Page 48 of The Roadie
“You’re home before eight on a weeknight?”
“No. I’m at my sister’s place.” She realized that she was never home from work this early, and, when she was home, she was at Audra and Jimmy’s most of the time. She rarely spent time in her apartment. Maybe the reason she stayed at the office so late was because she had nothing to go home to. “I’m as shocked as you are,” she said with a laugh. “I called because I just heard some news.”
He sighed. “Lay it on me.”
“It’s not bad. It’s good. Brandon and Derek are coming to New York next week to film a music video with Immortal Angel. Are you coming with them?”
“I haven’t heard anything, but I’ll call Brandon right now,” he replied, eagerly. “Can I call you back in five minutes?”
“Of course.”
He paused, and his voice softened. “I really loved having you here.”
Emotion clogged her throat, and she swallowed it down. “I loved being there. I miss you so much already.”
“I missed you the moment you stepped out of the car at the airport. It felt so nice having you here. Even my brother said so. You filled the house with so much warmth. And laughter. My brother said you make me smile all the time when you’re around. And it’s true. You make me happy.”
“You makemehappy.” Happy tears, and tears of longing, filled her eyes, and she couldn’t say much more before they fell down her cheeks. “Call Brandon. I want us to firm up plans to see each other again.”
“OK. I will. And Kira?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Six days later, Brett was back in New York.
The music video, which would showcase the wild uninhibited sex life of rock stars and the industry’s never-ending quest to make more money, was a literal interpretation of the song’s title. The production company was going to use select footage from the Get Rocked in Vegas Festival, when Brandon and Derek made a surprise guest appearance on stage, which spawned the idea of re-recordingSex & Greedand the subsequent video, as well as a scripted performance.
Today’s shoot was taking place in a rented venue where diehard fans were paid a nominal fee to act as audience extras to add live concert footage to the video. The show was wild. Members of the audience outdid themselves with over-the-top antics, including a choreographed mosh pit, where no one got hurt – for once.
Jeremy and Alan, Bulletproof’s bassist and drummer, joined the small group at the side of the stage watching the show and film crew. They each slapped Brett on the back, full of boisterous energy. “Bruh, did you see the piece me and Jeremy filmed yesterday?” Alan asked.
“You guys are in the video?” Brett shot a surprised look at his longtime friends.
“We played fans and hounded Brandon for his autograph.” Jeremy replied.
The three rolled with laughter, hanging their arms over each other’s shoulders and holding their bellies. Kira loved watching the brotherly bond they shared and how close Brett was with the guys from Bulletproof. Again, it reminded her of the similarities in their lives.
Felix Osbourne, Bulletproof’s manager, who never seemed to be more than a few feet away from the band, joined them. “If you two hooligans would like some more tomfoolery, the production assistant thought it would be a good idea to spotlight your faces in the audience,” he told Jeremy and Alan. “Production thinks it would add interest if the two of you were showcased as crowd surfers.”
Jeremy and Alan shouted their approval, while Felix raised his voice in order to speak over their enthusiasm. “Please, be careful. Have fun but be aware of your surroundings and try not to fall and crack your heads open on the concrete floor.” He huffed and brought his hand up to his forehead. “I don’t know why I agreed to this. It’s insane.” Then, he abruptly walked away shaking his head.
A woman from production handed Alan and Jeremy a clipboard. As she waited for them to sign a release, she eyed Brett up and down. “Are you interested in crowd surfing? We could use a third.”
“Me?” Brett questioned. “I’m just a roadie.”
“You have a great look.” She turned to Kira. “Is this your girlfriend? I’d love to see a girl crowd surfing, as well. Are you interested?”
Kira was stunned. She had been to more concerts than she could count, dead center amidst the mayhem, but she had never crowd surfed in her life. She had always wanted to, but she had always been too afraid that she’d either get groped or fall and crack her skull open, like Felix warned. “OK, I’ll do it.”
“Are you sure?” Brett asked, concerned. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“It’s not dangerous at all,” the production assistant assured. “We have our stunt people in the audience handling the crowd surfers.” She flipped a page on the clipboard and handed it to Kira. “You just need to sign a release, and we’ll get you to wardrobe and makeup.”
Kira received a full punk rock makeover which included blue hair extensions, plaid leggings, and airbrush tattoos on both arms and across her chest. “Look at me!” she squealed, turning her arms to show Brett her fake tattoos. “I’m a badass!”
