Just as they were about to walk onstage, Quinn smiled broadly as a rather odd couple walked into the bar. Father John Ryan and Natasha Larouche.
Natasha was wearing a brightly colored turban that drew attention to her face beneath it. The woman had some of the most majestic features Quinn had ever seen. She wore a peasant blouse and long skirt.
Father Ryan had decided to doff his priestly collar for the night. Still, he was in black, and somehow—though maybe it was just in Quinn’s mind—he still looked like a priest.
“Hey,” Quinn said, greeting the two newcomers. “Thanks for coming.”
“We’ve got to get you two off to the right start, eh?” Father Ryan said.
Danni had come up and swept past Quinn to give Father John Ryan a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then greet Natasha the same way.
“She’s a little scared, huh?” Natasha asked Quinn, nodding toward Danni.
“I think terrified is the word you’re looking for,” Quinn said, smiling at Danni. “Give her a good old evil spirit to face down and she’s fine. Put her on a stage, and...”
“I’m not that bad,” Danni said indignantly. “I’ve got my tambourine.”
“Hey, Gus!” Tyler called.
Father Ryan made the sign of the cross in Danni’s direction. “Blessings,” he told her.
“Ditto,” Natasha said, grinning.
Quinn set a hand at the small of Danni’s back and urged her toward the stage. A moment later he had his guitar, and he and Danni had taken their places. Billie would join them later, so for now Father Ryan and Natasha joined him at the table.
Quinn kept his eye on the crowd as they went into the first number, a song by Journey—a staple on Bourbon Street. They moved from Journey to Def Leppard, and then to Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Billy Joel. By the time they reached the Billy Joel number, he noticed, Danni had gotten into the beat of the music. He smiled; he’d thought she might. She had a nice knack for being able to hit just the right harmonies at the right time—and she’d never even rehearsed with the guys. Billie came up when they did a jazz number, and Tyler, with the natural ability of a true entertainer, introduced him. He took that time to introduce Quinn and Danni, as well.
Granted, the members of the growing crowd were mostly inebriated, but he was pleased with the reception they got. Of course, he had a feeling that if Tyler had sneezed at that moment, he could have drawn applause.
There was nothing out of the ordinary going on at the bar, but then, Quinn hadn’t really expected anything to happen. What they needed to do was get in tight with the music scene, meet more musicians and find out what the word was on the street about Arnie and his sax.
After a few more songs Tyler announced that the band would break briefly then come back with more standards and some newer hits. He asked who in the crowd liked country music, and that drew another wave of enthusiastic applause. He promised they would also do some old Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson tunes when they came back, and after that, some Leonard Cohen.
“Half of them don’t even know who Leonard Cohen is,” Tyler said to Quinn as they left the stage. “But this is still a good night.”
“Good, I’m glad,” Quinn said.
“You don’t see anyone here who looks like he might be a homicidal maniac, do you?” Tyler asked. Quinn realized he was only half joking.
“He’s not going to look like a homicidal maniac. But no, I don’t think he’s in the crowd. I don’t think he gets off work himself until late,” Quinn told him.
He turned around to look for Danni. She had been accosted in a friendly but slightly drunken manner by a group of frat boys as she’d left the stage.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to go rescue Danni,” Quinn said.
“No need.” Tyler pointed to a very tall black man with heavily muscled arms and shoulders. “You didn’t get a chance to meet Max yet. Max enforces the age limit here and removes those who get too feisty. You’ll love him.”
“So long as he saves Danni from her teenage fan club, it will be great to meet Max,” Quinn said.
It would probably be great to meet Max under any circumstances, he thought. Despite his size, the man didn’t come on as a bully. He walked up to the group and spoke in a friendly manner. The canned music was playing, so Quinn couldn’t hear his every word, but he heard enough to know that Max was nicely telling the guys that the lady needed a break.
A moment later Danni was at his side and they headed back to the table together, the band in their wake.
To make way for her to sit, Father Ryan rose. “Not bad,” he told her. “Not bad at all. Of course, I wouldn’t want to suggest that my pleas to God above allowed for any heavenly intervention.”