The Loneliest Tour (21 page)

“
Never
said it wasn
’
t,
”
the radio host said.
“
But seeing the lead singer of
your opening band with a shiner is quite interesting.
”

“
He
won
’
t mouth off again,
”
Jett said.

“
So
that
’
s what it was?
”

Ah, shit, I shouldn
’
t have said that.

“
I
’
m not talking about this anymore,
”
Jett said.

“
Did
he say something about your arrest?
”

Jett let out a sigh.
“
Listen, it was just talk between
two bands. That
’
s all.
Sometimes stuff happens backstage. It
’
s
really not that big of a deal.
”

“
Better
yet, how great have the shows been?
”
Van cut in.
“
Willow Son,
back on stage.
”

“
Agreed,
”
Jett said.

The radio host eyed the entire
band, nodding.
“
Well, it
’
s certain that nothing has been
taken away from Willow Son. The live shows are electric. The sound is so
original and so good. And the best part? The fans seem to enjoy it. They enjoy
it so much that right now I have two pair of tickets for the Willow Son show!
That
’
s right, we
’
re taking callers
…
Jett, pick two numbers.
”

“
Yeah,
sure,
”
Jett said.
“
How about callers number two and
seven?
”

“
You
heard it. Callers two and seven. Make it quick. Make it count. And when we come
back from the next break and set of the greatest damn rock n
’
roll music yesterday and today,
Willow Son will be in the studio, this time playing some guitars. Don
’
t change the freaking station!
”

There were some sound effects and
then it went to commercial.

The
On Air
sign went off and
Jett took his headphones off. He left the studio with Harry and the rest of the
band behind him. He wasn
’
t
mad, he just wanted a breather from it all. Sometimes the promo days were just
a big pain in the ass.

Down the hall and around the
corner, Jett was met with Lenny, the manager for Crutch Fail. He was finishing
up a phone call and quickly grabbed for Jett.

“
You
son of a bitch,
”
Lenny said.
“
You realize what your
punch did?
”

“
I
can
’
t imagine it would make
Colin sing any worse than he already did,
”
Jett said.

Lenny laughed.
“
Crutch Fail sales are up twenty
percent. Digital downloads even higher. Seems everyone who sees that damn video
of you slugging him wants to find out what the band is all about.
”

“
Isn
’
t that wonderful?
”
Jett asked.
“
Glad I could help. Why are you
here?
”

“
They
got invited onto the show with the next host,
”
Lenny said.

“
Christ,
”
Jett muttered.

He spent the rest of the day with
the band taking care of more press. After the radio show performance there was
a call in interview to another station in southern California. Harry then went
over a list of shows that wanted Willow Son on their show. It was all a play
because of Jett
’
s arrest
and the attack on Colin.

That
’
s
how it was perceived in the press by those looking to really cause trouble.

The attack.

The long afternoon came to an end
with a quick bite to eat on the bus and then into the arena for the next show.
That was part of it all and Jett was perfectly fine with it. Even if it went so
damn fast.

There were press waiting at the
show, wanting to talk to the bands and see what the true story was. If Jett was
a violent rockstar. Or if it involved a woman. Everyone had a theory behind
what had happened.

While walking down the hall,
looking for a drink, Jett was sideswiped by a young woman with a tape recorder.
She almost jammed it into his face. Before Jett had a second to react, the
woman asked,
“
Why did you
punch the lead singer of Crutch Fail?
”

“
Because
I fucking felt like it,
”
Jett snapped.

 That set up the rest of the night
for Jett. He had to spend most of the time hiding out. He spotted Masie a few
times, but she was busy with her own show to perform. They exchanged a few
glances and waves, nothing more. Crutch Fail took the stage, played the same
damn set as they always did. When Jett tried to sneak to the stage to watch
Masie
’
s beautiful body
moving, Harry pulled him back into the dressing room. Jett had to sign some
papers demanded by Portis, which kept all legal proceedings out of the mess. It
pissed Jett off that anything legal related had to get mentioned. But in
reality, with his arrest so fresh, there was a chance he could get arrested for
hitting Colin. Worse yet, if Colin wanted to be a prick, he could have pressed
charges. Technically, Portis was protecting Jett.

