Chapter Sixty-One
Chaser
Wild’s the only way to describe tonight’s show. The electric energy sparking from the crowd fuels my performance and burns my irritation from the earlier events away.
Why can’t every night be like this one? My girl watching from side stage. All four of us in sync and in peak performance. The crowd enraptured by our performance.
So flawless I’m tempted to pinch myself.
Not even watching Andrew come up behind Mallory and lean in to speak to her dulls my enthusiasm for the show.
Jacob announces, “Candy Jar,” and the crowd loses their minds. On this tour, we’ve been giving it the same gritty treatment as the EP version. Tonight, during my solo, Jacob runs off stage.
Not unusual. I’m too wrapped up in playing to pay much attention. A collective gasp and screams from the crowd draw my attention to the side. Where Jacob’s leading Mallory on stage.
The fuck?
“Our official ‘Candy Jar’ girl’s visiting us tonight!” Jacob shouts. “Give it up for Mallory!”
For a second, she gets that doe-staring-down-the-barrel-of-a-shotgun fear in her eyes, but she shakes it off and waves to the crowd.
Jacob picks up the last few lines of the song, and we finish to thunderous applause.
I grab Mallory around the waist, lifting her in the air and carrying her backstage. “Sorry about that,” I say in between kisses.
“I was shocked. I thought he didn’t want me on stage ever again.”
I glance over, but Jacob’s gone. “Who knows what’s going on in his head.”
“You were amazing,” she murmurs, leaning in for another kiss. “Do you have any idea how sexy you are when you’re on stage?”
“Why don’t you show me?”
“You gonna watch us tonight?” Andrew yells from about three feet away.
Mallory and I both groan.
“I’m still not speaking to you,” she says without looking at him.
I choke on a laugh and bury my head against her shoulder.
“I said I was sorry.”
“A grown-ass man whining is a sad sight.” Alvin slaps Andrew’s arm. “Have some dignity, bro.”
“Where’d Jacob go?” I set Mallory down and face Alvin.
“He wasn’t feeling great,” Garrett says.
“Shit, I hope he’s not sick.” As the words leave my mouth, I spot Jacob way down the hallway, arguing with Vinnie.
“The fuck are they doing?” I jerk my chin in their direction.
“Vinnie swore he had a hookup in town, but the guy never showed.” Andrew shrugs. “I’ll go help him look after our show.”
“Jesus Fucking Christ,” I growl. “Are you fucking kidding me?” The last thing we need is the three of them trolling the city in search of coke, heroin, or whatever the fuck they’re shooting these days.
Mallory searches the backstage area. “There are plenty of girls here for him to hook up with.”
“Not that kind of hookup.” I lean down and kiss her cheek.
“Oh.” Her eyes widen. “Shit.”
“I haven’t slipped up,” I assure her.
She runs her fingers over my cheek. “I know you haven’t.”
I tip my head and brush my lips over her inner wrist. “Thank you.”
The roadies finish moving our set out of the way. Vinnie joins us but doesn’t say much. My fingers itch to wrap around his damn throat for getting Jacob hooked after he’d been clean for months. Then again, I don’t know that it didn’t happen the other way around.
“You’ve never seen us live, right?” Andrew asks Mallory.
“No.”
“So stay and watch,” he pleads.
“Chaser and I have other plans.”
I smirk and shrug at him.
“Go bang in your dressing room, then come back and watch.”
We don’t bother replying. Instead, I take Mallory around and introduce her to different people. Fans waiting in the hallway to talk to us rush forward, and I sign a few autographs.
The noise from the crowd out in the arena intensifies. “Do you want to watch them?” I ask Mallory.
“I’m curious, but still mad.”
“So, we won’t watch the whole show.”
We wander back to the spot that will give us the best view of the stage.
“Awe-some,” Andrew says. “You’re gonna watch?”
Mallory crosses her arms over her chest. Unfortunately, instead of stern, it just makes her sexier. “Not for you.”
“How about now?” He whips off his white shorts and tosses them aside, leaving him in one of his famous leather cock hammocks. Tonight, it’s red leather. Not an improvement.
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter.
“It’s hot.” He angles both his hands, palm up, toward his dick. “Besides, it showcases my goods.”
Mallory blinks and stares. “It’s not as flattering as you think it is.”
“What are you talking about?” He waves her off and starts jumping around, pumping himself up for their show.
A grown man jumping around in nothing but leather underwear is disturbing as fuck to witness.
“Aren’t you glad I always keep my pants on?” Alvin jokes.
“Yes.”
The lights over the audience go down, and the screams intensify. Andrew runs out first, climbing up behind his massive drum kit.
“He really is amazing to watch,” Alvin says.
“You’re amazing to watch.” Mallory pats his shoulder. “No one could ever replace you as my favorite drummer.”