Page 29 of Rebel

“I can see why. It’s so nice to have you guys back here, and welcome, Beck,” the other presenter says. He’s new, and I can’t remember his name for the life of me, even though they told me this morning.

Shit.

She smiles. “It’s lovely to be here.”

“And it’s good to be back,” I say truthfully. “We missed you all so much.”

The crowd says, “Aww,” and Sonita grips her heart. “And we’ve all missed you. Tell me, gentlemen, what’s it like with a new lead singer? You are no stranger to them, but something about Beck tells me this is different.” My jaw twitches, but I force a wide smile onto my face.

“Beck is amazing. She fit in with us immediately. We knew from the moment we met her that she was a Dead Ringer. It’s true we’ve had other lead singers in the past, but Beck is here now, and she’s here to stay,” I tell them.

“Well said.” Will, the other interviewer whose name I just remembered, nods. “Beck, what’s it like to be a rock star?” The crowd goes wild as she grins. “There isn’t much about you online, just that you were a small-town singer before this.” His eyes are beady as he digs for gossip or things he can use. I stiffen, but Beck handles it like a pro.

“Not much to tell really. My life was always about singing, and I was honored to be given the opportunity to sing with Dead Ringers. I won’t let them down, and we plan to make a whole lot of magic and music together.”

“I love it. Will there be any new songs on the tour?” Sonita gushes.

“Maybe.” Kolton grins, and women in the crowd scream when he waves at them.

“We have been given exclusive access to your new artwork. Let’s take a look.” The screens blow up the photo with our names across it, and we let the crowd cheer and scream for a little while.

“Wow.” Sonita fans herself. “Beck, it’s clear you are very comfortable in front of a camera.”

“Not really.” She chuckles. “But the guys are naturals and helped a lot.”

“That outfit . . .” Will whistles. “I mean, how did you even wear underwear with that?” He laughs.

Beck’s smile turns bitter, and I frown at him, but surprisingly, it’s Chase who answers. “I didn’t.” He grins. “I prefer going commando.” He smoothly takes the spotlight from her, not letting Will sexualize her too much. The crowd eats it up, and Will gets the picture.

“Well, it’s a showstopper, that’s for sure,” Sonita adds smoothly. “Now, I have to ask, the last few years have been bumpy for the band. Do you feel the pressure to come back with a bang?”

“In a way.” I nod. “We’ve made mistakes, but we learned from them, and the one thing we can all agree on is that we just want to make music and share that with everyone.”

“I promised to calm down.” Chase winks. “If that helps at all.”

“So no more arrests or sex scandals?” Will boos.

“I’ll keep that behind closed doors,” Chase booms out, laughing with them.

“It really seems like you’ve turned over a new leaf, and with Beck as part of the band now, we’re all very excited to see what the future holds for you. We have about ten minutes left before the show ends, so how about we end it on a song? What do you think?” The crowd stands to chant, and we climb to our feet, pretending to think it over.

We do eventually take the stage and the lights go down. I give Beck a nod as she looks back at us. “You’ve got this,” I tell her softly as I put my earpiece in and hear them counting us down.

When they hit one, Chase shreds the guitar. I follow and count Beck in. Despite this being our first performance, she hits the opening note with precision and flair, sliding her hand down the mic as she sings. I’m unable to take my eyes off her. She sways and dances, making love to the mic as she sings, and when it’s over, I find the crowd just as enraptured with her as I am.

She hesitates nervously, and then the place erupts in applause.

Beck spins to face us, and the grin she gives us is so carefree and happy, my heart actually skips a beat.

Oh yes, Beck Danvers was made for us.

Why don’t I want to share her with the world?

SEVENTEEN

We get the night off after the interview—thank God—and I catch the guys rewatching it over and over as it spins across news stations and online forums. I leave them to it, needing some peace after the madness. I find myself in the hammock outside once more, staring at the city.

I felt joy after the performance, and that only adds to my guilt and pain. I enjoyed performing with them—no, I loved it. I reveled in watching the crowd sing along, and feeling the music in my soul reminded me exactly why I’ve always loved singing.

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