The Devil's Metal (39 page)

“No!” he screamed at me, trying to stay
above water. “Try, Dawn, try swimming so we can make it to
shore.”

“And then what?” I asked, meaning the demons
who were watching gleefully. “Then what happens?”

“At least you’ve tried,” he said, straining,
trying to keep both of us above water. I could tell he was losing
strength fast. “This doesn’t have to be your destiny. Neither me
nor they have the power to decide that.”

I nodded and tried to kick a bit. I could
only move my legs like a mermaid and it was clear it wasn’t getting
me anywhere.

“Come on, please, angel.”

“I’m trying,” I cried, but got a mouthful of
water. I was growing so tired.

“Try for me. Please, for me. I can’t lose
you. I can’t, Dawn, I can’t. You’re my hope.”

He yanked at me, giving all he had, and
tried to swim for shore. I gave as much as I could but I was losing
the battle. My head went under the water. A child’s voice whispered
into my ear, “Play with us.”

Sage pulled me up and I gasped for breath.
His face was wet, but I couldn’t tell if it was tears or lake water
that streamed down his cheeks. I would have loved to see those
dimples again. I would have loved to hear him laugh again. I would
have loved for him to be inside me again.

“I love you,” I whispered.

He pulled me close and kissed my
forehead.

“You’re my hope. I’m not letting go of
that.”

He wrapped his arms around me and we both
began to sink under the water.

I opened my eyes and saw only him, his eyes
open too, his face glowing from the filtered moon like the statue
of an angel lit beneath a ghostly heaven.

I moved in to kiss him, my lips touching his
with my last breath. The bubbles around us stilled, the hands
stopped, and Lake Shasta welcomed us with open arms, leading us to
her silky red floor.

This was it.

My dad, Eric, Mel, my mother, Sage, the
band, Jacob, even my horse, they all flashed through my brain, and
with the last strength I had, I managed to shed a tear for
everything I was going to lose.

All was still. All was black.

A sputtering, low drone filled my head.

A stabbing feeling in my side.

I was rising fast.

My ears popped.

Hands grabbed my shirt and struggled. I was
yanked up hard by hands that were under my arms.

I was thrown into something hard and metal.
A tinny sound on impact.

There was a pause. A groan.

Something else landed hard next to me.
Something heavy smacked me in the face.

My eyes opened and a rush of water came out
of my lungs.

I heaved and heaved, getting it all out,
trying to get air back in.

“Easy now,” came a familiar voice.

I took in one clear breath and was fully
conscious of my surroundings. I was on the floor of a metal boat.
Sage was beside me, coughing violently. Jacob was at the helm of
the boat, one leg in a cast. He grinned down at us.

“Hope you know you’ve turned me into a
criminal,” he said, gunning the boat harder. We bounced hard along
the water. “I had to steal some nice old chap’s livelihood. Think
how much trout this boat takes in each year.”

I touched Sage on the shoulder to let him
know I was okay and sat up, poking my head over the side of the
boat. We were just about to ram into the shore where Alva, Sonja,
Terri, and Sparky were scrambling to their feet.

Jacob killed the throttle to neutral and we
coasted along gently.

“Good evening, ladies,” he called out. “How
are you?”

“You asshole,” Alva screamed, blood flying
from her mouth.

He shrugged. “You kidnapped my client, you
cunt. As if I’d let that pass.”

“You’re supposed to be in hell!”

He gave her a dry look. “Did you really
think a mere semi-truck smashing into a tour bus would kill me?
Ladies, I toured four cities with Led Zeppelin and I survived
that.”

Alva glared at him. “You’re getting off on a
technicality here.”

“And you’re losing on a technicality. You
want to try and test the code again, I’m going to be in your face.
And if it’s not me, it’s another Jacob, or another Jacob. There are
just as many of us managers as there are demons.”

“Enjoy it while it lasts then,” Alva sniped.
Her silky eyes rested on me and I felt a vague burning in the back
of my head. I hoped it was a concussion.

“Thanks, ladies. Remember to buy Sage
Knightly’s solo album when it comes out, it’s sure to be a real
hit.”

