Vandal (Ashes & Embers 2)

They start to talk about the dynamics of dying hair and I relax a little with the idea that this might really work out. Maybe there won’t be any trauma or crisis to tear my life apart again.

As I tune my bass and listen to them babble I think that I might like a black or pink stripe in Tabi’s hair, to edge her up a little. I have a feeling that she has a bit of a funky creative side to her that Nick stifled, and I’d love to bring that out of her.

***

The girls play a few songs before I have to join them so I lead Tabi to a small table that is off to the side of the stage, hidden from the audience, where she can watch us play without being exposed. She seems less nervous now and excited to be so close to everything that is going on.

“I think you photographing the girls is a great idea,” I tell her. “I think you should pursue that. I’ll get you Rio and Sydni’s contact info. Actually, I’ll talk to Asher about taking some pictures for us, too.”

“Who’s Asher again?”

“He’s my cousin, and he’s like the fucking founder of the band, so he’s supposedly our fearless leader. We don’t exactly like each other, but I think he’ll dig the picture idea.”

A smile lights up her face. “Vandal, do you know how exciting that would be? You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to really focus on my photography. It’s like a dream for me!”

Seeing her so happy is an awesome feeling. I’ve seen her photos and they are really beautiful. Her sitting behind a desk answering a phone is a waste of her talent, so if I can help her achieve her dream, I’m going to do whatever I can to make that happen for her.

“Well now it’s a reality,” I tell her. “I know a ton of models and musicians that I’m sure would love to work with you.”

She stares at me for a minute and shakes her head slightly in disbelief. “I can’t believe this can be my life. I really am happy, Vandal. I never thought I would be again.”

“Neither did I. And this is just the beginning. I’ve never believed in that meeting-the-right-person shit to change your life, but I feel like the motherfuckin’ poster child of it right now.”

She throws her head back and laughs, her eyes shining under the lights, her hair bouncing around her face. I love this chick.

I should tell her.

“What’s so funny?” We both turn at the sound of Lukas’s voice.

“Hey, man,” I say. “Glad you came.”

“This place is a zoo. The girls are really getting popular.”

“They wicked are. Be careful, if they see you they may drag you on stage too.”

He takes a sip of his beer. “No fuckin’ way. Not tonight. I’m just here to listen.” He turns to Tabi. “You havin’ fun? You look beautiful.”

“I am, and thank you. The girls seem nice, and I’m really liking their music.”

“She likes new-age music,” I tell him, nudging her with my arm..

“Nothing wrong with that.” Lukas comes to her defense. “I listen to that when I’m just chilling out.”

“See?” she says. “You might like it too, Vandal. I’ll play some nice harp music for you later that I have saved on my phone.”

“Play him some Native American flute and bring out his inner Indian,” Lukas teases.

“Yeah, you’re funny,” I muse.

Sydni has taken over the mic on stage. “We have a special guest tonight who’s going to play a few songs with us!” she yells. The crowd screams. I grab my bass and give Tabitha a quick kiss.

“Stay here with Lukas, okay? Don’t wander off. There’s a lot of drunk idiots around.”

Sydni lets out a woop. “It’s my good friend Vandal fuckin’ Valentine from Ashes & Embers!” The crowd roars as I head onto the stage and it feels great to be in front of an audience again. Sydni greets me with a big kiss on the cheek, which makes the crowd scream even more. I do a mock bow.

“We’re gonna do some covers of our favorite Ashes & Embers songs for you guys tonight!”

I start playing the intro to one of our heaviest songs and the girls come in perfectly. Sydni plays by my side in exact time with me. I gotta say, she’s good. She’s gonna do great on the A&E tour when it starts in a few weeks, and I can’t even be pissed about it. Truth is, I could tour now because I haven’t been drunk or wasted in weeks, but right now, I’d rather let things be as they are and skip the tour, and focus on getting Tabi settled into a life with me. I never thought I’d ever feel that way about a woman, but fuck it, I do.

