Face the Music (A Brothers of Rock - GONE BY AUTUMN - Novel) (4 page)

The song ended with Tanner and JT standing, facing each other, Tanner nodding and smiling as they both played the same riff over and over.

Ryan turned and took two steps before spotting Asher. He gave a nod and Asher waved.

“Hey,” Ryan yelled into the mic as he spun around. “How did that sound?”

The crowd responded as they always did for Gone by Autumn -
wild
.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed we have a new face up on stage here,” Ryan said. “On guitar, to my left… this is JT. How about a little applause for him jumping in when we needed him.”

The crowd went crazy even more. Blake hit the bass drum a few times and Tanner pinched a note on guitar so it screamed loud.

“But,” Ryan said, waving his hands. “But, but, but… I’m sure you’re all missing Asher, right?”

The crowd screamed.

“Now, I bet if you yell loud enough, he’ll come out here. So… does everyone want to see Asher?”

The room sounded like it was going to explode.

Asher flashed a smile and nodded.

Goddamn, what an amazing feeling.

He stepped forward, ready to take the stage.

“No, that’s not good enough,” Ryan yelled. “You know Asher. He’s probably taking a shot, enjoying the company of a beautiful woman. You’re going to need to scream louder than that!”

Asher didn’t think The Jack could get as loud as it did then. Loud enough that Asher tilted his head to the left, trying to cover his ear. But there was no blocking that level of noise.

“I think that might work!” Ryan said. “Now help me…
Asher! Asher! Asher!
”

The crowd continued the chant.

Asher! Asher! Asher! Asher!

Asher cut through the back of the stage and stood next to Blake. He looked at Blake and nodded. Stepping forward, he came into view for the entire audience. He waved his good hand and the place kept cheering.

Ryan turned to him and gave him a hug. “Fuck man, they love you.”

“I see that,” Asher yelled back.

“Say something. Do something.”

Asher stepped to the mic. He ran a hand through his hair. “Wow.”

The crowd hadn't settled down at all. He backed up a little and waved his hand again.

“This is crazy,” Asher said. “Really crazy. You guys are crazy. All of you. Every single one of you screaming right now. Don’t you have something better to do?”

They all
booo’
ed with a rumble deeper than Gabe’s bass lines.

“Hey, how’s my buddy, JT, doing?”

Asher looked back at JT and smiled. JR nodded and gave another small wave. Asher had to respect the guy. He had moved off to the side, almost off the stage. He was not looking for the spotlight at all. He just wanted to play guitar and live in the world of rock n’ roll.

“Wait, wait,” Ryan said as he joined Asher at the mic. “I think everyone wants to know when the big return is.”

“I can’t say,” Asher said. He raised an eyebrow at Ryan.
What the hell, man? How the hell am I…?

“What if we get Asher to just hold a guitar?” Ryan asked. “Would that work?”

The crowd cheered and screamed. They clapped and chanted his name. Asher shook his head and turned. JT was holding his guitar out, giving it to Asher. Asher took it and strapped it over his neck and shoulder. It had been too long since he held a guitar. He made his left hand open and held the neck. Even that hurt. With his right hand, he dug into his pocket, found a pick, and then started to play the top string on the guitar. A deep, open
E
note, but it sounded good in The Jack. Gabe then joined in on bass and Blake threw together a makeshift drumbeat. Tanner hit a few power chords against the note, and for all the fans knew, they were watching Asher play guitar.

The entire thing lasted all of twenty seconds before Asher stopped. He gave the guitar back to JT and threw the guitar pick into the crowd.

He went back to the mic. “Okay, enough wasting time. You all came for a show so enjoy a show! These guys are going to kick some ass up here for a little while longer. Are you ready for it?”

The crowd exploded again.

Ryan grabbed the mic. “Hey, give Asher a hand!”

Cheering and laughing, the crowd stayed loud.

Asher punched Ryan in the shoulder. “Asshole.”

“Love you, bro!”

Asher gave a wave as he walked off the stage. A few seconds later, the band started back up again. As Asher stood there, feeling the reverberation of the song rushing through his body, he appreciated all he had, but he was pissed that it wasn’t him up there right now.

He felt someone grab his good shoulder. It was Sam. He gave a nod in the direction of the side entrance door. Asher gave thumbs up.

