Page 25 of Reverb
This time, there was laughter and some clapping. Ray smiled, and laid down the ground rules for questions and answers, and they were off, talking and interacting with the fans. There was an ease to all the band members as they joked and answered questions, and the laughter came more freely from the fans, their smiles wider.
None of the questions were inappropriate. Some were interesting, including one that asked each for a favorite memory of touring.
That was a question David couldn’t answer. All he had were these moments right now, and though they were brilliant, he had a feeling they’d be eclipsed. Probably as soon as Twisted Wishes took the stage.
Someone asked Mish about her childhood, and she laughed. “Oh, there’s not much there to tell.” There was a tightness to her smile. “Dirt poor. Moved around a lot.” She took another question.
David turned that answer over in his head. He’d run simple background checks on all of Twisted Wishes, and that mostly jived with what he’d learned of Mish. There wasn’t anything about her before she’d begun her career as an entertainer at dive bars and clubs in the years prior to when she’d met Ray Van Zeller. In the area where she’d grown up—the Poconos—class disparity could be large. With the types of jobs Mish had held, no way she was a child of one of the Manhattanites who owned a big weekend house in rural Pennsylvania.
No known enemies. None of them had any, notwithstanding their former manager, who knew better than to come anywhere near Twisted Wishes, given the no-contact part of his plea deal. That fucker’s focus had been on Ray, not Mish.
The meet-and-greet went on, with a question thrown to Adrian about whether he’d join the band. “No, I have no musical talent at all. I’m lucky I can hum a tune.”
Then they set up for individual photos with the band. That set David’s teeth on edge, but in the end, nothing happened. The line moved fast, everyone had fun, and no one tried to cop a feel. The members of Twisted Wishes all left with smiles on their faces and the fans looked more than a little starstruck.
David followed Adrian out. “That went well,” he said.
“Yeah, it usually does.” Adrian glanced at his phone, then pocketed it. “Really wasn’t worried, to be honest, even with the emails.”
That was interesting. “Any particular reason why?”
Adrian slowed as they made their way back behind the stage. “Because the rest of the band was there. And the fans. This guy interacts with her—or tries to—on an individual level. All the other people would have been competition.”
Adrian was smart, for sure. The theory was a decent one. “Could be. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“So, I’m on your team now?” Adrian sounded amused.
“Aren’t we all on the same team?” David caught Adrian’s gaze. “You’re the front line. You see what comes in. Your opinion counts, too. And yeah, you’re on my team.”
Somehow, Adrian managed to look both pleased and worried at the same time. “I don’t like it, though. Seeing that shit.”
David sighed.Yeah, same.“Still, your insight gives me something to think about.” A second set of eyes and a good mind were never a problem.
Right before they made their way to the backstage area, Adrian put a hand on David’s shoulder and pulled him to a stop. “Glad I can help. And use me if you need muscle. I’m not a brawler, but I know what I look like.”
He chuckled at that. “Especially in a tight T-shirt?”
Lo and behold, the smile that touched Adrian’s lips was slightly embarrassed. “Don’t tell Dominic, but I enjoy being his boy toy.”
“I bet he knows.” David slapped Adrian on the back. “Come on, I want to know what the game plan is for tonight.”
Usually before the first concert of a tour, Mish found herself so full of excitement, she physically itched to get out on stage, as if her bass and the audience had her roped in and were pulling her out to play. She belonged there with Ray and Domino and Zavier, with the music and the beat and the screams of the fans.
Tonight was different, though. Ray’d run her through vocal exercises—they’d been doing that since they’d decided to sing together. Now they’d finally do that, in front of a very unsuspecting audience. Yeah, she itched to get out there, but deep in the pit of her stomach lay something she hadn’t experienced in a while.
Nervousness. Stage fright.
She stared back at her reflection in the dressing room and finished putting on her makeup. Maybe it was bolder tonight. Dom wasn’t the only one who crafted a persona for the stage—they all did, just not to the same extent that he had created Domino.
That shy girl who’d sat by her mother’s side in the hospital wasn’t the one in the mirror. Hadn’t been in a very long time. But a hint of who she’d been was in her eyes now, and Mish didn’t knowwhy.
“You okay?”
Mish started at David’s voice, even though he’d spoken softly. He stood next to her station, his sunglasses hooked on his T-shirt again, this time a Twisted Wishes one in red. The color suited him.
“Honey, I’ve been doing this for years.” Not exactly an answer to his question, but she had a feeling if she lied, he’d know.
“True.” A smile touched his lips. “But you’re getting to do something you’ve wanted for a long time tonight.”
