Page 63 of Broken Bridges

With his eyes glued to his monitor, Tristan dimmed the lights, then pressed the button to retract the stage curtain. The packed auditorium erupted. The reverberations from their thunderous shouts, screams, and whistles vibrated across the floor, hummed through the air, and struck the center of my chest. Oh yeah. There it was...that rush, that hit of adrenaline I lived for. Fuck. I’d missed that.

“The guys are in position,” Blake said through the headset. “Go.”

I held my breath and pressed enter on the laptop. The projections rolled, lighting the screens at the back of the stage.

I flicked switches, turned dials, and pressed buttons.

The guys were live.

Cole’s drumsticks slammed against the drums. Lights flooded the stage. Flint rushed to the front, grabbed his mic, and launched into singing their new single, “Fallen For You.” Slip rocked to his left, but Lewis, on his right, stole my breath. Flicking his tousled hair, he looked straight at me.

Shit. Focus, Lewis. On something else. Not me.

I needed to concentrate too. There was no time to relax.

With music booming through the array of speakers and thudding through the amps, Flint held the crowd in the palm of his hand, zipping around the stage with his guitar or singing at his mic. Tweaking the sound mix, I lowered the reverb and modified the compression. The venue’s acoustics were incredible, making my job a touch easier. But where the fuck was Gena?

By the time the guys struck the first note on the fourth song, Gena hadn’t returned. I prayed she was okay. The guys had hit their hardest song to play live, the balancing of sound critical. Nerves quaked in my stomach; my fingers hovered over the mixer. With my ears tuned to every note, my eyes flitted to the guys, to the mics, to their instruments. Halfway through their complex track, Slip churned out a solo on his guitar. I amped up the volume on his audio feed, filling the room with the electric sound. Sliding the channel levers slowly, I transitioned the focus over to Cole thrashing on his drums, then I eased the balance over to Lewis strumming on his bass.

Oh yeah. He is good.

How had his last band not been a huge success with him playing bass and Hayden on drums? Two hidden talents, one brought into the spotlight thanks to Everhide...and now one thanks to The Flintlocks.

Flint stepped up to his mic to sing. I reset the panel and let out a deep breath. Tristan high-fived me. Wow. I’d nailed it.

After one more single off the album and two previously released hits, they brought the house down, blasting out the last note of the song. The standing ovation and the loud applause from the fans penetrated and pummeled my chest.

The noise. The crowd. The performance.

This...is something. This...is magic. It wasn’t the same as pushing my body to the limit in fight scenes and action shots, but...it was a high. A spike of adrenaline. Food for my soul.

Tristan jumped up and hugged me. “Argh. You did it. So cool.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” I held out my hands. “I’m still shaking.”

Gena returned, green and pale even in the dim lights of the booth. “I’m so sorry. How did it go?”

I leaped from the chair and clapped my hands so quickly they were a blur. “It was amazing. Thank you.”

“No. Thank you. I owe you one.” She hugged me, then grabbed her purse and jacket. “I texted Blake and the guys. I’m gonna head home. I’ve promised I’ll be at promo tomorrow.”

“Okay. I’m just gonna help the crew pump out.” I unplugged a cable and wound it up. I wanted to savor the high still intoxicated my veins for as long as possible. “Make sure you’ve got someone on standby. I can’t fill in. I have to work.” Unfortunately.

“Will do.” She gave me another quick hug goodbye and headed out the door.

As I packed cords into an equipment trunk, my mind drifted to the guys’ promo schedule. They’d be playing at new locations three or four times a day, plus doing interviews. Every day they’d be performing new shows, entertaining new crowds, and having new adventures. Jealousy lurked through my veins. I hated not being part of something exciting and fun on a daily basis.

An hour later, after helping Tristan and the road crew pack, I ambled out into the foyer. The party, with more than two hundred friends, family, sponsors, influencers, VIP guests, and Ashlem executives, was in full swing. Music blared through the speakers. Alcohol flowed. Chatter filled the room. The minute I spied Cole through the mass of people, I rushed toward him and gave him a huge hug. “Ahhhh. You were amazing.”

“That was so wicked.” He squeezed me tight and rocked me from side to side. “I saw you at the mixer. Did you run the show?”

“Yeah. Gena wasn’t well,” I said as I congratulated Slip and Flint with big embraces.

“You’re a lifesaver.” Flint planted a sloppy kiss on my cheek. “Thank you.”

Lewis rushed forward and flung his arms around me. He picked me up, spun me around, then placed me on my wonky feet. “That was insane, right? My God! It was so good to play up there. I’m still shaking.”

“You nailed it. You were incredible.”

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