After our little run-in backstage, there’s no way in hell I’m dragging myself back up to the rafters just to sit throughSwift Division’sset. I don’t care that it’s technically part of the job. After that bullshit with Jett, the last thing I need is forty-five minutes of his screeching vocals clawing through my eardrums while the crowd treats him like some kind of rock god.
Fuck that.
Instead, I hang back near the lighting board, helping the guys coordinate pre-programmed transitions. It’s not my normal post, but it gives me a reason to stay grounded, and more importantly, gives me a perfect line of sight to Effa.
From here, I see her and the rest of the girls getting ready to go on. Just watching her move, watching how focused she gets before she hits the stage, it settles me. Grounds me. She’s all motion and magnetism, that quiet kind of chaos that keeps my world spinning. My woman doesn’t even know how powerful she is.
Just seeing her?Yeah. That’s enough to take the edge off.
Finally, finally,Swift Divisionfinishes their set.
The lights fade on those smug pricks while Jett and his crew slink offstage, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. Thank Christ that’s over. At least I won’t have to stomach that shit again until tomorrow.
WithLuminousgetting into position, I know I need to be where I belong, up high, back in my post. I head to the beam and begin the climb, each rung of the ladder burning off a little more of the frustration still coiled tight in my chest.
Once I haul myself over the edge, Tank turns to me with a grin, lifting a brow. “That was one hell of a log you had to drop, man.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “Didn’t make it that far. Got roped into helping the lighting guys.”
“You missed all the good shit,” he mutters, handing me the remote as I slip between him and Jay.
I settle in, my legs dangling like before, muscles tensing with anticipation. From up here, the crowd looks even bigger. The place is packed to the rafters, buzzing like a live wire. The energy is thick, electric, and about to blow.
“Everything went okay while I was gone?” I ask, scanning the rigging out of habit.
Jay nods. “Flawless. Actually, we work better without your ass dragging us down.”
“Appreciate the love,” I deadpan, as cues crackle through our earpieces.
The girls are ready.
I nod toward Tank, who taps the sequence button to begin the pre-programmed intro. The lighting shifts, plunging the arena into darkness.
A split-second pause.
Then—
Boom.
The crowd detonates with a roar so loud it rattles through my chest. Stomping feet, wild cheers, an eruption of pure anticipation. I glance down at the side of the stage and catch a glimpse of Effa and the girls, lined up, ready to make their entrance.
Game time.
I press the remote, syncing it to the track that’s already building beneath the noise. Neon pulses flicker through the darkness, strobes slicing the black as the rotating platform spins into place, locking in perfect alignment.
The stage is set.
All they have to do now is run out and own it.
And they do.
Like clockwork.
Like lightning.
Kristy appears first, revealed behind the drum kit as the massive front screen drops. She slams into the intro beat, her arms a blur of motion, and the crowd loses their collective minds. The energy jumps another level with more stomping, more screaming, and that’s just the beginning.
Then come Andi and Casey, shredding out onto the stage, guitars blazing, bodies moving in sync with the building rhythm. Alana rushes to her DJ station, layering her beats with flawless timing.
