Come Together

‘Two to three carries it,’ Ash called the vote. ‘He’s in for tonight at least. OK, people, let’s get on with this soundcheck.’

‘“Ripped”,’ Xane announced, making an impromptu change to the set. He needed the release he got from belting out the chorus of this song. ‘He’d better be good,’ he mouthed to Ash, who started strumming the intro. ‘And you better not have stolen him from anybody.’

‘Actually, you stole me off him.’

Xane rolled his eyes. He didn’t know what the hell that meant, and wasn’t sure he wanted to.

Chapter 4 (#ulink_bb9d5230-c71c-5eb5-a9c5-7ac5658287c6)

No way! He couldn’t fucking well believe it. Luthor kicked the roll of tape he’d been using and sent it slamming into a nearby wall. This could not be happening. He thought the day sucked enough when he’d been sent to collect Xane’s girlfriend and he’d discovered that not only was she hot and cute, she was nice too, which put a massive damper on his plans to seduce the guy again. And now his sticks weren’t going to see any action.

‘Easy, lad,’ Ulf muttered, but that was because he was looking out for his equipment. He didn’t give a fig about Luthor’s dreams being crushed.

‘Just wait, you said,’ Luthor hissed in accusation. ‘They’ll be begging for a drummer. Well, that was shit advice.’ Sitting on their arses meant Black Halo had found someone else.

‘Shouldn’t you tell them that you have an alternative drummer available?’ Dani asked, proving yet again that she was a goddamned saint. ‘It seems only fair. I mean, if there are two contenders, they ought to both be given a chance to try out.’ He wanted to hug her for the suggestion and at the same time curse her for being his rival, though she didn’t realise it.

His uncle scratched his woolly beard. ‘There isn’t time to have two of them battling it out.’

Dani looked as crushed as Luthor did. ‘That’s not fair,’ she blurted.

‘Nothing about this industry is fair.’ Ulf answered her, but he was looking at Luthor. ‘If you think talent is what gets you places, you’re wrong. It’s all about being in the right place and knowing the right people.’

‘I thought I had that bit covered.’ He’d been dreaming of seeing Xane again since the first time they met, but it’d never happened. Then Ulf had suddenly appeared at one of the shitty dives where he and the guys were playing, and proposed something he couldn’t possibly refuse. ‘Come and play for Black Halo.’ That was three weeks ago. He’d spent the whole time practising, learning every song, making his timing perfect, but there’d been no contact with the actual band. Now there wouldn’t be. He’d given up everything for nothing.

‘Knowing Ash trumps knowing me. It’s harsh, but that’s the way it goes.’

Dream over – dismissed with a shrug from Ulf.

He ought to have realised that both drumming for Black Halo and hooking up with Xane again were wild fantasies. If he’d been thinking with his head instead of his dick, maybe he would have, but he’d never been able to forget that night he’d spent with Xane three years back at the Sölvesborg Rock Festival. He’d agreed to Ulf’s proposal as much for the chance of Xane remembering him and wanting a repeat as for a shot at the top. Of course, he’d also imagined Xane still reeling at the loss of his best friend, and him being able to jump in and offer comfort. Nope, that role had already been filled too, and by a real sweetheart. He tried not to wince when she gave him a consoling pat on the shoulder.

‘I’m sorry it didn’t work out, Luthor.’

Yeah, him too.

‘What will you do now?’

‘Get on with the job he has,’ Ulf replied.

Luthor made for the door instead.

‘Don’t you dare walk out!’

He went as far as the stairs, where he stopped in a corner and banged his head against the wall a few times. ‘Damn … fucking … awful … luck.’ The action didn’t improve his mood; it only gave him a bigger sore head. Ulf was right, though: he’d be a fool to walk away now. Being Ulf’s paid understudy was a position many people would kill for. The guy was a technical genius. And who knew what would happen on the road? Six months was a heck of a long time, especially in the lifespan of a top band. Iain Willows might turn out to be a complete dud. Xane might decide Dani was too sweet, or that he needed a boyfriend too. Luthor could live with sharing. He’d been on tour with his band for most of the last three years. He knew all about fluid relationships. Also, he’d lay money on Dani being an inferno between the sheets. She had to be, or how was she holding Xane’s attention? The whole rock circuit knew how much he loved to fuck and how often. No way were they keeping it plain old vanilla. Well, he was more than happy to step in and help spice things up.

