Chase the Road (A Brothers of Rock - GONE BY AUTUMN - Novel) (2 page)

“
How
did that feel?
”
Asher
asked.

“
Like
shit,
”
Blake said.

“
So
get over it,
”
Asher said.
“
Or do something about it. Big
tough guy. You want in the middle of someone
’
s
relationship, start with yourself.
”
Asher licked his lip and then kicked at the wall.
“
Fuck, man, you
’
ve
always had a wicked right on you.
”

Asher turned and walked away.

“
Asher,
”
Blake called out.
“
Hey, Asher! Come on
…”

Blake sucked in a breath and
figured it was better off. Asher would get a ride back to his place and maybe
to the loft and meet up with the band. Blake had no such intentions. He
’
d rather spend the night
writhing with memories and thoughts of a future that he squandered.

When he turned, he stopped dead in
his tracks.

“
Hey.
”

It was the woman from the bar.

“
Hey,
”
Blake said.

Blake eyed her. Head to toe. She
was taller than Maya. Definitely nowhere near as pretty. Her eyes were some
weird green color. Her hair was too blonde. Everything else
…
yeah, she was a woman, oh well.

“
Thank
you for what you did,
”
she
said.
“
I mean, I guess it
’
s my fault. I let that stuff
happen. Just go with the flow to feel like I
’
m
involved.
”

“
Okay,
”
Blake said.
“
So you two broke up now? Because
I bitch slapped him in front of you?
”

The woman laughed.

Maya
’
s
laugh was cuter. And her smile made his stomach flutter because she had
perfectly matching dimples on each side of her cheeks.

“
I
’
m Mandy,
”
the woman said.
“
I
’
m a big fan of Gone by Autumn.
”

“
Thanks.
You want me to sign something
…”

“
Well,
no,
”
Mandy said. She bit
her bottom lip.
“
I never do
anything crazy like this
…
but what if I just went home with you?
”

“
You
’
re kidding, right?
”

“
No.
”

“
Because
of what I did?
”

“
What
you said
…”

“
Sweetie,
I
’
m not going to look into
your eyes and feel anything. Hell, there
’
s
half a chance I
’
m going to
feel anything at all if we hook up.
”

Mandy came closer. She reached out
and touched Blake
’
s chest.
She looked too damn nervous for an encounter like this. She swallowed hard and
collected herself.
“
Maybe
that
’
s what I need then. No
more emotion.
”

“
Then
you found the right guy,
”
Blake said.

Three hours later Mandy would be in
Blake
’
s bed, sheets pulled
up to her chin. Strands of sweaty hair would cling to her face. No emotion. No
feeling. Just complete silence until she would ask,
“
You
’
re
in love with someone who doesn
’
t
love you, aren
’
t you?
”

And Blake would curl his lip, turn
to his side, and turn off the light.
“
You
can sleep here if you want. Just don
’
t
touch me and be gone before I wake up.
”

*

Blake scratched at his cheek and
hated the messy feeling of his face. He couldn
’
t
remember the last time he shaved, not that it mattered. The rough and scruff
rockstar look was totally in. The fans loved it. The press loved it. There were
a few reports circling around that Blake was strung out on drugs. A picture
surfaced of Blake looking roughed up wearing big sunglasses, head down,
reaching for a door. There was no harm in the actual picture other than the way
it looked. Any half decent writer could spin a story.

And why the hell not?

People actually gave a shit about
Gone by Autumn. Blake had always been the loner guy in the band. Ryan had been
front and center with the problems with his father. Tanner and Asher had grazed
the covers of every possible guitar magazine, for interviews and lessons. The
only one almost as quiet and hidden as Blake was Gabe, but he was fine with it.
He had his own love interest - Sabrina - attached to his arm when his bass wasn
’
t.

“
Ready
to go again? Blake?
”

Blake shook his head and snapped
back to reality.

Ready to go again?

Wasn
’
t
the first time Blake heard that before. And that included being with the right
person. Just at the wrong time.