Jacob gunned the engine to a roar and we
sped away from the muddy banks. But it wasn’t loud enough to drown
out Alva’s final cry.

“Be careful what you wished for, Dawn!”

I looked at the guys for confirmation but
Jacob was grinning like a madman, piloting the small fishing boat
at breakneck speed and Sage was coughing into his arm, his muscles
tense.

I sat back and closed my eyes, not daring to
fall asleep. Soon though, the lull of the waves and drone of the
engine made the world fade to a gentle velvet black.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

I don’t remember much about what happened
next. I remember being carried out of the boat and into a car. The
next thing I knew I was being lowered into a hard bed with scratchy
sheets. My eyes opened briefly and I saw Sage peering down at me,
his lips curled into a hint of a smile.

Then I woke up. I sat up in a strange bed
and looked around a strange room. It was wood-paneled, but real
wood, like the room was made out of logs. There was a chair and a
table and the bed I was lying in, completely naked. My chest and
forehead were bandaged up, as were a few places on my legs.

Beside me, lit by the sun that was streaming
in through the single window, was Sage. He was sleeping on his
back, his head tilted to the side. He was naked too, at least from
the waist up, and his firm, thick chest and rigid abs were
bandaged. His face looked peaceful, his lips almost smiling in his
sleep.

I thought back to the night before. Jacob.
He came and got us out. Where was he? I looked around the room for
a sign then spotted a letter on the table.

I got up and tried to walk over but ended up
limping. I’d done something to my ankle during the bus accident, or
maybe it happened when Graham and the GTFOs bashed me on the head
and I woke up on the raft. It didn’t matter. It hurt.

I made a mental note to try and find
painkillers somewhere and snatched the letter up.

The cover said Dawn and Sage and had a heart
drawn around it. It felt thick in my hands.

I ripped it open and wasn’t surprised to
pull out a letter from Jacob. I peered into the remainder of the
envelope. There was a small wad of folded bills.

Like the enigmatic manager himself, it was
short and to the point.

Dawn and Sage,

I hope this finds you well. I did the best I
could with your injuries, but my skills only go as far as bandaging
up Robbie after he’s passed out on the bathroom floor. Speaking of
Robbie, he’s fine. He’s in a hospital in Tucson with some minor
injuries. Noelle is doing better too..

Hybrid is over, as you both know. That was
one of the things that had to be taken away from you. But that’s
now in the past and you’re probably better off for it. Sage you’re
twenty-eight. You’re free now. Your life starts today. I suggest,
if you know what’s good for you, to start working again right away.
And on music. I’ll take care of you financially. I’ve included a
bunch of money I took from the band over the years. Don’t worry, I
knew I’d be giving it back to you one day, I just hoped I’d still
have a job. No matter though, I’ll find work and so will you. If
you struggle, look me up. I love having assistants.

As for you, Dawn, you’re a trooper through
and through. Sorry you got dragged into this whole deal with the
devil bit, but the truth is, even though you are Sage’s hope and
his biggest fan, you’re just a better writer than that arsekisser
at Rolling Stone. My wish for you is to enjoy your young life while
you can and to love the ones you’re with. Don’t be like the rest of
the youth who piss away their time with false promises of tomorrow.
You know better now. Use your time wisely.

Take care, both of you.

I’ll be seeing you soon.

Jacob.

I fished out the wad of bills from the
envelope. Instead of a bunch of ones and tens like I’d assume his
cockney ass would leave, it was a wad of hundreds. Sage was
well-taken care of.

“What’s that?” Sage asked wearily. “And who
are you, a naked angel?”

I shot him a smile, overjoyed to see him
alive and well.

“It’s from Jacob,” I said, climbing into bed
with him. I handed him the letter.

He looked over it, smiling from time to time
and frowning sadly the rest. He peered in the envelope and
whistled.

“I don’t think the man has much faith in
me,” he remarked, leaning over to put it on the bedside table.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I admonished him.
“You think they took everything from you?”

He gazed at me with dull eyes. “Almost
everything.”

