Dare (The Dare Trilogy) (14 page)

When she approached it nearly an hour later, having detoured along the river once more, she could see at a glance that the club looked much more impressive from the outside, the whole building being in a better state of repair than their previous venue the night before. At the door, a bored attendant
—a girl in her early twenties—looked up at her as she began to explain in slow English mixed with pidgin French and then simply pointed towards a doorway, returning her attention to the book she had been reading when Dianne moved away.

Entering the large room, Dianne immediately saw the stage across from the bar and dancefloor, the members of Black Ark and most of Optima and their road crew milling around between instruments and equipment. She paused, hovering at the edge of the room, feeling a little nervous about going over. It wasn’t long, however, before Cam saw her and made his way across the dancefloor. His smile was tight and a little wary.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

He nodded.

“If this isn’t convenient...” she began to say, but he placed an arm around her shoulders, softly pulling her head towards his chest.

“It’s absolutely fine. Don’t mind me. I just think if I hear our glorious leader issue another command about why this has to go there, or why that has to be placed just so, I think I’m going to punch a wall
—especially as he doesn’t seem to give a shit about what we do with our gear.”

Dianne kept her mouth closed. She felt for Cam, but at the same time she had to admit to a little excitement. There was something special
—very special—about Cam, and she saw that his band had the potential to be really good, but until only a few nights previously she had never even heard of Black Ark. Optima, however—there was a group that had a special place in her heart, even if the lead singer was turning out to be the kind of asshole she would have guessed him to be had she given it more consideration. The thought that she was here, seeing what was going on behind the scenes, gave her a thrill inside. She’d always fought the designation of being a groupie, but she was enjoying herself immensely.

She saw Tony and James coming down from the stage. “Hey,” she called out to them. “Janey sends her love.”

Tony flashed her a broad grin while James half-stumbled down the final few steps. “So did you talk her into flying out tonight? Your friend always has a special place in my heart, as well as a few other places I won’t mention in polite company.”

“When was the last time you were in polite company?” Cam scoffed. Tony looked thoughtful.

“Aye, well you may have a point there.”

Dianne arched an eyebrow. “You don’t mean to tell me that you’ve gone into self-imposed chastity since we left London.”

The Irishman pulled back his chin and gave her a quizzical expression. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far.” He leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, loud enough for the keyboard player to hear: “It’s not me. I’ve always been a bit of a ladies man, if you know what I mean. But young Jim here hasn’t had the opportunity of such lovely company for a very long time.”

“Fuck off,” James told him good naturedly. Looking to Dianne, he asked: “So, how are you finding Paris?”

“Much more relaxing than last night,” she replied.

She was about to say more when Darius passed by and stopped in his tracks. He was staring at her directly, ignoring the rest of the group. He had opened his mouth to say something but then thought twice of it, evidently trying to place where he had seen her before. Dianne and the three members of Black Ark watched him expectantly.

“You,” he said at last. “You’re the girl from the last night in London, aren’t you—the one who came backstage and then disappeared.”

“I’m flattered you remember,” she said, self-deprecatingly.

“Don’t give me that,” he said. “I bet no guy who ever sees you forgets you.” He bit his lip and then glanced across at Cam. “So this is why you legged it last night, then,” he mused. Cam shrugged and mumbled something.

“Oh, come on,” Darius continued. “No need to be shy.” Stepping forward, he placed his hand through Dianne’s other arm, ensuring that he was on the other side of the much taller lead singer of Black Ark. “We’re all friends here.”

Dianne felt strangely uncomfortable. Part of her was astonished to be so close to Darius—a full on, honest-to-goodness rock star. At the same time, she suddenly realised that her admiration of him was something that flourished much better from afar, especially as she could feel Cam tense up beside her.

Not paying her attention for the moment, Darius leaned across her back and said: “You should have hung around, you sly, Scottish bastard. Shared the love a bit.”

“I never realised you were such a romantic,” Cam replied tersely. Tony and James were looking uncomfortable now and quickly looked for an excuse to leave. Recognising Cam’s strained tone, Darius went to say something else but then thought better of it. Instead, he pulled his hand slowly from Dianne’s arm and came round in front of them both.

“Not bad, is it?” he told them both, expanding his arms. “When I throw
my
weight around, I can get us somewhere much better than that shithole last night. I sacked my fucking manager over that.” He leered at Dianne. “You see, when Darius Optimus wants something, he fucking well gets it.”

Dianne had no idea how to respond to this and so said nothing, while Cam paused for a painful few seconds before saying: “Yeah, well it’s going to be great to play here tonight.”

“Too right,” Darius crowed. Raising a finger, he lifted it towards Cam’s face and waved it in front of the taller man. “This is a real opportunity for you, and don’t you forget who gave it to you. Isn’t that right?” This latter was directed towards Dianne. Not knowing what to do, and feeling incredibly out of her depth, she nodded mutely.

“See, she knows a good thing when she sees it,” Darius continued. In the daylight, his makeup made his face look much older than on stage, the foundation covering lines and creases in his skin. “So,” he asked, “are you intending to follow Optima on tour then?”

“Oh, yes,” she replied at last, starting to feel annoyed that she was acting like a dumb teenager. “And Black Ark, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Darius echoed faintly, looking up at Cam who had squeezed Dianne just a little more as they had been speaking.

“Like you say,” Cam added. “She knows a good thing when she sees it.”

This made Darius scowl and he turned on his heels suddenly, walking away from them. Before he was out of earshot, walking towards the woman with long, black hair that Dianne had seen in the dressing room in London, he called back: “I’ll catch up with you later, sweetheart. Then you’ll see what a
really
good time is.”