The crash of a cymbal made him
jump. He looked up and saw Asher standing there. He had used the headstock of
his guitar to slam on top of the cymbal.

“
Yo,
”
Asher said.
“
Are you here?
”

“
I
’
m here,
”
Blake said.
“
Christ,
man, calm down.
”

Blake stared at the mark on Asher
’
s jaw. It was clearing up a
little. Which was good. The last thing the press needed was another reason to
tear into Gone by Autumn. Then again, Blake sort of wished he hit Asher harder.

“
We
need to wrap this up,
”
Ryan
said, half turned, sort of talking into the mic.
“
Unless
you feel like wasting the rest of the day here.
”

Blake looked at Ryan.

Where else do I have to go?

Ryan turned and stared to give a
count. Where to come in. What part of the song needed to be tighter.

Gabe hit a few notes on his bass,
bending a deep note.

“
Sounds
like a porn soundtrack,
”
Tanner said.

“
Someone
say porn?
”
Asher asked.

“
Okay
…
can we play?
”
Ryan called out.

Blake hit his sticks together for a
four count and went right into a song.

Everything sounded great. The band
was tight. The songs were perfect. Everyone knew their spots, and what to do,
and how to do it. Lucky for Asher, his hand came back with full use. The damn
guy tempted fire twice with his hand and made it through. All for the love of
some chick. At the time, he barely knew Jocelyn. But to Asher it didn
’
t matter. He knew something was
there and almost put his life on the line for her.

And goddamn Gabe. Going to a cabin
for a weekend to blow off steam. Coming back with a woman. A beautiful woman
who was kind and amazing. Someone who shouldn
’
t
have been messing around with a rockstar, but it worked. Of course Tanner had
to go and start sleeping with one of the backup singers. And that fooling
around led to more. Even Ryan
…
falling for a reporter who had the chance to take the band down but held back
on it.

It was all Blake could think about
as he played the song. Watching the guys he considered to be brothers all
falling for women. All given that chance to experience something Blake had been
dealing with for years. And now that feeling was more real than ever, but even
harder to grab.

Blake missed a drumbeat, screwed up
the rest of the song, and stood up. The band looked at him, leftover notes
dying and eventually squealing out.

“
Fuck,
”
Blake growled and threw the
drumsticks across the loft. He kicked his hi-hat stand over and walked away
from the drums.

I
’
m done. Just
…
done
…

(2)

Maya bit at a hair clip and fought
with a few loose strands of her hair. This was why women shouldn
’
t care about how they look. Just
go for whatever is there and be happy with it. Yet Maya was standing in front
of a mirror, pissed off that she couldn
’
t
get every piece of hair to pull back.

Finally, after ten more minutes of
trying, Maya just pulled her hair back and clipped it. Her lips were tingling
from holding the clip so long. She turned her head left to right, gave herself
an approving nod, and left the bathroom. She hurried through her small
apartment and left, needing to get to the small lunch hole for an interview
about the band. Being bumped up with some kind of fancy social media title
really didn
’
t mean much for
Maya. It came with money, which was nice. It came with a title, which was
silly. But it let her get out there more and promote Gone by Autumn. Sometimes
she secretly wished she could do something musical and just be a fifth member.
That
’
s how long she
’
d been involved with the band
and the guys. She could go back to that first time the five of them got
together and struck a note that worked.

It was Asher who wrote the first
real riff. And then it was Blake who came in with a basic drumbeat that set the
band on fire. Like a spark to kindling, it worked. And that fire hadn
’
t died out yet. No chance of
that fire dying now either. It was pretty amazing to watch all of it happen
around her.

Good for the guys, right?

When Maya first met them, they were
punk teenagers on the brink of turning adults. Even when they were legally
adults they were still punks. Breaking windows, causing trouble, doing anything
to make noise and have fun. Now they were the biggest band around. Everything
they wrote and released went to number one. Their album rested nicely at the
top of the charts, even with so much available for free. The fans were
completely loyal. Almost as loyal as Maya.

