I couldn’t see exactly what was happening or hear over the roar of the audience, so I kept pounding out the beats, though, at the last chorus, Jersey signaled through his guitar, like he used to, to keep repeating the rhythm.
“That’s our show for tonight!” said Cole. “From Jersey Dys, Rory Holmes and myself, and our bands, Arcane, Clash, and Obsidian, thank you all for coming!”
We finished the song with a flourish, just like we used to as Banshee, and the spots went dark leaving us semi-lighted.
“Let go!” she said squirming in Tobias’s arms. She broke free and flew off the stage at the side exit.
“What the hell!” said Cole.
“What was that about, Marshall?”
“I may have upset her.”
“Is that her handprint on your face?” said Cole with glee.
“You are a dick,” said Jersey.
“Who?” said Tobias.
“Both of you,” said Jersey.
“Oh for heaven’s sake,” I said and dashed after Jacine. Whatever troubled her, I wouldn’t let her deal with it alone.
But I found they followed me, and we ran down the hall bumping into road crew as we plowed the crowded passage.
We found her at the back door frantically punching numbers into her phone.
“Hey,” I said.
“Go away. All of you go away,” she said. Jacine tore through the doorway to the back lot, running left to valet parking.
“Where the hell is she going?” said Jersey pacing beside me.
“I didn’t think a woman could run that fast in high-heeled boots,” huffed Cole who pulled up on my other side.
“Jacine,” I called.
She stopped at the edge of the valet parking lot. Jacine stared at us like a frightened doe, and maybe if I had three, no four guys chasing me, I'd have the same expression. I held out my arms and stopped running.
There were twenty feet between her and us, but by the expression on her face, it might have been a million.
“Jacine,” I said holding out my hands. “What’s wrong?”
“You! All of you! It’s enough I tell, enough. Just go away.”
“I’m afraid that’s a no-go, baby,” said Cole. “You can’t run away from us. We’re stuck on you.”
“Well, that’s just the problem, isn’t it? How can I pick one of you?”
A light breeze whipped up and stirred her blonde hair, and I don’t think I could have been more in love with her in those hot thigh-high black boots and that tight jacket.
“We’ve been talking about that,” said Jersey.
“You have?”
“Yes,” said Cole with a nod of his head.
“We have a solution,” I said.
