I stand on the other side of the stage, my bass feeling like dead weight in my hands. The crowd is a sea of faces, their expressions shifting from excitement to confusion to concern. It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion. The smell of sweat and too many bodies packed into one place wafts up to the stage, mingling with the faint scent of alcohol from the front rows.
We push through as best we can, but it’s clear we’re a fucking mess. Two songs before the set is supposed to end, Jax collapses on stage, unable to continue. The rest of us exchange panicked glances, the gravity of the situation sinking in.
“This is not going to be good,” I mutter, my voice low.
Marcus moves to the mic stand. “Thank you forcoming,” he shouts with false pep. “We had a food poisoning incident…”
He continues to talk to the crowd as Dylan and I calmly prop Jax between us and move him away from the prying eyes of the audience.
Backstage, the atmosphere is tense and grim. Jax lies sprawled on the dressing room couch, barely conscious, his face pale and drenched in sweat. Everyone else looks as exhausted and defeated as I feel.
Lily hovers over Jax, her eyes red-rimmed and filled with tears. “What are we going to do?” she asks, her voice trembling.
“We need to get him help,” Marcus says. “Actual help.”
“And miss more shows?” I shoot back, frustration bubbling over. “We’re already hanging by a thread and we can’t afford to pay the label back if we cancel all our shows and cut our contract.”
The tension in the room is thick. It feels like the band is crumbling, and none of us know how to stop it.
“Do you think I don’t know that?” Marcus snaps, his frustration spilling over. “We return to the nurse, then we get a break and give Jax a chance to get his shit together. No one is saying that we cancel anything.”
Dylan runs a hand through his hair, his face lined with concern. “We need to stop fighting; it’s making everything worse. We follow Marcus’ plan and when we finish the break, we follow the tour schedule and everything will be okay.”
I clench my fists, anger and helplessness surging inside me, but I tamp it down. “Fine.”
As we prepare to leave the venue, Marcus and Dylan haul Jax to his feet. His legs tremble under his weight,barely holding any of his weight as he stumbles forward. He leans heavily on Dylan, his head lolling against his shoulder as they guide him toward the van.
The ride back to the hotel is worse than the trip to the venue. Jax is barely coherent, his breathing labored. Without warning, he vomits all over himself. The stench fills the van, making me gag.
Lily tries to clean him up with trembling hands, her face pale and strained. Fear and worry is written in every line of her face.
“He’s fucking useless like this,” I snap, unable to hold back my frustration. “We should have left him back there.”
“Shut up, Enzo,” Marcus fires back, his blue eyes blazing with anger. “We’re not leaving him behind. It wouldn’t help anything anyway. We need him to sing.”
Dylan, pale and visibly exhausted, chimes in, “Enzo, come on, man.”
I cross my arms, glaring out the window. “When this goes to shit, it’s on all of us.” For better or worse, Jax’s actions impact us all and I don’t want any part in the failure that is surely headed our way. Unfortunately, none of us have a choice in the matter.
When we finally reach the hotel, Marcus and Dylan maneuver Jax out, his body limp and practically dead weight between them. I sigh and follow the rest of the group back towards the back entrance of the building.
CHAPTER 11
CRUMBLING FACADE
LILY
It feelslike we barely make it back to the hotel in one piece. The tension is so thick and suffocating. Nothing has gone right for over a week, and I don’t know how to help. I am grasping at straws as I try to help soothe and calm the frayed edges of the band while I ignore my own.
As soon as I step away from the van, my phone buzzes. I glance at the screen—Harris. My stomach tightens into knots, dread crawling up my spine.
“Go on up to the suite,” I tell the guys, waving them ahead. “Take Jax to see the nurse. I’ll catch up in a minute.”
Marcus and Dylan nod, struggling to support Jax as they guide him forward. His head droops, his feet dragging against the ground like dead weight. The sight of him nearly shatters me, but I force myself to focus on Harris and not worry about Jax. The nurse is our only shot at stabilizing him and he’s on his way there now.
Enzo lingers, his jaw tight and his dark eyes blazing with a mix of frustration and something I can’t quite place.His presence is heavy, like a coiled spring ready to snap, but I know he’s staying behind to keep an eye on me.
Taking a deep breath, I answer the call. “Harris.”
