Page 3 of Opening Strain

Do not go near the hornet’s nest that is Jenna Westfield. “We still talk with Mother Hilliard. She’s an amazing woman who raised Darren and his sister as a single mother. In fact, we’re planning on seeing them when UC’s tour is close to her home.”

He looks happy with my answer. “How wonderful. I’m sure his mother’s thrilled to see the band succeeding.”

I consider his comment. “She is. She knows Darren’s right there with us, rooting for our continued good fortune.”

Jeremy flips another page in his notebook. “Great. And how about his girlfriend, Jenna?”

A more detached tone emerges from my throat. “We haven’t spoken with her since the funeral, as her connection to us was through Darren.”

My mind jumps to the awful call I had to make to her when Darren died. I remember dialing her number—the one Darren himself proudly had shared with the band when they officially came out as a couple.

“I’m calling because I wanted you to hear this from one of us before it comes out in the media.”

“Oh boy. What did Darren do now? Dance on some table? Trash a hotel room? Hijack a cop car?”

Her laughter rips something inside of me. “I wish.” I pause. “I’m so sorry to tell you this, but Darren passed away in his hotel suite thismorning.” I rush to ease any of her possible outrageous fears. “He was alone.”

“No!” she screams. “When? How?”

If only I had any answers. “I’m not sure exactly when. He left the club pretty early last night.”

She jumps in. “He called me. We—he was alive when we hung up.”

I refuse to mention the pill bottles on his nightstand. “All I know is 007 phoned me around nine this morning from his room, and Darren was already gone. He was in his bed, wearing boxers.”

“Because he promised me he would.”

Alright, not going there. “He also had your UC necklace on. I’m so sorry, Jenna. Know that Darren loved you very much. He never flirted with any other girls. In fact, just last night, I saw a bunch of women surround him and guess what he did? He whipped out his cell and showed them photos of you.”

Sobs come through the phone.

I lift up the UC necklace to show Jeremy. Hopefully this will be a needed distraction. “However, Coop, 007, Río, and I still wear these pendants that Jenna gave to us the Christmas before Darren passed. It has UC’s logo on it.” I pause. “We even had one made for Tris when he joined the band.”

The reporter sits forward and examines my necklace. “What a nice gift.” After a minute, he reviews his notes while I take the opportunity to tuck it away, together with Jenna, where she belongs.“I have one final question. How about telling me aboutUntamed Coaster Unleashed.”

Thank you for this softball.“The movie debuts worldwide next Thursday. Quinn, who I mentioned before, was our director and she captured our return to the stage with perfection, in my humble opinion. You’ll see our trials and all we went through in replacing Darren. It’s a pretty wild ride.”

Jeremy turns off the recorder.Made it!Even though I letthis one get deeper under my skin than most, at least now I can move on with my life. And tacos.

“I think that about covers everything.” He collects his notebook. “Thank you, Bennett, for sharing some time with me. As I said before, I loved the film and am looking forward to attending its premiere. I wish you all the best.”

I finish my water and stand.Play nice and get out of here.“Thanks so much for having me, Jeremy. Here’s a tip...UC is planning to perform after the movie.” I tap his shoulder. “See you on the flip side.”

Chapter Two

Istand beneath the massive screen, send heartfelt words to Quinn, the genius director behindUntamed Coaster Unleashed,and blow her a kiss. To my surprise, she sends it back at me, so I do the right thing and toss it to her boyfriend Callum MacMurray—who is the owner of the fine whisky establishment where our career restarted. Tonight, though, is the band’s grand nationwide reintroduction, like our manager Luke promised us it would be. It’s time to show the nice crowd here what we’ve got.

I adjust the microphone and nod to each of my band members. A shirtless Río—when does he ever wear a shirt?—bangs the beat to “Upside Down” and our set begins. Even though we’ve been putting on shows for sellout crowds since our return at Callum’s whisky distillery, it’s different performing tonight in a movie theater. The lighting, the sound, the energy are unique. Quinn’s movie amped us up to oversized proportions.

We finish our first number one and launch into our next song. I walk from one side of the stage to the other, waving to people I recognize in the crowd. Most fans abandoned their seats and have moved into the aisles. I bet this cinema hasn’t ever rocked like this before.

Coop’s guitar is on point. When it comes time for his solo, I stroll over to him. With a chin bob, he steps around me and takes center stage, his sunglasses and hoop earrings glinting under the lights. I take this opportunity to turn around and lean behind Río’s bass drum to down a bottle of water. We’re tight. Our music’s speaking for itself. This is where we belong. I catch Luke’s gaze from backstage and he gives me a thumbs up.

With my throat soothed, I return to Coop and stand back-to-back with him. He’s in the zone, and the crowd is eating us up. Finished with his solo, I sling my arm around him. I shout, “Let’s hear it for Coop!”

The wall of noise that comes back warms my heart. Next to me, Coop whispers, “We got this.”

He’s right. We’ve made it back. Perhaps not better than ever, but newer, with a slightly different edge. Coop, Río, and our bassist 007 have come a long way since that awful morning two years ago. Tris stepped into our former keyboardist Darren’s shoes with his own spin. I refuse to dwell on the loss of our original band member. Time marches on.

---