Love Evolution (5 page)

CHAPTER 6 

Avery had done her best to cut all ties to her friends before she left New York. She
’
d told everyone that she would be doing studio work and not to expect her back anytime soon. No specifics. The less information they knew the better if this was going to work out. Maybe, just maybe, if she was lucky, she could fly under Campanella
’
s radar for a while.

Wanting to master Brutal Strength
’
s entire catalog, Avery spent the next few days practicing their songs. The Sutton Place Hotel in downtown Vancouver became her temporary home. It was ideally suited to the task with a full service hotel tower on one side and long-term apartments like the one she currently occupied on the other. Her one bedroom suite was twice as large as the two-bedroom apartment she
’
d lived in back in New York. Avery loved the balcony. It overlooked one of the main thoroughfares, Burrard Street, which conveniently connected her to the shops and restaurants in the vicinity.  

When the day for her to play with Brutal Strength finally arrived, Avery could hardly contain her excitement. On the short cab ride over to Black Cat
’
s home office in
Kitsilano
her knee bounced up and down the whole time. Trevor
’
s attempts at small talk were mostly lost on her. She couldn
’
t wait to meet the rest of the group and jam with them.

They split up as soon as they entered the building. Trevor went into the control room to listen with Stephen, and Avery slipped into the studio where the band was waiting. Marcus spotted her as soon as she stuck her head in the door and strode right over. He grinned widely. Avery returned his smile, relieved to see that his mood seemed vastly improved from the last time she had seen him. 

Marcus was inexplicably pleased to see Avery again. The guy had a na
i
vety about him that he found refreshing.
‘
Unfortunately,
’
he mused,
‘
that quality will make him a target in this predatory business and surely get him chewed up and spit out if someone doesn
’
t look out for him.
’

Marcus had long since drunk the Kool-Aid, figuratively speaking. Years on the road had made him irrevocably jaded and cynical. There wasn
’
t much he hadn
’
t seen or done. His behavior on tour had earned him a bad reputation. He only hoped not to repeat the same stupid mistakes in the future. Been there, done that, have the bill from rehab to prove it. He definitely didn
’
t want any of that for a nice kid like Avery.

“
Avery, this is my older brother, Dwight. He
’
s our bassist and band anchor.
”
The man who shook hands with her shared the same blue eyes and fair complexion as Marcus, but that was where
the similarity ended. Rather than being tall and lean like Marcus, Dwight was shorter, by at least a couple of inches, and wider framed. He had thick blond hair with red highlights similar to Avery
’
s locks.

“
Nice to meet you, Avery,
”
Dwight said, pointing back and forth between their heads.
“
You and I are
gonna
look good on stage together. Give the fans something better to look at than this troll.
”
 
His blue eyes sparkled as he shoved Marcus playfully.

“
Likewise,
”
she smiled tentatively at him. He came across as a warmer, friendlier version of his brother.

“
And this guy on the drums is John Raymond.
”
Marcus smirked.
“
We call him the Evil Stepchild.
”

“
You can call me JR, all my friends do.
”
JR looked like a California surfer, tall and slim with the requisite long blond hair and tanned skin. He smiled, flashing brilliant white teeth, and extended his hand to her.

“
Who
’
s ready to rock?
”
Dwight asked, doing his best imitation of a fan-girl, sashaying his hips and spinning around in circle, hand behind his ear.

Marcus chimed in right away, in a falsetto voice,
“
Oh Dwight, you are
soo
hot. Can you strum your bass for me?
”
The two brothers burst into laughter, obviously highly amused by each other
’
s antics.

JR rolled his eyes.
“
You guys are such dweebs. Couldn
’
t you spare poor Avery here?
”

Having lived in an apartment with two guys, Avery had seen this kind of humor before. It usually revolved around potty jokes or body parts. She smiled as the brothers continued their two man comedy act with batting eyes and fake kissing.

“
Someone please, just shoot me now,
”
JR groaned.

Still chuckling, Marcus told Avery,
“
Seriously, we
’
ve been here a while and have already warmed up. Take whatever time you need to get ready.
”

She nodded and turned to unpack her black Ibanez, plugging it into the Marshall amps. Her gaze was repeatedly drawn to the brothers as they continued interacting playfully.

Marcus noticed Avery watching them. The guy
’
s expression was wistful, and he kept twisting around the black band he wore on his wrist. He
’
d bet money that wristband had belonged to his
twin. Now that Marcus knew the story, he understood Avery
’
s earlier emotions. It was tough to see the kid looking so lost and alone.

