Page 90 of Play Fast (Brooklyn Dawn 2)

Jamie had the crowd screaming along with her by the time she managed to get handed back up to Lindsey and Teagan’s waiting grab.

Jamie ran to her tech to get her Warlock back. The claps and laughter from the crowd made the sing-along even longer.

Cooper’s drums thundered.

Zane and Jamie dueled the guitar outro as Teagan and Lindsey clapped in time.

Finally, I reached them and accepted Vicki from Fred, my longtime tech. My beloved bass felt right in my hands, achy or not, and my bass line became the backbone and reminded me where I was supposed to be.

This was my home. My family. They always had my back.

The rest of the show went by in a jumble of jukebox favorites, deep cuts that only true fans would love, and ended with a “Black Magic” mashup into Post Malone’s “Hollywood Bleeding” that we’d all been loving on through the tour.

Remembering where we came from—the little places we’d bled in to find our sound all those years ago—was always humbling. And when we finally finished the nearly three hour set with “Ruin”, our biggest hit to date, we finally called it a night.

I didn’t want to go.

I knew the minute I walked off the stage, I’d have to face the loneliness again.

Music was my savior, but eventually, the last note always faded away.

Eighteen

“I need you tonight.”

“No, you need to not go. I’ll come home and we’ll watch Steel Magnolias and Easy A and cry until we laugh.”

I stared at myself in the mirror on the back of the bathroom door in Ever’s apartment. I didn’t have a ton of body issues—and thank God for that, because I had a baker’s dozen of other ones—but I was starting to sweat because of this outfit.

I turned sideways and smoothed a hand over my jumping stomach. I wasn’t naked, but a lot of my legs were showing. The short velvet dress was backless, plunged low in front, and was short—did I mention short? The royal blue color brought out my eyes and was super soft to the touch.

Not that I wanted anyone to touch me tonight.

Liar. It’s been a week and you’re horny as fuck already.

That was neither here nor there. Besides, a night out with the girls didn’t mean that I was looking for a hookup. I couldn’t even imagine being with someone who wasn’t Oz. Plus, there was that whole little problem of not getting nearly as turned on when I was with anyone else.

He’d broken me in too many ways to count.

Sighing, I glanced at my shoes. I’d finished off the outfit with chunky heels. I loved stilettos in theory, but since I usually wore sneakers for work most of the time, walking in them was a challenge. These were hard enough. They made my legs look longer though.

I tugged on one of the curls tumbling down from my updo. Ugh, I just wanted to put on my pajamas and hide in bed as I’d done for most of the last week. If it hadn’t been for Teagan basically begging me to hit the club with them tonight before we headed to the next stop on the tour—someplace in Pennsylvania next week, before returning to MSG several days after that—I wouldn’t have needed to plead with my heartless sister.

Who wasn’t replying to me yet I could still hear her breathing, so I knew she was still on the line.

“Look, I’ll do whatever you want. Clean your room—”

“You mean our room, since you’re the sloppy one who gets shit everywhere?”

I couldn’t argue that point. “Yes.”

“Not good enough. Keep going.”

“I’m your sister.”

“You sure? I’m almost certain you’re adopted. My sister wouldn’t be so soft-hearted toward such an emotionally unavailable male.”

“Who said I was?” I picked at my freshly done wine-colored nails then waved my hand to stop myself.

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