Relish: A Vicious Feast Book 2 (12 page)

C
HAPTER
T
HIRTEEN
C
ACOPHONY

I heard the screams before we even turned into the street of the hotel. No wonder no one came to the Charing Cross. Every Vicious fan in London and the surrounding areas converged at the Canary Wharf Hilton. Forget the ten deep I was exposed to at the Sutcliff Center when Vicious performed for the Crescent City Today audience. This crowd eclipsed that number by at least ten fold. There could easily be close to three hundred people screaming up at the hotel with their signs and posters, all declaring their love for Luka, Demitri, and the rest of the band. I even spotted a couple of Dray Marry Me posters. Tweens, teens, and adults alike braved the winter cold for a glimpse of their favorite band.

The SUV’s walls and windows couldn’t drown out the din the closer we got. I resisted the urge to cover my ears. If this was what it was like at the hotel, I could only imagine what twenty thousand screaming fans sounded like. From what I remembered of the tour schedule, every venue from O2 to Timbuktu was sold out. Okay, I exaggerated on the Timbuktu part, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had fans lurking about in that remote area too.

Eli slowed down when we reached the crowd spilling into the street. When they noticed the SUV, they moved out of the way only enough so they could direct their screaming onto the vehicle itself without getting run over. Men and women pounded on the tinted windows, some of them in tears. All the while Luka remained calm, as if the street was empty. 

“Can they see us?” Stupid question since clearly if they could see who sat in the SUV with me bedlam would ensue. But it had to be asked anyway.

“No,” Eli said, the privacy divider had since been lowered.

“Concentrate on the road,” Luka snapped, his only show of emotion. Maybe he wasn’t as calm as he led me to believe. I spared him a quick glance. He sat with his chin cradled in his palm, looking bored and disinterested at the people lobbing their adoration at him. What could he be thinking? Was he even seeing them or was he looking through them instead of at them?

I couldn’t resist. In this scenario, a picture needed to be taken, if only to tease Luka about it later. I raised my camera and stared at Luka through the viewfinder. The second I released the shutter, I managed to capture a young girl looking right at him as he gazed out. So it seemed like they were staring adoringly at each other, separated by tinted glass.

Ah—I breathed in—I missed this. I really did. Having my camera in my hands while anticipating the next shot felt like coming home. Why exactly did I refuse Yana? If I hadn’t, I would have been able to explore New freakin’ Zealand. Oh well, another time for the land of More Sheep Than People. I lamented the missed opportunity for a nanosecond, reminding myself that the pictures I’d taken a few hours ago will be inside the pages of a prominent magazine.
Not bad if I do say so myself.
At least I could say I wasn’t a one trick pony. That was if I made my deadline.

Only a few hours ago I was shooting for Rebel magazine. Unreal how much my life had changed at a drop of a hat. Well, in this case, at the shrugging on of a trench coat.

Eli pulled into the underground parking of the Hilton. For a second I worried the marauding fans would follow us in. But Eli’s counterparts and a few British police created another one of those human barricades.

“Are you telling me they’ll be out there all night?” I turned away from looking out the back of the SUV. The screaming still reached this far into the hotel parking lot.

“The fans?” Luka shrugged. “They’ll probably be there until the concert tomorrow night. Some might go home. I don’t really know.”

“Yes, Mr. Ego.” I rolled my eye. “I meant the security.”

“Oh.” The tops of Luka’s cheeks reddened slightly. “Yes. Security is on alert twenty-four hours whenever we are on location. It’s for the safety of the fans as much as for us.”

The SUV glided into a spot in a line of similar vehicles. There must be ten in all. I shouldn’t have been surprised considering the things I’d lived through at Lunar Manor, but something told me I only witnessed the tip of the iceberg when it came to the way Vicious mobilized. A world tour was no joke.

“I learn new things every day,” I half-joked as Eli got out and opened the door for Luka. I didn’t wait for the bodyguard to come to my side and opened my own door. The second my boots touched the ground, screams bounced off the walls of the parking lot. A female fan with wicked red hair barreled toward us, a manic look on her pretty face. She couldn’t have been more than eighteen or nineteen.

