“Nothin’ much,” Daisy declared nonchalantly and then turned to Chloe and Lana and screeched. “Just that our girl and her band are about to get signed by a red-hot record label!” She threw her hands in the air and shouted, “Yee ha! ”
“Holy crap, now I real y think I’m gonna cry. God damn it!” Indy yel ed, back to fanning her face.
“I’m already crying!” Roxie wailed and it was true.
Lana smiled at me. “Oh sweetie, that’s great!”
“It’s not great, it’s righteous!” Al y screamed.
“Rock ‘n’ rol !” Ava shouted, hands up, doing her own devil’s horns.
Everybody started jumping up and down, screaming, shouting and hugging.
“Champagne, we need champagne!” Daisy squealed right before the door opened.
Mace and Lee stood there.
The room went stil .
Effing hell.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you looked at it), I was standing next to Lana, my arm around her shoulders, hers was around my waist.
The minute she saw Mace, her body went solid and her fingers dug in.
Everyone was silent.
Mace’s eyes were locked on his Mom.
I held my breath.
His gaze unlocked and sliced to Chloe.
I heard Chloe suck in breath.
Then his eyes cut to me.
Oh dear.
I gave Lana a squeeze.
“Babe?” I cal ed to Mace. “We got some special guests tonight otherwise known as Bogey One.”
I saw his jaw grow tight and then I watched as his tongue traced his teeth behind closed lips.
For your information, I did not take this as a good sign.
I saw Vance and Luke behind Lee. Luke entered the room. Vance leaned in, grabbed the doorknob and shut the door, him behind it. Lee and Luke positioned themselves in front of it.
My eyes moved back to Mace and he’d twisted his torso to watch this. Lee put his hands to his hips. Luke crossed his arms on his chest. Both men’s eyes were leveled on Mace.
Wel , one thing was certain, the Rock Chicks took their assignments seriously. They’d done everything I asked to the letter.
Mace turned back toward me.
“Kai? Sweetie?” Lana cal ed in her soft voice.
Mace closed his eyes but, even so, you could see the pain slash through his face at hearing his mother’s voice.
“Maybe we should give them privacy,” Jules whispered.
Mace’s eyes opened and cut to her, pain gone, fury in its place.
Shit!
“Don’t you fuckin’ move,” he growled.
Jules went stil and so did everyone else.
“Mace,” Lee spoke low behind him.
Mace looked over his shoulder at Lee. His voice was dangerous when he said, “You wanted a show? You’l get a show.”
Lana tried to take a step back but my arm went tight around her.
“Mace look at me,” I demanded.
He didn’t delay. His eyes cut to me and I thought I might melt under the heat of his glare.
“You arrange this?” he clipped.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Why the fuck would you do that?”
I looked toward Duke. He pressed his lips together and nodded his head.
My gaze returned to Mace. “Because Caitlin would have wanted it.”
The air in the room went so thick it was like we were breathing soup. Chunky soup, with bits of carrot and celery in it, enough to make you choke.
It took everything I had but I ignored the chunky air.
“You did what you had to do for her,” I said quickly. “Now I’m doing what she’d do if she was here. She wouldn’t want you tortured by those demons in your head. She’d want to chase them away. She’s not around to do that so I figure, since you said she’d like me with you then she’d give that job to me. I took it. I’m going to chase them away.” I let go of Lana and moved toward Mace. He stood frozen, scary frozen. Not like he was in shock, like he was holding his body stil so he wouldn’t hurt someone.
I didn’t let that faze me as I moved toward him until we were toe-to-toe.
I tilted my head back to look at him and rested my hands lightly on his chest. I felt his heart beating hard and fast under my hand.
This frightened me but I pushed on. “And don’t tel me I don’t know what I’m talking about. I know you didn’t want me to but I’ve seen the papers, Mace. I saw the photos of her. I saw the photo of her with you. She loved her brother.
She’d want you to be happy. You need your family.
Everyone in this room is your family. Everyone’s here because they care about you.” I hesitated, smiled and then said, “Wel , except maybe Pong and Hugo. They’re here because there’s usual y free beer in The Rose’s dressing room.”
I was trying to be funny, cut the tension.
It didn’t work.
Mace stared at me. I stared back.
Mace’s stare got scarier. So much scarier it scared me but I took it and stared back.
There was movement at our side. Mace and my heads turned and Chloe was there.
She lifted her hand as if she was going to touch Mace.
His eyes moved to her hand and they narrowed so she dropped it.