by Frank, Ella
Good God, what have I gotten myself into?
I suddenly felt like a kid playing with his older brother’s toys, and my face must’ve reflected what I was feeling, because Jagger elbowed Slade and inclined his head toward me.
“He’s got that look again. I think he’s in shock.”
Slade waved his hand in front of my face. “Yo. Halo. You good?”
“Kill, I think we’ve overloaded our frontman,” Jagger called out.
I blinked, forcing my gaze away from the screen on the wall that showcased in detail every part of the main stage and looked over at the guys, who each had looks of concern—and amusement—on their faces.
“Too much?” Killian asked. “Need a paper bag? A drink?”
I shook my head and wiped my brow. It was strange how excited and petrified I was at the same time. I was fucking dying to get on that stage, but at the same time…holy shit. A stadium tour? That was intimidating as hell, especially with a group that’d done it so many times before. Could I hack it? Deep down, I knew that of course I fucking could. It still didn’t stop the nerves from taking up every square inch of my insides.
“I-I’m good,” I said, my voice betraying me as I sought to come off as calm and collected as Killian always seemed. “It looks badass.”
Killian smiled, looking up at the rendering. “Yeah, it does. Wanna see what they’ve done with the lighting design so far?”
“And the pyro,” Slade added. “Don’t forget the pyro.”
“Oh, uh, I’d love to, but maybe we should wait for Viper?” I said, looking over my shoulder to the door, as if he’d walk through it on command.
Killian waved me off. “Nah, he can see it later.” He walked over to where the designers stood in front of several complicated-looking sound and lighting boards, as well as a handful of computers, and said something to them, and a few clicks of a button later, the image on the wall morphed. As “Corruption” began to play, colored lights flashed across the main stage in time to the music.
I could feel my jaw dropping as plumes of smoke gathered low to the floor, and then fire exploded from the front of the stage as well as the back risers.
“Oh fuck me,” I said under my breath as I stood there mesmerized.
“See that pyro? Kickass, right?” Slade shouted over the music.
Killian threw an arm over my shoulder and gave me a shake. “So? What do you think?”
“I think you should get your hands off my guy,” Viper said, smirking at Killian as he shut the door and tossed his bag on a nearby chair. He swaggered my way and Viper raised a brow. “Miss me?”
He didn’t give me a chance to respond before he leaned in to steal a kiss. His lips were warm and tasted faintly of coffee. If the room had been empty, I would’ve been tempted to explore more of his sinful mouth, but then Viper pulled back, his dark eyes glittering.
“You might wanna take over holding your man up,” Killian said, dropping his arm from me. “I think he’s a little overwhelmed.”
“A lot overwhelmed,” I corrected him.
“What are you so worried about, Angel?” Viper pulled me into his side, casually looping his finger through the belt buckle.
“Catching on fire’s up there on the list,” I said, as another round of pyro shot off during the chorus.
Viper chuckled. “Stick to your marks and you’ll be fine. What else?”
“Not much.” I shrugged. “Just everything. No big deal.”
“Angel, you’re gonna be fine. Better than fine. You’re gonna kick motherfucking ass up there. That’s your stage. Own it.”
I blew out a breath and nodded. He was right. Of course he was. Just having Viper standing beside me already made me feel a million times better, and he’d be there by my side on stage too. Nothin’ to worry about.
“Hey, have you guys worked out how to get to the second stage yet?” Viper glanced at Killian, who shook his head.
Okaaay, except for that.
“Shit, that’s what’s missing,” I said. “A walkway between the two.”
“Actually, your man doesn’t wanna do that.” Killian’s eyes were full of humor. “Go on. Tell Halo what you think we should do. Run or fly, right?”
“What?” I said, whirling around to face Viper, his arm falling away from my waist. “Run or fly? Fly? Are you insane?”
Viper shrugged, looking entirely unrepentant. “Hey, we’ve done crazier shit.”
“If you don’t want either of those two options, we could build a slide,” one of the designers said, obviously hearing my freak-out. “You’d lie on this flat contraption we build under the stage that shoots you over to the second stage. No flying wires or running through the crowd required.”
“Now that sounds like something I can get behind,” I said, walking over to the designers. “So once we’re under the second stage, how do we get on it?”
“Same way we do on the main stage. Through lifts.”
I turned to face the guys. “Yep, that’s what’s happening. Sorry if you wanted to fly, but we’re sliding instead.”
“I’m good with that,” Slade said, and Jagger nodded along.
Viper and Killian looked at each other for a beat, and then Viper said, “Anything you want, Angel.”
“Good.” I felt some relief at not having to hang from wires above the crowd. Maybe one day, once I got this first tour under my belt. But not the first time out. No way.
“You guys have a set list yet?” one of the designers asked.
“Not yet,” Killian said. “That’s next on the agenda.”
“Shoot it our way when you’ve got it and we’ll mock it up for you,” he said, shutting down the boards and computers. As he and the other designers grabbed their things, he said, “Same time next week?”
“Perfect. This looks phenomenal, thank you.” Killian stepped forward to shake their hands, the rest of us waving a goodbye. After the door shut, leaving the five of us alone, Killian walked over to the whiteboard and uncapped a marker. “All right. Set list. What do you guys think about starting with ‘Dark Angel’?”