Eli shoved Luka behind him, giving the excited fan his best stay-back face. Camera up, I chronicled the entire thing. The girl stopped a couple of feet away from us, not once losing the giddy smile on her face. Behind her came a couple of bodyguards. She called Luka’s name and went on telling him how much she loved him.

Unperturbed, Luka walked past Eli’s protection, ignoring the bodyguard’s hissed protestations. He raised a hand, never breaking eye contact with the girl, and Eli shut his mouth faster than a dog commanded to heel. The two bodyguards stopped a few feet away as well. I inched closer to Luka and the fan, taking pictures every step of the way. It hadn’t crossed my mind that she would attempt to hurt him. But in the back of my mind, if she did I would be there to cut the bitch. Luka may be in love with someone else, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t be protective of him. Pathetic. So pathetic, yet I moved closer anyway. As if he couldn’t protect himself. The fan panted now, her face crimson with the effort to stay still. She must have been trying not to faint as he reached her. She vibrated in place.

“What’s your name?” Luka asked softly, like he was approaching a potentially dangerous animal.

“Danika.” She squealed. “I’m your number one fan!”

He reached out and took her hand. “You’re cold.”

Danika glanced at her hand as if she would never wash it again. “Not really.” If I thought her tone couldn’t get any more excited, she managed to ratchet it up a notch higher by jumping up and down.

“Do you have a camera with you?” She froze then frowned, shaking her head. She must have been kicking herself for forgetting to bring along a camera. Luka gave her the most charming smile I’d ever seen on him. “Then we can have our picture taken and I’ll have it sent down to you with signatures from everyone in the band. How does that sound?”

All she could do was nod and squeal in response as Luka gathered her to his side. He gave me a quick glance. I counted down and took the picture. I’d adjust for the florescent lighting later.

With the shot out of the way, Luka handed a still revved up Danika off to the two waiting bodyguards. Then he came to Eli’s side and said something about doubling security. I was too busy scanning through my gallery of photos to catch the rest of his instructions until he called for me and I looked up.

“Eli will bring your things to your room,” he said. “It’s a little late, but the rest of the band wants to see you. Is that okay? Or do you want to rest?”

I knew if I said I was tired, Luka wouldn’t hesitate to have Eli escort me to my room. Yes, with the adrenaline from all the excitement draining from my body, all I wanted was my head on a pillow. But seeing Demitri, Dray, and even Phoenix again was too good an offer to resist. I’d missed them just as much as I’d missed Luka. Especially Dray. I always had a soft spot for the fact-spouting mad scientist of the group.

With a smile on my face, I said, “Lead the way.”

I trailed behind him toward the bank of elevators. He paused at the one that needed a keycard to open and fished out a white card from his back pocket. He inserted it into the slot. The red light winked to green and the doors parted. Stepping aside, Luka motioned for me to enter the golden interior of the cab. Our reflections surrounded us on all sides when the doors slid shut.

“Did I hear you tell Eli to provide coffee for the fans out there?” I slanted a glance at Luka, pretending him standing so close didn’t bother me one bit. “You sure getting them even more revved with caffeine is wise?” Despite my joke, my heart melted. Considering the number of people out there, it would cost a small fortune in coffee.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he shrugged. “It’s a really cold night. No reason for all of them to freeze out there. So what’s a little coffee?”

“Why, Luka Visraya, that’s actually a really cool thing to do for your fans. If I didn’t know any better I would think you were showing off for me.” The last part I’d meant as a tease.

The grin he gave me touched me in places I’d neglected to explore since the night my contract expired. “Is it working?”

I heard the joke in his question and played along. “Not in the least.” I was a complete and total liar. Then again, I got the feeling that even if I wasn’t there Luka would have coffee sent down anyway. His unconditional generosity was another reason why I found him damn sexy.

The elevator took us to the top floor. Of course Vicious would commandeer the suites. What international rock band wouldn’t while on tour? He allowed me to step out first. I paused at the elegantly appointed hallway and waited for him to point me in the right direction. In the seconds it took him to exit the cab, I’d taken approximately three motion capture pictures. God, the man looked way too cool for his own good. Tall, handsome, richer than the Devil with a smile to match, and kinder than a saint? Thank God he could be pushy and bossy or I’d think he was too good to be true.

