A difficult bass line, it was written in 7/4 time, but he’d conquered that challenge years ago.
He and Smiley ran through the gamut of the great rock songs, playing “Sweet Emotion”by Aerosmith and even hitting on Hendrix’s “Fire.”The airmen tasked with setting up the hangar grabbed seats and formed a loose semicircle around the front of the stage. Ryker’s playing brought grins, smiles, laughs, hoots, and a generalized pump of energy to those gathered. All they were missing was a lead guitar, a keyboard, and a real set of drums. For himself, the music carried him away, taking his worries and concerns and pushing them to the fringes of his thoughts for a sliver of time. It was him, the music, and memories of an elusive dream he’d long since given up.
Feeling emboldened, he launched into one of Angel Fire’s top hits. The bass riffs of “Heart’s Insanity” vibrated through the hangar. A few seconds later, a haunting guitar melody picked up mid-verse, coming in with perfect timing. Ryker glanced up, his brows drawing together, but he couldn’t see where the music was coming from.
And then it began; the beat dropped on the drums. Not Smiley’s palms thudding on the stage floor, but the deep, throbbing power of the drum kit. He turned toward the stage, his mouth agape, as Angel Fire’s lead vocalist sauntered to the edge of the stage, guitar slung over his neck, fingers picking out the notes. With a cocky grin, Blaze joined Ryker in the song. Blazing green eyes gave a wink while the song came to life. Dressed in worn-out jeans and a simple black T-shirt, Blaze stood over Ryker while his gaze cut out over the small crowd.
Ryker held down the bass riff while Blaze took over the lead of the song and circled them back to the beginning. He let the intro play out and then belted out the beginning lyrics of Angel Fire’s hit song.
Ryker’s fingers never once stopped or faltered even though he’d been stunned into speechless awe. The part came for harmonizing,and Blaze arched a brow, silently asking Ryker if he was brave enough to jump in with vocals. He needed no encouragement, took in a breath, and belted out the lines, melding his voice with a rock legend.
The moment demanded no hesitation, and he was going to live every second as if it were his last.
Ryker could hardly believe he was not only jamming with the band of Angel Fire, but also adding his vocals to their latest hit. He wanted to pinch himself, thinking it had to be a dream. At least, until he glanced at T.
Her attention had been fixed on him while he played, but with the arrival of the band, her eyes strayed to the men onstage.
Ryker turned—in part to continue his jam with Blaze, but also to take in the band members. He knew them all by heart. Hidden behind the drums, all he could see of Bash was the energy of his arms banging out the beat. Big and brawny with dark, curly hair, the bassist, Bent, gave a nod to Ryker’s playing. Noodles, tall and lanky with dirty-blond surfer hair and his array of tribal tattoos curving around his arms, stepped up to the keyboard. His fingers pressed on the keys, but no sound came out. The roadies hadn’t yet connected his instrument. Spike, with his multiple piercings, stood left of stage center. Like Blaze, he’d picked up his electric guitar and slung it around his neck. Without missing a beat, he joined in, layering more complexity on top of the growing music. Bent clasped his hands behind his back. He was the only one of the band who hadn’t checked out his equipment, but then Ryker was playing Bent’s instrument.
A feeling of unease came over Ryker, unsure of what the man would think of having someone else play his part, but Bent merely stretched out his neck and opened his mouth. Liquid silk flowed out from his vocal cords, harmonizing with Blaze. Ryker fell silent, stopped his singing, and soaked in the magic of the moment.
Blaze continued until the last of the lyrics and the song ended with the resonating chords that never failed to bring a chill to Ryker’s spine. He pressed his palm over the strings, quieting their deep notes. Blaze lifted his guitar over his head and gently placed it down. Then, he vaulted off the stage.
“Holy fuck, but you’ve got some skills.” He thrust out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Ryker started to put the bass guitar down, but Smiley took it, freeing him to return Blaze’s greeting. “Blaze! Wow, it’s an honor.”
Bash extricated himself from the drums. Spike and Bent came to the front of the stage, both hopping down to the hangar floor. Noodles remained onstage, fiddling with the keyboard.
“Call me Ash,” Blaze said. “That’s what my friends call me.” He hooked his thumbs in the front pockets of his faded denim jeans and glanced at Forest. “Hey, bro.”
“Where’s my sis?” Forest demanded with a deep rumble.
“Cool your heels. She’ll be here soon.” Ash’s eyes cut to T, and Ryker knew exactly what was going through his head.
“She’d better be,” Forest asserted. He walked over and clapped Ryker on the back. “This is Tech Sergeant Ryker Lyons. You said you wanted to do something special. Well, I found something pretty special.”
The other members of the band introduced themselves.
Bent was the last to greet him. “You’ve got some skills with the bass and not a bad set of pipes.”
“Thanks. I’m kind of in awe right now.” The smile on his face had to be huge because his cheeks hurt from his grin. “Just feeling humbled.”
Ash rocked back on his heels. “I think we should have a bass-off. Pit you and Bent up against each other, like a battle of the bands but a battle of the bassists.”
Ryker took a step back and raised both hands. “Oh, hell no. I know my limits.”
Bent squinted and considered the idea. “Now, that could work. It would be a shit-ton of fun.”
“Wait. What?” Ryker looked between Bent and Blaze—Ash—wondering what they were thinking.
“That was my thought,” Forest said, “and in this case, the dude has real talent. You wouldn’t have to carry him. Not to mention, it would be great PR. Get him onstage with the band, and put him in a head-to-head with Bent. The troops would go crazy.”
Ash rubbed at his neck, drawing Ryker’s attention to the intricate spiderweb and dragon tattoo. Unlike most active duty, Ryker was one of the few who remained tattoo free. A result of his upbringing, he’d never been rebellious enough to go against the strict teachings of his minister father. However, if he ever inked a tattoo, it would be something like the one Ash had. The dragon perched in the middle of the web had been drawn in three-dimensional relief. The black bird it gripped in its claw was so intricate, the feathers shimmered in the light. And he loved the blood dripping from the strands. Yeah, when he got inked, it would have to be something like that. Except he couldn’t think of any one thing he wanted permanently placed on his body. Until he decided, he’d stay in the minority—a tat-free freak.
“I love it. I really love it,” Ash said. “Did you speak to the USO about our other idea?”
“We’ve tossed it about.” Forest swept his arm out and walked over to T. “Actually, this little lady might have a solution to several problems.”