Once they were outside, the noise was mostly suppressed, making it easier to talk.

“What’s up?” Asher asked.

“Interview go well?” Sam asked.

“Yeah. Said what I had to say about everything. Don’t know how it’ll be spun. I don’t give a shit either.”

“Okay. You know it’s a good thing to get that out there. It’ll ease the other stories.”

“I took a dump on the press though. Called those guys criminals.”

“Well, what they did to you, to the band…”

Asher nodded. “I’m not getting lawyers involved. I just want my hand to get better so I can play.”

“Good,” Sam said. “Because we have another huge meeting coming up. Gone by Autumn is going to be hitting the road with Willow Son. Remember them?”

Asher raised an eyebrow. “Of course. They’re as big as Chasing Cross. Fallen Tuesday. Hell, bigger than us.”

“Nobody is bigger than Gone by Autumn,” Sam said with a grin. “But I’m working on something with the two bands. Bigger shows, bigger stages, bigger crowds.”

The door opened again and came within an inch of smacking Sam. He jumped out of the way and let out a yell.

“Oh, sorry,” a sweet voice said.

Asher watched with pleasure as a sexy woman stepped outside. He scanned her head to toe and back, because that’s what he did. She wore jeans with some tears in them and a t-shirt that fit her body perfectly. Her subtle curves were instantly eye catching and sexy. Her hair was styled in a messy way, on purpose. Asher couldn’t look away from the woman’s face though. The shape of her chin. Her thin and natural lips. No lipstick. Her eyes a piercing, bluish-green color. And when she smirked with the left side of her mouth, cute dimples formed.

How interesting…

“Tell you what, Sam,” Asher said as he looked at the woman. “Why don’t you handle your business? And I’ll handle mine…”

“Oh, wonderful,” Sam said. He grabbed the door and went back inside.

“Hey there,” Asher said.

“Hey,” the woman said. “I’m sorry if I interrupted something.”

“No. Just business. Rockstar stuff.”

“Oh? Are you with the band in there?”

“You don’t know…” Asher smiled. “Very interesting.”

“Why’s that?”

“You’re at a Gone by Autumn concert… and you don’t know the band?”

The woman smirked again (
prettier than before…
) and shrugged her shoulders. “Sorry. Guilty as charged.”

“Why are you here then?”

“Is that any of your business?”

Asher rubbed his scruffy chin. “Actually, it is. You offended me. Hurt my feelings.”

“I hurt your feelings?” the woman asked.

“Yeah.”

“How? Why?”

Asher loved this. She was getting annoyed but wouldn’t walk away. The look in her eyes, damn, that little sparkle or whatever it was, it was beautiful. Maybe she was just drunk. Maybe she was flirting.

“I’m the guitarist in that band,” Asher said. “And you don’t even know it.”

“If you’re in the band, why aren’t you playing?”

“Oh, you’re smart. Quick. You don’t miss a thing, do you?”

“I guess not. I’m going to go back inside now.”

The woman started to turn and Asher sidestepped. He put his hand on the door a second before the woman did. She grabbed his hand and let out a little gasp. She looked at Asher and he smiled at her. When she tried to pull away, Asher turned his hand and held her hand.

“Hey, you okay?” Asher asked. “I’m not lying to you.”

“Seems like you are.”

“No. I was in a car accident. Can’t use my left hand. That’s my fingering hand.”

Asher grinned and the woman blushed.

My fingering hand…

Asher laughed. “The hand I play guitar with. My left hand moves up and down the neck of the guitar. So if I can’t move my hand without it hurting, I can’t play.”

“Car accident? What happened?”

“Got chased by a couple guys trying to take pictures of me,” Asher said. “In hindsight, it was pretty dumb to try and speed away. But I was kind of pissed off and done with the night. You know? I just wanted to be left the hell alone.”

“That’s exactly how I feel right now,” the woman said.

Asher nodded. “So I’m in your way?”

“Basically.”

“Wow. This is awkward now.”

Asher fell silent. He didn’t let go of the woman’s hand. He just stared at her.

“You don’t take hints, do you?” she asked.

“I do. You want me to leave. But I haven’t gotten your name. And I definitely haven’t gotten the chance to tell you how damn beautiful your eyes are. I mean… just… wow…”

The woman blinked and half smiled. “Oh, uh, thanks.”