“Don’t tell me you have the whole hotel to yourself,” I ribbed when he joined me. He pointed to the door at the end of the right side of the hallway from the elevator.

“Only the last three floors.”

And did I mention he possessed an ego bigger than the moon?

No doubt he told the truth. I should have known better than to make light of a rock star lifestyle. Vicious was the kind of band that could buy out every room in the last three floors of an expensive hotel and still have pocket change to give every screaming fan on the street a cup of steaming coffee. And if I knew Luka as well as I thought I did, it wouldn’t be cheap coffee either. And the package would include cream and sugar if the individual so desired. I wouldn’t be surprised if a Starbucks miraculously manifested out there. No wonder they adored him. Great music written by an all-around nice guy who entertained potentially dangerous fans without batting an eyelash? I’d worship him too. By now Danika’s story must be spreading through the sea of people outside.

Luka inserted the same keycard he’d used for the elevator into the slot at the door. When the light turned green, he twisted the nob and let the door open inward. I stepped inside in time to catch a flying Yana. Thank goodness my camera hung on my neck or I would have dropped it on the floor considering the impact the Gothic Lolita made against me. I took a step back to catch my balance. Luka grabbed my shoulders and lent me much needed support as Yana’s arms circled my neck. She sobbed like a baby, rubbing her face on my chest the entire time.

“Why put me through all that worry if you were going to say yes anyway?” she blubbered. “Is Luka’s cruelty rubbing off on you? Is that it? Do you wake up in the morning thinking of ways to make my life that much harder?”

Guilt melted the last of the ice around my heart. I stroked the back of Yana’s head and said, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I was being stupid thinking saying no was the right thing.”

She pushed away only to thump me on the shoulder with an open hand. “Then don’t do it again. I’m grudgingly agreeing to this no NDA clause in your contract because you’re saving me from more heartache.” She swiped at the last of her tears and pinned Luka with an unforgiving stare. “And you! Why didn’t you tell me you were going into the city?”

“I left a note.” He shifted his weight, his hands safely tucked away in his pockets again.

“You said you were picking up something!” She stomped her foot like a little child denied dessert after dinner.

Luka tilted his head toward me. “And I did.”

“And I just got a hilariously expensive invoice about coffee service. Are you giving away our money again?”

“Take it out of my account,” Luka said simply. If I thought I couldn’t have been more attracted to him, that moment proved me wrong. I wanted to take his face in my hands and kiss away the slight downward curve of his lips.

His words deflated Yana some. I grinned sheepishly at her until my gaze shifted to beyond her blond head. By the windows stood Demitri in a simple black T-shirt and jeans. He seemed to have grown several inches since I last saw him, his bulk taking over a good portion of the room. The sleeve of the shirt wasn’t enough to cover the tattoos on his right arm. From memory, I knew the ink ended above his heart with a stylized spelling of Phoenix’s name in the shape of a bird. He kept his long, black hair tied at the nape.

“Well, look who’s back,” he said with such a serious expression I doubted he was actually happy to see me until he stomped to where I stood and engulfed me in a tight embrace. Luka growled behind us. I didn’t see what Demitri did to quiet Luka down. I imagined the cousins flipping each other off. I wouldn’t put it past them. Then Demitri whispered into my ear before he let me go. “Take it easy on her, will you? She still feels guilty about what happened.”

Not getting what he’d meant, I opened my mouth to ask only to close it again when an unsure Phoenix greeted us with a small wave. The spider bites at the side of her lips pulled down with her frown. Even in sweats, her attire of choice when not performing, she still looked lethally beautiful. With all the leather she usually wore? I’d want to be in something soft afterwards too. Her face clean of makeup shaved years off her actual age.

Without hesitation, I sidestepped Demitri, leaving a conferring Yana and Luka at the door, and went to her. Sometime between Demitri’s hug and spotting Phoenix, a clipboard and tablet materialized in Yana’s hands. That lady was scary efficient.

“It’s good to see you again, Phoenix,” I said softly.