Page 94 of Crimson Desires

“Well, hey, I’ll see you on the stage, alright?” Arnold said. He turned to Aster. “Ready to go? I’m starving.”

My jaw dropped open. “Aster,” I hissed, “what the hell?”

“Sorry, could you give us a second?” Aster asked Arnold. Arnold nodded, politely stepping away from the merch booth to give Aster and me some privacy. Aster leaned in, a disbelieving smile teasing her lips. “Jack, is there a problem?”

“Are you getting lunch with that guy?”

“Obviously. Why?”

“You know he’s flirting with you, right?”

Aster had the gall to laugh. “Oh, my fucking God. You’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous,” I said, jealously.

“You are, though.” She placed a hand on my shoulder. “Jack, I’ll be fine. I know how to deal with creepy old men hitting on me. Career waitress, remember?”

That didn’t exactly ease my worries. “Why are you getting lunch with him in the first place?”

“Because he’s the lead guitarist of one of my favorite bands. Plus, if Dad finds out that I turned down an opportunity to have lunch with Arnold Renner, he’ll kill me. Dad was the one who introduced Killing Kiss to me, and I’ve been looking all tour for a souvenir to bring him. What better than a signature from one of his favorite musicians?”

“Fine,” I said. “But I’m getting bad vibes from that guy. If he does anything to make you feel unsafe-,”

“I’ve got Dave on speed dial,” Aster said.

I furrowed my brow. “Not me?”

Her smile was pitying. “No offense, Jack, but you’re not the most intimidating guy.”

“I resent that.”

“See? Intimidating guys don’t use words like resent.” Aster laughed. “That said, I really don’t think there’s anything to worry about. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a signature to get.” She leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to my lips. Then, she left the merch table and rejoined Arnold.

I watched as they strolled together toward the venue’s back exit, a mix of bad emotions swirling in my gut.

I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and typed a quick message to Dave.

Me: Aster’s going out to lunch with the guitarist from Killing Kiss. If she reaches out to you this afternoon with an issue, let me know ASAP.

***

As much as I wasn’t partial to Arnold, I couldn’t deny that Killing Kiss had an awesome set.

Their energy was insane, their technical musicianship was immaculate, and their style was brilliant.

After the show, we headed to Bluegrass Bourbon & Lace, a dive bar close to the venue. True to Nashville’s musical roots, the bar was country music themed. Pictures of Kitty Wells and Chet Atkins were hung up behind the main bar. A huge mural of Dolly Parton took up the back wall.

All around me, people drank and partied to their hearts’ content. Alcohol flowed freely and the music pumping from the speakers was an eclectic-yet-awesome mix of country and trap. Even Ava was enjoying the night, downing shots with Kane at the bar.

A group of paparazzi photographers swarmed the front doors, desperate to get a picture of the debauchery that was surely happening within the bar. Yet, thankfully, the bouncers were doing a great job of keeping the vermin at bay.

Damien and I sat at a VIP corner booth with Rick and Manny—Killing Kiss’s lead singer and drummer respectively. Despite being at a bar, Damien was absorbing the conversation like a private lecture, feverishly jotting down notes in his notebook as Rick and Manny talked.

I was grateful for Damien’s presence next to me.

For once, he did all the talking between us. I wanted to engage with Rick and Manny—unlike Arnold, they seemed like pretty cool guys—but I found myself distracted. I hadn’t seen Aster all evening.

Killing Kiss and Wicked Crimson had done a post-show media op. Meaning that by the time I’d gotten to the merch table, Aster had already packed up. I’d expected to see her at the bar, but she wasn’t there, either.

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