CHAPTERTWELVE
Dare
The energyat the Commodore Ballroom was incredible. Screams rained down on us, millions of hands reaching out to the stage. Evan gave me a quick nod of his head, signaling he was ready to play.
As the drumbeats introed our first song of the night, I watched Cal take position centerstage. He started playing his guitar, crooning into the microphone.
My fingers expertly strummed my bass, my voice joining with Cal’s. Halfway through the set, I was sweating. The adrenaline pumping through my veins kept me going. There was a certain escape being up here on stage, all those fans before us. Belting out lyrics to our songs, waving lighters and cell phones and glow sticks.
It was invigorating, a perfect reminder of all the reasons why I loved this life. Playing liveneverleft any room for doubt. As soon as those stage lights hit me, I was all music and focus, losing myself in the rifts.
But all too soon, the show itself was over. We would be spending one night at a hotel in real beds before squeezing back into the tour bus for the last leg of the tour.
The moment we stepped off stage, I spotted our personal assistant, Tai, standing with our agent, Paul Bodem, at the bottom of the stairs, their expressions grave. Sensing bad news coming, I braced myself.
“Two encores aren’t going to bankrupt the label,” Evan teased, trying to diffuse the tension. He could sense something was off too.
Tai sent him a brief but cutting look before returning her attention to Cal. “Calum, your mother called. I’m so sorry but…your grandfather died.”
Calum swayed where he stood, gripping the railing beside him. Evan and I stepped forward automatically, flanking Cal on either side. He pulled his hand away from the railing and waved us off. “I need a flight home. Now.”
Tai nodded, handing him a thick envelope. “Your tickets are in here. Your flight leaves tomorrow morning at five o’clock. It’s the soonest one out.”
“We’re going too, right?” I demanded, my brows furrowing as I looked from Tai to Evan and back to Tai again. We couldn’t let Calum face this on his own.
“Sorry, just Cal. This week is packed with appearances. The talk show, the radio interview, and the movie premiere forNoir Night…I just can’t spare all of you.”
“Frank Murphy is the reason our band makes you the millions.” I crossed my arms and scowled. “We’d like to pay respects to the man. He made us who we are today.”
“If the funeral falls in between appearances, we will make sure we get you and Evan on a flight for it. But if not, I’m sorry. Our hands are tied,” Paul interjected. I could detect the false sympathy in his tone. The only thing Paul cared about was us keeping that green rolling in.
Calum took the envelope from Tai, his eyes unfocused.
“We’re going to the funeral. I don’t care if it coincides with an event. Cancel that event,” I said, locking gazes with Tai. My stance was unmoving, and I think she detected that.
She exchanged a look with Paul. Before she could reply, Cal stomped off, heading for the exit.
“We’ve been running hard on this tour, Tai. You know it. Two shows a week? Cal’s already close to a burn out, we all are,” Evan interjected, a rare frown on his face. He didn’t think it was fair either.
“You were all on board for the schedule, so don’t nitpick it now,” Paul shot back.
“We can’t let Calum face this on his own,” I told Tai, hoping to appeal to her sensitive nature. “He hasn’t been back to Lunenburg since we left, and we all know what leaving did to him. One of the most important, supportive people in his life has just died. What do you think will happen if he falls apart again?”
This had the wheels in Tai’s mind spinning—and even Paul looked worried. The huge metal exit door crashed open, smacking smartly against the bricks, and closed with a metal clang, signaling Calum had left the building. I cocked a brow at Tai and Paul, moving past them to follow him, Evan hot on my heels. I’d let my warning ferment a little before I pushed again.
I opened the door, catching the tail end of Calum’s explicit shout. Fans were loitering out back near the sidewalk, waiting for an opportunity to catch us. They looked like they were having second thoughts about that now.
Calum’s chest rose and fell, it was evident he was upset. Walking up behind him, I placed my hand on his shoulder. “Cal…” I didn’t know what else to say. There wasn’t anything Icouldsay.
Calum shrugged his shoulder, knocking my hand away, and shook his head. Stomping over to the limo, he opened the door and climbed in.
Evan and I exchanged another look before following. Cal was already into the bar fridge in the limo. He pulled out a single malt Irish whiskey and cracked the lid. Not even bothering with a glass, he started drinking straight from the bottle.
For the next several hours, we let Calum do what he felt he needed to do: drink until he passed out.
“What are we going to do?” Evan asked, gesturing to Cal’s sleeping form. He’d managed to make it to the bed but was still fully clothed. We left the connecting door to my room open, and Calum’s loud drunken snores permeated the quiet hotel room. “We can’t let him do this alone. He hasn’t been back since…” he trailed off. There wasn’t a need for him to finish his sentence—I knew what he was referring to.
“We need to do the talk show and radio interview for sure, but I think we can skip the movie premiere in Banff. Killian won’t mind, especially when he finds out the reason why.”
