Page 26 of Rush of Insanity

“How you doin’ tonight, Denver?”

He didn’t wait for a reply. He gave the subtle hand signal for the band to kick into the first song and sang until adrenaline outweighed the heartache.

One song blended into the next, and each time he glanced side stage he was met with a grim look from Kyle. Those eyes told him to get his head in the game and concentrate, but he couldn’t do either when Harper’s necklace jostled against his neck and the ring dangling from the end thumped against his heart in an unending beat. He should take it off. Throw it in the trash. Only he couldn’t bear to part with it. Not yet.

His intermission breaks came and went without a sign of Tank or word on Harper. He knew what that meant. And still he tried to find her in the lead up to his encore.

He paused and glanced to side stage so many times he knew there would be bad reviews tomorrow. He knew, yet he continued to do it anyway, holding out for the glimpse of hope.

Then he was walking off stage for the final time, his stride strong as he caught sight of the head of his security team.

“Where is she?”

Tank winced. “We lost her with the fight in the crowd. I had two of the security guards keeping an eye on her, but they were distracted when the fight broke out. I don’t know where she is.”

He nodded through the disappointment. Nodded and nodded and nodded, all the while wishing the movement would make him feel a lot less needy. “So she’s not waiting in my dressing room?”

“I’m sorry.”

Judd swallowed and looked around at the crew who were already rolling up leads and dismantling equipment. “Then let’s get this shit packed up so we can get to Salt Lake.”

“Go freshen up, and I’ll tell Kyle to get the tour bus ready.”

The thought of driving out of Denver shot a hole through his chest. Once he was gone, there would be no coming back. This was it.

“Can you do me a favor?” He reached behind his neck and unclasped the necklace. “Give this to charity, or pawn it. Throw it out for all I care.” He held out the jewelry for Tank to take.

“Don’t be stupid. You know you’ll change your mind about her ten times before you reach the shower.”

Not this time. “Take it.”

“Fuck off.” Tank shoved at his hand. “If you want to get rid of it, do it yourself. I’m just the head of security, remember?” He walked away. “And while you’re finding a place to dump it, maybe you should think about alternate responses to her running away, instead of letting her get away with it.”

“Such as?” Judd yelled over the fading chatter of the crowd.

Tank threw up his hands and didn’t look back. “You expect me to have the answers? I don’t know the first thing about women, let alone crazy-ass bitches like Harper.”

“She’s not a bitch,” Judd muttered, but his response didn’t matter. Tank was already gone. And so was his hope.

He knew what it was like not to fit in. He’d dealt with the isolation since the start of his career in the charts. The only thing that separated his situation from Harper’s was the love of music to pull him through.

She had nothing.

Except him.

He looked at the ring in his palm, and clenched his fist around it. He wasn’t stupid enough to think he was a big enough draw card for her.

He glanced over his shoulder, at the crew who were onstage pulling apart the set. It was time to leave. He trudged toward them, into the house lights that bathed him in a florescent glow. People moved in his periphery, in the aisles and toward the exits. He didn’t look at any of them, they were a blur, a nuisance poking his attention.

He clenched his fist tighter and drew back, closing his eyes as he did it. Then without a second thought, he launched it into the air and walked away, not even looking to see where it landed.

It was time to move on and that ring was only holding him back.

Chapter Nine

Harper watchedJudd launch something into the dwindling crowd. The glint of silver stole her breath and the recognition put her on her feet.

She ran, practically flew, down the stairs two at a time, cursing his stupidity as she shoved past people and squeezed around others in an effort to get to the ground level. “That’s mine!”

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