A Voice to Love (Fallen Tuesday Book One) (A Brothers of Rock Novel) (5 page)

“You should be doing the
same,” he said.

“What? Getting drunk?”

“No,” he said. He
frowned. “Taking a cab home. I don’t like you walking.”

“I always walk.”

“Not always.”

“I sometimes walk.”

“Sometimes,” Uncle Tom
said. “Not tonight. You could take a cab or let me drive you. Take my car, I’ll
sleep here.”

“You will not sleep
here,” Amy said. “I need the walk. I need to clear my head.”

“It wouldn’t have
anything to do with those phone messages, would it?”

“Text messages?” Amy
asked and smiled. “No, it doesn’t.”

Amy hated lying to Uncle
Tom, but she didn’t let it worry her too much. Uncle Tom could see right
through it.

“Let me handle this guy,”
Uncle Tom said. “Nobody needs to bother you, Amy.”

“What are you going to
do? Beat him up?”

Uncle Tom lifted an old,
but large fist. “One of these and he’ll know better.”

“It’s fine,” Amy said.
“I’m going to handle it. I’m going to call him and make sure he knows things
are over.”

“Why can’t you find a
good man, Amy? You’re so beautiful. You’re so smart. Yet you end up with a
clown like that guy.”

“I’m fine right where I
am,” Amy said. “I don’t need a man in my life right now. I’m not looking.”

“Neither was I,” Uncle
Tom winked. “Be careful when you’re not looking… you might just crash into
something.”

“Noted,” Amy said. She
walked behind the bar and kissed Uncle Tom on the cheek. “I think I’m going to
get going.”

“You should,” Uncle Tom
said. “I don’t want you walking home so late. I don’t like it.”

“I’m perfectly fine,” Amy
said. “I told you, I could use the fresh air.”

“It’s cold out there.”

“I have my jacket,” Amy
said. “With my fuzzy hood.”

“You’re going to be the death
of me someday.”

“Don’t say that,” Amy
said. “Plus, everyone knows this restaurant will be the death of you. Since you
can’t let it go.”

“Okay, that’s enough.
You’re fired.” Uncle Tom smiled.

“Have a good night,” Amy
said.

She went through the
kitchen and put her coat on. She stepped out back of the restaurant and the chilly
air hit her again. It made her shiver, but it felt good. The deep breaths of
cold air cleansed her mind and soul. Within a few steps, the night started to
shake away from Amy. The long shift. The food. The customers. The two plates
that were sent back due to minor errors. An undercooked steak and a lukewarm piece
of chicken. Those were the little things that Amy wanted to be perfect, even
though two plates on a long, busy shift probably wasn’t that bad.

She walked to the front
of the restaurant and then down the sidewalk. The crisp air soon brought a few
blustery snowflakes. Cast against the streetlights and the dying lights of
businesses as they closed, there was something serene about it.

In the distance Amy heard
the rumbling of a motor. She stopped walking. With her hands in her pockets,
she moved her left hand up and felt her cellphone on the inside pocket through
all the thick cloth.

Can’t be…

The motorcycle got louder
and closer. Amy felt her heart starting to race a little more. Her breaths were
quicker, the puffs of breath rushing from her mouth. She walked faster, looking
down, wanting to be huddled but more importantly, she wanted to be invisible.
That wasn’t going to be possible.

Amy kept walking and the
sound of the motor kept growing louder. She finally stopped and turned. She
could go back to the restaurant. She could confess to Uncle Tom that she
worried about Denny and his intentions. Maybe she couldn’t tell him why, but
she could at least feel comforted by her uncle. After all, he was the one who
raised Amy after her father died in a car accident when she was just ten.

Before she could take a
step Amy saw the glare of a light. The sound was most definitely a motorcycle
and that motorcycle had just turned down the street, coming her way.

“No,” she whispered.

Panic set in, and for a
moment, Amy thought Denny was going to find her standing alone on a street with
nobody else around just before midnight. Just what he wanted.

Amy looked behind her and
of all things, she saw an alley. She stepped back until she was in the alley
and protected by its darkness. It worried her that she would rather seek
comfort in a dark alley than possibly see Denny.

The motorcycle came up
the street and in the flash of a second, it was gone. In that flash of a second
though she could make out the bike and the rider. It was definitely Denny. She
sighed in relief when the sound continued and eventually started to fade. At
least it meant he was just cruising through town and not looking for her. She
hoped.

Amy waited until there
was no sound and then emerged from the alley. She shivered uncontrollably. Her
toes were so cold that they hurt as she walked. At the end of the block she
stopped and blew warm air into her hands. It did nothing. She turned right and
only had a couple blocks to go.

