Stripped (8 page)

The guard whispered to Ann.  “The rest of the band is on the bus.  Maybe you can get them.  Okay?”

“Done,” Emily said and grabbed Ann’s arm.

“What are you doing?” Ann asked.

“They’re going to hurt us.”

“No they’re not,” Ann said.  “They’re big pussies.  Fucking assholes.”

“So Gunnar is in that room alone?”

Ann nodded.  “He’s real sneaky and secluded.  Hey, you want to know something I read?”

“Sure.”

They stopped walking at the last corridor before the hall to the backdoor. 

“He likes to come to the venues before he plays them.  He sort of hides out and watches bands, the crowd.  Has some drinks and then sneaks out.”

Emily swallowed once, her mind picking up on some of the words.

Hides out.

Watches.

Drinks.

Sneaks out...

Emily looked at her wrists.

No way, she thought.  No way in hell.  Never.

“Listen, is it okay if I go alone here?” Ann asked.  “I really am media.  If I can get on that bus and make friends...”

“Go,” Emily said.  “I’ll go to the bar and find Chris.  Maybe I can get him to give me a drink for free.”

“Well, you’re certainly dressed better tonight,” Ann said, gazing down Emily’s shirt.  It was a little more revealing tonight, not just showing off Emily’s curves but also showing her large chest.

“You never know,” Emily said.

“Hey, don’t get too lost in Chris.  Your mystery man should be here soon.”

Ann laughed and walked away, waving with her hand high in the air. 

Emily turned and walked the way they came, moving by the security guards with a simple nod, just to be courteous.  Her heart and mind, however, couldn’t help but see the double doors and wonder if her mystery man wasn’t already there.

7.

At the bar, Emily found the last seat.  People poured in by the drones, flooding the floor more than they did the night before.  Something told Emily they wouldn’t be moving for the entire night.  They crammed and gently nudged and pushed, all wanting to be the ones on the gate, hoping to touch Gunnar to get close enough to smell him, or even taste his sweat.

Emily didn’t quite understand that kind of obsession but she had felt something like it.  Two times in the past twenty-four hours.  Once with Bryce in the stairwell and once this morning while writing her new book.

A local band took the stage ten minutes later.  They announced themselves but the mic was turned down too low and Emily didn’t catch their name.  They were generic sounding, complete with feedback from different instruments, choppy vocals, and a drum kit that was in desperate need of more mics and a better sound.  They were the band used to practice the speakers and sound on, allowing the sound to get better as the night went on. 

After playing just four songs, the lead singer asked if everyone was excited to see Down Silent tonight.  That brought out the loudest reaction from the crowd.  Hands went in the air, people cheered, and one loud woman screamed,
“I love Gunnar!”

The lead singer of the local band looked into the crowd and said, “We all do, babe.”

They left the stage only to return a minute later to begin to take apart their gear.  They had no roadies and no help.  But they were happy just to be there.  Just to tell their family and friends they opened for Down Silent.

Emily appreciated that and ordered a beer from a woman behind the bar.  That meant she had to pay.

To her shock, right before the next band started to play, she watched as Ann came walking along the gate next to the crowd.  It seemed way too early for Ann to be appearing at the show.  Emily’s heart sank.

She expected the worst.

She started to stand from her barstool when the person next to her got up. 

“Are you leaving?” Emily asked.

The woman turned and eyed Emily up and down, as if the answer depended on it.  “I’m going to get in the mix while I can.  I hope I can stay close to the gate and touch Gunnar.”

Emily didn’t say anything.  She sat back down and picked her leg up, placing it on the now empty barstool, claiming it for Ann.

Ann moved like a bitch on wheels.  She threw her bag at the bar.  It hit, flopped, and fell to the filthy floor.  Emily bent down and picked it up.

“Rough night?”

“I fucking hate rockstars sometimes, okay?  Fucking... hate them.”

“Tour bus didn’t work out for you?”

“It did, sort of.  Whatever.”

Emily tapped her beer bottle on the bar just in time for the music to kick in from the next act.  They were much louder, much heavier.  It was too much bass, and it overpowered the vocals and the guitars.  It was definitely too loud to talk and when Ann leaned over the bar, shouting an order for a shot and a beer, Emily figured Ann needed the time alone.

So they sat and waited out the band.  Between songs, the lead singer spoke, his voice like a teenager.  Most of the crowd cheered and just like before, the loudest reaction came from the mentioning of Down Silent.  They finished their set in a typical fashion, the lead singer throwing the mic to the stage and diving into the crowd for a little fun.  Luckily, they caught him, crowd surfed him back and forward, then he got on the floor and started dancing with the crowd.  He seemed to have more fun in the crowd than on stage.

When the music ended, Emily leaned over to Ann.  “They weren’t that great.  Or the first ones.”