The girls prance around the stage in their sexy clothes, flirting with me for the crowd’s enjoyment, and I just grin. I’ve never been a crowd teaser, like Storm, who loves to play with the crowd and get them involved. I just want to play my bass and get lost in the music and the movement of the sea of people. I’ve been called the quiet, brooding, dark member of A&E, but I don’t care. I like it that way.

I glance over to the side of the stage and see Jill talking to Tabitha and Lukas. Jill is like a fucking groupie on steroids that has ingratiated herself into Ashes & Embers and kinda tries to keep us organized at concerts. She’s also a big fan of Sugar Kiss. We’re all guilty of fucking her at some point, but her main obsession has always been Storm. She started drinking heavily when Storm hooked up with Evie and she looks pretty wasted tonight, even from where I’m standing. I don’t like her near Tabitha when she’s intoxicated because Jill is a ruthless bitch who likes to hurt people and cause trouble.

Sure enough, next time I look over Tabi appears upset and Lukas looks as if he is arguing with Jill. Fuck.

I try to ignore whatever is going on with them and focus on enjoying my time on stage with these girls that I’ve watched grow from a garage band to superstars. Not to mention I don’t know when I’m going to get on stage again, and I want to savor this time and not be worried about what kind of shit Jill is starting.

After a few more songs, Sydni drags me to the mic at the center of the stage. “Can I get a huge thank you for the amazing Vandal Valentine for joining us tonight?”

The audience roars and jumps up and down. I flash the peace sign and walk off stage to find Lukas sitting alone to the side.

I hand my bass to one of the roadies I recognize. “Hey man, can you put my bass away? The case is in the VIP room, next to the couch.”

“Hell yeah, great show, by the way. Can’t wait to see you guys tour.”

“Thanks,” I reply absently, and turn to Lukas. “Where’s Tabi? Did Jill say something to her?”

Lukas shifts his gaze around nervously. “I think Tabi’s in the bathroom. Jill came over here drunk and was asking her dumb questions about how she met you, and telling her you were an asshole that fucked everything that moved.”

I bang my fist on the table. “That fucking whore. What the hell?”

“She also brought up the accident—”

“What? Does she know who Tabitha is?”

“No, she was just saying you crashed into a car a few months ago and killed your daughter, a friend, and the guy driving the other car, and that you’ve been a fucked up mess ever since. Tabi got really upset and I kept trying to diffuse Jill, but you know how she is. Once she starts you can’t shut her the hell up.”

“Fucking bitch!” My mood instantly turns to fury and I want to ring Jill’s neck. I run my hand through my hair. “I need to find Tabitha. Why did you let her go?”

Lukas looks at me as if I’m crazy. “What did you want me to do? I can’t stop her from going to the bathroom.”

“Did Jill follow her? Where the hell is she?”

“I don’t know. This is what I’m talking about, Van. You can’t be lying to her about everything and live like this. You can’t keep everyone quiet. Aria paid off as many people as she could to keep quiet—obviously Jill wasn’t one of them. She’s always hanging around the band, Vandal, you know that. She’s been to some of the practice sessions and to a few gigs, so she must have been there when it was being talked about and no one gave it a second thought.

Now she’s drunk and running her mouth. This is the first time you’ve been out with Tabitha and in under an hour, you’ve got a mess on your hands. Tell her the fucking truth.”

“I know, all right? I hafta go find Tabi. I don’t want her wandering around here upset.”

I go off to look for her and find her in the hallway by the restrooms with Jill. I pick up the pace and close the space between us quickly.

“What the fuck is going on?” I demand, my eyes locked on Jill.

“I’m telling your little girlfriend all about you. Someone has to warn her.”

“Really? You think because you sucked my dick a few times that you know me?” I ask her, my voice rising. “You’re a whore and a drunk. You don’t even know what the hell you’re talking about.”

Tabi touches my arm. “Vandal, please …”

“Renee was one of my best friends. You didn’t know that did you, Alex?” Jill slurs.

My gut sinks. I had no idea that Renee was friends with Jill. Could the world get any smaller?