“Something happened a long time ago.”
I don’t elaborate, and she doesn’t ask any more questions.
“So, Kai seems like a real asshole,” I say.
“I think he’s nice.”
I bite the inside of my cheek.
Kai spends an hour taking pictures of us fake-playing and singing. “Okay, mates, now perform a song so I can get live-action pictures. Something with energy. No sappy love shite.”
“How about ‘Can’t Stop Me’?” Ronni suggests, picking one of the songs where Bria’s not singing lead.
Bria whispers to me, “She’s in rare form today. She hates me more than usual.”
I turn to Ronni. “We should pick one where Bria sings as much as I do. That’s the point here, isn’t it?”
“I’d have to agree with Crew,” Kai says. “What’s that one I heard on the radio this morning? Something about the days of the week.”
“You heard that on the radio?” I ask, surprised.
“On my way here,” he says. “I only knew it was yours because the DJ announced it. What are the odds of that?”
The guys and I share fist bumps, and I hug Bria.
“Please,” Ronni says. “It’s not like you haven’t been on the radio before.”
“Why didn’t you tell us the new songs were on?” Bria asks. “This is huge news!”
Ronni looks at Bria like she’s an inconvenience. “Listen, you’d better learn to act like professionals and not a bunch of toddlers every time you hear your songs on the radio.”
Liam strolls over to Ronni. “No, you listen. You may have been doing this long enough so you don’t give a shit, but for us—hearing our songs on the radio is like winning the fucking lottery, and I’ll be damned if you’re going to ruin that for us. Because you know what? It’s a big fucking deal. So let us have a minute to process it.”
Kai walks over to Ronni and puts an arm around her shoulders. “Ah, to catch them on the way up, eh, luv?”
She straightens her skirt. “You have no idea how much work they are.”
“Okay, mates, we should get this show on the road. At five-hundred-bucks an hour, you probably don’t want me hanging around longer than I have to.”
“Five hundred bucks an hour?” Bria says, her forehead wrinkling in despair.
“Don’t worry,” I say. “IRL is picking up the tab.”
“Great,” Liam says. “Another person who thinks they’ve got us by the balls.”
Ronni steps forward. “Or thank you will do.”
Liam picks up his guitar. “Whatever. Let’s get this over with.”
A half-hour later, after Kai is sure he’s gotten what he needs, he calls it a wrap. Bria turns on the radio and cleans up the lunch debris. The guys and I help Kai haul his gear out of the barn.
“Thanks, mates. I just have to pop back inside for one more camera.” He opens the trunk. “Put these bags in the back.”
“Dude,” Garrett says to Brad. “You just can’t smash his bags in there. The equipment is delicate, like my drums.” He repacks everything with care.
I’m laughing when I return to the barn, but suddenly things aren’t so funny. Kai has Bria cornered near the bathroom, and she looks uncomfortable. I run over and remove his arm from the wall.
“Sorry, mates,” he says, looking at me. “Was I stepping on someone’s toes?”
“Yeah,” I say, working myself between them. “You were.”
“So you and him?” he asks Bria.
“That’s right,” I say, puffing up my chest and taking a step toward him.
“I wasn’t asking you, mate.”
“Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“Crew, stop it,” Bria says. “I was about to tell Kai that we’re together.”
“Down, boy,” Kai says. “Honest mistake.”
My hands ball into fists. “You should leave.”
Kai reaches into his pocket, pulls out a business card, and tries to hand it to Bria. “If you ever change your mind about modeling.”
I intercept the card and tear it up. “She won’t.”
“Crew,” Bria warns.
I glare at Kai. “The door’s over there.”
He takes his camera from the table and leaves.
Bria’s hands are on her hips. “What was that all about?”
“He was coming on to you.”
“Yes, he was. Spoiler alert—guys come on to me, Crew. Just like girls come on to you.” She points to the door. “Case in point drives the red Porsche. I can handle myself, so drop the jealous act. It’s not very becoming.”
“Jealous? I’m not jealous.”
She narrows her eyes. “You’re kidding, right?”
“I’m not jealous, Bria. I’m not that insecure.”
“Yet you practically pummel every guy who gets within ten feet of me. This is really going to become a pr—”
“Guys!” Liam yells. “Listen!”
One of our new songs is on the radio. Garrett runs over and turns it up. We’re completely silent, watching each other come out of our skin as we listen to ‘Not a Day’ blast through the speakers.
“Screw Ronni,” Liam says. “This will never get old.”
“Shh, listen,” Brad says.
The DJ on the radio says, “It’s twofer Tuesday, so here’s another one by Reckless Alibi. If you haven’t heard of this up-and-coming band, you’d better get out of your Barcaloungers and get with the program. You heard it here first, people. These guys will have a gold record.”
Our collective jaws hang open. Everyone gets on social media to post about the songs.
“Did you hear that?” I say to Bria, gathering her in my arms. “He thinks we’re going gold. We’re going to be famous.”