Suddenly, the sound of
the motorcycle could be heard at the top of the road. If Denny was circling
back through town, that meant he was looking for Amy.

Amy found herself in
retreat and once again seeking the darkness of the alley. She walked fast as
the rumbling of the motorcycle went by her. She wasn’t going to chance anything
this time. She would stay in the alley to the end. She’d cross a street, cut
through the parking of a hotel, and then walk the back way until she got to her
apartment. It would add an extra ten minutes to her foot commute home, but if
it meant not running into Denny, it was worth every cold step.

Once at the end of the
alley, Amy looked both ways and ran across the street. She went into the
parking lot of the hotel and put her head down. She could hear the motorcycle
in the distance and it bothered her more than ever. She worried that Denny
would go to the restaurant.

What if he broke a
window? What if he asked for payment? What if he hurt Uncle Tom?

The thoughts convoluted
Amy’s mind. She walked fast and stared at her feet. She was so confused and
flustered that she didn’t see a second pair of feet until she crashed into the
person they belonged to.

When she looked up, she
expected to see Denny.
Wasn’t that how it went in the movies?
Except, it
wasn’t Denny. Instead, it was a good looking guy whose eyes were familiar, but
she couldn’t figure out why.

(5)

The jam session turned
into a concert. It was the stuff rock n’ roll dreams were made of. Five guys in
a hotel room, drinking, playing guitar, singing songs that millions of fans
loved, which in turn made them millionaires. With that, however, came the
reverberating sound of the music, which in no time began to attract attention. They
guys ignored the first knock on the door. Mack threw the finger at the door and
everyone laughed. Luke missed an entire line of lyrics, but it didn’t matter.
They were just having fun. Luke’s throat was tender and sore, but he couldn’t
stop singing.

The knock on the door
continued and then turned into pounding. Mack put his guitar down. He cracked
his knuckles and looked ready to knock someone’s teeth out. Luke rushed after
him, wanting to prevent a scene. All they needed was to call Frank and tell him
that Mack was in jail for punching a hotel employee because he knocked on the
door to their room. Frank would go ballistic.

Mack tore the door open
and there was a group of people standing there. The leader of the pack, a young
man, looked ready to pass out.

“Holy shit,” he said.
“It’s really you.”

“Really who?” Mack asked.

“You’re Mack,” the guy
said. Then he looked at Luke. “You’re Luke. Holy shit.”

Luke looked at Mack and
they both smiled.

“Come on in,” Luke said.
“Let’s do something different tonight.”

The crowd poured into the
hotel room. Luke figured there had to be only thirty people or so. Someone
propped the door open and Luke went back to the band. Mack grabbed his guitar
and with a head nod they picked up right where they left off. They played and
Luke sang to the enjoyment of the fans. Before the song finished, another
twenty people came into the hotel room. In a matter of minutes the room was
flooded with fans and plenty more stood out in the hallway. The top floor of
the hotel had suddenly become a live Fallen Tuesday concert.

After two songs, Luke
waved his hands, ending the session.

“Dude, this is crazy,”
Luke said to Gray.

“Of course it is, they
love us,” Gray said.

The people in the room
were talking, cheering, taking pictures and videos. They were all calm and
respected the band. Luke looked around and couldn’t stop smiling. This moment
was everything he dreamed of. Everything he wanted.

“Let’s keep playing,”
Mack said. “Maybe try out that new one.”

“Right now?” Trent asked.

“Why not?” Luke asked.
“They’re the luckiest fans right now for this.”

“Whatever works,” Jake said.
“Count it off.”

Trent looked at Jake with
a snarled lip.

“Just play something,”
Luke yelled.

The fans clapped and Gray
kicked into another favorite Fallen Tuesday song. Everyone cheered. The room
felt like it was going to explode. Luke couldn’t believe that neither security
or hotel employees had come up to break up their little party. If they did,
they’d be faced with some pissed off Fallen Tuesday fans.

The song continued and on
the second chorus Luke stood on the table and belted out the lyrics with his hands
cupped around his mouth. Suddenly, at the end of the note, he felt like
something had snapped in throat. His voice was gone and the pain between his
ears was enough that he put his hands to his ears and bent over. He jumped from
the table and rushed to the kitchen. When he looked at his band, they were
concerned. He waved at them and motioned for a drink. Luke grabbed a bottle of
vodka and took a sip. It burned like it had been poured on an open wound… and
maybe it had been.

