Page 3 of Broken Bridges

Their low voices didn’t ease the knots in my stomach. But playing would.

I grabbed my bass out of its case and plugged it in.

Taking a seat on a stool, I thumbed the strings, played a few chords and scales. No feedback or delay came through the amp. All good. I’m set.

But fuck.

Was I wasting my time?

What edge could I inject into a cookie-cutter audition? Playing two of The Flintlocks’ songs—a pop-rock upbeat number, “Move Me”, and the bass-heavy track “Drunk On You” was easy. Not even a challenge. How could I stand out from the other contenders?

I flicked my hair off my face and closed my eyes. My leg jiggled. Damn, I wanted this gig. Not just because it would be a phenomenal job and an incredible opportunity, but because I loved the band’s music. Their energy captivated me. I’d watched their live performances online. The connection they’d had with each other on stage had hit me hard. I hadn’t had that kind of bond with my band in years.

I craved it again.

Clearing my head, I filled my lungs to capacity, then let my breath out slowly. The deep thrum and reverberations from my bass coursed from my fingertips up my arms and settled in my chest. I morphed from playing the low and slow bassline of “Riders On The Storm” by The Doors, to the faster-paced “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, to then tapping out “Hysteria” by Muse.

I chuckled. I didn’t know where that combination of songs had come from. But I’d loved it.

“Lewis?...Lewis?...LEWIS?” Flint called across the room, breaking me out of my zone.

I palmed my strings to kill the sound. “Oh, shit. Sorry. I was warming up.”

Flint’s eyes brightened as he quirked half a grin. Slip gaped. Cole raised a questioning eyebrow. Blake and Kyle bobbed their heads. Hayden’s face lit with a enormous smile.

“Dude.” Flint jutted his chin at me. “That was some move, ripping out Muse.”

He knew the song? Awesome. “It wasn’t a move. It’s a great track that kicks ass on the bass.”

Kyle widened his stance and folded his arms. “But it’s one of the hardest bass-heavy songs to play.”

I bet Kyle, with his wicked talent, could’ve played it in his sleep. “Maybe. But it rocks.”

“Absolutely true.” Flint led the group of men over to join me and we went through introductions. After I shook their hands, Flint headed to the electric guitars. He picked up the Fender and hooked the strap over his head. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Wait. What? “Don’t you want me to play the songs for the audition?” I flicked my cable out of the way and moved aside so Flint could stand beside me.

“Yes. With us.” A touch of cockiness sliced through Flint’s tone as he strummed the electric’s strings. The twang reverberated through the speaker, filling the room with a new buzz. “Clearly you know your way around a bass, so let’s see how you nail timing.”

“You wanna play with me?” Shit. Okay. I’d never done that for an audition before. And I’d been to plenty over the past few months. I’d tried out for some small start-up bands, a couple of no-name groups hitting the festival circuit, and several back-street Broadway shows. But nothing had come off. Nothing had gelled.

“Yep.” Flint nodded.

“Alrighty, then.” I rose to my feet and moved the stool aside.

Slip swiped another electric off its stand and stepped in next to Flint. Blake, Hayden, and Kyle returned to the desk and gave me the thumbs up. Having an audience turned up the dial on the butterflies in my gut.

Cole grabbed his drumsticks out of his bag and took a seat behind the drum kit. “Let’s start with ‘Move Me,’ and go straight into ‘Drunk On You.’ Ready?”

I shook the jitters from my fingers and set them over my strings. I stretched my head from side to side, then nodded. “Yep.” I can do this.

Cole tapped his drumsticks together. “One. And-a two. And-a three.”

The second Cole hit the drums, my heartrate doubled. The moment Flint and Slip struck their electrics, my breath quickened. Get it together, idiot. I joined in at the end of the intro and shivers ran up my spine. Oh, yeah...these guys could play.

And Flint could sing, all seductive with a touch of raspy badass rocker.

By the time we hit the verse, the music had taken over me and my nerves had subsided. The hum in the air was more electric than the voltage coursing through the power cables.

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