After arriving at the little lunch
hole - properly called
Hole
- Maya felt her phone vibrate. She reached
into her bag for it, smiling, figuring it would be Blake wishing her luck on
the interview.

It was Hunter though.

I
’
ll be there in a little bit.

Just a quick and to the point text,
like always. That was just because of how busy he was at work. If it had been
Blake, it would have been longer and with something funny in it. Like
Check
your nose for boogers. The press loves a good boogie story.
Or something
like
Don
’
t
sneeze into your water. Remember you did that once and splashed water across
the table???

In fact, as Maya thought about it,
she hadn
’
t heard from Blake
in a while. There was some kind of rumbling going on between him and Asher that
nobody would talk about. Apparently he smacked Asher in the face after a night
of drinking. Maya hadn
’
t
gotten the entire story of that yet.

Inside
Hole
, Maya spotted
Kathy, the woman who would be conducting the interview on the band. She ran her
own entertainment blog along with several plugs from national sites, which
meant the interview would get picked up and spread around like wildfire. All of
this was strategically done on the backing of the tour Gone by Autumn was doing
with Willow Son.

Amazing how fast this entire thing
changed from being just about strumming guitars to an actual business strategy.

“
It
’
s nice to finally meet you,
”
Kathy said as she shook Maya
’
s hand.
“
I love your hair, by the way.
”

“
Oh,
well thanks
…”

“
Naturally
that brown?
”

“
Yeah.
I
’
ve never dyed my hair.
”

“
Come
on,
”
Kathy said.
“
That
’
s a lie.
”

“
Swear
on it.
”

“
Well,
good for you. Then again, if my hair shined like yours, I wouldn
’
t have a reason to dye it
either. I can
’
t even
remember what my natural color is. I just walk down the aisle at the store,
stick my hand out, and whatever falls into the basket becomes my new hair
color.
”

They laughed and Maya ordered a
soda and a salad. She was always skeptical of interviews, just in case things
took a way too personal turn with the private life of the band. But luckily,
since Ryan
’
s father was
finally put away for what seemed to be for good, all that personal stuff
started to fade.

“
First
off,
”
Kathy said,
“
I
’
m
a huge Gone by Autumn fan. I remember seeing them up in Syracuse, the night
they hooked up with Fallen Tuesday.
”

Maya grinned.
“
I remember that night. They were
playing long before that though.
”

“
It
must have been quite the ride to fame,
”
Kathy said.
“
On the
surface, it looks like they were just a lucky band, right? To get picked up by
Fallen Tuesday. But then they were dropped when Fallen Tuesday went
international. Any reason behind that? Were there some personal grievances?
”

“
With
Fallen Tuesday?
”
Maya
asked.
“
My goodness, no.
Fallen Tuesday offered to take Gone by Autumn with them. The guys sat down with
Sam, their manager, and even included me in the conversation as they talked
about what to do. I was merely a bystander in it all though. It was up to the
band. I remember Luke and Mack begging them to go. But they decided to stay.
”

“
Risky
move, no?
”

“
Maybe.
But that
’
s what they
’
ve always done. Their way or no
way.
”

“
Meaning
…”

“
There
were deals before. But it just never worked. I
’
ve
known these guys as long as I can remember. Like we
’
re a big family or something, you know? There were
times when they were desperate just to feel accepted, but they
’
re smart. Ryan is stubborn and
head fast. Gabe is very smart. Tanner is focused. Asher is a wild guy, yeah,
but he doesn
’
t back down
from what his heart wants
…”

“
And
Blake?
”

Maya smiled.
Blake.
She felt
her heart jumping a little.
“
Blake
…
yeah
…
he
’
s
just
…
he
’
s amazing at what he does. You
know? He could drum, play guitar, sing, dance. Anything. He loves the music
like I
’
ve never seen
before. He
’
s not afraid to
just cut into something that isn
’
t
very good. I give the sound credit to him.
”

“
Wow,
”
Kathy said.
“
Sounds like you
’
re very close with him.
”

Maya swallowed hard.
“
Yeah. I mean, with the entire
band. I saw the entire thing grow before my eyes.
”

