Page 100 of 4-Ever

I sat behind my drum kit, doing my warmup, waiting for the curtain to rise. Ronin and I did our usual pre-show clench, but this time, with a kiss. And lots of tongue.

Brodie and Holls made gagging noises, while Ro and I gave them our best fingers.

When Ronin took his spot on the stage, my nerves began to churn full force. I glanced over at the wings and spotted Lennie, Regan, and other team members watching. I also knew there was a shit ton of security in the audience. Not to mention the screening process for people coming into the venue. Still, the reminder that someone threatened to harm us at our Nashville show still lingered.

I don’t think that fear was going away anytime soon.

Brodie turned around to face us just before the curtain dropped. The determined look in his eyes and the nod of his head told me that despite our fear, we were gonna be okay. I’d always admired his ability to say what he wanted, and the fact that he didn’t take shit from anyone. He stood up for what he believed in. And that was always us.

The stakes had never been higher. I felt it, fuck, the whole stage was thrumming with nervous energy, and we hadn’t hit a single note yet.

I nodded at Brodie, reading his expression.

No one’s going to fuck with our family, our music, or our fans.

Our stage cue crackled in my earpiece and thank fuck my melodic brain clicked into gear.

When the stage lit up, and the curtain dropped, the roar of the crowd hit us like a sonic boom.

We started out with Never Look Back and the song had never felt more appropriate.

My arms and legs moved without thought. Kick on the downbeats. Snare on the backbeats.

It was my job to set the tempo, the mood, for all our songs. Ronin drove the rhythm with his bass, and Holls gave us melody lines and memorable solos. Brodie was the final missing piece, putting our harmony into words, driving the energy of the crowd higher and higher.

I joined in on the harmony when we hit the first chorus, but my voice was huskier than usual. Grittier. Even I could admit that it sounded pretty fucking sexy. And so was the reason why my voice was so low. Images of me and Ronin—in his bed, on the bus, in the bathroom—flashed through my mind, as bright as the lights that flashed around us.

And as soon as we were done on stage, I knew that being back in Ro’s arms was the only place I wanted to be. Today, tomorrow, and every day after.

Forever was a long time.

But suddenly, to me, it seemed like no time at all.

CHAPTER 32

RONIN

Halfway through the show, on our break, we were downing electrolyte drinks and changing into another set of clothes, when Regan stepped up.

“I got an update from the Nashville PD. Unfortunately, they’ve had no success in tracing the call so far. On the positive side, it appears that this was a one-time thing. There have been no new threats or any hints of anything similar, but we’re keeping a close eye on all comms. Either it’s Dallas or someone saw the news about the assault and figured they'd cause trouble. This doesn't mean, however, that we're letting our guard down. Our security status is still on high alert. Unless it's a scheduled meet and greet with the fans, we’re instituting a ban on outings like clubs where we have less control over the domain and who’s coming near you. If everything is status quo over the next few weeks, then we'll reconsider our plan.”

“I think we all agree that, for now, we’d rather be safe than sorry,” Holls replied.

“Definitely.” Brodie nodded, while he leaned against his husband.

“Fine with me,” Faise replied.

“Me too,” I added.

I didn’t need to go clubbing anyway. There was only one man I wanted to party with, and he was standing right beside me. We’d have our own private dance as soon as the show was over.

Regan’s earpiece crackled and she tapped on it. “What’s up?... No, I don’t recognize the name…if he’s not on the list, he can’t get in… hold on.” She paused. “There’s someone named Remy Harnett at the venue entrance. Said he’s here to speak to Brodie about opening the next show? Is this for real?”

“Yup,” Brodie replied. “Let him in.”

“Advance warning next time, Brodie.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied to Regan, and she raised one eyebrow. “I’m not being sarcastic. I swear. Not with you. It just totally slipped my mind after the cancelled concert.”

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