Page 197 of Play Dirty (Brooklyn Dawn 1)

Whatever it was, I was wild on stage.

Even Oz laughed at me and he was a crazy motherfucker.

I sang to the side stage fans who paid a premium for three songs right up there with us. I let them sing with me. The smiling faces, the excited screams, the absolute love fueled me through the set.

This was exactly what I’d been born to do.

I looped an arm around Jamie’s neck just before we got to the last song of the night. “I think I need a little jukebox action.” I turned to the crowd. “Jukebox moment?”

They screamed and shouted songs. I couldn’t catch them all, but then there was one. In the front row. A woman about my age held up a sign.

“Oh, shit.” I dragged Jamie with me and we both crouched down, like we were in the middle of a damn comedy skit. “Does that say what I think it says?”

“I didn’t wear my contacts,” she faux-whispered into my microphone.

“You have 20/20 vision.”

“Yeah, with my contacts.”

“She lies, folks. So much.” The general admission pit surged forward, hanging on our every word. Phones and cameras flashing like mad. “What does that say?”

“It totally says Vixen.” She leaned a little more and slapped three different hands. “The song ‘How Much Love’ to be exact.”

I stood and hauled Jamie up with me. “That’s right. Dude, we haven’t done a Vixen song since the first tour.” I pointed at the girl. “You have taste, my friend.”

She shrieked and I laughed, shrieking back at her. I turned around. “Coop, give me the beat.”

Everyone came forward and we all got our headbang on. I loosened the pins that kept my hair up and off my shoulders for the whole show. I needed my Lita Ford hair right now. Me and Jamie fell into step as always. I slung my arm around her shoulder as she played the shit out of her guitar.

She sang with me, adding her raspier tones to my higher register as I sang the long, eighties style notes from our favorite girl band from the hair metal years. I laughed at Zane as he tried to steal some of Oz’s long hair to use since his hair was short.

Teagan came forward with a strapped-on synthesizer.

The laughter took over some of the song, but in the end, it was exactly what everyone needed. Finally, everyone got back to their places and I held my arms out to the crowd. “Thank you so much, New York. We love coming home and we love that you always take us back with open fucking arms. This is ‘Ruin’.”

I’d written the song after my first time with Alex. Instead of the heartbreak, I channeled the hope I felt with how we were now. The love I never thought would be possible.

There was no running away, only to.

For both of us.

I backed up to the platform which would take me down under the stage. I looked over my shoulder to wave to the side stage and caught a man with dark hair and a thermal Henley.

Alex.

He’d come on stage after all.

For me.

I smiled brilliantly just as the confetti cannon went off.

Suddenly, Coopers cymbals fell forward and the crew came sprinting. Our people were the best when it came to weird mishaps with instruments. In the chaos, I spun around to look for Alex again, but the hydraulics were already starting their descent.

And the air cannons were spraying thick steam into the air.

There. He tipped his head, staring at me.

Wait.

---