Once all the legal stuff was done,
Willow Son was getting the call to get ready to get on stage.

With a guitar strapped around his
neck, Jett searched the backstage area for Masie. He only spotted Josie as she
flirted with one of the road crew guys for Crutch Fail. Watching her rub her
fingertips along the headstock of a guitar was just weird.

“
Hey,
Josie, right?
”
Jett asked.

She spun and let out a yelp.
“
Ohmygosh. You
’
re Jett! I love you.
”

She threw her arms around Jett. He
was thankful for the guitar between them. Her grip was fierce, the kind that
Jett knew. This woman was on the prowl for some action. And she wasn
’
t going to get it from Jett.

“
Hey,
listen,
”
Jett said.
“
Where
’
s Masie?
”

“
She
’
s in the back dealing with her
ankle.
”

“
Her
ankle? What happened?
”

“
Nothing,
”
Josie said.
“
It
’
s
been bothering her. That
’
s
all. Nothing bad. It
’
s hard
work up there, you know?
”

“
Definitely,
”
Jett said.
“
I would never question what you
four do up there. You
’
re
better than the band.
”

Josie let out a laugh and put a
hand to Jett
’
s shoulder.
She pulled, wanting him close, but Jett resisted.

“
Hey,
Jett, good luck. I
’
ll be
waiting right here if you want.
”

“
No,
”
Jett said.
“
Just tell Masie I was looking
for her.
”

Jett turned to go to the stage. He
knew Masie wasn
’
t going to
do a damn thing. He saw Harry and rushed to him. The backtrack was already
starting to play. The fans were going wild. Colby, Van, Ryker, and Brantley
were already standing at the side of the stage, ready to take the steps and put
on a show.

“
Harry!
”
Jett yelled.
“
I need a favor!
”

“
You
’
re supposed to be getting on
stage!
”
Harry yelled back.

“
I
need a damn favor! Listen to me carefully
…
you need to find something for the guys to do
…
and then
…”

**

Life on the road was not what Masie
thought it was going to be. Then again, she wasn
’
t
the main act. She wasn
’
t
even the opening act. She was third, if not maybe fourth on the list when it
came to the tour.

Another show was over. And for
forty minutes she hurried across the stage, hoping Colin wouldn
’
t screw things up and hurt her
again. He hadn
’
t, but the
added stress on Masie had her body fighting back. Her right ankle had been
bothering her for the last couple shows, but she didn
’
t want to say anything. She was easily replaceable.

And maybe not just by Portis
either.

She hadn
’
t seen Jett in two days.

The last time they talked, Jett
seemed off. It was right after he punched Colin and people were going crazy
about it. Most of the people loved the idea of a rockstar being so bold to hit
the lead singer of the opening band. It left an opening for plenty of gossip
and assumption. But then there were people who used it as a way to attack Jett.
To combine the punch with his arrest and turn it into some sick and twisted
story. Worse yet, anyone with a computer and an internet connection could say
whatever they wanted about Jett.

Part of Masie wanted to scream
because nobody out there knew the real Jett.

Then again, Masie wondered what she
knew of Jett. Other than the rockstar and music stuff. Sure, they
’
d been talking, fooling around,
but it really wasn
’
t
anything greater than that. Which was okay. She was certain that once this
little tour was over, Willow Son would be going nationwide. They
’
d tour coast to coast. Probably
without Crutch Fail, but if by some chance Portis went along with the tour, he
wouldn
’
t pay for the
dancers to travel.

Masie took the ice off her ankle.
Her skin was red. She rubbed her ankle and it was very tender. She forced
herself to stand after slipping her shoe back on. She walked on it and it felt
better.

She opened the door and heard,
“
I
’
m
going to fuck Jett tonight.
”

Masie stepped back and listened.