“
And
what
’
s it like right now?
What
’
s changed?
”

“
The
shows are bigger,
”
Maya
said with a smile.
“
The
fans are so intense. So amazing. But everything else is pretty much the same.
The guys get up there and play. Nothing fancy. Nothing crazy. They try to keep
the show about the music and nothing else. About the fans who paid to see them
play. You know they try and sign as many autographs as possible.
”

“
I
’
ve heard that,
”
Kathy said.
“
They play The Jack quite a bit
and just hang around.
”

“
They
sit on the edge of the stage and just hang out. It
’
s really awesome.
”

Kathy took notes by hand and typed
on her laptop. Maya knew she was probably on some social media site, reporting
some snippets live. It was okay though, that
’
s
how information worked. It was only relevant if it was available right now.

“
Talk
about Willow Son,
”
Kathy
said.

“
I
don
’
t know much about them,
”
Maya confessed.
“
They seem like nice guys. I
’
ve met them a few times. I know
the tour is planned to be something great.
”

“
You
know they came from, how do I put it, sketchy pasts?
”

“
That
matters?
”

“
There
’
s been a little of everything
through the band it seems. Lots of news to write about.
”

“
That
’
s the life sometimes. It
’
s not always about fame and
fortune. Music isn
’
t
necessarily about pure entertainment. The notes, the lyrics, the sound, that
’
s the way they put their souls
forward. That
’
s how they
cope with personal pain and tragedy.
”

“
That
’
s poignant,
”
Kathy said.
“
Beautiful even. So, Maya, how do
you fit in it all?
”

Kathy took her hands off her laptop
and tucked her pencil into her hair. A gentle sign that, perhaps, things were
going to be off the record for a little bit.

“
I
’
m just there,
”
Maya said.
“
I consider the guys part of my
family. We kind of all grew up the same. I was raised by my grandparents. My
grandmother got cancer and passed away right before I turned eighteen. So the
band, the music, it was part of my escape too. And it didn't hurt to have five
guys willing to protect me.
”

Kathy grinned.
“
Not many dates then?
”

“
Only
when I wanted,
”
Maya
replied.

“
And
the band? Anything ever happen behind the scenes?
”

Maya could feel herself stumbling
for a second. It was like she had twenty cotton balls in her mouth. She felt a
little color rush to her face. All those secrets were best kept like that -
secrets
.
They were stories for just her and Blake to have and only share with each
other. Hell, not even the band
…

“
We
’
re close,
”
Maya said, catching herself.
“
But not like that. They
’
re all happy men. Rockstars all
being tamed by love.
”

“
Not
Blake though. In fact, there was an article recently published with a picture
of Blake, and he looked rough. He looked worn out, beat up, and suggestions
that perhaps he was drunk, high
…”

“
No,
”
Maya said.
“
I know Blake. We
’
re very close. There
’
s no drugs. Never has been,
never will be.
”

“
You
said it yourself though, Maya, that this life
…
the rockstar life
…
the past
…”

“
All
of that is in the music,
”
Maya said.
“
That
’
s where it
’
s best left. In the music.
”

Kathy nodded and paused.
“
So we
’
re safe to assume that Blake will be on tour?
”

“
Of
course.
”

“
No
lineup changes?
”

“
Closest
that ever came to was when Asher injured his hand.
”

“
Yes,
let
’
s talk about that for a
second.
”
Kathy took her
pencil from her hair.
“
The
press was on that like gasoline to fire. Some real scary connections there,
right? He almost lost his hand. Almost lost his life.
”

“
But
he didn
’
t,
”
Maya said.
“
And now everything is working
itself out.
”

“
Seems
like Gone by Autumn is always involved with something exciting.
”

Maya smiled big.
“
They
’
re rockstars. What did you expect?
”

“
Uh,
excuse me, am I interrupting
…”

Maya turned and saw Hunter standing
there. White shirt with blue stripes tucked into a nice pair of slacks. His
hands stuck in his pockets, a big watch on his left wrist, looking like it was
resting against his pocket.