Dianne felt her excitement growing inside her as she stood among the press of people. The
Rue Morgue
was packed out—including a few faces she recognised from the evening before, faces that stared towards the stage skeptically, wondering whether Optima were finally to make an appearance. Some of those had jeered and catcalled when Black Ark were on stage, presumably waiting for a repetition of the previous night. This had thrown Cam slightly—Dianne could see it even if no-one else could—and their performance had been slightly off, more workmanlike than inspiring.

Despite this, she couldn’t help the growing sense of anticipation. She had loved Optima’s music for some time but felt that she hadn’t really seen them yet. The night they had played in London she had been too distracted, too confused by Cam’s advances, to appreciate them properly.

She remembered Janey’s remarks from that night—that given the chance she’d jump into Darius Optimus’s arms without hesitation—and laughed. That certainly wasn’t true: she was starting to get a very clear sense of the peevishness and arrogance that Gary Johnson draped over his personality to convert him into Darius. At the same time, she hoped that tonight would be good, and that she’d get the chance to see Johnny Korpus in full flow. Their names might be stupid, but at their best there was no denying that they could play.

She was jostled slightly from behind, but her look of irritation turned to a smile when she saw Cam pushing his way through the crowd towards her. When he came beside her, she slipped an arm around his waist and lifted her head up to his as it bent down, kissing him deeply.

“It’s much better than last night,” she said, gesturing around to the people.

He shrugged. “Yeah, the place is better. Shame we were shit, though.”

She slapped him lightly on the chest. “You weren’t shit!”

Avoiding her eyes, he grimaced: “Yes we were. I think most of the crowd wanted us off stage as quickly as possible, and that bastard Darius had messed around with our sound
—we were too muddy.”

“You were great,” she said, but something about her tone made him look down at her. Again he shrugged.

“Do you want to stay around or shall we get out of here?” His smile was sly now. “Go for a walk, perhaps.”

Dianne froze for a second. The thought of him, touching her, holding her, taking her, made her body crave for him
—but inside her was another craving that, for a moment, made her embarrassed. “Let’s... let’s just see them, first. Please.”

He looked up towards the stage, suddenly distant. “Okay,” was all he said at last.

She gripped his shirt and smiled at him, but he wasn’t looking at her now. “Hey,” she said softly, squeezing him a little closer with her other arm.

Now he looked down into her eyes and, for the briefest instant, she clearly saw the irritation on his face. Then, realising what he was doing, he shook his head. “I’m sorry. I just got knocked back from our set.”

“You were great,” she repeated, more sincerely this time. “And next time you won’t let them mess around with your sound. But... you might have had plenty of chances to see Optima, but I haven’t, remember. Let me see them and you can do whatever you want with me afterwards.”

Her smile was infectious and at last he returned it with warmth. “Yeah, you’re right, of course,” he replied. “I’ve seen them enough. You wait here and I’ll get you a drink, okay?”

She nodded and, as he pushed his way through the crowd again she returned her attention to the stage.

A deep, booming beat began to sound from speakers above the stage, and dry ice
poured onto the stage as multi-coloured lights flashed back and forth. The slender form of Darius led the way, his long hair down across his shoulders and a white shirt covering his chest, open almost to the waist, a kind of wasted chic that from this distance looked rather elegant. Behind him, Johnny swaggered into place, his stronger, more masculine form sending a thrill through her as it always did, while the other members took up position by their instruments.

The lights suddenly rose upwards, forming a line of intense brightness before they flashed out just as the throbbing beat stopped, plunging everything into darkness and silence. Almost immediately, there was the crisper pulse of Optima’s drums, while the bass player hit a low series of notes that droned in the darkness. The timing was perfect, causing Dianne’s heart to stop for a second until recognition kicked in. Karma
—from their new album. Without thinking, all reason was pushed out of her mind by a tumbling excitement of emotions and she leaped up into the air like a stupid schoolgirl, screaming as loudly as any of the crowd around her.

The lights started to rise, a blue glow that cast an eerie sheen across the stage so that the band looked like dark ghosts moving through the gloom as Johnny’s guitar joined the pulse of drums and bass. Then a spotlight suddenly shone from the back of the cavernous room, picking out Darius where he draped himself upon a cruciform microphone stand, his body almost cadaverous and his face nearly featureless and white.

“If only you knew how good retribution feels,” he began to sing, his voice impossibly deep for someone so slender and frail looking. “When I pull your hair tightly in my fingers.” The words were sardonic, heavy, and Johnny’s guitar was a malevolent low growl behind the words. In that instant all thoughts of Gary Johnson were dismissed from Dianne’s mind as her body rocked to the beat of the music.

“You’ve always betrayed me, left me dangling on a thread. Now all I’ll tell you is how desire for revenge lingers.” At that moment, again timed to perfection, the growl of Johnny’s guitar became a roar and the lights flashed from below as a vivid and bloodthirsty red. Dianne danced and flung her body forward as others in the crowd crashed into her, and now she truly forgot everything. All that was important was that rhythm
—driving her on, taking her over.

Clutching his microphone, Darius wrapped himself around the stand, his shoulders hunched up and his face twisted in pain as he almost screamed the words
—almost, but letting the sound of his voice form a violent and terrible music.

“You were the sun to me, you were my deity
—but now I rip it all apart and then you’ll know the force of karma!”

It did not take long for Dianne’s body to be dripping in her own sweat as the crowd crushed her, a small, dancing figure locked in carnal delights with this morass of people.
Her hips gyrated to the music, her body throbbing with pleasure, and strands of her own dark hair were plastered to her brow as she shook her head from side to side. Looking up, she saw the lead singer standing high above the crowd, staring ahead like some ruined prophet, one hand outstretched, fingers slowly clenching into a fist. He had an evil power over the manic souls heaving beneath him and for a terrible instant Dianne knew that if he reached down at that instant, lifted her up, there was nothing she would be able to do to deny him anything.