Page 6 of Guarding the Shadows (Pulsetunes Rock Gods #5)

R aff

I had forgotten how loud Screaming Shadows’ music and their fans were when they played in a confined place. They sounded nothing like they did in a sterile environment like a recording studio, or in a large venue where there was enough space to absorb some of the vibration and amplified sounds.

The mall’s own risk assessors figured five hundred fans to be a safe number, but within the confines of a large store front the noise rivaled a much larger venue.

“Thanks for coming out to see us,” Levi called into the mic. Bodhi grinned at me, because the fans before him were mostly minor girls, around fourteen years of age. It was a far cry from his usual cursed greeting toward his fans at a nighttime gig.

Deakon was … Deakon. He always presented the same way, regardless of who was watching, with his shirtless body on full display, his attitude full of mischief and his guitar slung low on his hips.

“Like I said, thank you all for coming out to see us today,” Levi mumbled again, instantly gaining another collective, hysterical cheer from the girls.

“I figured as we haven’t got much time today, we’d start with the song that started our band, Screaming Shadows, on the road to success.

” As the riff for one of their oldest and most famous songs began, a girl somehow jumped across the barrier and headed toward the small stage.

Sweeping in, I scooped her legs up off the floor.

I carried her off to the side, screaming and bucking, her arms and legs flailing around her in a helicopter like move, until she was safely confined before I dropped her to her feet, pinned her by her shoulders and shoved her against the nearest wall.

“Are you fucking serious?” I growled. “You will not cause a safety issue for my band on my watch, you hear me, girl? Your stupid action could have caused an accident or worse, you could have brought that barrier down, putting your music heroes at risk. Hell, you could have caused a stampede. That’s the end of your free gig. The only place you’re going is home.”

Turning, I eyed two of the mall’s security guards and gestured to them with a jerk of my head to come and take over from me. “She’s leaving. Make sure she’s completely clear of the mall.”

As I headed back to my position, I watched her attempts to struggle out of their arms, until one of the guards looked like he’d had enough and hoisted her up in a fireman’s lift.

Right then, I knew the gig, although short for the band, would prove to be a busy time for Bodhi, Mikey and I since several more attempts to reach the guys on stage had needed to be swiftly dealt with.

It was almost half an hour after the appearance finished before we could eject the band safely out of the mall.

Compared to the smooth operation at the much larger venue, it had been a real shit-show.

We’d been prepared for another long day which included an afterparty, where the instruction from Jude was that there would be a maximum twenty-minute meet and greet, and only a forty-five-minute appearance at the after party, then we were supposed to take them all to the airport.

“Don’t agree to any shit like that mall gig again.

I don’t care how much they’re paying you,” Jude snapped at Levi.

“We’re not small-fry anymore, and if I’m honest, that’s the first time I really haven’t felt safe.

” Jude met my eyes and although he was pissed, I saw how annoyed he was at needing to spell his demand out to his closest friend.

“One of those kids grabbed my dick as we passed them on the way to that back room,” Korry rightly complained about the bodily contact.

“Sorry, Korry. I did try to cut her off with my body, but I was still dealing with that crazy girl who tried to jump on your back,” Mikey insisted. I felt for Mikey because it had been the only contact with anyone, and I knew he’d beat himself up about that, even though it couldn’t be helped.

“That was my bad. I fucked up,” Bodhi stated. “This is the last time we depend on security from anyone else if you perform in a place like this.”

“We’re never playing in a place like that again,” Jude affirmed, glaring at Levi. “You’ve got enough money sitting in the bank. You don’t need to cheapen yourself by endorsing fancy watches. Fuck, you don’t even wear one.”

“Their watches start from twenty-five big ones,” Levi argued.

“And you’ve pissed that much up against a wall on many a night out before.

No more fucking sponsorships. Save it for when you’re old and not making music for a living anymore …

or don’t involve the rest of us. You put all of us at risk today.

What would have happened if one of us had been hurt?

There’s a stadium full of people on their way to see us tonight. ”

“Fuck me, what happened, happened. Get over it. This is giving me bad vibes for the gig later. Put your feelings to bed and let’s just get through this last gig, then we can all get some space from each other,” Levi demanded.