“
Just a second.
”
He raised a hand, cutting Dwight off. Puzzled, Dwight watched his brother cross the room. With a sidelong glance from underneath her long bangs, Avery saw Marcus coming towards her, and tensed up.

“
Hey.
”
He bumped her shoulder and gave her a gentle smile.

“
Hey.
”
 

“
Stephen told me about your brother. I don
’
t know what to say, man. I just wanted you to know that I know
…
If something happened to Dwight, I don
’
t know
…
what I mean is. I
’
m sorry.  I wish
…”

“
Thanks,
”
she interrupted, rescuing him from his floundering attempt to comfort her. His concern deeply touched her, though, and she rewarded him with a tremulous smile.  Avery was starting to wonder if this guy was something different than the media made him out to be. Looking down, she made some final adjustments to her tuning and gave him a nod to let him know she was ready.

Marcus
’
sympathetic eyes met hers.
“
No pressure, Avery. We already know you can play. We just want to run through a couple of tunes, see how we all sound together, you know.
”
He turned to his drummer.
“
JR, take us through
‘
Streets of Fire.
’”

JR nodded and counted off,
“
1, 2,
3
.
”
Tapping his sticks together to give the beat, he cued Marcus and Avery. The two began the raucous heavy metal song singing together with Avery
’
s riffs punctuating the lyrics like musical exclamation points. During the chorus, she echoed the last words of each line that Marcus sang. 

Dwight nodded approvingly. The kid wasn
’
t just a pretty face. He
’
d done his homework.

The band sounded like they had all been playing together forever, no one missing a beat. After the final chorus, Avery improvised a frenzied solo, her fingers a blur as she tested the limits of her instrument. When it was over, JR gaped at Avery in astonishment.

Dwight threw his brother a knowing look, Marcus having filled him in before the session. He hadn
’
t oversold Avery at all.
“
Rockin
’
!
”
Dwight shouted while walking over to give Avery a celebratory high five.

“
Yeah, way cool,
”
JR concurred, reaching over to do the same.

“
Ok, ok,
”
Marcus said, trying to suppress a smile. The kid was a prodigy but he didn
’
t want him to get a swelled head.
“
Let
’
s see what he can do with
‘
Moon Rising.
’”
 

After jamming for a couple of hours, no one had any doubts about Marcus
’
choice for their new lead guitarist. Each additional song they played had only further solidified the decision in everyone
’
s mind. Finally, Dwight shook his head and told Avery,
“
Dude, you are an ace.
”
JR and Marcus echoed that sentiment as Trevor and Stephen wandered in. Stephen made eye contact with Marcus and gave him
a thumbs
up. Apparently, there were no dissenters.

“
Trevor, you have a talented guitar player here,
”
Marcus said, clapping Avery on the back and reaching out to shake Trevor
’
s hand.
“
Why don
’
t we all go out to dinner and talk terms? Avery, welcome to the group.
”

She solemnly shook Marcus'
extended hand. Then, in an undignified, but characteristic response, she whooped and jumped into the air. Her unbridled enthusiasm elicited chuckles from the others. Dwight and JR came over one after the other to congratulate her.

Trevor gave her the
‘
man hug
’
and whispered in her ear,
“
Way to go
…
guy!
”

“
Who
’
s up for Mexican?
”
Stephen asked everyone.
“
Margaritas are on me!
”
Noticing Marcus
’
wince, he retracted,
“
Sorry cousin, of course, none for you.
”

“
Me either,
”
Avery announced.
“
I don
’
t drink, but I can pack away my body weight in tacos!
”
 

“
Yeah, like that
’
s very much,
”
JR needled.
“
What do you weigh like 125 pounds?
”
 

Raising a surprised brow, Avery said,
“
Yeah, actually that
’
s pretty close. You should get a job at a carnival.
”

“
Uh, uh, I
’
m sure they have plenty of freaks already,
”
quipped
Marcus.

“
We shall see, Avery, we shall see,
”
Dwight offered up.
“
I put the Anthony brothers against your taco eating prowess any time.
”

Marcus
’
lips curved into a smile, and he pulled out his cell.
“
Hey Ray, we
’
re all going to
Cubre
.  Can you pick me up? Thanks.
”
He asked Stephen to join him so they could go over terms.

Trevor pulled around in his rented Volvo to pick up the others. JR took shotgun, while Dwight and Avery settled into the back seat.
“
So, Ray is Marcus
’
driver?
”
she asked Dwight.

“
Yeah,
”
he explained.
“
He
’
s also his bodyguard. Marcus can
’
t go anywhere without being recognized. The rest of us keep a relatively low profile, but not him. The press hounds him constantly. I think they
’
re hoping he
’
ll slip up again.
”