Page 52 of Final Serenade

“Is it hard? Pretending when you’re screwing Frankie Blade?”

My brother had no clue his hero had disappeared from my life indefinitely. Poor fella still thought he was getting a backstage pass for a Hall Affinity show and I didn’t want to burst his little bubble of happiness.

“Watch your mouth. Frank…Frankie is off limits. We’re not discussing him.”

“Why not?”

Ashton’s question annoyed me. “Because this is my private business.” My voice reached a crescendo pitch.

“Fine. Whatever.” Arms folded, Ashton slumped in his seat.

He was quiet again and I was bitter. Bitter because of Frank.

For a while, we drove in silence. I doubted myself. A lot more lately. The idea of putting a piece of duct tape on my brother’s mouth crossed my mind more than once, but then again…if he was determined to fuck up his internship, I wasn’t going to prevent him from doing so. My patience had its limits. And he’d been pushing those limits for years.

A small line snaked around the corner of The Viper Room. There were people of all ages—teens, adults, old timers. Honestly, I didn’t expect to see a crowd this size, considering there was very little info about tonight’s show on social media. The block buzzed with energy, and the traffic on Sunset Boulevard had hit its peak. A honking hell of exhaust clouds, it was a typical West Hollywood evening. Loud and filled with bursts of irrational anger.

We pulled up to the lot behind the venue and I debriefed Ashton on what was going on.

“The artist we’re meeting today is disabled. Her name is Isabella. You are not to ask her about the accident. If she feels like talking about it, she’ll be the one to start that conversation. Actually, you’re not to ask her anything, because your job is to watch me and Levi. If I see you open your mouth to say anything besides ‘hi,’ you’ll be sleeping under a bridge. I’m not kidding.”

Ashton rolled his eyes, which didn’t surprise me at all.

“Understood?” I pressed.

“Yes, ma’am.” He nodded.

“Great. You’re carrying my bag.”

“What? Why?”

“Because that’s part of the job, Ashton. Carrying shit around.”God help me. I should have grabbed that duct tape.

The doors were still closed to the public, but the bouncers knew who I was. They let me and my brother in without asking questions. Inside, the girl in charge of the tickets gave me two passes.

“Put this on.” I handed one to Ashton. “That’s your permission to be here. You lose it, you’re going to be escorted out.”

Levi and Isabella’s mother/manager waited for us in the downstairs lounge. The empty room was like a box. Small, dark, and eerie. The air was stale and a song fromBlizzard of Ozzplayed in the background.

Ashton hung back while we chatted. After the introductions, we headed to the upstairs dressing room to meet the band. I wasn’t sure what to expect, because the YouTube video Levi showed me was a couple of months old. Instead of the scrawny teenager with dreadlocks I’d seen on the recording, we were meeting a young woman with spiky blue hair.

The room was so tiny and there was so much gear and people swarming around Isabella. that I didn’t notice the wheelchair at first. Nor was it the element I wanted to concentrate on.

“Hi, I’m Isabella.” Smiling, the girl extended her hand for a shake. She had a sweet round face and glowing olive skin. Her makeup was heavy, but it matched the bold outfit she’d chosen to wear tonight and the dark, edgy vibe of the club. She beamed confidence and I felt her grit in the grip of her handshake.

“Nice to finally meet you, Isabella. I’m Cassy withRewired. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m excited to see your show.”

“Thank you so much for coming. You won’t be disappointed. Me and the boys rehearsed the hell out of this set.” She laughed. It was deep and throaty and filled the entire room with simmering waves.

“I love the new hair,” I said.

“I’m told blue is my color.”

Levi had mentioned that the drummer and the guitarist were family. The bassist was new, freshly recruited out of the Musicians Institute. He hadn’t played any live shows with Isabella’s band yet. Tonight was his christening. They were all insanely young, hopeful, and broken down by hungry-for-money suits who’d wanted to snatch bank by showcasing a pretty girl in a short skirt.

We kept our conversation light at first. Isabella didn’t bring up the accident until after some of the people left the room to give us more space.

Ashton sat in the corner and watched my bag. Levi hovered. His sneaky I-told-you-so glances didn’t escape my sight. Asshole knew all along Isabella was my kind of people. I felt guilty for doubting his instincts. It was all Frank’s fault. Hard rock’s golden boy had messed up my mojo.

---