“Yeah.  I’ll probably be interviewing them next week.  Asking the same bullshit questions about their dreams.”

“Whoa.  What happened on that bus?”

Ann looked at Emily.  “Fucking Gunnar.”

“Did you meet him?”

“No.  Not even close.  He was in that room.  Where the guards were.  The rest of the band was on the bus, partying away.  I opened the door and walked up, waiting for someone to see me.  When they looked at me, then my bag, they pulled the same shit the security guards did.  I told them I wasn’t just looking to talk to Gunnar.  I wanted to know about the band, their plans... whatever.”

“What did they say?” Emily asked.

“Well, the fucking bassist, Acey, stood up, walked to me and put his hands on my shoulders.  He looked me in the eyes and said, ‘Our plans?  To rock that fucking club to its core.  That’s our plan.’  Then he walked away, slapping fives with the other guys, thinking they’re oh-so-fucking-cool.”

“No story then?” Emily asked.

“No story.  Unless I print that Down Silent wants to rock.  I can hear Dave - my editor - now...
No shit
...”

“It’s okay,” Emily said.  “You said it would be tough.  It’s the cover story.  It’s not supposed to be easy.”

“Maybe I should sleep with the bodyguards.  Both at the same time even.”

“Okay, that’s wrong.”

“Not really,” Ann said.  “I need to get to Gunnar.  If not... Dave will pull me off the story.”

“You’re overreacting,” Emily said.  “They haven’t played yet tonight.  And I know you, Ann.  You’ll get your story.”

Ann put her beer bottle to her lips and took a long drink.  She slammed the bottle to the bar and let out a long sigh.  “Well, at least the tickets were free.”

“Not a bad night.  I’m looking forward to seeing this Gunnar finally.”

“You won’t know what to think.  Hell, neither will I.  He’s fucking gorgeous and brilliant... and I hate him right now.”

The club started to go dark as the finishing touches were being put on the setup for Down Silent.  The drums were already built, just needing to be checked for sound.  A greasy looking man sat behind the kit and from the second he hit the kick drum, Emily felt it.  The perfect sound.  The perfect depth and tone.  When the bassist hit the low e, the thickest open string on the instrument, it let out a low rumble that made Emily shiver.  The guitars were tuned one at a time, then in unison, the guitar techs started playing, their gain filled sounds battling next to each other, spinning together to create a sound that had Emily standing from her barstool.

“Sounds good,” she said.

“They always sound good,” Ann said.  “That’s why they’re the hottest band around.  They could probably have a major recording deal right now and they won’t take it.  Gunnar won’t take it.  He likes the small clubs.  It’s insane.”

“It’s his choice,” Emily said.

All the lights went off in the club.

The crowd came to life, louder than the previous two bands
AND
the bands from last night combined.  One by one, shadows of men took to the stage.  Emily counted four.

Four?

Was four enough?

She saw the bassist, two guitarists, and the drummer.  The second guitarist stood near the bassist, leaving a spot open at the microphone. 

There was five in the band.

Gunnar was the lead singer, and he wasn’t on stage yet.

The drums started to play a
thump-thump
beat.  Then came some snare, followed by the low feedback of the lead guitar.  As it squealed to life, the bass hit, it’s growl overpowering the guitar.  That’s when all the instruments came together and stopped.  In the couple seconds they took a break, Emily held her breath. The band came back together, leading into the first song.  Lights illuminated the stage, blue and purple colliding, one white light at the empty mic. 

The intro continued, leading into the first solo riff by the lead guitar and Emily recognized the song. 

It was ‘Torn’, the lead off single from Down Silent’s latest album. 

Emily could hear it her mind, the first line of the song, right after the instruments break again.  Just as it happened, from the corner of the stage, ran Gunnar, taking the mic just as it all began...

“Yeah, I’m torn!”

And the guitar riff came back.  Gunnar had beautiful dark blond hair that bounced along his wide shoulders.  When he threw his head back, and began to sing again, something amazing happened.

Gunnar looked towards Emily.

No.

He looked at Emily.

He sang and Emily heard nothing.

She could only see his eyes.

Those eyes.

Those fucking eyes.

Her left hand touched her right wrist, feeling a tingle of pain.

Gunnar...

It was Gunnar.

Gunnar wasn’t Gunnar... Gunnar was Bryce.

“Shit,” Emily cried out as she fell back towards the bar.

8.

‘Torn’ tore through the club ending with a long winded guitar riff as all the lights turned off.  The crowd cheered and Gunnar leaned back, his tall silhouette frozen in place.  The band stayed silent, letting the crowd pump itself up, ready for the next song.   They then kicked into radio friendly song, ‘Lost Spirit’, with Gunnar remaining in his statue like state until it came their time to sing.  Again, the spotlight flooded his sexy body, and again, he stared at Emily the entire time he sang.