What kind of damage had he
just caused to his throat?

Luke then started to hear
something he never thought possible. The, out of nowhere, the fans in the room
started to sing. Little by little they all joined together. Luke turned and put
the vodka bottle on the counter. He watched as they were all getting into the
song, including the band. The connection between Gray, Jake, Trent, Mack, and
the fans was intense. It took Luke’s breath away for a second and then he felt
his throat tighten and he tried to swallow the lump that threatened to make him
cry in front of his hand band and fans. This was a moment in the band’s history
that would stick with them forever, but it was also the kind of moment Luke
feared losing if he went into seclusion and relaxed his voice. The fans wanted
Fallen Tuesday. The wanted to sing their favorites songs and they wanted to
hear new ones.

Luke joined the band and
opened his mouth to start singing again. He made it through half a line of
lyrics before his voice broke up. He could feel the words scratching against
his vocal chords. He pointed to the fans and smiled.

“You sing it!” he yelled.

Everyone started to sing.
Everyone except the lead singer of Fallen Tuesday. A wicked mix of anger,
regret, and guilt shot through Luke’s body.

He needed to get out of
the room.

He patted Mack on the
shoulder and then motioned toward the door. He cut through the fans as they all
tried to touch him. Hand after hand on his shoulder, back, chest, and stomach.
Men and women called his name, sang his lyrics. It was a come true, but it was
Luke’s nightmare though. One he faced alone by choice at the sake of his band
mates hearts.

In the hall he saw that
the crowd stretched down the to end. He pushed through, shaking hands,
accepting hugs, taking a few pictures along the way. He managed to get to the
elevators and a few fans looked at him like they were going to chance jumping
on for a ride. Luckily, everyone stayed to hear the music. The doors shut and Luke
pressed for the ground floor.

When the doors opened, a
few people stared, trying to make sense of the sight before their eyes. Before
anyone could say anything, Luke darted from the elevator and went to the side
door that led to the emergency steps. He went out the backdoor of the hotel. He
held it open and looked for something to prop the door open. A rock did just
fine ensuring the lock didn't engage and lock Luke out of his hotel. He leaned
against the building and took a deep breath. In the distance he could hear
life. He couldn't hear his band playing, but he could hear people living.
People walking, talking, laughing, driving. A normal evening for all of them.
He heard the distant rumble of a motorcycle and it made him think of Mack and
his love for bikes. Luke had considered getting a motorcycle. He used to ride
dirt bikes all the time when he was younger. Hell, he had the money now; he had
the money to do anything he wanted. At that exact second in his life he wanted
nothing more than to have his throat feel normal. Unfortunately, there were
indeed some things that money just couldn't buy.

A few deep breaths did
nothing for his throat. However, since he hadn't been singing for close to five
minutes he could already feel a sense of relief coming over him. Luke pushed
from the wall and walked to the parking lot. There he started to slowly pace,
keeping himself calm, wondering how long he could hang outside before someone
would come looking for him. The impromptu concert was an amazing, but how long
would it last? What would come next? A drinking party? Acting like they were
barely twenty, hanging in Los Angeles, not caring about anything? Maybe he
wasn't exactly old enough to think that way. It was Fallen Tuesday's first real
big shot on the road on their own. They were probably in a position to break
the law without getting into trouble...

Luke smiled and kept
walking. His small pacing line had grown bigger with each pass by. Whether Luke
wanted to party or not, he needed to get to his doctor, get a game plan
together, and get his throat back to normal. Without his voice...

The thought lingered in
Luke's mind. He stopped walking and put his head back. The cold sky had quite a
few clouds. It looked like it could just start snowing without a moments
notice. Luke looked straight ahead, just in time to see a woman charging
straight at him. He tried to step back but she crashed into Luke and he put his
hands out and then had her by the shoulders. When she looked at him, Luke saw
nothing but big green eyes staring at him. Confused eyes. Hurt eyes.
Beautiful eyes.
Maybe the most beautiful set of eyes he'd ever seen in his
life.

"Whoa, you
okay?" he asked.

The woman was stiff,
cold, and kept looking over her shoulder.

Luke looked beyond the
woman and half expected to see someone chasing after her.

"Hey, I asked if you
were okay," Luke said.

The woman looked at Luke
again. She hesitated and then smiled. "Yeah. Of course I am. Just... yeah,
I'm okay."

"You don't seem
okay," Luke said. "You seem scared to death right now."

"I'm walking home
from work at night," the woman said. "Easily spooked I guess."

"Easily spooked...
or is someone trying to spook you?"