“Definitely. Something hot to get them going,” Jagger said.
We ran through the album, puzzle-piecing the tour together. If it was strange to the others not to include anything from the TBD era, they never said so. It had never been a discussion to use only Fallen Angel material for the Corruption tour, but I had a feeling that after the one show we performed together, when I’d first taken over for Trent, none of the guys were keen to do another TBD song for a while. Not to mention, choosing to focus on our one album meant that Fallen Angel would be getting a fresh start. This would be my show, our show, not Trent Knox’s, and hopefully that would mean anyone coming to see us wouldn’t have preconceived notions. At least, I hoped.
“Damn, that was easy,” Killian said, capping the marker and then taking a photo of the set list on the whiteboard. “I’ll send this off to the designers, and when we come back next week, we can watch the run-through before we start rehearsals.”
Holy shit, it was all really coming together. The album was hitting next week, tickets for the tour would go on sale soon, then rehearsals… It was insane—and I couldn’t wait.
Viper rested his chin on my shoulder and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind me. “You still going out with Imogen?”
“Yes. And before you ask, yes, I called a car, and yes, I’ll keep my mouth shut to the reporters asking where you are.” I turned around to face him and grinned. “I’ll come by your place later tonight, if you want?”
“I always want.” Viper took my chin between his thumb and forefinger and brushed a light kiss across my lips. “I’m gonna head out with Kill. Call if you need me.”
My smile grew as I kissed him again. “I always need,” I said against his lips.
Fifteen
Viper
“DO YOU WANT a drink? Whiskey? Vodka?” Killian called out as he tossed his keys and jacket on the entry table and headed fo
r the kitchen. I followed after him, taking a seat on one of the barstools, and as he opened the freezer and looked back at me, I shook my head.
“Nah. How about a coffee?”
Killian cocked his head to the side. “I’m sorry. Did you just ask for a coffee? All right, who are you and what have you done with my best friend?”
I shot him the finger as he closed the freezer and then moved down the counter to the coffee machine. “I’m trying to cut back a little on the day drinking, that’s all.”
“That’s all, huh?” Killian opened one of the cabinets and pulled out a couple of mugs. “Wouldn’t have anything to do with wanting to impress a certain blond we both know, would it? Next you’ll be telling me you quit smoking.”
“Let’s not get crazy,” I said, though the thought had crossed my mind. Ever since I’d been spending more and more time with the angel, I found myself cutting back on a lot of my old habits and focusing on some new ones. But I knew myself well enough to know that cutting down on one vice at a time was the smartest way to go here. Otherwise I’d turn into a grumpy motherfucker. Well, grumpier than usual.
“You mean crazier than you in a monogamous relationship and not swallowing a bottle of whiskey every few days?”
I scoffed, ignoring his smartass comment, as Killian went back to making the coffee and I unzipped my bag, which I’d put on the stool beside me. “I’m just trying to get my ass in better shape before the tour, that’s all.”
“That used to involve drinking more, not less, so your liver could keep up.”
I pulled out a notebook and some paperwork from my bag and put it on the counter. “I’m turning over a new leaf, what can I say.”
Killian pressed a button on the coffee machine, and then turned to lean back against the counter, crossing his arms as he eyed me for a beat.
“What?” I said, when he remained uncharacteristically silent.
“I’m going to say something right now that might make you uncomfortable and feel like you need to lash out and be a dick. But please try to resist the impulse, okay?”
Not liking where this was going at all, I narrowed my eyes and braced myself.
Then his lips pulled into a wide grin and he said, “I’m so damn happy for you, V.”
Killian was right: the impulse to tell him to shut the fuck up was right on the tip of my tongue. But I managed to bank it, because honestly, I was pretty fucking happy for myself too.
“You and Halo? I didn’t think that would work in a million years—”
“Thanks, asshole.”
“Come on, even you have to admit it was a long shot. But somehow…” Killian chuckled and shook his head. “Somehow it worked out. I mean, shit, V. You told everyone you were in love. How’d that even happen?”
I thought about that night at the prerelease party and how desperate I’d been to get to Halo, to tell him everything I was feeling no matter who the fuck was there, and what had come out after that had seemed as simple as breathing.
“Halo,” I said, imagining that gorgeous face of his, and when I looked to Killian, I shrugged. “From the second he walked into that first audition, I needed to get closer to him, and I still feel like that now whenever I see him. I can’t explain it beyond that.”
Killian ran a hand back through his hair, and as the machine stopped brewing, he said, “I don’t think you have to, man. Wherever he is you want to be, and if that ain’t love…”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, but lowered my eyes, feeling a little too vulnerable for my liking. “We here to talk about my love life or this showstopper of a piano we’re having made for the tour?”
“You mean the piano you are having made for Halo.”
“We needed a kickass piano no matter what. This is just—”
“Special. Because it’s from you.”
