Front Man: The Complete Trilogy (9 page)

"I'm sorry," she whispered in his
ear, "I'm trying to understand, I am. It's just hard when I
don't know the whole story. But you're Jack fucking Carter. You can't
give up on your life like that, you just can't."

He squeezed her tight, breathing in the scent
of her, feeling her soft hair against his cheek.

"Driver?" he said suddenly, eliciting
a Gallic grunt from the front seat."Not the hotel. The Diamond
Club. Fast,please."

"Oui
Monsieur." The driver sounded almost gleeful as he pulled an
illegal U turn and raced off into the night.

Michael stepped back from the
microphone and raised his hands above his head. The crowd hollered,
and he felt his heart leap in his chest. This was the best night of
his life. At last, he was the front man, the centre of everyone's
attention. All those hours spent working on his vocals had paid off.
The fans were loving it. Soon they would forget all about Jack. Once
this scandal blew over, the press would tell the dramatic tale of how
Compass rose from the ashes, with Michael at the helm, to start a new
and even brighter era. Then maybe, in a year or so, it would be time
to go solo... He was so busy fantasizing, that at first Michael
didn't notice the stirring at the back of the club. Ripples spread
through the crowd, whispers and gasps turning to screams of
excitement that travelled towards the stage. Squinting through the
bright lights, Michael could see the audience part as someone
shouldered their way through.

“No fucking way,” he
growled under his breath. Assisted by a sea of hands, Jack Carter
hauled himself up on to the stage and grabbed a microphone from the
stand. A sudden hush fell over the auditorium.

“Um, hi. Sorry I'm late.”
Laughter from the crowd.

“I wasn't going to come here
tonight. I thought, after the allegations that have been printed
about me, that Compass would be better off without me. Luckily,
someone convinced me otherwise. I don't have time to tell you the
whole story tonight....I think most of you would prefer to hear some
music. But what I can tell you, is that I have never in my life sold
drugs. I've never even taken drugs, if you want to know the truth. I
know you have no reason to believe me...but I hope that you can trust
me on this one. And whatever you might think of me, I hope you can
still enjoy our music. Thank you.”

For a moment, everything was still.
Then the applause started, just a few people at first, but the others
joined in until the clapping of hands thundered around the room.
Micheal’s face was white with rage as a sound man rushed unto
the stage to hook up Jack's microphone.

“Nice one, douche bag,” he
hissed, “Couldn't bear to be out of the spotlight for a second?
Oh, and if you're going to do a heartwarming speech, maybe save it
for a crowd that actually speaks English? These morons don't even
know what they're clapping for.”

“I'm sure someone will translate
for them,” Jack said with a shrug. Someone handed him his
guitar, and he eased the strap onto his shoulder. He had felt naked
without it.

“Shouldn't you be taking care of
your little piece of ass? We can manage fine without you.”
Michael spat at Jack, casting a desultory glance at where Sara waited
at the side of the stage.

“Shut the fuck up Michael,”
Andy, the drummer, suddenly butted in. “Let's just get the next
song going, ok?” The band all turned to their instruments. Andy
didn't normally say much, but when he did, they listened. As they
launched into What Comes Next, Jack felt a tiny glimmer of hope. The
crowd sang alongside him, just as they always did. Perhaps things
hadn't changed all that much.

Watching Jack hold the crowd in the
palm of his hand, Sara was glowing. She knew if he just faced them,
the public would see through all the lies in the papers. People
weren't stupid, they knew sincerity when they saw it. Jack seemed
like a different person to the broken down man she had wrapped her
arms around only a couple of hours earlier. Every moment he spent
performing seemed to breathe new life into him. She couldn't wait to
harness some of that new energy when they got back to the hotel room.
Sara was thinking fondly of that giant shower, with plenty of room
for two, when she realized that Jack was walking towards her side of
the stage.

“Ladies and gentleman, I'd like
to dedicate this song to someone very special. Without her I quite
literally wouldn't be here today. “ Jack knelt down and
extended his hand towards Sara. Her eyes widened, and she shook her
head, but Jack just grinned and grabbed hold of her. Someone behind
her took the rather worrying initiative to lift her legs, and before
she knew it, Sara was being dragged onto the stage.