“
Seriously?
”
Ana asked Josie.

“
Seriously.
He came up to me before the show. My gosh, he is so hot. I can
’
t wait to ride him. Maybe he
’
ll take me on the tour bus.
”

“
What
about Masie?
”
Ana asked.
“
I thought she and Jett
…”

“
Well,
they
’
re not married. And
she kind of started to ruin his career, right? I mean, what happened with
Colin. Jett could have gotten into serious trouble.
”

“
You
have to admit,
”
Ana said,
“
it was kind of sexy to see that
video. Colin is such a tool.
”

“
And
Jett is far from it,
”
Josie
said.
“
He just goes for
what he wants. And he wants me now.
”

Masie stepped from the dressing
room and ignored the two women. She wanted to run but feared her ankle would
end up twisting or breaking.

By the time she got to the stage,
Willow Son was finishing up. They were on the front of the stage, taking a bow,
throwing guitar picks and drumsticks into the crowd. The band came off the
stage and Masie stepped forward, needing to touch Jett.

She then felt someone grab her arm.

She turned and it was Ian.
“
Girl!
”

“
No,
”
Masie said.
“
What are you doing here?
”

“
Portis
asked me to come. He
’
s
trying to get me into the merch world. It
’
s
going to be sweet.
”

“
I
really need to go,
”
Masie
said.

“
Come
on, girl. Come with me. Quick. We
’
ll
go hang with Portis for the night. He
’
s
got a private club just for us. Willow Son is going to be there and everything.
”

“
The
band is? At the club?
”

“
Yeah.
Come on.
”

“
I
have to go.
”
Masie pulled
away.
“
I
’
m sorry, Ian. I can
’
t.
”

Masie turned and Willow Son was
already gone. The band was already all the way down the hall. And Masie watched
as Josie waited, smiling and ready to go after Jett. Masie didn
’
t want to believe Jett would
fall for it.

Then she saw Josie throw her arms
around Jett
’
s neck. And
Jett kept walking. Lifting Josie up. There was probably a very good reason for
it all, but Masie wasn
’
t
going to waste her time finding out. Not right now. It didn
’
t matter all that much. She was
here to be on tour and nothing else.

All around her, the road crew
worked damned fast and hard to take apart the stage and equipment. It was like
a tornado of people all around her as she just stood there. Too many memories
flooded her body like a damn fool. She was far away from home, from Ann Marie,
from the girls she taught to dance.

When the arena started to feel
really small and cramped, Masie went outside. The night was crisp and the sky
clear. It was well past midnight. The parking lot was almost empty except for a
long line of traffic. Red brake lights flickered as people crept forward to get
home.

The two tour buses were behind Masie.
The rental car for the dancers waited just a little bit in front of her. How
badly she wanted to be in the car and driving right now. There wasn
’
t another show for two days. She
could definitely use a break in a hotel to rest her body, her ankle, and her
mind. Hell, at this point, Masie was ready to treat herself.

Masie took a few steps back,
letting the horizon of the city grow. There was something greater out there for
her.

Hands touched her shoulders and she
let out a cry.

When she turned, Jett stood there.

“
Jett.
”

“
Masie.
”

“
What
are you doing here?
”

“
Looking
everywhere for you.
”

“
Why?
”

Jett raised an eyebrow.
“
I haven
’
t seen you in a while. Days feel like forever
without you.
”

“
Where
’
s Josie?
”

“
What?
”

“
I
heard what she said,
”
Masie
said.
“
You and her.
”

“
Josie?
I asked her to tell you I was looking for you.
”

“
What?
”

“
Yeah.
Before I got on stage. Wait, what do you think is happening here?
”

“
I
saw her hug you. You carried her.
”

“
She
wrapped her arms around my neck,
”
Jett said.
“
Security pulled
her off me. Did you think I was screwing her?
”

“
I
don
’
t know what to think,
”
Masie said.

