Page 78 of Fractured Rhythm

Chapter 18

Jamie:What did the DJ say at the party? Lettuce turnip the beat.

Cassie:[eye roll emoji]

Jamie:I googled that one. Awesome, right?

Cassie:Please stop.

Jamie:Miss you, Cas.

Cassie:Miss you, too.

CASSIE

I stood nearthe bar, on Bash’s side of the stage, feeling a combination of happiness and sorrow. They looked amazing up there. Their sound was tight and Charlie fit in seamlessly. The crowd was loving it, singing along with Jax as he moved across the stage, flirting with anyone and everyone in his line of sight.

I laughed, shaking my head. Jax never changed. It was one of the things that made him a great frontman and one of the reasons I loved him.

But it was weird to not see my brother’s hair flying around behind his kit, his arms moving a mile a minute as he pounded out the beat. I bit back the tears that threatened to spill.

“How are you doing?” Jane asked, standing next to me.

I’d come over with Bash’s parents. He’d wanted me to arrive with the band, but they needed their time together, just the four of them, to be performance ready. I didn’t want to intrude on that. Tonight was going to be rough for all of us, and I wanted them to start the show perfectly.

“I’m good. It’s just…” I trailed off, biting the inside of my cheek as she rubbed my back.

“It’s just that Jamie isn’t here and seeing them on stage performing for the first time without your brother really drives that home, right?”

“God, it’s so weird. I mean, Charlie is awesome and they sound good up there, but I wish he was here.”

“We all do. But you know he would’ve really liked Charlie, I bet.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said, looking back toward the stage. Charlie was jamming out and Bash was grinning as he played one of their first hits.

Jane squeezed my shoulder. “You guys are all going to figure this out. I think this mini-tour is what the band needed. No crazy, massive stadiums just yet.”

“Definitely,” I said. Then we both focused on the stage and watched Steelwolf bring down the house.

“How’s everybody doing tonight?” Jax called out after they finished playing “Monsters.”

The crowd shouted back at him.

“Thanks for coming out last minute. I swear our manager forgets to announce anything,” Jax said, grinning. “We know it’s been a while, and we wanted to have our first show at Connors, the bar that started it all for us a decade ago. Fuck, we’re old.”

“Speak for yourself,” Tristan said.

Jax ignored him. “I—we—wanted to say thanks for letting us take some time off. First time without Jamie behind the kit is hard. He fucking loved playing here.”

Jax dropped his head, and I tried not to let the tears fall but failed. Jane was there, squeezing my hand again. I couldn’t even look at Bash.

“But we found someone we think he would’ve loved. Charlie is a beast on the skins, right?” he asked, excitement filling his voice again as the crowd shouted their encouragement.

She waved her sticks in the air. “Just trying to do him justice,” she shouted.

“You’re doing it,” Bash’s voice carried out over the crowd.

Damn, I needed a drink.

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