“Please give a big hand for the
very beautiful Sara Lansbury!” Jack raised her hand in the air,
and the crowd applauded enthusiastically. The rest of the band
clapped as well, with the exception of Michael, whose face seemed to
be frozen in a permanent scowl. Sara stood dead still, frozen like a
deer in the headlights, as Jack sang to her in front of all those
people. She wanted to pinch herself. It was like being in the middle
of her silliest adolescent fantasy, except the man in front of her
was very real. He had flaws, a bruised heart, and a lot of explaining
to do.

After the show, the band had a few
scheduled meet and greets with fans and TV people. Sara sank into a
comfortable chair in the dressing room. Exhaustion was finally
getting the better of her. Her eyes were just starting to close when
there was a knock at the door.

“Sara? Sorry to disturb you,”
the portly middle aged man held out his hand. “Jared, the boys'
manager. We've not met, but I've heard a lot about you.”

“Really?” Sara couldn't
keep the surprise out of her voice.

Jared smiled. “Yes, it seems like
you made quite the impression on our Jack. Rock star he might be, but
it's not every girl he flies half way around the world.”

Sara blushed, feeling awkward all of a
sudden. It dawned on her how silly she might look to outsiders,
coming all this way on the whim of a man she barely knew.

“Seems like he might have made a
smart choice for once in his life. God knows it's about time!”

Jared gave her a fatherly pat on the
shoulder, and Sara smiled shyly.

“Anyway, I just came in to say
thank you for talking some sense into him. I don't know what you did,
but he's finally agreed to a proper interview, get all this stuff out
in the open. Risky, I know, but there's a few journalists in the
business you can still trust to write a fair story. He's been keeping
the Laura business a secret for too long...he thinks I don't notice,
but I know it eats away at him. And now they've turned up those
bloody photos, we might as well give them the whole story. At least
then people will hear the truth, not just some half baked theories
the papers cook up. I think the public will appreciate that, don't
you?”

Sara nodded, trying to pretend she knew
what he was talking about, but all his years in the music business
had given Jared a sixth sense.

“Shit. He didn't actually tell
you, did he?”

“Not as such. I think he wanted
to, he just...”

“Couldn't find the words, I bet.
That's Jacky boy for you. He'll write the most beautiful lyrics you
ever heard, but when it gets personal, getting a whole sentence out
of him's a challenge.”

Sara smiled. “I'm beginning to
see that.”

“Look, Sara, he'll kill me if he
knows I said anything. But you ought to know. Jack's parents died
when he was nineteen, just a kid really.” Sara nodded. That
much had made it to the Wikipedia page.

“Left him all on his own, with
his kid sister to look after.”

“Laura.” She guessed.

“You got it. Man, Jack loved that
kid. From the day she was born he looked out for her. Laura and his
music, those were the only two things that mattered to Jack. But
there was only so much he could do for her. Sixteen-year-old girl,
lost her parents...she went the way a lot of them do. Got in with a
bad crowd. Got kicked out of school, that's when she started with the
drugs. And it all went down hill from there. By the time I met Jack,
after we first spotted the boys on the bar circuit, she was
injecting. Jack tried everything, spent every cent he had trying to
get her counselling and what have you. Followed her out at night,
making sure she got home safe no matter how messed up she was. Poor
boy, he never gave up on her. Finally, just before the first album
was about to drop, we got her a spot at this really nice rehab
centre, one of the best. Jack told her she had to go have the
treatment, or he was going to kick her out of the house...that's what
they tell you to say, you know? You have to stop enabling them or
whatever. And the record company had a tour lined up for Compass,
Jack was going to be on the road. He wouldn't have been able to keep
any eye on her all the time. Anyway, the night before he was going to
drive her up there, Laura took off. Just vanished into thin air. And
that was the last Jack heard of her. He almost quit the band then and
there, it took all I had to persuade him not to. I don't think he's
ever forgiven himself.”

“Those pictures...”