She swallows and looks up at me. The problem is, I can’t tell if she’s happy or sad. “Yeah,” she says. “I’m afraid you might be right.”
Chapter Thirty-five
Bria
Crew is suspicious of every man who comes up to me and even some of the women. He assesses everyone who passes our dinner table like they will ask me out or take me away from him. He claims he’s not the jealous type, but his actions speak loudly.
The past few weeks have been so good between us that I haven’t said anything further about his behavior. In the beginning, it was even a little endearing that he was jealous. Now it’s annoying. I think Brett and Emma have caught on too, as the more he drinks, the more that side of him emerges.
Emma says, “Have you always lived in Stamford, Crew?”
“Uh-huh.” He shovels bread into his mouth to avoid talking about his past.
“You must be so excited,” she says. “I’ve heard your songs on the radio at least a dozen times.”
“It’s all a bit surreal,” I say.
“Even though you’ve already sung with a famous band?” Emma asks.
“That was different. I wasn’t really part of White Poison. Reckless Alibi is my band.”
Crew grabs my hand under the table and smiles. It’s taken me a long time to be able to say that. I felt like an outsider for months, but lately it’s becoming hard to remember a time when I wasn’t with RA.
“Who came up with the band name?” Brett asks.
“It was a collaborative effort between Liam and me,” Crew says. “We used to sing in another band. But it broke
up a long time ago. When we got older and wrote new material, my mom told us we were reckless rock stars. His mom always teased him and said he’d better have a good alibi because he was so often out half the night. We wrote a song called ‘Reckless Alibi,’ and we liked the title so much we decided to use it for the band instead.”
“I think it’s a great name,” Emma says.
“At least they didn’t have to change it when I came on, like if they’d been called the Backstreet Boys or something.”
“What happened to the song?” Brett asks.
“Changed the name. It’s now called ‘Can’t Stop the Train’.”
“Emma Lockhart!” a woman shrieks.
Emma stands. “Mallory!” They hug. “It’s so nice to see you again.” Emma flashes her engagement ring. “It’s soon to be Mrs. Cash.”
“Congratulations!”
A man joins her, and my jaw drops. I nudge Crew and whisper, “Is that who I think it is?”
“Mallory and Chad Stone, this is my fiancé, Brett, his sister, Bria, and her boyfriend, Crew.”
Boyfriend. I like the way that sounds. I peek at Crew who doesn’t seem to mind that Emma just put a label on our relationship.
The men shake hands. I stare at Mallory’s husband like an idiot. “You’re … you’re … Lt. Jake Cross.”
He shakes my hand. “Friends call me Chad.”
Brett motions to two empty seats at our table. “Care to join us? We haven’t ordered yet.”
They glance at each other. “Sure,” Mallory says. “It would be great to catch up.”
Our waitress comes over, looking at Chad like she’s no longer bummed about working tonight. She recognizes the famous actor who’s starred in over twenty films, including the blockbuster Defcon trilogy. She takes their drink orders and hurries to fill them.
“I’m sorry,” I say, “you said your name is Chad? I feel kind of silly. I thought it was Thad.”
“That’s my stage name. My agent made me change it when I first got in the business. My real name was too similar to that of another actor.”
I laugh. “Agents can be annoying like that.”
“You have one?”
“Well, a manager and a record label. Crew and I are in a band. They make me go by Brianna. It’s my real name, but I’ve gone by Bria my whole life.”
“Did they come up with the name Crew as well? That’s pretty original.”
Crew tells him how he got the name.
Mallory says, “Being in a band sounds like fun. You must be kind of a big deal if you have a manager and a record label. What’s the name of your band?”
“Reckless Alibi,” Crew says. “We’re small potatoes right now, but with Bria singing with us, we hope that’s all going to change.”
“You’re new to the band?”
Crew puts a proud arm around my shoulders. “She used to be a backup singer for White Poison, but we snatched her away. They have no idea what talent they let slip through their fingers.”
I squeeze his leg in thanks.
“White Poison?” Chad says. “I know Adam Stuart.”
I stiffen. “You do?”
“Not well, but we’ve crossed paths a few times. He’s one narcissistic Brit.” He hears what he just said and scrambles. “Uh, sorry if you’re friends with him.”
“No, not friends.”
“He’s a real prick,” Crew says succinctly.
I change the subject. “How do you and Emma know each other, Mallory?”
“We’re both teachers. We met through some charity work six or seven years ago.”
I’m caught off guard, surprised the wife of an A-list actor would work.
“She’s not currently teaching in a school,” Emma says. “But she’s very involved in making curriculums for kids who travel with their parents.”
Chad holds Mallory’s hand. “I wanted her and the kids on location with me.”
“How old are they?” I ask.
Mallory shows me a picture on her phone. “Kiera is nine, and Kyle is three.”
“They’re beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
“My future stepson, Leo, is three,” Emma says. “We should get them together. And you wouldn’t believe how much Evelyn has grown since you’ve seen her.”
Throughout dinner Emma and Mallory catch up and talk about their kids. Crew and Chad bond over music and films. I’m still in awe that I’m sitting next to a man who has an Oscar on a shelf in his house.
