“Good choice,” Luke murmured.
He gave the address to the driver, and they were off. Candace could only stare out the window. She had seen plenty of television shows and movies and car commercials, but she’d never experienced the thrill of moving so fast herself. And they weren’t even moving that fast, she realized when she spied a much larger road off to the right and saw how quickly those cars and trucks were moving. She hugged herself, hoping Luke wouldn’t notice her hands were shaking.
“You okay?” he asked.
She should have known better.
“I’m getting there,” she said.
He smiled again, and she felt the warmth of it. She had to admit, if she had to be rescued by someone, it was good that it was by someone like Luke. Whether or not his brothers would approve was another story.
Before she knew it, they were pulling up to a gray-painted block building. There were large windows in front, and what looked like a stone house attacked to the back. The street was tree-lined, so it felt very much like a neighborhood hangout, rather than a fancy recording studio.
But then, what do I know? she wondered. The performance “theater” in the House had once been a parlor. It had been enlarged, she’d been told, when the Manager had decided to add dinner and musical entertainment to the other nighttime entertainment. At least if Luke’s band was recording, there wouldn’t be an audience, and hopefully this Four Saints group would be too busy to pay much attention to her. The longer she was with them, the longer she was safe from the Manager’s minions, so she hoped they’d let her stay with them at least until she could figure out what to do next. She had no money, no identification, no real identity outside of the House, thanks to her mother’s deal with the Manager.
Dear God, what am I going to do?
But Luke was paying the taxi driver, and then he was guiding her to the front door. The sign beside the door said, “Grand Avenue Studios,” so at least Luke was telling the truth about their destination.
Inside, the place was warm and inviting, with comfortable-looking upholstered chairs and a sofa in the entry. There was a front desk, manned by a young woman with unnaturally red streaks in her blond hair. She wore an incredible assortment of rings and studs in her ears, eyebrows and lip, and when she spoke, they could see she had a gold ball on the end of her tongue. Everything she wore was at least one size too small, and Candace was pretty sure this young woman’s assets were manmade. Candace suppressed a shudder. Some of the women in the House had similar adornments and enlarged breasts, but the Manager had never even allowed her to pierce her ears. It was the one restriction she hadn’t minded.
“Hey, darlin’,” Luke greeted the young woman.
“Hey, Luke! ’Bout time you got here. You’re uncle’s startin’ to pace the floor.”
“He’ll get over it,” Luke said, quickly guiding Candace past the obviously curious receptionist.
“Hey, I thought you’d give me a shot at singin’ with the band, and here you’re bringin’ in a stranger?”
“Nah,” Luke said. “She’s just a friend—here to watch the session.
“Don’t stop,” he whispered under his breath as he pushed Candace along. “Marley, there, will talk you’re ear off. She’s one of those Dolly Parton wannabes, but unfortunately, her voice doesn’t match her bra size.”
Candace actually giggled. She couldn’t help it. Luke was that obviously relieved to have her there as an excuse to not talk to the Marley girl. His grin helped her to relax completely. Then he opened a door, ushered her in before him, and her ease turned to panic. There were four men and two women there, apparently waiting for Luke.
“About time, bro,” one of the others said.
The men were all clearly related to Luke. Each had the same size and build, the same dark, shaggy hair. Four more sets of the same dark golden eyes studied her closely.
“I got delayed,” Luke said. “Get over it.”
“Uh-huh,” the oldest of the group said standing and stretching. “You do know how much we’re paying for this session, don’t you?”
“Sure. Look, you can take the overtime out of my pay, but I had something important come up.”
The older man looked at Candace through narrowed eyes. “Uh-huh.”
“Knock it off, Uncle Bart!”
Candace knew there was something unusual about the way Luke had spoken to the man who was apparently his uncle by the way everyone else reacted to his sharp tone.