Spike opened up on the guitar, running his fingers up the frets, increasing the tempo in time to Bash’s beat on the drums. The complexity of sound coming from the band climbed and soared, all while Ash belted out a song full of pain, grief, and desperation.
In this moment, a single figure separated from the crowd. A woman of exquisite beauty stared at him. Hands together, Tia pressed her fingers beneath her chin. The dark depths of her eyes drew him forward until his feet met the front of the stage. Standing poised above the crowd, only one thought went through his head. He’d rather have her body wrapped around his than be on this stage.
THIRTY
Labyrinth
TIA
Tia’s lashesmatted with tears. Ryker was onstage, living out his dream. Her heart wept because this moment meant the world to him. She blinked against joyful tears and clapped her hands together in a losing battle to contain her excitement. Around her, the crowd surged back and forth with the energy of the band spilling off the stage. It rolled over those gathered and swept her away with wild abandon. Her body swayed. Her hands rose over her head. She danced while standing still.
The men and women gathered who fought for their country, who dealt with unimaginable stress day in and day out, let all their worries go beneath the thunderous power that was Angel Fire. No one thought about deployment, separation from loved ones, or the dangers faced beyond the safety of the base’s perimeter fence. For now, Angel Fire energized, invigorated, and pumped them up. Soulful lyrics and pounding rhythms beat at the fear and loneliness, pushing them away—at least for a moment. Now was the time to let go, scream at the top of her lungs, and dance. It was an evening to be free.
Now, that was a complicated word—free.
So much had changed in the past few days. Her rigid and structured regimen, which had consisted of alternating cycles of endless training, intense physical conditioning, and exhausting missions, had been flipped on its end after this last mission.
Her engagement with Scott had imploded in her face. That Dear Jane letter had left her gasping and believing her entire world had ended. The devastation left in the wake of Scott’s cold words had driven her to consider a senseless act of revenge. All she had wanted was nameless sex with a man she could use and discard, using the same callous disregard Scott had shown her in his letter. She’d thought that would set her free.
Instead, she’d stumbled onto something unexpected. Ryker had been there all along, a protector turned lover and perhaps something much more. He left her breathless and in awe of his passion and ability to love.
The way the guitar was slung low on his hips had her aching all over again. A mouth-watering feast of stacked muscles and rippling abs lay beneath his cotton T-shirt. He plucked at the strings of his bass guitar, mesmerizing her and making her blush with memories of what those fingers had done over the past few days. He caught her staring, grinned, and licked his lower lip. Bastard had a way of knowing exactly what thoughts wandered through her mind.
The low notes of his bass riffs were difficult to pick out because they joined the overwhelming synergy of all the other instruments in play. Angel Fire moved from one song immediately into the next without breaking to speak to the crowd. An avalanche of sound rumbled through the hangar as Ash commanded the stage.
Ryker had no problem with holding his own beside the rock legends. He ripped up the stage, playing off the others, dueling with Spike for a refrain, striding over to the keyboard to jam with Noodles. He joined Bash at the drums and made full use of the stage. A natural performer, he belonged in no other place.
Someone bumped into her from behind. Prepared to give whoever it was a nasty look, she glanced up, but Forest stared down, his lips bowed into a smile and the arctic hardness of his eyes sparked with excitement.
“They fucking rock!” he yelled.
His voice carried, and those around them roared with enthusiasm. Forest planted himself firmly at her back, creating a small bubble of protective space around him. She sank into that opening, thankful for a bit of respite from the crowd. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. While those around her swayed to the beat of the music, Forest stood solid and unmoving with the exception of his head banging with the beat. His eyes cut to the stage and focused on Ryker.
“I have to say, lover boy has the chops.” Admiration and respect carried on his words.
She craned her neck to look at Forest, wondering if he liked Ryker, tolerated Ryker, or wanted to punch Ryker in the face. Less than an hour ago, she’d thought Forest would tear Ryker limb to limb. The verbal thrashing Forest had given her after Ryker’s departure had left her stunned, but right now, it looked like Forest wanted to leap onstage and congratulate him.
A tug on her arm had her turning, and she smiled as Skye slipped into the empty bubble of space formed by Forest’s large frame.
She gripped Skye’s hand and tugged her close. “This is amazing,” she said.
Skye pitched her voice to be heard over the roar of the crowd. “Ryker’s incredible.”
More than amazing, his presence filled the stage without taking away from any of the others.
“He is.” Not that she’d been worried.
Angel Fire’s power thrummed in her veins. She felt invincible, unstoppable, and most of all, free. Ash broke from the pulsating beat to speak, thanking the troops for their service and the sacrifices they’d made. He poured his heart behind the songs, and behind him, Ryker anchored the pounding swell of music meant for stadium-sized crowds.
Eventually, the concert ended, and with the ordered precision only the military could command, the troops filed out. Grins as big as barn doors filled the faces of the men and women. Fist bumps, high fives, and a general camaraderie drew them together. The doors whispered closed. Lights turned on, and Smiley and his crew attacked the stage, making adjustments and resetting their pyrotechnic displays. Angel Fire had another concert planned for the night.
The night shift had enjoyed the concert before their shifts began. In another half hour, the day shift, relieved from their duties, would fill the hangar for the second show of the night. Angel Fire would once again take to the stage and transport them to a place free from the worries of fighting war.
In this sliver of silence, Tia approached the stage. Ryker met her at the edge and reached down. He gripped her hands, and with the flex of his muscles, he pulled her up.
Forest cleared his throat when Ryker pulled her into his arms. That loud, raspy sound pulled them up short and made the almost embrace awkward. She stepped back and nearly fell off the stage. Ryker yanked her forward, pulling her against his chest. She pushed away, eyes darting to see who might be looking, terrified of what conclusions might be formed.
Forest leaped onstage. He rescued them from the awkwardness of their almost hug and tugged her out of Ryker’s hands. Ryker’s brows drew together, but he released her, allowing her to follow Forest, who dragged her to stand beside Ash and Bash at the drums.