“Sorry, Bria,” Emma says when dessert comes. “We didn’t mean to ignore you. Mallory and I haven’t seen each other in ages.”
“I’m enjoying listening to you reminisce.”
“Tell me about your band,” Mallory says. “How long have you been singing with them?”
“Most of this year. To be honest, it’s kind of scary.”
“How do you mean?”
“We’re doing a lot of shows. Nowhere big, mostly bars and clubs. But our songs are on the radio now, and we’re playing at SummerStage next month. People are starting to recognize us. I’m a little nervous about losing who we are and where we came from.”
Mallory nods and glances at Chad. “That’s all too easy to do.”
“Case in point—Adam Stuart,” he says.
“That’s not going to happen to us,” Crew says, and I nod agreement.
Chad refills wine glasses. “It’s easy to go down the wrong road when everything is being handed to you on a silver platter. I imagine it’s even worse in the music business. There is a lot of truth to the saying ‘sex, drugs, and rock and roll.’ I saw it happen to Adam and a lot of actors. If you’re smart and stay grounded, you can navigate the waters. Don’t let it mess up what’s important to you, and I’m not talking about the music. That's part of who you are, but your relationships are what define you.”
“You say that like you have personal experience,” Crew says.
“I do.”
Mallory smiles at him. “Let’s just say we missed out on a lot of years, but we’re good now. You can have fame, and everything that goes along with it, and still lead a relatively normal life.”
The wait staff is snapping photos of Chad from the kitchen doorway.
“First rule is don’t let that bother you,” Chad says. “If you pretend they aren’t there, you’ll enjoy your evening a whole lot more. Be nice to the fans. Sign autographs and pose for pictures, but make your personal time your own. Never let your ego get too big for your head.”
“You okay?” Mallory asks, looking at my anxious hands.
“Honestly? I still can’t believe I’m sitting here with Thad Stone.”
“Well, get over it. He has his moments, but deep down, he’s just like the rest of us. He snores. He leaves his socks on the floor. The bathroom stinks after he’s used it.”
“Seriously?” Chad says to her.
I chuckle. “Nope. I don’t believe it. Thad Stone’s poop can’t possibly stink.”
“Don’t get caught up in all the bullshit,” he says. “At the end of the day, it’s just a job.”
The waiter brings three separate bills, but Chad takes them all. “Just because I said all that shit doesn’t mean you can’t be extravagant once in a while. If you’ve got it, share it.”
“Thank you so much,” I say. “I can’t tell you what a pleasure it’s been meeting you both.”
Someone comes to the table. “Mr. Stone, there’s a crowd out front. When you’re ready I will escort you out the back door if you like.”
“We’d appreciate that,” Chad says.
They get up, and Mallory hugs Emma, then leans over and hugs me. “I just bought your albums with my phone. I can’t wait to say I knew you when.”
After they leave, I say, “Did that really happen?”
“It did.” Brett turns to Emma. “You’ve been holding back. I didn’t know you knew such influential people.”
“Oh, like you aren’t friends with half the New York Nighthawks?�
�
Crew shakes his head. “Your collective list of friends reads like the who’s who of New York.”
“And it looks like we’re about to add a few rock stars to that list,” Emma says. “I have a feeling fame and fortune are right around the corner for you.”
We almost make it out the front door and then Crew tells me he left his phone at the table.
“You guys go on,” I tell Brett and Emma. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay, kiddo.” Brett gives me a kiss.
“Aren’t I getting a little old for you to be calling me that?”
“You’ll always be my baby sister.”
The restaurant foyer is crowded and stuffy, so I step outside, surprised to see so many people still hanging around. I guess they didn’t get the memo that Thad Stone snuck out the back.
“Are you Brianna?” someone shouts. A girl is recording me with her phone. “You’re the lead singer for Reckless Alibi, right?”
“One of them, yes.”
I’m reeling. Maybe Ronni was right. This girl referred to me by one name, like Cher or Beyoncé. My smile is about to split my face in two.
She squeals and then suddenly, all the people in earshot take a sudden interest in me.
“Can I get a picture with you?” she asks.
“Sure.” I lean in, and she snaps a few.
“Thank you.”
“Are you famous or something?” a man asks.
“Me? No.”
“Yes she is,” the girl says. “Look.” She must pull up our album or a band picture on her phone.
“Shit, you are famous,” he says. “Let me get a picture with you, too.”
“I want one!” a few others say.
Out of nowhere, Crew appears and drags me away. He pulls me down the street like a child who’s being punished until we lose sight of the crowd.
“Crew, what are you doing?”
“Those people were there for Thad Stone, not you.”
“But they knew about us. A girl called me Brianna. Just Brianna. Isn’t that amazing? We should go back. They wanted pictures.”
“You’re not going back there.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re not. They were manhandling you.”
I look at him sideways. “They were not. They were getting close for pictures.”
Reckless Obsession (The Reckless Rockstar Series) Page 21