“Yeah, I agree. But we’ve still got work to do this evening, and then a couple of weeks’ break will reset us all,” Korry agreed.

One of the reasons I loved working with Screaming Shadows was that they were a real band of brothers. They had each other’s backs one hundred percent, vented instead of festering, and moved on quickly after a disagreement.

This was apparent when they stepped out on stage that night and played like they were having a ball.

Fortunately for Bodhi, Mikey and me, their security remained tight, the meet and greet flowed smoothly, and the afterparty guests were contained to a couple of dozen VIPs and management of the venue.

By the time they all climbed into the van to take them to the airport, they were so buzzed that they’d made it to the end of the tour, that they were back to bantering and humorously calling each other out on stupid shit that had happened during the previous few weeks.

“And that’s a wrap,” Jude shouted after doing a drumroll on the back of Levi’s seat, in the van at the end of the night, while we raced toward the airport.

“Great job, everyone,” Levi praised, nodding. “Can’t wait to get home, get laid and a little hair trim.”

“I hear you. I could easily run a comb through my pubes,” Greg joked.

“Look at us. We’ve all got blue balls without our women. What happened to our hell-raising days when we had more pussy than the Cat Protection League,” Deakon mused.

Everyone burst out laughing, including us protection guys.

“It’s alright for you lot. No one’s waving their ass in any of your faces,” Deakon muttered, like it had been the toughest test of his fidelity to his girl.

“Who says they’re not?” Bodhi asked, wagging his brows. “Do I look frustrated to you?” he asked, circling his face with his hand like he was a smug presenter on a TV competition show.

“Or me? Do I look like someone that’s hard up?” Mikey suggested. Bodhi and Mikey grinned at each other, like they had a secret between them.

“Don’t tell me, Raff’s the only one of you three going home without an STD?” Korry asked.

“I’m not,” Jude grumbled like it wasn’t a good thing. “I’m so hard up, there have been days where I swear my dick was trying to punch a hole in my jeans.”

We all laughed again until the van stopped, and we were cleared through airport security.

Once the van began to move again, the conversations continued until we came to a halt beside the private aircraft, waiting to take us home.

“Right guys, here we go. Raff and I will just check the plane and move you guys on in a minute. Sit tight,” Bodhi ordered in a commanding tone.

Bodhi jumped out one side of the van and I jumped out of the back.

Looking left and right, we quickly cleared the area, not that we were expecting any problems. But he still always insisted that we assess risk whenever the guys moved from one mode of transportation to another.

Ignoring him, the rest of the guys poured out of the van and stood at the side, on the runway.

Bodhi hung back, nodding to me to take the lead in ensuring the jet was safe for the guys to board. Where I’d praised myself on avoiding Beth for most of the day, when I caught sight of her standing with Levi, there was a quirk on my lips like I’d wanted to smile but I made myself look away.

Focusing on my job, I ran up the steps, took a quick look around while the guys from the band and the rest of the entourage waited beside the van.

“Clear,” I instructed.

“Copy that,” Bodhi replied.

“Climb aboard guys,” I said, giving them the go-ahead to move.

“Bet you’ll be glad to see Gwen,” Greg suggested when he boarded the plane first.

“Can’t fucking wait. I’ve really missed her this time,” I confessed.

“I’m not surprised, she’s an amazing girl … and a real beauty. I can’t imagine what she sees in your ugly mug.”

“I’ll admit, I’m punching above my weight, but I obviously have that little something that keeps her coming back.”

“Little something? I doubt that. If it was, she’d most definitely have kicked you to the curb by now,” he said, nodding toward my junk.

I flashed him a small smile. “I guess he must be keeping her happy.”

Greg slapped me on the back and dropped into a seat near the front, on the opposite side of me. “Can I just say this? Don’t talk about your dick in the third person, dude. It’s fucking creepy.”

We both chuckled, and for a moment, I was sorry their tour was over. I’d miss the banter, the thrill of the job and the camaraderie that I had with these guys, but on the other hand. I was stoked to be heading back home, to Gwen.