Leave it to Zane, though, to look fuckingthrilled.
Dylan just looked uncomfortable, like he had throughout the entire Sethordeal.
It was the look on Jesse’s face, though, that bothered me the most. “Jesse?” I asked quietly. I did not say it into my mic; I had the thing gripped in mylap.
Jesse just stared at Seth and said, “Get him out of here.” He didn’t raise his mic, either. But it was all Brody needed tohear.
I didn’t even want to look at Brody’s face. One glance wasenough.
I heard him coming, storming over. “Where the fuck is Jude?” Jude was standing back against the far wall, arms crossed over his chest, where he’d been listening to everything. When Brody saw him there, he growled, “Get him off the fuckingproperty.”
Jude nodded his dark head at Brody, then looked at the rest of us. At Jesse. When none of us spoke, Jude’s shoulders dropped a bit. He uncrossed his arms and headed up the stairs to the stage. Seth didn’t even look at him. He was still looking atus.
His eyes locked with mine, and my stomachclenched.
He was a good distance from me, but something changed in his eyes as he looked at me. As he scanned the expression on my face, processing it. I saw it; I felt it, as he looked back at me. Something there, some kind of spark, the adrenalin of rocking out that song… a gleam of something, maybe—hope?—snuffedout.
“It’s okay,” he said, clearing his throat a little and finally looking at Jude. “I’llgo.”
Then I had to look away. I couldn’t watch. I did not want to see Jude manhandling him out of here, though I doubted Seth would put up any kind of physical fight if he did. It just wasn’t hisstyle.
I feltsick.
I heard them leave, Seth and Jude, through a rear door off the stage. The door shut, loud in the silence of the cavernousroom.
“The prodigal sonreturns…”
It was Woo who broke the jagged silence. No one else seemed able tospeak.
But Woo was the only one sitting here who didn’t know why Seth was kicked out of the band this year—what happened between Seth and Jesse’s sister, Jessa, years ago. What Brody said hadhappened.
“Whoever you choose,” Woo went on, quietly, when no one spoke up, “they’ve got to be on level with the four of you. They’ve got to be a rock star if they’re gonna hold permanent residence in this band. They’ve gotta have that thing you’ve all got. That thing you just saw up onstage. That thing youfeltwhen Seth played. Seth Brothers has that thing.” He paused, looking at each of us, then sighed in resignation when we still didn’t speak. “Just too bad his star burned out so soon,” hefinished.
And that was when Brody said, “We need to stopfilming.”
So theystopped.
Jude had reappeared, and on Brody’s orders, he and his guys cleared absolutely everyone out of the bar—leaving no one but Dirty, Brody andMaggie.
When we were alone, I said, “You know everyone’s going to think we set thatup.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Jesse said. “It’s not going in the show anyway. Seth’s not part ofthis.”
“No,” Brody said. “But we should keep it. It’s gotta be addressed somehow, and now Woo has done that for us, so the rest of you don’t have to. Seth had his audition; he didn’t make the cut. This is closure for the fans. He’s never comingback. ”
“Or we could just give him a chance,” Zanesaid.
Brody’s reaction was almost painful to watch. He stiffened, his jaw turned to granite, and I didn’t think I’d ever seen him look at Zane like that—like he wanted to bitch slap the words right out of hismouth.
“Does anyone actuallywantSeth here?” Brody ground out, in a tight, scary-low voice. I’d only heard him take that tone once before, many years ago; when he’d informed us that Jessa wasn’t coming on the first world tour, that she was leaving the band. Unforgettable, since it sent shivers down my spine, just like it didnow.
“No. Fucking. Way.” Jesse was first to speakup.
“So it’s just up to you?” Zanesaid.
“No.” Jesse didn’t sound quite as livid as Brody, but he was definitely reigning back his agitation. “We’ve always operated democratically. If you want to formally vote him out, wewill.”
“No,” I corrected Jesse, “we’ve always operatedunanimously.”
