Chapter 50
I knew that I'd better get used to this fast. Soon, I would be playing gigs in stadiums filled with people. But I quickly pushed the thought aside when the band rushed past me, off the stage.
The lead guitarist noticed my guitar and gave me a quick wink. "Break a leg, but not literally."
I nodded, trying to force a smile, but finding no words.
He folded his arms across his broad chest and watched me walk past. Then he stopped me. "Take a deep breath," he said as his curly brown hair fell into his big blue eyes. "That stage is yours! Own it! Claim it!"
I nodded, and then turned to face the stage.
He gave me a gentle nudge on the back. When I looked around, he was smiling. Off to the side, Craig gave him a dirty look. Across the stage, in the wings, was my band. Noah made eye contact with me and smiled. Then, he gave me a thumbs up.
In that moment, I turned my nerves into adrenaline and let it fill my veins, finding sudden strength and courage. Squaring my shoulder, I nodded to Noah and we all took the stage.
"Let's do it!" Brett yelled to the rest of the band as he plugged in his electric guitar.
I smiled as I plugged in and stepped toward the mic. Suddenly, something inside of me took over and I wasn't nervous any more. "Ready to Rock it Country?" I asked the crowd, yelling into the mic as they roared their approval. I turned around and nodded to Wyatt.
"One, two, three, four!" Wyatt yelled, counting it off as the crowd roared their approval.
I stepped up to the mic and belted out the lyrics as we played together. Over the past few weeks, we had become tight, anticipating each other's moves until we were one.
And all of our efforts had paid off.
At the bridge, I launched into a rift and fell to my knees as the crowd cheered. Then I passed it over to Brett, who picked it up seamlessly, playing to the crowd. I rose to my feet and we leaned against each other's backs as we played our rifts in perfect harmony, and then I stepped away and back up to the mic to finish off the song. The crowd was on their feet as their applause and cheers filled the room.
"Thank you, Nashville!" I yelled into the mic as I ran my fingers through the top of my long blonde hair. "You sound like you're ready to rock!" The crowd cheered their agreement. "Well, in that case, here's a little something you might like. Firebomb!"
We played the rest of the night, jamming and then bringing it down to a slow song, and then back up, playing the crowd. In the middle of the concert, Bret and I launched into a friendly guitar jam faceoff, as the crowd went wild, loving it. Before long, Craig nodded to me and the evening came to an end.
"Well, we have to go now " I said to the crowd.
Immediately, a chorus of "No!" "Just one more!" and "Don't go!" came from the crowd.
"Okay. You wanna hear one more?"
The crowd cheered.
"But before we go, I'd like to thank you for being such a wonderful audience! Also, be sure to catch us on the road on our nationwide tour!"
The crowd roared their approval.
"I'm on my own for the first time, and enjoying my Freedom! Maybe you are, too!"
The crowd cheered as we launched into the song. It had an upbeat tempo, a fast jam, backing up the lyrics of being on your own and having the freedom to live your life. Soon, the song came to an end as the crowd cheered and stomped, bringing down the house.
"Thank you, Nashville!" I yelled into the mic after the song came to an end. "Goodnight!"
I turned around to leave the stage, and the lead singer from the other band was still waiting in the wings, clapping wildly. I was surprised that he was still there.
As I ran off the stage, he grabbed my shoulders and pulled me in for a kiss, taking me by surprise. I pulled back, and over his shoulder was Logan.
"What the hell are you doing?" I yelled into the guy's face. "Get off me!" I struggled against his grasp.
As if in slow motion, Logan closed his eyes and turned and walked away.
"Logan, no!" I yelled over the crowd, trying to go after him once I finally broke free of Gargantuan. But strong arms caught me. I looked up into Craig's eyes.
"Sorry, kitten, but you have to do an encore," he said over the crowd. "Listen." The crowd was chanting my name over and again.
"No!" I yelled over their cheers. "Logan "
"Will understand. But right now, you need to go back out there."
"But I have to explain!" I yelled over the crowd.
"Explain later," he said over the cheers that were growing louder. "But you have to go out there now! Before they tear the place apart."
I turned around. My band was standing close by, watching, having heard and seen everything.
"He's right, Missy," Noah said. It was his nickname for me, short for Little Missy. "We have to go back out there."
I nodded as I pulled myself together and focused on the moment. The greatest moment of my life had turned into a disaster within the matter of seconds. Then, I turned to Gargantuan. "What the hell was that?" He shrugged, enjoying my anger. "Don't you ever pull anything like that again! I don't give a shit who you are!"
He bit his lower lip in an effort to conceal a cocky grin, obviously enjoying the reprimand a bit too much. "Yes, ma'am."
Brett bumped his shoulder against him as he passed. "Get him out of here," he said to a nearby bouncer as the rest of the guys glared at him protectively.
I glared at him as the bouncers escorted him out. "Let's go."
They all nodded, and the crowd roared as we took the stage again.
"So, are you ready for one more?" I yelled into the mic.
The crowd roared their approval. "Snake Pit!" I yelled over my shoulder to my band.
Wyatt nodded as he lifted his eyebrows in concern. "One, two, three, four!" he yelled as he hit his drumsticks together, counting it off.
And as I sang the song, it felt as if I had definitely walked into the snake pit.