Asher wondered what would happen if he pulled her in right now and just planted a kiss on her. It wasn’t out of his wheelhouse to do such a thing. He didn’t care.

But before Asher could make a decision - which was strange because he never hesitated with anything- the door opened and smacked Asher on his right shoulder. His hand slipped away from the woman’s and a man emerged in the doorway.

“Hey, there you are,” a voice said. “What the hell are you doing out here?”

“I, uh, just….”

“Get back inside.”

Asher grabbed the door handle and pulled the door open all the way. The guy stumbled toward him. Wearing a nice suit, slicked back hair, he had the appeal of a complete asshole.

“Hey,” Asher said.

“Who are you?” the guy asked.

“This is…” the woman started.

“You were on stage,” the guy said.

“I’m Asher. Guitarist in Gone by Autumn.”

“Oh, yeah. Nice. Good for you. We’re, uh, hosting a few clients. If you don’t mind.”

The guy rolled his eyes and looked at the woman. He grabbed her shoulder and it made Asher uneasy. He started to step forward but was shocked when the woman shot out her right hand and stopped him. Her hand touched his stomach, fingers slightly bending, digging into him.

The move was so dumb and subtle, it shouldn’t have meant anything. But it was anything but nothing. It shot a wave through Asher and stopped him dead in his tracks.

She looked at him and grinned.
That pretty grin again.

“Jocelyn,” she said. “Sorry I didn’t recognize you.”

“Jocelyn,” Asher whispered. The door shut as the two went inside. “Holy shit. Jocelyn…”

(4)

Is a limo really necessary?

That was all Jocelyn could think about when she looked at Chad on the way home from The Jack. Was it to look cool? To look professional? It was a waste of money. A car would have done fine. Or even a cab.

Then again, Chad preached about image. It was always about image.

Jocelyn fumbled with her hands and didn't say a word. She tried to make sense of the night. According to Chad, the two couples that were there were both potential investors and had relationships with overseas companies that could help with the cost of materials and production. Again, there was nothing wrong with the process that Jocelyn had been using. The company was profitable and the product was great.

The night became nothing more than an excuse for Chad to drink, laugh, flirt with the women when the guys weren’t looking, and all of it was put on the company tab. Then there was a separate, secretive meeting with Chad and three other men in suits that Jocelyn wasn’t allowed to be part of. It made her uneasy. That’s when she went outside to get some fresh air. Definitely not to meet a rockstar and have to endure his cheap pick up lines.

But he was kind of cute…

It was just nice to have someone pay attention to her. Make her feel special. Comment about her eyes.

“Hey,” Chad said in a slurred voice as his hand came down on Jocelyn’s leg. His fingers played with the tear in her jeans. “Look at this. Your jeans are all fucked up.”

“That’s how they were made,” Jocelyn said. “Part of…”

“Wasted,” Chad said. “We need style. Better style. New style. Appeal to… the people…”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Jocelyn asked.

She looked at Chad and his lip curled. His eyes were spinning though. Jocelyn figured if it came to it, that she could take him in his current state. But she knew that when he sobered up, she would pay for it.

“You keep making garbage,” Chad spat. “That’s what I’m trying to save you from. You’re not some high school chick anymore. You want to sell ripped jeans to kids?” Chad waved a hand. “Fuck that.”

“Chad, it all sells.”

“Not enough. We need more.”

“Why?”

“Because I want more. That’s why.”

Jocelyn was in the mood to argue but held back. She let out a breath. “So what was your reaction to the meetings tonight?”

“Before or after you took off?”

“I didn’t take off. I went outside for a second.”

“That was your chance to be alone. To be the artist with them.”

“You hate when I’m like that,” Jocelyn said. “You got mad…”

“Goddamnit,” Chad growled. “This is why you’ll never make it on your own. You can’t think for yourself. For one goddamn second, Jocelyn. When we’re in a meeting… suit and tie… formal… it’s business. But informal, at The Jack, watching some band play music, that’s when you can do whatever you want.”

Jocelyn sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t help the investment situation. Christ, you’re going to drown us.”

Drown us?

Chad ran his hand up Jocelyn’s leg. “That’s okay, baby.” He looked at her and smiled. “I’ll make it all better. Like I always do.”