"Like the stranger
touching my shoulders?"

Luke opened his hands and
moved them. "Sorry about that. Wasn't sure if I was going to get trampled."

The woman laughed
nervously. "Sorry about that. I wasn't really paying attention."

Because she was paying
attention to someone else...

Luke looked again and saw
nothing. Not a trace of a person nearby.

"Where do you
work?" Luke asked.

"Tommy Two's."

"What's that?"

The woman looked appalled.
"You don't know Tommy Two's?"

"I'm afraid I
don't," Luke said. "I'm from out of town. I'm..."

Luke decided not to tell
this pretty woman that he was the lead singer of a band. It suddenly seemed cliché
and pointless. He felt that if he said it a certain way he'd make it seem like
he was seeking a quickie with a groupie.

"I'm sorry,"
the woman said. "I shouldn't have... my uncle owns the restaurant. I kind
of just assume that everyone knows the place."

"Maybe I'll eat
there before I head out of town."

"Where are you
from?"

"I have a place in
Los Angeles."

"That's far from
here. What brings you here?"

"What did you say
your name was?"

"Is that your way of
asking it?"

Luke laughed.
"Caught me."

The woman smiled, a real
smile this time.

Damn... she's...

The rumble of a
motorcycle echoed again and Luke couldn't believe the woman's reaction. The
smile on her face disappeared. She hugged herself and checked over her shoulder
again. She looked completely petrified.

"Hey, you look
cold," Luke said. "Want to step inside..." Luke stopped himself.
"Wow, that probably sounds horrible."

"Actually, it's a
great idea. Can we?"

Luke couldn't believe it.
He quickly turned and pointed to the door. Luke had it propped open and he ushered
her inside. She then grabbed the handle and pulled the door shut with an
echoing thud.

"That locks from the
inside then?"

"You mean, can
someone open from the outside?"

The woman nodded.

"No. It's locked.
Are you sure you're okay?"

The woman cupped her
hands and let out a long breath into them. She ignored Luke's question.

"It's Amy. My
name."

"Amy. I'm
Luke."

They shook hands and Luke
couldn't help but stare. He had a name to the face and those beautiful eyes.
Luke’s handshake lingered longer than necessary, but whatever, he was a
rockstar. He could linger. He could flirt. He could do whatever the hell he
wanted.

"Kind of cold to be
walking home," Luke said.

"No car," Amy
said. "Tonight, I mean. Well, sometimes I walk home no matter what. But
tonight I don't have a car."

"Why not?"

"Getting my window
fixed."

"Window? Were you in
an accident?"

"No. My car was
broken into by... someone."

Luke could read this
woman's expressions like he'd known her all his life. She was half-assing the
truth.

"Just someone?"

"You know how that
goes," Amy rolled her eyes.

"To a point,"
Luke said. "The way you said it though, thought maybe you knew who."

"Cops told me it was
just a break-in," Amy said. "No big deal. I'll have it back
tomorrow."

"So for tonight,
you're stranded."

"No. I only live a
few blocks from here. I could be home by now."

"If you didn't crash
into me."

"Well, yeah."

"You were hauling ass
there, weren't you?"

Amy motioned to the door.
"I should get going."

"Yeah, that
works."

"Thanks for the
conversation and warmth here."

"Not my hotel,"
Luke said.

Amy smiled. She took one
step toward the door and Luke slithered his way between her and the door. He
sensed the worry hit her.

"I'm not a bad
guy," Luke said. "I was just going to offer to walk you home."

"Then a stranger
would know where I live," Amy said.

"That's true."
Luke looked at her green eyes again and lost it. A voice inside him said not to
let the woman walk away, especially alone. "Why were you worried about
that motorcycle?"

"What?" Amy
asked, surprised.

"The second there
was the sound of a motorcycle you looked scared. Why? Is someone following
you?"

"No," Amy said.
"I don't think so."

"You don't think so?
What does that mean? Would someone follow you?"

"I'm just a few
blocks away," Amy said.

"Okay, then let me
get you a ride."

"No. Luke, that's
okay. I'm sorry if I'm acting... it's been a long night. I'm the chef at Tommy
Two's. We had a long night. I just kind of want to be home."

"Let me get you home
then," Luke said. "I'll call for a ride."

"I'm not taking a
cab three blocks."

"Take a limo
then," Luke said.

He smiled. He felt alive,
bold, and in need for this woman. It was such a strange feeling to have. The
word
hunger
rang in his mind over and over. He caught himself making
fists as a way to seek relief. He didn't want to come across as some cocky,
pushy rockstar.