“Yeah, that's Laura in the
photos, and some of her no good 'friends.' I can't believe Jack was
stupid enough to go somewhere that sleazy...but he would have
followed her into the mouth of hell if it meant keeping his little
sister safe. That's just the kind of guy he is. For a little while I
even wondered...it sounds stupid, but I wondered if maybe he had done
a bit of dealing. Made a bit of money and kept an eye on his sister
at the same time. But when Jack Carter looks you in the eye and tells
you something...well, he's a man of his word, I'll tell you that.”

“Wow. I never even
imagined...poor Jack. No wonder he never wanted to talk about it.”

“He's been carrying the guilt
around all these years. I'm hoping by finally speaking out, some good
might come of it.”

“Do you know what happened? To
Laura, I mean?”

Jared sighed and shook his head. “If
you ask Jack, she's dead. I don't think he can face the thought of
her still being out there somewhere. But I guess I've always hoped
she might get in touch one day, you know. Give him a bit of closure.”

“No such thing as closure, Jared,
you know that.” Jared and Sara whipped round to see Jack
standing in the doorway. Sara's stomach gave a little flip.

“If you're going to talk about a
person, there are more subtle places than their own dressing room.”

Sara tried desperately to read Jack's
face, but his expression stayed neutral. She could only hope he
wasn't too angry with her.

“Jack, I'm sorry buddy. I just
thought she ought to know...I overstepped the mark, I'm sorry man.”

“It's okay Jared. In your own
interfering way, I know you were just trying to help. And you're
right, I suck when it comes to talking about this kind of stuff...I
do want to sometimes, but I just don't know how.” He turned to
Sara, and in that moment he looked so tired and vulnerable, that she
couldn't stand not to be touching him. She stood and flung herself
into his arms, pressing her face into his chest.

“So, now you know all my
secrets,” Jack said to the top of Sara's head. “Still
wanna come back to the hotel room?”

“You're an idiot.” Sara
mumbled, raising her face to place a gentle kiss on his lips. At
last, Jack smiled.

The moment the door opened, they were
met by a barrage of photographers. Sara was blinded by flashes as
Jared strode ahead of them towards the car, waving away microphones
and yelling 'No comment!' at anyone who would listen.

“Jack, is there any truth to
these allegations?”

“Jack, how can you explain the
photos we saw today?”

“Sara, are you Jack's
girlfriend?”

“Are you two engaged?”

“Jack, do you still take drugs?”

“Are you leaving the band?”

As he helped Sara into the back seat,
Jack turned back one last time to the huddled paparazzi.

“There is no Compass without Jack
Carter. There's no way I'd leave the band. I'll see you in Madrid!”

As they pulled out of the side street,
Jared's cell phone bleeped. His face was exasperated as he read the
message.

“Let me guess,” Jack
grunted, “Michael.”

“He's not happy Jack. You know
what he's like about you getting special treatment.”

“I'm sorry for not showing up
tonight, Jared. I was just thinking about myself...I know I let you
guys down.”

“Don't worry about it Jacky boy.
Look, we're all behind you, me, the boys, the record company.
Micheal’s just having one of his little temper tantrums; he'll
be over it by tomorrow.”

Sara nodded encouragingly, but she
sensed even Jared didn't really believe what he was saying.

“Thanks, Jared. You're the best.”
Jack reached over to the front seat and squeezed his manager's
shoulder. Sara could tell from the look they exchanged that there was
a real affection between them, a relationship that went way beyond
business. She felt glad that there was someone as solid as Jared in
Jack's corner.

“Let's get you back to the hotel.
It's been a long day, and I could do with a hot bath and a glass of
Scotch. And I'm sure you two have some catching up to do. “

Jack gave Sara's leg a squeeze and
winked. She felt a thrill run through her as she smiled back at him.

“Non, merci.” Jack
ventured, trying to indicate with gestures that the bellboy did not
need to accompany them in the elevator. They were more than capable
of finding the room unaided, and Jack couldn't wait any longer to
have Sara all to himself. As soon as the doors closed, he pounced on
her.