Really, almost anything …

This dream couldn’t be over yet.

Chapter 5 (#ulink_7cb93ee9-ae1f-5c45-b591-5a31978d50aa)

Ulf ordered Dani back into her seat when she attempted to run after Luthor. She hated seeing anybody hurt, and wanted to comfort him, but Ulf’s bark was pretty darned bad, and she didn’t want to find out what his bite entailed. On the plus side, he let her listen to the rehearsal. Xane sounded bloody amazing and, she had to admit, she was intrigued by their new drummer and how he might influence the band’s sound.

Surfing the internet on her phone confirmed that he had an impressive rock pedigree. He’d drummed for three big-name bands and had credits on a host of tracks performed with other acts. Luthor’s Denna Rädsla project, on the other hand, only brought up a couple of links, one of them to a scathing review.

‘He’s missing Steve Matlock’s flourishes, but he’s otherwise not bad,’ Ulf confirmed when he was content that everything sounded as it should. ‘You can get out of here now. Leave your case. I’ll see it gets put on the bus. You don’t want to be dragging that around.’

Dani didn’t give him the chance to change his mind: she was out the door and down the stairs, flying towards the dressing rooms. She saw no sign of Luthor. Hopefully, he’d just taken himself off somewhere quiet to calm down and hadn’t genuinely walked out. Though she wouldn’t blame him if he had. If she’d been passed over for a chance of drumming for Black Halo, she’d have been gutted too. Not that she possessed any musical talent.

She found Xane’s dressing room easily enough, knocked and let herself in. Whoa! She crashed headlong into Ash Gore, which startled her into a shriek. He brushed her off, stalked past her and disappeared into another room three doors down.

‘Are you OK?’

She turned her head to find Jan ‘Spook’ Mortensen addressing her.

‘Dani?’ he enquired, hitching a brow. She nodded in confirmation and he stuck out his hand for her to shake. His white-blond hair swept forward over his shoulders and tickled the skin of her arms as he lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles. ‘Nice to meet you again. We seemed to skip introductions last time.’

‘Yeah.’ Her ability to form words dried up. She stared at him as if she had concussion or something.

‘Who are you talking to, Spook? I thought I told you to get out.’

Dani’s grin stretched even wider at the sound of Xane’s voice.

‘I’m just saying hello to your lovely lady.’ Spook leaned forward again and gave her another kiss, this one on the cheek. ‘He’s grouchy and irritable, see if you can cheer him up.’

‘Over what?’

‘Life.’

‘Life?’ she queried, but Spook was already gone.

‘Dani?’ Xane was right there in front of her, wrapping his arms around her, bowing his head and drinking her down like a man desperate for water. ‘It feels like eternity since I last set eyes on you.’ He didn’t seem irritable, only desperately pleased to see her. More pleased than she’d ever imagined he would be. ‘I thought you’d be here before the soundcheck.’

‘I was, but Ulf made me wait with him. He didn’t want me distracting you.’

‘Bastard,’ Xane hissed. ‘I needed distracting.’ His lips found hers again and he drew her tight against his body. He’d already dressed in his stage outfit, so that his dark, ragged shirt was open to the waist, and easy for her to slip her hands inside. All that was missing to transform him into the demon he was on stage was his yellow cat’s-eye contact lenses. Dani was glad they were missing. Without them she could see right into his soul. There was a great gaping hole there caused by Steve Matlock’s death, and he was desperately trying to fill it by clinging to her.

‘So, you have a new drummer,’ she said, hoping it would prompt him to talk. He’d experienced a massive loss. He needed to talk, but every time she tried to prompt him to open up, he sidestepped the subject. The only way he seemed to express his grief was through his lyrics.

A shadow passed across the surface of Xane’s eyes. ‘Apparently.’

‘That must have been a hard decision to make. I know you loved Steve, and –’

He cut her off by covering her mouth with his fingertips. ‘Don’t. I have to go out there and sing. I can’t do that if you make me think about stuff. Yes, we have a new drummer. He’ll do. He’s not my choice.’

Given the mournful look in his eyes, she doubted he’d have chosen anyone.

‘OK,’ she agreed, though it was hard not to try and dig deeper and attempt to console him, when the sadness rolled off him in such tangible waves. ‘Did the others choose him?’