I placed my hands on both sides of his
gorgeous face, feeling the stubble beneath my fingers. “You’re
still the most handsome man I’ve ever seen with a body that any man
would kill for. That’s still here.”

He looked down sheepishly. I held his face
firmer.

“And you’re still a talented musician.”

He attempted to laugh but I tightened my
grip. “I’m serious. Remember that song you wrote when you were
young? You played it for me in the hotel room in Atlanta? When did
you write that? Was it before or after you made the deal?”

“Before.”

I exhaled loudly, a rush of relief flooding
through me. “See, it was in you all this time.”

“You’re sounding corny now.”

“No, Sage Knightly, you’re the borderline
corny one.”

“I thought you would have forgotten all
that.”

I gently tapped the side of my head,
carefully avoiding my injuries. “Journalists forget nothing.”

He smiled, bright and beautiful, before it
quickly faded. He shifted uncomfortably and looked down at his
hands, dark bronze against the white sheets.

“I’m sorry about earlier.”

“You’ll have to be more specific,” I said.
“A lot has happened.”

“I’m so sorry about everything,” he
whispered. “I’m sorry for everyone.”

His eyes began to well up and I pulled his
head into my chest, holding him there for comfort. I let him cry
quietly for a few minutes. I didn’t say anything, I didn’t try and
make him feel better. I just held him. I needed it just as much as
he did.

When it was over, he wiped away his tears
with an embarrassed look on his face. He shot me a quick glance
then looked out the window at the blue, blue sky.

“I’m sorry if I made you feel stupid,” he
muttered.

“What?”

“Last night. When…when I told you I didn’t
love you.”

“Oh hush now,” I said, dismissing his
sincerity with a wave. “That should be the least of your
concerns.”

“I know it hurt you and hurting you was the
last thing I wanted to do.”

I fixed my gaze on him. “Sage. Listen. There
were two ways last night could have gone. You could have told me
you loved me and I would have died. Or you could have told the
truth, which you did, and the truth would have saved me. In theory
anyway. Look, I’m a romantic like any other girl. But when it comes
to life or love, I choose life. I’m here right now, ready to live
and love another day. I could never regret that. I’m glad you
didn’t love me. You gave me my life by doing so.”

“But,” he began.

I put my fingers to his lips. “But nothing.
You and I respect each other, we trust each other, and I dare say
we find each other immensely attractive. I think that’s a pretty
good situation we’re in, don’t you agree?”

His gaze intensified, a subtle warning of
what was to come next. His lips opened and took in my fingers,
sucking on them slowly. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Careful,” I told him. “We’re not exactly in
tip-top shape.”

He licked the length of my finger then
gingerly placed his hands on either side of my face.

“I’ll be gentle,” he murmured.

We slowly fell back into the bed and played
out a dance that could have been choreographed, grazing over our
injured areas, gently stroking and teasing the more eager areas. He
licked and sucked at my nipples in a slow, melodic fashion as I
teased the eager areas on his hard chest, going round the bandages
like a rat in a maze. When he finally entered me, filling me with
need and heat, it was like we were born again, free and unbandaged.
He held my hands above my head, much like that teasing time in the
hotel room, and gave everything he had to me, letting me lie back
and enjoy it all—from the view of his perfect body, a body I knew
had the strength of many men, to his expressive face that betrayed
a wealth of complex emotions. We both came at the same time again,
but this time, instead of being fast and furious, it was achingly
slow, and when I let go, I let go of a few tears I hadn’t yet found
the time to shed.

Afterward, we held each other tightly, his
naked cock pressed against my ass, his arms wrapped around me. I
studied the snakes and Mexican skulls on his arms, wondering about
the story behind each one. I could only hope I’d be given the time
to learn them.

Outside, the Northern California sun
streamed in the window. The sky was a brilliant blue and the leaves
of a nearby oak had turned a golden red.

Summer was over.

A new season had begun.

EPILOGUE

I was lying on my bed listening to Alice
Cooper’s “School’s Out” when the phone rang downstairs.

I leapt to the floor, yelling, “I’ll get
it,” and quickly ran down the stairs, taking them two at a
time.