As much as I wanted to tell Killian to quit with the sappy shit, he was right. I’d been adamant that I would pay for the piano, because it was a gift to commemorate the angel’s first tour. Plus, if I’d left it up to the guys, Halo would be sitting behind some boring black number, and that just wouldn’t do. I wanted his concert debut to be an experience he would never forget, and that included being front and center when he played his killer intro for “Invitation.” The one that had refueled our imaginations and kick-started Fallen Angel’s supersonic rise to fame. I wanted this moment to be the one people talked about for years to come.
Killian pushed off the counter and turned to fill the mugs with steaming brew, then he brought them over and slid a mug across to me.
“Okay, show me what you got,” he said as he leaned forward on his forearms to look at the Polaroids I’d taken at the Steinway & Sons factory this morning. “Fuckin’ hell, V. It’s beautiful.”
“Right? And it’s not even finished yet. I mean, look at the detail. Even here, on the legs,” I said, reaching out to turn the Polaroid to face Killian.
He picked it up to get a closer look. “How long did they say it would take to finish?”
As I sifted through a few more of the photographs, I picked up the one that was the most wow and held it out to him. “A couple of months. I paid a pretty fucking penny for them to fast-track it. They said it could be done.”
Killian nodded as he took another sip of his coffee and then took the second picture I held out, and when he looked down at it, his eyes widened until they almost fell out of his head. “Holy shit. Is that… That’s… Halo is gonna die when he sees this.”
I let out a low laugh, because that was my thought also. “I hope fucking not. But judging by his reaction to the stage today, I’ll be sure to stand close in case he passes out.”
Killian picked up several more of the snapshots I’d taken, each new one he looked at getting a bigger reaction than the one before, until he finally put them down and looked at me as though he’d never seen me before.
“If Halo didn’t know you loved him already, this would seal the deal right here. This is incredible, V. Seriously. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
I took a sip of my coffee as Killian picked up the final sketch I’d been given at the factory. “You never will again either. It’s one of a kind.”
“It’s unreal is what it is. Imagine this piano with nothing but Halo and a spotlight on him…” Killian said, nodding, the idea taking form in his head, and it was no doubt the exact vision I’d had. “What a way to make an impact.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself. “So you approve?”
Killian dropped the sketch onto the counter and said, “Do I look stupid to you?” When I arched an eyebrow at him, he shook his head. “Don’t fucking answer that.”
I chuckled and gathered up the photos and info, before putting the folder back in my bag, and once it was safely tucked away, Killian said, “Levi called this morning while we were going over the stage setup and stuff. Left a message about Friday night.”
“Friday night?”
“Tonight with Jaime Jones. Ringing a bell?”
Oh shit. With everything going on this week, I’d completely forgotten that Levi had been trying to book that. It was all part of his take back the story idea, number one on his to-do list. With the album and magazine releasing Friday, Levi had told us it would be smart to get us on TV for the sit-down interview before everything got crazy.
“Yeah, shit. Sorry. It’s a go, then?”
“Yep. Friday’s our night. So you and Halo might want to get together and work out what you do and don’t want the world to know.”
I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. “Can’t fucking wait.”
“I bet. But hey, that’s what you get for not being able to keep your eyes off Halo. You sucked at keeping that shit on the down-low.”
I eyed Killian across the counter. The asshole was acting a little too smug about all this love shit as far as I was concerned, and it was time to bring him down a notch or two.
“You’re right,” I said, sitting back on my stool. “I couldn’t ke
ep my eyes off the angel. Kinda like you and our new band manager, Levi…”
Killian all but choked on his swallow of caffeine. “What are you talking about?”
“You all but fell outta your seat to get a final look at him after that first meeting, and on Monday you sat awfully close to him.”
Killian screwed his nose up. “Yeah, okay. Just ’cause you’re all hearts in eyes doesn’t mean everyone around you is, V.”
“Mhmm. Who said anything about hearts in eyes? I was talking about your cock in his—”
“How about you go home and focus on Halo’s cock? Okay?”
Well, well, someone was a little touchy, wasn’t he? “For once, I fully agree with you on something,” I said as I put my empty mug down and slipped off the stool. I grabbed up my bag and slung it over my shoulder, and as I headed to Killian’s front door, I called out, “I think I might go and do that, and you? You should maybe call Levi back and focus on his—”
“Fuck off, V.”
“Goodbye to you too, Kill,” I said with a laugh as I walked out the door and slammed it shut behind me.
Sixteen
Halo
OUR SECOND LATE-NIGHT experience was already starting out vastly different than the first. For one thing, I wasn’t hiding in the bathroom having a panic attack. For another, Levi was proving to be Brian’s opposite, in the best way.
“You guys good?” Levi handed me a vodka soda and then checked his watch, a huge iridescent rainbow number that changed colors when it caught the light. “They should be coming to get you anytime now.”
“Thanks, Levi,” Killian said, raising his glass in our new manager’s direction. We were all lounging comfortably in Tonight with Jaime Jones’s green room, drinks in hand, a table of snacks nearby, and the host on a mega-TV doing his monologue for the live audience. Any nervousness I felt was on a low simmer, mostly due to the man beside me, who sat close enough to touch, his arm stretched out behind me. Just having him close by kept my mind on him and off whatever questions would be thrown our way tonight.