“
Come
with me real quick,
”
Jett
said.
“
I want to show you
something.
”

Jett took Masie by the hand and led
the way to the tour bus. He opened the door and ushered her inside. When Masie
climbed the steps and turned, she let out a small gasp.

“
I
know we
’
re on the road and
it
’
s hard,
”
Jett said.
“
But I wanted to take you out on
a date. But I figured why not bring the date here?
”

Masie couldn
’
t believe her eyes. There was a dozen roses all
laid out on one of the tables. The other table had plates, silverware, and a
bottle of wine on ice.

She looked back at Jett, shocked.

He wasn
’
t just a rockstar, he was a romantic. And he was
damn close to stealing her heart for good.

(15)

It was almost too much for Masie to
handle. Sitting there across from Jett. He was showered and smelled so good.
His hair a little messy and still a little damp. He poured two glasses of wine
and before they could take a sip, Harry came onto the bus, but only to bring
the food.

Yes, the food.

Jett had two dinners ordered from a
local steakhouse.

“
I
’
m not serving you,
”
Harry said with a grin.

“
I
’
ve got it,
”
Jett said.
“
Now disappear until morning.
”

Harry looked at his watch.
“
It is morning.
”

“
You
know what I mean. Disappear. Make sure the driver doesn
’
t come near the bus until morning. Daybreak.
”

“
You
got it.
”
Harry looked at
Masie.
“
You
’
re lucky. I
’
ve never seen him do this
before. You must have some dirt on him.
”

“
Harry,
get out,
”
Jett said.

Harry laughed and left the bus.

Masie watched as Jett set up the
two plates with food.

“
Jett?
Where
’
s the band?
”

Jett served the plates.
“
They
’
re at a party with Portis. Then they
’
re going to a hotel. Colby had
Tessa come up for the night so they grabbed their own room. The rest of the
guys are crashing in their own room. You have nothing to worry about. This is
just us.
”

Jett touched Masie
’
s cheek. He smiled.

“
This
is too much,
”
Masie said.
“
I feel guilty for the things I
was thinking.
”

“
What?
That I was some kind of man whore?
”

“
Well,
yeah.
”

Jett grinned bigger.
“
Get over that, sweetheart. I do
whatever I want. And all you need to do is trust me.
”

He leaned over the table and kissed
Masie. Masie knew instantly that kiss was going to taste better than the food
on her plate and the wine in her glass. She wanted nothing but those kisses.
Tonight. Tomorrow.
Forever.

Thinking the word
forever
made Masie shudder. She didn
’
t
like that kind of thinking.

“
I
’
m sorry I missed the show
tonight,
”
Jett said.
“
I had to lay low. I
’
m hoping this blows over soon.
”

“
Once
Colin
’
s jaw goes back to
normal.
”

“
Christ,
I
’
ve never seen someone
bruise like that from one punch,
”
Jett said.
“
I swear he
irritates the bruise on purpose, just to keep the story fresh.
”

“
I
wouldn
’
t doubt it.
”

“
What
happened to your ankle?
”

“
Nothing.
It
’
s just sore.
”

“
From
that first show?
”

“
Maybe.
It
’
s a lot of work up
there. Especially when you don
’
t
know if the band is going to be drunk or not.
”

“
I
’
m sorry you have to go through
that,
”
Jett said.
“
It
’
s
crazy. I wish there was something else for you. You
’
re too good for this.
”

“
It
’
s a start. What was Willow Son
’
s first show like?
”

Jett laughed.
“
Well, it wasn
’
t like this. No tour bus. No
arena. We had a station wagon. An actual station wagon. We crammed it with our gear
and drove to a show. We played in a little hall. Literally a hall. Like where
you
’
d have a kid
’
s birthday party or something.
It maybe could fit twenty people. We had ten show up.
”

“
Far
cry from all this,
”
Masie
said.

“
It
was fun though. Just trying to survive and believing in our dream.
”

“
And
now you
’
re the biggest band
in the world.
”